Speculation WITHOUT Spoilers: Lalalalala! I can't hear you!

[regularlyleaded]

Want to  speculate but want to remain blissfully unaware of any spoilers? Then this is the place to speculate about what may be happening WITHOUT those pesky spoilers raining on your parade. Ignorance is bliss!

(Promo talk happens here too!)

Edited March 30, 2014 by regularlyleaded

[SnarkyBean]

LOL, I've moved it back to the spoilers thread, just in case!!  I'm so confused :)

Edited March 30, 2014 by SnarkyBean

[regularlyleaded]

Thank you much, regularly leaded.  Since I only lurked on spoilers/recap threads on the old site, and I haven't read the entire set of threads (please don't give me a warning! ;) ) I apologize if these theories have been bandied about and/or rejected already.

 

Hehe...No, seriously, I have zero power here. I can send you happy thoughts if you want though. ;)

Now I understand what you're dilemma was, SnarkyBean. You just wanted to know if you could talk speculation, in general, within the "Spoilers and Spoilery Discussion" thread. And yes, we do that all the time. What you asked above actually does belong in the spoiler thread because

"the news that a cast regular is going to die"

is still a spoiler.

Normally, this thread is used when you just want to speculate without knowing about any spoilers or reading about any spoilers. People who stay away from spoilers use this thread to talk about what could be happening in upcoming episodes.

(BTW - you may want to edit your post above so we don't accidentally spoil anyone with that one).

Edited March 30, 2014 by regularlyleaded

[jette]

OK, I'll try. Is the "beautiful one," the flying monkey that Zelena ordered about in S3:Ep15 Emma's former fiancé, a new character we haven't met yet or someone who is missing from Storybrooke 2.0 that I've forgotten about? 

[Sabs]

I think he's Walsh, but that is based on absolutely nothing but the voices in my head.  :-)

[Dani-Ellie]

Anything that could potentially get Chris Gorham back on my little fairy tale show is just fine with me, so I like that idea very much. :)

[Camera One]

Looking at the title of this week's episode, I hope we don't get a Kermit-the-Frog worthy sob story for Zelena.

[samhalliwell]

Looking at the title of this week's episode, I hope we don't get a Kermit-the-Frog worthy sob story for Zelena.

Considering they're playing Zelena as absolutely effing psycho, I don't think even the saddest sob story would really put her in that sympathetic a light even if the writers tried. I know they like to pretend they can redeem people who have done really despicable things, but I'd like my PsychoZelena through and through, thank you very much :)

[Heather Rose]

Moved this.

Edited April 7, 2014 by Heather Rose

[3dog]

Here's my completely based-on-nothing spec: I think Zelena's dad is going to end up being Rumple. They love making everyone inter-related, and he and Cora did have a relationship. It would explain why Zelena was born with magic. And since Rumple just lost his son, it would give him another kid to mess up.

[Camera One]

In Season 4 of "Once Upon a Time", Storybrooke becomes an epic battleground between Elsa from "Frozen" and the Blue Fairy.  Because NO ONE wears blue except Blue.

[Camera One]

Reposting from TWoP...

 

Now that I've watched "Frozen", I am thinking about how they might adapt Elsa into the show.

Horowitz said they do not plan to change the essence of her character, which means she will be misunderstood and not able to control her powers but not evil. 

Since Regina and Rumple could be occupied with their own storylines (Regina with Marion/Robin - who would inevitably end up with a flashback fleshing out their story, and Rumple with lying to Belle), I think the most logical would be to use Elsa with Snow/Charming, by making her the sister of one of them.  If they want to keep the sisterly bond angle, that would be Snow.  Plus they already have the standby Younger versions of Ava and Leopold, which they can use in flashback, and they can keep the backstory of Elsa accidentally hurting Toddler Snow, and Snow's memories were erased to protect Elsa's secret.  They could then have Ava/Leopold got to Rumple, who traps Elsa into an urn.  They could use this event to explain how Ava changed from a brat to the better person she became. 

