And The Next Doctor Is..........

So, the 12th/13th Doctor has been announced as the one and only Peter Capaldi! You have to hand it to Moffat and his team. For the last few months, well ever since Matt Smith announced his imminent departure from the show, they've been fanning the flames of rumour regarding possible choices for the new Doctor. A black Doctor seemed likely at one point with David Harewood and Idris Elba considered front runners for a while. In fact Harewood was considered a front runner right up until last nights big reveal! We also had a woman Doctor being rumoured with Miranda Hart and Dame Helen Mirren being championed by many a twitter user. Of course, the old names were also in the 'frame' with Russell Tovey (very nearly a David Tennent replacement), Benedict Cumberbatch (wanted for every role in the world ever) and Martin Freeman (one of my top choices) all being mentioned. Then we had the obvious choices, people such as Rory Kinnear, Andrew Scott, Stephen Mannagan, etc. In the end though Moffat went for his one and only choice of Capaldi.

Capaldi in 'The Fires of Pompei

     Now, Peter Capaldi is probably best known for his role as potty mouth Malcom Tucker in political satire The Thick Of It although Whovians will also recognise him for a previous appearance in the show! Back in David Tennents last full season he went to Pompei and Capaldi played Caecilius, the father of the family the Doctor saves at the end. Of course this isn't the first time an extra has gone on to play a lead part in the show. Colin Baker was in a 1983 episode before becoming the 6th Doctor a year later and both Freema Agyeman (Martha Jones) and Karen Gillian (Amy Pond) appeared in the show as different characters before landing the assistant gig. Infact Gillian actually appeared in Capaldis Pompei episode! It is therefore not unheard of for this to happen.

     As far as Peter Capaldi's twelth Doctor goes, what can we expect? Well I think it's safe to say that we can expect a different kind of Doctor. Capaldi is an amazingly versatile actor as his body of work suggests. He's also an older Doctor, the same age as William Hartnel when he got the part. I championed an older Doctor because I think it's what the show needed. It hails back to the original vision for The Doctor and I'm convinced that Capaldi will do a great job. Of course, with the ghost of Malcom Tucker still hovering we could get a few interesting encounters between The Doctor and his enemies. I can just imagine The Doctor telling an army of Daleks to f$%& themselves! On a serious note though, sure Capaldi's not as good looking as Andrew Scott or with the star quality of Idris Elba but at least he's not Miranda Hart!

The Next Doctor

William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker, Peter Davidson, Colin Baker, Sylvester McCoy, Paul McGann, Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant, Matt Smith (and apparently John Hurt which I'll get onto in a minute) have all played The Doctor during it's 50 years. All great actors and great Doctors in their own way. Now the Doctor will regenerate into it's 12th, or 13th incarnation after Matt Smith announced he was hanging up his sonic screwdriver recently.

Before I start discussing the next Doctor I think its important to discuss his forgotten incarnation who showed up at the end of the recent series finale episode 'The Name Of The Doctor'. Now my theory on this is that it's John Hurts Doctor who fought in the time war and made the decision which killed the Daleks and the Time-lords and destroyed his home world, Galafrey. Now, I'm not really versed on classic Who but this could place John Hurt between Mcgann and Eccleston. In any case it would make Matt Smith the 12th Doctor.

Now back to the most pressing of questions, Who will become the next Doctor? I've (with the help of Twitter friend and ex work colleague Mr Wayne Andrews) narrowed it down to 6 possibles. No doubt Moffat will completely disregard my opinions and go with an unknown (although that wasn't a bad idea last time), but hey oh, i can but speculate. In fact, talking about last time, I'd like to say a few things about Matt Smith. I was a huge fan of David Tennant. I guess he was my Doctor seen as he was why i started watching it! When he decided to call it a day I honestly didn't think he'd be surpassed. Matt Smith came bloody close, let me tell you. When you consider how complex some of Moffats plots are, it's testament to Smiths ability as an actor that he can still hold the viewers attention. He has proved to be a superb Doctor and will be a very hard act to follow, although I said that about Tennant!

Now onto the next Doctor.....

KEN STOTT

Now don't laugh, Ken Stott would make a great Doctor. He was great as Rebus and in Messiah and is currently somewhere in Middle Earth dressed as a dwarf! After the relative youth of Tennant and the obvious youth of Matt Smith (my age you know), maybe it's time The Doctor regenerated into an older, more wiser version. I also think it'd be interesting to see the dynamic between Clara and Stotts older and grumpier Doctor.

