A precocious white rabbit, bewildered smoking caterpillar, and grinning Cheshire cat — these are some of the many fantastical creatures envisioned in Lewis Carroll’s 1865 classic novel, “Alice in Wonderland.” A tale re-imagined countless times in the past century, from Disney’s 1951 animated film to Tim Burton’s 2010 live-action remake, ABC now provides its own twist on the story with its new spinoff series, “Once Upon a Time in a Wonderland.”
Set in 19th century London, the show begins with a familiar character — Alice. But Alice (Sophie Lowe) is no longer the innocent girl we know and love; she is strong-willed, courageous and tough. In Wonderland, she falls in love with Cyrus — a handsome and mysterious genie — but is psychologically scarred after the Red Queen kills him. When she returns to London, she enters into an insane asylum and undergoes treatment to erase her memories. After the Knave of Hearts (Michael Socha) informs her that Cyrus is still alive, she breaks out of prison and journeys back to Wonderland to find her true love and seek revenge on the Red Queen.
Like its parent series, “Once Upon a Time,” this spinoff delivers a refreshing take on traditional fairy tales and maintains excitement with various plot twists throughout every episode. Lowe is a strong female lead for the show, playing both sides of the spectrum — a determined, independent woman one minute and a hopeless romantic the next. She and Socha offer genuine on-screen chemistry, foreshadowing the possibility of romance between their characters.
The White Rabbit (voiced by John Lithgow), however, is the one to watch. This rabbit is more than untimely; he is humorous and sassy, making him a charming character and an instant favorite. His charisma almost makes up for the distracting CGI effects that surround him.
Although the program’s pilot episode has sparked enough curiosity to keep viewers — including myself — interested, signs of it following the same downward spiral as its parent show are unfortunately already apparent. The main strength of “Once Upon a Time” was its ability to seamlessly incorporate multiple fairytales and fables into the same plot. By the second season, however, the writers had introduced too many characters from disconnected stories, resulting in underdeveloped and short-lived subplots.
Its spinoff could face the same fate. The show merges the worlds of “Alice in Wonderland” with Disney’s “Aladdin” — Alice is in love with a genie and the Red Queen is working with Jafar (equipped with a magic carpet, no less). Granted, this is all part of the fantasy genre, but the connection between these two seemingly unrelated realms needs a better explanation than simply “magic.”
As a whole, the show seems to have adopted the best and worst of its parent series. Strong leads and plot twists, however, may not be enough to make up for complex and illogical storylines, which risk leading to more holes than just the rabbit’s.
Star Rating: 3/5
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