April A to Z Challenge - The Shows

I was lucky enough that Fangirl Stitches had made alphabet charts for my two favorite TV shows, Once Upon A Time and Veronica Mars, or this might have been a very different challenge this year. I don't typically watch a lot of American television...I may be Southern born and bred, but the only thing "Southern" about me is my accent.  I have a Scottish heart with a British head (or so I like to think).  Only every five or so years does an American TV show strike my fancy, but when it does, I'm in with both feet first and I'm a fan till it's end.

Tomorrow kicks off the start of the Challenge, but I thought I might want to give a bit of a back story for the shows in my alphabet cross stitch charts for those that haven't ever watched them. It might make these characters a bit less confusing (or maybe more so, I'm not known for my ability to express things clearly).


via Google images

Once Upon A Time, shown Sunday nights on ABC, is a Disney addict's dream come true!  You may be a Disney fan and know Disney characters but the OUAT versions of these characters aren't necessarily like their Disney counterparts, so diehard Disneyphiles, beware!  I've had some issues with their interpretations myself, although the show is so great I can often (although not always) overlook it.

Imagine all the Fairytale characters that you remember are not only real, but are cursed to lose their happy endings.  They are torn from their world in the Enchanted Forest and are dumped into a world without magic...ours. For 28 years, as time stands still in the sleepy little Maine town of Storybrooke, they suffer in silence, living out each day not remembering who or what they were (except for a couple of notable exceptions).  Their biggest strengths have become their biggest weaknesses and most are shells of their former selves. 

Then, a young boy, a true believer, not born in Storybrooke but born in our world (so therefore doesn't suffer under the curse), goes on a quest to find the Savior, aka the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, who just also happens to be his birth mother.  She escaped the curse as a baby and has grown up in our world not knowing who or what she is or where she came from.  She must come to terms with her past in order to save everyone, including her son (pretty much Season 1). 

Even though the Savior does restore the happy endings, going back home to the Enchanted Forest isn't as easy (and not desired by all the characters). The battle between good and evil also isn't as straight forward in our world as it was in theirs (although it still rages on) and the characters often struggle between the duality of their now merged personalities, the arrival of magic in Storybrooke, and their desire to restore their very interconnected families (it's the scariest family tree imaginable, trust me!).  

Then there is all the land hopping between the likes of Oz, Wonderland, Neverland, Arrendalle, lands of myths and legends, even lands of movie monsters, etc.  There is backstory constantly thrown in and rarely in chronological order, so, all in all, it's a pretty fabulous (although sometimes confusing) show!

via Google Images

Veronica Mars has been off the air for several years .  It has absolutely nothing in common with Once.  I only discovered this show last year (thanks to Amazon Prime) and have since become completely obsessed with it!  I had actually watched the movie first (which came out last year), not even knowing it had been a television show.  In hindsight, I'm not sure I would recommend you watch it this way, but my Asper brain preferred knowing who she ended up with in the end and I'm not sure I could have stuck with all the "on-off, on-off, on-off" (Miranda quote...seriously, I need a Miranda chart) relationship stuff in the show let alone the semi-cliffhanger ending due to its cancellation.  My Disney upbringing demands happy endings for all couples...it's how I'm built.

V Mars is about a teenage girl private detective with a dry, quick wit, who works along side her shamed ex-sheriff of a father.  She solves crimes in her haves/have-nots ocean-side town in Southern California while trying to keep her tumultuous relationships on track.  Each episode solves a crime, but every episode of each season follows a main major story arc as well.  I can't stop watching this show and I'm not sure how I missed it back in the day, but I'm glad I've discovered it!

I tried to keep this one more brief than the last and, of course, the actual challenge posts will be shorter (hopefully, but I'm not promising anything).  If you've never seen either of these shows, definitely get them!  Seasons 1, 2, and 3 of OUAT are out while Season 4 is currently playing.  All three seasons of Veronica Mars (as well as the subsequent movie from last year) is also available, but it's in syndication if you're a night owl like me.  But I would recommend watching both in order since they both have story arcs, so definitely rent or buy the DVDs/Blu-Rays (Amazon Prime has V Mars and Once is on Hulu).

Tomorrow is the big day...lots of stitchin' to do!

Comments

Katy said…
I'm doing the OUAT sampler too! Can't wait to see your progress!
Linda said…
Looking forward to your posts Keebles.

Linda
Kate said…
Looking forward to seeing your progress :-) I watch Once Upon a Time on Netflix, so I'm a little behind what airs on TV.
Anonymous said…
I've never gotten into Once Upon A Time. Granted I didn't give it much of a chance, maybe only two or three episodes but it didn't hook me. I might give it another chance. I'm running out of things to stream that I haven't already seen ten times!