The good thing is they could avoid the "big bad" formula in 4A by having Elsa freeze Storybrooke to create the main threat.  Maybe her powers interferes with the Curse's magic and people have no food.  They could also say Elsa's magic also "freezes" Regina and Rumple's magic, so they cannot create warmth or food either.  So the danger would basically be starvation.  It could give Charming and Emma the storyline of how to rule the town and how to give hope to people who are hungry, who are looking to them to solve the problem.  They could have Snow regain her memories of Elsa or be told that Elsa is her sister, and then it's her job to "thaw" Elsa.  The writers have mentioned Snow living with half a heart will come up, so they could still ultimately end with Elsa shooting Snow in the heart, who is even more weakened since she only has half of one.

[daxx]

I just posted in Snow's thread and realized there is a part of the show that I would really love to see. Offscreenville, some of the juiciest, most interesting conversations take place there. Why did we not get a single conversation in a six hour drive to Storybrooke? Seriously.

Edited May 31, 2014 by daxx

[Camera One]

So Maleficient had a huge opening weekend.  The good news is this will probably mean we will finally get to see Maleficient's backstory, or maybe even a resurrection of her character, and hopefully at least an episode of Aurora and Philip (who got thrown to the monkeys in 3B).  I know the actor who played Maleficient way back in Season 1 was supposed to be famous, but she didn't look very much like Maleficient to me.  I wonder if Maleficient will be the focus of Season 4B, or if they will wait until Season 5.  If they go the disgraced fairy route, we could potentially see more mythology building with the fairies.  Probably shouldn't get my hopes up, though.  Maleficient will probably be Rumple's half-sister and Regina's old schoolmate who Ava accidentally injured with a fly-swatter or something.  And she became evil because Aurora's mother accidentally stole her boyfriend.

Edited June 1, 2014 by Camera One

[orza]

I don't think it is foregone conclusion that they'll revisit the story of Maleficent. The Maleficent movie is different than the Disney kiddy cartoons. No one is comparing Disney's Beauty and the Beast cartoon to the OUaT characters. Even the 10 years olds in my extended family get it that the Belle we see in OUaT is a different character than the Disney cartoon princess. Since Maleficent is a live-action movie it invites direct comparisons, which I doubt Adam and Eddy really want. They can't compete with a big-budget Hollywood blockbuster starring an award-winning actress in the title role.

 

I don't know if I would call Kristen Bauer Van Stratten famous. She is a TV actress who has managed to stay employed over the years. She may not be interested in reprising her role on Once because she doesn't want to be compared to Angelina Jolie and found lacking.

Edited June 2, 2014 by orzamonium

[SilverShadow]

At Spooky Empire Sean didn't imply he was going anywhere and during the panel Lana said "Pixie dust never lies." My guess he's recurring but they have him on lock for X number of episodes. Maybe Elsa will put him on ice for part of the season or he'll go away with Marian and the Merry Men but then come back.

[Serena]

I wonder if that is the case. Perhaps they got burned giving Michael Raymond-James a regular listing and then deciding it wasn't going to work. Or perhaps they're fleshing out the storylines and haven't decided how involved he's going to be yet.

More than MRJ, I would compare Robin to the Belle situation. Both iconic good characters, the writers "rewrote" them as love interests for one of their fave baddies, but they have no actual interest in them as individual character or in their relationship with the "bad guy" outside of the initial "twist" (Rumple is the Beast! Robin and EQ are true love!) and what they can do for Rumple/Regina's so-called character development. It's clear to me that they regretted making Belle a regular because they have no idea how to deal with her or with Rumbelle, but they don't feel like they can get rid of her without causing a huge shitstorm.

[YaddaYadda]

What sort of grates for me when it comes to Ruby/Red is that she is literally Snow's BFF, and Snow is in sore need of a friend/sounding board.  A friend who couldn't give a rat's ass about Regina that is.  I think one of the things that made me intolerant of MM/Snow this past season was that we never really knew what she was thinking when it came to anyone (unless it was Regina).  Whatever conversations she has about Emma with David happen off screen which also sucks.

