5 Reasons To Watch Once Upon a Time

Hello all - I really enjoyed writing my 5 Reasons to watch Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt post the other week, so I'm back with the next in that little series!

Anyone who watches my videos on YouTube, regularly reads my blog or follows me on Twitter, can tell you that I'm a huge Once Upon a Time fan. I fell in love with the show way back in 2011 when it first started, and my adoration for it has just grown and grown. For anyone who hasn't heard of the show, a simple summary would be that the show explores the lives of all your favourite fairytale characters, brought together in two worlds - the fairytale world which includes The Enchanted Forest, Neverland, Arendelle, etc, and non-magical world a.k.a our world. Via curses, portals and a whole lot of magic, the characters travel between the two, and each episode is told half in real time, half in flashbacks to events in the past (usually in the magical world).

So, if that isn't enough to pique your interest, here are 5 reasons to start watching Once Upon a Time!

The Fairytale Characters

I'm not exaggerating when I say all of your favourite fairy tale characters will make an appearance in this show at some point. To name a few, you'll meet Snow White, Prince Charming and the Evil Queen, Rumplestiltskin, Belle, Pinocchio and Gepetto, Captain Hook, Peter Pan, Mulan, Maleficent, Aurora and Phillip, Red Riding Hood, Ariel and Ursula, Cruella de Vil, Robin Hood, Tinkerbell, Elsa, Anna and Kristoff, the seven dwarves and the mad hatter. And that's just off the top of my head. That isn't even counting two of the main characters, Emma (played by the brilliant Jennifer Morrison) and her son Henry (played by Jared Gilmore). You never know who is going to turn up next!

The Plot Lines

Ever wondered how Maleficent is connected to Snow White? Or how Prince Charming met Anna from Frozen? What about the history between Rumplestiltskin and Peter Pan? Okay, so up till now you probably haven't, but what I love about this show is that it creates this amazing, rich backstory for characters we already know and love. Like why Ursula became evil, for one! In The Little Mermaid, she just goes about her villainous business, and we never find out what brought her to that point. Enter Once Upon a Time to fill in the blanks! Following on from this...

It's a perfect dose of Escapism

My favourite thing about OUAT is that it really is the perfect level of escapism. It's dramatic, and filled with intrigue, but in a light hearted way. This isn't a Breaking Bad style, heavy going show. It's emotional, but fun, and envelopes you in a magical world, where anything is possible, and nothing is black and white. It has a nice nostalgic quality to it too, because if (like me!) you were fairy tale mad as a child, it brings these tales back into your life in a new way, and gives new life to old stories!

The Writing -

The writers really do an amazing job with this show - hardly surprising, when their past work includes Lost! Whatever the storyline, they handle it beautifully, but I'm sure it won't come as a surprise that it's packed full of romance. It's fairytale land, how could it not be! The writers do the most brilliant job with their pairings - not only have they been really lucky to bring together a bunch of amazing actors, so many of who have incredible chemistry, but they just know exactly what to do to tug at your heart strings. And putting romantic relationships aside, they also do a great job with friendships/familial relationships in this show. People who have gone through a lot have a way of finding each other, which is always nice to see.

They have also written a ridiculous number AMAZING kick ass female characters over the past four seasons. Emma, Snow and Regina, three of the most prominent characters, are strong, feisty and independent, and while they are not immune to the considerable charms of some of the leading men, they are more than capable of taking care of themselves - there's none of the Disney-esque damsel in distress stuff here.

And finally, we have...

The Cast

If I could join a cast of a TV show, it would be Once Upon a Time. Not only are they all phenomenal on screen, but when we see blooper reels, or interviews with them, they seem to be having the best time. The show has done so well to bring together such a great group of actors. Jennifer Morrison, Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Dallas, Lana Parilla, Robert Carlisle, Colin O'Donoughue and Emilie de Ravin are just a few of the brilliant cast members, and I now struggle to imagine anyone else playing some of these famous fairytale characters. Also, let's be honest - none of these people (in addition to the likes of Jamie Dornan) are particularly difficult to look at - always a bonus!

So there you have it - 5 reasons why you should put Once Upon a Time firmly on your "to watch" list!

One bonus reason - if you are a fan of Lost, this show is full of Lost references! From lots of the same cast members (Emilie de Ravin, Jorge Garcia, Lana Parilla and Elizabeth Mitchell are just a few who have appeared in both!) to constant references to the lost numbers (you know what I'm talking about!), and even the odd Apollo bar. That all makes me much happier than it probably should.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you've had a lovely Easter weekend!