Hello, and welcome to my blog Too Many Times Upon A Time. Here's where I revisit a childhood favourite of mine: ABC's fairy tale drama series Once Upon A Time, a show that I fondly remember for its excellent storytelling, powerful acting and ingenious adaptation of classic stories. I also remember it going completely batshit and turning into the worst thing I've ever seen on TV.
So this will be fun!
This is not a serious critique of the series. It's just a big joke, really. I've always loved riffing on the lunacy that Once Upon A Time put out weekly and this is the ultimate expression of the love-hate relationship I had with it. I became a fan back in 2011 when it first aired, mainly because I saw Robert Carlyle (who portrayed Rumplestiltskin) in it. Carlyle had recently finished filming another television series, Stargate Universe, where he coincidentally played a very similar role. I missed that show terribly and was willing to give this a shot purely on his involvement.
Coincidentally, Once Upon A Time's showrunners were Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, regular writers for another childhood favourite of mine, Lost. Once Upon A Time borrowed heavily from Lost in terms of its format and basic setup, and that gave me another reason to become attached quickly. I firmly believed this would be its successor show, and with performers like Carlyle, it could soar.
So the fact that its quality went (in my personal opinion) down the drain and then some is the main reason why it's stuck in my mind for years since. The stars were aligned in its favor and it all got pissed away. And now I'm here to vent and laugh and also cherish the good times.