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

[Shanna Marie]

I also have a hard time believing that the Jolly Roger was worth just 1 magic bean.  Most special ship, fastest in all the realms = 1 magic bean?  Hook would be the worst at negotiating something, ever!

I don't think Hook looked at it as trading the ship for a bean, but rather trading it to be with Emma, and from his perspective, he was getting a bargain.

 

I still think Zelena will end up dying and Robin/Regina will raise the baby.

You know that's exactly where this is going, whether or not Zelena dies. I don't think it's a coincidence that Regina's "I write my own happy ending" epiphany came in the juxtaposition of Zelena's pregnancy and the flashback about Regina making herself barren, and then concluded with Regina outlining what the custody and visitation situation would be. Regina and Robin will raise the baby as their own, and Regina will yet again get something she wants via the writers waving their magic wands and just giving it to her rather than her having to actually do anything. But she gets the short end of the stick in everything and has so much bad stuff happen to her.

[YaddaYadda]

I don't think Hook looked at it as trading the ship for a bean, but rather trading it to be with Emma, and from his perspective, he was getting a bargain.

 

In theory, I agree with that.  But what if the bean had taken him to the wrong Emma Swan?  Or the wrong blonde since there's so many of those according to him?  Hook is a planner and one magic bean for the JR seems to be a huge gamble.  What if he had failed?  Did he have a backup plan for that?  How long of walking around Manhattan did it take him to finally find Emma?  Did the portal dump him face first in front of her door?

 

After all the close calls, I'd think they would give harvesting the magic beans a second chance.  The first go round with Anton and the dwarves harvesting the  beans would have worked if Regina hadn't destroyed everything.

 

It would be kind of cool if Hook was doing that on the down low with an extra bean that he got for the JR.  For when there's another crisis.  

 

Was the portal to Arendelle a one shot thing?  Rumple has no magic to find it, the Apprentice is probably dead because he became inconvenient.  Can Regina find that door and make it appear?

 

I wonder if season 5 won't be starting at Merlin's mansion.  Apparently this version of Merlin likes opulence and luxury.

[KAOS Agent]

From the Hook thread:

 

 

There are so many variables with this.  Is Rumple going to be okay living the way he is now?  Or is he going to practice magic covertly and then wanna gain control of the dagger in order to get his powers back?  Or are we done with completely with Sparkly!Dark.

 

I think that if they aren't going to have a new villain that Rumpel trying to get the dagger/kill Emma to regain his powers is the way they will go. A season of Evil!Emma isn't particularly appealing or interesting, but seeing her fight to control the darkness and Rumpel struggling with his lack of power and attempting to get it back on the sly would make things more interesting. It would also help alleviate some of the ickier stuff where Rumpel is absolved of all evil he did because he was the Dark One. I do think there needs to be some clarity with regards to control and responsibility for Rumpel's actions while he was the Dark One. If Rumpel goes out and tries to regain his power that would help to demonstrate that even without the Dark One influence, he has a lot of darkness in him.

[Shanna Marie]

Hook is a planner and one magic bean for the JR seems to be a huge gamble.  What if he had failed?  Did he have a backup plan for that?  How long of walking around Manhattan did it take him to finally find Emma?  Did the portal dump him face first in front of her door?

Is Hook really that much of a planner? He seems more prone to rash, impulsive decisions in which he thinks with his heart. Only after he's leaped in head-first and committed to something does he bother to come up with a plan based on the circumstances he finds himself in. His thought process was probably along the lines of "Emma! Here's my ship, gimme the bean, gotta go!" Just outrunning the curse, going after a bean, and having something to trade was likely the extent of his planning here.

 

And they don't seem to have depicted bean portal travel as all that risky or capricious, where you'd have to worry about being really specific to avoid pitfalls and loopholes. Everyone we've seen initiate a bean portal has ended up just about exactly where they wanted to be, and Hook is probably the leading expert on bean portal travel, having done it more often than most. He managed to bring the Jolly Roger right to Storybrooke on his first trip to our world. The odds seem to be pretty good that he could have had the portal spit him out in the hallway outside Emma's apartment (since she seemed surprised that he managed to get past the front door without being buzzed in).

 

It does seem weird that no one's talked about trying to cultivate more beans, and no one's been at all irked at Regina for destroying the entire crop.

