What “Dirty Little Secrets” Were Revealed In This Week’s Wonderland?

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  14 March  2014.


Ah Wonderers, I am so glad to be among you! Thank you to Emmy Rivera for filling in for me while I was sick last week. And what an episode last week! Will’s now the Red Queen’s genie, Lizard’s dead (apparently), Cyrus and Alice are finally engaged and Jafar has maybe gotten more than he bargained for with the Jabberwocky. Let’s learn what “Dirty Little Secrets” everyone is hiding.

What you need to know:

Long ago in Agrabah: Cyrus cheats at a card game and his opponents get their revenge by setting his house on fire while his mother is inside. To save their badly burned mama, Cyrus convinces his two brothers to go with him to the Well of Wonders. They fill their canteens with water but are grabbed by an Inferi before they leave. Ok, it’s actually the Guardian of the Well but whatever. She tells them that their mother is already destined to die so the water won’t help. Cyrus, perhaps motivated mostly by guilt, convinces his brothers to take the water despite the “price” they may have to pay. They’re able to revive their mother, who turns out to be Amara, Jafar’s future mentor/lover/snake staff! She hardly has time to admire her satiny skin before the Guardian arrives, transforms her boys into genies and shoots their bottles off we know not where.

Well well: Distraught that Jafar has his brothers (and that he didn’t realize it before now) Cyrus decides he must go the Well of Wonders to break their genie curse. Then Jafar’s nefarious plan will fail anyway. As luck would have it, Wonderland has a Well of its own so Cyrus and Alice go well wishing. To get there they have to choose between two red doors in the forest, both guarded by a single, riddle-loving knight. Though she initially tries to annoy him into helping, Alice eventually deduces that the knight is a liar. By asking him if one door leads to the Well she’s able to find the right path, which Cyrus decides to take alone. He meets the Guardian of the Well once more and begs for his brothers’ release but this is only possible if the water they stole is returned. Cyrus is all confused because surely his mother is dead by now but nope! She’s alive somewhere and now he’s got to find her.

Why You Should Catch up on Once Upon a Time in Wonderland

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  1 February  2014.

It has been a bumpy trip down the rabbit hole for Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. The spinoff to Once Upon a Time has received mixed reviews from critics and viewers and the ratings have been slowly declining. But that’s no reason count the fantasy/romance/adventure series out. After all, Veronica Mars only pulled 2.5 million viewers its first season and it has a highly anticipated feature film coming out next month.

The basic premise of the ABC show is this: Alice travels back to Wonderland to search for her lost love, genie Cyrus. The Knave of Hearts and the White Rabbit help her against the land’s many creatures and villains, including Jafar and the Red Queen. Just like on Once proper, we get flashbacks and bits of backstory as we progress as well as ties to classic fairytales and the writings of Lewis Carroll. Seems interesting enough right?

Whether you are already a Oncer, a Wonderer, or are uninitiated in either world, Wonderland is worth your time. Here are five reasons why:

1. It Gets Better

This is important to clarify right off the bat. I know some of you watched the pilot episode and were underwhelmed at best. It’s true that Wonderland’s first outing does not grab you the way its parent show did. At first glance Wonderland is clunky and exasperating but let’s recall that many of us initially felt this way about little shows like The Office. Keep with Wonderland through the slow moments and you’ll be rewarded with stellar episodes like “Forget Me Not” (Ep. 3) and “Bad Blood” (Ep. 7).

2. The Knave of Hearts

Arguably the most entertaining character on the show, the Knave aka Will provides most of Wonderland’s humor and action. As Alice’s partner and guide in searching for Cyrus, he routinely saves the day and the episode with his cleverness and charm. Michael Socha, with his delightfully thick accent, plays Will as a fighter, lover, smartass and all around adorable rogue. As we slowly learn Will’s backstory, I found I only loved him and his puppy dog eyes even more.

3. The Red Queen

It would have been easy for Wonderland’s creative team to just make their own Evil Queen aka Regina. Instead they opted for a character who you think is a mindless pawn but slowly unfolds to reveal an emotional depth and intelligence that downright surprised me. Thanks in large part to Emma Rigby’s controlled, simmering performance, by the midseason finale it was the Red Queen’s story I most looked forward to (sorry Alice).

