The new season of "Once Upon a Time" approaches. Fans of the modernized fairy tales, such as myself, want to utter magical curses and spells at the show which leaves us with more cliffhangers than happy endings. Similar to the popular TV series, "Grimm's Fairy Tales" march to the same tune. Although two hundred years split the difference between the creation of the two works, both sets of fairy tales share more than the character's we've grown to love -- or hate.

**Warning: Before you continue, this article contains spoilers.**

1. Romantic relationships versus hierarchy

Often in Grimm, queens and kings scorn suitors who exist in poverty. Sometimes, the royalty will send the poor admirer to complete lethal tasks in order to win their hand. Although most of the protagonists usually do not meet demise, they come close.

Regina, in "Once Upon a Time," falls in love with a mere stable boy, Daniel. However, because Regina is set to wed a king (considerably higher in the hierarchy), Regina's mother kills Daniel before her daughter has a chance to elope with the impoverished man.

2. Incredible resurrections

Whether the victims in Grimm are cursed, decapitated, or hacked into pieces, characters return to life in several of these 19th-century fairy tales.

"Once Upon a Time," regenerates Hook, Rumplestiltskin, Zelena, and several other familiar faces which appear on the show.

3. Dysfunctional families

From brothers who push their kin into wells over a golden bird to fathers who fall in love with their daughters, families in Grimm fall apart in the first few sentences.

"Once Upon a Time" displays scores of familial problems. From parents who desert children to a step mother who desperately wants to earn her son's praise, the crescendo of family conflict gives this show most of the drama stitched throughout the script.

4. Similar characters

Although mentioned in the intro paragraph, it is important to note the show does adapt several of the characters used in Grimm (however, "Once" leans toward more of a Disney-ish rendition of these stories). Such characters include Rapunzel, Hansel, Gretel, Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Rumplestiltskin. All of these listed play an integral part of the series.

5. Not meant for a children's audience

Disney movies often clean up rough patches found in the 19th-century fairy tales. For example, the newest "Cinderella" movie left out the fact the Stepsisters become blinded by birds during Cinderella's wedding ceremony. Personally, for my wedding day, this comeuppance would not be "a wish my heart makes."

Dark themes such as murder, abandonment, adultery, and revenge blot the plot of the show. With a few dashes of profanity, sex, and violence, children's audiences often do not populate Freeform on Sunday nights.

"Once Upon a Time," although a bit rough around the edges, presents a candid picture of the magic of fairy tales blending with real-life terrors. Like Grimm, the show does not pull any punches. Hopefully, the new season will hold nothing back.