Once Upon a Time Season 1 Episode 5 & 6 Review

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Going for two episode per post this month!

Episode 5;  That Still Small Voice

Raphael Sbarge as Dr. Archie Hopper, Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills, & Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan Once Upon a Time Season 1 Episode 5; That Still Small Voice picture image

Raphael Sbarge as Dr. Archie Hopper, Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills, & Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, Once Upon a Time

This episode focuses on Jiminy Cricket and how he came to be a cricket as well as stuff with Jiminy’s Maine persona. Now I have never been one for Pinocchio, I watched that movie once when I was seven and didn’t like it then can’t say I care to rewatch it now, I DID like the cat Figaro but Pinocchio and Jiminy just don’t resonate with me so this episode felt very meh.

Basically the theme of this episode is doing the right thing and  having a conscious; Jiminy Cricket stuff. Jiminy in the fairy world was the son of scam artists and thieves.  Jiminy wants to go straight but his parents won’t left him. He is giving a potion to get rid of his parent but they swap the potion and a wife and husband are transformed into dolls. Those dolls or marionettes are the scariest thing I have ever seen. So the blue fairy turn Jiminy into a cricket and he vows to looks after the husband and wife’s child a boy named Gepetto.

In the Storybrooke plot Henry’s shrink a.k.a Archie Hopper, Hopper because cricket, puns,. is having issue with Regina being a no good meanie-face. The a cave collapses and Henry wants to look because Regina wants to not have people in the cave so CLEARLY Regina is hiding something even though there is something in there, Snow White’s glass coffin.

Anyway I found it  one of the weaker episodes but you can’t like them all. I did like the dog a Dalmatian named Pongo because Disney references, it’s what they do!

 

Episode 6; The Shepherd

Josh Dallas as The Shepherd Once Upon a Time picture image

Josh Dallas as The Shepherd, Once Upon a Time

Oh, ugly dress why do you haunt me? Seriously, what is up with Princess  Abigail’s blue dress? It’s so unflattering but fine, whatever, not really all that important. I do like that this show subverts Fairy-Tales but using the tropes different ways. This episode reveals that Prince Charming isn’t a prince but a poor shepard whose twin bother was adoptive by the King. So the actual Prince James died and the one we know isn’t really a Prince but sort of fell into the job through a family connection, classic nepotism. Joking aside it is a good twist of things, though I suppose it’s really only a twist because of the story structure being told out of order but it does keep the trite fairy tale fresh.

Two things that bother me slightly, One Shepard mother being poor but wearing white on a farm,? That doesn’t seem right. And  two, King Midas not being Greek or rather Phrygian. I’m not trying to be a super purest but it would have allowed for a more interesting look than typical medieval grab. I just want pretty costumes, Why is that so hard? All in all good episode I wish I could make a Mother of Dragon joke but nah.

Oh, and I also get it now, Mary Margaret Blanchard as in her last name meaning white. And Robert Carlyle is the best actor on this show.

Once Upon a Time Season 1 Episode 4; The Price of Gold Review

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Jessy Schram as Cinderella in Once Upon a Time Season 1 Episode 4; The Price of Gold picture image

Jessy Schram as Cinderella in Once Upon a Time

Finally costumes I don’t hate. I mean they aren’t amazing I mean very much what you would expect from Cinderella’s ball gown not super gown and they other costume were not that bad either. Things are looking up.

So this episode focus one Cinderella however instead of the fairy godmother Rumpy gives Cinderella her chance at life in exchange for something that Rumpy never says and Cinderella agrees and signs the contract without reading it. The thing Rumpelstiltskin wants is Cinderella’s first born which makes Cinderella the miller’s daughter from the Rumpelstiltkin tale.

In the real work of amnesiac fairy tale people, Cinderella is a teen soon to be mom named Ashley. Get it? Ash? Cinders? It’s a pun. Better than calling her Ella or Cindy. Anyway the baby’s daddy’s father sold off the baby to Mr Gold and Ashley agree but is not reneging on said promise. In the end Emma Swan makes a deal with Mr Gold to owe him a favor and Ashley can keep her baby.