 

One other possibility for travel between worlds may be Hook's sea friends. Ursula was able to summon the Jolly Roger, and Ariel, Ursula and Poseidon seem able to travel between worlds. They might be able to travel elsewhere by using the conch shell to call Ariel or Ursula, tell Ursula where they need to go, give her a piece of the Jolly Roger, then get on board and wait for her to go where they need to be and then summon the ship. I'd love to see a follow-up with Poseidon and Ursula, and Ariel's always fun.

[Dianthus]

The thing is, considering the rarity of magic beans, I figured Hook was lucky to get one, and a damn good negotiator, especially if he's wild to get back to Emma. Yes, the Jolly's made of enchanted wood, which I presume has something to do with why she's the fastest ship in all the realms (lighter weight?), but she can't cross over w/o a portal. It's a matter of Hook finding someone who has a bean and doesn't want to use it him/herself, but wants/needs a fast ship, IMO.

[YaddaYadda]

Because if you just think about those two iconic characters on their own, the idea of watching a TV show with Robin Hood having a friendship with Captain Hook sounds like it would be a blast. But with TS;TW...

 

I really think they should send the guys on their own little adventure.  A thief, a pirate and a prince who used to be a shepherd.  I don't know that Snow would be able to go look for Emma because of the baby and what the time jump will be because it seems like there might be one from one of the interviews we got with A&E.

 

The finale of season 3, Hook and David sitting around the fire just chatting about love was a great scene.

 

I'm just hoping that they move towards more character driven stories than plot point stories.  Robin is one of the characters that suffered the most from the plot point writing.  

 

I get the impression they will be doing Arthur no favors whatsoever.

Edited June 9, 2015 by YaddaYadda

[ABitOFluff]

I love the JR as much as the next person (who loves Hook that is), but there's no plumbing on that ship.  No showers, no bath, no bathroom.  Emma grew up in the real world where she is used to these accommodations.

Maybe Elsa added some ice plumbing before she bottled the Jolly?

 

No, of course that makes no sense, but can't you see the writers doing something like that?

[sharky]

Maybe Elsa added some ice plumbing before she bottled the Jolly?

 

No, of course that makes no sense, but can't you see the writers doing something like that?

Oh, if go that route, MAGIC! Emma has it. She could probably add some sort of shower in a little closet and make it really big like Harry Potter's huge trunk or something.

 

If they are sending Hook to Camelot, I do wonder if they'll use the Jolly and how they'll get it there.

[Shanna Marie]

Non-spoilery bits from the spoilers thread:

I really think they should send the guys on their own little adventure.  A thief, a pirate and a prince who used to be a shepherd.  I don't know that Snow would be able to go look for Emma because of the baby and what the time jump will be because it seems like there might be one from one of the interviews we got with A&E.

They really should have been inspired by that "Charlie's Angels" pose the three guys did back in 3B. Maybe hanging out with Hook and David would give Robin a little oomph. Though how much would Hook, the guy who took 200 years to get over his last love after he lost her, have in common with a guy who seems to move on the moment a woman has left the room and who's perfectly okay with getting involved with the people responsible for his wife's death? Then again, on this show they probably think that Hook and Robin both having lost wives (even if Hook and Milah weren't legally married, they seemed to function like a married couple) and having found love again with women who are supposedly (yeah, right) so similar makes them exactly alike.

 

Still, massive amounts of swashbuckling could ensue, and that would be fun. This show has been woefully short on swashbuckling.

 

The finale of season 3, Hook and David sitting around the fire just chatting about love was a great scene.

The problem there was that they seem to have forgotten about it because they keep hitting the reset button on David and Hook. There was that scene, then David learned who "Charles" really was, but he's right back into grilling Hook, being overprotective dad, and acting like he has the right to dictate Emma's love life. He seems to somewhat get over that in that same episode, especially when seeing Emma and Hook together and seeing what Hook will do for her, but then he's back at it later when they have the first date, and then fears that Ursula will easily turn Hook back to evil (when it was the other way around). At the end of the season, at least David was apologizing for killing Hook in the AU, but shouldn't they finally have settled the issue of what David thinks about Hook? I hope going forward they stop throwing in that "you're not good enough for her" or "how dare you touch my daughter" attitude when they don't know what else to write and let them be allies who can work together. The two guys have such great onscreen chemistry.

