ONCE - Once Upon a Time podcast

All the details you need to know about the 150th episode directed by Lana Parrilla, as well as more Series Finale news you do not want to miss in this spoilers-only podcast of episode 7×17 “Chosen”. 7×17 “Chosen” Kelly comes face-to-face with The Candy Killer after someone she loves is taken hostage. Meanwhile, Samdi uses Drew to execute a deadly plan. In a flashback, Zelena learns a harsh lesson after an encounter with Hansel and Gretel goes awry. 7×17 “Chosen” was written by Paul Karp & Brian Ridings, and directed by Lana Parrilla, with guest stars including Rebecca Mader as Zelena/Kelly, Tiera Skovbye as Robin/Margot, Nathan Parsons as Nick Branson/Jack, Daniel Francis as Dr. Facilier/Mr. Samdi, Jeff Pierre as Prince Naveen/Drew, Kip Pardue as Chad, Dan Payne as Ivo, Chilton Crane as The Witch, Seth Isaac Johnson as Young Hansel, Lily van der Griend as Young Gretel. The very confusing promo for “Chosen” starts off with Zelena as the Wicked Witch and Nick/Jack/Hansel the Candy Killer saying that Henry is familiar with her kind of wicked and he needs his help to make her pay. Kelly then goes to Weaver for help, knowing that she’s next on the Candy Killer’s list. Kelly also said that “that witch is the one that me into this mess”. Who is she referring to? The Wicked Witch? Chilton Crane’s character, The Witch? Cutting then to Nick kidnapping Zelena’s Poo Bear aka Chad, threatening her to do as he says. As confusing as the promo is, the photos for the episode “Chosen” consisted of only one scene again, with Zelena and Regina inside Roni’s bar. In a couple of photos, Zelena is seen sitting at the bar with a bat next to her and in another photo, Regina has a crow bar, obviously on the look out for the Candy Killer. In two separate photos, Zelena and Regina are seen looking out the window, as well. Finally, one photo shows Zelena with a phone in hand, seeming like she knows the Candy Killer has her fiance, Chad. Series Finale News As everyone probably knows by now, Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas are coming back to play the roles of Snow White/Mary Margaret and Prince Charming/David one last time. In an article about the return of Snow and Charming shared by TVLine recently, Adam Horowitz said that the pair will have “a critical role to play in the finale”. TVLine also teased that Andrew J. West and Jared Gilmore will have a scene with each other before the season as over. Speculation is that Gilmore will appear as adult Henry’s subconscious, and Snow and Charming may not exactly play a critical role in the plot sense or expect them to play front, back and center once again, seeing Goodwin and Dallas only filmed for two days. So, Snow White and Charming’s return may not include them saving the day. TVLine also reported about the return of original Hook, saying that “Colin O’Donoghue will be playing two roles as the series winds down.” O’Donoghue added that he will be having his last day dressed as a pirate for a scene with returning leading lady Jennifer Morrison. As of this recording, filming for the series is officially over. Newcomers Alison Fernandez (Lucy), Dania J. Ramirez (Jacinda/Cinderella), Rose Reynolds (Tilly/Alice) and Tiera Skobye (Margot/Robin) wrapped a day or so ahead than Robert Carlyle (Rumplestiltskin/Weaver), Colin O’Donoghue (Captain Hook/Nook/Rogers), Rebecca Mader (Zelena/Kelly) and Lana Parrilla (Regina/Roni).

Henry’s story, hunting for the Candy Killer, Tilly at work. Plus, some comparisons between this episode and season 1 episodes as we pick breadcrumbs up from the episode and goes in-depth thematically in our full-discussion of 7×16 “Breadcrumbs”. Seriously, is someone writing this season with the “Author’s Pen” with the vial of “Squid Ink”? — Keeper of Squid Ink Knowing that the next episode is called “Breadcrumbs” when we met Gretel was interesting, except it helped with the surprised when she died. As an episode in general, “Breadcrumbs” was disjointed; the themes of the plot is a bit hard to digest. Some subplots are cool in a sense but if you’re looking for actual plot lines, it was very difficult to follow. That being said, Tilly’s parts were rather enjoyable. It’s interesting that Smee and Blackbeard haven’t agreed a day and yet they are both Wish Realm characters and should be old and grey as the only one who was aged down was Nook as we saw in episode 7×02 A Pirate’s Life.  Also, I’m pretty sure Blackbeard should be Whitebeard by this time. — DeAndre Confused about the timeline as we are? Check out our timelines page where Keb does a great job trying to fit everything together! Henry’s Story “Breadcrumbs” was a little bit boring and clichéd, save for the end. It was adorable that they were trying to set Henry up like he was a 10-year-old. And although they spent too much time on the set up, we liked the twist in the end, as well as the last scene of the ruse. We loved Henry’s proposal to Ella, plus when he realized that he doesn’t have to be this big, famous hero. I don’t know how my story goes, I wasn’t born in a land with magic and I may not get a fairy tale life with a perfect ending.  But you are the best and bravest woman that I have ever met and if you could make a leap of faith with me, I would like to build a house right here for the two of us and see what kind of a life we can make together. It is just a pretty ring. And just like this lake it doesn’t come with anything else.  Ella, I can’t offer you a legend, but I can offer you my heart. And even before Henry’s proposal, he said, “I don’t need a great story, I just want a great life; the best life I can make with the people I love”. That’s all most of us can hope for, anyway. It was a pretty good payoff for sitting through another tale of Henry’s insecurity, which we loved. Going back a little bit about our “Sisterhood” podcast, Michelle sent us a feedback about Flynn’s Barcade: In regards, to your podcast on ”Sisterhood” ONCE333, and on your discussion of the Flynn’s Barcade in the episode,  it is a reference to Tron Legacy (2010),  in which in the film, Flynn’s Arcade is shown in the beginning and ending of the film and the main character is called  Kevin Flynn played by Jeff Bridges. Also the screenplay and story is by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. — Michelle Prince Henry of Storybrooke is actually pretty accurate, so it’s a bit confusing why he left in the first place to “find his own story.” Everybody else is a character in someone else’s story and he is the grandson of Snow White and Prince Charming. He also brought the Savior, Emma Swan back to break the curse and fight the final battle. Why does Henry think he needs to realm jump and find some other story book that he thinks he’s in?

