Once Upon A Time (tev series)

[Mercen-X]

I could swear there was thread for this already, but my search turned out absolute zero.

BELATED WARNING: Spoilers abound. Some are marked, but I don't if other things qualify as spoilers, so read at your own risk.

I'll be running with the assumption that people not only watch but enjoy this show. It's kind of like Heroes but with characters we already know and love. There are plenty of things about the show to love as well as to get a little irked over. Some examples of the latter are dwarves not being actual dwarves, being Hook's crocodile and Belle's beast, needing a touch of magic to defy death, and apparently now is a villain and his Shadow regularly abducts young boys *shudder* etc.

World's delved into include the Enchanted Forest, wherefrom pretty much all Disney/Grimm tales derive, The Land Without Color devoid of magic where Frankenstein originates and they still have yet to explain how he got caught up in the curse (maybe he returned to the Enchanted Forest to find a way to cure his brother of his problem), Wonderland accessed through the Mad Hatter's magical hat, a land that was apparently parallel to the Magic Forest where Sleeping Beauty, Mulan, and the Arthurian knights apparently originate, and finally Neverland, which the heroes will be accessing by Hook's ship come this fall.

According to this picture (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jELN00ZyfIU/T3DDzZXOOeI/AAAAAAAACF0/QcOA5-0ngz8/s1600/ouat-1x17 -the-mad-hatters-hat-01.jpg), there are at least four other worlds OUAT could explore.
The Looking Glass in the middle leads to Wonderland. The door to the left of the mirror is a green curtain with z's in o's: Oz. The two doors to the right are the most confusing, while the door to the far left reminds of me of the doors of a Chinese imperial palace, possibly meaning this is Mulan's land. Whether this means reaching Mulan's land also means accessing the Arthurian world or whether it implies that Mulan managed to travel across worlds is questionable.

Producers say the show has been dropping hints about Oz since the first episode wherein a page from Henri's book shows flying monkeys. Some suggestions made imply Oz pertains to Regina's origins. While we know that was the Queen of Hearts in Wonderland, we don't know when she became such or whether Regina's origins are within Wonderland or Oz. The upcoming spin-off Once Upon A Time in Wonderland may answer those questions.

EDIT: Apparently, there are, at least, six other doors (http://onceuponatime.wikia.com/wiki/The_Hat/Gallery?file=117Doors.png) in the Hatter's Hat.

Grey Door (probably the Land Without Color)
Pink Brick Door
Green Door with a Hole/Mirror
Brown Door with Trees (perhaps Nottingham)
Blue Door with four Holes/Knobs (with scales?)
Medieval Brown and Grey Door (maybe Camelot)
Oriental Style Red Door with Golden Knobs (Forbidden Kingdom?)
Green Curtain Door: Land of Oz obviously
Looking Glass: Wonderland
Coffin-like Door (probably Transylvania)
Normal Door with a Keyhole

Someone also mentioned there are least six more doors not pictured. How they obtained that information is not mentioned.

Theories? Opinions? Factoids? Trivia?

[Mercen-X]

The brick door made me think of Milo in the Phantom Tollbooth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Phantom_Tollbooth_%28film%29)

[noxious.sunshine]

I still haven't finished season 2... I can't wait for season 3 though.

[Shlup]

This show is so fucking stupid and I feel stupid for watching it.

[stanletmontena]

No matter how stupid we feel for watching it, its still addictive.

[Shauna]

Yep, it is super dumb, and it keeps one-upping itself for how dumb can get.

[Miriel]

It's definitely a hot mess. The writing is terrible. BUT, they've done a pretty great job with the casting. Aside from the kid & Emma (the two most basic people on the show), I kinda love most of the characters/actors. Especially Rumpelstiltskin, Mad Hatter, Regina, & Hook.

[Shauna]

Oh yeah, the casting is great. Robert Carlisle is always a joy. xD

[Jinx]

Yeah, I got about five episodes in with the first season and stopped watching. Then I marathoned them all. I got about five episodes into the second season. I'll probably marathon them at some point.

As Miriel said: the writing is a hot mess. It's impossible to know what's going on, because they've just done TOO MUCH. Really they should've had two worlds, and left it at that. Stuck to Disney characters, and that would've been great. Maybe keep Rumpelstiltzkin, but that's it. They've just got too much going on, and it's really off-putting.

[MJN SEIFER]

It's called Milo in the Phantom Tollbooth (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Phantom_Tollbooth_%28film%29) Blast from the past, much? I was thinking of it fairly recently as well, and I checked, and it's on YouTube.
(Sorry I have nothing on-topic to contribute to).

[Kossage]

Mercen-X, I suggest you add spoiler tags or at least a spoiler warning to the beginning of the first post. There are people out there who haven't yet finished the second season (particularly people living abroad), and you're revealing one particular heavy spoiler (the Queen of Hearts thing). Just a heads up. ;)

Anyways, I ended up watching this show kind of by accident. They had tv spots running on one of our channels. I saw the fairytale angle and what the gist of the story would be and got interested, so I gave the first episodes a go, and I ended up hooked by the end of "Heart is a Lonely Hunter" which really hit home for me. Since here in Finland we were so behind the US airtimes, I ended up watching the rest of the season online and then moving on to season 2.