STEPHEN MANAGAN

You know, of Green Wing fame, currently starring in Episodes? Stephen Managan is my preferred choice for the role. He's not as young as Matt Smith and at 40 years old, fits into the ideal age of The Doctor in my opinion. He also looks a bit wacky which would hale back to the likes of Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy. Although known predominantly for his comedy roles I.e. Green Wing, I'm Alan Partridge and Episodes that wouldn't be a bad thing as regards to Doctor Who. Correct me if I'm wrong!

MARTIN FREEMAN

Although he's currently on his way to the lonely mountain pretending to be a hobbit, Freeman would surely jump at the chance to portray the iconic Doctor. Freeman has proved himself as a versatile actor in the likes of The Office and Sherlock and also has experience on big budget productions such as Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy and The Hobbit. He's also well known to Moffat via Sherlock. Of course many are championing Benedict Cumberbatch as the next Doctor but they really are forgetting that Freeman would make a superb Doctor and could be just the tonic after Smiths manic turn.

JOSEPH GILGUN

In my opinion, one of the most under rated actors on the television he's perhaps best known as friendly skin head Woody in This Is England and its subsequent tv spin offs. More recently he's been plying his trade on Channel 4's Misfits as Rudy. He brings something different to the shows he appears in and I think he'd be a different kind of Doctor but in a good way. He has a way of injecting humour into lines without really trying. I think he may struggle abit with some of the technical jargon but I do think he deserves his opportunity in a big show.

JULIAN BARRATT

Now Barratt is an outside chance but Im quite intrigued by what he'd bring to The Doctor. He is perhaps best known as elbow patch aficionado Howard Moon in The Mighty Boosh which is why I think he'd be great as the thirteenth Doctor (I'm officially assuming Jon Hurt was the ninth). He'd offer a new kind of Doctor, a new direction. He wouldn't be as manic as Smith or as talky as Tennant and would instead take The Doctor back to the days of Hartnell or Pertwee.

RUSSELL TOVEY

Russell Tovey was talked about as a possible successor to Tennant and was championed by a lot of fans, myself included. Out of all of my choices I think that Tovey has the best chance and he wouldn't be a bad choice. He's well known enough whilst also being relatively unknown if you get what I mean. He was superb in Being Human and The History Boys and is well known to Doctor Who fans having already appeared in two episodes (Voyage of the Damned and The End of Time if you're interested).

Now you may have noticed that there are no women in my list and that's because I'm not sure I would be happy with a female Doctor. The Doctor is a man in much the same way that James Bond is. I'm all for equal opportunities and all that, I'm a woman myself, but The Doctor should always remain male. I have no doubt that Miranda Hart would do a sterling job and I can almost imagine the moment Smith regenerates into Hart with some humour. I do find it difficult to see how it would work though, I really do.

Anyway, all of that aside, there you have my choices for the thirteenth Doctor. What do YOU think?

Once Upon A Time, Season 2: First Look

Last year one of my favourite shows was Once Upon A Time. It had the right amount of mystery and drama with a nice amount of humour thrown in. It also had memorable characters which is so important to a successful show. You can have the best story in the world but if you don't have the characters to carry that story then you don't have a very good show. This 2nd season of Once Upon A Time has really hi the ground running in my opinion. In the first 7 episodes we've met Sleeping Beauty, Mulan, Captain Hook, The Giant from Jack and the Beanstalk, Lancelot and (perhaps bizarrely) Dr Frankenstein. We've also seen Emma and Snow White/Mary Margaret transported to fairy tale land, found out that Rumplestiltskin was the 'Crocodile' who took Hooks hand and found out what came of Jack the Giantkiller. It has certainly been an interesting first quarter to season 2. First I'll delve abit more into the new characters we have met. Mulan and Sleeping beauty were introduced to us in the first episode. Mulan is very much the warrior although her past is still very much a mystery. I think it may be linked in with Jack and the Beanstalk and the Giants. With the Giant (Jorge Garcia) coming back at some point, may it be in a Mulan-centric episode? Sleeping Beauty is perhaps a little annoying. I liked Sarah Bolger as Princess Mary in The Tudors but she comes across as a little annoying in Once. Saying that, next to Snow White it's nice to have a different take on the role of a fairy tale princess. Lancelot was different to what I expected. Being English myself, I was perhaps a little disappointed that Lancelot was given an American accent. The story of King Arthur and the knights of the round table is one of our most famous and enduring legends and I personally didn't like it being given the Americanised treatment. Saying that, the character actually came across rather well. He hinted at a troubled history so I have no doubt that we'll see him again.

