What if Snow White and Prince Charming didn’t get the exact ending they expected? What if the story started out with the villain being triumphant? You get just that in ABC’s fantasy drama, Once Upon a Time, which ran from 2011-2018. Creators Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz have given popular fairy tales a twist. There’s a lot to unpack with the plot of this show but I won’t give away any spoilers for anyone who may be planning to watch it.
The plot follows the town of Storybrooke, Maine, which is created by the evil queen, Regina. She casts a curse with the intention of stealing everyone’s happiness due to a grudge she holds against her stepdaughter, Snow White. Every one of these fairytale characters forgets what their previous lives were like before the curse. In each episode, the story shifts back and forth between the present and flashbacks from the fairytale realm. It’s a very effective way of introducing each character and showing their backstories.
Enter Emma Swan. Unbeknownst to her, she is the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. She arrives in Storybrooke decades later and puts obstacles in the way of Regina’s plans. In addition to that, Regina is the adoptive mother of Henry, whose biological mother is Emma. That situation alone causes tensions to arise between the two women. Dealing with a rough past and present, Emma finds herself on a path of self-discovery and is a very dynamic character. As much as I hated Regina in the beginning, she proves to be dynamic as well and eventually became one of my favorites. What just about every character has in common is that no one is completely good but no one is completely bad either.
I just recently finished watching the series for the second time, and I’m glad I made that decision because it’s one of my favorite shows of all time. I also re-learned things that I had forgot happened and picked up on other things I missed the first time around.
One of my favorite episodes is the musical one. The villains’ songs are the best ones, in my opinion. I love the way these stories are told so differently from both the original fairytales and their movie adaptations. There are characters you would have never imagined crossing paths. For example, Captain Hook and Rumpelstiltskin have a rather unpleasant history with each other.
Overall, I think this is a really great show with very well written characters. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys the fantasy and fairy tale genres. There is plenty of magic, action, romance, plot twists and so many other elements that make Once Upon a Time worth watching
