Post by val1993 on Mar 27, 2016 11:51:13 GMT -5
I posted this on the wall of the Russian Charmed community in the VK and have decided to post it here. So I’ve been a huge fan of Charmed for like ten years, but after getting bored watching my favorite seasons which is only three I decided to watch something new and found a fantasy show «Once Upon a Time» which I just fell in love with. Some of you might know the plot: once upon a time the Evil Queen Regina banished all of our favorite fairytale characters to the town of Storybrooke, Maine, where they have been stripped of their actual memories and identities as fairy tale characters. On her 28th birthday, Emma, the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, is brought to Storybrooke by her biological son Henry Mills in the hopes of breaking the curse cast by his adoptive mother, the Evil Queen Regina. That’s just a cliffnotes’ version of the whole plot, but I found out that this show and «Charmed» have a lot of in common and here’s a list of my thoughts why:
1) Plot similarities. The main character Emma Swan leaded a relatively ordinary life of an American adult in her late 20s, but she had no idea about her special legacy. She was born with powerful magical powers and given an exceptional status in the fairytale land – things that at first she refuses to accept.
2) Key artifacts of both TV-shows are books. In «Once Upon a Time» it’s a storybook which depicts the true stories of our beloved fairytale characters including Emma’s parents – Snow White and Prince Charming. This book is thought to have some sort of a free will because usually whenever characters are in a desperate need of hope or faith the books gives it to them.
3) «Once Upon a Time» is mostly a family show, and just like in «Charmed» the key topic here is family and its bond which makes characters stronger. This topic manifests in a lot of episodes and can be seen from different points of view: accepting someone who was your worst enemy, being feared of someone who was your closest ally, being given a second chance to start over. Personally whenever I look at Emma putting up with the fact that her parents are Snow White and Prince I always remember Piper going through a hard time accepting hew newly-found sister Paige.
4) Main storylines of the first seasons are all twisting around the couple who has been through a lot of ordeal in order to be together. You clearly see that Snow and Charming are meant to be together and realize that nothing can stop them from being together and they will end up having their happy ending. That also means that at some times you might found them quite boring and annoying just like you find Piper and Leo
5) If the main location in «Charmed» was mostly Halliwell Manor, in this TV-show boundaries are broadened a bit: our characters reside in Storybrooke – a distant town replete with mysteries, wonders and dangers. But this strange place will eventually become a true home for Emma and one of the true symbols of this TV series for the audience
6) Death is another rudimentary aspect of this show yet handled more sophistically. Some characters luckily escape from it; some sacrifice themselves and become true heroes in the eyes of their beloved ones. Moreover, there’s a decent rival of the character of Simon Templeman from «Charmed».
7) Fate is another crucial topic of the TV show. Usually you cannot change it because if you try you will very likely to pay an awful price. That’s why Emma had to accept her fairytale legacy, just like the Halliwell sisters had to accept their magical one, realizing you cannot erase your roots. But of course, Emma has never given up on her dream of a normal life (sounds familiar, huh).
8) Intrigue. Oh yeah, there are a bunch of couples whose future is not so evident, and but whose happy ending you most root for. Usually this sort of couple consists of a protagonist and hell of a antagonist knocking the whole fandom dead with his or her charm. And if Cole wasn’t able to redeem himself, Rumplestilstkin, Evil Queen and Captain Hook still have a chance.
9) What is magic exactly on this TV-show? Well, in «Once Upon a Time» «magic isn’t about what you see, but about what you feel», thus magic is more abstract essence here. There are three laws of magic that cannot be broken: you cannot make someone fall in love with you, you cannot change the past, you cannot bring back the dead. There are no actual powers though you will certainly see telekinesis, immobilizations, foreseeing, teleportations (each and every kind is very different!), eyes filled with darkness, and your favorite alternate realities along with time-travelling.
10) Music is one of the most underestimated subjects in the show. Mark Isham created a magnificent score and you just cannot notice it throughout the whole series. The main theme is what makes the atmosphere so magical, family-like and intriguing. No guest musical bands or something like that, but some of the songs playing in the background will probably stick in your head.
1) Plot similarities. The main character Emma Swan leaded a relatively ordinary life of an American adult in her late 20s, but she had no idea about her special legacy. She was born with powerful magical powers and given an exceptional status in the fairytale land – things that at first she refuses to accept.
2) Key artifacts of both TV-shows are books. In «Once Upon a Time» it’s a storybook which depicts the true stories of our beloved fairytale characters including Emma’s parents – Snow White and Prince Charming. This book is thought to have some sort of a free will because usually whenever characters are in a desperate need of hope or faith the books gives it to them.
3) «Once Upon a Time» is mostly a family show, and just like in «Charmed» the key topic here is family and its bond which makes characters stronger. This topic manifests in a lot of episodes and can be seen from different points of view: accepting someone who was your worst enemy, being feared of someone who was your closest ally, being given a second chance to start over. Personally whenever I look at Emma putting up with the fact that her parents are Snow White and Prince I always remember Piper going through a hard time accepting hew newly-found sister Paige.
4) Main storylines of the first seasons are all twisting around the couple who has been through a lot of ordeal in order to be together. You clearly see that Snow and Charming are meant to be together and realize that nothing can stop them from being together and they will end up having their happy ending. That also means that at some times you might found them quite boring and annoying just like you find Piper and Leo
5) If the main location in «Charmed» was mostly Halliwell Manor, in this TV-show boundaries are broadened a bit: our characters reside in Storybrooke – a distant town replete with mysteries, wonders and dangers. But this strange place will eventually become a true home for Emma and one of the true symbols of this TV series for the audience
6) Death is another rudimentary aspect of this show yet handled more sophistically. Some characters luckily escape from it; some sacrifice themselves and become true heroes in the eyes of their beloved ones. Moreover, there’s a decent rival of the character of Simon Templeman from «Charmed».
7) Fate is another crucial topic of the TV show. Usually you cannot change it because if you try you will very likely to pay an awful price. That’s why Emma had to accept her fairytale legacy, just like the Halliwell sisters had to accept their magical one, realizing you cannot erase your roots. But of course, Emma has never given up on her dream of a normal life (sounds familiar, huh).
8) Intrigue. Oh yeah, there are a bunch of couples whose future is not so evident, and but whose happy ending you most root for. Usually this sort of couple consists of a protagonist and hell of a antagonist knocking the whole fandom dead with his or her charm. And if Cole wasn’t able to redeem himself, Rumplestilstkin, Evil Queen and Captain Hook still have a chance.
9) What is magic exactly on this TV-show? Well, in «Once Upon a Time» «magic isn’t about what you see, but about what you feel», thus magic is more abstract essence here. There are three laws of magic that cannot be broken: you cannot make someone fall in love with you, you cannot change the past, you cannot bring back the dead. There are no actual powers though you will certainly see telekinesis, immobilizations, foreseeing, teleportations (each and every kind is very different!), eyes filled with darkness, and your favorite alternate realities along with time-travelling.
10) Music is one of the most underestimated subjects in the show. Mark Isham created a magnificent score and you just cannot notice it throughout the whole series. The main theme is what makes the atmosphere so magical, family-like and intriguing. No guest musical bands or something like that, but some of the songs playing in the background will probably stick in your head.
I'm LOVING this season, btw! It's a great cast! Greg Germann as Hades and appearances by Emma Caulfield as Blind Witch? Freaking awesome. 