While in the fairy tale world Cinderella and her Prince are trying to magically trap Rumpy out the contract. They also go Game of Thrones saying the magic needs a price. So in exchange for trapping Rumpy something happens to Cinderella’s prince because he took reasonably for the price and magic apparently is cool with people taking the price other the one who did the act, I guess.

All in all, it was an enjoyable episode, a bit highhanded with the whole baby thing a Emma put her baby up for adoption and Ashley is desperate to keep her baby. I’m not sure how I like the idea of Rumpy killing the Fairy God mother and then baiting Cinderella but it made for an interesting plot/ twist of the sources materials so I really don’t mind it. Also it seems like Regina and Graham are hooking up…

Once Upon a Time Season 1 Episode 3; Snow Falls Review

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Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White & Josh Dallas as Prince Charming once upon a time season 1 episode 3 Snow Falls picture image

Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White & Josh Dallas as Prince Charming/James in Once Upon a Time

I bet you can guess what the first thing I noticed was? Prince Charming’s fiancee’s outfit. WTF? That was so far the ugliest costume in the show? What ever they thinking. I don’t get this styling.

Anyway this episode focuses on Snow White and Prince Charming/James backstory of how they met/ fell into like-like. Most modern take-off on fairy tale have to move away from the love at first sight angle and have to opt for an ass-kicking female who while she might get saved from the guy does save the guy at some point. So their meeting, which precisely this, does come off a boring from a story/character angle. Snow White is thief who robs the Prince’s jewel so she can move somewhere else and she has a secret weapon she is saving for the evil queen but uses it to save Prince James. This is a weird point of contention where Snow White’s actions and motivation  are concern. She says she wants to move to another realm seemingly avoiding the Queen and yet she want to squish her like a bug, no actually that is her secret weapon. So what is her motivation? It’s a little confused since she is activity working towards one end. And if she is a thief who bother hanging around the woods? Why not just leave and steal in a new place? I dunno I guess they need to keep the mystery levels high.

While the back story is playing out, in Maine the prince is a comatose dude  and Mary Margaret reads him the story book of how Snow and James meet which causes him to wake up and run off. Emma, Henry, the cop guy Graham maybe, and  Mary Margaret find him unconscious in the river. In the standard gender reversal Mary Margaret gives him CPR/kiss and he wakes up and they go back to hospital where evil mean Regina introduces them to his wife who has BS story Blah blah blah.

I feel like the acting isn’t that great in this episode or it may be the writing but there is a certain level of  stilled acting. I also don’t get how Snow White had this snarky tough persona in this episode but not so much earlier and not at all with Mary Margaret. And  who named her Mary Margaret as a combination name?  Don’t get me wrong I like the thief and royal pairing but meh it did do much for me here. Then it’s still only episode three so I’m incline to forgive it.

Dumb side-note, I wish the Prince’s name was Jon so I could make a Jon Snow joke but alas no.

Once Upon a Time Season 1 Episode 2; The Thing you Love the Most Review

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Lana Parrilla as Regina Mills & Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan Once Upon a Time Season 1 Episode 2; The Thing you Love the Most picture image

Lana Parrilla as Regina Mills & Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan in ABC’s Stone Once Upon a Time

This episode mentions Honey Crisp Apples which are super delicious and the apples I have been eat all week  and unless Honey Crisp have a massive variation of size and color the apples in this episode are not Honey Crisps. They look more like Red Delicious. But I know nothing about apple varieties and this a classic case of tangental nitpicking, so on to the actual episode.

First thing be ye first thing, I really enjoy the pacing of the show.  The fairly seamless back and forth between the Fairy Tale backstory and Real Life curse breaking detectives is fun. I liked the not so subtle choice of cinnamon to infer the characters of the possible connection between them, Snow White/Mary Margaret, Emma, and Henry all like cinnamon on their hot chocolate. That sounds good, am I related them? I kid.

