Cliche. Hackneyed. Hopelessly sentimental. Completely overwrought. These are all words people love to sling at the series, and to a certain extent, they honesty do fit like a finely tailored suit. This show is a fairy tale — and a celebration of all the fairy tales that came before it. If you don't like stories about evil queens, gorgeous maidens pure of heart, magic and whimsy and the power of true love, all played straight with total sincerity, then no, of course you're not going to like this show. But if the tale of a humble shepherd who becomes a prince and saves a kingdom by slaying a dragon with a golden sword sounds like something you want to see, then by God, this is the show for you.
The actors are fantastic, the characters are fleshed-out and poignant, the stories are compelling, the writing is clever, and even the effects are usually surprisingly good for a TV budget (though there have been a few clunkers). If the show has one flaw, it might just be sheer repetitiveness: Regina, the villain, seems to spit out the same basic lines every episode, to the point where it seems even she's aware of it by now. Fortunately, our other villain, Mr. Gold, makes up for it by being one of the single most fascinating, captivating, manipulative, and gloriously hammy rogues on all of TV.
If you have any love in your heart for old fairy tales, Disney movies, or anything along those lines, the show is nothing short of addictive. In the span of two days, I've plowed through almost a dozen episodes, and I'm still chomping at the bit for more. I love it all so much.
Irrestistably magical.
Cliche. Hackneyed. Hopelessly sentimental. Completely overwrought. These are all words people love to sling at the series, and to a certain extent, they honesty do fit like a finely tailored suit. This show is a fairy tale — and a celebration of all the fairy tales that came before it. If you don't like stories about evil queens, gorgeous maidens pure of heart, magic and whimsy and the power of true love, all played straight with total sincerity, then no, of course you're not going to like this show. But if the tale of a humble shepherd who becomes a prince and saves a kingdom by slaying a dragon with a golden sword sounds like something you want to see, then by God, this is the show for you.
The actors are fantastic, the characters are fleshed-out and poignant, the stories are compelling, the writing is clever, and even the effects are usually surprisingly good for a TV budget (though there have been a few clunkers). If the show has one flaw, it might just be sheer repetitiveness: Regina, the villain, seems to spit out the same basic lines every episode, to the point where it seems even she's aware of it by now. Fortunately, our other villain, Mr. Gold, makes up for it by being one of the single most fascinating, captivating, manipulative, and gloriously hammy rogues on all of TV.
If you have any love in your heart for old fairy tales, Disney movies, or anything along those lines, the show is nothing short of addictive. In the span of two days, I've plowed through almost a dozen episodes, and I'm still chomping at the bit for more. I love it all so much.