[Dani-Ellie]

Eh, I give Charming a pass on the overprotective dad stuff before the date, at least. The poor guy never got the chance to put the fear of God in his daughter's date when she was young enough that it was appropriate. I figure let him have his overprotective dad moment, no matter if it's over a decade too late. (Plus, that whole scene, from proud Mama Snow to overprotective Daddy Charming to best buddy Elsa was freakin' adorable, so I'm disinclined to criticize it much. More of sweet family moments like that, writers, please!)

[YaddaYadda]

I think the issue has been settled for David once and for all.  I mean they've shown Hook make good on his promise to go to the end of the world for Emma in this year's finale.  He died in the AU for a woman he had just met, had no idea whether she was telling the truth or if she was just some delusional crazy person.  

 

I think what settles everything even more is that David actually understands that Emma has made her choice and that Hook is the man she loves.  Yes, father's are overprotective and David missed every single milestone in Emma's life, so I can see where overcompensating comes from.   

[KAOS Agent]

More practically for David than AU!Hook dying for Emma is that Hook was responsible for patching up Snowing's fuckup with the eggnapping/lying situation with Emma. David's nod seemed to recognize that and if he turns around and continues to doubt Hook or treat him poorly, David comes off as a huge jackass. There's overprotective dad (which was cute once, but we're done with that) and there's the attitude David was taking about Hook in "Poor Unfortunate Soul" which was not cool considering all the stuff he's seen Hook do for Emma.

 

On the Zelena front, I am really, really unhappy about the upgrade to regular. I guess since Regina can't be evil anymore, they needed a replacement scenery chewer. However, this move also implies that Z isn't going to remain locked up unless Regina goes down there for lots of sisterly chats. The best thing that can come of this situation is if Emma is in Camelot and Hook/David go to find her while Regina is busy in Storybrooke chasing down an escaped Zelena. Bonus points if the baby is evil and has magic in the womb that's not affected by the cuff and this facilitates Zelena's escape.

[Rumsy4]

Charming's overprotectiveness feeds into the hero/villain bias he and Snow display when it comes to certain people like Hook. It's glaringly different from the way both of them were encouraging Emma to give Neal another chance, even though Neal had knocked up and abandoned their teenage daughter (even if they did not know about the jail thing). So, Charming's attitude toward Hook is not mere overcompensation on his part. I have a feeling we won't be done with it even if Charming and Hook team up to find Emma. The writers like "drama" too much, and are not very creative when it comes to generating it.

Edited June 10, 2015 by Rumsy4

[legaleagle53]

On the Zelena front, I am really, really unhappy about the upgrade to regular. I guess since Regina can't be evil anymore, they needed a replacement scenery chewer. However, this move also implies that Z isn't going to remain locked up unless Regina goes down there for lots of sisterly chats. The best thing that can come of this situation is if Emma is in Camelot and Hook/David go to find her while Regina is busy in Storybrooke chasing down an escaped Zelena. Bonus points if the baby is evil and has magic in the womb that's not affected by the cuff and this facilitates Zelena's escape.

 

Good point.  Because Zelena was born with magic like Emma, her baby should also be inherently magical. On the other hand, Henry didn't inherit any magic from Emma, so Zelena's baby might NOT have any inherent powers of its own.

[Serena]

Good point.  Because Zelena was born with magic like Emma, her baby should also be inherently magical. On the other hand, Henry didn't inherit any magic from Emma, so Zelena's baby might NOT have any inherent powers of its own.

Except for the power to bore us all to death.

 

Anyway, this COULD be a good thing. Zelena and Robin will be part of the Regina storyline. They can take Henry with them. Snowing and Hook will be part of the Cameron/Emma storyline. Belle, of course, will nap.

[Souris]

They should make Will not actually Will. He could be nice Tweedle under some sort of spell to look like Will, or one of those handy glamor-spell necklaces. Nice Tweedle would also moon over a drawing of Ana in a book. He's on a mission to find something for Ana & Will, who couldn't leave Wonderland because Ana is pregnant. He finds it, the Rabbit comes to collect him, poof, we can pretend it never happened.

