Twice Upon a Barrie-Land

There's more to report about how the TV series Once Upon a Time is handling the most famous work of Sir J.M. Barrie.  This post has spoilers, so be warned.  The first post is here.

This episode is a direct extension of the previous.  Its title completes the "directions to the Neverland."  I have that in quotes for two reasons: 1) they're using Disney's addition of the word "star" 2) they're not really the correct directions anyway.  At any rate, Second Star to the Right led into And Straight in 'Til Morning.  [There should be a "then" in there, without the apostrophed "till" but who's counting? ;) ]

Here's what we discover:
We do see the island, sort of, for we finally reach its shore.   In fact, as you can see, it's also the fantasy element shown this time amid the woods in the opening.  Okay, remember the character I'd mentioned who went in place of a Darling boy and fell into the ocean when struggling with the Shadow/Pan?  And I'd thought he'd be a pirate, then?  Well, he won't be.  You see, the boy pieces together that Hook is responsible for taking his mother away back in the land he came from and therefore wants nothing to do with the captain.  A little more on this kid in a bit.

We also see "The Lost Ones."  They've dropped the word "boys" for "ones."  I like it, for it makes it more intimidating.  And that's definitely the vibe they're going for here.  Besides that, they've got them in their early teens, if not teenagers.  So they're not exactly mere boys.  Oh - at least for now they do not fly.  They approach by ship.  The Lost Ones have a reputation in this world.  You don't want them to show up, they're feared.  They pester Hook because they think he's harboring the boy that fell into the ocean.  At the time he is, but hides the boy from them.  Smee (introduced into the show before Hook, for the record) expresses his concern about having any dealings with the kid.  He says, "What if the boy belongs to him?"  And the way he says it invokes a capital H.  "He'll be looking for us.  He knows this land better than we do."  Interesting, no?  Who could he be talking about?  I knew right away.  I bet you do, too.

Moving on, from what we have to gather, the infamous immortal boy of the island is not in fact just that truly scary Shadow from the other episode.  The Lost Ones tell Hook that He will rip your shadow from you as a punishment and it is reportedly very painful.  So it would seem the Shadow goes and fetches for a real boy, the leader of the Lost Ones.  But where is the real evidence?

Right around the bend.  Okay, the boy from the other world escapes Hook and is found washed ashore by the Lost Ones.  They examine him, but apparently He is looking for a particular boy.  It turns out he's not the boy they need.  One asks if they will ever find him.  Another replies, "Of course we will.  It make take time, but Peter Pan never fails."  Ah!  He does exist by that name!  And he's looking for none other than the main boy character from the series, of course.

To add more spice to this spooky spin, on their way to the Neverland via a portal (which they could only open with Hook's help!), Rumpelstiltskin says they (the other characters) have no idea who they're dealing with...and when is asked "Who's that?" the response is "Someone we all should fear."  Think about that for a second.  This is the Dark One saying to fear!  Granted, Rumplestiltskin has mellowed out a bit given his time as Mr. Gold in Storybrooke, and his literal (pun noted) relation to the other characters by blood and escapades - but he is still to be feared in his own right.  And yet, he's warning them.  Truth is the previous paragraph's events take place after this one's.  Know what that means?  He's talking about Peter Pan!

And so it seems that Peter Pan, in a new and twisted incarnation, will be the "Big Bad" for at least part of the next season.  For this had been the finale, and we are left hanging with the characters on their way to rescue the main character boy from his clutches.  I, for one, am very curious how they'll handle and depict Pan.  I bet it will be delightful.  Too bad we'll have to wait until the Fall!

Never Ask Why, Apparently.

Well the first thing to report about SyFy's Neverland is that I don't have to hate it.  But that doesn't mean there's really all that much to like, either.

If you're not aware, Neverland is the latest made for TV miniseries venture from the network to re-present a well known fantasy story.  In this case, obviously, the story of Peter Pan.

WARNING:  This post contains spoilers!  Read at your own risk if you haven't seen it and care to do so without having bits ruined for you.

