Once Upon a Time Letter

To the cast & crew of Once Upon a Time:

From the bottom of my heart, I wanted to thank you. I want to thank you for seven amazing years of storytelling and sharing your adventures with us. When I was younger, I wanted to be an amazing storyteller and I fell in love with the show Smallville. It was a series that lit a fire in me and helped me find my passion for storytelling in television. After the series ended, I had other shows I watched, but none that really moved me or touched my soul. I didn't watch Once Upon a Time when it first aired, but I had heard of the series from so many people and I had just started college right around the time I got into Season Two. I started the show, but I stopped after Season One Episode 7 to hilariously convince myself that it was worth watching after the death of Graham. I was considerably heartbroken in a funny way. 

I'm glad I managed to continue on because Once has become one of my all time favorite shows and at a time where I started in film school, a time where I was trying to find my voice as an adult and a storyteller, your show inspired me more than words can really say. Yet again, I found another series that rejuvenated my imagination and created all of these new ideas for me to write about. There wasn't just one thing in particular I was motivated by, but what Kitsis and Horowitz have created is masterful. For me, it was the storytelling, the character development, the tone, and the overall message of the series. It's true when people say they grew up with these characters, so it truly makes me feel like a kid again. 

I admired Emma's strength and truthfully, going through my depression and anxiety disorder was absolutely terrifying. To watch an incredibly talented woman like Jennifer Morrison portray this powerful character who was lost and very lonely at the beginning of the series made me feel not so alone in what I was going through. At times, I felt abandoned and forgotten in my life, so it was amazing to have someone like that to admire. 

Thankfully, Once just wasn't one connection for me. In other ways, I connected to Regina and I can't tell you how much I adore Lana Parrilla. She is an incredibly strong woman and absolutely brilliant and watching her go through this massive transformation with her character was so moving. I was at a point in my life after my depression where I had to fight my darkest side and then I finally learned to not be afraid of my mental illness. Watching Regina accept her darker half really helped me get through that part of my depression for me.

I admired the incredible journeys that Emma and Killian had to go through together to fight for each other. It wasn't an easy road and that was more compelling to watch because it's important to create obstacles for those kinds of relationships. It was parallel to Snow White and Prince Charming and everything they went through to be with each other. I also love that Snow White and Charming weren't always these ideal heroes. They had their dark moments too and for me, the fact that your show was always willing to give these characters an opportunity to be flawed and not be heroic all the time is so human.

Being human is a huge part of this show because so many people look up to these heroes and even the villains are role models! Watching Robert Carlyle for this entire series has been ABSOLUTELY AMAZING! Rumple has come so far and for him to finally get the chance to face off with the darkest part of himself really makes me so proud. I've been cheering for him to find his happy ending from day one. It's important for fans to see that even those who have spent their entire life doing wrong can do good. 

There is just so much to this show I can boast about proudly. More importantly, watching Henry Mills go through his journey has been one of the best parts of this series. For me, he was always the heart of the show and he gave me hope in my life. He believed so much in everyone he loves and the fact that he finally has been given a chance to share his story this season makes me so happy! 

I have come far because of this show as a writer. The cast and crew have outdone themselves for this series for a very long time and I can't tell you how much it means to me that you've given us your dedication, time, and energy into making these stories so great! It breaks my heart I'm losing you, but I will carry that spark you've given me in every single story I tell. You've given me so much hope in myself through these characters and I'm forever grateful for that!