4. The Laughs

I love a show that makes me laugh even if it’s unintentional. Sure there are funny moments when Will cracks a joke or the Red Queen delivers a snappy insult. But there are also moments like Jafar (Naveen Andrews) surfing away on his magic carpet like he’s catching a gnarly wave. Whether I am supposed to be as amused by this show as I am, I’m not sure. I do know that I thoroughly enjoy snickering and giggling through each episode and that’s enough for me.

5. The Excellent Midseason Finale

If you’re going to convince skeptics to stick with your show when it returns three months later you need a fantastic midseason finale. Wonderland delivers in spades, tying up some loose ends and providing us with the hint of fantastical new adventures ahead. For a show that often felt artificial in its sentimentality and poignancy, I was unexpectedly moved during the finale. I credit this mostly to a knockout performance by Emma Rigby (see above). While you could watch “Home” without seeing any other episodes and you would probably get along just fine, you’d be missing out on the true emotional punch it delivers.

So do yourself a favor and binge watch all eight of Wonderland’s episodes before the show returns on March 6th. Then tune in here for weekly recaps by yours truly.

Let’s Go “Home” This Week On Once Upon A Time In Wonderland

Originally published on PopWrapped.  13 December 2013.

We’ve reached the end Wonderers, at least for 2013. In Once Upon a Time in Wonderland’s winter finale, Cyrus and Alice’s quest for one another also, mercifully, concludes. Plus, we’re reminded yet again that Will and the Red Queen are more compelling as characters and as a pair than the doe-eyed lovers. But more on that later because right now it’s time to go “Home”… 

As we like to do, we begin with a flashback. Alice and Cyrus watch falling stars and do a little cute flirting. I admit, as much as this romance irritates me, they do have some sweet chemistry together. Alice harshes on their make-out session by asking Cyrus about the compass he always has with him. Like Jack Sparrow’s it doesn’t point North, or in any direction really, except toward something you’re trying to find. Cyrus’ mother gave it to him long ago and far away when he was a human. So the compass is basically his blankie.

Before the pair can return to snogging, a group of marauders attack to capture Cyrus. Alice proves to be much more than a pretty girl in the frilly dress (again) by whipping out a sword and kicking some butt. And for her trouble she gets a nice stomach wound and collapses into her beloved’s arms. Credits.

In the present, Alice and Will are en route to the place she knows Cyrus must be heading. That might be a bit difficult for him considering he’s just stepped into a snare. Tweedle hears Cyrus’ attempts to free himself through the grapevine (literally) in the Queen’s garden and also spots his brother having a secret rendezvous with Jafar. When Tweedle reports the genie’s capture and his brother’s betrayal to the Queen, she is ecstatic and pissed all at once. Cyrus’ bottle is missing. Commercial.

Stomping their way towards the Outlands in the hope of meeting Cyrus there, Alice and Will first need to make a pit stop at the White Rabbit’s house. They’ll need him to dig them a tunnel somewhere safe to escape from the Queen and Jafar once they’ve gotten Alice’s lover with them.

Watch Out Pongo! Lost Star Finds Her Way To Storybrooke As Cruella De Vil

Originally published on PopWrapped.  5 December 2013.

Look out Oncers! There’s a new big bad in Storybrooke. Lost alum Rebecca Mader has been cast as a major villain for the second half of Once Upon a Time’s third season.

Best remembered for her role as Charlotte on Lost, which was also written by Once series creators Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis, Mader is set for multiple episodes on the fairytale show. There’s no word yet on just which mythical or Disney villain she’ll be playing or her ties to the Storybrooke regulars. However, we do know that our first glimpse of Mader’s character will be in the promo immediately following Once’s December 15 mid-season finale.

The series’ writers may be playing coy with Mader’s role but Hollywood Life (along with plenty of fans) speculates that she could be the puppy-snatching witch, Cruella De Vil. This would send everyone in Storybrooke, especially Archie’s precious Pongo, into a frenzy. Lest we forget, “If she doesn’t scare you, no evil thing will…”

This Week’s Once Upon A Time In Wonderland Wonders “Who’s Alice”

Originally published on PopWrapped.  22 November 2013.

Previously on Wonderland, Alice was fooled, if only a little bit, by the Red Queen who proved she still has a heart and it still beats, however faintly, for our beloved Knave of Hearts. Also Cyrus escaped and Jafar coerced the Rabbit into digging to London. But most importantly, Will was revived from his stony sleep. Hooray! 

