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

[Camera One]

It was already a bit ridiculous when Henry and Emma were living with Mary Margaret in those cramped quarters.  I wonder if they will bother with a new set for a house, though.  Maybe they will have Emma continue to stay at Granny's.  Does she get a free room for being the Resident Savior?

[retrograde]

I bet only a week actually passes in all of 4a, so the housing situation is never dealt with.

[Rumsy4]

So, Henry is going to have sleepovers at Regina's, but live with Emma in a new house? That's going to be interesting. We also have our hooked friend to consider.

 

I got the idea that he would be splitting his time between Regina and Emma equally. Now that Regina's supposed to have True Love for Henry as well, I don't think Emma will have "primary" custody anymore.

 

It was already a bit ridiculous when Henry and Emma were living with Mary Margaret in those cramped quarters.  

 

Not everyone has the luxury of living in apartments with multiple rooms. Sometimes you have to make do with what's available. It made perfect sense with all the crazy things happening around them--they barely had time to breathe until the missing year.

Edited August 6, 2014 by Rumsy4

[Shanna Marie]

I got the impression that Emma and Henry were staying at Granny's in 3B. He went back into their room to get his game gizmo -- or that was his ploy when Hook caught him trying to steal the car -- and he seemed to be going to or coming from their room when he caught Regina and Robin making out. Before he got his memory back, I guess it would have been weird if they were staying with these random people he'd never heard about before and there wasn't much time between him getting his memory back and the end of the season. It seemed that they were spending days at Chez Charming, then going back to the B&B to sleep. Henry seemed to be making long-term plans based on the idea that they had lived there before the curse reversal and that they wouldn't be staying at the B&B for good.

 

Emma probably does need her own place in Storybrooke. I'd think that as independent as she is, it would be really weird to suddenly be living with her entire family, so now that she's apparently decided to stick around, that would be high on the priority list (below saving the town, of course).

[KingOfHearts]

 

I bet only a week actually passes in all of 4a, so the housing situation is never dealt with.

Sadly, this is more than likely to be the case. One thing I wish the show did was deal with stuff like that, but the writers tend to gloss over anything that's not a fantasy overload. I miss the length of time in S1 - it made things feel more organic.

Edited August 6, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[Camera One]

I got the impression that Emma and Henry were staying at Granny's in 3B.

 

Yeah, I think they were staying at Granny's in 3B.  Emma was still playing the charade that MM and David were "old friends" but staying with them would have been a bit much.

 

Not everyone has the luxury of living in apartments with multiple rooms. Sometimes you have to make do with what's available.

 

In the real world, for sure.  For someone like Emma who had been used to living on her own for awhile, it would have been interesting to see her adjustment to living in a "full house".

[Rumsy4]

I got the impression that Emma and Henry were staying at Granny's in 3B. ...

 

In season 2, they were all living in Snow's apartment though, that is, when they were all in one spot. Most of time, Emma and Snow were either in the EF, or Emma was taking Henry to New York, or they were all in Neverland for #savehenry. The whole of Season 2 took a couple of months, IIRC, and they didn't spend all that time living as a family unit. They hardly had any time to settle down and figure anything out, although Mary Margaret was briefly looking for a bigger house they could all move into.

 

When Henry didn't have his memories Emma and Henry stayed at Granny's, and now it makes sense for Emma to get her own place. 

Edited August 6, 2014 by Rumsy4

[Camera One]

So the writers claimed that the theme of 3B was "home", no doubt Oz-inspired.  Though beyond Emma realizing "there's no place like home" in the Season 3 finale, I'm not sure that theme was applied to the other characters.

 

I wonder if their theme for 4A will be "let it go".  

 

Now, will the writers interpret this as letting go of the past?  As in characters like Regina letting go of their evil past and having a new start?  

