In the town of Storybrooke, Maine, the residents are former fairy tale characters. The Evil Queen (Lana Parrilla) had cast a spell at the wedding of Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Prince Charming (Josh Dallas) leaving everyone with no memories of their origins. Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison) is an exceptional bounty hunter in the city. A boy named Henry knocks on her door claiming to be her son and she's the only one who could save his town. Other characters include Rumplestiltskin (Robert Carlyle), Belle (Emilie de Ravin), and Captain Hook (Colin O'Donoghue).
The first season is great television. Almost every episode introduces new characters. They have their fairy tale identities revealed with intriguing interconnections between the characters. I would give the first season a solid eight but once the curse is lifted, the show gets more and more muddled. The character reveals slow down. Often, it's a chore to find new villains and new adventures. Essentially, there is stagnation built into the show which it keeps trying to alleviate by adding new characters. It's a long slow decline until the seventh and final season. That's when the show loses most of its main cast and a new cast joins the few remaining leads. The show becomes almost unwatchable by then with no rooting interest.
The first season is great television. Almost every episode introduces new characters. They have their fairy tale identities revealed with intriguing interconnections between the characters. I would give the first season a solid eight but once the curse is lifted, the show gets more and more muddled. The character reveals slow down. Often, it's a chore to find new villains and new adventures. Essentially, there is stagnation built into the show which it keeps trying to alleviate by adding new characters. It's a long slow decline until the seventh and final season. That's when the show loses most of its main cast and a new cast joins the few remaining leads. The show becomes almost unwatchable by then with no rooting interest.