Fairy Tales on TV, Part II

So, now that I've seen both Grimm and Once Upon a Time . . . well, where shall I start?

I guess I'll start with Grimm, since that was the one I was really waiting for, and subsequently was the one I watched first.

I wanted to like it, wanted to be excited by it. It was the one I waited months for. I can't predict how its run is going to go, not until I watch a few more episodes I think -- there is such potential there, but at the same time, it feels like Just Another Urban Fantasy to me. I liked Aunt Marie, the predecessor Grimm to the main character. Bald, dying, visiting her last living relative to inform him of his legacy. I liked how she went down fighting, and that she was bald, that despite her prognosis, she was still going to do what was necessary.

As for our boy, the new Grimm, I'm not sure how I feel about him. On a certain level, I wondered if he accepted everything too quickly; perhaps a little more time should have been spent with him worrying if he was going daft, seeing things? There wasn't a sense of relief when his aunt appeared with the answers, just an acceptance. Oh, okay, that explains everything. Or maybe I'm just an angsty, dramatic person in general and expect that sort of angsting.

Liked the reformed Blutbad, or however it's spelled. He's a lively fella.

Now -- the very end of the ep -- no spoiler space, here, the episode's been out for a week or so -- we get to see an attempt on his aunt by that pretty blond Hexenwitch our boy saw at the very beginning. She fails, but she flees and makes her report to -- wait a minute, isn't that the police captain? So, I did what I always do when I have a question about a TV show or a movie -- I go to imdb.com and look it up.

To my surprise, I discovered that the captain's name was Renard.

That's what's going to keep my interest in Grimm, I think -- for a little while longer at least.

Because I wanna know why he doesn't see a "true face" for the captain. The implication is interesting.

And as for Once Upon a Time --

wow.

The production values are amazing, especially for a tv show, in my not-so-educated opinion. And the cast -- there were a lot of familiar faces, not just Jennifer Morrison from House, but also Ginnifer Goodwin; Robert Carlyle who played Dr. Rush in SGU; Lee Arendale who's been in a lot of stuff . . . . There's something that's very mythic about OUAT. And in my previous post, I mentioned how, upon seeing the trailer, I wasn't sure about Jennifer Morrison as the lead? I'm an idiot. I take it back. She's awesome in this. In fact, I think that the casting for this show is pretty damn tight. And something else about the casting: I like how none of their actors are over-the-top gorgeous or too pretty for real life. There's something very real about them, and I think it helps ground that mythic quality of the show. You know how sometimes you'll watch a show, and, for example, all the girls seem to be of a type? You know, as if the casting director had a type? Not here. It's a fantabulous world, peopled with interesting people, and I can't wait to watch the next episode (when I have time . . . yeah).

I especially like the reversal of Snow White and Prince Charming.

So, I'll definitely continue to watch both these shows, though to the producers of Grimm -- you've got an awesome premise -- please, oh please deliver!