# Once Upon A Time - S01E01 - 10/23/11



## martinp13 (Mar 19, 2001)

I liked it enough to keep the SP. Interesting premise, good setup.

The biggest bother to me is that there's a Defined Goal (restoration of happy endings). Once you hit that goal, what's next? Is the whole show trying to attain that goal and never quite getting there?


----------



## astrohip (Jan 7, 2003)

Felt the same as you. Was interesting enough to give it a second episode. And I also wondered about the endgame. Are we always striving, never reaching?


----------



## Philosofy (Feb 21, 2000)

I have a feeling it rushed to set up the premise, but it has great potential. It could be this season's Lost or Heroes.


----------



## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

martinp13 said:


> The biggest bother to me is that there's a Defined Goal (restoration of happy endings). Once you hit that goal, what's next? Is the whole show trying to attain that goal and never quite getting there?


Well, the Fables comic book series that this isn't based on had a Defined Goal, which they accomplished in issue 80. They're now on issue 110 and going strong. So it CAN be done!


----------



## zordude (Sep 23, 2003)

Philosofy said:


> I have a feeling it rushed to set up the premise, but it has great potential. It could be this season's Lost or Heroes.


Oh god I hope not.

I liked it, i wish it had a defined arc that it was already guaranteed for though, It really feels like a story I wont get to see through to the end


----------



## Fleegle (Jan 15, 2002)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> Well, the Fables comic book series that this isn't based on had a Defined Goal, which they accomplished in issue 80. They're now on issue 110 and going strong. So it CAN be done!


Boy, it sure felt like Fables...


----------



## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

Fleegle said:


> Boy, it sure felt like Fables...


Well, not really...the very basic premise is the same (fairy-tale characters exiled to the real world), but everything else is pretty different.


----------



## spikedavis (Nov 23, 2003)

I wish this was REALLY Fables instead...


----------



## holee (Dec 12, 2000)

This was better than I expected. I'll stick around for a bit.

The kid, I could do less with, though.


----------



## Maui (Apr 22, 2000)

I rather enjoyed it! Definitely keeping this SP


----------



## Peter000 (Apr 15, 2002)

It was okay. I actually fell asleep during the last 15 minutes of it, and had to watch it again. Got a bit slow at the end. 

I'll have to check out "Fables."


----------



## JohnB1000 (Dec 6, 2004)

I liked it but I'm already wishing it was a British like - 2 seasons of 6 episodes then done - kind of show.


----------



## getreal (Sep 29, 2003)

I like the premise, but the men should have beards. How does Rumpelstiltskin stay clean-shaven while locked up in that cage? And Prince Charming with a modern-day buzz cut? And the Evil Queen with stilettos and tight leather pants? The costumers on this show should be required to research fashions of the times.

Having said that, I like the idea and will keep watching.


----------



## Peter000 (Apr 15, 2002)

getreal said:


> I like the premise, but the men should have beards. How does Rumpelstiltskin stay clean-shaven while locked up in that cage? And Prince Charming with a modern-day buzz cut? And the Evil Queen with stilettos and tight leather pants? The costumers on this show should be required to research fashions of the times.
> 
> Having said that, I like the idea and will keep watching.


The characters aren't from a time period, they're from a fairy tale. They don't have rules like that.

And everyone knows that Rumplestiltskin had a magic face that didn't need shaving.

And Prince Charming's hair was always perfect.

And tight leather pants are awesome, so don't make waves.


----------



## danterner (Mar 4, 2005)

Considering the writers' pedigree (LOST), I was amused to notice that the house number of the mayor/witch/adoptive mom was 109, and that the town clock had stopped at 8:15. Nice subtle nod to the Numbers, perhaps. 

I thought it was alright and will watch again. My wife really liked it.


----------



## wprager (Feb 19, 2006)

I have to admit, I'm really surprised at the overall positive tone. I nearly turned it off half way through and was fully expecting it to be massacred/lampooned over here. The most annoying part for me was the extra, unnecessary characters. Gepetto, really? Tinkerbell? With boobs big-enough for her to float like a dirigible? And I don't understand why, if there is this "The Fog" like curse coming, did they have to do a sword fight to kill Charming. 

Of course I'll give it another couple of episodes because of the pedigree, but I expected to like it a lot more.

P.S. 109? The Lost numbers added up to 108. Sorry I don't remember if the house number was actually 108 and 109 was a typo.


----------



## caslu (Jun 24, 2003)

Peter000 said:


> And tight leather pants are awesome, so don't make waves.


...with stilettos, don't forget the heels!  and by the way, I also enjoyed it.


----------



## madscientist (Nov 12, 2003)

ObLostRef: when Emma wakes up in jail they do the Lost eye opening close-up thing.

Watched it with my kids. They thought it was fun. I thought it was not too bad. I'm sure we'll continue to watch, with them.


----------



## omnibus (Sep 25, 2001)

Anybody else remember "The Charmings" (not Charmed) with Christopher Rich as Prince Charming banished to present day. There are a couple of eps on youtube.

A highlight was Paul Winfield as an in-law (I think) in the mirror, think Cinderella.


----------



## Flop (Dec 2, 2005)

It was good enough for me to stick around to see where it goes.


----------



## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

wprager said:


> The most annoying part for me was the extra, unnecessary characters.


Isn't it a little early to call them "unnecessary"? For all we know, they may be the key characters in the whole Big Story!

It saddens me a little when people expect an ongoing TV series to lay out everything in the first episode...


----------



## betts4 (Dec 27, 2005)

Yep, SP is set. I enjoyed it and found it different enough from other stuff that's on to make me want to watch it again.


----------



## RGM1138 (Oct 6, 1999)

I was going to record this but I forgot. I went to IMDb to and found the episode available from Amazon on Demand - for free. I guess ABC wanted to be sure it was seen by as many people as possible.

