2013 Fall Season: My Thoughts So Far

Every summer I look forward to the return of my favorite TV series and to discovering new favorites. This year is no different. Most of the shows I'll be watching through this new season have already started. Grimm is the only one that hasn't had its season premiere. Below are my thoughts on the shows I'm watching (and some I may not continue to watch) this season.

***Possible Spoilers Ahead***

Returning Series I'm Watching

Once Upon a Time: Oh, where do I start? This show is not so much a favorite of mine anymore. I became disillusioned with the direction of the show last season (particularly when Greg and Tamara showed up), and I'm not sold on this Neverland setting yet or on the depiction of the Neverland characters. For me, the show has jumped the shark. Or should I say "jumped the mermaid"?

I feel like the writers are just creating their own characters and giving them names of fairy tale characters or names of well-known characters in books in the public domain, just to fit into the story they want to tell. The characters in the show don't resemble the characters they are based on at all. I'm all for deconstructing fairy tales. These stories have already been changed throughout the centuries, they've been told and retold, and many stories have been based on them. But I don't like it as much when they take characters created by authors we have heard of, and are loved by millions. James Barrie created a well-loved character named Peter Pan, and he has specific qualities that make him well-loved. Once Upon a Time has twisted that character into someone who isn't Peter Pan to me. He just has that name. Sure, the writers can do what they want and write him they way they want. I just don't have to like it. And I don't.

And don't get me started about the cliche's they keep repeating over and over. "Magic comes with a price." "I will always find you." "Believe in magic." "Believe in who you are." Please, come up with some new themes. 

I'm also bored with the fact that these first episodes of the new season are just everyone looking for someone. The journey in this case is not what matters. It's just annoying watching the main characters searching through the woods of Neverland trying to find Henry, they come close to finding him, and then they're thwarted. If that's all we get this season, I'm definitely done with it.

I may continue to watch this show, but mostly out of curiosity, not because I love it.

Drop Dead Diva: I really like this show, and I like the characters. However, I'm more interested in the new cases they get every week than in what is happening to the characters in their personal lives. I'm not sure I like the Owen/Stacy relationship, and I just want Jane and Grayson to get together, and I don't want it to happen in the last episode. I want to see them happy together for a few episodes before the series finale. However, they may surprise us all and not have them get together. I will be disappointed if they don't, but we'll have to see.

Beauty and the Beast: This series started with a twist, and I like it. As long as it doesn't make Vincent's "amnesia" like Juliette's amnesia in Grimm and drag it out through most of the season, I'll be happy (it's good to learn from the mistakes others have made). When this series first aired last fall, I didn't like it very much. I was comparing too much with the Beauty and the Beast series from the 80's that I loved, and it was nothing like that series. So I was a bit disappointed. But then I stopped comparing it to that show, and began to enjoy it for what it was - not a remake, but a reworking of its original premise. I even like Kristen Kreuk as Catherine now.

Castle: I was talking to a friend about the first few episodes of this series, and we both agreed that the plot line of having Beckett get a job in Washington D.C. and then losing it after only a few episodes was just superfluous. Other than that though, I am really enjoying this season so far. Nathan Fillion's Rick Castle is such a great character, and he never ceases to entertain. The episodes so far have been entertaining as usual.

Arrow: I've really been looking forward to the new season of Arrow. It ended with a bang (literally) last Spring, but I think it's started back with a bit of a whimper. I'm ready for it to pick up again and get really exciting.

Nashville: This is one of those shows that has things I love about it (the music, Deacon, Juliette, the Stella sisters), and things I dislike (the Teddy and Peggy plot line). It's a typical soap opera, with some really good country music. I'm excited to look forward to Tuesdays again to see if there are songs from the next episode I want to buy. 

Big Bang Theory: I still love this show. Last week's episode was actually one of my favorite episodes ever of this show. I loved the scavenger hunt and how they broke out into teams, and didn't have the couples together. The dynamics with each team were so funny. I love this show when it isn't vulgar (which it can often be, unfortunately).  

