Has anyone been watching the new TV programs GRIMM and ONCE UPON A TIME? Two series debuting in the same season about fairy tale characters living in the modern world, but very different in tone and in their development of the premise. The "Grimms" are people who can recognize supernatural creatures for what they are and, if the creatures are evil, fight them. The hero, a homicide detective, has recently discovered he's a Grimm and encounters situations reminiscent of different classic legends every week.
I gave up on GRIMM after a few episodes, but I'm faithfully following ONCE UPON A TIME. The Evil Queen from "Snow White" has put a curse on the fairy tale folk by transporting them to a world where happy endings can't happen—ours! They're trapped in a town where the Queen rules as mayor, and they don't remember their true identities. The only characters who do remember the fairy tale world are the Queen and Rumpelstiltskin. Similar to FOREVER KNIGHT and HIGHLANDER, this series intersperses present-day action with flashbacks. In ONCE UPON A TIME the flashbacks reveal what happened in the fairy tale realm before the evil spell was cast, experiences that the characters have forgotten but that nevertheless shape their relationships in our world.
If you want to catch up on either series, the Innsmouth Free Press reviews and analyzes every episode of both in detail:
Innsmouth Free Press
Margaret L. Carter
Carter's Crypt
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I love how the story is interwoven with the old fairy tales and the modern story. The storyboard must be amazing to keep all the threads in order.
ReplyDeleteI haven't managed to catch Grimm, but have developed an enormous affection for Once Upon a Time. I haven't been this engaged by a TV show in ages. How marvelous is it that Fairy Tales are popping up and grabbing our attention again?
ReplyDeleteGreat post. ;)