Once Upon a Time

[ori-STUDFARM]

I reckon Once Upon A Time could have a few Seasons in it. Each season having a Season villain from the world of fairytales. But, as we were shown in the second episode,

[spoiler] there could be one main villain throughout all the Seasons pulling the strings of the fairytale villains. I'm talking of course of Robert Carlisle.
[/spoiler]

After the second episode, I'm quite impressed.

[ElfManDan]

I reckon Once Upon A Time could have a few Seasons in it. Each season having a Season villain from the world of fairytales. But, as we were shown in the second episode,

[spoiler] there could be one main villain throughout all the Seasons pulling the strings of the fairytale villains. I'm talking of course of Robert Carlisle.
[/spoiler]

After the second episode, I'm quite impressed.

[spoiler]Only thing is that seems a little obvious. I think really what we're gonna be seeing is the shades of gray with the characters. Some we think bad and some we think good. I mean if it is made by some of the guys who made lost I think it stands to reason that we're not gonna know exactly who or what is going to true evil of the show.[/spoiler]

I just realized as well it's actually similar to Lost, take out the island and smoke monster (and a few other many things) and you have a show with a bunch of flashbacks. Fairytale flashbacks they may be.

[Geekyfanboy]

Another FANTASTIC episode tonight.. I am so loving this series. Got a little back story on how Snow and Charming met.. really like it.

[Geekyfanboy]

I just heard that Once Upon A Time got picked up for a full season...  that's AWESOME news!!!

[Rico]

That's good news.  I think Sunday at 8pm is a good time slot for this show.  I enjoyed the recent episode about Snow and Charming quite a bit.  One question...

[spoiler]Does the evil witch/mayor, whatever she is know about everything and the curse she cast?  They seem to have said conflicting things on the show about that.[/spoiler]

[Dangelus]

First of all, great news that we are going to get a full season. I think the series deserves it. It is a great concept and I like the way they are telling the story and back story. It's basically the same way "Lost" did it's great for character building.

As for your question Rico...

[spoiler]It does seem a little odd that the Queen would create a curse that included herself but it does seem to imply this in the dialogue. She says she is going to create a world where she can win and has made more than one reference to all of them not remembering who they are. Her conversation with Rumpelsliltskin pretty much confirms this although I do get the impression he has found a way to remember who he was at least.

I get the feeling we will discover more about the details of the curse in future flashbacks.[/spoiler]

[spaltor]

That's fantastic news!  And I'm excited that we're going to starting seeing backstories for other characters, like Cinderella.  Loving this show more and more.

[spoiler]I think that the Queen/Mayor knows, but either can't do anything about it or as soon as the other characters realize the truth, she looses any power/influence.  I get the impression that Rumpelsliltskin/Gold knows, but he could just have something else to hold over the Mayor's head. 

I have really nothing to substantiate this, but I get the feeling he might have had something to do with Henry's adoption. [/spoiler]

[sheldor]

First of all, great news that we are going to get a full season. I think the series deserves it. It is a great concept and I like the way they are telling the story and back story. It's basically the same way "Lost" did it's great for character building.

As for your question Rico...

[spoiler]It does seem a little odd that the Queen would create a curse that included herself but it does seem to imply this in the dialogue. She says she is going to create a world where she can win and has made more than one reference to all of them not remembering who they are. Her conversation with Rumpelsliltskin pretty much confirms this although I do get the impression he has found a way to remember who he was at least.

I get the feeling we will discover more about the details of the curse in future flashbacks.[/spoiler]

Do you Rapunzel also knows?

[Geekyfanboy]

Emilie de Ravin Joins Once Upon a Time
Source: TV Guide
November 8, 2011

Emilie de Ravin is the latest addition to the cast of ABC's "Once Upon a Time," TV Guide reports.

De Ravin, best known for her role as Claire Littleton on the network's "LOST," will play the role of Belle, the fairytale heroine of "Beauty and the Beast" beginning in episode 12, airing early next year.

Created by "LOST" scribes Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, "Once Upon a Time" premiered last month and tells the story of fairytale characters living in secret in the modern world.

Details of Belle's role are currently few, though it is reported that her character will be connected in some capacity to Robert Carlyle's Rumplestiltskin and that, while there is no confirmation of the Beast himself, the Disney-created character of Gaston is planned to be featured as well (though no casting has been announced).