 

Ruby/Red is actually a pretty kick ass character in her own right.  The writers created something really nice and then pushed it aside.  Not sure why, but they need to not do that anymore.

[KAOS Agent]

 

Making it about fate, destiny, the simple fairy tale solution (the universe rights things, right) is in my view the convenient, conservative, but more importantly easy way out of an interesting, complex dilemma they created for the characters with bringing Marian into the present time.

 

Using fate as an excuse for anything on this show is a cop out that makes the storytelling pointless. The idea that if it is fated, then it is going to happen regardless of anyone's actions removes agency and essentially tells me everyone should just sit on their ass doing nothing because it doesn't matter. That fate will get Regina/Robin together because "Pixie dust never lies" is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. The most interesting piece of that whole pixie dust story is that Regina ran away from it. She made a choice and it led her down a very dark path. How about we explore the idea that life gives you choices and you are subject to the consequences of your actions? Killing Marian off negates any real exploration of this idea and it would be a huge disservice to the character of Regina. 

 

My solution to this story is that Robin/Marian/Roland fall through a portal to live happily ever after and we never see them again. Bonus points if they all fall through because of something that Regina does (either a positive or negative motivation works for me here). Then Regina can just learn to deal and work on herself for a while. Or she can meet another guy, slowly work towards a relationship and after admitting her feelings discover the guy has a lion tattoo. Sadly, I have little trust in these showrunners because the creativity is severely lacking and Regina always gets to keep her toys without facing any real consequence, so I expect Marian to die and Regina to get Robin while they whitewash that Regina actually killed his wife in the first place.

[Long Days Night]

"Pixie dust never lies" is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. The most interesting piece of that whole pixie dust story is that Regina ran away from it.

 

 

I think "Pixie dust never lies" could mean a lot of things, not just that R&R are the guaranteed endgame pairing.  It works just as well with the outcome you suggested of Regina ending up with a totally different guy & only discovering he has a lion tattoo after they have gotten together. The dust may be foolproof, but because they never saw the face of the guy that was ID'd via that dust, it could turn out that Regina was fooling herself when she jumped to the conclusion that Robin was the guy, based solely on seeing his tattoo.

[FAU]

What sort of grates for me when it comes to Ruby/Red is that she is literally Snow's BFF, and Snow is in sore need of a friend/sounding board.  A friend who couldn't give a rat's ass about Regina that is.  I think one of the things that made me intolerant of MM/Snow this past season was that we never really knew what she was thinking when it came to anyone (unless it was Regina).  Whatever conversations she has about Emma with David happen off screen which also sucks.

 

Ruby/Red is actually a pretty kick ass character in her own right.  The writers created something really nice and then pushed it aside.  Not sure why, but they need to not do that anymore.

 

I missed Snow's interactions with Red and even Emma back when they were all curse, at least it was interesting unlike the complete moron she's unfortunately become to prop Regina up and her redemption.

 

 

More than MRJ, I would compare Robin to the Belle situation. Both iconic good characters, the writers "rewrote" them as love interests for one of their fave baddies, but they have no actual interest in them as individual character or in their relationship with the "bad guy" outside of the initial "twist" (Rumple is the Beast! Robin and EQ are true love!) and what they can do for Rumple/Regina's so-called character development. It's clear to me that they regretted making Belle a regular because they have no idea how to deal with her or with Rumbelle, but they don't feel like they can get rid of her without causing a huge shitstorm.

 

Exactly, Belle is just a package deal for Rumbelle, they did try to give her some exposition here and there in figuring out Zalena's plan and stuff, although I suspect they just gave her that instead of Neal.

[lynny]

I'm sure Marian is eventually a goner but I assume it won't be before there is some grand Regina angst that makes me bang my head into a wall. 

 

Regarding some non-Regina/Marian speculation: I heard some speculation on the ONCE podcast about how we know (1) Elsa is coming to Storybrooke and (2) Knave of Hearts/Will Scarlett is returning to Storybrooke. And Will's true love is named Ana (Anna maybe?). And Anna and Elsa are sisters in Frozen so maybe Anna can come to Storybrooke with Will and be related to Elsa.

