Once Upon a Time Happily Never After aka Érase una vez…Pero ya no is a Netflix Spanish musical romantic series. Created by Manolo Caro, the show stars Sebastián Yatra as Diego/Maxi, Mònica Maranillo as Soledad/Gona, Nia Correia as Juana. The rest of the cast features Mariana Treviño, Mariola Fuentes, Asier Etxeandia and several others. There are 6 episodes of 30 minutes each with English subtitles.
The synopsis for Once Upon a Time… Happily Never After reads, “A couple forced to separate must find each other in another life to break a spell on their town, where no one can fall in love.
Once Upon a Time Happily Never After Review Contains No Spoilers
Love doesn’t have a kind history. Every famous love story had lovers who had to fight. Sometimes, they fought and got their happy ending. Some never got to live the life they wanted with their lover. In Netflix’s Once Upon a Time Happily Never After, centuries ago, there were two lovers – Diego and Soledad. Diego was a fisherman who dared to fall in love with Princess Soledad. It was a time of war where one could not stand the idea of someone so wealthy falling in love with someone so “small.”
Diego and Soledad are madly in love. But their stories have many hurdles and a villain. Diego seeks help from a witch who gives him an amulet and a dragon. He has to wear the amulet to keep his love story going on. In return, the town gets cursed as people there will never fall in love. So it is upon Diego and Soledad to free the town from the curse. The duo has to free the dragon in water before the Pink moon night in their next life. Once they release the dragon, the anti-love curse will be lifted from the town.
Diego is now born as Maxi, a male prostitute in the present life. The story of Diego-Soledad has passed on for generations, and everyone’s waiting for the dragon to be released. Love still hasn’t marked its presence in the town. Will Maxi, aka Diego, meet his Soledad? Who is the new Soledad and will they fall in love? Is the curse real, or it’s just a mere made-up fantasy? Will the bad guy return to cause havoc again? We find these answers in those 6 episodes.
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Netflix’s Spanish show Once Upon a Time Happily Never After is an anti-fairytale set in a fairytale style. The recipe of departed lovers and reincarnation is tried and tested innumerable times in movies/shows. Yet, Manolo Caro’s show intrigues you from the start. Interestingly, the entire show makes a splash with many vibrant colours on the screen. Yet, people in the town have no clue what the touch and colour of love feel like.
Even though the twists are fascinating and the makers have pulled different strings to present a reincarnated love story, the show becomes chaotic often. Some scenes didn’t help in the progression of the plot to the slightest. The Spanish romantic series could’ve made for a highly enjoyable movie. With limited time, the screenplay would be better and more gripping.
The songs tell a story in itself, and that’s a plus point as it is presented as a romantic musical series. The performances are brilliant, especially by Sebastián Yatra, Mònica Maranillo, Mariana Treviño, and Mariola Fuentes.
Netflix Show Once Upon a Time Happily Never After Review: Final Thoughts
Overall, Netflix’s latest Spanish series has flaws but also provides some entertainment. It’s an old recipe presented wonderfully. One can binge-watch it in one go if they are looking forward to a show that’s easy-breezy.
The show is now streaming on Netflix.
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