My favourite of the new arrivals has to be Killian Jones, otherwise known as the infamous Captain Hook. His arrival in Once was hinted at in the various teaser trailers before the start of the season and it certainly has not disappointed. His origin story was linked in with a Rumple-centric episode with Rumple being revealed as the 'Crocodile' who took Hooks hand. This has provided us with a great revenge story as Hook is desperate to get to Storybrooke to kill Rumplestiltskin! This has already brought him into contact with Emma and Snow and his dynamic with Emma is brilliant. The most bizarre new character is someone who we actually met in Season 1. Dr Whales identity has been a closely guarded secret and was something that was heavily discussed on the various forums. He was the Whale in Pinnochio, Wizard of Oz, Peter Pan, Bellfire (Rumplestiltskins Son) and The White Rabbit. In the end (timed perfectly with Halloween) he turned out to be Dr Frankenstein. Now this annoyed me a bit but I can understand his inclusion in the show. To most people, Once is a show about fairy tales. Ultimately though it is a show about stories and this stretch beyond fairy tales. The writers have already said that they want the likes of The Wizzard of Oz, Mary Poppins and Sherlock Holmes to make an appearance so why not Dr Frankenstein. In my eyes it's the Horror element as well as the other characters we may now meet. If we've got Frankenstein, why not Dracula or The Wolfman or even The Mummy. Criticisms aside, it was nice to finally find out who Dr Whale was and he actually played the part well. Now onto the Story side of the show. The season begins at the moment Season 1 ended, with the arrival of magic to Storybrooke. I liked the fact that the 'flashback' we saw, of Sleeping Beauty being awoken, was actually a 'flash-sideways'. It provided a neat twist to start the season on. This shows main strength has been its ability to refresh and reinvent the stories we all know. I loved the Beauty and the Beast episode from season 1 for example. I loved how the beast was actually Rumplestiltskin. This season has kept up the standard and I loved the Rumplestiltskin/Captain Hook origin episode. It is great how the writers aren't afraid to take liberties with these centuries old tales, story's that are ingrained in our minds from childhood. It works though and I love it. Not many writers could get away with it, that is for sure. Despite the many new things we learn about the show one thing remind constant, it's themes. The opening scene in the pilot set the main theme for the entire show with Snow White being awoken by true loves kiss. True love continues in Season 2 with Rumplestiltskins relationship with Bella, Snow and Charming being parted again, Reginna and the dead stable boy and Emma and Henry's father. Another ongoing theme is that of heroes and villains. In season 1 we had Rumple and Regina. Rumple seems to be mellowing abit as his relationship with Bella progresses while Regina is undergoing her redemption. That leaves the door open for two more protagonists and so enter Cora and Hook. Cora will be the main baddie, I'm sure of it. With her being Reginas mother (and as rumoured, The Queen of Hearts) it should be exciting to see her in Storybrooke at some point. Hook is definitely playing Rumplestiltskins role. Like Rumple, he is firmly in it for himself and his 'side' still hasn't been properly revealed yet. I kinda hope he comes good but I don't think that that would be in keeping with his character. So there you have it, my first review of Once Upon A Time of season 2. I'll review it again in the new year as the season gains momentum.

The Walking Dead Goes Nuclear!!!