What to start with...???
I suppose I must say I am miffed at the very least that they made the Neverland a planet.  We learn this right at the beginning and I sort of purposely forgot about it until the very end.  That's when they referred to the fact again and made it worse in my eyes.  You see, the whole adventure takes place on one big island.  But at the end Peter is excited that there's a bunch of islands on this globe.  HEY!  That's MY creation!  Yeah, okay, I am aware that it's not an exclusive thought.  But NEVERtheless, it is rather irksome.  At least I have the satisfaction of knowing I came up with and presented it first.

Other than that, though, I don't have any problem with it.  By which I mean in terms of direct connection to Barrie.  I'd been quite "worried" since it's a prequel.  One that comepletely ignores the one that Barrie wrote.  So.... you'd think I'd be up in arms, no?  The reason I'm not is because of one word: Re-imagine.  This version is meant to be a brand new spin on the whole of it.  It's not, therefore, necessarily meant to be conjuncted to Barrie's tales.  But that doesn't mean no negative bewonderment is involved, either.  But these are minor, assuming the show really does wish to "be its own thing."

The real issues, however, are with the story itself.  Sadly, it's the best of the (so far) three re-do's by SyFy.  Tin Man (a.k.a. The Wonderful Wizard of OZ) had some great tweaks, bits and ideas.  But ultimately it fell apart.  Alice (obvioulsy Alice's Adventures in Wonderland) proved to be unwatchable.  Yes, really that bad if you ask me.  Neverland isn't as terrible as all that... yet it's still a half-baked mess with ingredients from just about everything other than Peter Pan.  It unfortunately FEELS like a mash-up and Barrie's tale is just the backdrop for the peppering of others.

Andrea Jones (Hook & Jill) sent me this article from the New York Times.  It's DEAD ON RIGHT, people.  So perhaps you want to read IT before you read my extra rants.  It will also save me from explaining much of what's going in this version.

I've seen many people complain about Peter's age in this show.  He seems well past the six-to-twelve span of Pan.  This, however, didn't bother me so much as other bits.  Like the fact that he behaved nothing like Barrie's boy, unless one counts reckless bravery.  At one point he became forgetful of his entire past, on account of the Tree Spirits (a.k.a. fairies) cursing him for being responsible for their home being destroyed.  But he quickly regains it when the 'Lost Boys' (never referred to as such... they're just rejects from Oliver Twist here) play "La Marseillaise" on his flute.

It's more like I have a bunch of "Why in the world...?" questions.  Like:  Why does Tinker Bell look like an Annie Lennox to whom time has not been kind?  Why do we not FLY to the Neverland?  (It's a magic orb that transports what surrounds it in an explosion relative to how hard it is struck.)  Why does the crocodile have extra limbs?  Why are there a lot of these crocodile-pedes?  Why did they make Starkey (an English school teacher turned pirate) into the Italian Cecco?  Why did they add a lost boy named Fox (oh, right, I knew the answer to this right away... so they could kill one of them and not erase one of Barrie's!)?  Why does Peter willingly wear a suit and tie at the end?  Why is he concerned with doing the right thing all the time?  Why does he never receive the name Pan [especially when the [as the show claims] 'power of a god' is given to him [flight/danger-sensing]?  Why is Hook the true name of Hook?  ...etc.

By the time we reach but one half hour left of a four hour show, Peter has not yet cut off Hook's hand.  And so, it all feels horribly rushed at the end.  It tries to be clever... having "Jimmy" say to Peter (in an effort to have him join forces with him when he steals the power of the Tree Spirits) Take my hand, Peter...  And when he finally does in the manner we all know and love, it's done by accident.  During a heated duel, Peter's long dagger gets in the way of a swipe by Hook and it's lopped off.  Wait a minute... not on purpose?  Nope.  Peter doesn't even fling it to the crocodile on purpose.  In fact, Peter doesn't do anything with it... it drops off into an abyss and A croc just happens by.  Then Peter demands the pocket watch that he recently discovered belonged to his father (whom he never knew and Hook had killed) and Hook throws at Peter's head, it bounces off, and the croc happens to eat it, too.  And then it inexplicably begins to tick loudly when it had never ticked once audibly before.  What's even worse is that we don't ever get to see Hook with a hook.  Nope.  Though they got the correct hand chopped off, we also don't get to see the stump. What a crock!  Not that I'm cheering for gore, but what a lousy break.  We're also left to go on what we know of the original tale that the croc wants more of James.  No chasing after him...