 

I haven't heard a single thing about this except as wild speculation but I'm locking on to it, because I am one of the very, very few people who actually enjoyed OUATIW and watched it straight to the bitter end. And I quite liked Anna and especially Anna and Will's story and it will make me sad if Will and Anna are separated for some reason after their ending in OUATIW.

 

Where this theory falls apart completely is that I'm pretty sure that it is established that Anna is actually one of Cinderella's step sisters so that would make Elsa and Cinderella related so that probably won't work. Unless the Anna = evil step sister was just speculation and I made it canon in my head?

[legaleagle53]

I'm sure Marian is eventually a goner but I assume it won't be before there is some grand Regina angst that makes me bang my head into a wall. 

 

Regarding some non-Regina/Marian speculation: I heard some speculation on the ONCE podcast about how we know (1) Elsa is coming to Storybrooke and (2) Knave of Hearts/Will Scarlett is returning to Storybrooke. And Will's true love is named Ana (Anna maybe?). And Anna and Elsa are sisters in Frozen so maybe Anna can come to Storybrooke with Will and be related to Elsa.

 

I haven't heard a single thing about this except as wild speculation but I'm locking on to it, because I am one of the very, very few people who actually enjoyed OUATIW and watched it straight to the bitter end. And I quite liked Anna and especially Anna and Will's story and it will make me sad if Will and Anna are separated for some reason after their ending in OUATIW.

 

Where this theory falls apart completely is that I'm pretty sure that it is established that Anna is actually one of Cinderella's step sisters so that would make Elsa and Cinderella related so that probably won't work. Unless the Anna = evil step sister was just speculation and I made it canon in my head?

 

No, that was very definitely established in the episode where the Jabberwocky is messing with Anastasia's mind in order to get her to crack and use the three wishes that she got from Will.  The Jabberwocky specifically taunts Anastasia with what might have been "if your stepsister hadn't married the Prince."  That scene confirmed an earlier episode where it was hinted that Anastasia left the Enchanted Forest with Will in part to get away from her domineering, disapproving mother, Lady Tremayne (Cinderella's stepmother) and the later episode where Cora is teaching Anastasia how to use magic by zeroing in on Anastasia's insecurities fueled by Lady Tremayne's rejection of her.

[Mari]

How much do you think the "Frozen" plot will actually be influenced by the movie?  I know that they've promised to not full-fledge villainize Elsa, but how much of the original story do they need to consider it "Frozen"?

 

With Neverland and Oz, we got a few things, but definitely nothing close to the elements of the original story--in some cases, just a name drop or two. 

 

I could see them aging up Elsa and Anna--and playing out whatever bits of the movie they want to.

[Camera One]

Quote from Mari in another thread:

How much do you think the "Frozen" plot will actually be influenced by the movie? I know that they've promised to not full-fledge villainize Elsa, but how much of the original story do they need to consider it "Frozen"?

I think they will need to be a little more careful with "Frozen" since it's so recent, people would know the plot well and Disney would want to approve any changes. With Neverland and Oz, I doubt they were restrained in any way. As you said, Oz in particular and also Peter Pan, it was a vague, surface treatment of the original story, then making it fit their plot.

[RadioGirl27]

Frozen is too new and too big and important for Disney right now, so I don't think the show writers will be able to change anything major.

[Serena]

I hope we only get one episode of Frozen backstory - we don't need to see the, recreate Frozen, and there's nothing interesting in giving a "twist" to characters that are less than 1 year old. They can have ONE episode of post-Frozen, Anna is in danger, Elsa goes crazy, Rumple locks her up set up, and leave the rest for the main cast.

I'm guessing they'll have to find some contrived way Anna and Kristoff were in either SB or the Coradome - ideally SB since there would be no way for them to get to SB and reunite with Elsa otherwise (until someone else finds a bean under their pillow), otherwise they would be 30 years older than Elsa.

[Camera One]

we don't need to see the, recreate Frozen, and there's nothing interesting in giving a "twist" to characters that are less than 1 year old.