 

But then thinking back to the "Frozen" movie, Elsa sings "let it go" as more letting go of the restrictions put on her and a celebration about being herself.  Which turned out to be completely selfish since it sentenced the entire town of Arendelle to eternal winter.  So will this mean Regina will let go of the "good guys" perpetual expectation of her to behave herself and embrace The Evil Queen?  For Rumple to let go of the facade he is showing to Belle and really be the Dark One?  Is it a rallying cry for selfish villains everywhere?  Let it go!  Don't let society's unreasonable expectations that you treat others as you want to be treated hold you down from your destructive inner self!  

Edited August 10, 2014 by Camera One

[KingOfHearts]

 

All these can be explained away as the writers' decisions. Backstories are retconned all the time, and OUAT is no exception to that. There's no reason why her story and Robin's story can't connect at some point.

 

I think this might be a connection though, because they were both in the same half-season. It was specifically mentioned in Witch Hunt, when it didn't need to be. I'd like to believe there is a plan at work here... this involves Regina, which means it definitely won't be simple. This is all theory stuff, and it's hardly fact, but I'm be mad if Marian was only there to create angst for Regina and not part of some bigger plot.

 

(Unfortunately, it'll probably end up being Marian dying some heroic death right after giving Regina her blessing.)

 

 

Not really. Robin keeps saying that he put Marian in harm's way because of a job, and she died. I don't think it's a stretch at all to assume that she was horribly injured and almost died (Marian says her family thinks she's dead), was in recovery in the village, and was picked up by Regina's guards before she could make her way home.

While that's definitely possible, it could also be what reveals the shapeshifter. The fact they haven't elaborated on the specific circumstances shows there's more to it, at least to me. It's not that the two stories disallow each other's existence, but they could be a sign of something weird. We'll get the answers when the characters start talking in 4A. Robin will surely ask how she survived, so hopefully we'll see that moment.

Edited August 11, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[tennisgurl]

I remember watching the episode, suspecting that Marion was a plant of some kind. But now, looking back on it, that's kind of doubtful. With everything else going on this season, I don't know if they will have time to do a shape shifter thing...unless Marion is actually the Big Bad of the second half of the season! Then all bets are off.

[KingOfHearts]

 

With everything else going on this season, I don't know if they will have time to do a shape shifter thing...unless Marion is actually the Big Bad of the second half of the season! Then all bets are off.

 

Well, I'm wondering how much the writers are going to be focusing on Frozen. That's sort of the major question regarding writing in S4 - how far they are going to go with the Frozen plot. Is it going to totally take over the show, or is it going to compliment it? Either way, it and its characters are heading for a great wall at the end of 4A, so it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, unless it kills the show. (If it disappoints fans enough, it might.)

Edited August 11, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[Camera One]

Well, I'm wondering how much the writers are going to be focusing on Frozen.

 

Right now there are three hanging plot threads... the Frozen one, the Marion one and the Rumple/Dagger.  So the question is the division between Frozen vs. Marion (probably 2/3 vs. 1/3 time?), and also whether they will cross a lot or very little.

 

Involved for sure with Frozen would be Rumple (due to his past with the urn).  Since Frozen will presumably be a threat to Storybrooke, everyone else will be involved at least to some capacity to stop the threat, no matter what it involves.  

 

Now the Marion storyline would be Regina-based.  It will involve Emma in some way since she brought Marion to Storybrooke.  

Edited August 11, 2014 by Camera One

[KAOS Agent]

Given that the promo for the show seems to be all Frozen all the time and ABC/Disney has sent their top creative guy to be on set, I'm thinking Frozen is going to feature very, very, very heavily in 4A. Since the urn was in Rumpel's vault, I'd say that Rumpel's arc will revolve around Elsa with the dagger situation simmering in the background. Unless they have someone Frozen related discover the dagger switch and blackmails him with it (and that would be weird because how would they know about the switch and the resulting fake alibi for Zelena's death?), I would be surprised if the dagger will be a big thing early in the season.

