The Apprentice (404)

[garhkal]

Storybrooke technology is always old. Not all from 1983, but all their cars range from the mid 1990s to earlier (Regina drives a beautiful late seventies or early eighties Mercedes). All their cell phones are from the late 1990s or early 2000s, and Bell calls Emma in this episode on a hilariously large 1980s cordless phone.

So the Charmings Polaroid fits the town's level of tech.

But why then do they all seem to have cell phones?
Though perhaps when they all got brought to this reality by the initial curse, it locked their tech they have into what was initially there.

[Major Fischer]

I don't know why they have cell phones. Not all their cars are pre-1983, and their computers while older are also not 1980s tech (I've never seen a flat screen monitor in Storybrooke). Honestly, I think they have cell phones because the writers needed the characters to have them.

The season 2 "Welcome to Storybrooke" commentary talks about their desire for the technology to seem "timeless" not frozen. Just like they weren't exactly repeating the same day during the curse, but instead they were repeating the same routine. But like the technology they've been very fuzzy on the mechanics of the "time didn't pass" business. I suspect it's better for everyone's sanity to just handwave and say "magic".

[garhkal]

Well i have just thought, we saw when Elsa put up her snow/frost barrier that it cut the power lines to the outside realm and they all need to get food/medical supplies and fuel in storybrook, so maybe the outside realm DOES get to come in which would mean tech would slowly shift into the town too.

[Major Fischer]

I've actually wondered if the curse had some sort of progressive updating. Like the operating system on a computer.

[garhkal]

That would be interesting to see. Though other than cell phones, have we really seen much examples of our current tech in there, like laptops, xboxes, or the rest? Heck i can only remember a few instances of a desk top pc showing up (mostly in hospitals).

[Princess Awinita]

Hooks phone comes to mind. I remember Elsa wanting to freeze it, {the look she threw at it in Rocky Road}

[Baron Of Hell]

Old man turned into a mouse, a nod to Micky Mouse.
Funny hat was a nod to the hat Micky Mouse wears in Fantasia.
Magic Broom walking around a nod to Fantasia.
Henry becoming Mr Gold's apprentice a nod to Fantasia.
Probably missed some more stuff related to Fantasia.

I thought they would go Evil Dead with the hand Hook got but they were tame about it.

Emma cleans up good. Almost didn't recognize her in her date clothes.

Loved Anna's scenes with Rush. Also loved how she tricked him with the help of Micky Mouse.

[garhkal]

They are definitely playing up the link with Fantasia..

I just wonder how much longer they are going to make us wait till we DO see the magician.