Whoopi Goldberg. Strong script skillfully brings most of the major ongoing story arcs to a satisfying conclusion. Emma Rigby is really terrific in this, and gets some great scenes to play at the end. As do all of the main cast. The ending is unexpected and very exciting. Can’t wait to see where the story goes next. 9/10
Review of: Emma Rigby, Michael Socha, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, Peter Gadiot, Sophie Lowe
Shaun Smyth. A clever script (with ingenious and effective parallels in both narratives) and astonishingly good performances from everybody.
The big reveal at the very end is nothing we couldn’t guess at (weeks ago) but the backstory gives a whole new power to Jafar’s relationship with his mysterious prisoner. 10/10
Shaun Smyth. Disjointed. Several storylines, with lots happening in all of them. Some of it was very good, but it didn’t hang together very well and - at times - it felt like we were switching between different shows on different channels. The ‘Alice In Peril’ story was very creepy, but ended weakly. The ‘Alice In Flashback' bits were great, and heartfelt, but could have fleshed out to a full episode on their own and felt much more satisfying.
The Red Queen scenes and Jafar scenes were perfunctory and could have been shunted back to a different week. Giving the writer a chance to strengthen the thematic connection between the Alice storylines: her been asked to forget her past in one, and actually forgetting her past in the other. Something that should have had more power. But didn’t. 8/10
Review of: Naveen Andrews, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, Sophie Lowe
Great performances from the five leads, cementing this as one of the best new shows. They’ve managed to successfully establish Alice as a kick-ass heroine, who is also very much ‘a girl in love’. That’s not easy to do. Sophie Lowe IS the show. In the hands of a less capable actress this would fall flat. But it doesn’t. The romance angle really works. I’m completely smitten with these lovers and their story. 9/10
Review of: Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, Peter Gadiot, Sophie Lowe
Introduces a great new heroine, and there’s a very romantic story arc. It’s certainly ambitious, and some of the visuals are iffy, but the cast is excellent. 8/10
Review of: Emma Rigby, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, Sophie Lowe