I think someone suggested before maybe Rumple would make a deal with Elsa's parents. He would replace the role of the trolls. So one of Elsa's backstories would be combined with a Rumple flashback, sort of akin to the Zelena/Rumple flashback episode.

Worst case scenario is Cora had another child and it's Elsa, LOL. Maybe a secret child with Leopold. And Regina is Anna, who must open her heart again to love after being rejected by Robin Hood.

Or what about Elsa being Rumple's seemingly evil but actually misunderstood mother, who he ended up sealing inside an urn. And she helps him to get over losing a child once they work through all their misunderstandings.

Edited June 7, 2014 by Camera One

[KingOfHearts]

I hope they give an explanation on why Elsa has ice powers specifically. I don't think she can practice general magic besides ice, but they could change that for the show.

 

I think someone suggested before maybe Rumple would make a deal with Elsa's parents.

 

Perhaps Rumple took Elsa in as a deal with Elsa's parents, and tried to train her to control her powers. Maybe Elsa was so wildly strong and dangerous that Rumple had to entrap her in the urn. She would have to be pretty powerful to give Rumple a scare. That's assuming he was the one who put her in there, anyway. It could be Rumple doesn't even know who she is, lol.

Edited June 7, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[Mari]

I hope they give an explanation on why Elsa has ice powers specifically. I don't think she can practice general magic besides ice, but they could change that for the show.

 

Perhaps Rumple took Elsa in as a deal with Elsa's parents, and tried to train her to control her powers. Maybe Elsa was so wildly strong and dangerous that Rumple had to entrap her in the urn. She would have to be pretty powerful to give Rumple a scare. That's assuming he was the one who put her in there, anyway. It could be Rumple doesn't even know who she is, lol.

 

Personally,  I'd really like it if she were a completely unknown thing for them--if Elsa were something that he inherited from the previous Dark One, or ended up with from someone like Maleficent, who were sufficiently mysterious about it he knew it was powerful, but not useful for his Baelfire quest.

 

What I'm wondering about is how do they make her the A-block danger, without making her too dark for Disney's wishes, and without just making the story arc full of wacky hijinks and profound stupidity from the main cast?

[retrograde]

Personally,  I'd really like it if she were a completely unknown thing for them--if Elsa were something that he inherited from the previous Dark One, or ended up with from someone like Maleficent, who were sufficiently mysterious about it he knew it was powerful, but not useful for his Baelfire quest.

I'm torn on this one. On the one hand, I don't really want to have to roll my eyes through a really contrived explanation as to how she and Rumple are connected. On the other, it will feel pretty lazy if they don't even try, and it's just, "Oh look at that, I just happened to have a lead character from Disney's most popular animated film in my vault. How did that get there?"

[KingOfHearts]

If she's going to be the starring character standing in for the Big Bad, I think she's going to have to have some connection to the main cast. A major character like Elsa just would be weird to come from left field. Plus, that would mean less screen time for the mains if she had her own long saga without ties.

Edited June 8, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[retrograde]

So this is kinda out there, but: I saw someone speculate elsewhere that returned!Marian is actually Zelena. Which... at first sounded crazy to me. But. I still cannot for the life of me see how the show is going to write itself out of the Regina/Robin/Marian situation, short of having Robin go off with Marian, which doesn't seem to be the direction they want to go, what with the whole pixie dust true love thing. How is Robin ever going to forgive, let alone love, the woman who killed his wife and the mother of his child? But what if Regina actually didn't do that*? What if Zelena set the whole thing up to destroy Regina's happiness and steal her happy ending? 

 

Is that too crazy? Maybe it's too crazy. I dunno. I am willing to entertain the idea that there's more to Marian than meets the eye, though. It's the only way I can see this storyline working. 

 

* not that she wouldn't have, of course, but Robin seems otherwise pretty willing to overlook her murderous past. 

[KingOfHearts]

So this is kinda out there, but: I saw someone speculate elsewhere that returned!Marian is actually Zelena. 