 

Meanwhile, Regina will be coming up with some diabolical plan to rid herself of Random Peasant #5373 aka Marian that Emma freed from her dungeons. If Marian ends up being evil, I will be seriously pissed. I'm tired of this show taking what should be legitimate victims of the Evil Queen and making them evil as some sort of justification that what Regina did wasn't so bad. They completely swept what she did to little Owen under the rug by making him a torturing kidnapper as an adult. It's time this show stands up and makes Regina face actual long term consequences for her evil actions. And Emma should stay far away from Regina and her issues with her boyfriend unless it's to tell her to suck it up.

[KingOfHearts]

I'm also contemplating why Storybrooke is in trouble with a major threat. The media seems to be hellbent on declaring Storybrooke is being "frozen over".

According to the Elsa in Storybrooke photos, she meets up with the Nevengers rather quickly.

Since Elsa isn't evil by nature, whatever other threat that's out there has to come in pretty early.

 

 

I'm tired of this show taking what should be legitimate victims of the Evil Queen and making them evil as some sort of justification that what Regina did wasn't so bad. 

 

Unfortunately, the writers are going to pull the same crap whether Marian is evil or not. There is absolutely no way out of the Marian situation where Regina isn't justified. The writers, by nature, aren't going to allow that kind of conviction for her. It may seem like Marian is a regular victim that can open up Regina's eyes, but that's not why she's there - she's only there for Outlaw Queen angst.

Edited August 12, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[Camera One]

he media seems to be hellbent on declaring Storybrooke is being "frozen over". Since Elsa isn't evil by nature, whatever other threat that's out there has to come in pretty early.

 

I don't read spoilers but I'm assuming freezing will be involved one way or another, either Elsa acting out of misplaced anger, or Elsa losing control of her powers.  I was a proponent of having Storybrooke freeze over and they realize Elsa is not evil, so the conflict becomes more of a survival situation, with Charming, Snow and Emma trying to keep the town from starving and freezing, which would require their leadership skills (especially if the freezes messes with Regina and Rumple's magic, so they would have to deal with "real life" as well).  That would provide so much more opportunity for character drama instead of Evil Ice Witch trying to shoot everyone with sharp icicles and turning people into giant popsicles.

Edited August 12, 2014 by Camera One

[retrograde]

Given that the promo for the show seems to be all Frozen all the time and ABC/Disney has sent their top creative guy to be on set, I'm thinking Frozen is going to feature very, very, very heavily in 4A.

It probably will; but in fairness, if you had the rights to a huge So Hot Right Now franchise wouldn't you push it pretty hard in the promo? Especially given the Frozen stuff is getting serious attention from media outlets that never would have reported on OuaT casting and news otherwise. I mean, they're two episodes in to filming, what else are they going to promote at this stage? 

[Mitch]

(especially if the freezes messes with Regina and Rumple's magic, so they would have to deal with "real life" as well).  That would provide so much more opportunity for character drama instead of Evil Ice Witch trying to shoot everyone with sharp icicles and turning people into giant popsicles.

 

I really want that to happen, i.e. Rumple and Regina loosing their powers in the freeze. I mean, how could a little teenage girl who can make it snow be a threat to supposed big bad Rumple unless she can indeed "freeze," magic. The promo or Regina going to get Sydney kind of hinted at that, as why would she need to go get him and not just smoke her way into the cell?  But then, these writers love to give their characters outlandish powers that they wouldnt use for convenience sake (i.e. Cora and Regina actually using a shovel???)  I loved Season 1 Regian and Rumple being sneaky and using their brains to cause problems. But the show has been a cartoony mess since the Curse broke so I expect Peoplecicles to be the order of the day.

[MDKNIGHT]

What if poor Marion falls under the "Final Destination" rules and "death" comes to fix its mistake?  I bring it up because on the one hand I don't think the writers are over OutlawQueen but on the other hand Robin leaving Marion for Regina is too low for the character.  Like many I do dread them making Marion the bad guy when she was obviously the victim of Regina.  If this were anywhere near a realistic setting they would have Robin choosing Marion and telling Regina that Regina is NOT the person he thought she was and the nuclear Hood family would live a life without Regina in it. Sadly that is not how OUAT rolls.  Regina really has to hang with somebody who has nothing to do with her past. 

