Emma Swan is drawn to the town of Storybrooke after Henry (the son she gave up when he was born) tracks her down and tells her she is destined to save Storybrooke from the curse the Evil Queen (of the Snow White story) has put on the fairy tale characters that live there.  Emma doesn't believe Henry, but she decides to play his game as she believes Henry's adopted mother Regina (who is the Evil Queen) is up to no good.   She gets involved in the lives of the residents and is hired on by the town sheriff (who was the Huntsman in the fairy tale world) as Emma's stay in Storybrroke starts to change the town as Henry referes her to the storybook he has about all of the fairy tales.   The first season goes back and forth between the story in Storybrooke and the tales of the characters in the fairy tale land.   It peels away the layers of those these characters are and what the Evil Queen/ Regina cursed them to be in the real world.

 

ONCE UPON A TIME is a show I didn't tune into that much when it aired, but the series changed my mind when I sat down to watch it on Blu-ray.  It is a an addictive show once you get wrapped up in the characters and their stories.   The show has its strong points, but sometimes it has weak episodes liek DREAMY (the origins of grumpy), strong episodes like the Snow White tales and the Rumplestilskin tale reimagined as Beauty and the Beast, and great twisty episodes like the tale about Red Riding Hood.   The cliffhanger ending hopefully leaves it open for interesting stories to come and we get to see the stories of other fairy tale characters.

 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

The Season Play option allows you to play the whole series that you pick up where you left off whether you are on one disc or beginning the next one.  It is a neat option to have on the blu-ray set.

 

Five audio commentaries (with warnings that listening to them before you watch the whole season can bring spoilers of future episodes):

PILOT with co-creators/executive producers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz

7:15 A.M. with actors Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas

SKIN DEEP with actor Robert Carlyle and writer Jane Espenson

STABLE BOY with Kitsis and Horowitz and actress Lana Parrilla

A LAND WITHOUT MAGIC with Kitsis and Horowitz, and actress Jennifer Morrison

 

Disc five has the other extras including

ONCE UPON A TIME: ORIGINS (blu-ray Exclusive)- Josh Dallas narrates quick tales about the history behind the following fairy tales:  Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, Red Riding Hood, Little Mermaid, Rumplestilskin, 

FAIRY TALES TO THE MODERN WORLD- the cast and crew talk about the series in addition to giving a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the show in addition to showing bts footage from the filming of what looks to be a season 2 episode

BUILDING CHARACTER-   the development of the character Belle which actress Emilie De Ravin plays in the show.

WELCOME TO STORYBROOKE- a look at the British Columbia village of Stevensville which doubles for Stroybrooke as we have interviews with the locals and a look at how the town is redressed every time the show films there.

THE STORY I REMEMER…SNOW WHITE- the cast recount their memories of the famous fairy tale from their childhoods- it seems they mostly remember the Disney version of it.

FAIREST BLOOPERS OF THEM ALL is mostly line flubs and it is just OK- not the best for a gag reel.

 

Nine deleted scenes that include three from the pilot, a cool scene of Henry putting up a election poster for Emma that he created, and a four minute segment cut from TTHAT STABLE BOY

 

FINAL ANALYSIS:    ONCE UPON A TIME is an addictive fairy tale series with a twist.   The extras are good with the best features being the deleted scenes and the Season Play option for the episodes.

 

This review is (c)8-31-2012 David Blackwell and cannot be reprinted without permission.  Send all comments to feedback@enterline-media.com