Recently, a number of big American shows have returned with their respective seasons. Once Upon A Time has really hit the ground running with its 2nd season while dexter is as good as it's ever been. One show which has really changed the game is The Walking Dead. This is a show which has been abit of funny one over the past couple of seasons. Season 1 was superb but lacked something. It was only 6 episodes long, which was kinda enough. It had plenty of zombie action while also having the time to focus on the human element. Season 2 took it down a notch as the group settled at Hershels farm. Many within the tv critic community have dubbed it as a post apocalyptic Emmerdale Farm. It had shocks, sure. It was too slow though and gave the impression that there were genuine sanctuaries within this world that had gone to hell. The moment it turned was (ironically) when Shane turned. That in turn led to the farm getting overrun forcing our survivors onto the road. This season began 3 months later with the survivors still on the road. They soon found the prison and set about clearing it out. Andrea meanwhile has found herself in a heavily defended town called Woodbury. Fans of the comic book will be loving this 3rd season. The Prison and Woodbury are both iconic settings within the comic book universe. The Governor (the man in charge at Woodbury) and Michone (Andrea came across her after getting split from the group) are also two hugely ionic characters in the comic. The great thing about this show though is that it only really uses its source material as a base. It would've been so easy to follow the comic story line to the T. It would've kept the the hardcore cult fan base happy while having enough about it to keep the rest of us hooked. In deviating away from the source material, the writers have done a very smart thing as it means that even the hardcore amongst us are often surprised. This season has been the most surprising yet, despite the presence of the most iconic features from the comic book. In the comic book the prison is a place of safety where the walkers are kept at bay outside of the prison compound. It's a place where our group live for some time before they are forced back onto the road. The governor is a genuine madman, an evil psychopath of the highest order. On screen, he is more of a thinker, more of a manipulator. You can see the man he may eventually become but he is very much a psycho in the making. The one thing that needs to be noted as regards to the comic book is that that universe is based in a different reality. The tv show is a reality that we can maybe relate to more, even though it's a reality few of us can really imagine and it is that which is the genius behind the show. So, onto this season and how the group has evolved. This season picks up 6 months after the end of season 2. In that time the group have moved around and got through winter as best they can. Andrea has been experiencing life away from the group who think she's dead. From the off we can see how the group had evolved in the way they go about the dispatching of walkers. Now they are more of a unit, more disciplined. They opt for the silent kills and make use of ambush techniques. They also know when to make a quick exit. They are a more together group too, no doubt in part due to the absence of Shane. I will actually take a moment to talk about Shane because for the first 2 seasons he was a pretty integral part of the show. Cult fans of the comic book will have known his days were numbered as he dies in issue six! For fans of the show though who aren't familiar with the comic book, his death will have come as a bit of a shock, especially so soon after Dale's death. Although his presence is still being felt in regards to Rick and Lori's marriage, his absence is pretty much unnoticed. That is yet more testament to the fantastic writing as you get the feeling that any character could die and the show could carry on. That feeling that anyone could die has certainly not been eased by the first 4 episodes, especially episode 4 and it's episode 4 that I'm going to talk about now.

T-Dog has been criminally underused throughout The Walking Dead. His imminent death has been the subject of speculation since the 1st season finale as he was essentially a spectator throughout season 2. His self sacrifice to protect Carol was a fitting end for the character although by the end of the episode, his death was quickly forgotten. Another character who's death has been widely expected is Lori. Many people will have cheered in the 2nd episode when it looked like Hershel had turned and attacked her. This cheer will have quickly turned into a groan when it turned out he was just hugging her. For some reason she had been hated by the majority of viewers. Saying that, she redeemed herself when she died in the way she died.

In the comic book, she dies in a shoot out when the prison falls. In the Tv show, she died in childbirth in a harrowing hark back to the Pre-modern era of child birth. Insisting that Maggie perform a caesarean to save her child she gave an emotional speech to her young son Carl. In the end It fell to Carl to shoot his mother in the head before she came back as a Walker, something that will surely affect the character for the remainder of the show. Ricks reaction when he realised what had happened was unbelievably heart wrenching. I've been impressed with Andrew Lincolns portrayal of Rick on numerous occasions throughout the show. His portrayal of a father who had just found out his wife had died then that his son had had to shoot her in the head was absolute brilliance of the highest calibre that should earn him an award or two. Of course, with the events at the Prison, as well as the addition of The Governor, it would be easy to overlook a major cast returnee. Merle was a guest character back in season 1. He ended up handcuffed to the top of a roof, courtesy of Rick, after being racist towards T Dog. When the group went back to rescue him he had gone, leaving behind his severed hand. Despite a brief dream appearance last season he was presumed gone

forever. He is back now though having been taken on by The Governor and his reunion with Daryl (his brother, now Ricks right hand man) is surely only a matter of time. It will be interesting to see where Daryl's allegiances lie then. It will also be interesting to see the confrontation between Rick and Merle. With this first 4 episodes packing so much in, it will be interesting to see where the season goes from here. We have maybe been spoiled somewhat and surely there has to be some respite. That may come from the mid-season hiatus which is a couple of weeks away although I'm sure that we'll be left with the mother of all cliffhangers!

