Once Upon a Time in Wonderland burrows into Wonderland as ABC’s newest series begins! See what’s working and catch up on all the hype in the spin off series!
To Wonderland we go, in premiere episode of Once Upon a Time in Wonderland “Down the Rabbit Hole.”
A familiar heroine, Alice, clad in her signature blue dress with white apron skips home to tell her father about the adventures she experienced in Wonderland. Her father is shocked to see Alice standing at his door alive.
Doctor’s Orders: The opening half of the episode overlays scenes from the more grown up Alice’s adventures in Wonderland against the dreary reality of her doctor’s diagnosis. Alice’s fantasy ramblings land her in an asylum where experimental procedures to forget painful memories are encouraged. Alice’s desire to forget stems from a trip gone wrong.
3 Wishes: Stumbling into a genie trapped in a bottle is something only a miniature human can accomplish. Luckily for Alice, and the trapped genie Cyrus, Wonderland seems to shrink people all the time. Her chance encounter with Cyrus leads to the granting of three wishes and a few extra adventures. Escaping from the lamp, Alice and Cyrus grow to love their place as strangers in Wonderland and fall in love.
Their blooming love is short-lived once the Red Queen catches wind of the happiness brewing between them. The boiling sea, where they made their vows, now claims the life of Cyrus as the Queen forces him to his death over the cliff. It is after this moment we find Alice at the asylum.
Escape to Wonderland: On the dawn of Alice’s surgery, the Knave of Hearts makes a grand entrance into Alice’s room to take her away to Wonderland. Alice remains resigned to the sorrow of a lost love, but transforms at the news that Cyrus is still alive. A new Alice is born in that moment. Grabbing her boots and knocking out the guards in her path, Alice demands the rabbit dig his hole and get them to back to Wonderland.
An Evil Pair of Hearts: What is better than one mysterious evil ruler? An equally powerful ruler from another world enlisting the help of each other! The Red Queen and Jafar pair up for undisclosed reasons. Jafar needs Alice to return to Wonderland so he may destroy her wishes three. Until that time the genie remains attached to Alice’s bidding. The Red Queen is blackmailing the White Rabbit, with something unknown, but it is enough to make him whimper at her threat. Jafar, departs to Agrabha, letting the Queen take care of Alice.
A Mad Hunt: Alice and the Knave of Hearts set off for the Mad Hatter’s abandoned house on the advice of a narcoleptic mouse. The Knave requires some bargaining to go on with Alice into a land he left on not so great terms. Alice presents the Knave with the wishes she stores in the heel of her boot. The wishes come with circumstances and must be requested with exact precision.
The Knave accepts her offer and they head into the Tulgey forest encountering a familiar wide-jawed feline. The Cheshire Cat, starving in the strange forest, attacks Alice. The Knave rescues her and the two arrive at an abandoned Hatter’s home. No signs of life appear and the Knave suggests that Alice move away from the heartache of Wonderland and start a new life. That is, until Alice finds the still glowing necklace that once belonged her beloved.
The strength of Cyrus and Alice’s entwined hearts, keeps the story afloat as the threesome continue their journey under the Evil Queen’s watchful eye. Meanwhile, Cyrus is literally hanging under the watch of Jafar in, what appears to be, the Cave of Wonders. Alive, but probably not too well.
Once Upon a Time in Wonderland‘s plot is a bit more cohesive and easy to follow than the numerous story lines of Once Upon a Time, but chock full of mystery and modern magical allure to pull audiences in.
‘Once Upon a Time in Wonderland’ episode 2, ‘Trust Me’ airs Thursday, October 17 at 8 p.m. ET.