 

I heard about that theory, and truthfully I love it. I know people want to see Regina suffer, but if Zelena carries the charade long enough Regina definitely will be suffering for a while. It would make Marian less of a contrived obstacle and more coherent with S3. There's also been some talk about Zelena being used in future episodes, and also having a sister relationship with Regina if she's not dead. (The cast has even discussed this a little) If Elsa is a misdirect, something else will have to be going on.

 

It's Zelena's portal, she wanted to ruin Regina's life, and Robin's story about Marian dying doesn't match Marian's about defending Snow. It could logically work.

Edited June 8, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[Camera One]

I wouldn't put it past the writers, retrograde.  Since they love body-switch storylines, I even considered Marion being Cora (that one unlikely since we saw her die) or Maleficient.  Zelena's defeat felt very anti-climatic, so it makes sense she could come back.

 

My main question would be - how would they explain how Zelena could have survived being smashed into a million pieces by Rumple's cane?  That would mean she already knew Rumple would try to kill her and found a loophole to avoid it?

 

I think Mader did a decent job as Zelena, but frankly, I never want to see her again.  She already ate so much screentime.  

Edited June 8, 2014 by Camera One

[KingOfHearts]

 

My main question would be - how would they explain how Zelena could have survived being smashed into a million pieces by Rumple's cane?  That would mean she already knew Rumple would try to kill her and found a loophole to avoid it?

 

Glinda said, referring to Zelena's pendant, "In many ways, it is your life now." So she could have survived if her life was in fact in her pendant.

[retrograde]

Also, Zelena returning would allow her to reveal that Rumple had lied to Belle about the dagger. Not that she could have planned that part, but no doubt she would relish the opportunity. And conveniently, Rumple outlined the entire "Belle thinks she has the dagger" thing to her in great detail before stabbing her. 

[Mari]

So this is kinda out there, but: I saw someone speculate elsewhere that returned!Marian is actually Zelena. Which... at first sounded crazy to me. But. I still cannot for the life of me see how the show is going to write itself out of the Regina/Robin/Marian situation, short of having Robin go off with Marian, which doesn't seem to be the direction they want to go, what with the whole pixie dust true love thing. How is Robin ever going to forgive, let alone love, the woman who killed his wife and the mother of his child? But what if Regina actually didn't do that*? What if Zelena set the whole thing up to destroy Regina's happiness and steal her happy ending? 

 

Is that too crazy? Maybe it's too crazy. I dunno. I am willing to entertain the idea that there's more to Marian than meets the eye, though. It's the only way I can see this storyline working. 

 

* not that she wouldn't have, of course, but Robin seems otherwise pretty willing to overlook her murderous past. 

That sounds like a very disturbing, but plausible, possibility.

 

But, you know, if that happens?  I might have to make a little effigy doll to burn.  Baking Cupcakes of Rage will not be enough.

 

If the show expects me to watch Emma bring back the big bad and suffer through Regina and her deeply, soulfully, emotional white magic again, well?  No.

Edited June 8, 2014 by Mari

[KingOfHearts]

I don't think Regina is going to make a big deal about Emma bringing Marian back. She'll be mad at first, but she has had some serious redemption in 3B. As the Blue Fairy says, we must all have faith!

[stealinghome]

Honestly, I think the way to write themselves out of the Regina/Robin/Marian dilemma is really, really easy: just kill off Marian in the present time, and give her a deathbed speech where she says that Regina is just so ~changed and is ~the purest of pure loving people now and that she forgives Regina for killing her (Marian) in the alternate past. That clears the way for Regina and Robin to get together without Robin looking like a dick for leaving his suddenly undead wife for Regina (well, I will still think he's an asshole for shacking up with the woman who killed his wife in the alternate past, but I'm quite sure the writers, with their Regina permaboner, won't see it that way), and to let us have 3469356457450757 shots of The Sainted Our Lady of Woe Regina's Face of Suffering  as she ~nobly steps aside from macking on the man whose wife she murdered. (This also allows the showrunners to dodge accusations of breaking up one of the classic OTPs, Robin Hood and Maid Marian, for Regina, because you just know that they will say "we didn't break them up, she died!" Except no, you still destroyed one of the classic OTPs for Regina fanservice.)