Episode 7×16 “Breadcrumbs” details including press release, photos and promo, plus more information on the series finale in this spoilers-only podcast of “Breadcrumbs”! 7×16 “Breadcrumbs” Henry grapples with an important decision when a job prospect in New York threatens to take him away from Jacinda and Lucy, but a revelation in the case of The Candy Killer could make it even harder to leave Hyperion Heights. Meanwhile, Margot confides in Tilly, and in a flashback, Hook helps Henry find a way to prove himself to Ella. “Breadcrumbs” was written by Jane Espenson & Jerome Schwartz, and directed by Ron Underwood, with guest stars including Rebecca Mader as Zelena/Kelly, Rose Reynolds as Alice/Tilly, Tiera Skovbye as Robin/Margot, Nathan Parsons as Nick Branson/Jack, Christopher Gauthier as Smee and Charles Mesure as Blackbeard. Starting off the promo for “Breadcrumbs” is Zelena saying that she wants the curse broken just as much as Lucy does. Perhaps because of Robin or that she can go back to her life and reveal everything to the man she is supposed to marry? We have yet to meet him, after all. Jumping then to the new Enchanted Forest with Henry searching for his story. However, if this episode is about Henry finding a way to prove himself to Ella, does this mean this happened before they went to Wonderland or is it after and he’s still trying to prove himself to her? Back to the promo, we see The Candy Killer again and it looks like The Candy Killer is a fan of Henry’s work when Weaver showed Henry the book. But what does being a fan of Henry’s book if the story was about the first six seasons of the show? What does the murder of witches from an entirely different universe from the one that’s Snow White and Charming came from has to do with Henry’s book? Also in the promo, Henry doesn’t understand the stories and what they mean, even though he wrote the book (because he’s cursed and nothing makes sense in the book). If Nick really is The Candy Killer, does that mean that he’s awake? How? Why? Flashing then to the final scene in the promo and it’s Henry outside and wanting to go see Jacinda right away and tell her how he feels. Nick then asked Henry to hop on his car, offering to help him get everything Henry deserves. Unlike last week, the set of promotional photos for “Breadcrumbs” consisted only of one scene, with Henry in the evidence room with Weaver, looking through a bunch of books. In another photo, Rogers comes in and joined Henry and Weaver. Like per usual, the photos this week doesn’t give us anything to speculate about. Going back a little to the promo, Henry and Nook are seen sailing a pirate ship, then later on a pirate fight ensues. Smee was also featured in the flashback in the promo. Series Finale News As of this recording, the cast have been filming the series finale for a little over the week now and there were quite a few photos that came in when they spent some time filming in Steveston. Among of which are images of Robin and Alice with Sabine’s Rolling Bayou food truck, which ended up in Storybrooke for some  reason. Maybe Robin decided to take Alice home to see Storybrooke? Another set of photos also include Zelena and Regina in Storybrooke, with one photo featuring the real Mayor of Steveston dedicating March 29 as Official Once Upon a Time Day after shooting there for 7 years. Jennifer Morrison also returned to Vancouver to reprise her role as Emma Swan to film her final scene. Based on filming, Morrison’s return will be incredibly minor...

Finding Anastasia, the little supernatural sewing circle, as well as the office building showdown, and Operation Bromance. Plus, a crackpot theory on who the new Guardian is, who the Candy Killer is and more in our in-depth discussion of “Sisterhood”! 7×15 “Sisterhood”, as a whole, wasn’t a bad episode. However, it’s certainly not as good as last week’s either. There are some definite issues but we aren’t super mad about them because we understand that by the time the episode was produced, they knew that this is the final season anyway. They are also seemingly wrapping things up rather fast. For instance, our theory about Anastasia being the Guardian was correct and was proven in one sentence. How did Drizella know that Anastasia is, indeed, the Guardian? Drizella seems to know a lot about things that we didn’t know about. It was also nice to finally find out that what Rumplestiltskin really wants by “getting back to Belle” meant that he actually just wants to die when he was told about his desire to “join Belle in the afterlife”. However, with only 7 episodes left, they do have to wrap things quickly. And with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. having the same episode number as Once Upon a Time, a 2-hour finale might not happen like we usually had in the past seasons. Hey all, I’m a long time listener and infrequent feedbacker and just wanted to share some thoughts I’ve had on this season so far.  In general, while I don’t love this season, I don’t hate it. I really like the dynamic between Alice and Robyn, but was very disappointed this week when we didn’t see either character. It’s really hard to get invested in a story when you see a character one time and then not again for several weeks. I feel like each episode stands alone and doesn’t feel like there’s any form of coherent story. When they have so many stories going on at once, it becomes really hard to follow. Between Henry and Jacinda, the basic Hyperion Heights plot, Alice (and Hook) and Robyn, Zelena, the Guardian, Cinderella’s story, Tiana and Facillier, Gothel and the Coven, and likely more that I’m forgetting about, it is so hard to see what part of the story I should be focusing on. And I feel that a lot of viewers are also probably struggling with the longing for unresolved stories of the past. Additionally, it feels like they’re still opening up new stories, and I’m still waiting for all of the current ones to be tied together, and it really doesn’t feel like that’s possible with not just 7 episodes left in this season, but the series. And it would feel like an incomplete ending if the series as a whole wasn’t resolved in addition to the season 7 stories. — Widdy When you put it like that, they definitely need to send the girls home, though it will probably create some problems that we’ll get to in the next episodes, such as Gretel’s death. Will it carry on in the next episode? Or is that storyline done and over? We talked about the spiral on Alice as well as Ella’s dad because their hearts were poisoned in the past podcast and its relevance, and found the spiral in the movie Moana. In the movie, Moana carried a rock with a spiral on it, which is the representative of the heart. While we don’t think they’re going to bring Moana into the series anymore, it was a nice nod to the movie. Finding Ana What was the significance of Drizella and Anastasia playing ...

