‘Once Upon a Time’s Spin-off Series Is Still Worth Revisiting

The Big Picture

• Once Upon a Time in Wonderland
  had a self-contained story with strong character development.
• The spin-off expanded on favorite
  Once Upon a Time
  characters, giving them more depth and backstory.
• Despite lower ratings and cancellation after one season, the 13-episode series offers a magical adventure in the
  Once Upon a Time
  universe.

Once upon a time, there was a magical series filled with classic fairy tales and Disney characters thrown into the real world via a dark curse cast by an Evil Queen — the show was appropriately called, Once Upon a Time. The brainchild of former Lost writers Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, the show enchanted ABC viewers for seven seasons and 156 episodes. During a recent interview with Collider, former Once star, Colin O’Donoghue, got fans thinking about the possibility of a Once Upon a Time revival. While there’s certainly an argument for the show’s return, audiences don’t have to wait for a theoretical revival to return to the realms of the show.

Premiering in 2013 alongside the main show’s third season, the spin-off series, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, was an exciting expansion of the Once universe that many viewers missed out on. The romantic-adventure series had a massive marketing campaign and quite a bit of buzz leading up to its premiere, yet it was not a ratings darling like its predecessor. Though the endeavor may have only lasted one season, it’s most definitely worthy of a watch by fans of the parent series thanks to a complete story, an epic series finale, and an expansion on a number of fan-favorites.

What Happens in ‘Once Upon a Time in Wonderland’?

Before Once Upon a Time‘s third season, it was announced that ABC had picked up Once Upon a Time in Wonderland for a 13-episode season. During Season 2 of the main series, viewers complained that the show wasn’t airing consistently, as “in two weeks” became the frequent tagline for the show’s post-episode promos. To remedy the issue, ABC announced Once Upon a Time‘s 22-episode third season would be split into two volumes, with the first 11 episodes premiering in the fall and the final 11 airing in the spring, which allowed the episodes to air without the interruptions of special events in the winter, such as the Superbowl and the Academy Awards. Once Upon a Time in Wonderland was originally intended to fill the event-less weeks in between those two half seasons. After early buzz following the show’s 20-minute pilot presentation and the release of its trailer, the network moved the revival up to its fall schedule and gave it its own night and time slot.

Set in Once‘s (first) rendition of Wonderland, the 13-episode series follows Alice (Sophie Lowe), as she returns to Wonderland alongside her friend, the Knave of Hearts/Will Scarlet (Michael Socha), to find the true love that she thought she’d lost: a genie named Cyrus (Peter Gadiot). There, she must defeat the complex Red Queen (Emma Rigby) and the malevolent Jafar (Naveen Andrews) to reunite with her genie and bring peace to Wonderland.

‘Once Upon a Time in Wonderland’ Benefited From Its Shorter Run

Once Upon a Time in Wonderland‘s one-season storyline made for a tight, well-paced arc, as a shorter run meant that there was no need for filler episodes. When the season begins, Alice is up against the Red Queen and Jafar’s alliance. Cyrus is Jafar’s prisoner, while Alice and the Knave search for him. By the time the winter finale aired, Alice and Cyrus reunite and the fan-favorite Red Queen has become an anti-hero, forced to work with the lovers in order to defeat Jafar and to win back her own true love. While fans loved Regina’s (Lana Parrilla) redemption arc in the original series, it was a multi-year struggle for the former evil queen, as viewers had to wait until Season 3 to see Regina team up with the heroes. Instead, Wonderland was able to deliver a deliciously fun villain-hero dynamic after just a few episodes.

Speaking of character dynamics, the short run also allowed for ample character development. While Once Upon a Time‘s character arcs made for iconic television, those stories had to be stretched out over the course of 22 to 23 episodes a year. Each season also brought in new characters from fairy tales and Disney lore, which led to a crowded roster. Wonderland‘s single-season arc meant that each of its main characters needed to not only reach their full development by the season’s end, but they also had to do it in a shorter period. This resulted in a well-balanced and dynamically written season, where each character got to shine in every single episode. The arcs culminated in a satisfying and beautiful series finale that is the Once Upon a Time universe at its very best, but those characters weren’t the only ones given a chance to shine.

