Once Upon a Time

I've been watching the first few episodes of Once Upon a Time, and I think that the premise is way cool. I'd love to be the main character in a RPG where I found myself confronted with this huge mystery with ties to fairy tales. However, I'm finding myself unsure of whether I want to continue watching.

The script is actually pretty good, all things considered and the special effects are great for a TV show like that. Some of the characters are very intriguing, and it's interesting to see how the creators choose to interpret the human forms of the various characters, and what their punishment or careers might be. Gepetto, for instance, never got a son.

Snow White in her fairy tale was so much more kick ass than any version I've seen of her. I loved the fact that she was a "Princess-turned-bandit", rather than just the housemaid for a bunch of dwarves before being randomly rescued by a prince. Total win. And Prince Charming (aka James) was totally cool fighting past the evil guards to Protect his daughter and has proven to be one of the most likable characters in the show.

The problem is, there are several things I don't like about the series. I don't really like Henry. He's a (way too obvious) macguffin, and while I understand that the creators wanted someone who could act as a guide to the lost princess, having it be her long lost son seems like way too much unnecessary drama. Additionally, he makes Emma's feelings of being left behind less potent, since in the end, she did the same thing to her child as her parents did to her. It makes her anger and grief seem more petty than if she hadn't committed the same "sin", as it were.

Speaking of Henry, how is it that no one can leave the town (and if they try, something bad happens to them), but Henry can steal a credit card, hop on a plane, and get a cab? And no one even batted an eye that a ten year old has a credit card? I know it's a fairy tale, but the premise is that the characters are in the real world, so the real world outside of Storybrook should behave normally.

Admittedly, Snow in the real world is kind of a let down after her coolness in her fairytale form. James (or 'David' or whoever he's supposed to be) being married to someone else forms some interesting drama, but it's kind of lost because real world Snow is so fragile that all its going to do is lead to 30 episodes of "Should we, shouldn't we?". I can just feel it.

And then the big kicker... I don't like Emma. I mean, I understand why she's got such heavy armor that she uses to keep people away from herself. And I know that she's supposed to be tough so that she isn't afraid of taking on the Mayor. But she's not easy for me to relate to as a female. And the fact that she was abandoned as a child being such a huge chink in her armor is dulled by Henry's presence (since you've not got the same plot element twice - lost child looking for their place in the world).

Overall, I'd give Once Upon a Time 3/5 stars so far. Not liking two of the main heroes does kind of spoil things for me a bit. I might watch a little bit further to see if they grow any as characters, but so far the only thing that might save it for me is if Henry leaves.