7×15 “Sisterhood” spoilers plus more on the series finale including the biggest names coming back and other filming details in this spoilers-only podcast for this Friday’s episode! 7×15 “Sisterhood” Spoilers When the Candy Killer attacks, Ivy will have to risk what remains of her family, while Jacinda and Henry grow closer and Roni questions her relationship with Samdi. Meanwhile, Drizella faces an unthinkable challenge in her attempt to join the Witch’s Coven. “Sisterhood” was written by Christopher Hollier & Adam Karp, and directed by Ellen S. Pressman. Guest starring in this episode are Adelaide Kane as Drizella/Ivy, Emma Booth as The Witch/Gothel/Eloise Gardener, Daniel Francis as Dr. Facilier/Mr. Samdi, Yael Yurman as Anastasia, Anna Cathcart as Young Drizella, Nathan Parsons as Nick Branson/Jack, Sara Canning as Gretel, and Bruce Blain as Desk Sergeant. In the promo for “Sisterhood” features the candy killer. Who is the candy killer? He doesn’t look short, and if you come back to when Dr. Sage was killed, the one who cut a lock of her hair looked like a woman’s hand, so who is killing the witches? The promo for “Sisterhood” in the other realm with Regina talking to Drizella telling her that she will find a way to help her if she gives up on the curse. Drizella, of course, seemed like she doesn’t want Regina’s help as she’s seen choking Regina in the next scene. Sara Canning, who guest stars as Gretel, is 30 years old so she’s probably going to appear in Hyperion Heights instead of the new Enchanted Forest, so what is her involvement in all these? Flashing forward to Hyperion Heights, the promo for “Sisterhood” continues with Drizella in a parking lot when the Candy Killer appears. Why is he called a Candy Killer? Is Gretel the Candy Killer? Drizella then comes to Regina for help, but Regina told her that if Drizella wants her help then she should help her find the fix for Henry; find a way to cure Henry and she’ll help protect her from the Candy Killer. In the next scene, Gold is also seen with Regina, saying that they need to get to Anastasia before Ivy does. In another scene, Drizella, Anastasia, Dr. Facilier and Gothel were all in what looks like Victoria Belfry’s office and it looks like Drizella wants to talk to Anastasia and see if they can work out their problems. However, Anastasia says there’s nothing left to say and does some magic with wind storm and glass shattering. Series Finale Spoilers As of this recording, there are no episode photos released yet, but we found out that Jennifer Morrison, Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Dallas and Emilie de Ravin are all going to come back for the series finale to reprise their roles as Emma Swan, Snow White/Mary Margaret, Prince Charming/David, and Belle. Jennifer Morrison is actually in Vancouver as of this recording, donning an Emma Swan wig. No word yet as to when Goodwin and Dallas are going to come over and how long Jennifer Morrison is staying, because they are actually going back to Steveston to film for the finale, as well. In line with this, we don’t know yet whether Morrison is going to Steveston or not. People have been speculating about the title of the series finale episode, “Leaving Storybrooke.” Did they mean it in the literal sense or more metaphorically? Are they actually leaving Storybrooke and are going back to the Enchanted Forest, or is it because the show is ending so, technically, we all are leaving Storybrooke in a way? Did we miss any spoilers for this coming Friday’s episode?

The hippie and the hipster, Operation Hyacinth, some timeline inconsistencies and more in our full-discussion of the episode “The Girl in the Tower”! This episode was so much better than last week. As long as we don’t talk about the timeline, “The Girl in the Tower” was so good. There wasn’t glaring problems with the timeline, but if Robin was 25 in these flashbacks, which is what she said when we first met her back when Regina went to get help from Zelena when Drizella first threatened them of the curse that is coming, that means that she is now 33 in the present day Hyperion Heights. Furthermore, if it’s 8 years after this and this is 10 years after Henry left, which is 2 years after the present day that we saw last year, that means we’re 15-20 years in the future, so why are they still using their iPhones and why do walkie talkies even exist anymore? All of that pop culture reference was relevant both in the present day and the flashbacks. That being said, it was cute that Robin admitted she was a mean girl in Storybrooke. Maybe the curse was a little time travelly? After all, we still don’t know why Regina said that they can’t go to Storybrooke and can’t know they’re in Hyperion Heights. Time travelling was not unprecedented in the show, but there were some similarities in the way Zelena did hers back in season 3 and this curse. You guys were talking about the inconsistencies in the aging of Nook in the latest episode of Once Upon a Time. Here’s the inconsistency I see. Was “New Enchanted Forest” created by the wish in the last season of Once proper? Otherwise, how could Nook even exist to have Alice in the New Enchanted Forest since he didn’t exist until a few years ago on the timeline. Not to mention that he was already old in the wish timeline, so he never existed as the young Nook until Tremain/Rapunzel used magic to make him young again. That is, unless the wish rearranged ALL the timelines. Of course, that would actually explain the inconsistencies in the timelines. They were all retroactively changed by the wish in the last season of Once proper. I’m sure what I just wrote doesn’t make sense, but it does to me… Anyway, love the show! — Chuck We’ve had some discussion around this before and, at the very least, we decided that it must be that when the Wish Realm was created, it was created with an actual real history as far back as any other realm; they have a shared the same history but it just split so at the moment it was changed like the Charmings defeating the Evil Queen, that’s where the timelines diverged and they have a common history up to that point. As with Nook’s timeline, it still works so he would’ve been the same age in the Wish Realm as he was when we first met him in the series in season 2. So when that never happened, their history just continued but it’s been long enough for Henry to age, go out of his bike and meet Cinderella. But that’s also really the crucial part, the assumption that the realm was created with a history rather than coming to existence at the moment Emma arrived there. Otherwise, since Alice is technically a child, at least partially, of the Wish Realm, she couldn’t exist. However, if it has a history and Nook was able to travel to other realms, who knows what effect on other timelines it would have and should have had. It clearly had an effect on assuming another realm is different than the Wish Realm. Hunting the Big Friendly Giant One thing that they did stick to is Alice mentioning she had ...