 

[Camera One]

What if poor Marion falls under the "Final Destination" rules and "death" comes to fix its mistake?  I bring it up because on the one hand I don't think the writers are over OutlawQueen but on the other hand Robin leaving Marion for Regina is too low for the character.

 

For those who watched "Lost"...

 

Given how many of the storylines they've borrowed from their old show, I can see this happening.  Marion keeps walking into situations where she is about to die, and Regina saves her.  So by the end of it, Marion will still die and Robin will consider Regina redeemed.

 

But part of me also knows the writers just cannot let go of their obsession with the "surprise" of shape-shifting.  Ever since Cora pretended to be Lancelot in 2A, they have used this plot trick every half season.  With Cora impersonating Regina and Henry in 2B, and then Peter Pan taking over Henry's body in 3A and Zelena impersonating Ariel in 3B.  These guys just can't let go of this trick.  So I can also see Marion shape-shifting into Maleficient, Zelena, or whoever the next big villain is going to be in 4B or 5A.

 

Heck, they could do BOTH of those, one after the other.  Robin and Regina sees Marion die, and then after they leave, we the viewers see that she's actually ____________ (insert megavillain here).

Edited August 13, 2014 by Camera One

[Mari]

  So I can also see Marion shape-shifting into Maleficient, Zelena, or whoever the next big villain is going to be in 4B or 5A.

 

Heck, they could do BOTH of those, one after the other.  Robin and Regina sees Marion die, and then after they leave, we the viewers see that she's actually ____________ (insert megavillain here).

I know this is possible, because you're right--they really do think "Surprise!  Evil Shapeshifter!  You Didn't See That Coming!" is an amazing, unexpected plot twist.

 

Personally, I will be furious if that happens.  I'm horrifically tired of characters doing something good, only to be told that that was actually a Very Wrong Thing and they've now victimized Regina and/or a few villagers and/or Regina and/or Regina's mother.

[Camera One]

Regina's grandma and Rumple's mother will both be covered by Season 6, I guarantee it.

[ShadowFacts]

Yes Camera One, it would be Desmond and Charlie all over again.  And I wouldn't be surprised with it but I would not think it was clever in the least, in fact it would be cheap.

Edited August 13, 2014 by ShadowFacts

[KingOfHearts]

 

Regina's grandma and Rumple's mother will both be covered by Season 6, I guarantee it.

 

Rumple's mom... now that has to be interesting. I bet she's a huge villain. Cruella DeVil? The old woman who lived in a shoe? The woman who swallowed a fly? Mother Gothel? Ursula? Madame Medusa? A human Siamese Cats reference?

Edited August 13, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[Camera One]

My guess is Mary Poppins, with a creepy ass obsession with other people's children, just like dear ol' Papa.  Armed with a magical umbrella, Mary Poppins will summon an army of chimneysweeps and turn anyone approaching the town line into a kite.  Snow will unwittingly hire her as Little Neal's babysitter, with dire consequences.  Her spoonful of sugar will make Regina's apple seem like a delightful treat.

 

Her tagline?  "I'm not wicked.  I'm supercalifragilisticexpialidocious."

Edited August 13, 2014 by Camera One

[KingOfHearts]

 

 

My guess is Mary Poppins, with a creepy ass obsession with other people's children, just like dear ol' Papa.  Armed with a magical umbrella, Mary Poppins will summon an army of chimneysweeps and turn anyone approaching the town line into a kite.  Snow will unwittingly hire her as Little Neal's babysitter, with dire consequences.  Her spoonful of sugar will make Regina's apple seem like a delightful treat.

Her tagline?  "I'm not wicked.  I'm supercalifragilisticexpialidocious."

 

I would watch that season. Definitely. The tagline had me burst out laughing.

[RadioGirl27]

My guess is Mary Poppins, with a creepy ass obsession with other people's children, just like dear ol' Papa.  Armed with a magical umbrella, Mary Poppins will summon an army of chimneysweeps and turn anyone approaching the town line into a kite.  Snow will unwittingly hire her as Little Neal's babysitter, with dire consequences.  Her spoonful of sugar will make Regina's apple seem like a delightful treat.

