Once Upon a Time is a television show that premiered on October 23, 2011 on ABC. It is produced and created by Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis. The soundtrack for the first season was released on May 1, 2012. The full-disc DVD/Blu-ray set of Season One was released on August 28, 2012.

Season Two premiered on September 30, 2012, and ended on May 12, 2013. 

Season Three has been confirmed and filming is due to start on July 12, 2013.

SummaryEdit

Emma Swan's life has been anything but a fairytale. A 28-year-old bail bondsperson, she’s been taking care of herself since she was abandoned as a baby. But when Henry, the son she gave up for adoption 10 years ago, finds her, everything changes. Henry is desperate for his mom’s help, and he thinks that Emma is actually the long-lost daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming.

Even stranger, Henry believes that Storybrooke, the sleepy New England town he calls home, is really part of a curse cast by the Evil Queen, freezing fairytale characters in the modern world with no memory of their fairytale selves. Of course, the seen-it-all Emma doesn’t believe a word; but when she gets to Storybrooke, she can’t help sensing that nothing is quite what it seems.^[1]

StoryEdit

The story is set in the fictional small town of Storybrooke, Maine. The town is populated by characters from fairy tales, who have been exiled to the real world by a curse cast by the Evil Queen (Lana Parrilla) as part of a revenge plot against Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Prince Charming (Josh Dallas). Because of the curse, most of the inhabitants of Storybrooke have no memory of their "true" identities, and have been stuck in Storybrooke for years.

This changes when Henry Mills (Jared Gilmore), the adopted son of Storybrooke's Mayor Regina Mills, seeks out his birth mother, Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison), a bounty hunter living in Boston. He convinces her to come to Storybrooke. Henry knows about the curse from a book given to him by his teacher, Mary Margaret Blanchard. He tells Emma that she is the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, and that she is destined to break the curse holding everyone in Storybrooke. Skeptical, Emma decides to stay in Storybrooke only after seeing how lonely Henry is, and how emotionally neglected he is by his adoptive mother. In staying, Emma continues to run afoul of Mayor Mills. This conflict increases when Emma becomes the town Sheriff.

Each episode usually focuses on one main character who is experiencing some sort of conflict in Storybrooke. Flashbacks show what the character's story was in the fairytale world. In the first season, almost all of the flashbacks involve Rumplestiltskin (Robert Carlyle) making deals with the protagonists as part of some sort of complicated plot. In Storybrooke, Rumplestiltskin is known as Mr. Gold, the wealthiest man in town.

Beginning in Season Two, the curse has now been broken, but the narrative continues to follow a similar pattern, with multiple storylines being followed each episode. The first episode of the season sees Mary Margaret and Emma transported to a post-curse Enchanted Forest, so some episodes alternate between present day Storybrooke and present day Enchanted Forest. The Second Season also explores a previously unseen time period, the events of Emma's past in the Land Without Magic during the curse. Season Two also sees the introduction of another world, the Land Without Color where the infamous Dr. Victor Frankenstein originates.

Main charactersEdit

• Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison) - A persistant bails bond collector that later becomes Storybrooke's town sheriff. Birth mother to Henry, who she gave up for adoption.

• Snow White/Mary Margaret Blanchard (Ginnifer Goodwin) - A runaway princess turned thief who finds true love with Prince Charming. As Mary Margaret, she is a timid school teacher.

• Henry Mills (Jared Gilmore) - Son of Regina who begins believing everyone in town is a fairytale character, and seeks out his birth mother Emma to help break the curse.

• Prince Charming/David Nolan (Josh Dallas) - A shepherd turned prince who finds true love with Snow White. As David, he lays asleep in a coma until awakening and resuming his loveless marriage with Kathryn.

• Evil Queen/Regina Mills (Lana Parrilla) - The Evil Queen has a conflicting past with Snow White, and strives to take away everyone's happiness. As Regina, she controls the town of Storybrooke as mayor.

• Huntsman/Sheriff Graham (Jamie Dornan) - The Huntsman is commanded by the Evil Queen to kill Snow White and extract her heart, but in a moment of remorse, he allows the princess to escape.In payment for his failure, the Evil Queen takes his heart. As Sheriff Graham, he acts under Regina's thumb and is also her secret lover.

• August Booth (Eion Bailey) - A stranger who arrives in Storybrooke to help Emma see the truth about the curse.

• Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold (Robert Carlyle) - Rumplestiltskin is a cowardly man who gains corrupting magic powers as the Dark One. As Mr. Gold, he dubbed "the most powerful man in town" and collects rent money from his tenants every month.

• Jiminy Cricket/Archie Hopper (Raphael Sbarge) - Jiminy is the son of con artists and in his desire to change his life, he is granted a wish by the Blue Fairy to become a cricket with a voice of consciousness. As Archie, he is the town psychiatrist who is pressured by Regina to do morally incorrect things.