Grimm: Still waiting for the season premiere. I'm so excited for this one!

New Series I'm Watching

Sleepy Hollow: I already posted about this show when it premiered. I still really like it. It's darker than I thought it would be, the demons are freakier than Buffy ever had (unless you consider the episode Hush, and no demon could be freakier than that),  and the mythology is not only doing a National Treasure-type look into American history, it's also doing a bit of its own interpretation of the bible.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: I really want to like this show because I love three of Joss Whedon's former series (Buffy, Angel and Firefly). I also like The Avengers film. I enjoyed last week's episode (episode 3), but the rest have been underwhelming for me. I like Agent Coulsen, but I haven't grown attached to any of the other characters. There are some good "Whedonesque" lines, but sometimes the humorous dialogue seems forced. I will continue to watch and hope that it grows on me, but this may be one I drop from my list.

The Tomorrow People: So far I like this show. I like the premise, and I think it can lend itself to some good episodes. I like Stephen (Robbie Amell), the main character. 

Once Upon a Time in Wonderland: My biggest issue with this show is that we know what Alice is looking for, and she probably won't find him until the end of the season. I hate that. I can't stand shows where there is no resolution for 24 episodes. There's such a unsatisfactory feeling at the end of every episode. Other than that, I kind of liked the first episode, mainly because of the Knave of Hearts. He kind of reminds me of Christopher Eccleston as the ninth Doctor (on Doctor Who). He's a Northern Englander, he wears a cool leather jacket, and he has a similar demeanor as Eccleston's Doctor. I just don't know if it's worth watching for him only.

It's strange to have Jafar from Agrabah in Wonderland (but this is Once Upon Time after all, and ABC belongs to Disney), and the acting of the Red Queen drives me up the wall. Her overacting (or "schmacting") reminds me of Charlize Theron as the Evil Queen in Snow White and the Huntsman. The CGI is not good, and that is annoying also.

I'll give the show a chance, but if it keeps on with no resolution to anything, and if it's like Lost or Once Upon a Time where it brings up questions that are never answered, I don't know if I'll continue to watch it - no matter how much I like the Knave of Hearts.

Reign: Mary Queen of Scots is a historical figure that I've always held a fascination for. Basing a series on the early life of the Scottish Queen, it looks like the CW wanted to create its own "network" version of the The Tudors. The show is fully of pretty girls and handsome men - typical for the CW (and really most TV series as well), and the time period gives it the opportunity for a lush look. The costumes are pretty, but definitely not accurate to the period. In fact pretty much everything, other than the subject matter, the setting, and modes of transportation, is modern. We'll see how historically accurate the show will be. Since we don't know details of each day in the life of Mary and those around her between 1558 and 1560, I think it will be more a matter of filling in the blanks with fictional plot points than being blatantly historically inaccurate.

Being that this series is on the CW, it's not surprising that there's a bit of the supernatural in the show. I don't mind it too much since there was a lot of superstition in the 16th century. However, if anyone turns out to be a vampire, I'll be dropping the show faster than you can say, "Nostradamus."

It's funny that everyone speaks with an English accent (even the actors who aren't English), even though everyone is French except for Mary, who is Scottish. Although, since Mary had been in France since she was nine, she wouldn't have had a Scottish accent anyway.

It's exciting to see Megan Fellows as the Queen of France. Many are familiar with her from the Canadian miniseries, Anne of Green Gables. It looks like she will be one of the "villains" of the show, since she is against Mary. I love her line, "We're overrun, by Scots."

The pilot set up a bunch of romantics plots, the question about how Mary will cause the death of Francis (he actually died two years after he and Mary married), and politically intrigue. We'll see if any of these plots get interesting. 

So, what shows are you glad to have back, and what new shows do you like? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

The Return of My TV Shows

It's January, and the television season will resume with new episodes of favorite series.