Read more: Emilie de Ravin Joins Once Upon a Time - ComingSoon.net http://www.comingsoon.net/news/tvnews.php?id=84107#ixzz1dACzErxf

[Rico]

Just read about this too.  Cool news.  This is shaping up to be a fun show.

[Dangelus]

It's quite handy that Disney owns ABC as some of the familiar Disney additions to the classic fairy tales like secondary characters like "Gaston" can make an appearance without too many problems! :)

[spaltor]

It's quite handy that Disney owns ABC as some of the familiar Disney additions to the classic fairy tales like secondary characters like "Gaston" can make an appearance without too many problems! :)

Very true.  Though I think it's safe to say that the fairy tales that most people are familiar with are the versions from Disney. 

I'm really excited about that news.  Belle is by far my favorite princess.  :)

[Geekyfanboy]

Another fantastic episode.. This has quickly become a must see TV for me.

Here's a cool article about how this show has become a "family" show.. as I expected it would.

Once Upon a Time Is a Rare Hit With the Whole Family
By Josef Adalian

Mirror, mirror on the wall, what's the most surprising fall success story of them all? A strong case could be made that it's ABC's Once Upon a Time. It overcame mixed reviews and strong time-slot competition from the NFL, The Simpsons, and post-season baseball to score the biggest debut ratings of any new drama over the past two seasons in the prized under-50 demo, and its ratings have largely held up in its three subsequent airings. While we're sure there are plenty of sci-fi geeks and Disney/Grimm Brothers nerds among the show's audience of 12 million-plus, another factor may be driving the show's success. According to Nielsen data obtained by Vulture, there's evidence Once has become a rare must-see for families, bringing adults and kids together in front of the flat-screen in a way that hasn't been done by a scripted show in years. Could ABC finally have found its new Wide World of Disney?

While it's not commonly reported on in the media, one of the dozens of metrics Nielsen gathers each week is something called "co-viewing" — specifically, what percentage of a show's grown-up audience tunes into a program with a kid or teenager also in the room. For example, it's probably no shock that most adults who savor their weekly installment of Harry's Law do so without the company of a legal minor (although, really, what toddler doesn't go gaga whenever Kathy Bates gets all grumpy?). Barely 6 percent of adults 18 to 49 watch Harry's with someone under 18. By contrast, Once has quickly become a blockbuster in co-viewing: An impressive 18 percent of its adult audience has sampled the show with a kid or teen. That not only makes it the No. 1 drama on network TV this fall in family co-viewing; per ABC, Once is actually the most family-friendly drama on any broadcast network in the past ten years. Even including more potentially kid-friendly formats such as reality and comedies, Once does well, ranking as the No. 5 show overall in co-viewing this season, ahead of family staples such as The Simpsons and Glee. No. 1 would be America's Funniest Home Videos, which leads in to Once, with 27 percent of its audience watching with youngsters; it's followed by The Middle (21 percent), Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (20 percent), and The X Factor (18.5 percent average for its two weekly editions).

Once creators Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz say they've seen anecdotal evidence to back up the Nielsen data. "I've heard from all sorts of family members and friends who say they're watching the show with their kids," Horowitz says. "They're all finding something that appeals to them." Kitsis says his Facebook wall is filled with posting from friends "saying they're watching with their families." Still, the scribes, previously best known for writing some of the lighter episodes of the often-dark Lost, say they didn't specifically set out to write a "family" show. "Our dream was more to have a big summer movie coming to your screen every Sunday," Kitsis explains. "The stuff that influenced us was Indiana Jones and Star Wars. And even though our favorite filmmakers are the Coen Brothers, we wanted to capture that feeling we had when we first saw the Gene Wilder version of Willy Wonka." Another role model for the writers is Disney's Pirates of the Caribbean franchise: "The movies were cool and interesting but I could bring my nephews," Kitsis says.

And luring in families has strengthened the show in every demo. It's in the top twenty for ages 18 to 49 (the demo ABC cares most about), but also does extraordinarily well with kids and teens. Among princess-obsessed girls 2 to 11, for example, the show is the No. 1 scripted series on TV this season, beating out Glee, The Simpsons, and Modern Family. (Little boys are a bit more wary; they're more avid fans of Sunday football and Family Guy, but still prefer Once over the dinos in Terra Nova or Fox's new little dude toon Allen Gregory.) Among teens of both genders, ABC's fairy-tale adventure is beating Terra Nova, The Big Bang Theory, and The Secret Circle; it's virtually tied with The Simpsons.

