The Good:
1. It's a fairy tale! What could be better than that? Oh, right, a twisted fairy tale! Perfect.
2.Characters to love/hate. You gotta have them and this does, beginning with Henry (who almost makes me want more kids), Snow White (played flawlessly by Ginnifer Goodwyn and is she fucking cute as hell or what? And I mean that in a nice way, not nauseatingly cutesy cute, but cute like a kitten you must save), Prince Charming (played by Josh Dallas who is most definitely charming), and of course, the Evil Queen Regina, played silkily by Lana Parilla.
3. Lots of questions/mysteries/conflict. These, of course, keep the plot moving forward and I love how the writers twist the stories of well-known characters like Cindarella and Jiminy Cricket and then show their mirror images in the town of Storybrook (and man, I WISH there was a Storybrook, Maine because I would've sold my house and moved there years ago!).
4. The Unknown, ie, Rumplestiltskin. Mind you I'm still in Season One but I have no idea what he wants. I like unpredictable. It keeps me interested.
The Not so Good:
1. Rumplestiltskin. Although I find his character interesting and unpredictable, Robert Carlyle (or the writers) really needs to tone him down a bit - imo. And let me just state for the record I happen to like Robert Carlyle; he was awesome in Trainspotting and The Full Monty, but I think Rumple would be much more sinister if he wasn't so over the top in the fairy tale parts. He's much better as Mr. Gold in Storybook.
2. The Fairies. The scenes with the fairies are my least favorite because...well, they're just plain ridiculous, especially in the episode I recently watched where they were making like warriors and dropping fairy dust bombs. I'm sorry but, no warrior would ever wear the outfits these fairies wear and I suspect, no self-respecting fairy would either!
Do you watch Once Upon a Time? What do you think of the show?
I watched one or two episodes, but at the time there were too many new shows and it just didn't grab me enough to stick with it. Although through the power of NetFlix, I will probably one day watch it.
ReplyDeleteDo you ever stop and wonder what on earth we did before NetFlix?
I love Netflix, I just wish streaming would offer everything - like Criminal Minds for example.
DeleteI watched the first season and adored the show, and then stopped at the beginning of the second because it became unbearably boring and it lost any focus. Carlyle is the weakest link in the cast, because he is simply too psychotic for a family show. Loved Josh Dallas and Lana Parila, but Ginnifer becomes irritating later on in the show... she just lacks warmth for the role.
ReplyDeleteSometimes that happens with shows. Maybe it got better the third season?
Deletenot likely. I sometimes see a scene or two while surfing my cable channels and it still seems chaotic and pointless even in the current season. They try to save what can be saved by adding new fairy tale characters....
DeleteI watched the first season and adored it. But it does go sideways a bit in season two after the initial conflict is resolved. And, yes, Ginnifer Goodwin is adorable. I've actually used her photo to show hairstylists how to cut my hair. Never comes out like that, of course, but I try. :P
ReplyDeleteYeah, she sure is cute. Well, if it bores me, I'll move on to something else.
DeleteIt's if by far my favorite show. I won't do any spoilers but it just gets better and better. They just started filming for season 4 and I can't wait. Season 2 and 3 are better than one in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteAh, see, another opinion!
DeleteI've caught a few episodes, but never really got hooked. Glad you're enjoying it so far, though.
ReplyDeleteIt's fun. I like The Killing, too, tho that's a bit darker.
DeleteMy hubby watches the show, so I kinda absorb some of it through osmosis while I'm reading. I like the show okay, but I don't pay enough attention to it to fully grasp all of its convolutions. But from what I've seen, I think Rumplestiltskin is one of the more interesting characters. (Although he doesn't look ANYTHING like how I envisioned him when I read those fairy tales as a kid.)
ReplyDeleteNo, I imagine him as a small man with a beard jumping up and down in fury.
DeleteI haven't watched this show so I really can't comment. Just didn't want to stop by without saying hi.
ReplyDeleteHi! And thanks for coming by :)
DeleteWhen there's nothing else on, I sometimes watch, but I prefer my fairy tales animated and from Disney. ;)
ReplyDeleteThere's a few of those I love, too - like The Princess and the Frog.
DeleteI even watched Once Upon a Time in Wonderland (which was pretty good, actually). I like how they resolve the main conflict at the end of each season rather than having it hang on for the duration of the show.
ReplyDeleteThat's one reason I like watching through netflix, I often don't have to wait for the next season unless I'm all caught up and that hasn't happened yet. I just don't watch enough tv.
DeleteI only have Netflix streaming, as well. I've watched Once Upon a Time, but haven't finished it. I think I'm on season 2 somewhere, so I won't risk spoilers. I have to agree on the fairies and Rumple. I like that it's even a show I can watch with my kids (most of the time). Retellings are my favorite. No question. I'm glad you're enjoying the show.
ReplyDeleteIt's a fun show and yes, definitely something you could watch with kids.
DeleteI've always thought Ginnifer Goodwin is adorable! I saw her in the movie "He's Just Not That Into You," then on that Bill Paxton movie where he was married to three women. Ginnifer was one of them. I tried watching Once Upon a Time but it was a little too action-adventurey for my taste.
ReplyDeleteShe is adorable and it's nice that she isn't as thin as a bone. Girl's got some curves and is still cute as hell
DeleteMy wife and daughter are huge fans. Me, not so much. I tried but the Evil Queen got to be a bit much for me. We get it, you don't want anyone messing with your "son".
ReplyDeleteIn the glimpses I've gotten of more recent episodes, though, she's more nuanced and therefore more appealing to me. Still, I think I'm happy to let the girls have this one as their thing.
At first I was a little annoyed by what I perceived as her lack of motive. In fact, I was originally going to mention that under the not so good. But she definitely gets more nuanced, as you say, in the latter part of season one.
DeleteI"m a big fan of OUaT though I have to agree with your critique of Carlyle's Rumpelstiltsken....especially in some of the flashbacks.
ReplyDeleteAs for the fairies, though, I have no problem with their outfits ;)
My daughter watched it for a while. I try hard not to get sucked into programs (Downton Abbey notwithstanding, which was like a vacuum!) because there is too much to do. But I did find the premise of that one intriguing.
ReplyDeleteYep, Rumple is NOT scary, and Mr Gold is. Rumple is way too over the top!
ReplyDeleteI watched this show happily and religiously until somewhere in the middle of season two...and then they lost me. Too many weird characters, too much repetition of the same plot devices, at least for me. I know plenty of people still love it, though, so I might just be too picky!
I'm just about to start season 2 - we'll see what happens...
DeleteI haven't seen it yet, but like you, I catch everything late because I only stream TV shows. I am intrigued by your description, I'll have to check it out! We just started Orange is the New Black, a Netflix original, and that's some pretty great writing.
ReplyDeleteMy sister loves that show and I've heard good things about it.
DeleteI like this one. I think it is clever and constantly seeks to improve upon itself. The depth of the characters is marvelous. I particularly like Regina.
ReplyDeleteI agree; she's probably one of the most interesting, mostly bad, but not completely.
DeleteI tried to like this show in the very first season. Tried and failed. I've read it's better, and should try again...
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't perfect by any means (overall, Battlestar Galactica was better) but it's fun.
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