The Inbetweeners U.S.A. - First Look

America has a habit of remaking some of our best shows. Shameless, The Offfice, Red Dwarf and Life on Mars are just some of those shows to experience the conversion treatment. The trouble is that there is a fine art involved in converting something so uniquely British into something the American public can appreciate. Shameless is so successful over here because we can relate to the Chatsworth Estate and lets face it, we all know a Frank Gallacher. Life On Mars triggered a nostalgic urge in us for the classic 70's Police series while Only Fools was just so utterly English. These things don't necessarily translate well to the American viewership which is why Life on Mars was cancelled after just one disastrous season and why Only Fools didn't get past a pilot. Shameless, on the other hand, is due to air it's 3rd season next year and The Office has just begun it's 9th season!

     The latest Brit show to receive an American makeover is The Inbetweeners. The UK version followed 4 friends as they negotiated 6th form life in a comprehensive. The 4 friends were different and each had their own 'thing'. Will was the geek, Jay the compulsive liar, Simon the hopeless romantic and Neil the stupid one. I guess that we could relate to them as they got into all kinds of scrapes and situations. The series is one of my favourite comedies of recent years and so I was slightly apprehensive when the idea was sold to the states. How could this series translate to the American audience without liberties being made with the idea. The answer is that it translates rather well.

The Yellow Car is a
welcome familiarity

     The basic premise is still the same and it does work in an American setting. It's very SuperBad in style and that's not a bad thing. There are one or two niggles I have with the characters though. Simon and Will are far too good looking and Neil is more stoner than lovable idiot. Jay is the best transfer of the 4 without a doubt which I'm pleased about because Jay was my favourite character in the original. Another problem I have is that some of the stories have been copied almost scene for scene. The theme park episode is almost an exact copy as is the one where the group go to a club. Despite these small niggles, the series does work and it has got legs (providing the American public stick with it). Some of the familiar things in the show (such as Simons yellow car) are very welcome. One off the arts required in a successful cross-pond conversion is the ability to strike the right balance. It's important to be familiar as not to take liberties with the original idea while being different. While The Inbetweeners U.S.A. strikes the right balance, just, it will need to up it's game and I believe it can. Whether it's got the ability to match the success seen by The Office remains to be seen. I'll write up a series review at the end of it's run.

Dallas - First Look

In 1991 Dallas came to an end. During it's time it had spawned 14 seasons and a mammoth 357 episodes! For those not in the know, Dallas centred around the Ewing family, in-particularly the warring Ewing brothers J.R. and Bobby. The Ewings were ranchers and oil tycoons and lived in the family home, Southfork Ranch. The show was known for its wealth, intrigue, sex and power struggles and was huge on both sides of the pond. It made a star out of Larry Hagman who played J.R.

The new breed of warring Ewings in
Christopher and John Ross.

     Now, 20 years after it last aired, Dallas is back. The basic premise is the same and the show seems to retain alot of what made it big in its previous incarnation. J.R. is now in his late 70's and brother Bobby is in his early 60's and although they still have huge roles to play it is their respective sons now at war. Christopher Ewing shares his fathers (Bobby) belief that alternative energy is the future. He is also honest and likable, much like his father. John Ross (J.R.'s son) shares his fathers greed and cunning and also his determination. This puts him instantly at odds with Christopher and even his uncle Bobby. In-fact he's even at odds with his own father, J.R. as he attempts to con him in the first episodes.

They may be older but the old
battles are recommencing between
J.R. and Bobby Ewing

     It would've been easy to reboot the show in a similar way to Hawaii Five-0, to have even excluded the original characters. The show hasn't been on screens (bar a couple of tv movies) for 20 years and now there's a whole different tv audience. The makers have decided that there is still room for the likes of J.R, Bobby and Sue Ellen though and (in my opinion) that is a masterstroke. Larry Hagman is 80 and fighting throat cancer so his casting alone is huge! It is a show for a new generation though and the new generation of Ewings show this. It looks like the makers are looking at Dallas as a long term thing rather than a short term revival and that is great.