 

There you go, writers, problem solved, Ana-Will True Love intact. I'll collect my check & WGA card now.

Edited June 12, 2015 by Souris

[KingOfHearts]

They should make Will not actually Will.

A&E: "Marian is sooo boring to write. All she does is call out Regina and be a loving wife... who wants to see that? Why did we resurrect her again?"

Random Writer: "Because we needed a cheesy, soapy cliffhanger for Regina to tie up S3."

A&E: "Oh, right, right. Well the entire viewership seems to hate her, so let's kill her off... no wait! It's brilliant! Let's make it so Zelena was her the whole time! People will think we planned it from the beginning! No one has yet to speculate that! We're such geniuses."

Random Writer: "Actually, I've been reading the Previously TV forums and someone speculated..."

A&E: "Now then! What should the hashtag be? #ImBackWitches? #GreenIsBack? #ReturnOfWicked?"

Random Writer: "Doesn't marketing handle that?"

A&E: "Please, don't ruin our moment in the sun."

... That's the route I could see them go with if they ever made Will a clone or a shapeshifter. When they don't know how to write for a character, or they don't even try to put in the effort (usually both), they get the shapeshifting or death treatment.

Edited June 12, 2015 by KingOfHearts

[Camera One]

There's also the Red route, where the character disappears into the woodwork, never mentioned.

Edited June 12, 2015 by Camera One

[Shanna Marie]

I give Charming a pass on the overprotective dad stuff before the date, at least.

I didn't mind the date stuff because yeah, that's sort of a dad's job, and it was played for humor. The bit that bothered me was in "White Out," where it came across as manufactured conflict just for the sake of it. They already had enough tension because they were trying to save Emma. They didn't need to throw in David being snarky to Hook about his intentions, and it was jarring coming so soon after the time travel adventure. If they weren't going to have it matter, then why did they bother doing the campfire scene the way they did? They could have left it as "Charles" encouraging Charming to believe in love without going into his concerns about "Leia's" parents not approving of him and Charming assuring him that they surely would if they knew what he was willing to do for her. Then barely a day after David learned that Hook was Charles, he's back to acting like he doesn't approve of Hook. There was no follow up to the conversation, no sense of realization on David's part in which he remembered having told "Charles" that "Leia's" parents would approve of him, and so therefore he should approve. It was like it never happened.

 

So, in spite of Hook helping patch things up between Emma and her parents and in spite of him dying for her (and being killed by Dark!Charming) in the AU, it's impossible to speculate on how or if Hook and David will work together in the next season because that's been so all over the map and making little sense, character-wise. It all depends on what kind of drama they want to generate. They could work together as a well-oiled team because David has learned to trust Hook where Emma's concerned. Or if they want interpersonal drama, David could disregard everything he's seen and go right back to being suspicious and critical of Hook. Or they could work together while David snarks at Hook and Hook ignores it because of priorities.

 

That's what makes speculating about this show so difficult at times. The characters can be so inconsistent because their attitudes and actions are determined by the needs of the plot, rather than the other way around, and don't follow normal human logic.

[Camera One]

They didn't need to throw in David being snarky to Hook about his intentions, and it was jarring coming so soon after the time travel adventure.

 

To David, that talk with "Charles" was a long time ago.  I can see why it wouldn't make a huge impact on his mindset or his protectiveness towards Emma.  

[Shanna Marie]

To David, that talk with "Charles" was a long time ago.  I can see why it wouldn't make a huge impact on his mindset or his protectiveness towards Emma.

But he'd only just had the "oh wow, that was you!" realization about Emma and Hook being Leia and Charles, which should have brought it back to top of mind and maybe given him a wee bit of self-awareness there. And even if he's not really thinking about his own memories of the incident, it was weird of him to question the motives of the guy who just the other day jumped into a time portal for Emma and then went into the Evil Queen's castle for her.  That's why it felt like unnecessary manufactured conflict, the way so many of their interactions go. And that's why I'm not necessarily expecting David and Hook to just fall into being the perfect team to help Emma this time, even though David's just recently watched Hook sacrifice himself for her. Come to think of it, both at the end of season 3 and end of season 4, Hook was the one to reconcile Emma with her parents, and in season 3, David gave Hook the "go ahead" nod when Hook went after her after she fled the diner. They seem to have their needle stuck in that particular groove -- Hook reconciles Emma with her family, Hook takes a big risk on her behalf, David acknowledges this. According to the pattern, a day or so later, David will be suspicious of Hook's motives with Emma or acting unhappy about their relationship.

