‘Once Upon A Time’ Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary Since The Premiere Episode

As much as I love classic Disney films it’s hard for me to fathom why I was not into Once Upon A Time during the 7 years it aired on ABC. It seems like each year I discover a new show (old or recent) that becomes my latest obsession and this year Once Upon A Time became mine. I spent a good month binging the entire series and continued to watch the show constantly because I just wasn’t ready to leave that world.

Created by Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, Once Upon A Time ran for 7 seasons from 2011 -2018. The series starred Lana Parrilla, Robert Carlyle, Jared Gilmore, Jennifer Morrison, Josh Dallas, Ginnifer Goodwin, Colin O’Donoghue, Emilie de Ravin, Meghan Ory, Beverley Elliott, Rebecca Mader, Sean Maguire, Lee Arenberg, Michael Raymond Jones, Keegan Conner Tracy, and many more. The fantasy-adventure series premiered 10 years ago today (October 23) and centers around a small town called Storybrooke, Maine where fairy tales characters are trapped under a curse with no recollection of their true selves.

If you love Disney and fairy tales then this is the show for you! It’s currently available to stream on Disney+.

To celebrate the 10th anniversary I wanted to share my top 10 episodes from Once Upon A Time. This was a real “Sophie’s Choice,” so these are not ranked in order. Let’s take a trip down memory lane Oncers.

1. Season 1, Episode 1 “Pilot”
It would be remiss of me to not love the premiere episode of OUAT. As a teen, Emma Swan gave up her son for adoption. She wasn’t ready to be a mom and she wanted to give him his best chance. While making a birthday wish a decade later, a charming young boy named Henry shows up at her door revealing he’s her son Henry and he wants Emma to come home with him to Storybrooke to break a curse. By the end of the first episode, I was hooked on discovering who the characters really were outside of their cursed selves and seeing if Emma would eventually believe Henry.

2. Season 1, Episode 22 “Land Without Magic”
In the season 1 finale, the curse was broken! Emma saved Henry with true love’s kiss and the people of Storybrooke remembered their fairy tales lives of the Enchanted Forest. Now at this point, I was scratching my head because I’m thinking now that the curse is broken what could possibly happen on this show now. Oh, sweet summer child, there was plenty more drama to come when Mr. Gold aka Rumplelstiltskin brought magic into the real world.

3. Season 2, Episode 4 “The Crocodile”
Now the party officially started when Killian Jones aka Captain Hook made his first appearance on the show. He was a sexy, flirtatious pirate who made the villains look not so bad. This episode showed how the Captain indeed got his hook and how to endless feud with Rumplelstiltskin and Hook began.

4. Season 2, Episode 6 “Tallahassee”
The dichotomy of this episode is truly one of my favorites. This is not only the first time Hook and Emma spent time alone together fueling the soon “Captain Swan” ship, but it showed the backstory of Emma meeting Henry’s dad Neal and how the future they were planning went south.

5. Season 3, Episode 5 “Good Form”
Neverland! The entire season 3 is really my favorite because Peter Pan as a villain was just too good! After much sexual tension between Hook and Emma, it hit a rejoicing peak when Hook basically dared Emma to kiss him as a thank you for saving her father’s life. If you weren’t on board for Captain Swan before after that kiss you had no choice but to be.

6. Season 3, Episode 21 “Snow Drifts”
I can’t tell you how many times I watched this episode. I know I said I wasn’t ranking episodes but I can hands down say this is my favorite, period! Hook and Emma get dragged through a time portal that takes them back in time and brings them to the Enchanted Forest where the Evil Queen was still corrupt, Snow White was a bandit on the run and had yet to fall in love with Prince Charming. Not only did we get premium Captain Swan moments, but it’s one of the funniest episodes.

7. Season 3, Episode 22 “There’s No Place Like Home”
The season 3 finale was a second part to “Snow Drifts” so this was equally my favorite. It basically retold the events from episode 3 of season 1 “Snow Falls” but with Emma and Hook splashed in the mix making sure everything stayed the same so the future wouldn’t change. Although it ended with my girl Regina heartbroken, Captain Swan got their real first kiss and it was so sweet. Clearly, I’m a Captain Swan stan.

8. Season 4, Episode 11 “Shattered Sight”
“Frozen” was introduced in this season and Elizabeth Lail’s Princess Anna was perfect. At this point, Ingrid aka The Snow Queen is in Storybrooke and has an agenda for Emma and Elsa. She cast the curse of Shattered Sight that brings out the worst in everyone and it’s so funny. Everyone reveals their “true,” most hurtful opinions about one another while Emma and Elsa race to break the curse and stop the Snow Queen for good.

9. Season 4, Episode 22 “Operation Mongoose Part 1 & 2”
I have to combine these two because it just flows. Henry finds himself trapped in a book version of what could become a reality thanks to a devious plan made by The Author and Mr. Gold to bring happy endings to the villains instead of the heroes. Everything is backward. Snow White is now an evil queen, Charming is her mindless flunky, Regina is a bandit on the run, Hook is a bashful deckhand, Rumplelstiltskin is a knight, and Emma is trapped in a tower cursed to know she’s in an alternate reality. I was waiting for an episode that would show the characters in flipped personas and this gave me everything.

10. Season 2, Episode 19 “Lacey”
Belle regains her memories after being shot and falling over the town line, but thanks to Regina they are her cursed memories and she believes she’s a rambunctious barfly named Lacey. This is a Rumple and Belle focused episode because it goes back and forth between their time together in the Enchanted Forest when he has her trapped in his castle and she begins to see a different side of him to them in Storybrooke and Lacey falling for the evil side of Mr. Gold. Belle was serving in both realms.

Honorable Mention Episodes:

* Season 3, Episode 1 “The Heart of the Truest Believer”
Kicking off my favorite season, Emma, Hook, Snow, Charming, Regina, and Mr. Gold head to Neverland to save Henry. I don’t know why the ship scene after the mermaid attack slays me so hard, but it’s iconic.

* Season 2, Episode 11 “The Outsider”
No one is supposed to be able to come into Storybrooke and all of a sudden a man gets through and it goes down.

*Season 2, Episode 4 “Manhattan”
Emma finds out Neal is Mr. Gold’s son. Neal finds out he HAS a son. It’s all so good.

*Season 1, Episode 3 “Snow Falls”
Snow and Charming falling in love made me really feel happily ever after is possible.

*Season 4, Episode 4 “The Apprentice”
Emma and Hook go on their first date. Enough said.

For all my Oncers out there, what are your favorite episodes or moments from the show? Do you agree with mine? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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