"Once Upon a Time" Review

Fantasy TV series are scarce on broadcast television. Few networks will take a chance on these programs because of fierce competition for ratings. This year there are two programs, “Once Upon a Time” and “Grimm,” shows that are based on fairy tales. The first one is doing well in the ratings, gaining more viewers every week. “Once Upon a Time” has an interesting story, appealing characters and familiar themes.

“Once Upon a Time” takes place between two worlds, ours and the fairy tale one. Regina, the queen from the Snow White tale, places a curse on the fairy tale world causing the characters to live their lives in our world without memory of their fairy tale ones. Emma, a daughter of two characters, escapes the curse. She is pulled to the town of Storybrooke when her son she gave up for adoption comes to get her to help break the curse. Each episode focuses on a different fairy tale woven into the overall arc of the struggle between Snow White and Queen Regina. Using a different fairy tale each week keeps the story building interest for the viewer.

Next, the creators of the series make the characters appealing to draw the viewers into their stories. Each week a character from a fairy tale is focused on in our world. Flashbacks to their lives in the fairy tale world enhances the character’s story to explain what they are like and why they react the way they do in our world. Viewers see growth in the characters each week. This growth and the insights gained by each flashback keeps the character appealing and the viewers coming back for more.

Finally, viewers are drawn to the show by the familiar themes. The show has many themes that resonate with people. There is the the theme of good versus evil between the queen and Emma, Snow White and the prince. Love is a large underlying theme that drives character s to do heroic or cruel deeds. The importance of family is a strong theme throughout the show, demonstrating how families are helpful or can be destructive to their loved ones. Fairy tales are a good source of themes for the show to draw from since they contain many of these themes. These familiar universal themes keep viewers returning to the show each week.

“Once Upon a Time” is an entertaining new fantasy television series on broadcast television. Blending characters from fairy tales living in our world due to a curse creates a strong series with an interesting story, appealing characters and familiar themes. As viewer numbers grow, the series should be renewed for next year. Hopefully there will be more fantasy series tried in the future.

Fairytales in Fantasy

Fairy tales have been a part of most people’s lives during their childhood. These type of tales are a part of every culture. Writers began collecting and publishing fairy tales as early as the 16th century. Familiar names associated with fairy tales are Charles Perrault, the Grimm brothers and Hans Christian Anderson. These men made fairy tales available to everyone. In recent times, fairy tale retellings have become a vital part of the Fantasy genre, recreated by authors of many talents.

A different take on the tooth fairy is told by Graham Joyce in The Tooth Fairy. Set in England, this is the story of a young boy named Sam and some of his friends. He wakes up one night, encountering the tooth fairy. This begins a long, convoluted relationship between the boy and a dangerous, violent creature over many years. Mr. Joyce creates a dark fairy tale in a complex coming-of-age story of three young people and a creature from our darker side.

Beauty by Robin McKinley is an excellent retelling of the “Beauty and the Beast” story. Ms. McKinley brings the characters to life with vivid descriptions. Beauty is a strong young woman that goes to live in the castle of the Beast in place of her father. She finds a magical place full of wonder and a troubled Beast. Dealing with things changes both characters by the end of the book. The author is a master of bringing fairy tales to life.

Charles de Lint is a master of Urban Fantasy, infusing magic into modern day city settings. Jack of Kinrowan is a fairy tale set in the Canadian city of Ottawa. Jacky Rowan develops the Sight which draws her into a battle between two factions of Fairy. Made up of two earlier books, this one is highly descriptive with likable characters and entertaining plots. Mr. de Lint uses the elements of fairy tales to bring a created city to magical life.

A Scottish ballad fairy tale is the basis for Ellen Kushner’s Thomas the Rhymer. Thomas is a wandering harper who meets Elspeth when he stops for an evening. Later he is captured by the Queen of Elfland. Returning to Elspeth after seven years, Thomas can only tell the truth. This creates a difficult situation for their relationship along with the separation of years. Ellen Kushner is a masterful storyteller, using vivid prose to give a magical story a powerful depth.

Orson Scott Card provides a retelling of “Sleeping Beauty” in Enchantment. The author mixes the fairy tale with Russian mythology to tell a different story. An American college student is pulled into the ninth century to live out a Russian Fairy tale. He and the princess must battle with the witch Baba Yaga to find happiness. Mr. Card is an excellent story teller, bringing a wonderful fairy tale to life.

Winter Rose is by author Patricia McKillip, a highly talented author of the genre. Two sisters have their lives get entangled with Corbet Lynn when he returns to rebuild Lynn Hall. His family is under a curse from a past indiscretion. The practical sister Laurel falls in love with him. Rois Melior is wild with a touch of magic. Drawn to Corbet too, she tries to unravel his past in order to save her sister. Ms. McKillip creates an entertaining fairy tale with her imaginative talent, adding another classic to her works.

The Porcelain Dove by Delia Sherman is a mixture of Historical Fantasy and French fairy tales. Told through the eyes of a chamber maid, Ms. Sherman creates a strange, magical chateau existing in the pre-revolutionary era of France. The chateau is called Beauxpres and located in the Jura mountains. At this place, no one ages and the servants are nearly invisible. There is a curse on the family, which sets off a quest to find a porcelain dove in order to destroy the curse. Readers will find an entertaining book, rich in detail, from a highly talented author.

Fairy tales have been a popular entertainment throughout human history. Fantasy authors are taking fairy and folk tales from around the world, and retelling them in new ways for modern readers. The books mentioned here are just a few in this category. There are many entertaining books for adult readers and young adults too. Other possibilities includes an anthology series edited by Terri Windling. For more books check out the list at: http://www.endicott-studio.com/list-fairyTale.html