Anyway, I thought it was a little slow developing, but I'll probably watch at least a couple more times to see how it shakes out.

BTW, looks like Rush finally made it back from the end of the Universe.

ETA: Watching the ep on Amazon I noticed that the color and picture were exceptional. I was amazed at the almost 3D quality of the feed.


----------



## Cearbhaill (Aug 1, 2004)

I _loved_ it.
I watched it twice and was just enthralled.
I wanted it to go on for hours.

The only teeny thing I didn't like was the Snow White actress but that is a small quibble- everyone else was well cast and the story will hold me. The kid was awesome.

LOVED it.


----------



## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

I have to say I kinda loved it also.

In terms of the dreck that is the fall season 2011 
- this is the first show that felt like it had any originality to it (of course I dunno what this Fables thing is you all are mentioning)...

... and the first show that made me want to see more - enuf so that when it was over I didn't delete it - I don't mean the SP - I mean I kept the episode so I can watch it again!


----------



## JohnB1000 (Dec 6, 2004)

getreal said:


> The times ?
> 
> Having thought some more about this the only real problem I had was it seemed like quite a poor show in terms of TV quality, it didn't flow very well or seem very real somehow, it kind of had that Lifetime movie feel about it. I'm putting this down to it being the pilot for now when they have to do quite a lot to demonstrate the show.


----------



## ihatecable (Apr 16, 2003)

Once I saw Jiminy Cricket talking on the table and then fairies floating; I had to resist the urge to take a rusty nail and start jabbing myself in the eye. Needless to say I&#8217;m deleting my season pass


----------



## JohnB1000 (Dec 6, 2004)

ihatecable said:


> Once I saw Jiminy Cricket talking on the table and then fairies floating; I had to resist the urge to take a rusty nail and start jabbing myself in the eye. Needless to say Im deleting my season pass


Might I suggest that watching a story based on fairytales may have been the actual error here?


----------



## TAsunder (Aug 6, 2003)

I felt lukewarm towards it. It clearly has an identity and a sense of purpose, which means it is a lot better off than most shows. On the other hand, it was exactly gripping.


----------



## Cearbhaill (Aug 1, 2004)

ihatecable said:


> Once I saw Jiminy Cricket talking on the table and then fairies floating; I had to resist the urge to take a rusty nail and start jabbing myself in the eye. Needless to say Im deleting my season pass


So you didn't expect characters from children's stories to appear in a show called "Once Upon a Time?"
I find that odd.


----------



## Hoffer (Jun 1, 2001)

I liked the show. I look forward to seeing more episodes. I don't think we'll really know what the show is going to be about until a couple episodes in. I'm assuming their won't be any more fairy tale world scenes going on?

Also, is Snow White in the real world. I matched up a few people between worlds, but I never recognized Snow White.


----------



## RGM1138 (Oct 6, 1999)

Hoffer said:


> I liked the show. I look forward to seeing more episodes. I don't think we'll really know what the show is going to be about until a couple episodes in. I'm assuming their won't be any more fairy tale world scenes going on?
> 
> Also, is Snow White in the real world. I matched up a few people between worlds, but I never recognized Snow White.


Yes, Snow White is the young boy's teacher in 'the real world.' It's Ginnifer Goodwin but with very short hair.


----------



## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

She's the teacher.

You must have been fooled by the short hair.


----------



## BitbyBlit (Aug 25, 2001)

Peter000 said:


> The characters aren't from a time period, they're from a fairy tale.


Actually, I'm wondering if the "real world" is the imaginary one. Perhaps it isn't that fairy tale characters came to life, but that fairy tales are an echo of the memories of the people trapped by the curse. And perhaps the real world only exists because of the curse.

This show was actually a lot less goofy than I expected it to be. I think it's off to a good start.

It's interesting that the witch appears to have lost her memories too, but Rumpelstiltskin still seems to have his. At first I thought the witch was merely putting on a show, but she didn't appear to be as threatened by the fairy tale book as I would have expected, even in private.

I wonder if the witch knew of this consequence when she cast the curse, and accepted it knowing that her new self would be the "fairest of them all" in the new world, or if something backfired.


----------



## Hoffer (Jun 1, 2001)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> She's the teacher.
> 
> You must have been fooled by the short hair.


I was wondering if that was her, but she looked so different. I think it was the big ears.


----------



## danterner (Mar 4, 2005)

wprager said:


> P.S. 109? The Lost numbers added up to 108. Sorry I don't remember if the house number was actually 108 and 109 was a typo.


Typo. It was in fact 108 on the door. I didn't catch it, but apparently there's also a car in one scene with a Geronimo Jackson bumper sticker. I love stuff like that.



BitbyBlit said:


> Actually, I'm wondering if the "real world" is the imaginary one. Perhaps it isn't that fairy tale characters came to life, but that fairy tales are an echo of the memories of the people trapped by the curse. And perhaps the real world only exists because of the curse.


I like that idea very much.


----------



## Cearbhaill (Aug 1, 2004)

Hoffer said:


> I liked the show. I look forward to seeing more episodes. I don't think we'll really know what the show is going to be about until a couple episodes in. I'm assuming their won't be any more fairy tale world scenes going on?


I'm hoping they will do flasbacks (it _is_ from the Lost people after all) to flesh out the stories of any new characters we meet, or those we saw this week but not for long- like Geppetto and Little Red Riding Hood.
And I know fab new characters are still coming because


Spoiler



Kristin Bauer (Pam on True Blood) is on next week as Maleficent.