 

Her tagline?  "I'm not wicked.  I'm supercalifragilisticexpialidocious."

 

Now, I want this to happen and I would be so disappointed when it doesn't.

[Shanna Marie]

For lack of a better spot, I'm going to go ahead and post this here because it is essentially speculation that isn't influenced by spoilers. I had the most vivid dream of what was basically a Once Upon a Time episode last night, and unlike a lot of dreams like that where they make sense during the dream, but when you wake up you realize how silly it was that Rumple was a kangaroo and made everyone fly, this one actually seemed like something that might happen on the show.

 

Regina and Rumple were up on the edge of a cliff with Marian. I got the impression that Regina had lured Marian there, and Regina was meeting with Rumple like she wanted his help in dealing with/getting rid of Marian in a way that wouldn't implicate her (and then she'd get to comfort Robin). Rumple responded by just pushing Marian off the cliff, killing her. Regina was really freaked out because people knew Marian had gone to meet with her so she'd be the first suspect. Rumple laughed a lot about that and mentioned that he could erase any signs of his presence, but it would be obvious that Regina had been on the cliff with Marian. Regina fled, either to get out of the way before Robin found out about Marian or to get to town to get her side of the story out. But then Rumple realized that Hook had seen the whole thing. He instantly conjured up a sword and ran it through Hook, then watched with some enjoyment as Hook died in pain. At the very last second before Hook was dead, Rumple magically healed him, also mending his clothes and clearing off the blood, and he told Hook that the healing would be undone if he ever told anyone what he'd seen happen. Hook, of course, went straight to Emma, and she was worried about how pale and shaken he seemed and wanted him to go see the doctor. At first, he went macho and insisted he was fine and he had something important to tell her, but then he got a clue and agreed to go to the hospital. Once he was there and being treated for shock and was surrounded by medical personnel, he told her what had happened, and the wound did reappear, but they were able to save him because he was already in the hospital. I think I even dreamed the commercial breaks because there was definitely a break after Rumple ran Hook through with a sword.

 

But I could see a lot of that happening, with someone else being responsible for something bad happening to Marian and poor Woegina being framed. I could also see Rumple doing something like that to Hook and Hook starting out being all self-sacrificing but then getting smarter about it and finding a way out.

[KingOfHearts]

If Regina possibly goes to Sidney to get rid of Marian, and he fails, Rumple will come up to her and say "You should have come to me, dearie." Seriously, coming to Rumple would have be much more likely to be successful than Sidney. But since Regina has had some of her Rumple deals backfire on her in the past (not because of Rumple, necessarily), I doubt she would do that.

 

If there's a conspiracy to kill Marian, it might be fun to watch, especially if Rumple is involved. If Regina stops it at the last minute because of her redemption, that's fine, but I'd like to see at least some of that. I miss the whole "puppetmaster pulling the strings" to manipulate people in S1.

 

Maybe Regina calls off the murder, but the murderer doesn't care and does it anyway. At least Regina would be partially responsible for initiating it in the first place. Then the gunman misses, and shoots Robin instead! (Parallels Lacey when Rumple "missed" Robin when he shot at him.)

Edited August 16, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[KingOfHearts]

 

Eddy: The theme of the second half of the season last year was “there’s no place like home.” And what everyone started to realize is that Storybrooke is their home now. I don’t think anyone is interested in portal jumping right now. They’re interested in laying down some roots.

 

Personally, I didn't see Snow and Charming viewing Storybrooke as home. They did, in fact, have a coronation ceremony to hold the traditions of EF in the last episode. Since they plan on Snowflake being a prince, they must have some sort of kingdom planned in the future. It's not like Snowing is trying to rule Storybrooke or anything, even though most Storybrooke citizens hold their allegiances with them.