Everything you need to know about this Friday’s episode including press release, behind the scenes photos and the episode promo. Plus, some series finale spoilers in this spoilers-only podcast for 7×14, “The Girl in the Tower”. “The Girl in the Tower” Rogers works to prove Tilly’s innocence in the case of the Blind Baker’s death, while Ivy attempts to make amends with Anastasia, and Samdi makes a revealing confession to Roni. Meanwhile, in a faraway realm, Alice forms an unbreakable bond. “The Girl in the Tower” was written by Dana Horgan & Leah Fong, and directed by Antonio Negret. Guest starring in this episode are Rebecca Mader as Zelena/Kelly, Rose Reynolds as Alice/Tilly, Adelaide Kane as Drizella/Ivy, Emma Booth as The Witch/Gothel/Eloise Gardener, Daniel Francis as Dr. Facilier/Mr. Samdi, Yael Yurman as Anastasia and Tiera Skovbye as Robin/Margot. “The Girl in the Tower” centers on Alice where we could possibly see her meet Robin for the first time and fell in love with each other. The promo, meanwhile, starts with Regina shows up at Dr. Facilier’s apartment in Hyperion Heights, who is surprised to see her. Flashing then to Regina with walkie talkies in one hand, talking to Lucy about wanting to find out everything she can about Mr. Samdi and who he’s really after. Why is he suddenly in town? How did he wake up? Lucy then breaks in to Mr. Samdi’s apartment, cutting then to Zelena telling Regina, “you sent your granddaughter into a genuine snake pit.” Regina then comes to rescue Lucy by probably giving Dr. Samdi a call so Lucy can leave. For the first time in a long time, we got a lot of promotional photos of multiple scenes. Although the photos didn’t tell much, for the episode “The Girl in the Tower”, we got multiple photos for 3 different scenes; one is of Regina, Nook, Henry, Cinderella, baby Lucy and Zelena camping in the woods. There’s also a bunch of pictures of Alice and Robin together, one of which is Alice looking through a spyglass, and a couple of Robin with her arrow drawn. A lot of the photos we got for this episode seemed like the same image but cropped differently. One of these is with a group of villagers standing around holding pitchforks and fire torches going on a hunt, with a man who looked to be leading the group. Who is he? In another image, Robin draws an arrow to the guy, who’s got a knife in his hand. Another image shows the crowd surrounding Robin and Alice, and one of Alice looking happy and everyone shouting for joy, arrows drawn and knives out. Series Finale Spoilers The series finale, 7×22 is called “Leaving Storybrooke” and is written by Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz. Speaking of series finale, episodes 21 and 22 will be split in two succeeding weeks, unlike before where season finales are usually shown in one day. This means that the series finale could take place on May 18. As of this recording, the cast is about to wrap filming 7×21, and should start filming the series finale anytime soon. Also, for the first time in quite a while, we do have some filming shots and it looks like they are filming in the Wish Realm because there’s a behind the scene image of Snow White and Prince Charming’s statue on the set. In line with this, Robert Carlyle and Colin O’Donoghue were seen filming together, as well as Lana Parrilla in the woods with a couple of surprised guest stars: Keegan Connor Tracy who returns as the Blue Fairy and Beverly Elliot as Granny. Among the returning cast for the final two episodes,

