Once Upon A Time In Wonderland is a tale of adventures in strange lands with curious creatures, lost love, a kick-ass heroine, and tons of hidden Disney trivia. It’s as fun and intriguing as ABC’s Once Upon A Time (which it only slightly crosses over with) you just have to look past the cheesy cgi’s and scenery which look like the set of elementary school musicals bright, exotic, magical places.
So far it’s following the same formula as OUAT, bringing in characters we all know and love from fairy tales and legends, showing them as they are now and bringing in their back stories in new and interesting ways. Best of all according to the creators each season will be a different story.
Part 1 of Once Upon A Time In Wonderland Recap:
Episode 1 Down the Rabbit Hole
Basically we find out Alice has been to Wonderland and back and no-one believes her.
Because who wouldn’t believe the long lost triplet from The Shining?
Alice went back to Wonderland for proof. There she met a Genie in a bottle.
They bonded over being strangers in a strange land. Together they traveled Wonderland while he taught her sword fighting, how to take care of herself, giving her wishes, and falling in love. He took her to the Boiling Sea to propose. When Alice said yes and Cyrus’ locket lit up and he told her it would always know when they were near each other. The Red Queen came and a fight broke out with Cyrus falling off the cliff into the sea.
Back in Victorian England Alice is about to sign off on The Sunshine of the Spotless Mind special, until the The Knave of Hearts shows up with the White Rabbit telling her Cyrus is alive. After taking out a few orderlies Alice, leaves the asylum with the White Rabbit and the Knave of Hearts.
Geronimo
After landing in the Mallow Marsh, they begin their search for the Mad Hatters’ house, which the Rabbit swears he heard the Dormouse say Cyrus was thee. On the Way there the Rabbit is picked up by the Queen. We learn that the Queen is using him to spy on Alice.
Turns out the Queen is in league with Jafar. Yes the Jafar from Aladdin. Both want Alice for different reasons. Jafar already has the Genie he just wants the bottle and Alice to use up her wishes. The Red Queen brought Alice to Wonderland, but is holding back her reasons for wanting them found.
Before he’s taken by the Queen the Rabbit said he overheard the Dormouse say that Cyrus had been seen at the Mad Hatters’ house. On the way there we learn the The Knave of Hearts is named Will. He is hesitant to help help her, suggesting repeatedly that maybe Cyrus moved on from her.(sounds like Will’s got some of his own issues with lost love). Alice shows Will the rubies/wishes she keeps hidden in her shoes (where else would you keep you very valuable, not to be lost, items) and promises one in return if he helps her find Cyrus.
The two push on through the Tulgey Woods towards the Hatters’. Needing to climb a tree Alice slips her shoes off and climbs right on up. While she’s looking for the house, the Knave steals her shoes. It’s out on the limb that she meets one of the most recognizable characters in Wonderland, the Cheshire Cat. Alice seems to be shocked that the cat doesn’t remember her and that he seems to be stalking her.
Looks like my kitchen when I’m late for feeding time.
Will returns to save her by throwing a piece of mushroom into the cat’s mouth to shrink him. Will tells Alice he wasn’t stealing her wishes/rubies, just keeping them safe for her. Together they journey on through the Tulgey Woods to the Hatters’ only to find it empty.
Oh Jefferson how I’ll miss you.
They didn’t find Cyrus at the Hatters’ house but Alice did find the locket,still glowing, giving her hope that if this survived the Boiling Sea, than Cyrus must have too. Alice insists he’s alive and that she’s staying because when you really love someone you don’t need proof you can feel it. WIll finally agrees to go with her.
And down the road they go. Is it me or does that road look a little too much like another yellow brick road?
Episode 2 – Trust Me
From the start we learn that Jafar will do anything to find Cyrus and his bottle. After showing up at a scarf sellers shop he demands to have the bottle. The seller slips away from Jafar and wishes Cyrus to be far from Agrabah, then throws the bottle as far as he can. An angry Jafar kills the man as Cyrus and his bottle go spinning away until landing in the maze in Wonderland.
Pretty sure if he came to my door I’d be giving him whatever he wanted.
While Will slept, Alice somehow obtained new clothes and is practicing sword fighting. She said they’ve been in Wonderland long enough that their enemies will know they are there. She lays out her game plan for how WIll can help her find Cyrus.
Sounds like an easy plan……
What could possibly go wrong with this plan?
Meanwhile the Queen is doing her queenly duties by listening to her subjects troubles. Jafar interrupts them just to let us know their nefarious plots.
The White Rabbit has sinced informed the Queen that Alice is looking for the bottle. The Queen sends the Rabbit after the bottle.
Alice and Will continue on their way. Will warns Alice to keep her plan quiet because there are ears everywhere, walls literally covered in ears. Alice seems to ignore him and they continue on until they hit a lake. Will’s suggests walking around it but Alice insists on waiting for the ferry. Which is actually a fairy, and not just any fairy, but Silvermist. (it’s SILVERMIST, bitches!)
Of course the Knave would know her.
As they fly over the water Alice remembers her time with Cyrus, During which he later gives her the wishes and the conditions of the wishes: can’t kill anyone, can’t bring anyone back from the dead, can’t change the past, can’t make anyone fall in love. after third wish he returns to his bottle. When she says she will wish for his freedom he says it hasn’t gone well in the past. The bigger the wish the harsher the consequence. He tells her of Jafar looking for him.
Over the water, Silvermist decides to get back at Will for whatever it is he’s done to hurt her, and lets him drop down into the water. Knowing that he can’t swim Alice drops after him. Silvermist gives in and helps them and brings up the name Anastasia, who Alice immediately jumps on the name and Will refuses to give any information about.
They find what appears to be an island and begin to talk about how a genie is like being a wanted man, someone is always looking for them. Once again he tries to warn her that maybe Cyrus isn’t who she thinks he is. This is when the island begins to move and Alice harnesses the mock turtle to take them to where they buried the genies bottle.
Yes, she knows how to harness turtle power.
Once again Jafar underestimates the Red Queen, thinking he has control over her.
Once back on land Alice tells WIll they’re headed to the Tum Tum Tree to dig up the bottle.
This is when I officially fell in love with the show.
Only the Tum Tum Tree was just a ruse. As Alice and WIll watch Jafar digging Alice says the bottle was never there. She told people where they were heading so she could see who she would be up against knowing that the one thing you can count on in wonderland is that you can’t count on anyone. Will realizes she didn’t tell him the truth either. She does then and takes him to where it was buried only to find that it was already dug up. Alice begins to think maybe Cyrus has moved on.
Cyrus in cage sending paper bird out with note to Alice. Apparently silver burns genies
After the note disappears, Jafar confronts him about where the bottle is. Cyrus says to kill him but Jafar says he won’t kill him but kill Alice in front of him. The Queen comes to taunt Jafar, that she’s changing the game. She was going to tell him but she don’t trust him when she realized he held all the cards in their relationship but all that’s changed because even though Jafar may have the genie, she has the bottle.
Back to Will and Alice as he apologizes for putting the idea of Cyrus moving on in her head. Alice asks about Anastasia again. Will says it’s a tale of heartbreak. She asks yours or hers. Will says either way it doesn’t matter when someone truly loves you, you can never move on. Alice said her father did. A paper bird comes to her with note from Cyrus telling her to grant him a wish and leave Wonderland because she cannot save him and he doesn’t want her to die. In true Alice stubbornness she replies back that she’s coming for him.
Next week our strange adventure turns up some out of this world critters and other interesting crossovers. Are you watching OUTW?