[snarkastic]

Does anyone recall how Zelena returned to the Enchanted Forest from Oz? Or when? I'm trying to decide whether she can double as Morgana to justify her regular status.

[legaleagle53]

Does anyone recall how Zelena returned to the Enchanted Forest from Oz? Or when? I'm trying to decide whether she can double as Morgana to justify her regular status.

 

Wasn't it bad enough that she was impersonating Marian all this time?  Don't give them any ideas!

[KingOfHearts]

 

Does anyone recall how Zelena returned to the Enchanted Forest from Oz?

Perhaps she can summon cyclones like she did as a baby? That's also that random doorway on the yellow brick road.

Edited June 16, 2015 by KingOfHearts

[Camera One]

Due to her green skin, her entire body is considered a magic bean.

[tennisgurl]

There are so many ways to travel to different lands, I just assumed she took the subway. 

[YaddaYadda]

The air balloon is more reliable than the subway.

 

All joking aside, do you guys remember episode 4x16?  The Robin-centric one (or whatever)?  I know a lot of us blocked it out, but Robin went to Oz through a portal.  There was a door in the EF that allowed crossing into Oz.  I'm assuming it's permanent.

[pezgirl7]

From the Small Talk thread where we were discussing OUAT related dreams:
 

The only Once dream I've ever had was a quick scene of Hook and Emma riding horses together. It was cute, fluffy, and basically everything this show isn't. Which made me very disappointed when my alarm clock woke me up.

Jennifer recently mentioned that she wanted to learn to ride a horse in Vancouver this year, so some people are speculating that Emma will be on a horse some time this season. We've seen Hook ride a horse, so maybe your dream can come true! :)

[Souris]

I don't want to watch Evil Emma. I just don't. Simple as that.

[Curio]

I think "Dark One Emma" will be a decoy to the audience, and the real big bad villain of Season 5 will be lurking in the background until he/she is exposed several episodes into the season.

[RadioGirl27]

I think "Dark One Emma" will be a decoy to the audience, and the real big bad villain of Season 5 will be lurking in the background until he/she is exposed several episodes into the season.

I hope you are right, I really do. But I have a bad feeling about this storyline.

[Camera One]

I think there is two ways they can go with Emma: either she starts out super evil and they slowly bring her back from the dark side, or she starts out ok and slowly gets more evil throughout the season. 

 

I'd rather the former than the latter.  Though it feels sorta retread by this point.  The entire "Lily" episode was basically this.  Regina had to pull her back from the brink.  So we get one episode with Hook doing the same, one episode with Snowing doing the same, and another with Henry doing the same, and now we're into the fourth episode of 5A.

[RadioGirl27]

The only way I can see the "Emma is superevil" working is if there is a big time jump and Emma is separated from her loved one for a long time. That way her abandonment issues can resurface. Hook and Snowing doesn't know where she is and are looking for her like crazy but she thinks that they have abandoned her and she lets the darkness take control, so when they finally find her she is very dark and they need to convince her of their love.

Edited June 21, 2015 by RadioGirl27

[KingOfHearts]

 

The only way I can see the "Emma is superevil" working is if there is a big time jump and Emma is separated from her loved one for a long time.

I was also wondering if she becomes influenced by a dark source other than what's inside her. Someone like Rumple who takes advantage of her abandonment and causes her to delve deeper into her Dark One powers. Since Emma is also super powerful, I bet there'd be many unscrupulous individuals who would love to bend that to their will. Rumple indirectly cursed a whole country to get to his son... what would Emma do to get back to her family?

 

If it's Emma just battling demons inside, it wouldn't make for good entertainment on this show. There's no fun in making her the Dark One if she doesn't do anything evil or eyebrow-raising. I can picture her doing some very morally gray acts in order to fulfill her good intentions. Absolute power corrupts absolutely, after all. Emma is a fallible human being just like everyone else. I'm not saying she'll be cackling any time soon.

