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Once Upon A Time Preview: Why It Works

By: Diane Selburg

When Once Upon A Time debuted five years ago, I admit to being skeptical at best. I was a huge fan of Lost in the beginning and I knew that ONCE was created by the same people. I loved the premise behind the show and was looking forward to watching it, even if it was in caution. My concerns were valid because I wondered if they would be able to tell the story via flashbacks without losing the viewer in the present time. As it turns out, my concerns were all for naught and ONCE is one of the best out there.

Who doesn’t want to actually become a part of the fairytale or book that you are reading? I think I have felt that way about every book I have read in my life. Where ONCE is concerned, it is as if you (the reader) have jumped from your couch, through the television screen and directly into the book! I feel like Bastion must have felt in the Never Ending Story. A book truly does transport the reader into the world of fiction and with ONCE, the viewer experiences that ten fold. ONCERS have seen and been a part of their favorite Disney characters (and then some) in ways they never imagined before. This is why the show works because it keeps that ‘anything is possible if you just believe’ notion in play. The creators keep adding more and more of what the fans love, all the while adding in plot twists and changing up original, beloved fairytales.

Through this show, I have been Cinderella, Snow White, Belle and Sleeping Beauty all over again. I have climbed a beanstalk, defeated a giant, sailed with Pinocchio, battled the Evil Queen, climbed aboard the Jolly Roger, and have been to Neverland. Who would have ever thought that I would have fallen in love with Captain Hook?!

This is why ONCE works because it takes the ‘a dream is a wish your heart makes’ to a whole new, entertaining level. It is the reason why fans are still tuning in.

Season five begins in two weeks on September 27 and I am looking forward to new adventures with my Storybrooke clan, along with Merlin, the Knights of the Round Table, Merida, and of course #DarkSwan. Bring it on, creators of Once Upon A Time, Tulach Ard (Outlander shout out)!!