----------



## RGM1138 (Oct 6, 1999)

Cearbhaill said:


> I'm hoping they will do flasbacks (it _is_ from the Lost people after all) to flesh out the stories of any new characters we meet, or those we saw this week but not for long- like Geppetto and Little Red Riding Hood.
> And I know fab new characters are still coming because
> 
> 
> ...


Ooh, I love


Spoiler



Kristin Bauer.


----------



## Rainy Dave (Nov 11, 2001)

I watched the pilot online and then watched it again with my wife.

I liked it. Can't wait to see where it goes. Definitely keeping the SP.


----------



## martinp13 (Mar 19, 2001)

wprager said:


> And I don't understand why, if there is this "The Fog" like curse coming, did they have to do a sword fight to kill Charming.


To capture the baby, who is the key to defeating the Witch, and who is the star of the show. 

---

They did trick me a couple of times. When the Mayor went down the stairs with the book, she stopped at the mirror and looked in it triumphantly. I was expecting the mirror to talk. I need to rewatch the show and see what I missed (I kept going back and forth between the show and IMDb).

But I'm hopelessly confused on timelines, heritage, etc, mainly because they purposely only explained some of it in the pilot.  The boy is Emma's son (?), and Emma is Snow White's daughter. Isn't the boy Pinocchio? And how does he know so much? Where do the other children in the school come from? Is the wolf a good guy or a bad guy? Many questions, but that's a good thing. 

I'm glad to see a number of positive comments here... I was worried when I had to start the thread at 9pm.


----------



## Hoffer (Jun 1, 2001)

Cearbhaill said:


> I'm hoping they will do flasbacks (it _is_ from the Lost people after all) to flesh out the stories of any new characters we meet, or those we saw this week but not for long- like Geppetto and Little Red Riding Hood.


I figured that since every one was in the real world, they wouldn't be back to fairy world. I guess with the story book the kid had, they could read a story from it or something and that would be a flashback.


----------



## getreal (Sep 29, 2003)

Running with the idea of LOST references, the Fog is akin to the Smoke Monster.

When the Mayor gave Emma the drink, she stopped by her mantle clock just before the camera panned down to Emma setting her drink by the bowl of apples. I thought there would be a time on the clock that would be significant, but it did not appear to be 8:15 in her home. 

I think we'll recognize TinkerBelle in the real world. 
But Jiminy Cricket? Wasn't he a fabrication of the Disney version of "Pinocchio"? And if he is now a human in the "real world", then the wolf cannot be from Red Riding Hood as he would have turned into a human as well, right?

I know ... it's still too early to have any sort of rules established.


----------



## Cragmyre (Mar 8, 2004)

getreal said:


> Running with the idea of LOST references, the Fog is akin to the Smoke Monster.
> 
> When the Mayor gave Emma the drink, she stopped by her mantle clock just before the camera panned down to Emma setting her drink by the bowl of apples. I thought there would be a time on the clock that would be significant, but it did not appear to be 8:15 in her home.
> 
> ...


I didn't think of the fairy as Tinkerbell but as the Blue Fairy. She, and Jiminy Cricket, are both in the original telling of Pinocchio. Though she is depicted as a lot larger ( height ) in the Disney version.


----------



## ozzman73 (Nov 27, 2006)

Watched and liked what we saw. I like the idea of Red Riding Hood being the town's harlot. I'm sure we'll see more of that as well.

I wonder which stories will be seen? Are these Grimm's? Hans Christian Andersen? Or any of the many fairy tales from around the world?


----------



## Cragmyre (Mar 8, 2004)

martinp13 said:


> To capture the baby, who is the key to defeating the Witch, and who is the star of the show.
> 
> ---
> 
> ...


The boy states he is not Pinocchio right after they meet the real world version of Jiminy Cricket. As for the other children, maybe they were adopted too, or they could even be real world versions of other characters. I'm guessing the guy in the jail cell was Grumpy


----------



## martinp13 (Mar 19, 2001)

Cragmyre said:


> The boy states he is not Pinocchio right after they meet the real world version of Jiminy Cricket. As for the other children, maybe they were adopted too, or they could even be real world versions of other characters. I'm guessing the guy in the jail cell was Grumpy


Yes, that was Grumpy.  We briefly saw Pinocchio in the fairy tale world. I couldn't tell if it was the same actor... I was watching SD which is not recommended! Maybe Geppetto was just there to build the wardrobe and doesn't continue on in the story.

I know the boy SAID he wasn't Pinocchio, but...


----------



## danterner (Mar 4, 2005)

Cragmyre said:


> I didn't think of the fairy as Tinkerbell but as the Blue Fairy. She, and Jiminy Cricket, are both in the original telling of Pinocchio. Though she is depicted as a lot larger ( height ) in the Disney version.


I didn't think she was Tinkerbell, either, though neither did I think she was the blue fairy. If one or the other, the blue fairy seems more like it. I thought she was one of the fairy godmothers from Sleeping Beauty (the blue one).


----------



## sieglinde (Aug 11, 2002)

I am giving it another episode or two. So let me get this straight. Emma is the baby that was hidden in the tree and the boy is her son? Is the teacher princess?


----------



## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

sieglinde said:


> I am giving it another episode or two. So let me get this straight. Emma is the baby that was hidden in the tree and the boy is her son? Is the teacher princess?


Yes.


----------



## Hoffer (Jun 1, 2001)

ozzman73 said:


> Watched and liked what we saw. I like the idea of Red Riding Hood being the town's harlot. I'm sure we'll see more of that as well.
> 
> I wonder which stories will be seen? Are these Grimm's? Hans Christian Andersen? Or any of the many fairy tales from around the world?


Red Riding Hood was the one at the Inn putting on the red coat or whatever? I do remember a woman in there with something red. Red Riding Hood didn't register.

