Once Upon a Time (ABC TV Series)

[ajmrowland]

Oh my gosh this is COOL !

http://www.youtube.com/MagicIsComing

Just watch the video .... doesn't end up being what you think!

Now, I really cant wait for Sunday!

[ajmrowland]

I'm still a bit confuzzled about two things:
1. How did Mr. Gold know August was Pinocchio? Did he just guess or did I miss August telling him before?
2. Are we ever told who made the storybook? I know Mary Margaret gave it to Henry and that August added his story, but I can't remember if we're every told who wrote it.

There are possible theories. One would be that that's where all the memories went when the curse was cast.

Or maybe August wrote it cuz it's implied it isnt his first time in Storybrooke. He could've given the book to Mary Margarette in the first place.

[ajmrowland]

I didn’t think Gepetto was dickish at all this episode. If anything, I didn’t really like the Blue Fairy. She looked angry that a father might actually want to protect his own child, rather than the queen and king’s (because royalty is so much more important). What a b*tch.

Me neither. Though I could see the Fairy's reasoning. She commissioned it rather late and adding a second spot would've taken more time. Geppetto is also an old man, and wouldnt realistically be quite like the Disney version.

And I kinda liked young Pinnocchio and thought his plight was interesting. Add to that the fact that his episode had the only flashbacks to take place in the real world, and it ties the story together nicely.

but I agree with those who say that Bailey Madison was the best child actor.

[ajmrowland]

I gotta admit, I am surprised at seeing such a tight, revealing, pushing up bodice on a fairy, but actually, back in olden times, since at least the 1500's, women's tops were low-cut and pushed up their chests as a sign and a way of showing feminity, not meant to be sexual.

let us remember that it is network programming we are watching. 16th century fashion probably had nothing to do with it.

[ajmrowland]

Oh Ok I get ya. Well...yea, I kind of see all of that.

One thing I wanted to say before was I'm glad Emma seems to be an actual...well...smart character! She doesn't do much that makes me go "the writers just wrote that to make their dramatic situations work". She actually knows stuff the thinking audiences would be asking, too. It makes sense that as someone not under a spell, she would do it, but I still don't find that an actual excuse for the other character's so often unrealistic reactions or motivations.

Yes, this last time, Emma did prove to kind of go against what I'm talking about with getting so emotional but disbelieving and taking Henry anyway, but she's still better than the rest and I actually kind of get why she would do all she did in the last episode. She's probably fighting her belief and I can see why she'd want to leave this crazy place and save Henry, despite possibley getting into legal trouble later.

I agree that emma really steps up to the plate in being realistic, but I would hardly say that the other characters are really that unlikeable or dense. Part of Emma fixing the curse is in some way, these characters all have to work their way back to their original personalities by remembering the most crucial parts of their characters. For david, it's his courage, I think. For Dr. Hopper, it was all about helping a child in need, etc.

Back to emma, it's perfectly believable that she acted rash in that particular episode. She was starting to believe, and was frightened by it. her whole pov of the world and reality was changing alarmingly into something she was always taught wasnt real.

[ajmrowland]

Call me an evil person but I would blame Snow White as well. I wouldn't try to kill her, but I would probably hold a grudge against her forever. Yeah, it's petty and stupid, but so be it.

I'd've just told her outright what she'd done and let it be on her conscience.

EditL I actually kinda believed Henry would die. I mean, in the moment, it made sense for his character to die. His sacrifice had gotten Emma to believe-something he spent the entire season trying to do-and his death could've escalated the conflict between Emma and Regina and taken it to phenominal heights for season 2.

But I'm still happy the show's going the direction it's going

[Disney's Divinity]

As far as the Queen's grudge towards SW--I probably would hold a great resentment towards SW, but I wouldn't want to kill her, although I can perfectly understand why another person in the same situation might feel differently. However, I would want to kill my (the Queen's) mother. She is the real villain, and not SW.

[ajmrowland]

23 Fun Facts from 22 Episodes of Once Upon a Time
http://d23.disney.go.com/news/2012/08/d ... on-a-time/

Good list, but did they never get the Space Paranoids bit?

[Atlantica]

http://www.people.com/people/gallery/0, ... 97,00.html

How awesome are these promo shots? So glad we finally have a good set now. Reminds me of the Desperate Housewives promos we used to get.

[disneyboy20022]

I think I remember Mary-Margaret gave him the book, she told Emma that, though I don't think she made it, though I could be wrong

[ajmrowland]

When I get the blu-ray, I think i'll try editing for personal use the flashbacks in chronological order. Just to see what it'd be like.

By the way, next time you watch E20: "The Stranger" look extra closely at the plane that flies overhead in the woods.

highlight to readIt has the logo for Oceanic Airlines

[Disney's Divinity]

Thought it was a pretty good premiere. I liked the Regina parts the best.