• Belle (Enchanted Forest)/Belle (Storybrooke) (Emilie de Ravin) - Belle is a pure hearted woman who believes there is good in everyone, and forms a bond with Rumplestiltskin. As her counterpart, she is an unnamed patient imprisoned in the psychiatric ward of the hospital until the breaking of the curse.

• Red Riding Hood/Ruby (Meghan Ory) - Red is an ordinary village girl until finding out her alter ego lies in the ability to shapeshift into a wolf. As Ruby, she is a flirty waitress who likes to party but has self esteem issues.

• Hook (Colin O'Donoghue) - A vengeful pirate who has a long awaited score to settle with Rumplestiltskin, and is captain of the Jolly Roger.

Supporting charactersEdit

• Abigail/Kathryn Nolan (Anastasia Griffith) - Daughter of King Midas and accepts an arranged marriage with Prince Charming, but later is reunited with her true love Frederick. As Kathryn, she and David have a rocky and terrible marriage that gets worse after he awakens from his coma.

• Blue Fairy/Mother Superior (Keegan Tracy)- A wise and helpful fairy who grants the wishes of those that call for her help. As Mother Superior, she is the head of the nuns and follows a strict decorum in morals.

• Cinderella/Ashley Boyd (Jessy Schram) - A lonely housemaid whose desire to change her life prompts her to sign a contract with Rumplestiltskin, and wins the heart of Prince Thomas. As Ashley, she is pregnant and alone with fears about raising a child.

• King George/Albert Spencer (Alan Dale) - King George is father to James, who he later tries to replace with Prince Charming, but to no avail. In bitterness, he does his best to separate Charming from his true love, Snow White. As Albert, he is Storybrooke's district attorney. Albsert lives a life under the radar until the breaking of the curse and resumes wrecking havoc on David's life.

• Grumpy/Leroy (Lee Arenberg) - A mining dwarf who was originally given the name "Dreamy", but an experience in heartbreak leaves him changed and "grumpy". As Leroy, he's known as the town drunk and is avoided by most people. Has a change of heart after meeting a nun.

• Maleficent (Kristin Bauer van Straten) - A fellow witch friend of the Evil Queen who exchanged her Sleeping Curse for the Dark Curse. Has the ability to transform at will into a dragon. As her counterpart, she is imprisoned in a magic cave in her dragon form to guard a special item.

• Mad Hatter/Jefferson (Sebastian Stan) - Originally an inhabitant of the Enchanted Forest who in turn becomes trapped in Wonderland and driven mad by an obsession in making hats to replace his old one. As Jefferson, he retains memories of his previous life and seeks Emma to use magic and return him to his old life.

• Cora (Barbara Hershey) - A miller's daughter whose ambition to gain power and wealth forces her to make sacrifices. As mother to Regina, she is critical and stubborn in her master plan to make her daughter the future queen.

• Aurora (Sarah Bolger) - A princess put under a Sleeping Curse by Maleficent.

• Mulan (Jamie Chung) - A female warrior that journeys with Prince Phillip to find Aurora.

• Valet (Tony Perez) - Regina's weak willed father who is unable to fight against Cora's use of magic against their daughter. Later on, he does his best to help Regina find happiness.

• Hansel/Nicholas Zimmer (Quinn Lord) and Gretel/Ava Zimmer (Karley Scott Collins) - Young siblings who get lost in the woods searching for their father. They are used by the Queen to steal the poisoned apple from the Blind Witch. As Nicholas and Ava, they are orphan siblings left without a mother, and do not know the whereabouts of their biological father.

• Granny (Enchanted Forest)/Granny (Storybrooke) (Beverley Elliott) - The maternal grandmother of Red. She keeps the secret about their family history as shapeshifting wolves, but is forced to deal with the consequences when Red finds out. As her counterpart, Granny is constantly at ends with Ruby and frankly dislikes her granddaughter's partying and flirty ways.

• Magic Mirror/Sidney Glass (Giancarlo Esposito) - Originally a magic genie transformed into a magic mirror due to his own undoing. Serves as a confidante and ally to the Evil Queen. As Sidney, he is a newspaper reporter that acts under Regina's orders.

• Neal Cassidy (Michael Raymond-James) - Emma's ex-boyfriend from 10 years prior who left her due to obligations, and has a secret past of his own. Is the biological father of Henry.

• Victor Frankenstein/Dr. Whale (David Anders) - A scientist that resurrects the dead through implanting hearts into their bodies. As Dr. Whale, he is the main doctor of the hospital, and a frequent skirt chaser.

• William Smee (Enchanted Forest) / William Smee (Storybrooke) (Christopher Gauthier) - A man who deals in the trade of hard to find objects and becomes an associate of Hook. As his counterpart, he is used as a scapegoat by Mr. Gold, and later reaffirms his allegiance to Hook.

ReferencesEdit