     Can it stand the pace in this new time though, that is the question. I think it can. In the 1st couple of episodes there were that many double crossings that I began scratching my head on numerous occasions. That is no bad thing though and it kinda lends itself well to the characters. In Christopher and John Ross we have two siblings to rival the greats of Bobby and J.R. In fact John Ross possibly has the ability to become an even bigger villain than his father and that would be some achievement. The show has evolved to the new era whilst still remaining true to it's roots and that is great. Alot of the old characters have already made brief appearances and mention keeps being made of Southforks past and J.R. and Bobbys history. Although the jury is out at the moment as it's still early days regarding this revival, I have reasonably high hopes for Dallas. If it continues along the same lines as it's strong first episodes, the future is pretty bright for Dallas and the Ewings.

Once Upon A Time - Season Review

Over the course of it's first season, I've posted a couple of reviews of Once Upon A Time. For me, it's been a big show and definitely fills the void left by Lost. That's not really any surprise though as two of Losts writers thought up Once Upon A Time before working on Lost. Back then the show was deemed a pretty big risk, that is until the phenomenal success of Lost. After that,  Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz could do pretty much anything. So they pitched the idea for Once Upon A Time and got an immediate air date. In essence the idea for the show is intriguing. Fairy tale characters trapped in our world with no memory of their true selves is a really good concept. I don't know if it could've worked under any other writers though. Those who have seen Lost will know what I mean. The basic premise of that show is that a plane crashes on a mysterious island. That particular show is much much deeper than that though. Whenever people ask me what Lost is about I have real difficulty explaining it and the same can be said about Once Upon A Time. The mysteries of the show are many. That doesn't make the show complicated or confusing. The original premise still stands, just with added extras.

Prince Charming finds that famous Glass Coffin.

     The show begins with Prince Charming galloping across the fairy tale land to save his beloved Snow White who has eaten the enchanted apple. The scene that greets Charming is one we all know. Snow White in her glass coffin surrounded by the seven dwarfs. We then see that kiss that wakens her and the following wedding ceremony. What follows is something we don't know. The evil Queen striding through the crowds, threatening to unleash a curse so that there will be no more happy endings. That curse is a cloud of black smoke that engulfs all of fairytale world, sending them all to this world and a town called Storybrooke. Meanwhile a young lady called Emma Swan is celebrating her 28th birthday alone. That is until she gets a surprise visitor in the form of her son, who she gave away as a baby. We quickly learn that Emma is the child of Snow White and Prince Charming and that they got her into this world before the curse struck making her the only person who can break the curse.

Snow White and the Evil Queen in
the real world.

     This first season mainly dealt with the love story between Snow White and Prince Charming. 'Flashback' sequences showed their fairy tale world back story while their present day story played out. The main thing that this show gave us was the stories we didn't know. How Snow White and Prince Charming got to know each other and why the Evil Queen hated Snow White so much were the two main stories that were explored. Interspersed were the back story of the dwarfs, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, Red Riding Hood and Rumpelstiltskin's back story. These episodes provided a break from the Snow White/Prince Charming/Evil Queen story and were often the better episodes.

And their fairy tale selves

     The influence of Lost is evident with a few tributes to that show being carefully placed. A few of these are....

+ The town clock being stuck at 8:15 is a clear shout out to Lost. The plane that crashed on the island was Oceanic flight 815.

+The mayor of Storybrooke, Regina Mills/Evil Queen lives at number 108 the same number that the famous Lost numbers equal when added together.

+Apollo Candy Bars feature heavily in both shows.

+MacCutcheon Whiskey also features heavily in both shows.

+Jefferson/The Mad Hatter lives at number 316. This is a clear reference to the 6th episode of Season 5 of Lost. In that episode, titled '316', the Losties find their way back to the island. This is a clear nod to Jefferson's quest to get back to his own land.

+Upon arriving in this world Pinocchio is surprised by an Oceanic airlines flight overhead, an obvious nod to the fictional airline featured in Lost.

+The numbers play a big part in both shows.

There are many other references with some of Losts lines being borrowed as well as the odd prop. This may seem like Once Upon A Time is trying to emulate Lost but it isn't. Both are very different shows and in many ways, the creators have learned from their experiences on Lost. While Once Upon A time still has mysteries, these mysteries are often solved pretty quickly.