Was Red Riding Hood in the fairy tale land? I don't remember seeing her. I almost feel like I need to watch this episode a third time. I picked up so much the second time. I'll probably pick up just as much with a third watch.


----------



## phox_mulder (Feb 23, 2006)

Hoffer said:


> Red Riding Hood was the one at the Inn putting on the red coat or whatever? I do remember a woman in there with something red. Red Riding Hood didn't register.
> 
> Was Red Riding Hood in the fairy tale land? I don't remember seeing her. I almost feel like I need to watch this episode a third time. I picked up so much the second time. I'll probably pick up just as much with a third watch.


The inn was called Grandmas something or other, so I assumed the girl was Red Riding Hood.
I don't think we saw her in the fairy tale world.
We did see the wolf in the real world though.

phox


----------



## martinp13 (Mar 19, 2001)

phox_mulder said:


> The inn was called Grandmas something or other, so I assumed the girl was Red Riding Hood.
> I don't think we saw her in the fairy tale world.
> We did see the wolf in the real world though.
> 
> phox


Granny's, but close enough.  I wonder if Red was somewhere in the bar/restaurant scene... hmmmm. I don't know what to think of the wolf we saw. "Animal" fairy tale creatures like Jiminy Cricket "turned into" people, so why wouldn't the Wolf from Red Riding Hood? Maybe he's a werewolf.


----------



## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

getreal said:


> Running with the idea of LOST references, the Fog is akin to the Smoke Monster.


No, no, no, no, no.

This is not LOST. Don't make it LOST. Keep LOST references OUT of these threads. Some of us hated LOST and the LOST mania (and most of you got what you deserved in a widely trashed ending) and do not want to ever hear of LOST again.


----------



## TonyD79 (Jan 4, 2002)

wprager said:


> I have to admit, I'm really surprised at the overall positive tone. I nearly turned it off half way through and was fully expecting it to be massacred/lampooned over here. The most annoying part for me was the extra, unnecessary characters. Gepetto, really? Tinkerbell? With boobs big-enough for her to float like a dirigible? And I don't understand why, if there is this "The Fog" like curse coming, did they have to do a sword fight to kill Charming.


There will be more stories. The characters may be used or not. But, did you consider all the fairytale characters in Shrek to be unneccessary, too? Or part of the ambiance?

As for the fog coming. The fog sent everyone to the real world. They wanted Charming dead (probably because the Queen assumed he would be the hero). BTW, he is not dead. He is in a coma. We saw that at the end when Snow White walked past him in the hospital.


----------



## Fleegle (Jan 15, 2002)

getreal said:


> Running with the idea of LOST references, the Fog is akin to the Smoke Monster.
> 
> When the Mayor gave Emma the drink, she stopped by her mantle clock just before the camera panned down to Emma setting her drink by the bowl of apples. I thought there would be a time on the clock that would be significant, but it did not appear to be 8:15 in her home.
> 
> ...





Cragmyre said:


> I didn't think of the fairy as Tinkerbell but as the Blue Fairy. She, and Jiminy Cricket, are both in the original telling of Pinocchio. Though she is depicted as a lot larger ( height ) in the Disney version.





danterner said:


> I didn't think she was Tinkerbell, either, though neither did I think she was the blue fairy. If one or the other, the blue fairy seems more like it. I thought she was one of the fairy godmothers from Sleeping Beauty (the blue one).


I was a little disconcerted that so many of the fairy tale characters are modeled after Disney's versions. Did the Dwarves have names in the riginal Brothers Grimm version?

Yea, I know this is an ABC production and Disney owns ABC, but I wasn't expecting this to be Disney's characters in the real world. It might turn me off enough to stop watching.


----------



## TIVO_GUY_HERE (Jul 10, 2000)

Was good. Had a "Wonderful World Of Disney" vibe to it.

Lots of "HUH?" moments, which is good. Show is different than I expected, also good.

SP set. Haven't done that much for new shows this year. Maybe 1


----------



## SoBelle0 (Jun 25, 2002)

I just loved this!! And am so looking forward to future episodes!
It was original, with the good kind of cheese, and enough information to keep me interested in seeing what comes next.



RGM1138 said:


> Ooh, I love
> 
> 
> Spoiler
> ...


Me, too!! Me, too!! Can't wait for that.


----------



## JohnB1000 (Dec 6, 2004)

I assumed Charming was killed in the fight when they attempted to get to the child, not a specific attack on him.


----------



## scooterboy (Mar 27, 2001)

wprager said:


> Tinkerbell? With boobs big-enough for her to float like a dirigible?





Cragmyre said:


> I didn't think of the fairy as Tinkerbell but as the Blue Fairy.





danterner said:


> I didn't think she was Tinkerbell, either, though neither did I think she was the blue fairy. If one or the other, the blue fairy seems more like it.


I also thought it was the blue fairy, silicone and all.



Cearbhaill said:


> The only teeny thing I didn't like was the Snow White actress but that is a small quibble


Same here. I would imagine Snow White to be more of a "classic" beauty and this one looks...odd.


----------



## Cainebj (Nov 11, 2006)

martinp13 said:


> Granny's, but close enough.  I wonder if Red was somewhere in the bar/restaurant scene... hmmmm. I don't know what to think of the wolf we saw. "Animal" fairy tale creatures like Jiminy Cricket "turned into" people, so why wouldn't the Wolf from Red Riding Hood? Maybe he's a werewolf.


I'm pretty sure Red was at the wedding when the Queen came in - you can't miss her. She's in a red riding hood.


----------



## aRKade (May 22, 2002)

Cainebj said:


> I'm pretty sure Red was at the wedding when the Queen came in - you can't miss her. She's in a red riding hood.