‘Once Upon a Time in Wonderland’ Expanded on Favorite ‘Once Upon a Time’ Characters

Throughout its seven-year run, Once Upon a Time introduced a slew of fan-favorite characters. But with such a large ensemble, it was understandable that some characters fell to the wayside. Once Upon a Time in Wonderland‘s slightly smaller main cast allowed the show to expand on a few Once Upon a Time favorites. In the series’ third episode, it’s revealed that the Knave is from the Enchanted Forest and is none other than Will Scarlet, one of Robin Hood’s (Sean Maguire) Merry Men. Maguire appears in a flashback in a story that lays the groundwork for Robin’s struggle in Season 4 of Once, in which Socha reprised his role as Will. The flashback also includes the criminally underrated Once Upon a Time villain, Maleficent (Kristen Bauer van Straten), who, at that point, hadn’t appeared on the main show since the first season, and wouldn’t return until the Queens of Darkness story in Season 4. Maleficent wasn’t the only big bad from the parent series to fall down the rabbit hole, though.

Mirror, mirror on the wall, one of the most evil Once villains of all made an appearance in Wonderland when Cora (Barbara Hershey) invaded Episode 11, “Heart of the Matter.” The episode focuses on Rigby’s Anastasia; as she adjusts to her new role as Wonderland’s Red Queen in a flashback, the Queen of Hearts, Cora, pays her a visit. Cora takes Anastasia under her wing after saying her own daughter (a nod to Regina) has been a “disappointment.” She volunteers to teach Anastasia magic, though the young girl is reluctant. While expanding on the Red Queen’s story and helping make her more understandable to Wonderland viewers, it also furthers Cora’s story. Viewers will remember from the main show that — despite becoming the monster Cora wanted her to be — Regina always had a turbulent relationship with her mother. The Caterpillar, who originally appeared in the 18th episode of Once Upon a Time‘s first season (along with the debut of Wonderland as a realm), makes numerous appearances and is revealed to be a mob boss. But the spin-off’s connections to Once weren’t one-sided. When the parent series returned for its fourth season the following season, the mythology and characters of Once Upon a Time in Wonderland would find their way to Storybrooke.

Does ‘Once Upon a Time in Wonderland’ Connect to ‘Once Upon a Time’?

Once Upon a Time‘s fourth season was littered with new characters. From the addition of Frozen‘s lore to a trio of some of Disney’s best witches, there was no shortage of new cast members. But an underrated addition was that of Socha’s Will Scarlet. Debuting in the season’s fourth episode, Socha was added to the principal cast. His arrival is a nuisance to Emma and the Storybrooke gang initially, as he gets himself into all sorts of trouble with the sheriff’s department. But his crime spree actually teased further connections.

Emma arrests Will after he breaks into the library and passes out drunk. When she finds him, Emma confiscates a page Will tore out from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland; a page that specifically references the Red Queen. Throughout the season, Will laments that he’s separated from Anastasia, and showrunners Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz had plans to bring Rigby’s Red Queen over to the main series as well, but the plans never panned out, as Socha exited the series following the season’s ending, per DigitalSpy.

Jafar would further cross over when he was added to Season 6’s character Rolodex. Though Naveen Andrews was unavailable to reprise his role, Oded Fehr‘s take on the character is the same as Wonderland‘s. When Hook comes across Jafar, he’s still trapped in the genie bottle Alice and Cyrus put him in at the end of the spin-off, and vows revenge on the “people who put me in there.” He doesn’t get very far, however, as he’s foiled by Princess Jasmine (Karen David). Unfortunately for Wonderland viewers, this would be the last cross-over for the shows. Alice and Cyrus specifically left the story with Wonderland‘s untimely ending.

Why was ‘Once Upon a Time in Wonderland’ Cancelled?

Once Upon a Time in Wonderland had an impressive advertising campaign prior to the series premiere. Initially, it was to fill Once‘s winter hiatus. However, after ABC decided to give the show its own night and time slot, the series failed to bring in the ratings for which the network hoped. Once Upon a Time‘s third season, which aired the same year, averaged 7.08 million viewers an episode with a 2.20 in the coveted 18-49 demographic, per TVSeriesFinale.com. Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, however, averaged just 3.76 million viewers and a 0.9 in the demo. As the series was initially designed as a limited series with the potential to become an anthology, ABC decided to cancel the show and end it with the already close-ended finale.

Once Upon a Time in Wonderland was not the ratings boost for which ABC had hoped. However, the 13-episode spin-off is a magical way for viewers to revisit the fantastical realms of the Once Upon a Time universe. From a tight, well-paced story that allows each of its characters to shine, to appearances from favorites of the original series, viewers are in for a larger-than-life and satisfying adventure down the rabbit hole.