Once Upon A Time in Wonderland -
Episode 1: Down the Rabbit HoleCoincidentally, I read four issues of a comic book series called
"Down the Rabbit Hole" while watching this. lol It's by Zenescope though, so it's much darker and, well, more well-written (though not by much).
So it looks like ABC took some notes from both American McGee and Zenescope while creating this spin-off. We have Alice in an asylum, just like American McGee's
Alice, and the Cheshire Cat here is a monstrous, carnivorous creature, just like Zenescope's Cheshire Cat, except, well, less bestial and has red eyes instead of yellow:
The acting is also pretty mediocre. Sophie Lowe as Alice and Michael Socha as the Knave of Hearts (who's also Will Scarlet for some bizarre reason) were okay, so is Naveen Andrews as Jafar, but the really standout performance (stands out because it's so terrible) is Emma Rigby as the Red Queen. The Red Queen I know from Zenescope is badass and vicious.
OUAT's version? Eh. She looks like a damsel in distress. Typical of ABC to tone down everything to make it more family-friendly. And the acting really didn't help. Emma's attempt at acting like a villain makes her look goofy instead. I can't take her seriously.
The love story plot-line isn't as annoying to me as it is to others. Yes, it does seem a lot more mawkish than the main series. ("If you really, really love someone, you don't need proof; you can feel it." Really, lady? I can just feel where a kidnapper has taken my family? Wow. Didn't know I have super powers.) But it doesn't really affect the plot as much as the other aspects of the show (the acting, the bad writing that isn't affected by the romance, which is a lot). The thing I'm bothered by is that the asylum aspect of Wonderland is SO interesting that I wish they could have explored more of the 'madness' of Alice, how she seems crazy to normal people. This love story shtick, while it isn't terrible by any means, does get in the way of a more interesting story. At the least, I would have liked to see some traditional good vs. evil story rather than a love story.
All said and done, it's not a bad pilot, but I heard it will only get worse down the rabbit hole (ha!).
2.5/5