Operation Hyacinth, Tilly’s innocence, a jolt of faith, and a theory on what Gothel’s end game is! Plus, does Regina believe herself when she told Lucy they were going to save Henry? All these and more in our full discussion of the episode “Rogers makes no sense” aka “Knightfall”! The last scene in this episode feels like probably one of the best scenes this season. We liked the Alice-Nook flashbacks, as well a few other scenes albeit a few scenes that sends viewers to snoozeville. Despite getting a flashback of Alice and Nook’s backstory, we still didn’t get Gothel’s motive of doing all these. She got what she wanted from Nook, so what is her purpose for doing all these? So because Nook stopped for a duel, he suddenly wasn’t a good enough father? This season has given me quite the feeling of fan fiction. Like the writers were trying to cater to the fans. Notice that, with the exception of Rumple, none of the old characters ever had a dual identity. What if what we are seeing is actually Henry’s first attempt at writing a story as the author and we are just seeing it played out? I know he’s technically supposed to record the stories, but is it possible he went the way of Isaac and rewrote everyone’s story? Or maybe we’re just seeing the story he has written and it didn’t really happen. That would explain all the inconsistencies. Or maybe that’s just wishful thinking. — Lisa Freedom Calls They did a great job at casting young Alice.  She looks and acts a lot like Tilly, save for the difference in their accents. That being said, Alice is an interesting character, does she have prophetic dreams? What is Gothel’s end game? Does Gothel know that Alice is going to be important? What if Gothel can take brains the way Regina can take hearts? Did Nook jumped realms to see Wish Realm Rumplestiltskin? It is quite disappointing how they don’t delineate where things are because it makes things confusing. If it’s true that that is Wish Realm Rumple then why is there a new Cinderella or new Lady Tremaine? Wish Realm was created with a wish and if there are duplicates, then shouldn’t it feature the same characters as in the ones from the original Enchanted Forest like Ashley as Cinderella? Then again, they made it inexplicably easy to jump between realms now that they don’t feel the need to explain anymore. It was nice to know that the reason why Nook kept a rook chess piece was because he associated it with the tower, where Alice is stuck in. If Nook got the fish hook, why did he go back to Rumplestiltskin in his jail cell? Rumple told him that the fish hook will get him out any prison, why didn’t he just go back to the tower and use it to help Alice get out of the tower? Does Rumplestiltskin not know about squid ink? He could’ve used it to escape. We did a research about Captain Ahab and turns out, Captain Ahab from Moby Dick is said to be the inspiration for Captain Hook. Ahab was after the whale while they wrote Hook to be after a Crocodile. On the other hand, Rumplestiltskin’s banter as the Dark One has always been so enjoyable to watch. It was funny, but it was interesting to see him actually wanting to help Nook free his daughter. Was he pure evil? Belle saw the man behind the beast, after all. When will Rogers wake up? He’s infuriatingly clueless even for someone who’s not awake. Does Gothel hold some power on him aside from the curse?

Which Rumple are we going to see? Is Roni going to help Lucy? All these plus press releases, episode promo, set photos and everything you need to know about 7×13 “Knightfall”. Knightfall Rogers strikes a deal with Eloise despite Tilly’s fair warning, while Ivy struggles to find herself after Victoria’s death. Meanwhile, in a faraway realm, Hook confronts Captain Ahab over a legendary magical talisman which can free Alice, only to learn that his quest may have unintended consequences. “Knightfall” was written by Jerome Schwartz & Miguel Raya, and directed by Steve Miner, with guest stars including Rose Reynolds as Alice/Tilly, Adelaide Kane as Drizella/Ivy, Emma Booth as The Witch/Gothel/Eloise Gardener, Christopher Gauthier as Smee, Chad Rook as Captain Ahab and Elle McKinnon as Young Alice. The promo for “Knightfall” shows a little bit more to it, focusing with Nook wanting to get Alice out of the tower. Nook then goes to Rumplestiltskin for help, saying that he needs magic to set her free. Is this our Rumplestiltskin or Wish Realm Rumple? In this flashback, their either in the Wish Realm or the New Enchanted Forest, so it can’t be our Rumplestiltskin because he should be in Storybrooke under the original curse. Rumple though states than in order to get magic that Nook needs, he needs to get it from the hands of another famous Captain. Then in a traditional old time duel, Nook was seen about to duel Captain Ahab and in between the counting, there’s quick cuts going on showing Ivy kissing Henry, more counting, cutting then to Roni and Lucy asking for help. Now that she’s awake, is she going to help Lucy? After more counting, we see Mother Gothel use her magic to push Nook out of the tower. On the other hand, the set photos for “Knightfall” consisted only of one scene, mostly with Rumplestiltskin in his season 1 Dark One glory. If Rumplestiltskin looks like the Rumple that we know, does that mean that his story is the same, regardless of whether it’s the original Enchanted Forest, the Wish Realm or the new Enchanted Forest? There were also a couple of photos of Nook in Rumple’s prison, as well as a shot of Captain Ahab who seems to come in at a later point dressed in traditional pirate gear. There’s also an image of the fish hook laying on the ground, which looks a lot like the one in Moana, then a shot of Nook drawing a sword at Captain Ahab’s neck. As of this writing, there are no new news yet as to who else is coming back except for Beverly Elliot who will be reprising her role as Granny. Do you know any “Knightfall” spoilers we might have missed? Share them all over the spoiler section of the forum, where you can find a lot more information about the upcoming episodes leading up to the series finale!  

The voodoo witch doctor with that ridiculous hat, H-Town, the Rollin’ Bayou, and more in our in-depth discussion of “A Taste of the Heights”! The Princess and the Frog Although this episode wasn’t that much enjoyable, this is one of those rare weeks where even though it was not that enjoyable, rewatching it brought the enjoyment level higher. Tiana’s storyline for one, was sort of enjoyable, but it feels like watching a story in two different times. We liked the parallel, but it took most of the episode. It wasn’t even just a small thing, they just bounce back and forth and kept focusing on the same people, which is very true to old Once Upon a Time format, wherein the past explains the present except it is much more similar in two different ways. If Jacinda used their collective rent money for the food truck, wouldn’t that mean she was the one starting the food truck? Or was that all for Sabine’s beignets? In the new Enchanted Forest, when Dr. Facilier said that he has been trying to get something that he’s been after for quite a long while, did he mean the Resurrection Amulet? Does he also want it from himself? Also, when Naveen died, Dr. Facilier said that he is “in between worlds?” Are worlds the same thing as realms, and if they’re not, are they dimensions within this world? Is he on another plane like the Underworld? Is Naveen dying? As they debate whether Tiana will go to check the docks or go to the coronation, why didn’t Regina just suggest to poof them there instantly or take care of it herself? Why not bring Regina instead of bringing Nook and Cinderella? And for a second when they got the necklace out of the gator, it looked a bit like a watch from Peter Pan. But why did Dr. Facilier want the necklace? In Princess and the Frog, the necklace was a skull and was used to turn the dude into Naveen when Naveen was a frog. Furthermore, Tiana’s palace is also the name of the restaurant Tiana opens in The Princess and the Frog. Sabine and Drew knew each other years ago, however, it seems they are more together in Hyperion Heights. Is the curse gentler because Regina cast it somehow or is that another inconsistencies? When Dr. Facilier saved Naveen’s life, Tiana seems to forgot that she accidentally almost killed him in the first place because he had something with him that belonged to Dr. Facilier. VoodooQueen What is Regina’s history with Dr. Facilier? And why must Regina always be kissing people she shouldn’t? “It seems pretty clear that he knew Regina when she was the Evil Queen (based on his comment that she had gone soft). It appears that they had some kind of romantic involvement. It appears that he still has feelings for Regina. In Greenbacks he was imprisoned between worlds and somehow I suspect that it was Regina who trapped him there. Perhaps their original relationship did not work out very well.” — Gareth 3) I had the feeling of dread of NO… Please NO about Regina and Dr Facilier the same way I had about Wish Realm Evil Queen and Mr. Gold in season 6. 4) If Regina has a past life with Dr Facilier, then how about Rumple, Zelena or Gothel? 5) Dr Facilier referred to Regina as “my Queen” similar to that of Genie/Sidney Glass in season 1. — Keeper of Squid Ink If there’s only 10 episodes left in the series, how will they explain Regina and Dr. Facilier’s backstory? Will we even see it? Could Regina have gone to Dr. Facilier to try and resurrect Daniel, which will explain her history with him? Whatever their history is, it seems Zelena doesn’t know about it. Regina wondered what the odds are that Dr. Facilier shows up “just days after (they) d...

