# Once Upon A Time \[edited title\] **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 23, 2011, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574 "2011-10-23T21:19:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 34
**Author:** ![shijinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/cc9497/32.png) [@shijinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shijinn)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/661 "2012-05-16T17:35:04Z")
> [@Misnomer](#): > > Possibly because the actor who plays him is the weakest of the ensemble…I swear, even when he was dead he had that annoying smirk on his face! he did! i thought i imagined it. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/662 "2012-05-16T18:22:15Z")
> [@Oy](#): > > I think it’s hysterical that throughout this entire season, the show has thrown week after week of male eye candy at us, and what do we women do? Lust after the middle-aged guy who on his best day was never handsome, and is playing a crazy evil guy with long fingernails and really bad teeth! Brains are sexy, and Charming is just bless-his-heart-DUMB. I’ll admit Charming showed a little brain when killing the dragon in HEAL; but in Storeybrook, David is just a confused lump of a man. Gold is at least interesting, and the actor’s not hideous; he’s just less hollywood-pretty than most actors. The fellow who plays Geppeto is far better looking, but he’s not as interesting. The only other halfway interesting male character has been August. The Huntsman wasn’t very long-lived, Jefferson’s too broody/gloomy, Dr Whale’s a bit creepy, and we barely met Peter before he was eaten. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/663 "2012-05-16T18:26:13Z")
Let’s face it - some people just have charisma. Robert Carlyle has charisma. The show is very lucky to have him. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/664 "2012-05-16T19:39:42Z")
> [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](#): > > Dr Whale’s a bit creepy I keep waiting for them to give his backstory. He’s definitely creepy. Remember when he was trying to pick up Red at the bus stop? He gave off a really weird vibe then, but the show has never followed up on that. > [@well\_he\_s\_back](#): > > Let’s face it - some people just have charisma. Robert Carlyle has charisma. The show is very lucky to have him. I wish more people had watched Carlyle on _Stargate: Universe_. He was really amazing in that and his character was much more interesting and complex than Mr. Gold/Rumpelstiltskin is so far. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/665 "2012-05-16T20:04:49Z")
I’ll set the Tivo to get _Stargate: Universe_, thanks! Does anyone know if OnceUponATime will repeat over the break, or will they want us to buy the DVD that won’t be out until the end of August? ---
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/666 "2012-05-16T20:52:00Z")
> [@shijinn](#): > > > [@Misnomer](#): > > > > Possibly because the actor who plays him is the weakest of the ensemble…I swear, even when he was dead he had that annoying smirk on his face! > > he did! i thought i imagined it. I’m glad it wasn’t just me! In the very last shot of his dead face the smirk was gone, but in the first shot(s) he was _definitely_ smirking. There are way better child actors out there; I have no idea how/why that kid got cast. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2012, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/667 "2012-05-16T21:04:58Z")
> [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](#): > > I’ll set the Tivo to get _Stargate: Universe_, thanks! Fair warning: The show wasn’t all that well-received by viewers. It did explore some pretty interesting ideas, but tried too hard sometimes for “grim and gritty” and ended up being drab and dreary. It was very much about the characters and internal conflict within the group, and not as much about the alien-threat-of-the-week. When it found the right balance between drama and action, it was pretty darn good. I liked it a lot–much more than the cheesy Stargate: Atlantis–but many fans of the franchise thought it was too dark. In any event, Carlyle was the best part of it by a mile, and if it were still on the air I’d still be watching just for his character. ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 5:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/668 "2012-05-17T05:57:13Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > Fair warning: The show wasn’t all that well-received by viewers. It did explore some pretty interesting ideas, but tried too hard sometimes for “grim and gritty” and ended up being drab and dreary. It was very much about the characters and internal conflict within the group, and not as much about the alien-threat-of-the-week. When it found the right balance between drama and action, it was pretty darn good. I liked it a lot–much more than the cheesy Stargate: Atlantis–but many fans of the franchise thought it was too dark. In any event, Carlyle was the best part of it by a mile, and if it were still on the air I’d still be watching just for his character. Yeah. What **Tangent** just said. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/669 "2012-05-17T12:38:38Z")