Tonight opens on an Englishman painting in the countryside. He’s suddenly showered with dirt when Jafar and the White Rabbit burst from a hole in the ground. Quite the entrance, I must say. The Englishman, to his credit, is unfazed but curious as to whom the sorcerer and the animated rabbit are. He gives them directions to the Asylum and in return, Jafar takes his suit.

In the Asylum we get the return of Bald Doctor! He’s taking some laudanum when a dapper Jafar, posing as a doctor himself, pops in to have a chat about a certain blond hair, blue-eyed patient. Bald Doctor tries to play dumb but Jafar knows all about him seeing the Rabbit. A quick glimpse of the bunny makes the doc ready to spill all he knows about Alice.

Queenie pays a visit to Cyrus’ empty cage. She’s curious about the genie having fled and Jafar being missing as well. Luckily, or not, the Old Man is still present in his cage to explain that Jafar is gone and Cyrus is on the run. Queenie will never catch him though because the genie has the most powerful magic of all: True Love. Only 5 minutes in and already this show is covered in sap.

This Weeks Once Upon A Time In Wonderland Has A “Heart Of Stone”

Originally published on PopWrapped.  15 November 2013.

Previously on Wonderland the best character on the show was turned to stone and Alice made absolutely no progress toward finding her true love. Also the Red Queen did a terrible job hiding her secret past with Will but a good job being divided between evil ex and regretful ex. So this week we see which one Queenie decides to be, Cyrus takes escaping Jafar into his own hands and we get more delicious details about Will and Anastasia.

Flashback to right when Will and Anastasia are getting ready to leap into Wonderland. Her mom bursts in to ruin everything with her disappointed face and verbal abuse. In addition to calling Will a loser, she also labels her own daughter as a failure. She’d had high hopes for Anastasia to be a princess but would have settled for the girl marrying a nobleman. Guess a prince of thieves isn’t good enough. Will promises that he’ll build a life for them in Wonderland and that he’ll always love her. It’s enough for Anastasia and the pair jump.

Present day Wonderland. Alice covers Stone Will with a shawl in case of rain or snow or bird poop. She is feeling guilty for tricking Jafar with her wish thus causing Will’s current state. Still, she clings to the hope that if she can find Cyrus he can help. Queenie can help her there! She’s willing to make a deal with Alice: she’ll trade info about Cyrus’ whereabouts for some hard to find magic dust. Alice stubbornly refuses this offer until she realizes the Queen is right; she has no other options.

In Cyrus’ Pit of Despair, his companion prisoner has been brought back from his day of slave labor. Cyrus promises to free them both today.

Meet “The Serpent” On This Week’s Once Upon A Time In Wonderland

Originally published on PopWrapped.  8 November 2013.

After a weeklong break we’re finally back to the topsy-turvy world of Wonderland. Alice still searches for her beloved Cyrus but her Knavish friend is looking for a long-lost love as well: The Red Queen aka Anastasia. When their paths finally cross, you better believe heads will roll. Except not really because even though the villains effectively capture their prey, they do almost nothing to them and even freely let them go. We do lose a beloved character though and get some juicy scenes between my new Wonderland OTP: Will and the Red Queen. Also, we learn via icky hookups and daddy issues that Wonderland’s writers have been watching way too much Game of Thrones. So without much further ado, “The Serpent.”

We begin many years ago in Agrabah. A blacksmith beats and yells at his slave boy for taking too long with some coal. The boy cowers and as much as I want this to be little Aladdin, it’s pretty clear right away that this is young Jafar. He’s also pretty ballsy because when everyone else in the market turns away from a beautiful sorceress who wanders through, Jafar stares straight at her. He follows her later to her door where he begs her to teach him dark magic. He wants people to fear him like they do her and he wants revenge on the Sultan. Jafar is supposedly the Sultan’s son but was cast out for being a bastard and now he wants some payback. Whoa this got Game of Thrones-y real quick. Credits.

In the Red Queen’s palace, Jafar materializes with some new perfectly coiffed hair. He’s perturbed that she didn’t tell him about the Knave but she brushes it off. The Knave coming with Alice wasn’t intentional but he was helpful in getting the girl to Wonderland. Now that he’s served his purpose though, Jafar is ready to eliminate him. Judging by the look on her face, the Red Queen might have some issues with that.