While advertisers generally pay more to reach adult viewers than teens or kids, the fact that Once is doing so well in these categories too can only be a boon for ABC. That's because, in addition to mining the big bucks to be found for reaching adults 18 to 49, the network can also compete for a share of the ad dollars targeted at younger folks, money that's mostly been going to cable networks such as MTV, Nick, and ABC's sibling, ABC Family. It also opens the door for the Disney-owned network to use Sunday nights to exploit other family-friendly franchises within the Mouse House empire. NBC and Fox are currently developing pirate-themed dramas for next season; it's not hard to imagine ABC eventually trying to move ahead with a small screen spinoff of its own massively lucrative Pirates (though producer Jerry Bruckheimer may think millions remain to be mined from the movies). More doable might be a revival of The Muppet Show, particularly if this month's feature reboot goes well. All of this, of course, requires Once to continue casting a spell on kids' parents, and not just the little ones. As long as that remains the case, the residents of Storybrooke should live happily ever after. Or at least until syndication.

[Geekyfanboy]

Leave it to the Lost writers to have so much meaning behind the names of the fairytale characters in real life.. Someone went through and wrote this great article about it.

http://www.fanpop.com/spots/once-upon-a-time/articles/131114/title/significance-real-world-character-names

Significance of the Real World Character Names
Article by FlightofFantasy posted 25 days ago

I was just thinking about the fairy tale characters' real world counterparts, and I noticed that most of them had names that tied into their "real," fairy tale selves. So I decided to throw together a list of their names, with meanings and explanations, just for kicks. First I will say what the character's name is in fairy tale land, then in the real world, with meaning attached. All name meanings come from the website Behind the Name, with help from Wikipedia.

I will add more characters when they are introduced and edit existing characters when we know their full names and/or know more about them.

Character: Snow White
Real World Counterpart: Mary Margaret Blanchard
-Meaning of:
--Mary: Derived from the Hebrew name "Miryam," it's not known for certain what this name means, but Behind the Name lists several popular theories: "sea of bitterness," "rebelliousness," "wished for child," "beloved" or "love." All of these could possibly apply to Snow White/Mary Margaret; "rebelliousness" because this version of SW looks to be much spunkier and more independent than others; "wished for child" because she had to give her child up and has never given up hope to see her again, even if it's only a subconscious hope; "beloved" because she is loved by Prince Charming; and "love," both because of Charming's love for her, and for her love for all living things (well, except maybe the Evil Queen). "Bitterness" is a bit harder, because she hasn't shown much bitterness towards anyone as of yet, but as we get to know her better, we may see that side of her. I'm sure she'll be bitter towards the Queen after she remembers who is and what the Queen did to everyone!
--Margaret: Behind the Name doesn't give a meaning for this name, but several commenters have said it means "daisy" or "bud," so it's likely that it's a flower-related name. This could be fitting for Mary Margaret, as she is shown leaving flowers by the bedsides of people in a hospital (including her very own Prince Charming!)
--Mary Margaret: IMDb user Dledee pointed out that the name Mary Margaret could possibly be a reference to the 17th century historical figure Maria Sophia Margaretha Catherina von Erthal, who, it is theorized, may have been the basis for the fairy tale and character Snow White. "Mary" is the English form of "Maria" and "Margaret" is the English form of "Margaretha," so this is quite likely. Thanks to Dledee for the tip!
--Blanchard. This is the easiest, I didn't even have to look it up. The surname "Blanchard" is derived from the name "Blanche," which is the French word for "white" (thank you, A Streetcar Named Desire!) As in, Snow White.

Character: The Evil Queen (real name not given as of yet)
Real World Counterpart: Regina Mills
-Meaning:
--Regina: "Regina" is a Latin name meaning "queen." No further explanation required.
--Mills: This used to be a surname given to someone who either worked in a mill or lived near one, so at first, it doesn't sound like it holds any significance to the Evil Queen/Regina, but Fanpopper Haleysoltau rather brilliantly pointed out that, as Regina has never married, "Mills" is most likely her father's surname, making her Mills' daughter. This does not seem significant until you remember that the Evil Queen made a deal with Rumpelstiltskin, who, in the fairy tale sharing his name, struck a similarly Faustian deal with the miller's daughter. This suggests that the Evil Queen is perhaps not so evil as she seems, just a desperate woman who made an unfortunate deal in the heat of the moment, like the miller's daughter or this show's version of Cinderella. Full credit for the idea goes to Haleysoltau. Thanks, Haley!