Here are the shows whose new episodes I'm looking forward to seeing:

Big Bang Theory - January 3rd
Elementary - January 3rd
Once Upon a Time - January 6th
Castle - January 7th
Nashville - January 9th
Arrow - January 16th
Glee - January 24th
Smash - February 5th
Grimm - March 8th

There's still no word about when Beauty and the Beast is returning. I didn't particularly like it when it first aired, but it's grown on me.

What television series are looking forward to returning?

New Series: Beauty and the Beast

This is a remake of a TV series that I loved, so it’s hard not to compare it to the original. However, the first part of this review will be about the show itself, with no comparison to the original.

The premiere episode wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either. I didn’t hate it, and I didn’t love it. It just felt like another procedural series with nothing new.

Kristin Kruek is not very believable to me as a detective. Maybe it’s because she looks so young and inexperienced. It's interesting how much in common she has with another New York detective on TV who is trying to solve the murder of her mother. Does the name Kate Beckett ring a bell? Except I believe Stana Katic as a detective.

I wasn’t very drawn to Vincent. He was nice looking, but that isn’t the point. He’s supposed to be a beast. This first episode didn’t really give him much to do in the area of character development. We know that he’s a doctor who lost brothers in the Twin Towers, then enlisted. While he was in Afghanistan he agreed to be involved in some kind of experiment (that resulted in his bouts of “beastliness”), and now he is believed to be dead. That’s about it.

I wanted to see more of Cat’s personal life. Why didn’t we get to meet her father? We just see her hug him at the end. I would like to have seen Cat in a scene that didn’t involve her job or the beast. Who is Catherine Chandler? Why should we care about her?

I thought the dialogue was a bit stilted. There were some lines that were okay, and many that were just plain bad.

I wonder why Vincent would tell Cat the whole story about the experiment even though he says it’s dangerous for her to know, and then not tell her why he was there the night her mother was killed. Seems strange.

I did like Vincent’s roommate, J.T., and Evan, the medical examiner. It’s not good when you like the supporting characters better than the two leads.

Random observation: I love that Cat drove a VW bug at the beginning of the episode. We can add her to the list of VW bug owners: Monroe (Grimm), Emma (Once Upon a Time), and me!

Now, on to comparing it to the original.

I blogged about the new series when I heard about it in January, and one of the things I said was that they needed to choose their Vincent well. Well, the jury’s still out on that. The new Vincent is just a man who, through some botched experiment, becomes a “beast” when he’s angry. He’s kind of like the Hulk. The original Vincent looked like a beast, but female viewers still fell for him from the beginning because of who he was – that was point.

I felt no real chemistry between Cat and Vincent. I don't feel like there was enough character development of Vincent. Yes, he does try to save people (other than Cat), but we’re only told that, we don’t see him do it. Actions speak louder than words in character development. Show – don’t tell. I liked that in the original they didn’t try to explain why Vincent looked the way he did, and it didn’t matter. Why did they think they had to explain why the new Vincent is a beast?

In the original, Cathy is brutally attacked and left for dead, and is found by Vincent. He takes her into the tunnels under Manhattan where he lives. Catherine comes to know Vincent before she ever sees his face. Not only does the attack change her life, but so does meeting Vincent. A bond is developed between the two that shapes both of their lives. She changes her job as a high-profile lawyer, and so to work with the DA’s office where she can help more people.

There just isn’t any kind of bond between beauty and the beast in this new version. In this version, Vincent saves Cat after her mother is shot, and then Cat doesn’t see him again for nine years. Her first encounter with Vincent doesn’t change her life. The death of her mother changes her life. So, there is no bond between the two. It feels like Cat is more interested in him because he was there when her mother died and might help her find out who did it.

The preview for next week’s episode looks interesting, so I’ll probably watch it.

New Series: Arrow

I am not familiar with the Green Arrow, the comic superhero, other than getting a few glimpses of him on Smallville, which I hadn’t watched faithfully since about season 3. I didn’t know his background or how Oliver Queen became the Arrow, so this first episode was my real introduction to the character.