Edited June 21, 2015 by KingOfHearts

[Souris]

I feel like I'm about the only CS fan NOT excited about the thought of Dark!Emma/Hook sex. I do NOT want their first time to be while Emma is the Dark One. I’m sorry, but no, that would just be SAD and unfulfilling for me as a fan. I want their first time to be when Emma is fully HERSELF. Otherwise, it’s not truly Emma that Killian will sleep with first. How is that supposed to be a good thing? Hot, maybe, sure, but not good.

 

But with the dodgy way this show treats sex – we have ONE healthy representation of sex (Snowing) and the rest are dubious for various reasons, either because of consent issues or adultery – I fully expect their first time to be tainted by it being Dark Emma, not real Emma. Blech.

 

I can see A&E cackling -- "You want CS sex so bad? HERE! It's not fully Emma! Hahahahahaha!"

Edited June 21, 2015 by Souris

[OnceUponAJen]

I feel like I'm about the only CS fan NOT excited about the thought of Dark!Emma/Hook sex. I do NOT want their first time to be while Emma is the Dark One. I’m sorry, but no, that would just be SAD and unfulfilling for me as a fan. I want their first time to be when Emma is fully HERSELF. Otherwise, it’s not truly Emma that Killian will sleep with first. How is that supposed to be a good thing? Hot, maybe, sure, but not good.

But with the dodgy way this show treats sex – we have ONE healthy representation of sex (Snowing) and the rest are dubious for various reasons, either because of consent issues or adultery – I fully expect their first time to be tainted by it being Dark Emma, not real Emma. Blech.

I can see A&E cackling -- "You want CS sex so bad? HERE! It's not fully Emma! Hahahahahaha!"

I have an odd sort of faith because of the excellent storyline CS has been given so far. It seems to have been very well thought out, and the pacing of the relationship has been good. The only big let-down so far was the non-resolution of the Hook's heart arc. I expected far more from Emma, but we got very little from her...due mainly to the overcrowded half season finale, and the odd focus on OQ.

[legaleagle53]

I feel like I'm about the only CS fan NOT excited about the thought of Dark!Emma/Hook sex. I do NOT want their first time to be while Emma is the Dark One. I’m sorry, but no, that would just be SAD and unfulfilling for me as a fan. I want their first time to be when Emma is fully HERSELF. Otherwise, it’s not truly Emma that Killian will sleep with first. How is that supposed to be a good thing? Hot, maybe, sure, but not good.

 

But with the dodgy way this show treats sex – we have ONE healthy representation of sex (Snowing) and the rest are dubious for various reasons, either because of consent issues or adultery – I fully expect their first time to be tainted by it being Dark Emma, not real Emma. Blech.

 

I can see A&E cackling -- "You want CS sex so bad? HERE! It's not fully Emma! Hahahahahaha!"

 

Even worse:  "Now that Emma's EEEEVIL, it's Swan Queen all the way, with Emma in charge.  Even Regina won't be able to resist Emma now that she's darker than the Evil Queen ever was!"

[KAOS Agent]

The problem with any real villainy done by Dark!Emma is that it will be wholly excused by the Darkness, which it should be because regular Emma wouldn't act that way. However, if you apply this idea to Emma, then the same must be done with Rumpel and it destroys any and all character development for him if you make all of his actions not his own. Also, if Rumpel wasn't in control of his actions as the Dark One, then Belle fell in love with the Dark One and not Rumpel which would be interesting if it was on a show that actually explored these kinds of things.

 

As Camera One said, this seems likely to be episode after episode of people trying to talk Emma down and multiple Yellow Crayon moments (trademark Buffy) will get really boring really fast, so I'm hoping there is a better plan than that. It's also really obnoxious that we spent a half season where Emma fought the darkness and won only to sacrificially embrace the darkness and us ending up having to watch at least another half season of Emma fighting the darkness. It's not interesting to watch the same storyline two seasons in a row, so there better be something more entertaining than Emma vs Darkness. Again.

 

As for Captain Dark Swan sex, I doubt we'll get it. Although I don't doubt we'll get Evil!Emma trying to seduce Hook because we all know from TV that Sexual Beings = Evil. 

Edited June 21, 2015 by KAOS Agent

[YaddaYadda]

I feel like I'm about the only CS fan NOT excited about the thought of Dark!Emma/Hook sex. I do NOT want their first time to be while Emma is the Dark One.

