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Season one is amazing. Twist and turns, high tension, suspicion, and intrigue in a small town with literally ALL the secrets AND a strong element of epic fantasy. It's quite an addictive show, but, with the latest seasons, I will say that there are very few moments that rival the avalanche on powerful moments and engrossing curiosity that the first season brings in full force.
The story is both simple and complex: the Evil Queen of Snow White fame has cast a curse that sends all of the inhabitants of their fairy tale world to a town in Maine where things just seem to have always been a certain way: time, in a manner of speaking, has stopped (think PG Stephen King setting without the exploration of small-town bigotries). Before I go on, I should mention that the creators and writers rely STRONGLY on the premise that Disney versions of certain fairy tales are peerless interpretations and take a huge amount of liberty with the intellectual property that Disney has given them to play with. The Disney-synergy element becomes far more transparent from the second season and doesn't let up, but the first season has some subtlety to it and proves to be a lot of fun.
The continue where I left off, our introduction to this story begins with a young boy from the town finding a seemingly random woman--who works as a bail bondsperson--who he believes is the key to breaking the Queen's curse. When she (Emma, played by Jennifer Morrison [House]) returns the boy (Henry) to the town, Storybrooke, she finds that he is her biological son and that his adoptive mother is the Mayor of the town, Regina Mills, who also happens to be the Evil Queen. Things don't feel right with Emma, especially where Regina is concerned, so she stays and things start to change in interesting ways. The first season has the splendid novelty of trying to figure out "who is who" and "who knows what." Henry knows all of this because of a magical storybook that chronicles everything that happened in The Enchanted Forest, which we get to see in the form of flashbacks, before the curse was cast.
Fair warning: The writers don't have a sense of foresight and throw a lot of things to the wall just to see what will stick. Many times, they'll introduce a seemingly relevant plot point that won't be explained for seasons (and typically is shoe-horned in to provide damage control for their massive amount of retroactive continuity). What's great about the first season is that there seems to at least be a element of creation concision. What really saves the show is the approach that most of the actors tend to use: they take the major points seriously but are aware that some of the demands of the story may call for moments of levity to avoid being absurd, though camp elements do prove effective in this and many other seasons. It is interesting to see how certain fairy tales are turned on their heads.
The two people to watch are Lana Parrilla and Robert Carlyle. Parrilla plays Regina Mills (The Evil Queen), and no one takes their role more seriously than she does. Of all the actors, she probably has the hardest job: running the gamut from playing a younger, more naive version of her queenly self to a regal dark sorceress to a quasi-sociopathic mayor to a very devout mother. She gets some of the best lines, especially the larger portion of the delightfully sardonic dialogue. Parrilla largely carries the show for the rest of its run: she continues to be an endearing part, if not the most endearing, of every episode in the current seasons.
Robert Carlyle, genius actor that he is, has almost as many roles to play with his character as Lana, but his most magnificent contribution to the show is when we get the privilege of seeing him as the deranged Rumplestiltskin (one of the most critical characters) in the fantasy realm. This version of the impish character is far more imposing but also so unique in every way that he steals the show whenever he's on screen. In the fantasy world, he's like a Mephistopheles-type deal maker with a warped mind that makes him delightfully droll, fantastical, clever, and in many ways terrifying. His real-world curse form is that of the town loan shark and pawn broker Mr. Gold, who bears Carlyle's signature sparkling blend of charm and totally ominous menace.
Carlyle, like Parrilla, carries the show in this season and for the many seasons to come. In this season, however [possible SPOILER ahead], both are more ostensibly evil than they may be in future and undeniably the "big bads" of the show, so enjoy that because both of them do evil so so well!
Despite an ending that seems very rushed, I still contend that this is the strongest of all the seasons. The other major actors are given other chances to show what they can do, though it's almost always the ladies who shine (which is great). Again, Carlyle's experience and professionalism (that he has literally brought to every project he's ever worked on [a truly brilliant actor who needs to be known by more]) and Parrilla's strength and dedication really make the show a delight. Final warning: you will more than likely experience frustration with future seasons.
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Customer reviews
I love this series.. which is why I purchased the first season just to see what is captured on DVD.. upon opening them there are fingerprints, smudges, and what appears to be slight scratches.. I avoided purchasing used because I want no problems watching the series, I'm not sure if someone burned these themselves and are passing them off as new.. I'm going to watch them and will be back to write a continued review if they do not play..**I initially gave this 2 stars for the issues described above but it plays nicely so I upped it to 4 stars.
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Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on March 29, 2016
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on December 9, 2022
Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 14, 2022
upon opening them there are fingerprints, smudges, and what appears to be slight scratches.. I avoided purchasing used because I want no problems watching the series, I'm not sure if someone burned these themselves and are passing them off as new..
I'm going to watch them and will be back to write a continued review if they do not play..
**I initially gave this 2 stars for the issues described above but it plays nicely so I upped it to 4 stars.
Used?..
By Rosie on August 13, 2022
I love this series.. which is why I purchased the first season just to see what is captured on DVD..By Rosie on August 13, 2022
upon opening them there are fingerprints, smudges, and what appears to be slight scratches.. I avoided purchasing used because I want no problems watching the series, I'm not sure if someone burned these themselves and are passing them off as new..
I'm going to watch them and will be back to write a continued review if they do not play..
**I initially gave this 2 stars for the issues described above but it plays nicely so I upped it to 4 stars.
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Top reviews from other countries
myheart78
Enchanting and mesmorizing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on April 22, 2015
rbmusicman/and/movie-fan'
'ONCE UPON-A-TIME INDEED' (FAIRY STORY CHARACTERS FIND THEMSELVES IN MODERN TIMES)
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 27, 2013carolann a.
Unusual take on the usual fairy tales. Intrigue requires mental effort to follow. Recommended.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on October 23, 2017Steve Anderson
Once Upon A Time - Season 1 [DVD]
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on June 26, 2015Kimberly G9
A great fun escape!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 29, 2012