 

I really hope Marian isn't Zelena, just because I'm sick of the character. She ate way too much screentime in 3B, I don't need the Black Hole of the Mills Women sucking any more of S4 away than will already happen.

Edited June 8, 2014 by stealinghome

[KingOfHearts]

If Regina gets her happily ever after with Robin, then its less drama for her. Thus, more screen time for the Charmings. Regina can be in the background, snarking away and parenting Henry. No Woegina. Problem solved.

[Camera One]

If Regina gets her happily ever after with Robin, then its less drama for her.

 

Unfortunately, that's why it won't happen soon.  4A will be Regina trying to stay away from Robin, to do the "noble" thing (maybe with a sprinkling of the horrible "forbidden love" that the writers gave us with Mary Margaret and David in S1), while taking out her anger on Emma and Snow/Charming.  Maybe they will have Emma give Henry more time with Regina since she feels so sad, and in the meantime, this will give lots of time for Emma/Hook smooching and bickering.  Meanwhile, in the E plot every second episode, David and Snow can play out some wacky baby hijinks from a sitcom playbook.

 

Meanwhile, we will either see Marion being evil and crushing powder into tea for Robin as she goes about her sinister convoluted plan of whatever she's trying to do (but Emma suspects something!  you know, superpower but no proof), and then she's outed towards the end of 4A.  If she's good, she will die towards the end of 4A.  

 

Then 4B will be Robin grieving, so he has to hold Regina at arm's length, which will still cause her so much pain.  More crying ensues.  Meanwhile Cruella de Vil wants to turn the entire town into Dalmatian puppies for her fur coat factory, which can be accomplished once she gets the scroll for the Curse.  Throw a few ingredients to replace "input fake identities" with "input alternate species" and voilà.  The smoke envelopes the town just as Robin finally decides he is ready to tell Regina that he wants to begin a life with her, but then they both turn into dogs.  Meanwhile, Snow and Charming think the smoke is from their hilariously hapless attempts to make brownies in a totally irrelevant storyline.  Fade to black.

Edited June 8, 2014 by Camera One

[retrograde]

If Marian does die and it clears the way for Robin/Regina, it'd have to be a legit death, and not some Final Destination thing, because otherwise it would still be Regina's fault.

 

Either way, poor Roland. One way or another, that kid is going to lose his mother a second time. (Even if it's just someone posing as his mother; try explaining that to a 5-year-old).

[stealinghome]

Even if Regina gets her Happily Ever After with Robin, I just don't trust that she would ever be moved to the background. This is Once Upon a Regina now. I am quite certain we'd see, like, every single everyday detail of her and Robin's lives. I bet Eddie will find "kitchen sink conversations" much more interesting, and worth showing, if they involve Regina.

Edited June 8, 2014 by stealinghome

[KingOfHearts]

 

Either way, poor Roland. One way or another, that kid is going to lose his mother a second time. (Even if it's just someone posing as his mother; try explaining that to a 5-year-old).

 

I was thinking the same thing.

 

On Facebook, the official Once Upon a Time page asked if Emma should have brought Marian back with her. There was a resounding "No!" from literally thousands of comments. I would be surprised if Outlaw Queen doesn't happen, because if it doesn't, a lot of the fanbase (mostly Evil Regals) is going to be livid.

 

It's a pickle of a situation, that's for sure. I don't think everyone is going to win in the end. Marian dying/being fake seems to be the quickest way out.

Edited June 8, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[kili]

Unfortunately, that's why it won't happen soon.  4A will be Regina trying to stay away from Robin, to do the "noble" thing (maybe with a sprinkling of the horrible "forbidden love" that the writers gave us with Mary Margaret and David in S1),

 

I guess that will give the writers lots of opportunity to parallel Snowing to convince us all that Outlaw Queen are true loves...I wonder if Robin will get two Valentine's Day Cards?  Then they can have a re-write of Katherine's "I see true love in your faces, I hope to find that one day, go in peace and god bless!" letter - except that Katherine/Abigail and David never loved each other as anything more than good friends and they were rejecting false memories. Robin supposedly loved Marian so much, he was willing to die for her (attempting to steal from the Dark One himself)  and took years to get over her death.

