I've decided to start a post series about TV series I've watched lately. I'm going to write about a few shows I've watched and that I think you should consider watching. Some of these shows are still on air and some of them have been canceled.
ONCE UPON A TIME (currently on air)
Once Upon a Time is my new favorite show. I'm obsessed with it and I stand by my belief that this is the new best show of the 2011-2012 season. I'm going to give you the briefest summary possible. The show focuses on the classic fairy tale characters we know and love, Snow White (Mary Margaret in the human world), Prince Charming (David in the human world), Rumpelstiltskin (Mr. Gold in the human world) and many others, who are cursed by the Evil Queen to live in the human world, in a fictional town called Storybrooke. Emma is a bounty hunter who is found by Henry, the son she gave up for adoption ten years ago, who tells her she's the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. He brings her to Storybrooke to break the curse and defeat the Evil Queen, who's his adoptive mother, Regina.
MY THOUGHTS
There are so many things that make this show fantastic.
One aspect of the show that I love and really appreciate is the writing for the female characters. In the classic fairy tales, Snow White and the other female characters are the damsel in distress, needing a man to save them. But in this show, the women are the ones saving the men. Granted, the men will still save the women on occasion, but they aren't always doing the saving. I love to see portrayals of strong, determined women. Also, these women are feminine, but they aren't girly and entirely passive. I love this twist. I think if the female characters were damsel in distresses, I'd be bored and annoyed at the disrespect. But I'm happy that these writers had the sense to make these female characters more modern.
What I like about the characters is that even though the characters in both worlds have the same names and appearance, they have different personalities. In the fairy tale world, Snow White is kick-ass while her Storybrooke identity Mary Margaret is passive and compassionate. Prince Charming is brave and stands by Snow White while David isn't that bright. He makes the wrong decisions and does what he thinks others will approve of.
The writing for this show is brilliant. In addition to the twists I mentioned, the show does a great job of keeping us guessing. There are characters who possibly know the truth about Storybrooke and it's inhabitants but we aren't entirely sure if it's true or not until several episodes in.
The acting in this is top notch. We have a good amount of leading and supporting actors so I'll just write my thoughts on the core characters.
Ginnifer Goodwin is fantastic as Snow White/Mary Margaret. Her capability to portray Mary Margaret's empathy and passiveness and Snow White's fearlessness and determination is outstanding. Joshua Dallas plays Prince Charming/David and I think he fits well in the role. He and Ginnifer Goodwin's chemistry is sizzling. Even if they aren't saying anything, a simple look and electricity sparks. Jennifer Morrison is Emma Swan. Like Ginnifer Goodwin, Morrison's ability to portray her character's determination, fearlessness, compassion and denial is outstanding. Jared S. Gilmore is Henry, Emma's son. He's actually a really good actor. It's great to see genuinely talented child actors. Lana Parrilla plays the Evil Queen/Regina. She's an incredible actress. There are times where I was actually feeling sympathetic towards Regina/Evil Queen and that's all because of Parrilla. Robert Carlyle is Rumpelstiltskin/Mr. Gold. For me, he is the show's breakout character. Carlyle is an extraordinary actor and he steals every scene he's in. Whether he's being good or evil, you're just with him in every scene and you'll even root for him. The supporting cast is just as talented.
The creators of Once Upon a Time wrote for Lost. I haven't watched Lost yet, but I know it had a reputation for dragging on with its stories and not answering questions. I will say that these writers have answered most of our questions in the first season, especially in the finale. What was great was that the first season finale just brought new ones that will keep us guessing until the second season premieres. It's frustrating, but it keeps us entertained and wanting more.
The one downside I can think of is that this show is the kind of program you have to watch every episode, or at least catch up because if you miss one episode, you'll be confused. I missed one episode and didn't think I had to catch up. That was a mistake because I was confused by a revealing plot point. If you plan to start watching the show starting in its second season, I'd say to watch the first season to avoid confusion. This isn't one of those shows that you can skip a season and catch up in the next.
Now this isn't everyone's cup of tea. Some might see this show as being only for women because it's a show about fairy tales. In the show, there's also a good amount of sword fights and violence, which might appeal to male viewers like myself. Granted, the show's not that violent because the show is sponsored by ABC Disney. The show is slightly dark but not as dark as it could be considering the story. I'm interested in fairy tales and fantasy so that's why the show appealed to me and still does.
Once Upon a Time is a highly entertaining and I think it's one of the best dramas on air right now. Full of twists and turns, adventure, action and romance.
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