I really liked the episode. I like the look of the show, and I like the use of the flashbacks to show what happened to him. I like Stephen Amell as Oliver Queen/Arrow. He is very easy on the eyes. He is also very believable as the playboy and as the man who has been changed by five years on a remote island. I thought the supporting characters were good too. I like Tommy, Laurel and Oliver's sister, Thea.

The premiere wasn’t too complicated. There was just enough exposition, a good villain, great action scenes. I’m excited to see where the story will take the characters.

I loved the scene where Oliver grabs his bow and throws out a bunch of tennis balls, and one by one pins each tennis ball to the wall with arrows. So, now we know how quick and accurate a shot he is. *wink*

It will be interesting to see what happened to him on the island through flashbacks, and find out what made him the “weapon” he has become.

All in all, I really liked the series premiere, and I'm excited to see where the first season goes.

Observations:

Oliver and his story have aspects of a few well-known fictional characters. Being away from civilization for a long time and his desire for revenge is very much like Edmund Dantes from “The Count of Monte Cristo.” The situation of having an alter-ego who “saves” people, and shows a very different persona in the real world is like Percy Blakeney in “The Scarlet Pimpernel,” and “robbing from the rich and giving to the poor” (at least in the first episode), as well as his green hood, is of course like Robin Hood. I’m sure that those of you who know the comic book character well are saying, well, duh! I’m new to the character, okay? *wink*

Oliver's mother says that his room is exactly as he left it five years ago. I hope that it was dusted. *wink* Oliver says that after five years everything that was once familiar is now unrecognizable. How can you know that something was once familiar if you don't recognize it anymore (other than your own face)? *wink*

How did Tommy know that Oliver had spoken Russian? Does he know Russian?

Where did the large trunk come from? Did Oliver get it from the yacht before it sank?

The island may have made him strong, but how did it make him technologically savvy?

I loved the scene after Oliver attacks Hunt and his men in the car park, and Hunt says, "If I see you again, you're dead," and then Hunt turns when Oliver shoots an arrow into his car window, then when Hunt looks back, Oliver is gone.

When you have a character who has been away from civilization for five years, you have a chance to comment on what has happened in the world in that time, and it’s interesting to see what the writers decided to comment on. At his first dinner home, his best friend, Tommy, is trying to catch him up on the last five years, he tells him the last five Super Bowl winners, that we now have a black president, and reveals the ending of Lost. And, at Oliver’s coming home party, Tommy mentions that a girl looks like “that girl” from Twilight. Oliver asks what Twilight is, and Tommy responds, “You’re better off not knowing.”

How does the hood keep people from recognizing him, especially when he’s right up in their face? Hmm.

So, how soon before Tommy figures out Oliver's secret? Or how long before he tells Oliver he knows his secret?

It's funny how many superhero shows have a scene at the end of the show where the superhero secretly watches the woman he loves from a balcony or from the top of a building. And they are always in their superhero "costume."

Quotes:

Thea: I missed you so much.
Oliver: You were with me the whole time.

Oliver: I have something for you.
Thea: You didn't come back from deserted island with a souvenir.

Tommy: I want one of those t-shirts that says, "My friend was a castaway and all I got was this crappy t-shirt."

Tommy: You notice how hot your sister's got? Because I haven't.

Tommy: Everyone is happy you're alive. You want to see the one person who isn't?

Laurel: Adam Hunt is not smarter than we are.
Laurel's coworker: No, he's just richer and willing to commit multiple felonies.

Detective Lance (to Moira Queen): Probably figured you'd pay a King's ransom to get your son back. Or a Queen's ransom as it were.

Raiza (to Oliver): You are different. Not like you to read a book.

Oliver (voice over): The abduction was unexpected. It forced me to move up my plans. But what I told the police was true. The man with the green hood was there in that warehouse. And he's just beginning.

Oliver (voice over): Adam Hunt. His crimes go deeper than fraud or theft, but he's been able to bully, bribe or kill anyone who's gotten into his way. He hasn't met me yet.

Detective Lance (to Adam Hunt): thanks for your statement. We'll put out an APB on... Robin Hood.

