Once Upon a Time: "Pilot" Review

Advance Review: Magic, charm, love, enchanting characters – From Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz (a writing duo who worked on Lost for all six seasons), Once Upon a Time has it all. You might try to resist its spell because you know it's not Fables, but you should give this fresh spin on familiar fairy tale characters a chance.

It's undeniable fairy tales have universal appeal; we never tire of reading or watching them. Considering that, it's a miracle we don't get thumped over the head with multiple pilots just like this every year. It's probably because it's not easy to strike the right note between the real and the storybook; Once Upon a Time finds it though.

The pilot establishes the set-up for the series, cutting back and forth between the fictional realm of Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Prince Charming (Josh Dallas), and the real world of Storybrooke, Maine. The visual transition to the lush forest of the fairy tale to the stark asphalt of our world sells the sad story of the legendary characters who have forgotten who they are and where they came from.

They're lost because of the Evil Queen (Lana Parrilla); she set a curse on the inhabitants of the fairy tale realm and trapped them in Storybrooke. Their only hope for escape is in a boy, Henry (Jared Gilmore), and a woman who is meant to save them, Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison). The exposition is unraveled through the boy and a book he carries, and it's executed in such a way that I felt like I was sitting beside a fireplace listening to a story.

I felt like the pilot hit a few cheesy notes, but it's about fairy tales. I wouldn't expect otherwise. Besides, a little cheese is acceptable when everything else is so right. The casting is spot on across the board. Though the characters could easily edge into being too archetypal, the acting and writing both play parts in morphing each role into a distinct voice. I'm especially looking forward to seeing more of Robert Carlyle's portrayal of Rumpelstiltskin.

Fantastical worlds usually come with special effects, and that's the only caveat I see right now. We only glimpsed a peek of what's to come in that arena, and I'm not optimistic. Hopefully, the creatures and CGI touches are kept to a minimum so the story can shine through instead of being tarnished by unnecessary smoke and sparkles. Because the story? It's a fairy tale worth watching.

---

Once Upon a Time premieres Sunday, October 23rd at 8pm ET/PT on ABC and can be seen now on IMDB.

• More Television Reviews
• Latest Television News, Reviews, and Videos