Everything you need to know about 7×12 “A Taste of the Heights” plus some casting news leading up to the series finale, including who’s returning, who isn’t, and more! A Taste of the Heights On the day of Tiana’s coronation, a confrontation with Dr. Facilier compels her to take a trip through the Bayou, where a surprising encounter changes her life and the hunt for an alligator takes a dark turn. In Hyperion Heights, Sabine reconnects with an old friend whose plans could jeopardize her culinary dreams. Meanwhile, Rogers and Weaver investigate a Blind Witch, leading them to a shocking discovery about The Coven. “A Taste of the Heights” was written by David H. Goodman & Brigitte Hales, and directed by Nina Lopez-Corrado, with guest stars including Rebecca Mader as Zelena/Kelly, Robin Givens as Eudora, Daniel Francis as Dr. Facilier/Mr. Samdi, Jeff Pierre as Hunter/Naveen/Drew, Trevor Roberts as Remy, and Chilton Crane as Hilda. Promo for “A Taste of the Heights” starts with Lucy laying flower at her grandmother’s grave, and it looks like we’re not done with the tower. After all, Nook raised Alice in that tower. Flashing then to Hyperion Heights with Alice jumping into a building, then we do see Nook with Smee in the new Enchanted Forest in what seems like a duel with Nook getting hit. Back in Hyperion Heights, Lucy is talking to Henry saying “tonight’s the night we finally gives Jacinda True Love’s Kiss.” Are they going on a date? Staying in? Rogers and Weaver then break in to some place when a girl in a cape runs by, cut to Regina saying “someone is killing witches”. Does this confirm that the doctor from “Secret Garden” was a witch? Is she a witch doctor? Cut back then to Lucy reading from a page of the book saying that if Henry should break the curse, he will die. Then, at the very end, there’s one tiny snippet of Tiana and in a boat. Promotional photos for “A Taste of the Heights” didn’t give a lot either. They are mostly of a very old woman who has her eyes completely white in a bakery, probably the Blind Witch from Hansel and Gretel. Another photo shows Weaver and Rogers walking into the Blind Witch’s shop. With the episode being a Tiana-centric, it is somewhat odd that not a single photo includes her, whether it be in Hyperion Heights or the new Enchanted Forest.   Casting News, Episode Titles and more In a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly regarding whether any of the original cast members is coming back, Eddy Kitsis said, “Once is home to everyone, so there’s an open invitation to every actor who has been on the show to come back in the finale. We’ll see who’s available.” Kitsis also added, “If the real question is, will the final couple hours remind us of the first six years, then the answer is yes.” In line with this, Jennifer Morrison was also asked in the recently concluded Emerald City Comic Con 2018 if she is coming back for the series finale, to which the actress answered with, “I’m trying to make it work.” However, what’s important to know is that the finale has been written and the writers have actually left the Writing Room. Now, that doesn’t mean that Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, who are probably writing the series finale, can’t insert Morrison in some way if she does decide to come back however, it seems like Morrison really want to move on and stand by h...

