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Lost and Once Upon a Time are the same!

Once Upon a Time was created by two longtime Lost writers, Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz with consultation from the King of Lost, Damon Lindelof. The similarities between the two shows are striking, though I would like to preface this post acknowledging that of the two I prefer Lost. If you haven’t watched at least one or both of these shows, you should probably just ignore this. Because here I have put together a list of the similarities that have particularly stood out to me. It’s really long, so you can find it completed if you click below!

And I’m sorry if you disagree with what I say here, but if anyone actually reads this and has a response, just please be nice about it. Enjoy!

There were several acknowledged Lost references in the early episodes of Once Upon a Time, such as the close-up of the opening eye, the short bass sound before commercial transitions, the reference to Oceanic 815 with the Storybrooke clocks being stuck at 8:15, the Apollo candy bars, and Regina’s address at 108 referencing the 108 minutes between button pressing in the Hatch.

But these were the things that the writers acknowledged they would be doing, most likely as a ploy to get Lost fans like myself to start watching Once Upon a Time. But there are some very striking similarities between the two shows plot and character-wise that I just wanted to lay out mostly for my own purposes but also because I told Grace I would:

1. Both shows feature a large ensemble cast with one slightly larger principle character (Jack in Lost and Emma in OUAT) with a troubled past and deep set parental issues and emotional baggage. They each serve the oft-used purpose of being a slightly generic character onto whom the audience can project themselves and feel more a part of the world.

2. Both shows feature a group of people forcibly removed from the lives they know to an unfamiliar world (plane crash vs. evil curse) with no hope of escape without outside assistance.

3. Both shows make use of alternate universes where the characters live entirely different lives and must find each other and sort out their problems in order to return to their real lives (flash sideways vs. Storybrooke, Maine).

4. Both shows follow the same general outline per episode. Each episode revolves around one particular character or group of characters and follows their story in the main universe (the island vs. our world) interspersed with flashbacks to their lives before the present action of the story in order to build up two separate storylines that will eventually intersect.

5. Both shows are not scared to kill of main characters and both shows killed off a young, popular, attractive male character in a sacrificial way in the first season in order to basically show its viewers that they are willing to do what it takes to keep you on your toes and that no character is truly safe in this story (Boone vs. Graham).

6. Both shows are very focused on fate and destiny. Things that are “meant to be,” actions that must be taken, and events that have to take place dominate both plots to the extreme. I would go into this one further, but that would be an entire post unto itself. So I’ll leave it at this. If you’ve seen either show, you know what I mean.

7. Both shows feature a complicated mythology that at times overshadows the characters and even the plot.

8. Both shows feature villains with redemption potential. They are capable of terrible things, and more often than not actually do those terrible things, but their backstories and motivations make it difficult to categorize them as simply “villains.” Generally motivated by obsession with an idea or cause, but find their eventual path to redemption through love, especially in relation to children who may or may not be adopted (Ben vs. Regina and Mr. Gold).

9. And last but certainly not least, both shows feature Emilie de Ravin playing a conflicted but plucky young woman trying to make the best out of a bad situation and eventually falls in love with a well-known, unexpected man who makes countless mistakes but you just can’t help but love him (Claire/Charlie vs. Belle/Rumpelstiltskin).