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Aleki77
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FTTV Reviews...Once Upon A Time 1.02 "The Thing You Love the Most"
Easily the newest Sunday delight, as indicated by ratings and buzz, is ABC's all-new fairy tale drama Once Upon A Time. Tonight, we hopefully get a few more answers as we learn more about the Evil Queen's curse, and if her counterpart Regina actually carries the same knowledge. But, was the second hour just as spellbinding as the first?
Regina does everything in her power to force Emma out of Storybrooke and out of her and Henry’s lives forever. Meanwhile, the chilling circumstances of how the Evil Queen released the curse upon the fairytale world is revealed.
"The Thing You Love the Most" provided not only a few shocks by revealing more behind the Evil Queen, and even giving her a heart, but also boosted great performances from Jennifer Morrison, Lana Parrilla, and the always-scene-stealing Robert Carlyle. After the premise, it was nice to see just how the series will take form, especially with flashbacks. But, was the hour better than the series premiere?
The format mirrors LOST when it comes to swtiching between the fairy tale past and the Storybrooke present. As a fan of the aforementioned series, this delights me, an is a structure that a good amount of people are familiar with. Will it work well? That remains to be seen. But, tonight, it worked splendidly. The flashbacks provided ways to shock the viewers in more ways than one, which we'll be discussing a little later on.
Not only that, but it provided great connection to the Queen. We find out that Snow White has done something in the past to provoke the evil one's rage. What is it? Something to do with a beloved one. That detail is a bit foggy. But, it was definitely a Lana Parrilla episode, and she absolutely shined in both roles as the Queen and Regina. One of the best scenes of the night happened to be the Queen's spell-filled fight with Maleficient. And where the Queen showcased her anger, she also showcased her heart. In many ways, you can tell she was scorned, and that she was simply exacting revenge. She has a motive, and its not just because she gets off on all of the evil deeds.
Where Regina wreaked havoc in the real world was truly a sight to behold, not just because we got to see her showcase the kind of power she has in Storybrooke, but to see just how Emma would react. Emma exacts her revenge for this string of "misfortune" by chopping down one of Regina's beloved apple trees. You could feel the electricity between both actresses and if this is simply a taste of what's to come between both characters, I crave much more.
One of the biggest problems the second episode has is the CGI. Unlike the first episode, there are many moments in which the effects are shoddy, including the fight between the Queen and Maleficient. It's not complete crap, but enough to be noticed, and enough to make you pull a face.
While we're also discussing transitions from the first episode to the second, we also must discuss Ginnifer Goodwin as Mary Margaret Blanchard. The most noticable different are the eyebrows, one of the more superficial differences. They looked odd, and were a way to separate Snow from Mary even more, but with a tighter production schedule, it's obviously something that had to go. But, tonight, Goodwin played a more lovable version of Mary, as compared to last week. You couldn't really feel for her character, but now she opened up a bit more, and even provided a few great mother/daughter moments between she and Emma.
Now on to the shocks and surprises! There was a great twist in the flashback for whom the Queen loved the most, and it was one that I definitely didn't see coming. You could tell who it may have been, but there was no clues to the man's true identity. Not to mention, his name could be a catalyst for something bigger. I'm trying to remain vague for those of you who haven't seen it, but it brings forth this question: are they or are they not the same character?
Robert Carlyle continued to steal the show, only showing up twice again as both Mr. Gold and Rumplestiltskin. Much to our delight, he was aided by Lana Parrilla both times as both characters, and each scene was truly fantastic. I wish Carlyle would play a bigger role already, but sooner or later I'm sure that he'll be getting a flashback of his own. The scene that had the most shockwaves was his final one, in which its still heavily implied Mr. Gold has knowledge of his fairy tale origins. It's not confirmed yet, but it's pretty damn sure.
Now that the clock in Storybrooke's square has begun moving regularly, and there may be love in the air between Emma and the Sherriff, the series is a bit more grounded. It's still as fantastical as ever, and it's too hard to say tonight's episode was either better or worse than the pilot episode. In my opinion, it didn't whisk me away as much as the pilot did. It was still a riveting hour, don't get me wrong, but it was more about solving the story at hand, and watching the characters clash. In some aspects, more than others, the hour succeeded. It was still a great episode, by all accounts, and leaves me wanting next week's episode already.
http://www.filmthrasher.com/2011/10/fttv-r...thing.html#more
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Aleki77 .
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'Once Upon a Time' Season 1, Episode 2 Recap
by Laura Prudom, posted Oct 31st 2011 10:30AM
The effects might be a little messy and the sentiment might seem a little saccharine, but in its second episode, 'Once Upon a Time' continued to build on the whimsy and charm it exhibited in its pilot, proving that the entertaining first hour wasn't just a fluke.
Now that the premise has been established, the show is taking on the 'Lost'-esque formula of focusing on a specific character and their backstory each week, allowing us to learn more about their fairytale pasts and how those traits inform their current Storybrooke identities.
The Evil Queen took the central narrative this week, giving us some much-needed insight into her motivations for cursing the fairytale world, while simultaneously exploring Regina's relationship with her adopted son Henry in ours.
A character who has the word "Evil" in her name has a certain licence to be completely heinous, but unlike a 90-minute Disney movie in which the villain exists in a vacuum, included only to provide an obstacle for the hero to overcome before being dramatically dispatched, 'Once' has to walk the fine line between making Regina/The Evil Queen a threat and still allowing her to be vaguely sympathetic, if not relatable.