     I know I've been raving about Once Upon A Time and that is probably because I'm a pretty big fan of the show. It does have it's flaws though, the main one being it's seeming lack of progress during it's middle episodes. Your resilience during this time is paid off though during it's final episodes. The penultimate and finale episodes in particular are standout episodes. .

GOOD POINTS

+ This is definitely a show dominated by strong women which is quite refreshing. Snow White is portrayed as a strong woman able to defend herself while the Evil Queen is scary without being too much of a pantomime villain. In the present day, Emma Swan is a bonds collector and later sheriff of Storybrooke.

+ Child characters can quite easily become irritating but Henry (Emma's biological Son) is actually really good. He is a well rounded character and a vital and welcome part of the show.

+ The fairy tale world is quite simply beautiful. It is a truly magical place and you get the feeling that it is endless. The shows depiction of Wonderland is also fantastic.

Little Red Riding Hood,
only not so little.

+ The show has a good balance of evil and good. There are also characters that can shift either way which keeps us guessing.

+ The evil characters have a good reason to be evil. It would've been too easy to make the characters pantomime villains. Instead the writers have given them pretty valid reasons for why they are like they are. King George wants the gold to keep his kingdom rich, The Evil Queen lost her love via Snow Whites actions and Rumpelstiltskin was tricked into becoming The Dark One.

Belle and her 'Beast', otherwise
known as Rumpelstiltskin!

+ The way they reworked the fairy tales was fascinating. Making Rumpelstiltskin the Beast from Beauty and the Beast was a masterstroke that gave Rumpelstiltskin a bigger back story and more substance. Making Red Riding Hood the Wolf was also a great way of retelling Little Red Riding Hood in a way which actually made it a better story.

BAD POINTS


+ The lack of progress during the middle episodes. This possibly points to the uncertainty over the shows future and can be forgiven due to the terrific finale.

+ The lack of certain characters. I wanted more Pinocchio back story and more Cinderella. I got a little tired of the Snow White back story.

+ Emma Swans refusal to believe in the curse became a little tiresome even when presented with a lot of evidence. True, most of us would have trouble believing we were the child of Snow White and Prince Charming but her constant lack of belief was perhaps hard to believe.

STAR OF THE SHOW

Rumpelstiltskin!!

     This is an easy one. There were many good characters in this 1st season. Emma Swan was great as was Regina Mills/The Evil Queen. Ruby/Red Riding Hood was fantastic in both worlds and her back story bred one of the best episodes of the season. The star of Season 1 has to be Mr Gold/Rumpelstiltskin though. As Mr Gold he was a truly mysterious individual and one whom you could never quite judge. Sometimes he came across as a good guy, other times he showed a cunning and conniving streak. As Rumpelstiltskin he was a massively complex character. Although he was evil (his habit of turning people into snails before stepping on them proves this) he had his reasons for being who he was. He was the Darth Vader of the fairy tale world in that he did have a glimmer of good in him. This was shown during the Beauty and the Beast episode in which he fell in love with Belle. His love for Belle provided one of the most touching scenes in the whole season when (as Mr Gold) he was finally reunited with Belle in the finale.

Mr Gold!!

     If you read Rumpelstiltskin then you can see how much the writters thought of Robert Carlyles portrayal of him. The real story (as told by the Grimms) is quite simple in that he does a deal with a young girl who has been forced to spin gold. He spins it for her in return for her jewellry. The girl and Rumplestiltskin keep doing deals until he proposes that she give him her first born child. She accepts and sure enough she becomes pregnant with a child. Rumplestiltskin comes to collect and offers her a reprieve. If she can guess his name then she can keep her child. She guesses right (after cheating by getting someone to find it out) and Rumplestiltskin runs off defeated. The writers have really expanded on his story in which he deals with many of the other fairy tale characters. As well as being the Beast, he appears in Cinderellas story in which he kills the Fairy God Mother before offering Cinderealla her happy ever after in exchange for her first born. He also shows up countless times in Snow Whites story and actually helps Prince Charming to find Snow White in the lead up to the season opener.

     It is doubtful that any other actor could've played Rumpelstiltskin as well as Robert Carlyle. It is without a doubt Carlyle's finest hour and he revels in it. As Rumple he is such a good character and his laugh is so funny. It is as Mr Gold that Carlyle really stretches his acting muscles though. Mr Gold is so cunning and has so much mystery about him. He is perhaps one of the most layered characters in the show.

7.5/10