> [@well\_he\_s\_back](#): > > Let’s face it - some people just have charisma. Robert Carlyle has charisma. The show is very lucky to have him. (nods enthusiastically) I like the show well enough, but I live and breathe for his scenes. The other actors are like little twinkling stars in the night sky, much of a muchness, but Mr. Gold is the full, cold moon outshining them (and Rumplestiltskin is the cackling-witchy man-in-the-moon). ---
**Author:** ![Oy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bc8723/32.png) [@Oy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oy)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/670 "2012-05-17T12:44:50Z")
I think Snow/Mary Margaret has her moments as well. She bops along as this sweet, innocent, naive woman, and then once in a while she pops up with some line that demonstrates that while the sweetness is real, the naivety is not. She knows that the world is far from perfect, but chooses to live her life within it as the best person she can be. Also, I rather like the way they costume Regina in HEAL. Sort of 18th Century Dominatrix. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/671 "2012-05-17T13:10:50Z")
Oh, I think the entire cast has been good (excepting little Henry), just that Robert Carlyle is such a stand-out performer. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2012, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/672 "2012-05-17T14:03:11Z")
dang - I missed the edit window. Anyway, despite the weird spelling of her name, I’d pay to see Ginnifer Godwin on the big screen as Snow White in that movie with the Huntsman this summer. NOT Kristen Stewart. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2012, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/673 "2012-05-19T01:51:57Z")
> [@Tangent](#): > > I keep waiting for them to give his [Dr Whale’s] backstory. He’s definitely creepy. Remember when he was trying to pick up Red at the bus stop? He gave off a really weird vibe then, but the show has never followed up on that. Who’s he supposed to be, anyway? The whale that swallowed Pinocchio? lol > [@](#): > > I wish more people had watched Carlyle on _Stargate: Universe_. He was really amazing in that and his character was much more interesting and complex than Mr. Gold/Rumpelstiltskin is so far. I think he’s equally great on both shows. Early on he was pretty much all that made SGU worth watching. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/674 "2012-05-21T16:09:07Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Who’s he supposed to be, anyway? The whale that swallowed Pinocchio? lol That’s the answer that we came up with, but he hasn’t been seen in HEAL yet, so we’re just guessing. Dr Whale’s [character page on imdb](http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0272090/)has no entries and does not list a HEAL name. Granny is also listed in imdb as only Granny. Has anyone ever called her by name on the show? We’d wondered before if Regina’s mom was the miller’s daughter for whom Rumplestitskin spun straw into gold. Given that she and Henry’s last name is Miller in Storybrooke, I think that is a good guess. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/675 "2012-05-21T19:10:14Z")
> [@well\_he\_s\_back](#): > > Oh, I think the entire cast has been good (excepting little Henry), just that Robert Carlyle is such a stand-out performer. I have been tuned into him since The Full Monty. He is good in everything he does. ---
**Author:** ![maggenpye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@maggenpye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maggenpye)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/676 "2012-05-21T20:00:29Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > I have been tuned into him since The Full Monty. He is good in everything he does. Oh yes. Get the DVDs of Hamish Macbeth if you can. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/677 "2012-05-21T22:23:17Z")
Ok, I’m rewatching the series but I still can’t understand what Pinocchio was trying to do, pretending to be Rumple’s son? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/678 "2012-05-21T22:33:54Z")
Can someone help me out? Since I didn’t watch as they came on I didn’t follow the thread. What does HEAL stand for? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/679 "2012-05-21T22:40:36Z")
Happily Ever After Land, it was coined by someone upthread and we’ve just stuck with it. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [May 21, 2012, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574/680 "2012-05-21T22:42:56Z")
> [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](#): > > Happily Ever After Land, it was coined by someone upthread and we’ve just stuck with it. Thanks. Lots of people don’t seem too happy there. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574.md?page=33) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/once-upon-a-time-edited-title/600574.md?page=35)