When Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis conceived the TV series entitled “Once Upon A Time,” it was rejected by the networks as “too fantastic.”
Their 2004 idea, which despite criticisms would eventually become reality on ABC in 2011, was to interrupt the stories long ago told of many fictional fairy tale characters – among them Snow White and Prince Charming – and fast-forward them into the future wherein, cursed, they cannot remember how their original story ends.
They don’t know what part to play, what their role is supposed to be, nor how to conduct themselves in this most unfamiliar territory.
Prince Charming for example, being a fairytale stock character, doesn’t know if he is supposed to fall in love with Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Rapunzel, or Cinderella.
Snow White, for her part, not knowing which version of her story is the current edition, decides to ad-lib and when she wakes up and sees what’s-his-name she says, ‘It’s about time! What took you so long?’
The Charming fellow smiles at her rather rude remark, decides he likes her hurricane-in-a-teacup, tempest-in-a-teapot attitude, and proposes on the spot.
And the two, like the two red tulips perfectly paired among our flowers, marry but live not always happily ever after because, after all, attitudes can be abrasive, and arguments do indeed occur, all needing attention lest the garden they create together become choked with weeds.
This far more true-to-life scenario of life and love – than the romanticized, fictionalized versions – was in fact the goal of this TV series. “How do we make these icons real, make them relatable,” said Executive producer Horowitz.
That’s life is it not?
Real life is fraught with evil designs on our future; fair and beautiful maidens become, well, older; and once-prince-like suitors stray, so what then?
Consider this. As with the editors of “Once Upon a Time” who rewrote the scripts of unbelievable characters so as to make them more reasonably identifiable with our own experience, so very possibly your script and mine are at this very moment being edited for purposes yet to be realized.