 

This is the debate that's going to go on forever and ever, but we don't know for sure that they haven't had their first time already.  I think there have been some indications that it's very much a done deal.

 

Plus, the actors are talking.  I'm not even sure any of them knows anything beyond the very broad strokes (and we know shit changed because really, these writers!) They have ComiCon before they're back on set, before they've spoken to the writers...  

 

Meghan Ory hasn't been on screen more than 5 minutes in the last 2 seasons, I don't even know what she talked about and how many questions were even directed at her.  

 

At the end of the day, the actors are just catering to the crowd.  Anyway...probably just me thought processing while I wait for 9pm to roll around. 

[retrograde]

They have ComiCon before they're back on set, before they've spoken to the writers...  

They'll have been back on set a few days before Comic Con (well in theory; it's possible they'll film scenes with non-regular characters so the main cast don't have to fly to Canada for two days then back to California) and should at least have the scripts. It also seems to me that TPtB give them a few approved spoilers and talking points for these events (last time it seemed like they'd told Robert and Jared about Henry working in Gold's shop, and JMo and Colin about the date, even though none of them really seemed to know the details). So I would expect them to know some things by then. But I don't think any of them know much right now. 

[Camera One]

last time it seemed like they'd told Robert and Jared about Henry working in Gold's shop

 

Which was basically the extent of that entire storyline.  

[pezgirl7]

I feel like I'm about the only CS fan NOT excited about the thought of Dark!Emma/Hook sex. I do NOT want their first time to be while Emma is the Dark One. I’m sorry, but no, that would just be SAD and unfulfilling for me as a fan. I want their first time to be when Emma is fully HERSELF. Otherwise, it’s not truly Emma that Killian will sleep with first. How is that supposed to be a good thing? Hot, maybe, sure, but not good.

You're not the only one. I too don't want their first time to be while Emma is the dark one. And I do think it would be their first time. I definitely wouldn't mind some steamy kisses, but anything more should wait until Emma is herself. I can imagine Emma iniating something with Hook, but him gently turning her down. Similar to the TV trope of a guy turning down the advances of a drunk girl, even though that's what he should do.

[YaddaYadda]

They'll have been back on set a few days before Comic Con

 

Sorry for not being specific enough.  I meant this con and the one next weekend.  I know they're back on set July 8th, so they'll have an idea what's going on.  I know last year, they spoiled Hook getting his hand back.

[Shanna Marie]

Thinking about Dark Emma possibilities, and there are a few ways they could go with it:

 

1. The most subtle -- Emma is still mostly Emma, just with more darkness inside her than she's used to and struggling with it a bit, not always successfully. She may have a shorter temper, say what she's thinking without being too concerned about hurting others, or be moodier. She might be tempted to use her amped up dark powers while justifying it as being for a good cause or thinking she knows best and not consulting the others. One example might be restoring Hook's hand because she feels like that's a good thing to do but without talking to him about it first. There could even be an issue with her using the powers -- like the more she uses the Dark One powers, the more of a hold on her they get, so she has to be very careful about how/when she uses magic. I think Jen could act the hell out of the complexities of this, but unless the writing was good in the way it fit it into the plot, it could easily come across as more like PMS!Emma. They'd also need another primary villain to really have conflict, and then she'd have to be careful about how she took on the villain, lest she start sliding down that slope, herself. But these guys don't do subtle at all, so I'm not anticipating this being the option they choose.
2. Full-on Dark Emma -- Emma is transformed into her darker self, kind of the Mirror Universe Spock with a scar and goatee version. Where Emma would do good, Dark Emma does bad. Not capable of love or selflessness. The villain of the piece, but still Emma. They'd have to handwave how that happened, though, considering that Rumple wasn't totally changed. He was still the same person, just given a boost of power and the confidence that comes with it, and through it all, he was still capable of love (even if he always chose power over love). The fact that she not only got the Dark One but also Rumple's darkness and whatever he added to the initial Dark One might explain it, but then she took it on selflessly and has no inherent darkness in herself, so it's hard to see this working. Unfortunately, I'm afraid this is what they're most likely to do because they love showing that the heroes are no better than the villains. It will excuse Rumple and create comparisons to Regina if she's still able to make choices and still in control, just influenced by darkness.
3. The Dark One is a separate entity -- kind of a Jekyll and Hyde thing, where there's the Dark One, using Emma's body as a vessel, and Emma, still there but often overwhelmed, carrying out an internal struggle for control. The Dark One could use Emma's memories of her loved ones as a weapon against the people she loves, trying to drive them away so their love can't strengthen her. It would be able to tell her parents what she really thinks about them and what they did to her and would be able to emotionally wound Henry and Hook, so they'd all have to find their own strength to stay on task and keep boosting her with their support until she could finally get strong enough to fight back the Dark One for good (or until they find Merlin and then she has to fight the Dark One so they can remove it from her and contain it elsewhere). This would also be inconsistent with the way the Dark One dealt with Rumple, but they could handwave that because she already had power that it could tap into or because she got the Dark One in a totally different way. It wasn't channeled through the dagger by killing the previous one but really seemed to consume her.