Why did Mother Gothel help Regina and Zelena to wake up Lucy? Who killed Doctor Sage? All these and more as we hit the road, digging deep into the episode “Secret Garden” including Mother Gothel’s—dirty hippie witch—agenda, Zelena’s dysfunctional family, as well as the Resurrection Amulet’s unparalleled power. Mother Knows Best This episode felt like Once Upon a Time getting back to its roots in the worst way. However, they surprisingly did a good math with this flashback. They had previously said Robin was 25, and if she is 18 in the flashback and Lucy is a baby, that means Lucy is now eight (allegedly). So Robin’s age finally makes sense.  In episode 7×01, Hyperion Heights, Henry leaves Storybrooke and he’s 18 which would put Robin at age 5 as she was born when Hebert was 13 in episode 5×08, Birth and in episode 5×05 Dreamcatcher, Henry stated he was 13.  It wouldn’t be for another 10 years before Henry meets Cinderella putting him at 28 which would make sense as many milestones for the characters seem to take place at 28.  In this episode, Robin states she’s 18 which would make Henry 31 when Lucy’s born and about 38-39 when the curse was cast as Robin stated she was 25 in episode 7×10, The Eighth Witch and Lucy was eight wedge the curse was cast.  Still doesn’t explain why Regina, Zelena, Hook or Rapunzel haven’t really aged but at least the aging is making a little more sense. — DeAndre Williams That said, this would contradict Zelena’s statement that Robin growing up quickly was meant to imply that in another realm actually time moves faster, which would also account for Henry growing up so much while all the people he left in Storybrooke didn’t age very much. It was nice to see the past and see the answer as to why Zelena’s back and how she and Robin got to the Enchanted Forest. Tiana’s castle also looked better than what they’ve done in the past. On the other hand, it was a little flat, rushed and creepy in the wrong way. It was bothersome how they can jump between realms easily without explaining it. At least they did a good job fixing the timeline. One thing we liked about the episode is how they introduced Robin’s storyline and how she was supposed to follow Zelena’s footsteps and learn magic just because she is the daughter of the Wicked Witch. We were a bit troubled with the Storybrooke stuff, seeing young Storybrooke girls practicing dark witchcraft. Are one of the girls Emma and Hook’s child? There are so many game-changers in this episode. Why was Gothel helping Zelena and Regina in present day Hyperion Heights? Why bother wake Lucy up? How did Zelena know Mother Gothel? Did Gothel try to recruit Zelena into the coven before Robin summoned her? Memento Mori When they found Robin in Memento Mori’s, she said that she ran away, rather than the fact that Gothel kidnapped her. Did Robin do that just to get back at her mother? Madame Leota, on the other hand, one of the most powerful witches in all the realms and is critical to Mother Gothel’s plans for her coven. Furthermore, Madame Leota is a ghostly character from the Haunted Mansion franchise. Originally conceived as a character to be featured in The Haunted Mansion, Leota’s character has been expanded, to be featured in multiple Disney attractions, as well as a feature film. She was originally portrayed by Leota Toombs, whom she was named after, while Eleanor Audley voiced her. Madame Leota generally favors speaking in rhyme as her incantations seem to be based around it. The Memento Mori, the name of the shop where Zelena and Nook found Robin, is the medieval Latin Christian theory and practice of reflection on mortalit...

Sneak peeks, set photos, some interviews and episode titles plus, who will die? Will there be more than one deaths before the series finale? Who is Regina’s new love interest? All these and more in this spoilers-only podcast for “Secret Garden” and beyond! Eager to harness her burgeoning magical skills, Robin engages in a risky relationship with Mother Gothel. Meanwhile in Hyperion Heights, Roni and Kelly strike a deal with Eloise, desperate to save Lucy from her mysterious illness. But nothing comes without a price. As things finally come to a head between Victoria and Ivy, someone may have to pay with their life. “Secret Garden” was written by Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz and directed by Mick Garris, with guest stars including Adelaide Kane as Drizella/Ivy, Emma Booth as Witch/Gothel/Eloise Gardener, Rebecca Mader as Zelena/Kelly, Nathan Parsons as Nick Branson, Yael Yurman as Anastasia, Tiera Skovbye as Robin, Nisreen Slim as Doctor Sage and Suzy Joachim as Madame Leota. Promo for “Secret Garden” starts off with Hook saying, “the battle isn’t over” then another voiceover saying “a new battle has begun”. Also in the promo, Hook and Gold (aka Rogers and Weaver) talking about a ritual that has to be done that require sacrifices. Roni and Kelly, meanwhile, made it back to Hyperion Heights, stuck on what to do because if they break the curse then Henry dies, but if they don’t then Lucy does. Finally, the promo also said that a war between the witches. Sneak Peeks and Set Photos As for sneak peeks, the first sneak peek for “Secret Garden” shows a ritual taking place inside Regina’s vault in Storybrooke until a cellphone rings. Also, in the same sneak peek, it said “Storybrooke: Some Years Ago”. Since one of the hooded figure revealed to be grown up Robin and then later on Zelena appears—who didn’t age a day, how long ago exactly did this take place? Who is the other girl wearing a hood? She does look a bit like Anastasia but the girl also said that her parents wanted to have dinner at Granny’s so she’s clearly a local resident, so it may not be her at all. She also told Robin, “Your mom may be the Wicked Witch but you have a ways to go in that department.” Zelena then walks in saying, “Spell time is over.” The second sneak peek, however, is less complicated and it takes place in Hyperion Heights, with Henry in Lucy’s hospital room with Jacinda, obviously not much time has passed, and he sees Roni and Kelly standing outside the room. Henry then goes out to talk to them looking frustrated because there’s nothing he and Jacinda can do to save Lucy. After Henry walked out, Regina and Zelena then discussed the situation that they don’t want either Henry or Lucy to die; there must be something they can do, agreeing that they’re going to work together as sisters in order to wake up both Henry and Lucy without having to sacrifice either of the two. Set photos for “Secret Garden” mostly include Wish Realm Hook in what looks like Mr. Gold’s Shop in Storybrooke with Zelena and Robin in her Storybrooke school uniform. A lot of people are questioning whether this is real Hook or not, however, this Hook wears the usual pirate outfit we see Captain Hook is in, as opposed to the one we’ve seen for the past 6 seasons who have gotten used to modern day outfit. That being said, the question remains: how is he in Mr. Gold’s Shop in Storybrooke with Zelena, Robin and Mother Gothel? Where is Regina? Is she also in Storybrooke during this time? Furthermore, along with pirate-outfitted Hook are Mother Gothel, Robin,