Character: James, aka Prince Charming
Real World Counterpart: David Nolan, aka John Doe
-Meaning:
-- James: "James" is a form of the name "Jacob," which was itself derived from the Hebrew name "Ya'aqov," meaning "holder of the heel" or "supplanter." Another possible theory is that the name Jacob is derived from the Hebrew name "Ya'oqov'el," meaning "may God protect." So far, the last meaning seems to be most applicable to our Prince Charming: "may God protect" could have to do with the fact that he's a very good good guy, so it's extra important for someone as good as he to have protection from a higher authority.
--David: "David" is derived from the Hebrew name "Dawid," which was probably derived from Hebrew "dwd," meaning "beloved." Hmm, what other real world character has a name meaning "beloved"? That's right, Mary Margaret, the real world counterpart of Snow White, and James/David's true love. Coincidence? I think not.
--Nolan: "Nolan" is an Irish surname derived from "Ó Nualláin," which means "descendant of Nuallán." "Nuallán" is derived from the Irish nuall, meaning "noble, famous." This would definitely fit David, being that he is not only a prince and so a member of the nobility, but a very noble, honorable person.

Character: Abigail
Real World Counterpart: Kathryn Nolan
-Meaning:
--Abigail: "Abigail" is derived from the Hebrew name "'Avigayil," meaning "my father is joy." We know nothing about her father as yet, but it's to be assumed that he is the king of the kingdom neighboring James' father's, so I have a couple theories. One, he may be a super nice guy and all-around great dad; and two, maybe it's just the joy of having a king for your father, thus making you a princess. This second one seems like it could apply to Abigail, due to how spoiled and snobbish she is.
--Kathryn: "Kathryn" is a variant of the English name "Katherine," which is derived from the Greek name "Aikaterine," the etymology of which is debated. It could derive from the earlier Greek name "Hekaterine," which came from the Greek word hekateros, meaning "each of the two"; it could derive from the name of the Greek goddess Hecate; it could be related to the Greek word aikia, meaning "torture"; or it could come from a Coptic name meaning "my consecration of your name." It later became associated with the Greek word katharos, meaning "pure." A couple of these meanings could fit Kathryn Nolan; "each of the two" would jive with her allegedly being David's wife, and "torture" is very fitting, as being separated from his one true love and married to someone he dislikes is part of the curse.
--Nolan: See "David Nolan."

Character: Rumpelstiltskin
Real World Counterpart: Mr. Gold (first name not yet revealed)
-Meaning: This one doesn't take a genius. In the fairy tale "Rumpelstiltskin," Rumpelstiltskin spins straw into gold for the miller's daughter (for a price...). We don't know what his first name is yet.

Character: Little Red Riding Hood
Real World Counterpart: Ruby (surname not yet revealed)
-Meaning: Another easy one. A ruby is a red-colored gemstone. We don't yet know what her and her Granny's surname is. Speaking of Granny...

Character: Granny (real name not yet revealed)
Real World Counterpart: Granny (see above)
-Meaning. Uh, yeah.

Character: Jiminy Cricket
Real World Counterpart: Archie Hopper
-Meaning:
--Archie: Here's one where my insatiable devouring of fiction comes in handy: there's a great old newspaper comic series which began in 1916 called "archy and mehitabel" (yes, all lowercase), and it's about the adventures of two best friends, Archy, a cockroach who is a newspaper columnist (not to mention a free verse poet in a previous life), and Mehitabel, an alley cat. Yes, Jiminy Cricket was, well, a cricket, not a cockroach, but close e-frakking-nough, in my opinion. I don't think it's a coincidence that the human version of an insect has the same name of an insect who had been human in a past life. It's simply not in the realm of possibility! But if you don't buy that, for some crazy reason, let's talk about the meaning of the name "Archibald," which I'm sure "Archie" is short for. "Archibald" is a Germanic name meaning "genuine" and "bald." The former could quite possibly tie in with his aversion to telling lies, and as for the latter, well, he does have a bit of a receding hairline.
--Hopper: Hopping? You know, like a cricket?

Character: Yet to be revealed
Real World Counterpart: Sheriff Graham (first name not yet revealed)
-Meaning: "Graham" is from a Scottish surname, which was in turn derived from an Old English place name meaning "gravelly homestead." It's hard to see what this has to do with Sheriff Graham, and as we don't yet know who he is in the fairy tale world (my theory is that he's the Queen's Huntsman; see my article about it for further discussion), I can't say more on the subject right now.