Adam Hunt: I'm not some grocer who got taken for his register. I go to the front of the line.

Oliver: Which one is she?
Tommy: The one who looks like the chick from Twilight.
Oliver: What's Twilight?
Tommy: You're so better off not knowing.

Laurel: You know what, Oliver? You're wrong. The island did change you. At least now you're honest.

Oliver: Who's Adam Hunt?
Detective Lance: He's a millionaire bottom feeder and I'm kind of surprised you're not friends.
Oliver: I've been out of town for a while.

Oliver: Two million dollars for anyone who can find a nut bar in a green hood.

Tommy: What happened to you on that island?
Oliver: A lot.

New Fall Series: Previews of the Most Promising

Here are trailers for a few new series that look promising (or at least interesting):

Beauty and the Beast - CW



I loved the series from the 80s with Ron Perlman and Linda Hamilton. Kristen Kreuk, who played Lana Lang in the CW's Smallville plays Catherine, and Jay Ryan plays Vincent.

Ryan is very good looking, but we'll see what he looks like as the beast, and if he is as good as Ron Perlman was as Vincent. I hope this updated version will be worth watching.

Elementary - CBS



As those of you who read my blog knows, I love the BBC's Sherlock. Elementary also brings Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's famous detective into a modern setting. However, this series brings the English detective (Jonny Lee Miller) across the pond to Manhattan. And Watson is a woman (Lucy Liu). Aidan Quinn plays Inspector Gregson. I am a big fan of Aidan, so that makes one more reason for me to watch. I am really looking forward to this series.

Interesting sidenote: Benedick Cumberbatch (who plays Holmes in Sherlock) and Jonny Lee Miller were in a production of Frankenstein last year at the National Theatre in London. The two actors took turns playing the dual roles of Frankenstein and his monster (a tag-team performance that won them the 2012 UK Olivier Award for Best Actor). Frankenstein/Monster, Sherlock/Sherlock.

The Arrow - CW



This new series is a spin-off of Smallville. It has a bit of The Count of Monte Cristo vibe, doesn't it? Superheroes are really big right now, so I hope this one is good and that it sticks around. Who knows, it may last as long as Smallville (10 seasons).

As you can tell, there are only three new series that I'm really excited about right now. Sad commentary on the new Fall season.

Stage Review: Beauty and the Beast

I have seen many productions of Beauty and the Beast, the first being a touring production of it many years ago. I've seen so many, that I have become a little disenchanted (no pun intended) with it. So, when the touring production came through Salt Lake City again, I wasn't expecting anything new.

I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised.

Changes have been made to the touring show, and I liked many of the changes. Here are a few:

1. Maurice's song, "No Matter What," has been cut, and I have to say that I didn't miss it. It has never been my favorite song. Instead of the song, Maurice talks to Belle about her mother, and how she changed him. That dialogue connects with the song that Belle sings in Act II, "Change in Me."
2. Monsieur D'Arque's song was also cut. Didn't miss it either.
3. The sets and costumes are new. They are not an exact imitation of the movie anymore, which I liked. They aren't quite as grand as they were before, but I like the simplicity.

There have always been moments in many productions in B&B that have bugged me, and this production fixed a couple of those moments. It's like the director somehow heard my complaints (I've never posted the complaints on the web).

1. At the beginning, when Belle discovers her father is lost in the woods, she runs right into the woods without stopping anywhere, and the next time we see her in the woods, she is wearing a cloak. When did she put it on? In this production, right before she has the scene with Lefou, she goes into the house and comes out wearing her cloak. Problem solved.
2. When we see Belle in the woods after she has run away from the Beast, again she has a cloak on. Did she take time to run to her room to get it? In this production, we see her run past the Beast as he sings "If I Can't Love Her." Now at least we know that somehow she got the cloak, so it's not bizarre when we see her the next time with a cloak.

There were many moments I liked in this production.

