“Once Upon a Time in Wonderland,” the spin-off of the hit show “Once Upon a Time,” premiered on ABC on Thursday, October 10. This spin-off has the same structure as the original show, as it takes place in both the fairytale world and the real world. This new show will follow Alice (Sophie Lowe) on her many adventures to and from Wonderland.
Alice was put into an insane asylum because her father did not believe her when she told him about the magical world where she had been. The doctors running the asylum are very creepy, and the mental institution is dark and spooky because there are jail cells instead of rooms. The doctors tell Alice she will have a procedure to forget about her adventures in Wonderland. The tools the doctors get ready to use on her look violent and look like they could probably kill her.
The viewers were introduced to various characters such as the White Rabbit, (Voiced by John Lithgow) who always says “we’re late,” and the Knave of Hearts (Michael Socha), who Alice helped to get his heart back. The fairytale fans also met Cyrus, Alice’s soul mate. Cyrus actually proposed to Alice in the premiere, but, unfortunately, the Red Queen blew him off a cliff with her magical powers and he was lost in the Boiling Sea. This situation with Cyrus broke down Alice and landed her in the asylum in the first place because everyone in England thought she was insane when she said she visited this world full of magic. The first scene of the show was confusing because it looked as if it took place in the 1800s or early 1900s, but when the Knave came upon the screen he was in present time.
After hearing from the Rabbit that Cyrus was still alive, the White Rabbit and Knave of Hearts broke Alice out of the institution so they could help her find Cyrus. Little did viewers know, the Rabbit was feeding information to the Red Queen about where Alice is and where she is going. How could this cute little White Rabbit be not-so-trusting? Contrary to Alice’s last visit to Wonderland, not all the animals are nice, especially the Cheshire Cat, who tries to kill Alice.
The Wonderland theme comes from Lewis Carroll’s novel, “Alice in Wonderland,” and “Wonderland” is also the story baseline of the show. Furthermore, the story writers incorporate other familiar Disney characters, such as Jafar (Naveen Andrews) from Aladdin and a genie in the bottle. The plot in the pilot episode, “Down the Rabbit Hole,” is overstuffed with a lot of information, but the CGI effects are amazing because Wonderland looks so real. “Once Upon a Time in Wonderland” seems very promising to viewers who enjoy fairy tales and the mother show “Once Upon a Time.” “Once Upon a Time in Wonderland” airs on Thursday nights at 8 pm on ABC.
