Kay Ziegler
Staff Writer
As I’ve watched Once Upon a Time for the last 3 years, I’ve noticed several parallels between the fairytale show and the Sci-Fi drama, Lost. Both shows were written and produced by Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. The show Once Upon a Time (OUAT) also stars many actors from Lost (Emilie de Ravin, Jorge Garcia, and Alan Dale to name a few familiar faces). Both shows were even on the same channel – ABC. However, the similarities do not end there. Let’s explore some of them, shall we?
1. Relationships
A huge part of Lost was the relationships formed between the characters. Sometimes, the friendships were unlikely (Hurley and Sawyer, for example), but they somehow made it work. Families were broken and in need of being repaired. Couples struggled to be together and sometimes, they didn’t get their happily ever after’s.
In OUaT we’re faced with similar situations. This season we’ve seen Hook and Charming become friends (kind of). Emma has had many men swooning over her, but there is no clear winner – they all have their own faults. Snow has had to work to regain the love of her life, but she’s lost him on multiple occasions.
2. Props
Many things that were in Lost have shown up in our fairy tale series. Early on, we saw a billboard for Oceanic airlines, which was the airline that Lost centered around. Throughout the years, Apollo chocolate (a snack food in the Lost universe) has been featured many times on OUAT. Many of the infamous Lost numbers (4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42) have been spotted, most recently the time on Emma’s alarm clock read 8:15. We can even find swans in both series. Lost had the Dharma Initiative’s Swan Station with its swan emblem. OUAT has Emma Swan and her swan keychain necklace.
3. Mystical Places
Lost is set on a magical island where ghosts are part of the norm, people are healed, and time travel is possible. Magic is everywhere within the fairy tale show; a character can’t go one step without running into something fantastic. OUAT has Nerverland, the Enchanted Forest, Storybrooke, The Land Without Color, and soon Oz will be added to the mixture. Need I say more?
4. Daddy Issues
The relationship between child and parent can be challenging at times. Oftentimes, it can be exceedingly difficult. But, for those in Lost, it was downright impossible. Sawyer saw his dad murder his mom. Jack and his father fought and, in the end, barely spoke to each other; elder Dr. Shepherd even kept Jack from finding out about his half-sister, Claire. Ben Linus kidnapped a French explorer’s daughter and raised her as his own until the girl was killed in front of Ben.
Much of the same strife is happening in the OUAT realm. Malcom abandoned Rumplestiltskin, who abandoned Baelfire. King George practically stole Charming from his mother and then coerced him into fulfilling an unloving relationship with Kathryn. And, of course, Charming unwillingly had to give up Emma.
5. Strong Women
This is the 21st Century. Women don’t just stay at home cleaning and cooking. They are breadwinners. They are fighters. They are the movers and shakers. Both Lost and OUAT have done a wonderful job showing this. The women do not wait for love or rescue. They often take the first step. Many times, the ladies save the men.
Sometimes, I like to call Once Upon a Time “Lost 2.0”. I just hope the last episode (whenever it airs) doesn’t reveal that all the fairy tale characters are dead and have been mulling around a church waiting for the final person to come. That would not be cool. What do you think?
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