Once Upon a Time

Once Upon a Time-you will never watch a Disney movie the same way again

As promised, my first review regarding Robert Carlyle is the show that made me a fan!Now, my knowledge of the show is scattered and here's why:
I started watching the show as the second season was getting started. This was the first time I was home to watch it. I'd been at school when it premiered and I did not even keep tabs on the shows I did watch while I was in college, let alone a new one. But I had heard about it. I saw the pictures online and admired the take on fairy tales and the costumes! As a fashion/costume designer I can appreciate the effort it went into to create such outfits while also portraying the character! Perhaps I'll do another review based solely on that. Anyway, I was watching season 2 while catching up on season one on Netflix. This makes my recollection of the events a bit scattered. Due to this awkward way of viewing on my part, and the fact that season two is ongoing, this review will focus on season one.
The story of Once Upon a Time is that all the fairy tale characters you know: Snow White, Pinocchio, Red Riding Hood, of course Rumplestiltskin and many more all live in the same world, just different kingdoms. So, when all joined to celebrate Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Prince Charming's (Josh Dallas) marriage, Snow's step-mother, the evil queen (Lana Parrilla) appears and threatens to release the curse to end all curses, to end the happy endings and rip all the happiness from the fairy tale creatures.

The characters' two sides

When she does this they are transported to a town in our world, a world without magic. The town is called Storybrooke and the queen believes she has won. There is something coming, though.
Before the curse was cast Snow White became pregnant with a child, one who was of great importance. It was told that she would come on her 28th birthday and break the curse. So Snow and Charming sent her to our world using a magic wardrobe (Narnia, anyone??) before the curse took hold.
That child grew up to be Emma Swan (played by House's Jennifer Morrison), a cynical bounty hunter with a rough history of foster care and run in with the law. Now, ten years ago she had a child of her own, but given that she was in jail at the time she gave it up for adoption. So her son finds her and leads her back to Storybrooke where he has been living as the Mayor's adoptive son. This would be fine if the mayor wasn't the evil queen and one of the few who remember everyone's previous life. The boy's name is Henry and he received a book from his teacher Mary Margret (Snow White) which tells the story of the fairy tale characters and the curse. Henry is am imaginative young boy who comes to believe that the curse is real and it is up to Emma to save Storybrooke and bring back the happy endings.

Season one opens with Emma on the hunt for a fugitive. After she brings him in, Henry knocks on her door. He has run away from home and won't leave unless Emma takes him back. She does so and wants to stay to make sure that Henry is okay. His mother Mayor Mills does not like this, afraid that Emma will both break her curse and take Henry from her. For the duration of the show it is a battle between them and it can all be traced back to their mutual love for Henry. Regina feels he is rightfully hers and Emma feels the same. Emma promises Henry she'll always do the right thing, and Regina's ways are more sinister.
The series is filled with bouncing between Storybrooke and fairy tale world. Each peek into the past lives of these characters pertains to something happening in our world.

Belle and Rumple during The Deal

For example, my favorite episode is Skin Deep. This is a take on Beauty and the Beast.
Belle is the daughter of a king who is caught up in the Ogre wars which every kingdom seems to be fighting. Rumplestiltskin is called in to save the kingdom, but in return he wants Belle. In Storybrooke Mr. Gold (Rumplestiltskin) is robbed and Emma (as the sheriff) is worried he may go after the thief himself. It is revealed that a cup was stolen from Gold, a chipped cup. This reminds him of his time with Belle in fairy tale land (yes he remembers as well) and how they fell in love. Yes, Rumplestiltskin is the beast and in this telling Belle falls in love with him and tries to break his curse by kissing him and making him a man again. Rumple thinks this is a trick brought on by the evil queen who is after his power and turns her away, with nothing more than a chipped cup to remember her.
In Storybrooke Gold goes after the thief who turns out to be Belle's father from the past. Gold is angry at him for he believes that Belle's father locked her up for loving him and that this led to her death. As Gold beats Belle's father for something he does not remember, Emma comes to arrest him.
It is revealed that the Mayor has the cup and she uses it to find out that Gold remembers the past. Also, she was the one who told Rumple about Belle's death and she lied. She has Belle locked up in a secret room in the hospital.
The two story lines interact with each other and both give insite to the two worlds we see. As we know more about fairy tale land, we can see the similarities in Storybrooke. These are still the same characters, they just don't know who they really are.
This interaction between the worlds makes things interesting, like when things cool down a bit in one world we are taken to another where things are still happening. This drives the story forward and gives the writers a lot to work with.
So you have two worlds, over 20 characters (over 40 if you count fairy tale and real world characters separate) and tons of stories at your disposal. What can go wrong?

Are you going to stab yourself so Henry can save the day?

Well if I am honest it's Emma. She is my least favorite character and she is the star of the series. Throughout season one she comes to town, stays to make sure his mother isn't really evil, humors her son by telling him she'll help with the curse and even though she sees things that would convince anyone else she is stubborn in believing that the curse isn't real and most of the people in town are nuts! She has three and a half people telling her that it's real and it takes her son almost dying to get her to wake the hell up! Thenshehastoslayadragon!
So she has her issues, but her son is awesome! Henry is a kind and gentle boy, but when he gets to it he can be a badass! He runs away from home, gets Emma to Storybrooke, works so hard to convince her that the curse is real and then eats a poison apple to save her! Of the light side, Henry is my fave!
But, I think it's a bit of an issue when everyone's favorite character is THE BAD GUY!

Rumplestiltskin- proof you can be attracted to, and creeped out by someone at the same time!

Yes, let's talk about Rumple! Rumplestiltskin begins as a lowly spinner of straw raising his son Baelfire. When his son is almost taken to fight in the Ogre wars he tries to run, but fails. He hears about a powerful magic user known as The Dark One. This is an all powerful being who can be controlled by anyone with a magical dagger. Rumple takes the dagger and uses it to slay the Dark One, absorbing his power. Rumple soon becomes consumed by the power and Baelfire sees he is losing his father behind the creature he is becoming. Baelfire tries to take him and his father to 'a land without magic', but Rumple cannot leave his power behind and loses Baelfire in the portal. From there he works both sides, making deals with everyone including Snow White and Prince Charming to get what he wants. He is eventually imprisoned and seems to know a lot more than anyone else. He knows about the curse and about the role Emma has in it, almost as if he can see the future (ohwaithecan!).
Carlyle is a talented actor who plays the dual roles superbly! From the impish Rumplestiltskin to the cunning Mr. Gold, you can see a glint in his eye that lets you know that he is both trustworthy and cunning. Make a deal with him and you may regret it, but he won't back out on a deal. His dual roles, as with everyone else makes him a very interesting character and a joy to watch.
The show as a whole, though, is great, if you can't already tell. The mass amounts of material the writers have shows (I'm pretty sure they made a deal with Disney to use these characters) and is used to great extent and to it's full potential. A lot of talented people are involved in this and it is worth checking out.

Once Upon a Time-What happened after happily ever after? A whole lot of shit went down!