Despite what some people might say, the show's writing is actually pretty stellar for the most part. It may be cheesy at times, but it's supposed to be a fairytale, and it actually enhances the plot. Sure, it stumbles here and there, but it compensates for it by writing effective, dramatic and character-building scenes more often than not. I enjoy how the writers manage to show the villains as both dangerous and yet humanize them. Rumple, Regina, Hook and Cora have all had good moments, and one of my favourite episodes ended up being "Skin Deep" for that very reason because it gave us a solid plot (which is also Robert Carlyle's favourite) but also how it helped us see Rumple in a new light. This scene (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXdF5ndAzlc) always sends shivers running down my spine.

However, on the other hand I'm kind of saddened how shafted Maleficent has been on the show; she had potential to be a great villainess and foil to Regina, but instead she didn't end up being quite as prominent as I'd hoped. Perhaps future flashbacks (on Aurora) will elaborate on this, but I doubt they'll go that route since they have so many other characters they need to be focusing on. As much as I enjoy seeing all these characters and their interesting yet archetypic backstories (with a twist), it does take away some of the spotlight from the major characters, and yet the side characters could still use some more screentime too to resolve a few dangling subplots. I'm also not sure whether creating all these twists for storylines and turning them "darker" for the sake of being dark will serve the narrative since it feels forced at times, but for the most part it's still worked in the story, so I'm willing to give it a free pass as long as they don't mess things up. :)

In any case, it's going to be interesting to see what fairytale etc. characters will show up. Personally I'd be so happy if we had Arawn or Horned King on the show, assuming the Wraith could be linked to the Underworld. That could also give us a nice excuse to see cameos of deceased characters in the present day (plus the Horned King would be a great antagonist for the show) but only time will tell whether the show will consider adding less familiar characters like him to the show.

What really impresses me is how the story ties together as you piece the puzzle bit by bit over the course of the seasons as the flashbacks start creating a bigger whole, particularly in terms of Rumple's complex machinations which serve a very simple yet relatable goal. It kind of like tGA (EoFF's semi-official RP) and its character development and plots now that I think of it. I guess it must be the Bleys influence. xD

It's such a joy seeing how these characters have connected with one another in the past and how surprising roles some of them have played. I don't see how this kind of plotting can be confusing; the timeline has clearly been established and is pointed out several times in episodes, and the flashbacks are in certain places for thematic reasons to support the "present day" narrative. OUAT is like Lost but it's a lot less confusing, mainly because this time the writers have planned most of the plotlines in advance so they actually know the direction they're going for.

The show's not afraid of discussing heavy philosophical concepts either such as the destiny vs. free will angle or the great lesson about "We are both" (about the characters' dual personalities) in the episode of the same name. The way these make sense and actually contribute to the narrative is a sign of solid writing, and I've enjoyed these moments which give depth to the series' world. :)

Acting's also pretty good for the most part. Robert Carlyle in particular steals the show as Rumple/Mr. Gold, and he's obviously enjoying portraying the character. Lana Parilla and several others don't lag behind either; Lana in particular showed some fine acting chops in the second season due to the character development Regina's going through. As fun as the antagonists of the show are, I also enjoy watching the heroes (and their actors) go about their business, and there's some fine chemistry at work between certain characters. It's nice that the villains have their virtues and the heroes have their flaws, as that makes them more interesting, and yet they still manage to show the inner goodness of certain virtuous people to show that not all fairytale ideas are moot in a cynical world. And contrary to what many people have said when I've talked to them, I'm not irritated by the acting of Henry or Emma; they serve their purpose and actually do manage to make the characters their own. Sure, it could be better, but it's not game-breakingly awful, and they're getting better as the series progresses.

I was pleasantly surprised when I found out Mark Isham had composed the music for the series. The fact that the guy was able to have an actual orchestra playing the music for every episode while creating multiple themes for characters, locales and ideas is nothing short of stunning in this day and age when most series just rely on boring synths or don't bother creating leitmotivic content. Music is just as important as visuals, actors and storytelling are in series narratives, and Isham for the most part succeeds in his task. Granted, I would've wanted even more complex and bombastic music at times and less piano (although Isham always makes one's heart melt with his clever use of the piano in his series and film scores, so I forgive him for relying on it), but what is there works well enough. The villain leitmotif in particular is such an earworm that it still starts playing in my head every now and then. :p

Although Season 2 had its faults (mainly some meandering in a few parts) and doesn't quite live up to the strengths of Season 1, both are still enjoyable to watch, and it seems we'll be in for quite a ride for Season 3 not to mention the spinoff which takes place in Wonderland (can't wait to see how Naveen Andrews will portray Jafar in it). I look forward to the continuation of the story, and I hope the writers will keep on delivering fine content for all ages to enjoy. :)

[Mercen-X]

Yeah, Maleficent... I definitely think they should have had a Sleeping Beauty spin-off unless Maleficent can somehow feature prominently in the Wonderland spin-off.


Blast from the past, much? I was thinking of it fairly recently as well, and I checked, and it's on YouTube.I'm gonna check it out from my library