In the real world and in well-written serialized TV, no-one is simply "bad" or "good" -- there are myriad motivations at work, and a smart show needs to mine them in order to avoid a character becoming one-note and dull. So far, 'Once' is doing an admirable job of giving the Evil Queen (let's just call her TEQ from now on, shall we?) an intriguing backstory and a small measure of humanizing emotion, which also allows us to sympathize with the equally wicked Regina. It's a testament to Lana Parrilla's performance that even in such a campy, theatrical role, she still conveys enough hurt and jealousy that we know she must have her reasons for doing something as evil as murdering her beloved father in the name of exacting revenge.
Sidebar: did anyone else think that her meek and kindly father was actually TEQ's butler right up until she called him daddy, or was that just me?
It was a pleasure to see scene-stealing 'True Blood' star Kristin Bauer van Straten guest-star as TEQ's best frenemy, Maleficent from 'Sleeping Beauty,' and the concept of them trading curses like normal friends would borrow clothes was an inspired choice. One of the most satisfying aspects of 'Once' for fairytale fiends like me is the way the show effortlessly weaves all of these familiar and beloved tales together, creating a larger context for the characters and offering a subtle (and tongue-in-cheek) explanation for why so many of these stories share similar traits. Of course TEQ would turn to Maleficent for a sleeping curse to send Snow White into an eternal slumber -- but she should've figured that a pesky kiss would undo it all in an instant. I just want to know exactly what Snow took away from her that has TEQ so apoplectic with rage; it doesn't seem like it was just her reputation as the Fairest Of Them All ...
More intriguing is the idea that the enigmatic Rumpelstiltskin has some kind of power that even TEQ defers to. Though he's stuck in a dungeon and supposedly harmless, it's clear that he's still a character to be feared, and one who also seems to be immune to the curse in Storybrooke (which would figure, if it's his).
There was also an intriguing line about Mr. Gold being the one to procure Henry for Regina to adopt, which opens up a whole new can of worms; if he knows the boy's significance and chose him purely because he's Emma's son (since it's unlikely to have been a happy coincidence), what did he hope to achieve by eventually bringing Emma to town? It was a curse that he provided to TEQ, and he gave her a list of demands to ensure his happiness in the new world, but in the pilot, he also gave Snow and Charming the knowledge to break it, so whose side is he really on? Does he want Emma to break the curse and free them all, or does he simply want to cause chaos and then sit back and enjoy the show?
Further, has he known the truth all along, or has he simply started regaining his memories, the way Mary Margaret seems to be thanks to her interactions with Emma? It's excellent that the show is raising so many intriguing questions in only its second episode, and I hope that the producers have learned their lessons from 'Lost' and intend to answer some of them in a timely manner.
Speaking of Emma, I'm enjoying her battle of wills with Regina immensely -- compared to TEQ's nefarious actions in fairytale land, the rivalry between Henry's two moms seems like childish posturing, with petty actions like cutting down parts of Regina's apple tree or immobilizing Emma's car appearing almost playful, like they're simply testing each other's boundaries.
I'm not sure that I'd have been as tolerant as Emma was about being framed and arrested (even if it means quality time with the yummy Irish sheriff), but given the painful things she's doubtless experienced after a childhood in the foster system and a life alone, I'd imagine it will take something much scarier than a possessive mayor to intimidate her.
Are you taking a shot every time Emma calls Henry "kid" instead of his name? It was my main pet peeve from the pilot and it hasn't got any less grating. I get that she's trying to keep her distance and not get attached (though it's a little late for that), but mostly it just seems forced and keeps pulling me out of the narrative, so I'm hoping that they dispense with it sooner rather than later. It's not like Emma's the one with amnesia, after all.
Next week's episode focuses on Snow White and Prince Charming's backstory, and having already seen it, I can happily report that it's even stronger than the first two episodes (although there's still too much "kid"ding for my liking). It further cements my belief that 'Once' is one of the strongest new shows of the year, and I hope it can keep up the momentum it's establishing, so that our happily ever after doesn't come too prematurely.
'Once Upon a Time' airs Sundays at 8PM ET on ABC.
http://www.aoltv.com/2011/10/31/once-upon-...olshare_twitter. -
Aleki77 .
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Sunday Final Ratings: 'Cleveland Show' Adjusted Up; 'Pan Am' Adjusted Down + Unscrambled CBS Shows & 'Sunday Night Football'
No adjustment for Once Upon A Time with adults 18-49 compared to the preliminary ratings, but it's 3.9 adults 18-49 rating in its second week was still only off a tenth from last week's premiere. The only 18-49 adjustments other than the unscrambling of the CBS shows and Sunday Night Football (included below) was Pan Am, which was adjusted down a tenth to 1.8 adults 18-49 rating and Cleveland Show, which was adjusted up 0.1 with adults 18-49 to a 2.4 rating.
http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/11/0...ootball/109135/. -
Aleki77 .
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Once Upon A Time - Behind the Scenes
http://youtu.be/q0h2mtci8MY
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povar33 .
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video is removed
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Aleki77 .
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sorry! ABC has done to close many account with video on Once Upon a Time .
JMOLOVE - Jennifer Morrison - Once Upon A Time a Fairy Tale 
Once Upon A Time - Once Upon A Time Season 1
OUAT - S01E02 - The Thing You Love Most |
