This show has been recommended to me for years now and seeing as I have recently added Netflix to my little bundle of outgoing payments I decided to give it a go. To be honest, this show is misogynistic, try hard, and underwhelming.

But I can’t stop watching.

Once Upon a Time is about two different realms. The real world and the fairy tale world. All the people who live in this small town called Storybrooke (yes really) are fairy tale characters that have been cursed to live in the real world and not remember who they really are. The only person (or so we think) that remembers is the Evil Queen from Snow White’s story who was the one who placed the curse over the land. She is now mayor of the town and has the final say in everything.

But then there’s Emma. Emma is the saviour of the land and her long-lost son Henry who she gave up for adoption has come to find her and get rid of the curse. But like any sane human being she believes it all to be fantasy. Can she really save the fairy tale people?

That’s not all though as while we watch the happenings in the real world we are also treated to seeing what life was like back in their fairy tale kingdom as the stories they come from do have some differences to the ones we have grown up with, for example, Prince Charming is set to marry Midas’ daughter and there was an extra dwarf called Stealthy who sadly died before Snow White began living with the dwarfs. As you can see this season mainly follows the Snow White story but others do crop up like Cinderella, Pinocchio and Rumplestiltskin (he actually features far too much in the show in my opinion).

But they don’t just change the stories in fairy tale land. The people these characters are in the real world are not exactly the role models we looked up to as kids. Although Charming knows he is in love with Snow White he is already married to Midas’ daughter in the real world and thus starts an affair with Snow White behind her back. Yep you heard that right. And then he goes around lying about it all and Snow gets known as a home wrecker while he seems to get away with it all. Yet they still have to get together because of “true love” and all that rubbish.

Then there’s Red Riding Hood who becomes somewhat of a (pardon the term) slut. Even Cinderella is a pregnant teenager who can’t fend for herself and of course needs to get back with her prince because she can’t raise a baby alone (a boy who in fact is not with his ‘love’ because his own father believes she is trouble) do you see where I’m going with this? It seems all the women in Storybrooke are treated badly or are seen as worse than the men who live beside them. They are seen as wonderful people but really are they? One is a liar and a cheat, another is too chicken to be beside his pregnant girlfriend and the only one who really has a conscious is Jiminy Cricket and even he doesn’t have much of a backbone.

What I absolutely loathe about this show is even after all their terrible misdeeds the characters are still meant to be together and that’s the be all and end all. No! In fairy tale land a lot of people have arranged marriages but it seems these are the most arranged. It is written down so it must be so. To me this seems completely wrong. It’s the 21st century why are we still shoving this ideology down people’s throats? The worst is Rumplestiltskin who is apparently the Beast in Beauty and the Beast. Belle obviously falls in love with him but he is an old man and she is (at my approximation) about 19. The whole thing feels vile and is incredibly uncomfortable to watch. I don’t know whether this was the intention and more is brought to light in later seasons but it’s just wrong.

I don’t understand how this show has lasted seven seasons already and is still going but I hope things get better and it’s not so mundane and awkward. I want some more girl power because right now all I’m seeing is poor girls who have so much going for them having to be together forever with men who really don’t deserve them.

But alas, this won’t stop me watching season two.

What do you think of Once Upon a Time?

Until next time.

Published by shonaharding

Media graduate with a passion for reviewing film and TV. View all posts by shonaharding