Character: Gepetto
Real World Counterpart: Marco (surname not given)
-Meaning: "Marco" is the Spanish and Italian form of the name "Mark." BTN doesn't give a meaning for "Mark," but the comments alternate between "that of a god," "warrior of God" and "heavenly," so there's a good chance it has something to do with God. I'm probably reaching here, but might this tie in with Gepetto playing God by making a real, live son? Possibly? Also, both Gepetto and Marco are Italian names, so... yeah.

Character: The Blind Witch (real name not given)
Real World Counterpart: Ms. Ginger (first name not given)
-Meaning: Ginger is a spice and a reddish-brown color, but that's not what's important here. Her real world surname "Ginger" is obviously a reference to her fairy tale character's gingerbread cottage, which she used to lure Hansel and Gretel, and many other children, to their death. Well, Hansel and Gretel were lucky; the other kids, not so much.

Character: Cinderella
Real World Counterpart: Ashley Boyd
-Meaning:
--Ashley: From an English surname which was itself derived from an Old English place name meaning "ash tree clearing." We all know Cinderella was given that nickname due to her habit of sitting among the cinders (ashes) in the fireplace, so the name "Ashley" is quite fitting.
--Boyd: "Boyd" is a Scottish surname, possibly derived from the island of Bute's name. Doesn't appear to have much significance.

Character: Prince Thomas
Real World Counterpart: Sean
-Meaning:
--Thomas: "Thomas" is the Greek form of the Aramaic name "Ta'oma'," which means "twin." Possibly a reference to Thomas' fabricated story of Ella expecting twins?
--Sean: "Sean" is a form of the name "John," which is derived from the Hebrew name "Yochanan," meaning "YAHWEH (God) is gracious." Doesn't appear to have much direct significance to the character.

Character: The Magic Mirror (no real name)
Real World Counterpart: Sydney (surname not yet revealed)
-Meaning: "Sydney" is a version of the name "Sidney," which was originally derived from various places in England meaning "wide island," from Old English. This doesn't appear to have much connection to the character; the main connection is that Sydney works for the newspaper "The Daily Mirror." Get it? Mirror?

Character: Grumpy
Real World Counterpart: Leroy (surname not yet revealed)
-Meaning: Hmmm... the name "Leroy" comes from the French "le roi," meaning "the king." This one doesn't fit, unless we take into account that Grumpy was a member of the War Council, and even then, the connection is tenuous at best.

Character: Sleepy
Real World Counterpart: Walter
-Meaning: "Walter" is a Germanic name meaning "ruler of the army." As with Grumpy/Leroy, this doesn't make much sense unless you remember that Sleepy was on the War Council, and even then....

Now onto the characters who exist only in the real world:

Character: Emma Swan
Meaning:
-"Emma" is a Germanic name meaning "whole" or "universal." Hmmm... might this have to do with the fact that Emma is destined to be the one who breaks the curse and makes the fairy tale characters and world "whole" again? Or, as she was born in the fairy tale world but has lived in the real world all her life, she is sort of "universal" because she belongs to both worlds?
-"Swan" is a name and surname after the bird of the same name. The word "swan" is an Old English one, derived from the Indo-European root "swen" (meaning "to sound, to sing"). The writers may have picked the surname just because it sounds pretty, but they also may have wanted to compare Emma with the lovely, elegant creature of her surname, although anyone who's ever met a swan knows they can also be raging assholes, and from what we've seen of Emma, she definitely has her ass-kicking side.

Character: Henry Mills
Meaning:
-Henry: From the Germanic name "Heimirich," meaning "home ruler." Possibly because he's the only one in Storybrooke who knows what's really going on, or because he's royalty?
-Mills: See "Regina Mills."

[DrKankles]

I watched this show with only moderate interest at first, but I agree it has quickly grown to a must see.  They are keeping a quality balance between the "real" world and the fairy tale world.  It could always suffer from the Lost issue and lose it's way but I'm hoping they keep firm storylines and don't get too crazy with the mythology, it's all there, you don't need to make too much up.

I'm also happy to hear Gaston might make an appearance, I always loved his character because he wasn't really evil as much as he was a giant prick.  I hope he acts lke that in the show.

Jeff :usflag