As you already know, Once upon a Time is a widely appreciated TV show which started in 2011. The overall plot inspired by faerie tale stories is one of the show’s qualities . However, you may now roll your eyes and think “Ew, another remake of some classical story.” But here is the thing: it’s not. It’s a bit more than that: it’s catchy, intriguing, and magical. And the good thing is you can see it online for free. There are also some good reasons to watch the show and we here offer you a short and convincing list of them.

1. The intersection of a magical world with a real world

You have one world, set in the Disney-like scenes of fairy tale characters like Snow White, Prince Charming , the Evil Queen,  Tinkerbelle, Rumplestiltskin, Jiminy Cricket. The other world is set in the modern-day Storybook, Maine and the characters are caught somewhere between those two worlds. From this point of view, the alternation has, intentionally or not, a very interesting effect on its audience, reminding viewers how craving for fantastic stories is somehow part of the everyday ordinary living. The real world takes place as an unwanted effect of the curse Evil Queen brings upon characters from the magic world. This intersection of two worlds is present in some micro-events not currently exposed in classical Disney plots: how the magic couple met, their everyday interactions, and almost human struggles.

2. The very good acting of Ginnifer Goodwin and Jennifer Morrison

Not only they are extremely beautiful actresses, but they offer incredibly convincing portraits of Snow White and Emma Swan. The very interesting thing here is that even though they represent good characters, their acting makes them look like vulnerable heroines. At the end of an episode, the characters might not look so good after all, as the weaknesses and little everyday failures show off.

3. Narrative plots common with other bedtime stories

The fascinating thing here is that you have two different TV shows with different stories which, at some point, they intersect.  You also have common references with Lost and Frozen.  The entire  Once upon a Time  TV show functions with these small intersections that draw a lot of bedtime stories memories.  And in some way, having all those Disney characters mixed up in a single narrative reminds you of how your childhood was built using all of those magic heroes, heroines, and villains.

4. Classic story with a bit of added creativity

There are some familiar traits taken from those classical fairy tale stories like Snow White, Alice in Wonderland etc, but at the same time you have some new plot twisting stories, like the presence of Emma, the baby girl of Snow White and Prince Charming. Which is obviously a new thing in a TV production of bedtime stories. But here is the catch: the TV show rating would probably never be as it is without one of these two, the classical plot combined with new modern characters and themes. This is mostly because it shows the very mixed nature of our own definitions of reality: we refuse magic without a bit of relevant references from our everyday life and we refuse our ordinary days without some fantastic stories we know from childhood, a sort of risky safety.

5. Pleasing visuals of medieval times

Once upon a Time offers a very good image and very inspired filming angles. Moreover, the costumes and the overall decor are impressing. There are many mixed items here as well, like small cottages,  medieval castles, peasant outfits, princess dresses, fighting knight outfits, and some reminiscent marks of 1700-1800’s French fashion. Some delicious anachronism with the whole aim of building a story with mixed visual (and disturbingly creative) patterns and cross-references.