Oh... when Peter returns to the Neverland at the end (having used the orbs to come and go) the boys notice his shadow is missing.  As if it HAD to be included, so why not tack it on to the end inexplicably?  Or perhaps they intended the show to continue?

I did like the Indians. This tale knows enough to make them savages only in the eyes of others. These Indians are respectful of the Tree Fairies and act as caretakers and protectors of the Neverland.

It also used too many "pop culture misunderstanding" for my taste.  For insance, that only Peter can understand Tinker Bell.  Or that the Neverland is frozen in time and that no one at all ages there.  Both of these are fractionally true, and ultimately not.  Trust me.

And how is it that this connects to Wendy?  Not that it had been supposed to, as it is a prequel, but if Peter needs the instantaneous orbs to take her doesn't that blow the whole fun part of Barrie's story?

I could go on, I suppose, but it's just not worth it.

It's a valiant effort to reinvent the beloved story.  But the long and short of it is: WHY? Whatever it added to the tale didn't enhance the magic. It sort of undermined all of it.

NEVER saw a TREE like this before...

YES!  This is a real tree,

not a photo manipulation.

I came across this via OMG Facts

(@OMGFacts) on Twitter.  Besides being rather intriguing and cool, I couldn't help but think that...  ...wait for it....  ...such a tree would be on NeverWorld!  It could also, for that matter, show up in the Neverland as well since there's nothing to say that it can't. 

If I can find a non-gratuitous use for such a tree, I'll include it in a future tale of the adventures on the magic planet.

Here's the 'article' from quoted from OMG Facts.

The Eucalyptus Deglupta is a tall tree, otherwise known as the rainbow eucalyptus. It is found in the northern hemisphere, in places like New Britain, new guinea etc.


The tree sheds patches of its bark and exposes a fresh bright-green bark. Eventually the color and then darkens. It it will through blue, purple orange and maroon hues. The tree sheds its bark at various times throughout the year, which gives it its rainbow color.

JeoPANrdy, Yet Again

One of my catch-ups throughout the time I'd been away from here is, yes, pseudo-sadly, episodes of Jeopardy!  (Hey, at least it's educational TV, no?)

Well, turns out Buttercup is a big Jeopardy! fan as well... so she watched some with me.  [I now live literally across the hall from Buttercup.  No really, literally.  I can see see her door when I open mine.]

So there we were, watching... and me thinking... "It's not going to happen again so soon, is it?"

A category came up:

And Buttercup and I looked at each other thinking..."It's BOUND to be there."

YEP. 

 First clue in the list:

So tell me:  Who at Jeopardy! loves Peter Pan so much?  I sure hope it's Alex Trebek!

By the way, the question/answer asked for the creator of the lands mentioned.  The contestant said only "James Barrie" which had been deemed correct.  It's not INcorrect, no, but it seems the sticklers of Jeopardy! judges might insist on the other name in there... or that could just be me.

Ahoy There! What a Weekend!



Photo of Ms. Jones pirated from her Facebook page



I’ve had a wonderful weekend.

How can one not when the illustrious Andrea Jones, author of Hook & Jill, is sleeping over?

That’s right, folks. She and I finally had another “playdate.” We mostly filled our time talking shop. Yep, just as you’d think, with Peter Pan & Captain Hook.

I shared the insights and opinions I’ve had over the years regarding Barrie’s pirate captain, both clandestine and obvious. She’s working on a Hook  presentation and knew I’d have a good perspective. Glad to help.