The bitch game of one-up-mannanship was a little tiring, one frames the other and the other hacks the one’s non Honey Crisp Tree, what a cliche! Anyway the fairy tale plot centers around how the Evil Queen’s curse. Apparently in this world of Fairy Tales, Curses can be traded. Ok, that’s weird. Also I didn’t care for the styling of Maleficent. Why does she look all soft? I know it’s a re-imagining but I don’t get the choice of it. In fact the Snow White’s Evil Queen looks more Maleficent. Also I also don’t know why but the Evil Queen’s Leather pants and lace widows peak gives me an odd combo of amused and cringing. I get the stye is going for a Shabby Chic style, kinda like that movie The Secret of Moonarce.  Why are Fairy Tales Shabby Chic?

Anyway, so Evil Queen knows that this curse means amnesia and not being in the fairy tale world. And she activates the curse so she can be happy and all she has to do is make a deal with Rumplestiltskin, who the one who gave her the curse before she traded with Maleficent and she has to kill her father because she has to kill the thing she loves the most. Her father is also named Henry, Dun, Dun, Dunnnn. I actually liked that plot point. Rumpy a.k.a Mr Gold also seems to knows about the curse or he know something. Rumplestiltskin seems to be more OP in this version. Wait why was he in jail in this first place? And if he knows that Emma could break the curse and brought Henry to Regina so that Emma would come someday,  why would he want the curse broken? He has a pretty good thing going on with the curse. Like what is his motivation for wanting to return to the fairy tale world? Or is like an impulse where he know there a curse and wants to break it but doesn’t know what it means or the details but then again he remembers the details of the deal he made with the Evil Queen?  I’m just going to stop and let the show answer the questions because I have more and I’m sure they will get answered.

 

Anyway it was a fun episode, still don’t care for the boy though.

Once Upon a Time Season 1 Episode 1; The Pilot Review

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Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White & Josh Dallas as Prince Charming once upon a time pilot season 1 episode 1 picture image

Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White & Josh Dallas as Prince Charming in ABC’s Once Upon a Time

I have started watching Once Upon a Time. For the moment, till I can find my groove with these reviews (probably not the right word), I’m just going to one episode at a time. Perhaps later I will cover more episodes per post but for a least the first moth or so,  one episode at a time.  Also no promises on pictures all the time.

I don’t want to say I’m reviewing the episodes, I would say it’s more like feedback  though I could get into more a review stance once I find a groove.

Right off the bat, Boston and Maine. I’m from New England, Massachusetts to be more precise. I went to school in Boston and South Station was my part of my daily life for a while. So I’m kind of happy that the story takes place in Maine and Boston gets a mention. I get that like this whole of a place of no Happily Ever After is the real  would but I find it a little funny to say Maine is the horrible place of no happiness, Maine is pretty nice.  Also Emma has a REALLY nice apartment for Boston. Like wow, she makes bank.

So first impressions, oddly my first like gut reaction was really liking the scenery. Otherwise I hated the costumes at first. The Fairy Tale costumes looks so cheap, like they didn’t have a budget. With the sets and the special effect it’s meant to look sort of cheap, cheap isn’t the right word but still. Over the episode the costumes  grew on me a little to where I didn’t mind them. Also consider this, I just got done re-watching The Tudors, so with costumes I got used to that level of just stunning costume and I’m a big fan of Game of Thrones. Costumes are not the selling point of this show, oddly I like the real word costumes.

I’ll admit I was confused about the goings on of the plot for a while it is pretty much spelled out but it did hold my interest. Now when I say that I mean it as a huge compliment. I have no attention, like zero. The fact that I watch with with out clicking away is impressive. In fact I didn’t realized I was paying attention until my computer screen went black and I thought my computer died on me, I’m paranoid. It turns out was just my screen saver. I’m being serious. I so like the weaving of fairy tale characters in reality angle.

Were there things I didn’t like? Yes. I really don’t like the kid, Henry. He is very annoying and he isn’t written like a child. It’s not just, I do also think the dialogue is awkward. It doesn’t sound all that natural, I mean the acting is fine, it’s the fault of the dialogue. It’s not really enough to make me hate the show outright, it’s a pilot, the writer may not even be used to the characters yet.  I oddly so far like Regina Mills a.k.a the Evil Queen  but I also REALLy dislike her fairy tale costume.

Also the guy who plays Rumplestiltskin, Robert Carlyle, Someone! Cast him as Clopin. OMG, He would make a fantastic Clopin!