 

And there might be a mix somehow, starting with one and escalating or switching back and forth as she gains or loses control. To be honest, I'm not crazy about any of these options. I think I like the Jekyll/Hyde version best because that allows Emma to still be Emma and still be fighting against the villain, even if we see someone who looks like Emma being the villain.

[RadioGirl27]

I feel like I'm about the only CS fan NOT excited about the thought of Dark!Emma/Hook sex. I do NOT want their first time to be while Emma is the Dark One. I’m sorry, but no, that would just be SAD and unfulfilling for me as a fan. I want their first time to be when Emma is fully HERSELF.

You are not the only one, believe me. But this is something I can see them doing.

You know what else is frustrating? That some CS fans want Hook to turn dark with Emma because it would be "super hot". They don't see how it would destroy all of Hook's chatacter development. Sadly, this is something I can see A&E doing.

Edited June 22, 2015 by RadioGirl27

[KAOS Agent]

There's also the option of just having Emma be totally nuts, but not the real focus of the season. She isn't overtly evil in terms of seriously harming anyone, but makes people nervous that any moment she could and she pops in and out as needed for angst and/or humor. All this would happen while whatever real villain is stewing in the background - maybe someone else is looking for Merlin too? I lean more toward there being a new villain that's the real story because Evil!Emma and Zelena's baby drama are not going to make for particularly interesting television.

[Camera One]

Maybe Dark Emma lets Zelena out.  They have added her as a regular, but they can't have all her scenes in the cell.  

[KingOfHearts]

So here are the "burning" questions we have for S5:

* How will Dark Emma be portrayed? Will she be totes evilz or fighting a personal war against inner demons?

* What does Henry's new job as Author entail?

* How are Emma's family and friends coping with her disappearance?

* With Merlin's mention in the finale, what can we expect from Camelot? Will we go there?

* How will Zelena escape from her cell? What's her role in all this?

* How will Rumple react when he finds out his powers are gone? How does that affect Rumpbelle?

[Camera One]

Let me cosplay as A&E.

 

* How will Dark Emma be portrayed? Will she be totes evilz or fighting a personal war against inner demons?

 

There is a range of darkness we will explore.  We are really excited about this.

 

* What does Henry's new job as Author entail?

 

Nothing.  Uh, I mean, we will explore with as much detail as his last job.

 

* How are Emma's family and friends coping with her disappearance?

 

We plan to dive into this right away in the season premiere.  And then drop it like a hot potato five minutes later.

 

* With Merlin's mention in the finale, what can we expect from Camelot? Will we go there?

 

We will be putting our own twists on Camelot and Merlin.  You will be surprised at how all your favorite characters are ruined.

 

* How will Zelena escape from her cell? What's her role in all this?

 

Zelena is a wonderful character.  We're really excited to see more of her.

* How will Rumple react when he finds out his powers are gone? How does that affect Rumpbelle?

 

We are really excited to see Rumple's human side, but don't worry, the old Rumplestiltkin will still be in there, so we can play it both ways.

[Selina K]

You are not the only one, believe me. But this is something I can see them doing.

You know what else is frustrating? That some CS fans want Hook to turn dark with Emma because it would be "super hot". They don't see how it would destroy all of Hook's chatacter development. Sadly, this is something I can see A&E doing.