Hey speaking of issues, Will and Alice are arguing again, now about the Red Queen and the White Rabbit. Will wants to fool the Rabbit into telling them everything but Alice would rather hold the bunny over a cliff. Some debt collectors sent by the Caterpillar interrupt their exhaustingly boring bickering. When Alice stupidly asks what they should do, Will quips, “Well basically we could die or we could run.” Running quickly turns to Will volunteering as a distraction to lead the Collectors away from Alice, which works quite well.

While his love plays hide and seek in the forest, Cyrus grovels in his cage for a scrap of food. Even a bone would suffice, he pleads. A guard takes pity, for…reasons. But Cyrus didn’t want the food after all, just the wishbone.

Back to the forest, Will is feeling pretty proud of himself for evading the Collectors until he sees that they have all been knocked out. The Red Queen appears to greet her old lover.

In Agrabah, grown up Jafar is being happily entertained by the stories of his goat herder. After giving the man some wine in thanks for his hard work, Jafar goes indoors to complain to Mistress Dark Sorceress about wanting to learn the spells in her book (if you know what I mean). This includes a spell that requires a human liver… which she’s just procured for them from Jafar’s goat herder friend, who is slowly being poisoned by the wine. Mistress Dark Sorceress gives Jafar a creepy analogy about them being like snakes who need to shed their skin and asks him if he’s ready to be reborn. Just as Jafar sets down the poison’s antidote, the man dies. Dark Sorceress #1 congratulates Jafar on being reborn and they celebrate by making out. So many levels of ewewewewew!

Once Upon A Time In Wonderland Says “Forget Me Not” In This Week’s Episode

Originally published on PopWrapped.  25 October 2013.

Oh Wonders, we’re back again for another jaunt through Wonderland or in the case of this episode, Underland. Alice remains steadfast in her search for Cyrus just as Will remains the most entertaining part of this show. The writers apparently predicted this because tonight’s episode is all about our beloved Knave. We get some juicy info on his thieving past and the Anastasia who broke his heart (Spoilers: It’s not Disney’s Anastasia). We also get a well-publicized cameo from Once’s blonde Robin Hood.

This episode is a fun one especially since it focuses so much on Will and so little on Alice. Also, Jafar doesn’t look quite so ridiculous (although next week’s previews show an unfortunate change in hair style). So, let’s jump in to Once Upon a Time in Wonderland’s “Forget Me Not.”

“A few years ago,” as the title reads, a horse drawn carriage stops to help some screaming men in the roadway. A man is down with a broken leg and as they tend to him, someone else silently drops from the sky and snags the carriage’s loot. Later Robin Hood congratulates his Merry Men on a fine ruse and they welcome the man who snagged to the loot as their newest member: Will Scarlet aka The Knave of Hearts.

In present day Wonderland, Will thinks it’s safer for he and Alice to split up but she thinks they should stay together. Turns out she’s right because he has the idea to seek out the Forget-me-knot. This magical item when held over any area will show what last happened there. It would show them who dug up Cyrus’ bottle and give them something to do considering right now they’re just wandering around.

In Cyrus’ Cave of Woes, Jafar and the Red Queen are having a feast while the genie looks on. Jafar taunts him with Alice’s paper crane and utters the words Wonderland has been dancing around for two weeks now:  “Magic always comes with a price.” Tonight’s price will be forcing Alice to make her first wish.

Will and Alice arrive at the Caterpillars abode. He’s the one with the Forget-me-knot and a bounty on Will’s head. No biggie, the Knave assures Alice. This Underland is his world. Everything will be fine! Yeah. The pair have been in this Underland for barely a minute when they’re held at sword and dagger point. But the Caterpillar, not fancying his Knave skewered, bids them approach his smoking couch.

They try to work out a deal with Mr. Caterpillar, who slimily suggests Alice as the form of Will’s payment toward his debt. Anyone else having Jabba the Hutt with Han and Leia thoughts here? Anyway, Alice uses her smarts to deduce that the Caterpillar doesn’t have the Knot but he does know where it is: with the Grendel. The new deal is they retrieve the knot, bring it and Will’s debt is paid. Bonus for the Caterpillar is if Will tries to keep the magical item, his head gets to become the newest pretty decoration on the Caterpillar’s desk. Win-win-win.