The war about which television/ cinema offering does the best ‘fairy tale revisiting’ is on. A confession first of all: I never quite grew out of my love for fairy tales. When I was extremely young I was raised on a diet of Grimm books.
Grimm’s biggest selling points is that it does not follow the traditional soap-opera format
They used to freak me out big time. I mean seriously, who isn’t freaked out by the thought of, say, an elderly woman being pushed into an oven by two kids? Yep, that’s what I took out of the whole Hansel and Gretel saga, much to my mother’s consternation.
But dark forests and a disturbing amount of deaths notwithstanding, I still loved the idea of the enchanted worlds presented by the German brothers. The more I grew up, the more fascinated I became, graduating to exploring the alternative endings of the traditional tales – the Little Red Riding Hood alternative ending was particularly high on the ‘wow’ factor – and the symbolism behind the stories.
You can easily see why it didn’t take me too long to be seduced by Grimm and Once Upon a Time, both television series based on a re-telling of traditional fairy tales. The plotline was is a pretty nasty one. Those who are hooked on Once Upon a Time will tell you that Grimm is utter rubbish – and vice-versa. Except for me, of course.
Because yes, I’m the sort of television addict who enjoys watching both. I first started with Once Upon a Time – this one is for those who prefer their fairy tales not to stray too far from what they are used to. Think of an alternate reality where our favourite fairy tale protagonists wind up persecuted and exiled to our world, after disaster strikes and their reality is totally destroyed. A plot that will sound familiar to fans of Bill Willingham’s graphic novel Fables, but more about that later.
Add a couple of twists and turns to the mix, such as a leading lady who may or may not be the long-lost daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming… and you have an enchanting (sorry) plot line.
The series is currently through its second season and a third season is yet to be confirmed, unless I’m mistaken. My feeling is that it can take another season easily – the plot line is simple, easy-to-follow and delivering no great shakes in terms of cliffhangers. Yet, despite its predictability, it has a certain charm that keeps you there even if you know perfectly well what’s coming next.
The same cannot be said about Grimm. It certainly keeps you hanging there, but not because it’s predictably charming. On the contrary. One of Grimm’s biggest selling points is that it does not follow the traditional soap-opera format. Although there is a recurrent secondary plot line that deals with the main character’s troubled love life (isn’t it always?) this is not the prime focus of the story.
The main focus, as with any self-respecting television series that kicks butt, are the creatures. And there are many of them, all equally terrifying. Which is what we want from a series that promises to deliver a dark and twisted take on our beloved fairy tales. This is the one element that lacks in Once Upon a Time; with a small stretch of the imagination, it can just as easily be a children’s television series. Slightly less traditional than what they’re used to, but still.
Grimm goes that one notch higher, delivering a bona fide series that won’t have the adults feeling like they’re watching kiddie stuff. In short, we can happily pretend we’re all mature and stuff, because, hey, there are scary creatures on the television screen and it doesn’t get more adult than that, right? Or something…
To conclude, my vote definitely goes to Grimm, despite enjoying both. Having said that, neither are a patch on Fables, the graphic novel with a plot that is pretty much a better and more well-developed version of Once Upon a Time. But that’s a totally different kettle of fish, of course…
rdepares@timesofmalta.com