She returned the favor sevenfold by sharing her insights and opinions of my interquel novel, Peter Pan: Betwixt-and-Between. I’ll save what she had to say for another post.

We were originally supposed to finish The Lost Boys, the Andrew Birkin BBC mini-series on the life of J.M. Barrie in relation to the Llewelyn Davies family (and hence the creation of his most famous tale) which we had begun during her last visit. But before she came we decided to forgo it, for neither of us remembered precisely where we had left off and we knew we’d run short of time. Besides, to fully appreciate the masterful work it would probably be best to start from the beginning. So I just lent it to Andrea to watch at her leisure (whenever THAT is in her busy schedule!) at home.

We had meant to watch another film, you see, and nearly didn’t get to it . But we did squeeze it in just before brunch on Sunday. The movie is Neverland by Damion Dietz. I’m going to leave commentary on this for another post as well. Suffice to say that it’s a very whacked out version of Peter Pan. Despite its outlandish take on it, it remains rooted in the deep psychology of Barrie and presents the darkness of it all quite well. Andrea enjoyed it, too, on both levels.

We of course stopped talking up the Neverland (and World) so that we could have dinner. A dinner made by Bart. Andrea loves his cooking (she’s not alone!) and has now tasted his specialty - Roast Chicken with Root Vegetables. Folks, let me tell you. Bart has perfected this dish. His chicken is soft and delicious and the vegetables are such that you’ll stuff yourself with more of them even though you have no room. He also tempted (tempted? Okay, yes, we happily indulged!) us with three kinds of scones and British clotted cream - a treat for two people obsessed with Peter Pan. (No, sorry, Bart didn’t make the scones. But he sure knows where to find good ones!)  Thanks, Bart!

On and on we talked about Barrie, his tale and our derivative stories. Andrea kindly detailed not just the next in her series, Other Oceans, but the events of the third book as well. You’ll love it, believe me. In turn I told her what happens in the next few books of the NeverWorld and she’d been just as entranced with mine as I with hers. And the best part is how different each of them are! Yet they have similar themes racing through them, as if we can both hear the hum of the tuning fork struck by Barrie.

So immersed were we that at one point Andrea wondered how it had suddenly reached 10:00 pm. It didn’t stop us, though, discussing matters until 2:00 am.

The brunch of which I spoke of course took place at Bananas Foster, one of the favorite haunts of mine and Bart’s. Andrea discovered their amazing stuffed French toast and opted for strawberry cream. Yum! And I just can’t get enough of the Bubble & Squeak.

Andrea also loaded up with copies of Peter Pan’s NeverWorld and the ‘promotional postcards’ [sized, not for mailing]. So if you happen to see her at one of the many upcoming pirate festivals, you'll  be able to pick up not just her delightful novel but mine as well. Also, I now have Hook & Jill bookmarks to distribute.

All in all, a very productive weekend. We actually managed to accomplish all we set out to do and got Andrea to Union Station with twenty minutes to spare!

I miss her already, as it’s so wonderful to have someone who likes to be spoken to about Peter Pan (and Hook), and she is an amazing woman. Until next time we’re face to face, thank goodness we can ‘see’ each other in cyberspace.

Is the Neverland a Toll Call?

 
Behold AT&T's new ad campaign:

Oh my.  I'll admit to a certain degree of feeling wounded.  If there really were?  My goodness, let's not specifically try to negate it, okay?  Just playing around, but there is truth to it.

Anyway, it's kind of a cute campaign.  It doesn't just feature Peter Pan's island but other "fictional" places as well, as you can see in the other pic.   I first came upon it on the side of an El train plastered with the horizontal version of this ad.

I have to wonder two things though. 

1) THAT's their perception of the Neverland?

2) It's a bit counterproductive in what it's saying.  Let's see... if, then.  IF there were a mythical place [sigh], THEN AT&T covers you.  But there's [allegedly :) ] not, so... AT&T does not have you covered.  Hmmm.

