['Once Upon a Time' - 'The Heart is a Lonely Hunter']

A kiss can be a very powerful thing in the world of 'Once Upon a Time' -- we've seen kisses bestow memories, save lives and this week (however inadvertently), even end them.

We were warned that death would strike during the midseason finale, but I was curious to see how someone might get away with murder in Storybrooke while presumably being able to avoid punishment.

This week's episode gave us a suitably fantastical answer to that quandary, utilizing the magic of fairytale land without needing to implicate anyone in the crime.

['Once Upon a Time' - 'The Shepherd']

Well, no-one said that it was going to be easy. The course of true love never did run smooth, as Shakespeare wisely wrote, and for those of us hoping that Snow White and Prince Charming might find their happily ever after six episodes into the show's first season, this week's installment of 'Once Upon a Time' certainly had its share of emotional ups and downs.

We were treated to a little of Snow and Charming's backstory in episode three, but 'The Shepherd,' written by genre mainstays Andrew Chambliss ('The Vampire Diaries,' 'Dollhouse' and 'Heroes') and Ian Goldberg ('FlashForward' and 'The Sarah Connor Chronicles') proved to be a perfect companion piece to 'Snow Falls,' bringing us right up to the events of that episode while also providing some surprising revelations about "Prince James."

['Once Upon a Time' - 'That Still Small Voice']

Though I had an embarrassingly extensive collection of Disney movies as a child (who am I kidding, I still have them), Pinocchio was never among the VHS tapes I wore out beyond repair. Because of this, the idea of an episode centered around Jiminy Cricket didn't exactly leave me hopping with anticipation.

Still, 'Once Upon a Time' already proved that it is adept at subverting expectations in its first four episodes, and 'That Still Small Voice' proved to be an undeniably satisfying hour of television, deepening our understanding of Archie/Jiminy's character and giving us some welcome development in Mary Margaret and David's tragic romance. I don't know about you, but I really could watch a whole hour of those two playing hangman and innocently flirting and need nothing else from the show.

['Once Upon a Time' - 'The Price of Gold']

Hot on the glass heels of last week's excellent Snow/Charming (Snarming?) episode, 'Once Upon a Time' offered yet another compelling entry this week, this one courtesy of Cinderella.

As with Snow White and Prince Charming's unique backstory, the writers chose to mine new territory with the character instead of retreading the same old rags-to-riches tale we're already well acquainted with. It was no fairy godmother that sent Cindy to the ball this time around, but a malevolent Rumplestiltskin, who wanted something in return for his "generosity." Nothing important, anyway, just Cinderella's firstborn child ...

(Snow and Charming apparently got off relatively easily, since all they had to give Rumple was their baby's name.)

Descendants of the Brothers Grimm might be sworn enemies of all manner of supernatural creatures, but occasionally, said creatures can be persuaded to make themselves useful, as Monroe demonstrated on last week's 'Grimm' (Fri., 9PM ET on NBC).

While Nick was working a case, he asked his semi-friendly Blutbad pal Monroe to protect his injured aunt in the hospital, and while a little antagonistic posturing did occur, eventually, Monroe figured out that he had bigger fish to fry -- and an arm or two to tear off.

Who needs a guard dog?

['Once Upon a Time' - 'Snow Falls']

For the hopeless romantics among us -- myself included -- tonight's episode of 'Once Upon a Time' was like a dream come true. We've grown up with stories of happily ever after and love at first sight, and 'OUAT' is at its most potent when it plays on those whimsical childhood memories, taking us back to a time when we truly believed that our soulmate was out there somewhere, just the other side of an evil witch's curse.

But, as the series has already demonstrated in its first two episodes, it's also surprisingly adept at taking the fairytales we know and love and turning them on their heads. Few who saw the Disney iteration of Snow White could possibly have imagined her as rock-wielding thief with decidedly messy hair, but 'Once' presented the idea so confidently, I couldn't help but prefer their version. (Snow White was always my least favorite Disney princess, anyway -- that voice was just too grating.)

['Once Upon a Time' - 'The Thing You Love Most']

The effects might be a little messy and the sentiment might seem a little saccharine, but in its second episode, 'Once Upon a Time' continued to build on the whimsy and charm it exhibited in its pilot, proving that the entertaining first hour wasn't just a fluke.

Now that the premise has been established, the show is taking on the 'Lost'-esque formula of focusing on a specific character and their backstory each week, allowing us to learn more about their fairytale pasts and how those traits inform their current Storybrooke identities.

The Evil Queen took the central narrative this week, giving us some much-needed insight into her motivations for cursing the fairytale world, while simultaneously exploring Regina's relationship with her adopted son Henry in ours.

The Alphabet fired the first volley in the great 2011 war of the fairy tales with the premiere of 'Once Upon a Time' (Sun., 8PM ET on ABC). The Peacock returns fire with 'Grimm' this Friday, though at first glance the two series look to be very different.

