Once Upon A Time

I got into the Once Upon A Time (OUAT) franchise back when the first season was airing. I watched it on Hulu with my roommate at the time, after doing homework and before going to bed. It was a nice way to wind down after the long day, and a great way for me and my roommate to bond over. Somewhere around the middle of the season things came up for me and she wound up watching without me, and then I just sort of stopped watching it. It wasn't that it wasn't interesting, it was just that the fun watching it together-ness had been lost because she went ahead and watched without me.

When season one came out on DVD I bought it and eventually finished watching it. It was good, and had a happy ending, with the usual American TV cliff hanger tacked on at the end. Then, when the second season came out, I bought that as well. However this time, I only got around to watching one or two episodes before I set it aside for other viewerly pursuits. It wasn't that the second season was bad or anything, I was just in the mood for something different, and my reading and watching of things is all dictated by my mood.

Then two weeks ago at work, we caught season three on the TV, as well as some episode of the spin off series, and my interest was renewed. So last week, on my off days, I marathoned season two to catch up. Then I got the iTunes season pass for the spin off, Once Upon A Time In Wonderland (OUATWonderland), and watched that over the weekend and my days off this week. Watching almost all of it all at once has given me a unique perspective and a glimpse at the big picture, as well as a pretty good idea of why I fell in love with this show, and why I keep coming back.

Because honestly, this is one of the best American shows I've seen in a long time. Both of them, although I prefer the spin off by a small margin, are very well done, with all well-rounded characters. But here's why I'm watching this show, and will continue to until it's series finale, hopefully in the far future.

Every character has a back story that is relevant to the story. There are no flat characters anywhere. And best of all, the villains all have logical motivations and histories that lead them to do what they do. It all makes sense, and is completely transparent about it. This is what I like. Real characters with real dreams and wishes and motives. There is no such thing as an evil-to-be-evil character in either of these series. It's very much like real life; everyone has a story of how they got to where they are.

Another thing is how the stories really delve into what love is, and all the different variations it can take and how a person's past and character can influence how things turn out. For example, in OUAT there are many different relationships to look at. There is the 'true love' relationship of Snow White and Prince Charming, the mother-son relationship of Henry and Regina, as well as the different type of mother-son relationship between Henry and his biological mother, Emma. And those are just a few from OUAT.

The biggest contrasting relationships, and the ones I enjoy watching the most, are the main and secondary couples in OUATWonderland. The main couple is Alice and Cyrus, and theirs is one of those adorable 'true love' romances that everyone wants. It  makes me all giggly just watching how hard they work to be together, how much faith they have in each other. I talked a bit about them in my Top 10 post on Sunday.

To contrast that relationship, there is the secondary couple of Will and Ana. Now this relationship is the perfect example of a failed relationship because of personal weaknesses on both parts. Ana was tempted by wealth and a life of luxury, and succumbed, though she regretted it almost immediately afterwards and this regret became her motivation for everything she does afterwards. Will, other the other hand, didn't have the faith to keep waiting for her to change her mind and come back to him, and he allowed someone to talk him into making a stupid decision. And so he suffered for it, and she suffered for it, and it is so heartbreaking to watch them both struggle with the consequences of their weaknesses.

To say I'm excited for the next episode of OUATWonderland would be an understatement.

What is your favorite movie or tv show that has the realest characters you've seen? I'd love to hear about it in the comments!

Thanks for reading!