'Once Upon a Time...Happily Never After' Review: A tale of loveless soulmates, curses and dragons
'Once Upon a Time...Happily Never After' is a new Netflix series with a magical twist. The story takes place in a wonderful town where everyone yearns for love, but the irony is that the town is cursed when it comes to love. The series will take you to a mysterious realm where a couple forced to stay apart in one life is attempting to re-discover each other in another life to break a curse that has been set on their town — a place where no one is permitted to fall in love. The lady is on the hunt for her actual identity, while the male has broken the spell and is now ready for a fantastical event like a sexual revolution.
The characters shuffle back and forth in their former and current lives which could leave the viewer slightly confused at the beginning. However, you will eventually understand this theme. 'Once Upon a Time... Happily Never After’, which premiered on Netflix on March 11, is written and directed by Manolo Caro. If you like to watch similar shows you must check out 'High School Musical: The Musical: The Series', 'Motown Magic' and 'Queens'
RELATED ARTICLES
NBC ‘The Courtship’: Meet Nicole Remy and her suitors on the 'Bridgerton-inspired' dating show
‘Once Upon a Time... Happily Never After’: 5 things to know about Netflix drama series
So what is this curse? The fairytale features a princess named 'Soledad' (Nia Correia) who is in love with a common fisherman named 'Diego' (Sebastián Yatra). The princess' family does not approve of this relationship. The family tries to get Diego killed, forcing him to seek refuge with a witch. The witch casts a spell — The Magic of the Blue Dragon — which ensures that as long as both the dragon and Diego live, the princess will not be able to fall in love with anyone else. However, the spell goes horribly wrong leaving the entire town cursed which means not just Diego and Soledad, but no resident can now fall in love.
There's one way to cure the curse though — Soledad and Diego must be reunited during the pink moon and the dragon, which has now been kept in the La Soledad hotel, must be released into a lake. However, as the story continues to the present, Soledad and Diego are seemingly unaware that they are soulmates. They have instead been depicted as best friends. Being best friends, though, is akin to being soulmates.
The tale not only demonstrates how a couple forced to part must find each other in another life to break the curse, but also depicts the stories of several characters, such as a girl in love with a married guy. And, of course, there's Enamora, the great singer who wishes for this town to be curse-free as she is the only one who remembers everything from her previous life.
The series is full of humor, music, and passion (and desperation) of the town's people who are looking for love. The series is similar to a romantic comedy film, except it is also a musical. The series will transport you to a magical land with spells and prophecies, but most importantly it focuses on whether Soledad and Diego will be able to fall in love and rid the town of its curse in order for everyone to find love.
