‘Once Upon a Time in Wonderland’ premiere review: Is Alice insane or just in love?
Fans of the “Once Upon a Time” series have been eagerly awaiting the premiere of the spin off show “Once Upon a Time in Wonderland”. We know from the flagship series that this will not be your average Alice in Wonderland type show as we already heard that Jafar from Aladdin will be around to cause some problems.
The story goes like this: Alice as a child comes back from her adventures in Wonderland and tells her father all about the Cheshire cat, the Queen of Hearts and the white rabbit. He immediately worries that she may be lying, but upon consulting with a doctor they deem her insane and lock her up until she is a teenager. Finally the day comes where she faces a team of doctors where if she can admit that she made everything up that she might be released. She tries lying to the doctors, but all she really wants is to find proof that Wonderland exists to prove to everyone that she’s not crazy and that the love of her life, a genie named Cyrus, had been murdered by the Red Queen or so she thinks.
The doctors tell her that they worry she is still holding on to some of these illusions and fantasies and offer her a procedure that will make her forget all of this. She signs the form to let them perform a lobotomy on her, but before they can get to her she learns that Cyrus is still alive and she breaks out of the asylum to return to Wonderland to be with him.
Back in Wonderland we learn that the Red Queen is not working alone in her quest to get Alice back in Wonderland, Jafar also wants a piece of her as she has Cyrus’ 3 wishes hidden in her shoe and they want them. Before they have a chance to get to the wishes though, the nave she has been working with to find Cyrus, steals her shoes (and the wishes). Just when we think the only person she can trust is the white rabbit, we learn that he has been threatened by the Queen to provide her information about Alice. Is there anyone she can trust in this crazy place? At least the knave returns when he realizes that the wishes can’t be stolen and that they have to be granted.
As a huge Alice in Wonderland fan we were pleasantly surprised by the story. We were concerned that it was just going to be the original story retold, but seeing Alice as a teenager and her adventures since her first time in Wonderland opens up a whole world of possibilities. Will she ever find Cyrus? Will true love prevail?
Was “Once Upon a Time in Wonderland” everything you hoped it would be or do you think that this story should have been incorporated into the flagship series? If you are looking for more “Once Upon a Time” news and spoilers, just click here.
Photo: ABC