Well, no matter how well or not this campaign does, I'm sure glad it's opening up people's minds back to these vital fantasy places, if even for a moment.

Cause for PANic?

Well, a re-imagining of Barrie’s eternal boy is headed our way.
Brought to television screens by the Syfy channel.

You might be aware of their other re-inventings:
Tin Man (The Wonderful Wizard of OZ)

Alice (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland)

Tin Man had some interesting and rather fun changes and great little ideas in it. But ultimately the overall result fell flat. Both Bart and I had been excited for Alice, and from the ads it seemed rather cool. Unfortunately, that turned out to be pretty darn unwatchable. Eventually we just fast-forward through it, stopping at points that looked good. There weren’t any. Not even Kathy Bates as the Red Queen (of Hearts) could salvage it. [And it had no Cheshire Cat??]

And now they’re doing Neverland.
Sigh. OY. (Syoy)

Let’s at least hope for the best, shall we?

And no, I’m not going to approach it in the vein of “not true to the original” since it’s not intended to BE the real story. As I've said before, I'm not opposed to tinkering with a story to make into something else. I'm just a purist when it comes to having something try to BE the original and screwing it up... or when it's supposed to be a "part of" or "connected to" (a la a prequel or sequel) and has mistakes or isn't consistent with the original. But Syfy is reworking it entirely.

It will be on this fall, a two night event.

Here’s the article I read. It’s mentioned at the bottom of it - and there's not much more there on it than what I already told you: LINK

Another Neverland...(minus THE)

Once again, someone is imagining up a new version of the famed isle.
This time in a seven part mini series of comics from Zenescope Entertainment.
Their shtick: twisted versions of classic fairy tales.

It's called simply NEVERLAND. And, as per usual, there’s a “spin” on it.
It seems Peter Pan’s secret of immortality happens to be children themselves. Hence, why he kidnaps them to live forever. Only one child escaped…and that child became, yes, Hook. (Cross in this telling.) Pan is the bad guy here…
…and it’s dark, sexy, revamped and edgy. Of course.

If you’re interested in more, there’s an interview here.
Look for it in December.

My take? I'll leave it, thanks. Nothing against the effort. I've just had my fill of "dark, sexy, revamped and edgy" when it comes to classic stories.

Fantasy Islands

Although it receives quite a bit of attention, we all know that the Neverland is not the only island in fiction.

Over at searchonfly.com there's quite a comprehensive list of them. It seems they thought of everything. Novels, comics, video games, songs... Bravo.





Though the wording for "The Neverland" is somewhat ambiguous.

an island that apparently exists outside of time, as its inhabitants never age or die

Characters most certainly can die. Of course, it's refering to the immortality aspect that Peter Pan and other inhabitants display. As for whether the isle exists "outside of time," I'd like to explore that further. In fact, I've been thinking about that very subject - the nature of "Time" regarding the Neverland (again) lately prior to their description.

Should We Even -BE- "Toys 'R' Us" Kids?

It’s that time of year again… for buying toys. But as you do, here’s something to stuff in your sack.

Years ago I saw woman an a.m. TV talk show, outraged by the toys being marketed to children. I know what you’re thinking: Yeah, great. We’ve been on this sleigh ride before! But she had a very different area of focus. One that still applies. Here’s her gripe: Storytelling.

She observed many toy “lines” have a story ‘Built In.’ Such as, say, The Transformers [I’m talking “Old School” people, not this butchered, sadly produced new batch! Although her observation is still relevant.] and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. In other words, kids know which characters are good and which are bad. They know what powers they have, their relationships to other characters, even speech patterns. Why? Because they see it on television.

She suggested this impairs a child’s imagination. How can they develop creative skills if the storyline is pre-packaged? Naturally, they will act out what they see on TV. It’s not behooving them to have a formula for their adventures.

