Rating: 5/5
Worth Watching? Yes
Source: Online
The world's most beloved fairy tales are re-imagined as a dark and twisted psychological thriller set in modern day New York City. The first season of this serialized drama interweaves "The Three Little Pigs," "Little Red Riding Hood," and "Hansel and Gretel" into an epic and subversive tale of love, loss, greed, revenge, and murder. (Source)
If you've been following my blog for a while, you'll know that I'm a huge fan of Paul Wesley, and pretty much anything that he's in, I'll try to watch. With Once Upon a Time having just finished, my thirst for fairytales was dying to be quenched. And then Tell Me a Story was announced. Re-imagined fairytales was exactly what I was looking for; but for any OUAT fans out there, this show is a hell of a lot darker...
As a writer/creator of some of my favourite TV/film of all-time (Scream, The Following, The Vampire Diaries), I knew Kevin Williamson would create something gripping, exciting, and downright creepy. He most certainly didn't disappoint. The first season has just finished, and I held my breath as I waited to see if it would be renewed (it has been, and I'm beyond thrilled!).
The first series is set in New York City, and follows three fairytales that we know and love; Little Red Riding Hood, Hansel & Gretel, and The Three Little Pigs. Tell Me a Story turns the fairytales on their head and you see the stories from a different perspective, and in a new light.
One of the character's girlfriend has just been killed in a robbery gone wrong by three men dressed as pigs. One of the character's mum has just died and she's moved to New York with her dad, only to get caught up in the wrong crowd and for a predator to take their aim on her. And the last story follows a brother and sister who get caught up in an accidental death that they really shouldn't have been involved with...
The stories are very clever, and although not exclusively as we know them, there are moments in all three where there's hints of the original stories, that are interwoven perfectly for the modern day. One thing that distinguishes these stories from the fairytales we're used to, is that they don't always have a happy ending...
As a huge Paul Wesley fan, it's no surprise that my favourite story overall was The Three Little Pigs. Paul is an alcoholic, who's looking to turn his life around with an easy way out. His acting in this is stellar, and unlike any other role I've seen him in. Without being too spoiler-y, as his paranoia sets in throughout the series, the change in Eddie is astronomical, and seeing a more vulnerable side of Eddie makes him become far more likeable as the series goes on.
The standout performance for me though was definitely Billy Magnussen (sorry Paul!). He plays Nick Sullivan - a substitute teacher with a lot of secrets. You can't really delve into the character of Nick without giving a lot of the storyline away; but I'll give you a hint: he's not the person you're expecting him to be. His role as Nick was absolutely mesmerising, and kept the show riveting throughout.
Another performance I enjoyed was James Wolk's as Jordan. His character arc was probably greater than anyone's, and seeing how certain events changed his entire persona, was altogether terrifying. His acting evoked the most feelings, and was definitely the most relatable.
Although we explore the three stories in detail, they're all easy to follow and at no point does it become confusing - even with other characters entering other stories. Yes, all the stories are somehow linked and the way this is done was possibly my favourite part of the show. The last episode in which all three stories collide, is absolutely epic.
Another point worth mentioning, is that there's no magic in this show. The fairytales are reimagined as gritty, real and bursting with drama. I was skeptical about how they would work without any kind of magical realism, but they do.
The show was absolutely fantastic, and I'm really looking forward to Season 2. It's been confirmed that they'll be a whole new set of fairytales coming our way - but as for the current cast, I'm not sure if they're returning. I hope they do an American Horror Story type thing, and at least invite a few cast members back as I'd love to see some of my favourites from this series take on new roles. Fast-paced, action-packed and one of my favourite series of 2018.
And any Once Upon a Time fans out there? Cinderella 2.0 and Neal are both main characters in Tell Me a Story; and are fantastic.
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