 

I'm sure they are going to have Regina attempt to save Marian's life only to have her fail and Marian to bless their relationship on her death bed (probably begging Regina to take care of Robin and Roland). Meanwhile, Regina will go tearfully to Robin to beg forgiveness for her failure and they can have a pretty speech where he makes it clear he never blamed her at all and he's so sorry he's put her through all of this.

 

while taking out her anger on Emma and Snow/Charming.

 

That's okay, though, because they totally deserve it for being so evil for saving Marian's life. I bet Emma has a dark spot on her heart now! And of course, Emma and Snowing will immediately forgive Regina for all that she does to them. In fact, they too will beg forgiveness and apologize at least three times.

 

Meanwhile, Regina will save the town twice next year and Rumple will kill two villians with his dagger. Belle will forgive him for his deciet because he has a good heart.

 

I wonder if we will find out who has the Jolly Roger? I bet Hook traded with Ursula so that we can see Ariel again when she isn't filming her new show. Ursula seems like the kind of person who might have a bean although I don't know what she would want with a ship.  If Hook is Han and Emma is Leia, Ursula can be Jabba (morally ambiguous power broker with a hankering to do business with anybody). HoHoHo!

Edited June 9, 2014 by kili

[Shanna Marie]

If the similar urn shown on the Jolly Roger turns out to have been intentional and not just an accident of set design blown out of proportion by fans desperate for clues, then they may need to find a way to get the Jolly Roger back in order to save Anna, so dealing with Ursula would make that interesting. But, yeah, why would she need a ship, unless maybe she has a pet human she sends out on her errands.

 

Since the Jolly Roger is made of enchanted wood, and since she and Hook have spent a very, very long time together, it would be funny if she rejects her new owner and somehow refuses to cooperate, so they think the ship's haunted. That was what I found myself imagining while rewatching the episode "The Jolly Roger." The way he talked about her sounded like the way he'd talk about a person, and it made me wonder if there's anything sentient about her that might make her feel a certain way about him. Or possibly I've watched the Doctor Who episode "The Doctor's Wife" too many times and am getting the Jolly Roger and the TARDIS mixed up. At any rate, it might explain how one person could manage a ship like that and outrun a curse -- the ship was helping him out.

[KingOfHearts]

In my personal opinion, I think the "consequences" speech Regina gave Emma was a misdirect. The writers want people to think Regina is vengeful of Emma, but when the season premieres that might not be the case. I would be mad too if someone showed up with my lover's dead spouse, breaking up my relationship. She'll cool off though. There is more than meets the eye on this one - we only saw the initial emotional reaction (which was totally understandable).

 

If Regina reverts, 3B meant absolutely nothing for her. Don't think the writers who adore Regina would do that... (would they?)

Edited June 9, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[pezgirl7]

Someone on twitter posted that "OUAT season 4 will be filming from July 9, 2014 until - April 2, 2015". Only one more month to go! I need me some set photos!

[Souris]

Since the Jolly Roger is made of enchanted wood, and since she and Hook have spent a very, very long time together, it would be funny if she rejects her new owner and somehow refuses to cooperate, so they think the ship's haunted. That was what I found myself imagining while rewatching the episode "The Jolly Roger." The way he talked about her sounded like the way he'd talk about a person, and it made me wonder if there's anything sentient about her that might make her feel a certain way about him. Or possibly I've watched the Doctor Who episode "The Doctor's Wife" too many times and am getting the Jolly Roger and the TARDIS mixed up. At any rate, it might explain how one person could manage a ship like that and outrun a curse -- the ship was helping him out.

 

Oooh, that's a cool idea! As long as she doesn't get too jealous of Emma and try to make her walk the plank. ;)