Framed much like a fairy tale itself, 'Time' sees the fairy tale characters trapped in Storybrook, Maine. There time stands still thanks to a curse from the Evil Queen (Lana Parrilla), who herself fell victim to the curse. That appears to be part of her plan, though. That said, it's unclear if the "human" Queen, who is the mayor of Storybrook, knows the truth or not.

I'm not being hyperbolic when I say that ABC's 'Once Upon a Time' is unlike anything you've seen on television before. Its closest relative is probably a little-watched NBC miniseries called 'The 10th Kingdom' which aired in 2000, at least in the way it blends classic fairytales with the modern world to offer a whole new interpretation of pop culture's most familiar yarns.

'Once' also shares a certain amount of DNA with 'Lost,' since it was created by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, who wrote for the mystery series for the duration of its run (you can read Mo Ryan's recent interview with the duo here). But in its ideas, execution, and undeniable sense of whimsy, 'Once' is a unique creature, accessible to viewers from ages eight to 80.

Earlier this month, AOL TV visited the Vancouver set of the fantasy drama, wandering through the enchanting streets of fictional Storybrooke and talking with the cast about how the show is evolving so far. Join us after the jump for a hint of what you can expect when the show premieres on Sunday (8PM ET, ABC), and come back next week for a deeper look. Mild spoilers ahead.

There's truth to the old saying that opposites attract, and that truth was at the heart of the central relationship in 'A Gifted Man' (Fri., 8PM ET on CBS). Friday nights on CBS are no strangers to ghostly apparitions, but this may be the first time that a ghost is one of the stars of the show.

Michael Holt (Patrick Wilson) is a neurosurgeon who almost makes Dr. House look like a great guy. He's a jerk, but his ex-wife Anna (Jennifer Ehle) was one of the kindest and giving people in the world. Thus he works for fat checks while she ran a free clinic.

And yet, when he reconnected with her after several years, he was thrilled to see her. But then he found out she had died in a car accident not long before. Suddenly, he was questioning his sanity and health and all the while she kept coming to him.

While NBC's 'Grimm' focuses on the creepy side of fairytales, ABC's 'Once Upon a Time' is much more concerned with the whimsy of the fantastical stories we grew up with, and seems far more enchanting as a result.

Created by Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis of 'Lost' (the pair called Damon Lindelof "the Godfather of 'Once Upon a Time'" on the panel -- promising!), the show blends characters from Disney, Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen and more with the real world, offering a new take on familiar tales in a way ABC hopes will connect with audiences of all ages.



Check out our highlights from the panel after the jump.

Can you be mad at a vampire for feeding if he's suffering from amnesia? What if he looks up at you with those puppy dog eyes of his and says, "Sorry"? That was Sookie's dilemma on 'True Blood' (Sun., 9PM ET on HBO)

!!SPOILER ALERT!!

Even stricken with amnesia, a vampire is a very dangerous thing, and Eric is one of the most dangerous ones in the 'True Blood' universe. Plus, we're pretty sure Sookie's "fairy godmother" was about to take things to a much nastier level with her "this is not a request."

All the pieces are falling into place for 'Game of Thrones' Season 2 ... More exciting news for fans as author George R.R. Martin makes two big announcements.

The fan favorite role of Brienne, Maid of Tarth has been cast. And, he's delivered the first draft of his 'Blackwater' episode to producers.

British actress Gwendoline Christie snagged the coveted role of Brienne after nailing her audition.

Martin had earlier given fans a teaser as to the identity of the actress, writing in his online journal that: "The she-wolf of France has stormed the barbican. The Aussie turned her into a bunny."

Martin said "This was another one of those cases where there was hardly any debate. The day the first batch of auditions went up for the role, we looked at a dozen actresses who were reading for Brienne and one actress who WAS Brienne."

Great news for Neil Gaiman fans! It's been announced that HBO and Tom Hanks' production company, Playtone Productions, are going ahead with their ambitious TV take on Gaiman's bestselling novel, 'American Gods.'

According to 'The Hollywood Reporter' the new drama is slated for six seasons, with the first season due to air sometime in 2013. Each season will be comprised of 10 to 12 hour-long episodes, with a budget of around $35-40 million per season.

Steeped in religious folklore from ancient times to the 21st century, 'American Gods' will be executive-produced by Gary Goetzman and Hanks, with Bob Richardson and Gaiman onboard as executive producer and writer.

Producers promise that it will be effects-heavy to do justice to the awe-inspiring power of the divine beings involved. "There are some crazy things in there," said Goetzman. "We'll probably be doing more effects in there than it's been done on a television series."

['Being Human' – 'There Goes the Neighborhood']

Syfy's new spin on 'Being Human' isn't straying too far from the original cult BBC series ... yet. The setup -- a vampire and a werewolf share an apartment with a ghost -- hasn't changed, and, like the original show, the new version follows the three supernatural twentysomethings as they attempt to live "normal" human lives.

Several scenes of this new pilot played like they were carried over from the the UK version's first episode, but with new actors taking on the lead roles. But that won't be the case for future outings; word is that 'Bieng Human' U.S. will start to stray from the events of the original series later this season.