Once Upon a Time - Pilot Review

This is a show that I've wanted to check out for some time now.  Specifically after I discovered that the illustrious Jane Espenson (who is one of my favorite screenwriters and has serious nerd cred) is a producer and writer.  It was also created by two Lost alums, which is one of my favorite series of recent years, so before I even pressed play the show was already shaping up to be right up my alley.  But I'm trying to be objective here, so I swear I am telling the truth when I say that I approached the series with no excitement and no expectations whatsoever... honest.  Now that that's out of the way, let's get down to business shall we?

Put simply, I liked it.  A lot.  The reasons are many, so I'll try and give some depth to each facet of the show.  In general, I like the mystery aspect; it made me ask questions, which is always something you want to do.  The characters are memorable, both their fairy tale and Storybrooke counterparts.  The world is rich and vibrant, and the music only helps to service the story.

The Story
Building on so many classic fairy tale characters inevitably means borrowing and adapting the stories in which they exist.  The central story that takes place in the fairy tale world revolves around the Snow White and Prince Charming characters and their attempt to escape a curse being enacted by the Evil Queen from the Snow White story.  The only way to do so is for them to place their daughter, Emma in a wardrobe to spare her, for she is fated to break the curse after she turns 28 years old.

In Boston, Emma Swan is working as a bounty hunter, catching a bail jumper at a restaurant on her 28th birthday.  After capturing her quarry she returns home and lights a solitary candle on a cupcake and wishes that she didn't have to spend the day alone.  Suddenly there's a knock on the door, delivered by a 10 year old boy named Henry, who Emma gave up for adoption a decade ago.  He claims that Emma is destined to break the curse that his mom, Regina, the mayor of Storybrooke, cast.  After taking him home and finding an incredibly chilly reception from Regina, Emma decides to stay in town, to ensure that Henry is in the best home.

It's a pretty straight forward narrative, yet has depth and complexity to it.  The large cast is clearly being set up to enable a plethora of different tales to be told and weaved into the larger fairy tale story.  Given the creators' experience with Lost, it makes sense that the stories will be told through flashbacks, since that device was also established during the Pilot episode.

The thing that really gets me though, that really captures my attention and engages me, is how both narratives rhyme with each other and share thematic elements.  For example, the fact that Snow White had to give up her child to give her the best chance at life, a life without the curse, and Emma gave up Henry for the exact same reason, minus the fairy tale connection of course.  We also see Rumpelstiltskin learn Emma's name and then comment on it once his Storybrooke persona meets her.  These parallels and set ups and payoffs help to establish an emotional connection to the audience and build a deep and rich world that is worth exploring, and keeps us coming back for more.

The Characters
Truth be told, Emma Swan is kind of one dimensional.  I think the problem lies with the fact that all of her exposition is TOLD to the audience, rather than SHOWN.  True, we see her in her occupation, we see her strength, we see her discomfort after Henry shows up, and we see her defiance at Regina's attempts to get her out of town.  What we are told though, is how she got the way she is.  She breaks down to Henry about her experience in the foster system, but it isn't nearly as powerful as it could have been if it were revealed through a flashback and we saw her plight rather than have it relayed to us.  It's understandable that the writers wouldn't want to reveal everything though, especially since it wouldn't mesh with the two story lines already in play, but they could have saved it for a later time

Regina/The Evil Queen is a great villain.  I love to hate her, which for me is one of the defining characteristics of a true villain.  She just exudes this evil quality makes it so easy to root for Emma and Henry to succeed in breaking the curse.  The opening and closing scenes of the fairy tale story are perfect examples of  "kick the dog" moments, where the antagonist does a particularly despicable act that makes the audience hate them as opposed to "save the cat" moments, where the protagonist does something heroic to gain our sympathy or empathy.  It's a choice that not many writers make these days, and I appreciate the fact that they took that chance.

My favorite character by far, and one with the least screen time, is Rumpelstiltskin.  He's creepy, crazy, and dangerous all rolled into one.  When he is first introduced he is hanging upside down in a jail cell of his own volition, dropping down like an spider of some kind, perhaps a metaphor for a seemingly innocuous creature that it capable of great harm.  Despite being imprisoned, he still commands respect from visitors who wish to strike a deal with him, including Snow White and Prince Charming, demanding their child's name in exchange for information about the curse and throws an almost Linda Blair-from-The Exorcist fit when it appears that they are going to renege on their end of the deal.  His Storybrooke persona, Mr. Gold, also commands respect, as he owns the entire town, which goes back to the mirroring aspect of the writing.  Given Robert Carlyle's ability as an actor, I can only imagine that the character will become even more fascinating and enjoyable to watch, especially since his role in the overall story is currently unknown.

The Look and Sound
The cinematography is nice.  The fairy tale world looks as grand and epic as it should, with huge vistas and landscapes, and huge halls and castles.  Storybrooke looks like a regular town, as well it should.  The shots aren't boring or repetitive (see Star Wars prequels; there is plenty of variety and the editing had some almost seamless transitions between scenes.  The one qualm I have are some of the visual effects, they look cheaply done in some scenes, particularly when green screen work is involved.  Those shots look painfully obvious instead of nicely integrated.  The costumes of the fairy tale world are equally flashy and elegant when compared to the visuals.

The score is another aspect of the show that gets my utmost respect.  Aside from the scene introducing Emma the music is an original, traditional orchestrated score.  For this type of story it needs to be.  Some series can get away with tons of licensed music, but when you have a grand story where half of it takes place in a different universe, the musical stylings of popular or indie musicians is jarring and can throw an audience out of the story.  Imagine if there had been a Led Zeppelin song in Star Wars, it would have been distracting.  The music also fits the somber mood of Storybrooke, while maintaining a slightly brighter and emotional quality when we are in the fairy tale world.  It really draws you in to both worlds, which seems to be evident in every aspect of the episode, which is precisely what the pilot episode of a series should do: make you want to watch more.

To conclude, it makes me happy to know that serialized dramas are alive and well on network television and are engaging in a way that many shows seem to lack these days.  One merely has to look at the slew of canceled shows that aren't strictly cop procedurals and the myriad competition and reality shows to notice that network television has not been the bastion of serious dramas for some time.  Lately, cable has taken over as the home of the boundary pushing, radical stories that win critical acclaim and capture viewers' attention to the point where more people pirate the series than watch it legally (Game of Thrones anyone?).  But again, it's nice to know that some gems have appeared in the miasma generated by American Idol, Survivor, Dancing with the Stars and the like.