1. At the beginning of "Be Our Guest" someone put a lobster bib on Belle. Hi. Larry. Us.
2. Madame de la Grande Bouche's costume is a shaped like a Marie Antoinette dress. She takes the clothes out of the sides of the the dress, instead of out of a drawer in the front of her costume.
3. The song, "Gaston," starts outside of the tavern, and moves into the tavern toward the end of the song. The choreography in that song was the best I've seen for that number.
4. The Silly girls were a stand-out.
4. When Belle and the Beast are eating together, and they're both nervous, Belle twists her hair, and then the Beast twists his hair the same way. Great moment.

Didn't Like:

1. When the old woman in the prologue turns into the beautiful woman, it's a large puppet. That didn't work for me. I like her being a real woman.
2. Gaston pronounces the French words incorrectly, and though it's a little funny, it's really silly because he is French.
3. Although I liked the Beast, he didn't sing the right notes in the verse of "If I Can't Love Her," and it was really hard to listen to. And I love that song.

Once Upon a Time: Skin Deep

It's Once Upon a Time's take on the story of Beauty and the Beast, and it's all about a cup with a chip.

Belle's father is a nobleman who asks Rumplestiltskin to save his town from the ogres. Rumple, of course, doesn't do anything for free. He wants Belle - to be his caretaker, for the rest of her life. His real motive is never explained. He doesn't do it to try to break a curse, and I'm sure he doesn't do it to fall in love. Maybe he really does just want a housekeeper. She agrees to go to save everyone and be a hero, or to get away from Gaston, I don't know which.

So Belle goes to live with Rumple, and quicker than you can say " long stem rose," Rumple has fallen in love with Belle, and strangely enough, Belle has fallen in love with Rumple. She tells Rumple, "love is layered," but they really don't have enough time for any kind of layers to "lay." And if Belle wants him to change back into an ordinary man, how much can she really love him?

Regina realizes that she could bring Rumplestiltskin down through Belle, and when Rumple sends Belle to town for more straw, Regina runs into her on the road. Belle tells Regina that something evil has taken root in Rumple. "Sounds like a curse to me and all curses can be broken. A kiss borne of true love will do it." (My question is, if a kiss borne of true love can break a curse, why didn't Mary Margaret and David's kiss in Storybrooke break the curse the town is under?)

Belle goes back with the straw and with a plan. Rumple is so happy that she came back, but not so happy when she kisses him and he starts to lose his power (and his gold skin). He loves his power more than he loves Belle. So, he throws her in the dungeon and starts to break everything. Even the tea set (poor Mrs. Potts). But he stops at breaking a cup Belle chipped when she dropped it (so now we know what happened to Chip. *hehe*). Ah, Rumple is sentimental. He sends her away, but not before Belle tells him, "All you'll have is an empty heart and a chipped cup." They really want to make sure we understand that it's all going to be about that chipped cup in Storybrooke.

Later, Regina comes and tells him that no one would want Belle after her association with him. So her father cut her off, put her in a tower (does that mean we won't meet Repunzel?), and after sending clerics to cleanse her soul with scourges and flames, she threw herself out of the tower. Rumple's reaction is truly heart-wrenching.

Meanwhile, in Storybrooke, Mr. Gold is making sure that Mo French, who is Belle's father, suffers for what he did to Belle in Fairy Tale Land all those years ago. Mr. Gold repossesses Mo's flower delivery van, the day before his busiest day - Valentine's Day. Then Mo robs Mr. Gold, but Emma recovers everything except the most important item, the chipped cup. Mr. Gold kidnaps Mo, and beats the crap out of him, but luckily for Mo, Emma comes in time to arrest Gold for assault and battery.

Regina goes to the jail to have a little talk with Gold while he can't run away, and we find out that Regina suspects that Mr. Gold knows who he really is, and she bribes him into telling her his name, "Rumplestiltskin." And what does she bribe him with? Chip.

Oh, but that's not the end. There's the twist. We don't see the Storybrooke version of Belle through the whole episode, but it isn't because she's dead. No, that wouldn't be true to the power that Regina holds over everyone in Storybrooke. Regina goes to the hospital, and there being held in the bowels of the building is none other than Belle. Dun dun dun.