Red was also in the scene when they were gathered around the table discussing what to do with Rumpelstiltskin's info. The scene where they bring in the tree. She is standing behind Granny in a bright red outfit with a gigantic hood and is shown multiple times. I thought she was pretty obvious.

As far as casting I was very disappointed with Prince Charming. I didn't think he was either princely or charming. I actually thought we was pretty bland and boring.


----------



## JYoung (Jan 16, 2002)

Well, it was a big improvement overThe Charmings.

I found to be very interesting in a semi-Lynchian sort of way.

Although with the fixed goal, I also do wonder how long they can drag this show out.

Since the premier got decent ratings, SP set.


----------



## Maui (Apr 22, 2000)

JohnB1000 said:


> I assumed Charming was killed in the fight when they attempted to get to the child, not a specific attack on him.


Yeah, they were trying to get the child and he got in the way so he was dispatched.

I thought it was kind of cool then to see him in the hospital in a coma. I also believe he had John Doe on his wristband.


----------



## llurgy (Nov 5, 2003)

I enjoyed the episode, watched it with my 15 year old daughter.
I would say that the only criticism up to now is that the acting and storyline is a tiny bit juvenile, as in the producers seem to be aiming at an audience on the younger side. Hopefully this will only last for a few episodes before it starts to get a little more down and dirty. That being said, the series looks to have real promise.


----------



## llurgy (Nov 5, 2003)

aRKade said:


> As far as casting I was very disappointed with Prince Charming. I didn't think he was either princely or charming. I actually thought we was pretty bland and boring.


He was a bit of a prat wasn't he? Just have to hope he stays in a coma for a while


----------



## llurgy (Nov 5, 2003)

Maui said:


> Yeah, they were trying to get the child and he got in the way so he was dispatched.
> 
> I thought it was kind of cool then to see him in the hospital in a coma. I also believe he had John Doe on his wristband.


Yep, John Doe, he is listed as Price Charming/John Doe on IMDB


----------



## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

omnibus said:


> Anybody else remember "The Charmings" (not Charmed) with Christopher Rich as Prince Charming banished to present day. There are a couple of eps on youtube.


For some reason I have that show mixed in my head with "Honey, I'm Home", where 1950s sitcom characters are in the present day.. (I guess the 1950s sitcom wife is sort of chipper like Snow White..)

As for the show.. somehow it seemed kind of boring *and* rushed at the same time. I think a 2 hr ep setting up the whole premise might have worked better.

I recognize a lot of the actors but will have to check imdb for where I've seen them before. OOOH.. I was recently watching Swingtown.. That's where I know Lana Parrilla (evil queen) from! Jennifer Morrison (kid's biological mother) LOOKS like she could be Marg Helgenberger's daughter (but isn't). I guess I knew Ginnifer Goodwin from 'Ed'. She's very familiar looking, but it doesn't seem like I've watched anything else she was in.


----------



## wprager (Feb 19, 2006)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> Isn't it a little early to call them "unnecessary"? For all we know, they may be the key characters in the whole Big Story!
> 
> It saddens me a little when people expect an ongoing TV series to lay out everything in the first episode...


What can I say -- it felt forced. They were also mixing up fairy tales from different authors (mostly the brothers Grimm, plus whoever wrote Pinocchio, with Disney's add-ons like Jiminy Crickett and Tinkerbell). Sure, Shrek did it, but they were making fun of it.


----------



## wprager (Feb 19, 2006)

danterner said:


> I didn't think she was Tinkerbell, either, though neither did I think she was the blue fairy. If one or the other, the blue fairy seems more like it. I thought she was one of the fairy godmothers from Sleeping Beauty (the blue one).


They specifically called her Tinkerbell -- I remember hearing it.

And Jiminy Cricket was *not* in the original Pinocchio (from another post).


----------



## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

getreal said:


> then the wolf cannot be from Red Riding Hood as he would have turned into a human as well, right?


Robert Carlisle was the wolf, the owner of the inn (that grandma had to pay rent to).


----------



## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

mattack said:


> Robert Carlisle was the wolf, the owner of the inn (that grandma had to pay rent to).


No, he's Rumpelstiltskin.


----------



## betts4 (Dec 27, 2005)

I watched the show again tonight and enjoyed it even more. I actually like Prince Charming and Snow White. I was surprised that the Prince said a swear word and glad that he was able to fight his way to get baby Emma into the wardrobe and safe.

I liked trying to figure out who everyone was and was pleased when I could. 

And real life Jiminy Cricket (the shrink) was walking a Dalmatian! That they used a Dal gave the show lots of points in my book. The shrink was in the tv show The Guardian with Simon Baker.

And yes, as a LOST fan I was happy to see some nods that way. The house number and the clock tower at the end. I am not going to go crazy about it, but just smile when I notice them.


----------



## betts4 (Dec 27, 2005)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> No, he's Rumpelstiltskin.


That's what I thought.


----------



## phox_mulder (Feb 23, 2006)

Who is the current Sheriff in the fairy book land?

Perhaps he's the wolf?


phox


----------



## Maui (Apr 22, 2000)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> No, he's Rumpelstiltskin.





betts4 said:


> That's what I thought.


That is what I thought too.


----------



## betts4 (Dec 27, 2005)

phox_mulder said:


> Who is the current Sheriff in the fairy book land?


I couldn't figure which character the Sheriff was.


----------



## martinp13 (Mar 19, 2001)

phox_mulder said:


> Who is the current Sheriff in the fairy book land?
> 
> Perhaps he's the wolf?
> 
> phox


The Sheriff seems to be in the Mayor's pocket, so I doubt the wolf-Sheriff would have blocked the road to keep Emma in the town.


----------



## zuko3984 (May 4, 2002)

wprager said:


> They specifically called her Tinkerbell -- I remember hearing it.
> 
> And Jiminy Cricket was *not* in the original Pinocchio (from another post).


