Today, I will compare Emma Swan from Once Upon a Time to Kate Austen from Lost. Both of these women are very quiet but have proved that they have a surprising strength, calm under pressure, and a dangerous side. Emma and Kate both have criminal records. Emma was arrested after participating in the theft of expensive watches, while Kate killed her abusive father and went on a crime spree while on the run.
Emma and Kate both had troubling childhoods. After Emma was sent through a magical portal, she was picked up on the side of the road and raised in foster care. Kate was physically abused by her alcoholic father.
Both of these women were non-traditional mothers. Emma gave birth to her son Henry in jail, gave him up for adoption, and then was found by him. Kate, after finally leaving the Island, acted as a mother for Claire's son Aaron when Claire was not able to escape.
These women were also distrustful fighters. Emma constantly had to fight the villains of the show because she was the Savior, the person meant to break the curse placed upon the town of Storybrooke. Emma was distrustful of the fairytale naivety of her parents because she was raised in the harsh world of foster care. Kate constantly fought her way out of being arrested, helped with many dangerous missions on the Island, and helped kill "the man in black." Due to Kate's extensive criminal past, she often could not reveal herself to people she loved.
Both women also viewed Tallahassee as a place of escape. When Emma and her thief boyfriend decided to settle down, Emma randomly picked Tallahassee on a map. After trying to flee to Tallahassee, Kate was arrested by a U.S. Marshal.
The next two characters I’ll analyze are the leading men who stepped up as the leaders: Prince Charming from Once Upon a Time and Jack Shepard from Lost. The unwavering bravery and dedication of these men to their loved ones was made very clear. Prince Charming, aka David Noland, was a common shepherd who took on the responsibilities of a prince and a leader when the town of Storybrooke was left without a sheriff. With the expertise of a surgeon, Jack Shepard became a leader and doctor to the castaways.
Both Prince Charming and Jack had siblings that they were unaware of until their adulthood. Prince Charming’s twin brother, the born prince, was separated from him at birth by Rumpelstiltskin. Jack’s father had an affair with another woman, resulting in Jack’s half-sister Claire, coincidently one of the other survivors of the plane crash.
Both Prince Charming and Jack had difficulties in making up their mind on who they loved. David Noland had an affair with Mary Margaret Blanchard, while he was still technically married to Kathryn. Jack Shepard, throughout his time on the Island, debated whether he loved Kate Austen or Juliet.
Despite being the handsome leaders who came to save the day, both characters could be extremely stubborn and controlling. Prince Charming prevented Snow White from killing her nemesis the Evil Queen, but was fine with ordering the queen's execution. Jack was the last of the survivors to realize the truth behind the Island because he could not rationalize it.
The very obvious connection between these natural born leaders was the fact that they both had similar names. Prince Charming was referred to by King George as the “shepherd,” while Jack’s last name was Shepard.
Spoiler Alert! The first two characters I will compare are Regina Mills from Once Upon a Time and Benjamin Linus from Lost. The most glaring similarity is that both characters are longtime villains who were ruthless murderers. Regina, aka the Evil Queen, tricked a genie into killing her husband, King Leopold, ordered the murder of an entire village because of their association with Snow White, and killed Sheriff Graham because he was no longer under her control. Benjamin Linus, leader of the “Others” murdered Jacob because of jealousy, helped the “Hostiles” slaughter the DHARMA Initiatives members, and killed his rival Charles Widmore.
Both Regina and Benjamin were power hungry and did everything to keep hold of their power. Regina could not destroy magic, even after hearing pleas from her son, because she would lose her power. Benjamin did not stop a mercenary from killing his daughter Alex because it would mean he would lose his leadership on the island.
Both Regina and Benjamin were adoptive parents. Regina adopted Henry, the biological son of Emma Swan. Benjamin kidnapped Alex from her biological mother Danielle Rousseau after he was ordered to kill them both.
Despite being despicable murderers, Regina and Benjamin tried to become better people at one point in their shows. Regina tried to quit using magic to please her son and she also saved Storybrooke and its citizens a couple of times. Benjamin helped the core castaways of the Island stop the “man in black” from destroying the island and he became Hugo Reyes's second hand man. Due to their past deeds and their swapping sides so often, both Regina and Benjamin found themselves as hated outcasts.
After watching every current episode of
Lost and Once Upon a Time, I naturally started comparing the two shows, since both series were written by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. I noticed that were similarities between the plotlines of each show. Both the fairytale creatures in Storybrooke and the castaways on the Island were trapped victims of time in a supernatural location. The fairytale characters were frozen in time, unaware of their own identities, while the castaways on the Island were thrown into different time periods after a wheel was turned.
