And the verdict is in:
NBC's "Grimm" missed the mark while ABC soared ahead with the new series from the writers of Lost, "Once Upon A Time". "Grimm" had problems right from the beginning. In television there is such a thing as knowing too much. The first episode left little mystery in the identity of the killer as early on his face was revealed. As a viewer you just had to sit back and wait for the main character, Detective Nick Burkhardt (David Giuntoli), to catch up. As far as main characters go he is not the best. This is no fault of the actor, but more a problem with the script he was given. Nick has just learned of his status as a Grimm descendant so now he's seeing supernatural beings everywhere. Problem? He knows nothing about that world so he has to study up. All the normal monsters have weird names, like blutbad - which is the name for a werewolf. Now I did not read very many of the Grimm fairy tales, but I do not remember coming across any weird names like blutbad or hexenbiest, though the second sounds more reasonable. The odd names just add to the confusion which, when your main character is confused about everything under the son, does not help to keep viewers invested. Now with the story being laid out in front of you in mot episodes, waiting for Nick to catch up is less like watching a chase and more like watching a mouse make his way through a maze in search of cheese. The thrill is just lost when the mystery is gone. The show is missing that "CSI" vibe - the intrigue of finding the killer with the most minimal evidence to work with. In these stories the evidence is right there in your face and it takes him an hour long program to get the bad guy? Not really my cup of tea.
Strangely the one thing I like about the show is a particular character: Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell). He is a reformed blutbad and serves as Nick's link to the world of supernaturals. Monroe as informant works because otherwise Nick is lost. However, Monroe does not get enough screen time to warrant watching the show. He's only around when Nick needs him, and so far it has been in very little doses.
Now let's talk about the HIT! "Once Upon A Time" is shaping up to be everything I hoped it would be. Some mystery over who knows what, some drama, some fairytale stories thrown on their heads, it's a wonderful tale. The best thing about the fairytale world for this viewer is the way you can recognize a story for what it is - like Cinderella or Snow White - but it's not the traditional story. Each one has its own twist. For instance, Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) becomes a thief? Well to live her life out in the forest after the hunter spares her it seems that is one way she knows how to survive. She takes on a bit of a Robin Hood quality and is not the prim and kempt Snow White from the magical world of Disney. The show has a good variety of characters that one can get invested in, not to mention a story that keeps moving. By this I mean that there is the big picture story = Get back to fairytale land; the mini-every-episode stories = which fairytale character will be highlighted in this week's episode; and the real life story = a battle between Emma (Jennifer Morrison) and the Mayor of Storybrooke Regina Mills (Lana Parrilla) over their (Emma's biological and Regina's adopted) son, Henry (Jared S. Gilmore). There is enough to make everything mysterious and intriguing but not so much that viewers just get lost.
My personal favorite thing about the show, however, happens to be a who and not a what: Rumpelstiltskin (Robert Carlyle). Carlyle plays a fabulous part, transitioning between the upstanding owner of Storybrooke Mr. Gold, and the wonderfully devious and revolting Rumpelstiltskin. The make-up work on his character alone should win the show an Emmy. His portrayal of the slimy magically proficient madman is incredible and exactly what you would expect from such a character. I cannot express in words how interested I am in his character. More so Rumpelstiltskin than Mr. Gold, however there is one thing that I will never be able to shake with Mr. Gold that keeps him near the top of my favorite real-world characters: Whether or not he knows what is going on. To me it seems as if he knows more than he lets on. I feel that he knows about the curse - to some extent, at least - and he's just playing his cards right to figure out how he wants things to play out. The beginning credits suggest that Regina/The Evil Queen is the only one who knows about the curse, but little things seem to say Mr. Gold knows as well. And why shouldn't he? He was the most powerful person in the magical fairytale world. His magic can't be all gone. I wait in extreme suspense to see how the rest of this season will pan out - though SPOILER ALERT I will not be happy if they kill off the eye candy that is Sheriff Graham (Jamie Dornan) next week.
Stay tuned for more of what I've been doing instead!!
Hallelujah by Leonard Cohen. =P Because I don't have an uplifting range like this Rufus guy does.
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