I just watched the episode again and they never name the Fairy. All the cast lists i can find have her listed as the Blue Fairy. 
And Jiminy Cricket was in the original Pinocchio. He just wasn't named and was much more of a minor character with a much smaller part but he was in the story. In the original story he was just called The Talking Cricket.


----------



## tivogurl (Dec 16, 2004)

wprager said:


> And I don't understand why, if there is this "The Fog" like curse coming, did they have to do a sword fight to kill Charming.


The curse doesn't kill fairy-tale people, it just makes them forget and turns them into normal humans. To give Prince Charming a permanent death they had to use old-fashioned methods.


----------



## Ment (Mar 27, 2008)

But luckily Charming was just near death and wound up in the town hospital in a coma. 

This show has alot of potential. Just hope they have already build a good framework for an ending and don't have to make up seasons as they go along which seems to doom almost all scifi/fantasy hit shows.


----------



## dianebrat (Jul 6, 2002)

Ment said:


> But luckily Charming was just near death and wound up in the town hospital in a coma.


he's just mostly dead...


----------



## wprager (Feb 19, 2006)

You're right, there was a talking cricket in Pinocchio (http://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/500/pg500.txt) although this was definitely the Disney-ized version.

I was fairly certain I heard "Tinkerbell" mentioned by name when she first appears. I've also seen Tinkerbell mentioned in some of the early reviews (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/once-upon-time-ginnifer-goodwin-jennifer-morrison-252502).

The Sheriff could be the Evil Queen's huntsman who was tasked with killing Snow White (he brought back an animal's heart as "proof"). Or it could be the woodsman from Little Red Riding Hood, the one who killed the wolf. Since he was chummy with the Mayor I'd say he's the huntsman, and his loyalty to the Mayor is not 100%.

Maybe the wolf was just a wolf, but it did remind me very much of Kate's horse (which was just a horse on the Island).


----------



## eddyj (Jun 20, 2002)

The huge boobs on the fairy make perfect sense. Those frail wings would never keep her flying, they were flapping too slow. So the boobs are filled with helium, and are what keeps her afloat, while the wings provide propulsion and navigation. But I'd like to see a lot more of her to make sure my theory is correct.


----------



## Bob_Newhart (Jul 14, 2004)

I thought it was okay. I don't like shows with continuing storylines so unless these are more self-contained stories, then I doubt I'll stick around too long. I liked the music and the hot queen and rumplestiltskin.


----------



## desaun (Mar 17, 2004)

wprager said:


> The Sheriff could be the Evil Queen's huntsman who was tasked with killing Snow White (he brought back an animal's heart as "proof"). Or it could be the woodsman from Little Red Riding Hood, the one who killed the wolf. Since he was chummy with the Mayor I'd say he's the huntsman, and his loyalty to the Mayor is not 100%.


I watched online first then again with the wife last night. I think the sheriff was one of the Queens henchmen who fought with Charming. In the scene where the Queen confronts Snow after they slayed Charming she asked one of the henchmen where the baby was. The one guard that spoke sounded a lot like the sheriff. Hard to tell though since they wore those stupid mask/helmet things.


----------



## zuko3984 (May 4, 2002)

wprager said:


> I was fairly certain I heard "Tinkerbell" mentioned by name when she first appears. I've also seen Tinkerbell mentioned in some of the early reviews (http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/once-upon-time-ginnifer-goodwin-jennifer-morrison-252502).


It is definitely the blue fairy. On the official Once upon a time site on abc.com they have a full synopsis of the episode and they specifically say that the blue fairy is the character that gives them the magic tree that they turn into the vessel to ward off the curse.


----------



## Mars Rocket (Mar 24, 2000)

zuko3984 said:


> It is definitely the blue fairy. On the official Once upon a time site on abc.com they have a full synopsis of the episode and they specifically say that the blue fairy is the character that gives them the magic tree that they turn into the vessel to ward off the curse.


The Closed Captions said "bells tinkling" when she appeared. I though that was a pretty obvious reference.


----------



## Peter000 (Apr 15, 2002)

Mars Rocket said:


> The Closed Captions said "bells tinkling" when she appeared. I though that was a pretty obvious reference.


That's probably just the CC transcriber being clever.


----------



## martinp13 (Mar 19, 2001)

wprager said:


> Maybe the wolf was just a wolf, but it did remind me very much of Kate's horse (which was just a horse on the Island).


A cow-orker suggested that maybe the wolf is one of the "bad things" that happens when people try to leave the town. Since she is a true product of fairy land, maybe she became bound by the curse-rules once she entered the town?


----------



## spikedavis (Nov 23, 2003)

phox_mulder said:


> Who is the current Sheriff in the fairy book land?
> 
> Perhaps he's the wolf?
> 
> phox


Well if they continue to steal ideas from Fables, then yes-the Sheriff would be Big Bad Wolf.


----------



## mattack (Apr 9, 2001)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> No, he's Rumpelstiltskin.


OK, how do we know that/how did I make the mistaken leap?


----------



## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

mattack said:


> OK, how do we know that/how did I make the mistaken leap?


Because Robert Carlyle is a highly recognizable actor?

At least to me he is.


----------



## BitbyBlit (Aug 25, 2001)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> Because Robert Carlyle is a highly recognizable actor?
> 
> At least to me he is.


And he played the guy in the jail who gave Snow White the prophecy. That guy was Rumpelstiltskin.

So mattack, you probably either didn't recognize the guy in the jail as being Robert Carlyle or didn't hear him being identified as Rumpelstiltskin.


