Promise of true romance

By Tyler McLeod --
A glance, a sigh, a word or two. It's impossible to say what may become the genesis of a romance.

Once and Again is filled with such moments.

A grand courtship begins tonight at 8 p.m. on and 11 p.m. when two divorcees happen upon each other.

Neither Rick (Billy Campbell) nor Lily (Sela Ward) are expecting or seeking a relationship.

Lily has just recently accepted the end of her marriage and is busy trying to create a remodelled life for herself and her daughters.

Rick is a veteran single, but he's still having trouble with wearing the single- parent hat.

Yet the sparks between the two are too much for either to ignore. They begin a sometimes clumsy, sometimes rapturous, sometimes humorous and sometimes serious relationship.

This romantic, sexy and mature series is from Edward Zwick and Marshall Herskovitz of thirtysomething and My So-Called Life fame.

It would be easy enough to dismiss the series as fortysomething -- and the scenes involving each parent's children do recall the frank family drama My So-Called Life enough.

Be that as it may, the vibrant initial episode brims with novelty. Nothing in Once and Again is particularly groundbreaking, but nearly every scene is a unique discovery.

Alas, the fairytale must always end.

Once and Again has achieved the most difficult task of any new series: Presenting the audience with characters they care about. So what now?

Boy has met girl and girl likes boy, but can boy and girl interest us any longer?

Boy could marry girl, start a Brady Bunch-like brood and then bore us with tales from the carpool. Or boy and girl could have a series of difficulties which would taint the magical storybook beginnings we have witnessed.

Most likely, though, the producers will drag out the flirtation for as long as humanly possible.

In an effort to maintain interest, to give the impression of forward momentum, they'll introduce more characters.

These characters would provide an assortment of melodramatic problems to distract us from the fact Rick and Lily aren't going anywhere.

Maybe Lily's long lost sister will find out she's pregnant. Rick's son will contemplate his sexuality. Lily's ex will run for office and be revealed as the real father of the baby! You know the drill.

Eventually, Once and Again could reveal its true identity to be just another repetitive evening soap opera.

I dearly wish to be wrong on this one, that the honeymoon never ends.

Hopefully, Once and Again can maintain its integrity while keeping us coming back again and again.__Calgary Sun (September 21, 1999)