An interesting proposition. I can’t say I disagree with her. It is a shame that much of their playtime is dictated to them. However, I cannot fully get on board either. Don’t underestimate the power of the juvenile mind. It’s unlikely they will replicate the activities exactly as they appear on TV. It's entirely possible that even though kids know She-Ra is the long lost twin sister of He-Man and what method of conveyance brings them from planet Etheria to planet Eternia that they will invent their own scenario for the pair of heroes using, say, a treasure chest from some other toy line.

Okay. Now forget about TV and toys for a minute. The woman’s fear can easily be applied to books. For what child doesn’t also act out the escapades of characters in books? Tell me there aren’t little boys pretending to be Peter Pan and little girls who assume the role of Pippi Longstocking. (As you may have read in my interview, I am guilty as charged. No, not Pippi. I played at being Pan.) And in so doing, are the kids not also locked into the traits, abilities and mannerisms of a pre-established storyline? When I played as Peter Pan, we did not re-enact Barrie’s story. Rather we had a grand time thinking up other adventures in the Neverland. Thus, I’ve re-illustrated my point.

Not to mention Comic Books. Oh wait, I just did.

I suppose it all comes down to the child and how far inside the well of Improv they are willing to reach. Or will the force-fed tendency of their playthings win out? It’s like a coin, two sides. Let’s hope they spend the playtime wisely.

How do you feel about it? Do you think kids today are less likely to develop creative and imaginative skills because of the media dictating what they should think and do with their toys? Or is this woman, as I say, underestimating the power of child’s mind?

*By the way, as you might recall, the rest of the Toys 'R' Us line is "I don't want to grow up." That part I can agree with!

Nightmares, Too

I came across this description on the ‘net:

There is a place called Neverland – filled with children amidst innocence and laughter.

Does that sound right to you?
Technically, it shouldn't.

One of the misconceptions of the Neverland is that it’s a bright, happy place full of dreams, laughter and cheery adventures.

I don’t wish to take that notion away from people, nor do I mean to say that it is absolutely incorrect. It can be, certainly.

However, we must not ignore the fact that there are just as many nightmares as there are dreams!

Think about it. Peter Pan touts it as a wonderful place to be - a happy-go-lucky escape from the doldrums of adulthood. He entices us. But when you arrive, you quickly learn the truth.
Nearly everything in the Neverland is out to get you. To kill you.

Sure, what child doesn’t dream of sparing with pirates and hunting with “Indians.” Who would refuse a lagoon filled with mermaids and forests fluttering with fairies? Yes, such delights do exist there, no denying it. But by the same token, those pirates aren’t a fantasy. They’re bloodthirsty villains bent on attack. Before Pan saved Tiger Lily and befriended them, the Redskins were (and still can be) just as likely to strike. And those mermaids? Let’s have a look at what Barrie says:

The most haunting time at which to see them is at the turn of the moon, when they utter strange wailing cries; but the lagoon is dangerous for mortals then …

While she stitched a change came to the lagoon. Little shivers ran over it, and the sun went away and shadows stole across the water, turning it cold. Wendy could no longer see to thread her needle, and when she looked up, the lagoon that had always hitherto been such a laughing place seemed formidable and unfriendly.

It was not, she knew, that night had come, but something as dark as night had come. No, worse than that. It had not come, but it had sent that shiver through the sea to say that it was coming. What was it?

It is, of course, the pirates coming. Didn't I just warn you about them? And for the record, even the pirates can be scared on the island.

Smee and Starkey clung to each other in terror. (In reference to thinking spirits are near.)

And let us not forget that the mermaids try to drown Wendy.

Wild animals abound…wolves, coyotes, bears...oh my.

Barrie’s fairies will just as soon “mischief” you as dance to Peter’s pipes.

And I haven’t even mentioned the massive crocodile. Granted, it’s after the Captain, but I wouldn’t want to meet up with it…would you?

Just putting in my two cents as a reminder. It's become a bit of a pet peeve of mine, this belief that the island is only bright, beauteous and magical.

The Neverland is indeed a fanciful place... but not all peaches and cream. It’s savage and brutal and you must always keep on your toes…and hope that Peter Pan is in the mood to save you when you’re in danger.