----------



## martinp13 (Mar 19, 2001)

I re-watched last night. Didn't notice much extra, except that they drew a lot of parallels between the fairy world and our world to help us connect the characters. Unfortunately, I only noticed them on the re-watch.  Both Snow and the teacher released a bright blue bird. Jiminy and the shrink both said the same thing about going down a dark path. Nothing that exciting. 

Where did you guys see the bumper sticker? I was watching in SD and couldn't find it.


----------



## dtle (Dec 12, 2001)

Snow "White" == Mary Margaret "Blanchard"

I thought the Sheriff was Prince Charming, until he showed up in a coma.

It looks like structure of the show is more akin to Lost:



Spoiler



From the previews, there seems be a lot of back and forth narrative between our world and the fairy world before the curse.


----------



## Hoffer (Jun 1, 2001)

Rob Helmerichs said:


> Because Robert Carlyle is a highly recognizable actor?
> 
> At least to me he is.


As a person that watched Stargate Universe, he is highly recognizeable to me as well. It was obvious to me the guy in the prison was also the guy that "owned" the town.


----------



## martinp13 (Mar 19, 2001)

dtle said:


> Snow "White" == Mary Margaret "Blanchard"


My favorite name-after-transition is Evil Queen => Regina (from Latin for "queen")


----------



## Bob_Newhart (Jul 14, 2004)

Hoffer said:


> I was wondering if that was her, but she looked so different. I think it was the big ears.


For a minute I thought she was supposed to be Dumbo from the fairy tale world.


----------



## Amnesia (Jan 30, 2005)

So you're saying that she isn't the "fairest one of them all"?


----------



## JohnB1000 (Dec 6, 2004)

Amnesia said:


> So you're saying that she isn't the "fairest one of them all"?


She could do with a bit more sleep.

I've always found her very cute but she's just not got the right look for this role.


----------



## Philosofy (Feb 21, 2000)

Is it just me, or did anyone else find the evil queen to be more attractive than Snow White?


----------



## Bob_Newhart (Jul 14, 2004)

Philosofy said:


> Is it just me, or did anyone else find the evil queen to be more attractive than Snow White?


Not just you by a long shot.


----------



## Philosofy (Feb 21, 2000)

So who is the fairest of all? And why would the queen be pissed at Snow White? They just destroyed all the queen's motivation with that bit of casting!


----------



## wprager (Feb 19, 2006)

Maybe the Mirror is nearsighted.


----------



## TonyTheTiger (Dec 22, 2006)

The fairy tales are obviously based on "The Big Book of Disney Fairy Tales" as opposed to the original stories. That would make them more recognizable to the masses.

I gave it a big meh but the wife liked it, so I guess we'll watch a couple more at least. Looking forward to Grimm, which starts Friday and has better reviews.


----------



## Lori (Feb 20, 2000)

I liked it. I'm afraid to get too attached, because I'm not sure how it will play in Peoria...but I liked it.


----------



## murgatroyd (Jan 6, 2002)

Cainebj said:


> (of course I dunno what this Fables thing is you all are mentioning)...


Fables is a graphic novel series by Bill Willingham. Here's the detail page for #1 from the publisher's web site.

Description of the series:


Spoiler






> In the same vein as best-selling "fractured-fairy-tales" such as Wicked and Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister is Bill Willingham's runaway hit graphic novel series FABLES. No longer just children's tales, Willingham has created a new world for these beloved fables...one that exists within our own.
> 
> When a savage creature known only as the Adversary conquered the fabled lands of legends and fairy tales, all of the infamous inhabitants of folklore were forced into exile. Disguised among the normal citizens of modern-day New York, these magical characters created their own secret society-within an exclusive luxury apartment building on Manhattan's Upper West Side-called Fabletown. But when Snow White's party-girl sister, Rose Red, is apparently murdered, it is up to Bigby, Fabletown's sheriff, and a reformed and pardoned Big Bad Wolf, to determine if the culprit is Bluebeard, Rose's ex-lover and notorious wife killer, or Jack, her current live-in boyfriend and former beanstalk-climber.


----------



## Church AV Guy (Jan 19, 2005)

TonyTheTiger said:


> The fairy tales are obviously based on "The Big Book of Disney Fairy Tales" as opposed to the original stories. That would make them more recognizable to the masses.
> 
> I gave it a big meh but the wife liked it, so I guess we'll watch a couple more at least. Looking forward to Grimm, which starts Friday and has better reviews.


It might have better initial reviews, but I'll bet (NBC) that it will NOT have better ratings.



Lori said:


> I liked it. I'm afraid to get too attached, because I'm not sure how it will play in Peoria...but I liked it.


In Peoria it did darn well. The initial ratings were excellent. I know that it was merely the pilot episode and the real story won't be known until we have the ratings for a cuple more episodes, but it is looking really good based on a single data point.


----------



## Cearbhaill (Aug 1, 2004)

I think it had the best numbers for any fall pilot on ABC in the past two years.


----------



## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

eddyj said:


> The huge boobs on the fairy make perfect sense. Those frail wings would never keep her flying, they were flapping too slow. So the boobs are filled with helium, and are what keeps her afloat, while the wings provide propulsion and navigation. But I'd like to see a lot more of her to make sure my theory is correct.


I told my SO that she is probably a stripper in the real world.


----------



## Honora (Oct 16, 2006)

My husband & I also hope there is a real plan in place, and not a "let's make this up as we go along" thing.

As for Snow White, I think it's the Queen's intention that she no look pretty in our world. Plain Jane clothes, little make-up, the somewhat prominent ears point to that. She's a mousy school teacher who volunteers at the local hospital.

As for these being the Disney version of the fairy tales, for a lot of people that is the version they grew up with. 

Now, when the clock (that hasn't moved for as long as Henry has lived in Storybrooke) clicked over to the next minute (when Emma registered at Granny's Bed & Breakfast), I got the idea that when the clock strikes 12, the curse will be broken.


