By Emily Sullivan
Associate Editor
It all started with a book.
When “Once Upon a Time” first aired on ABC in 2011, it put almost 12.9 million viewers under its spell, according to an Oct. 24, 2011 TV Line story. Since then, it has managed to captivate viewers for two and a half seasons due to its ever-changing plot lines, wonderful actors and familiar characters.
The show begins with a little boy named Henry (Jared S. Gilmore) traveling to Boston to find a woman named Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison), who he believes to be his biological mother. After being given a book by his teacher Mary Margaret Blanchard (Ginnifer Goodwin), he believes that everyone in the town of Storybrooke, Maine is a fairytale character. Through flashbacks, we learn Henry is right. Storybrooke is full of fairytale characters who have been cursed by the evil queen, who happens to be Henry’s adoptive mother, Regina Mills (Lana Parrilla).
The curse made almost everyone forget who they truly are. The only characters who remember their true identities are (SPOILER ALERT) Regina and Mr. Gold (Robert Carlyle), who is actually Rumplestiltskin. Emma, actually the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, was put in a portal to our world before the curse took hold.
If you don’t want any more spoilers, I’d advise you to stop reading here.
The first season focused on Henry’s attempts to make Emma believe. His book says that she is the “savior,” or the only one who will be able to break the curse. Season two culminates with several new villains coming to town, the most terrifying being Peter Pan. Pan kidnaps Henry and takes him away to Neverland, which leads us into season three.
When we arrive at season three, Emma, Mary Margaret, David and Mr. Gold head to Neverland to find Henry. When they finally return home with Henry intact, Pan finds a way to put a new curse on the people of Storybrooke that will send all original fairytale characters back to their rightful home in the Enchanted Forest. This would have resulted in leaving Henry and Emma behind with all their magical memories erased.
The midseason finale left fans in suspense. One of the main and most beloved characters is supposedly dead at the end of the season, and the families and relationships that have been reunited thus far are now torn apart. So many questions were left unanswered. How will Emma be able to save her family if she doesn’t remember who they are? Did the character mentioned above really die? Or will there be some sort of magical loophole? What has become of the Enchanted Forest in their absence?
When the show finally returned March 9, it was worth the wait. The show picks up a year after the curse was enacted and shows Emma and Henry living their relatively carefree lives, oblivious to the turmoil their family is experiencing in the Enchanted Forest. A new villain has taken over in Regina’s absence, though we don’t meet her until the very end of the episode. Throughout the episode, however, the characters come into contact with evil flying monkeys, alluding to one of the most well known villains in literature, the Wicked Witch of the West, of “The Wizard of Oz” fame. The episode ends with our fairytale characters back in Storybrooke with no recollection of what happened. The only evidence that any time has passed is the very large baby bump Mary Margaret now has. The episode drew around 7.3 million viewers, according to a March 10 TV Line story.
After the stellar midseason premier, “Once Upon a Time” promises a solid eight episodes. The writers skillfully weave together intricate story lines of our favorite fairytale characters dealing with real problems as well as magic-related problems.
After the latest episode, it is safe to say there will be no predicting the upcoming season, but viewers should prepare themselves for an intense and magical ride.
sullivec10@bonaventure.edu