At first, the SB stuff dragged the episode. But more importantly, I don't get why all the princesses on this show are so ugly. I mean, the princes are hot as all get-out, but they can't find a halfway good-looking woman for SW or SB? Belle is arguable; I think she's average or below.

Kind of disappointed in Mulan. Didn't really like her borderline affair with Phillip, or how dismissive she was of Aurora. Hope she'll get better.

[Kraken Guard]

Correct me if I misheard something in the recap episode, but didn't Mr. Narrator(Who I'm assuming is Glass/Genie/Mirror) refer to Storybrook as a sort of 'Island that no one can escape, and no one could find'?

Well, gee! That sounds familiar...


... Also, Regina appeared in two episodes of LOST.

[Mooky]

So dementors (and Mulan) are fairytales now? Oookay...

This show is like a car crash. It's horrible, awful and messy, but I just can't stop watching.

[Disney's Divinity]

They weren’t dementors, they were wraiths. Wraiths have existed in folklore/myth/etc. long before Harry Potter rolled around.

As for Mulan, well, Alice in Wonderland is also not a fairy tale.

[ajmrowland]

yeah, but alice in wonderland wasnt so much based off history. Mulan was supposedly a real woman.

I wonder if they'll incorporate that into her backstory somehow?

Anyway, I liked the twist at the end with what you'd normally think was a flashback but is actually a flash-forward. True, it's quite a "Lost" thing and not done so intricately, but it works.

though with not active fighitng against regina, the show could back itself into a corner easily.

[pap64]

They weren’t dementors, they were wraiths. Wraiths have existed in folklore/myth/etc. long before Harry Potter rolled around.

As for Mulan, well, Alice in Wonderland is also not a fairy tale.

Well, technically, these characters are presented as being realms and kingdoms apart from the main fairy tale world, so their existence in this series could be attributed to the world that his whole universe is made up of people from well known fairy tales, myths, legends and other pieces of fiction.

As for this premiere, I agree, it was pretty good. Oddly enough, it was one of those rare cases in which the Storybrooke scenes were far more engaging than the fairy tale world segments. Also, the introduction of Sleeping Beauty as a story apart from the curse story is confusing. Still I enjoyed it and can't wait for next week's episode.

[ajmrowland]

So dementors (and Mulan) are fairytales now? Oookay...

This show is like a car crash. It's horrible, awful and messy, but I just can't stop watching.

trust me when I say if you think this is messy, you havent seen messy.

[Mooky]

They weren’t dementors, they were wraiths. Wraiths have existed in folklore/myth/etc. long before Harry Potter rolled around.

Yes, but they did not wear cloaks or sucked people's souls. Wraith is just another word for a ghost or an apparition, and they are usually invisible to humans. The wraith in OUaT quite obviously rips off Harry Potter's dementors (or maybe even LOTR's Nazgul who popularized the hooded ghost look), right down to the soul sucking visual effect.

As for Alice vs Mulan, Alice in Wonderland, just like Peter Pan, Pinocchio and The Wizard of Oz, falls under the category of turn-of-the-20th-century children's fantasy novels that are nowadays often interchangeable with actual fairytales. Mulan has no place among that kind of crowd. The producers are apparently more concerned about Disney (Princess) cameos than actual storytelling logic, but hey, that's what makes the show a guilty pleasure. I wonder who can we expect to show up next... Pocahontas is now practically a given, but what happens when they ran out of Disney characters? Cleopatra? Joan of Arc?

Anyway, I liked the twist at the end with what you'd normally think was a flashback but is actually a flash-forward. True, it's quite a "Lost" thing and not done so intricately, but it works.

I think it's similar to Lost in more ways than one. Lost's second season also featured a second group of 'survivors' that were previously unknown to other characters (and the viewers).

trust me when I say if you think this is messy, you havent seen messy.

Maybe, but it's still cheesy as cheesy gets .

Anyway... who do you guys think Dr. Whale could actually be? Big Bad Wolf? Or (going on a limb here just because of a pun) Monstro?

[Sotiris]

Mulan has no place among that kind of crowd. The producers are apparently more concerned about Disney (Princess) cameos than actual storytelling logic, but hey, that's what makes the show a guilty pleasure. I wonder who can we expect to show up next... Pocahontas is now practically a given, but what happens when they ran out of Disney characters? Cleopatra? Joan of Arc?

I think Mulan is fair game because she's not a historical person but a legend similar to, let's say, the Arthurian legend. Both legends seem to have some vague historical origins but historical existence is debated and disputed by historians.

I'd have more of a problem if they'd feature Pocahontas who undisputedly is a real person rather than Mulan or other characters of myth, legend and folklore. In case you didn't know, Lancelot will also be making an appearance, so I suppose characters from legends will be included. I just hope they stop at that though and don't include any historical figures.