Before we dig into Season 7B spoilers, let it be known that, after 7 seasons, Once Upon a Time will end after its current season. “After seven years, 156 episodes, and countless twists on beloved characters, OUAT will officially say farewell in a series finale slated for May,” according to Entertainment Weekly published last Tuesday. Show creators Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz also shared an official statement on Twitter: Seven years ago, we set out to create a show about hope, where even in the darkest of times, a happy ending would always be possible. But we never imagined the happy ending that was actually in store for all of us – years and years of adventure, romance, magic and hope. We’re so grateful to our brilliant collaborators – the cast, crew, and writers – as well as our partners at the studio and network for making this journey possible. But most of all, we want to thank the fans. Their fierce loyalty and devotion was the real magic behind Once Upon a Time. We hope they join us for these last few hours as we journey to the Enchanted Forest for one more adventure. Entertainment Weekly also asked Kitsis and Horowitz if ABC gave them enough notice to be able to properly wrap things up, and Kitsis said that they “did not go into this season assuming there would be a season 8, so we had two paths for the finale — one where it was closed-ended, one where it was open-ended. We had been building toward it the whole year anyways, so instead of a cliffhanger, it will just be a closed-ended story that wraps it up. But we’re prepared and ready, so we weren’t shocked by it.” Spoilers for Once Upon a Time Season 7B and beyond Hiatus is almost over and we are back for spoilers for the second half of the season! Filling you in with stuff that we don’t know about the last few episodes before the series finale in May, including episode titles, casting news, some directorial debut, air dates, and general spoilers for season 7B and beyond! Casting News Joining the cast as Prince Naveen is ‘Beyond’ alumni Jeff Pierre as Prince Naveen, Tiana’s Prince, TVLine reports. Described as a fun-loving, freewheeling adventurer who cares little about the dangers of the world (at least, that’s how it appears), his easy exterior hides a heart struggling with a tragic past. Another actor joining the second half of the season is ‘Marvel’s Runaways’ star Kip Pardue as Kelly—Zelena’s cursed persona’s fiance, Chad, Entertainment Weekly shared.   Episode Titles The 11th episode of the 7th season is called “Secret Garden”, which is written by Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz. Immediately picking up after the last episode before the Winter hiatus “The Eighth Witch” where Lucy fell into a coma and Regina finding out that she is in the curse in order to save Henry, as well as the reveal of the Coven of the Eight which includes Gothel and Drizella, “Secret Garden” is slated to air March 2. Meanwhile, David H. Goodman & Brigitte Hales pens 7×12 “A Taste of the Heights”, a Tiana-centric episode where we will first meet Prince Naveen. 7×13 “Knightfall”, written by Jerome Schwartz & Miguel Ian Raya, is probably a Hook-centric episode; 7×14 “The Girl in the Tower” is written by Dana Horgan & Leah Fong and will center around Alice/Tilly and Zelena and R...

The Dark Curse, the Coven of the Eight, WickedSisters reunion and Drizella’s Mommy and sisterly issues, Henry vs Lucy, plus, a theory about that confusing reason why the heroes are in the old Enchanted Forest! All these and more as we nitpick this double density podcast of “The Eighth Witch.” Although they packed so much into the episode in just one hour, “The Eighth Witch” was rather enjoyable. They flash forward a lot and still has more to explain but this was a really, in many ways, epic episode. It was very well done, however, the episode also had some very big plot holes and timeline issues. As the mid-season finale, “The Eighth Witch” this episode kind of wrapped up a storyline which was who cast the curse what the circumstance of casting it but without resolving it just yet. We liked the complexity of the story. The Dark Curse While Lady Tremaine may not be enjoyable as a villain having done terrible things this season, she also ended up helping the heroes. But how long is she going to help them? Furthermore, there were also a lot of callbacks in this episode, they threw so much in the beginning we almost wanted them to slow down. There was a big chunk of time missing, what with the birth of Lucy then all of a sudden the heroes were seen in a castle. But why Lucy’s 8th birthday and what does she have anything to do with it? Why does it have to be Lucy’s 8th birthday? Why keep Drizella as a statue for 8 years? And did they just keep Drizella’s statue in Tiana’s courtyard for 8 years? Why even have Lucy’s 8th birthday with Drizella’s statue around? Was it simply to keep an eye on her? That said, that scene was so well-done and creepy. It was nice because it has been a while to see them do their take on a fairy tale like how it really happened like they did with the Frozen-Snow Queen arc. It was nice that Regina thought about getting help from Zelena after she woke up from the curse, but how is Zelena in the Enchanted Forest in the flashback? Does this mean Storybrooke still has magic? It was almost a let down because they went to the poisoned heart magic thing, but at least Henry looked super sick; very effective. In the original Dark Curse, Emma only broke the curse, not bring magic to Storybrooke. It was Rumplestiltskin who brought magic to the town. The Coven of the Eight Regina referenced to Robin’s age, however, Henry was supposed to be 18 years old when he left Storybrooke, so how was Robin already in her 20s whereas Henry looked like he’s only in his 30s during the flashback? And how did Zelena get her magic back? Why did they feel it necessary that The Coven of the Eight were witches and not creatures? The entire premise of the series back in season 1 was that the tree where baby Emma went through was the last enchanted tree in the realm, so how come there was another enchanted tree in the Enchanted Forest? Did they relocate to the original Enchanted Forest years later? There was some stuff in the episode that seemed to dovetail the scenes of season 6 finale, which began with Henry running through the forest and finding Lucy. However, the caption said “Enchanted Forest: A Time of Great Upheaval”, this is probably the reason we found the heroes back in the Enchanted Forest. We liked the sacrifice that Ella made and leave Lucy alone with Tiana and when they all convened in the stone circle, however, it was hilarious how Drizella said she waited so many years to enact the curse, when Rumple waited for 300 years. Moreover, the curse is still very vague and what it involes. How will they find a cure? Does breaking the curse bring the entire world magic? They’re not even in a contained space in this curse,