TVLine preview:
Lest you think that the introduction of Queen Elsa (Fringe’s Georgina Haig), Anna et al is mere Disney/ABC synergy, series cocreator Adam Horowitz makes clear that where Emma and her fellow Storybrookers “found themselves coming out of Season 3 is incredibly relevant to what the Frozen story is. There are things about Anna and Elsa that resonate within our own characters.” (But wait, wasn’t almost everyone happy when last we tuned in? “That’s what the premiere is for,” taunts Eddy Kitsis.) All told, Season 4’s theme is “Never give up on the people you love” — a notion that perhaps has particular significance for Regina, whose nascent romance with Robin Hood is detoured by Marian’s “resurrection.” Says Kitsis, “It’s going to be complicated and messy, but we hope it’s a hot mess.” Elsewhere, “past history” will test Emma and Hook’s own new relationship, an early episode delves into Belle’s pre-Rumple life and mild-mannered Mary Margaret is going to be presented with “much more responsibility” than just new motherhood.
BONUS SPOILER | Speaking of the Frozen contingent, Kitsis teases, “Somebody [in Storybrooke] will be unhappy to see them, and somebody will be thrilled to see them.”