In both shows, a cloud of smoke means very bad news. The curse that sent the fairytale creatures was preceded by a cloud of magical smoke, while the survivors on the Island were chased by a smoke monster. However, despite the similarities in events and concepts, I found the characters in both television shows were way more similar. So for the week before the Once Upon a Time return on March 9, I will compare two similar characters from the shows each day,
starting tomorrow. Spoiler Alert Watch every episode before you read these posts because the plot will be discussed. Enjoy!
Am
I the only one who noticed that Clara Oswald is a totally awesome companion
that has saved the Doctor's life quite a bit? If you think about it Clara saved
the Doctor's life every time he was endangered by the Great Intelligence after
it jumped into his time stream. After that she convinced the Doctor to find an
alternative solution to the Time War. If she would have remained silent while
witnessing the three Doctors preparing to destroy Gallifrey, then the eleventh
Doctor would not have come up with a way to hide his planet. Finally, in the
Christmas special, Clara also convinced the Time Lords, who were trapped behind
the crack in the wall, to give the Doctor another regeneration.
I
think, that of all the companions I am familiar with, Clara has been the most
instrumental in the safety of the Doctor. As she said in the episode "The
Name of the Doctor," she was born to save the Doctor, and boy did she. I
have to admit, I wished she would have received a better farewell from Eleven
before he regenerated into the twelfth Doctor. However, I guess, because the
Doctor spent so much time with Amy Pond, she would be the companion he was
thinking about so much before his death. Still I think Clara does not get
enough credit because she is an unfamiliar companion, even though she has
proved she is always there for the Doctor.
Although Christopher Eccleston will remain forever as my
favorite Doctor Who actor, I will admit that Matt Smith's touching scene before
his death gave Eccleston a run for his money in my mind. Smith made sure that
the eleventh Doctor left parting words of wisdom, remembrance of his
companions, and most importantly, insurance that both the Gallifreyans and
humans were safe from his enemies. The eleventh Doctor gave beautiful and
dramatic speeches that secured a place in the hearts of Doctor Who fans. He
defied the laws of the universe after receiving an additional regeneration,
which gave fans a magnificent view of lava-like energy shooting into the sky
and destroying the Dalek ships. This combination of visual stimulation and
snarky speech ensured that Eleventh's death would not be lacking excitement.
This episode also showcased the eleventh Doctor's soft side as well. Faced with
impending death, Smith gave a dignified speech. This speech demonstrated that
although Eleven did not want to die, he understood that everything must end;
that it is not the destination of a person's life that matters but rather the
path they took to get there. His dying hallucinations of Amelia Pond showed
that his companions remained very important to him. Eleven's death demonstrated
that, like Eccleston, the Doctor will always save and care for others, even
when facing impending doom. Both Eccleston and Smith's versions of the Doctor
cared more about saving those around them than their own life. They did not
spend the moments before their regeneration crying and saying how much they
didn't want to go, like the tenth Doctor did. Eccleston, after saving Rose,
commented on how wonderful they had been together during their journeys and how
much more he wanted to show Rose. Smith, after saving Clara and the town of
Christmas, gave beautiful advice on how to spend life, while remembering
"the first face this face ever saw." These actions of the ninth and
eleventh Doctor proved why they are my favorite actors that have played the
Doctor. However, I am hoping that the twelfth Doctor, Peter Capaldi, will find
a place in my heart as well.
Tonight was the finale of Whodunnit, the new reality show in
which contestants must solve murder mysteries each week detailing how previous
contestants were killed. Although no contestants were really harmed in the
show, it makes me wonder how close we are to becoming the next Rome, in which
men and women are killed merely for the entertainment of the audience. Don't
get me wrong, I am a fan of the show Whodunnit and am looking forward to the
next season. However, this new reality show seems to be toeing a very thin
line. Reality shows, no matter what their themes, are always cutthroat, but it
seems that the relief contestants had with just hypothetical deaths is a step
above cut throat. With the imitation of real murders and the competitive but nonchalant
aura of the show, Whodunnit could be the start of actual death becoming a mere
game. And the audience is not completely free of blame for this transition. If
we desensitize ourselves to the idea of watching fake deaths that mimic real
murders, how far are we from not blinking when we see an actual murder
televised. And if we do come to this point, will we become the next Romans who
find pleasure in blood shed and torment? Will we eventually find our empire
crumbling. Perhaps I am blowing up a simple situation into a major drama, but
it wouldn't hurt to keep this possibility in mind. It may take decades, but we
could find that we transform into the modern equivalents of blood lusting
Romans.