Oh yes, and there were some Storybrooke subplots as well.

Mary Margaret, Ruby (when are we going to get her Fairy Tale Story?), and Ashley (Cinderella, remember her?) go to a bar on Valentine's Day night. Ashley was complaining that she never sees Shawn anymore because he's always working. He shows up at the bar during his break with flowers, a ring, and a proposal of marriage. Now she'll be a married woman who never sees her husband because he's always working. Mary Margaret breaks it off with David - again, when he gives her the valentine card meant for Kathryn that says, "I love you."

All, in all, I liked the episode, but I feel that it tried too hard to deconstruct the story of Beauty and the Beast; well, the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast. It assumes that we all know the story so well that we'll just believe the love between Belle and Rumple. Well, the love story didn't ring true for me. I didn't believe the actress as Belle, and I didn't see any reason for the two to fall in love. They laugh over a spinning wheel joke, he catches her when she falls off the ladder, he gives her a rose. And suddenly, eternal love?

Also, the Rumple/Belle relationship was too creepy to me. He's too old for her. It was an original idea, I'll give it that, and I like how it answered some questions about Rumple/Mr. Gold and Regina, but I didn't believe the love story, and the age difference just creeped me out.

Observations:

Belle starts in her pretty yellow gown and ends up in the cute little blue peasant dress

Mr. French's flower business is called "Game of Thorns"

Mr. French has an Australian accent in Maine

Rumple's castle is in snow capped mountains, but the road and forest have no snow

Where's the library?

Rumple tells Belle that Gaston was just an old woman selling flowers

We may be seeing Ariel the mermaid's story eventually

Regina asks the nurse in the hospital if anyone has been in to visit Belle. Who does she expect would visit her?

Quotes:

Belle: No one decides my fate but me.

Rumple: Bad things happen to bad people.
Emma: Is that a threat?
Rumple: Observation.

Rumple: I like to watch the wheel, it helps me forget
Belle: Forget what?
Rumple: I guess it worked.

Shawn: Your carriage awaits.

Beauty and the Beast: A New Series?

Okay, I read something this morning that first made me excited, and then made me wary.

The CW is has ordered a pilot for an adaptation of the 1980’s television series “Beauty and the Beast.”

"Beauty and the Beast," is loosely based on the CBS series starring Ron Perlman and Linda Hamilton, will deliver "a modern-day romantic love story with a procedural twist." Jennifer Levin ("Without a Trace," "Felicity") and Sherri Cooper ("Brothers and Sisters") will write and executive produce, with Paul J. Witt, C. Anthony Thomas, Ron Koslow and Bill Haber also executive producing. The pilot will be produced by CBS Television Studios.

I loved that series! It was one of my favorite shows in the 80s. It seemed so romantic to me when I was young.

Catherine is a corporate lawyer who is attacked one night, and saved by Vincent, a beast who lives in tunnels under Manhattan. He doesn’t live alone. There is Father, who saved his life when he was a baby; and there is a community of rejects and misfits living in the tunnels with them.

When Catherine is well enough to go back to her life, she quits her high profile job and starts working for the District Attorney's office. And somehow a psychic bond was created between the two, where Vincent can sense what Catherine is feeling, especially when Catherine is in danger (and because of the nature of her job her life is in danger often), and Vincent comes to her rescue.

I know many women fell in love with Ron Purlman’s Beast. They didn’t just make him ugly, he was definitely a beast. But that beautiful voice and caring nature made women fall for his character.

Very romantic.

I bought the DVD for the first season a while back, and I still enjoy it. And even though it was made in the 80s, it doesn't seem too dated (but that could just be my bias). I hope if they do remake the series they will keep the romantic aspect of it (after all, this is Beauty and the Beast), and the timeliness of the characters. If they make it as well as Once Upon a Time or Grimm, I will watch it.

I have one thing to say to CW: Choose your Vincent well.