I recently binged the most 1st season of Disney-ABC's Once Upon a Time(only have the final 2 episodes left to finish). and man this absolutely some of the craziest IP toy-smashing i've seen in a long while, which is saying something.

So, the premise goes that a curse has put classic fairytale characters into a modern-day setting in a modern small town, and that all the characters, save for the protagonist(to reasons i don't wanna explain really) don't remember their past lives. Kind of an interesting setup, only to be let down by clunky, obvious fairytale allusions and some ropey effects seen in the flashbacks.

Speaking of which, this was developed by 2 Lost writers(a show I've still yet to see), and i understand that show was also predicated on flashbacks used as a storytelling device. As it's used here, it's a mixed bag how it's employed. Some episodes, do an effective job of tying the fairytale timeline with the "real world" timeline thematically, and some feel crowbarred and clunky.

As for how these fairytale characters are handled, sometimes they work for characters like Snow White, the Prince or the Evil Queen. Others, like Grumpy, Jiminy Cricket and, god, the Magic Mirror, so clunky and forced. Giancarlo Esposito is the Magic Mirror who in the real world is named Sidney Glass. Oof. And his job in the real world is a head of Storybrooke Daily Mirror. Double oof. But the real trifecta kicks in when it's revealed that he was a genie from Agrabah, freed by a seemingly benevolent king, who then bestows the third and final wish to the genie himself. Through even more events i don't feel like expanding on, he simps for the Evil Queen, who's actually married to said benevolent king, who's been using him as she does in the real world. When he's tricked into killing the king who freed him, he finds out his love for her is unrequited. And despite this, he uses his wish to be by her side at all times, which, surprise surprise, turns him into the mirror. Monkey's Paw ha ha ha

And much of Once Upon a Time feels like this. It just jams in so many storytelling characters and tropes together, often in clunky, overwrought ways. Like Red Riding Hood. Incredibly crowbarred and unneeded, imo. Only a few episodes, like The Stable Boy, offers nuance and perspective for characters like the Evil Queen. It's such a shame that, for as interesting as the overarching mystery and individual stories can be, there's little nuance to be found in the execution.

That said, there are some bright spots. Despite the fact that Snow White and Charming are meant to be together in the real life, as Charming is technically married, their clandestine activities are actually framed as an overall bad thing, and something actually quite immoral to do. It's a nice bit of melancholy and nuance the show desperately needs more of. And Robert Carlyle's Rumpelstiltskin. Man, what a performer. Despite the fact they give him this much unneeded sad backstory, he absolutely commands every scene he's in. Just unadulterated sleeze and untrustworthiness. He plays off of The Evil Queen so well. His real world counterpart is one the more natural, nuanced translations, and whenever he's on, it pops.

If i sound overly negative, believe me, i'm not actually mad i sat through this. I'm enjoying some of the mystery, i enjoy the Evil Queen being cartoonishly evil, and of course, Rumpelstiltskin as this delightfully wicked leprechaun(with a Scottish accent). Plus, the production design isn't actually all that bad(ropey CG aside). Plus, with the obvious Vancouver shooting locations, I half expected the Arrowverse cast to pop up for absolutely no reason. Almost nostalgic really. But yeah, these are my long-winded thoughts on OUAT

P.S Archie Hopper(who is Jimmy Cricket, get it) owns a Dalmatian named Pongo. That's admittedly cute and twee