Mirror Mirror

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.

Mirror Mirror is a 1995 Australian/NZ co-production about the goings-on in both 1919 and 1995, after they find out that they can access each other's timelines through an antique mirror.

The 1995 side involves Australian Jo Tiegan (Petra Jared), whose mother has just been appointed principal of a New Zealand school and has dragged the entire family with her. On a trip to the local shop, Jo finds herself inexplicably drawn to an antiques store run by a strange old man who knows her name, and insists that not only does she take an old mirror he owns, but also that he personally places it.

Jo soon discovers why this was necessary: the mirror functions as a portal to the year 1919, when the place was owned by the Iredale family, whose neighbour Sir Ivor Creevey-Thorne is housing a young Russian named Nicholas.

Meanwhile, in 1995, a dig at the school leads to the discovery of a canister of toxic chemicals in a well, which is then accidentally sprayed on two students. With both students' lives hanging in the balance, Jo and her newfound friend Louisa race against time to prevent this from ever having happened.

For the famous Star Trek episode of the same name, go here.

Not to be confused with Gregory Maguire's Darker and Edgier literary remake of Snow White of the same title, or with the 2012 film of the same name.

Tropes used in Mirror Mirror include:
  • Adults Are Useless: The Old Man is the only one who has any clear idea of what the hell is going on and even he makes a critical oversight. Louisa's family never find out, and their tutor turns out to be in the pay of Sir Ivor, who only wishes to sell Nicholas back to Russia. Jo's family eventually do find out, but it turns out that only Louisa, Jo and Jo's brother Royce can actually use the mirror properly. Also, it turns out that Dr Coigley was an unwitting pawn of the Old Man, who both put her in the position and helped in the production of her daughter Jade.
  • Fridge Logic: History alters itself at the end of the series, and two characters end up Ret-Gone. One fact, (Mrs Tiegan being principal) remains, despite it being due entirely to the machinations of one of those characters. It should be noted that the Tiegans are an Australian family, who moved to New Zealand for the job.
  • Portal to the Past: The mirror.
  • Portal Slam: The mirror must be placed in exactly the same place at both ends in order to function properly (at one point, it has to be taken on a train. Also: Nicholas can't go through unaided because both he and his ring exist at both ends, and the mirror itself vanishes (along with the store) once history is irrevocably altered.
  • Temporal Paradox: Tama and Jo insist on remaining in 1919 just to see Nicholas pouring in the neutralizing agent, because if they didn't, they wouldn't have any memory of the experience.
  • Timey-Wimey Ball: What propels the plot along.
  • Xanatos Roulette: The old man uses an Omniscient Morality License to carry out one of these. It turns out that he's Nicholas but that doesn't matter because it all comes apart at the last minute.