“Jake’s Take” pays homage to ABC’s “Once Upon A Time” (Photo property of ABC)
By: Jacob Elyachar, jakes-take.com
Seven years ago, I graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a degree in Broadcast Journalism. When I returned home to Overland Park, Kansas to begin a new life and my job search, there was one television show that I started to watch that made me laugh, cry, and cheer. That show was Once Upon A Time.
For six seasons, I devotedly turned to KMBC-TV on Sundays to watch the show where fairy tale and literary characters such as Snow White, Prince Charming, the Evil Queen, and Rumpelstiltskin, crossed over into the real world. The first actor that made an impression on me was Lana Parrilla, who portrayed the Evil Queen and her real-world counterpart Regina Mills. She had me at “Sorry, I’m late.” As she sashayed into the Charmings’ wedding and vowed to destroy their Happy Ending, I instantly became a fan.
Throughout the first season as I watched as Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison), the daughter of Snow and Charming, piece together her purpose in Storybrooke and developed a strong bond with her son, Henry (Jared S. Gilmore). She also helped the town’s residents deal with Regina and Rumpelstiltskin’s real-world alter-ego, Mr. Gold (Robert Carlyle)’s wily manipulations. Near the end of the season, Regina used her last bit of magic to put Emma under a sleeping curse by using an apple turnover.
However, Henry ate the apple turnover, and it forced Emma Swan to believe in her son finally. She begrudgingly teamed up with Regina and Gold to try to find a way to awaken Henry. Emma was able to use True Love’s Kiss to rouse her son and broke the first iteration of the Dark Curse.
By the end of “A Land Without Magic,” I became addicted to Once Upon A Time. I eagerly anticipated season after season and was blown away by the show’s impeccable writing team lead by show creators Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis. The writing team empowered its female characters such as Emma, Snow, Red Riding Hood, Belle, Ariel, Cinderella (Jacinda), Lucy, and Tiana powerful role models for fans.
Also, the show did an impeccable job making their villains sympathetic. Who would have thought that at one point or another that I would sympathize with the Evil Queen, Maleficent, Ursula, Jafar, Hades, and the Wicked Witch of the West?
I truly admired meeting “Once Upon A Time’s” Raphael Sbarge (Archie) at the 2015 Planet Comicon. (Photo property of Jacob Elyachar)
The most meaningful moments throughout my time as a Once Upon A Time fan was meeting some of the show’s cast members including Giancarlo Esposito (Sidney Glass/Magic Mirror), Sean Maguire (Robin Hood), and Raphael Sbarge (Archie/Jiminy Cricket) at conventions. I had significant interactions with all three actors, and they shared incredible stories from the set and also talked about how amazing was working with the Once Upon A Time acting ensemble. I also received similar stories from my fellow Oncers who had similar experiences with the actors.
On behalf of a grateful fan base, thank you to the talented cast, crew, and writers for an impeccable seven years. Thank you for teaching us about the power of the truest believer, that all magic comes with a price and the power of a happy ending.
Once Upon A Time will air its final three episodes. Starting with “Is That Henry Mills?” on May 4. The last two episodes, “Homecoming” and “Leaving Storybrooke,” will air respectfully on May 11 and May 18 on ABC.