----------



## stellie93 (Feb 25, 2006)

I don't get the time thing. So has time passed in Storybrook or not? The boy has aged, but it's been 20 some years and the rest of them still look about the same age. They didn't noticed this? Are there any regular people in the town? I'm not following this at all.


----------



## Philosofy (Feb 21, 2000)

stellie93 said:


> I don't get the time thing. So has time passed in Storybrook or not? The boy has aged, but it's been 20 some years and the rest of them still look about the same age. They didn't noticed this? Are there any regular people in the town? I'm not following this at all.





Spoiler



They hinted at it tonight. Henry said if Emma pressed them for details of their past, they would be hazy. Henry and Emma are the only two in the real world. That's why Emma, Snow, and the Queen are so close in age.


----------



## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

Philosofy said:


> They hinted at it tonight. <spoilers removed>


You probably shouldn't reveal those details in this thread, as they'd be considered spoilers.


----------



## dianebrat (Jul 6, 2002)

Honora said:


> My husband & I also hope there is a real plan in place, and not a "let's make this up as we go along" thing.


With Lost writers in its pedigree I can only hope they're smarter than that, I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt at this time.


----------



## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

I finally got to this over the weekend (Baseball ALWAYS screws up my TV viewing during the post season). I must say we were pleasantly surprised!! This is another of those last minute decisions to watch that turned out to be something I really liked (last year it was Raising Hope). To the points made here:

I also had a bit of a hard time with Ginnefer Goodwin as Snow White. While she is really cute (as she was on Ed and Big Love), she's not a classic beauty. But she DOES have a fairy tale look to her.

I thought the fairy was Tinkerbell originally but my son said it was the blue fairy, and I think he's right.

We watched with my 12 year old daughter, who is much closer in age to remembering all the fairy tales. She had a BLAST picking out all the different characters. It was fun watching with her.

I'm surprised nobody mentioned that the actress playing Emma is hawt! I think I have seen her somewhere else, but can't place it. I'll have to do an IMBD later to find out.

I'm not at all surprised they took the "Disney-ized" versions of all the characters. This IS on ABC after all. Second they are a lot more recognizable to most viewers. We are nitpicking about Goodwin not being right for Snow White. Imagine if all the characters looked different than what we have grown up seeing? We'd be nitpicking on everyone.

I'm in for now for sure.


----------



## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

I actually think Goodwin as Snow White IS good for Snow White.

Goodwin as the school-teacher ISN'T good for Snow White.

Good casting, IMO!


----------



## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

Steveknj said:


> I'm surprised nobody mentioned that the actress playing Emma is hawt! I think I have seen her somewhere else, but can't place it. I'll have to do an IMBD later to find out.


She was a regular on _House_ for 5 or 6 seasons, and she had a recurring role last season on _How I Met Your Mother_.


----------



## JohnB1000 (Dec 6, 2004)

Steveknj said:


> I'm surprised nobody mentioned that the actress playing Emma is hawt! I think I have seen her somewhere else, but can't place it. I'll have to do an IMBD later to find out.


Because she's not  Her constantly furrowed brow is annoying, I'll take the Evil Queen any day of the week (or Red Riding Hood of course).


----------



## Hoffer (Jun 1, 2001)

Steveknj said:


> I'm surprised nobody mentioned that the actress playing Emma is hawt! I think I have seen her somewhere else, but can't place it. I'll have to do an IMBD later to find out.


I recognized her as well and did a IMDB search on her. She was a recurring character on How I Met Your Mother.

I also think she's pretty hot.


----------



## laria (Sep 7, 2000)

Maybe no one recognizes her from _House_ since she dyed her hair brown for that role.


----------



## Amnesia (Jan 30, 2005)

Yeah, but she went back to her natural blonde in later seasons...


----------



## Hoffer (Jun 1, 2001)

Never seen an episode of House. Wouldn't recognize her by that brown haired picture above.


----------



## JohnB1000 (Dec 6, 2004)

She looks a lot better in that picture. She hasn't got the permanently embedded frown.


----------



## Steveknj (Mar 10, 2003)

I don't watch House so I wouldn't know her from there, but HIMYM, yeah, ok, now I remember her.


----------



## eddyj (Jun 20, 2002)

laria said:


> Maybe no one recognizes her from _House_ since she dyed her hair brown for that role.


My wife and I picked her out from House instantly.


----------



## Robin (Dec 6, 2001)

JohnB1000 said:


> She looks a lot better in that picture. She hasn't got the permanently embedded frown.


Good lord, heaven forbid a woman age. And you wonder why so many actresses turn to botox?


----------



## Rob Helmerichs (Oct 17, 2000)

Robin said:


> Good lord, heaven forbid a woman age. And you wonder why so many actresses turn to botox?


Heh.

Speaking from the other side of 50, I wouldn't even call what she's doing "aging" yet. She still in the "ripening" phase.


----------



## LoadStar (Jul 24, 2001)

Robin said:


> Good lord, heaven forbid a woman age. And you wonder why so many actresses turn to botox?


I don't think that's what JohnB1000 is noticing. If you look at the promotional portrait posted above of her, she has a more pronounced brow ridge, particularly on the inner half. I could see how it might convey the impression in some of having a furrowed brow or a worried look. Doesn't bother me, but it clearly really bugs JohnB1000.


----------



## DevdogAZ (Apr 16, 2003)

Just watched the pilot last night. Pleasantly surprised with the concept, although I thought the dialogue was pretty weak, especially the parts in the fairy tale world. Hopefully they'll get that straightened out in future episodes.


----------



## Dawghows (May 17, 2001)

Jennifer Morrison also played Captain Kirk's mother in J.J. Abrams's _Star Trek_.


----------

