I finished Once Upon A Time Monday afternoon
(18th June 2018) and totally lost it, I was an absolute mess!!! Not just because of the plot of the final episode - although that in itself was enough to have me bawling my eyes out - but because it was just that, the final episode!
It's a very rare thing to find a series that touches you so deeply, so wonderfully, so eternally. Every single character was so divinely and uniquely portrayed, and the intertwining of their stories was never predictable or boring - they always kept me guessing! And where so many series’ have failed over the years, Once succeeded profusely to capture my heart for the long haul; I was never bored, never uninterested, never wishing they’d “get to the point already”, I was just totally and utterly enthralled throughout its entirety.
For those of you who haven't seen it (and I can't stress highly enough how much you should!!), Once Upon A Time is, in a nutshell, a crossover series of fairytale characters living in modern times, living in our world. Each series flows seamlessly into the next, but with its own stories and uniqueness each time as well, keeping the show fast-paced and magical.
My love for Once Upon A Time started way back on Sunday 8th April 2012 at 8pm on Channel 5 (UK), which still only feels like yesterday and yes, I still remember the date and time! Granted, this was the second episode (the first I would very soon catch up with) but my Mum had watched the first episode the previous week and told me I would love this series… I really don't think she ever imagined how true that would be!
Season 1 came and went and I was already in love. It was so difficult waiting for season 2 but, when April 2013 came around, I was ready - ready to meet the love of my (fairytale) life. Now, I already adored all of the characters in their own ways; the heart-torn David, the strong yet vulnerable Emma, the headstrong and unbreaking Henry, the cunning yet secretly lovable Mr Gold, even the manipulative but damaged Regina had something about her I couldn't help but admire, but none of these characters, or any of the others throughout the entire seven series’, could hold a candle to my Captain. I would continue to meet many other characters over the years - Neal, Zelena, Alice, and many, many more - every single one of whom I loved (yes, even the evil ones) but none of whom could ever compete with Killian Jones - although Robin came pretty damn close!! I was totally “Hooked”, and have been ever since season 2, episode 4…
After season 2 had ended, I was even more excited than ever to see what my next adventure with my favourite characters would be…… and then it got axed. It'd gotten to April 2014 and it had felt like I'd been waiting weeks longer than usual, then I found out Channel 5 had given up the airing rights - I was literally heartbroken.
After a few months of waiting, I tried to find season 3 on UK DVD but it was like looking for your family when you don't remember who they are - weirdly enough. So I ended up giving up and resigning myself to the fact that I'd never know the rest of the story. I tried so hard to put it out of my mind and, to some extent, I did but every now and then I would revisit the first two seasons just for comfort - because apparently selling DVDs for the first two seasons was ok, just not the third…
But on 14th March 2015, all my Christmases and Birthdays came at Once - pun intended! Both season 3 and season 4, along with seasons 1 and 2, were added to UK Netflix and I was absolutely over the moon!! I had been waiting two years by this point, two very long years, but my favourite show was back within my reach. The major downside, however, was that seasons 3 and 4 had been added in their entirety; the good thing about the first two seasons was that I had no choice but to watch one episode a week and so, by the time the 22-episode season had ended, I didn't have long to wait until the next one.
Then Netflix happened.
Then binge-watching happened.
I was so elated at the return of my favourite characters that I probably watched the whole of seasons 3 and 4 in about two weeks, forgetting that I'd then have to wait ages for season 5, and wait I did...
And wait…
And wait…
And wait some more…
But I didn't care because this time was different, this time I knew they'd be back eventually! Netflix did me a massive favour after that though by only uploading one episode a week of seasons 5, 6, and 7, which was actually really nice, it gave me something to look forward to every Tuesday/Wednesday evening.
While 95% of Oncers were mortified at the rebooting of season 7 (or so it seemed on Twitter), I was actually really excited! Though, at the time, I was a little confused as to why they needed a new actor to play Henry? I mean Jared was already older, and most people can be aged further with the right makeup - it works both ways! Anyway, it only took two episodes, three tops, for me to fall in love with Andrew's portrayal of adult Henry so it was all good. I absolutely adored the linkage between the first episode of seasons 1 and 7 as well, paying homage to Once's beginnings as it approached its end. Plus it helped that Henry's daughter is called Lucy… I may have squealed... a lot...
Season 7 took me a little while longer than normal to get into if I'm being honest, partly because it was a totally new story; I think the issue was, being a predominantly new cast, it took more concentration than normal to work out who people were. The trouble was, I was totally in the thick of Uni work by this point so didn't have the time to commit - as much as I was desperate to! So season 7 was slow going to start with. This wasn't such a bad thing in the end though because, once my Uni work was finally complete (two weeks ago), I had plenty of episodes still left to watch - a final farewell binge-fest!!
It's a strange feeling, coming to the end of a series that you've pretty much grown up with; I was 17 when Once Upon A Time first aired, and I'm now 24 (ok, so “grown up with” may not have been quite the right phrasing but you get the idea…) and wondering where the past six years have gone?! Once has become an inherent part of my life and I'm going to miss it terribly!! Yes, I can watch it from the beginning, yes, I'll always love the characters, but there's something magical - literally - about the delightful unknown of watching new episodes for the first time; watching from the start will be a whole new experience I think? Reminiscent rather than anticipatory...
I've laughed, I've been endlessly shocked, I've cried… a lot… (even though 99% of the time there was a spell, or a curse, or some other magical way to bring people back to life… Heck, if all else fails, let's just go to the freakin’ Underworld ourselves!) but, most importantly, I've loved.
I've loved the stories, I've loved the characters and their development over the years, I've loved the interconnectivity of every character to one another (even though the family tree alone needs a 200-page thesis to understand it now! Hmm... project...), I've loved the important life lessons incorporated into the series, and truthfully and simply - I've loved just how much I have and will always adore this series!! Once will always hold a special place in my heart, and will remain a lifelong favourite…
So whilst everyone else has said their final goodbyes, I refuse to do the same because I know that, no matter what happens, no matter where the wonderful cast of Once Upon A Time find themselves next, and no matter how many years may pass, Storybrooke will always be home - for each and every one of us...
“Your happy ending may not be what you expect.
That is what will make it so special…”
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