 

I'd be interested in seeing if the barrier is down with Curse 2. The reason there was a barrier after the curse broke in S2 was because it was the price of Rumple bringing magic to Storybrooke. There may be magic in Storybrooke, but the price might have been the memory loss... I have no clue. My point is, logically the citizens need to decide where they want to be. As Regina said, "[storybrooke] doesn't belong here, and neither do any of us". So I'm betting Enchanted Forest as the endgame. If not, I'm going to be mad.

 

I don't see how the characters can see Storybrooke as home, at least the ones with good lives they miss in the Enchanted Forest. Some may prefer SB (like Dr. Whale and Ruby), but it's supposed to be a curse that's supposed to be broken. It wasn't designed to be there forever. What are they going to do when some Big Bad walks into Regina's impenetrable, super-secret vault and casts another curse or tears up the existing one?

 

Storybrooke is a very interesting concept, but since the writers don't want to focus on actual town business like secondary characters, jobs, the mayor's office and just everyday life, it's getting to be burnt out. It's just the Enchanted Forest with iPhones, really.

Edited August 22, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[retrograde]

I can buy the coronation ceremony as just upholding culture and tradition. It's pretty normal for immigrants to do this, and it doesn't mean they necessarily want to go back to their homeland. If anything, I'd like to see more of this in Storybrooke -- people trying to combine their Enchanted Forest and Storybrooke lives. Like what do they teach in the school now? There should definitely be more swordfighting and more hybrid fashions. 

 

But I agree that based on what we've seen on screen (both in the missing year and after Curse 2.0) we don't know how Snow and Charming feel about staying or leaving Storybrooke (except what the writers say under that spoiler tag, but that was not shown on screen). So much missed opportunity there, I can't even... grrr.

 

And I also reckon Enchanted Forest is end game -- the town will be forced to go back for some reason, and Emma and Henry will finally decide to go with them. 

[KingOfHearts]

In S2, Snow and Charming were adamant about returning home. Then when they got home in 3B, they adapted just fine and enjoyed it with no problems adjusting. They were reluctant to go back to Storybrooke to boot. I have zero reasons to believe they want to stay in Storybrooke. It wasn't implied at all in any way, shape or form. If it's something new to S4, that's something else, but I didn't see any indication of it in the finale. To me it sounded like, "Well we would do a formal ceremony, but since we're stuck in Storybrooke, we'll just have a party at Granny's instead." 

 

What I'm hoping for in S4 (or even later seasons) is for this issue to be dealt with all citizens of Storybrooke. But we all know this is never happening until maybe the latter half of the final season because it involves logistics, something the writers have been allergic to since the end of S2.

 

(One of things I miss from We Are Both and 2A in general...)

Edited August 22, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[stealinghome]

In S2, Snow and Charming were adamant about returning home.

Not exactly. Charming wanted to go back from the get-go, but Snow was more inclined to stay in Storybrooke until the dark heart fiasco (which apparently totally changed her mind on the issue...like magic!).

 

However, ITA that the show has massively dropped the ball on exploring how Snow and/or Charming (and/or everyone in the show, really) feel about Storybrooke vs. the Enchanted Forest. I almost busted a gut from laughing so hard when they said that 3B dealt with "what is home?" for everyone, because yeah, no. You guys literally have no idea what you put on TV every week, do you?

[KAOS Agent]

These guys say that they shoot 60 minutes of film for a 42 minute show each week, so I'm often left wondering if these mythical moments that they claim have happened were in the shooting script and cut. I tend to think no, but damn I wish someone could get a hold of the actual shooting scripts for the episodes so we could see what types of things are typically cut from the show. 

 

One thing I laugh about with regards to Storybrooke is how much these characters never seem to check their privilege at the door. Like Snow and David referring to their son as Prince Neal and making decisions for the whole town without their input. I'd love to see Snow run for mayor and lose because people are fed up with the royalty that keeps throwing the peasants under the bus. I mean even the dwarves were like it's nice and calm with the feuding royals gone off to Neverland. 

 

If the Enchanted Forest is endgame, they had damn well better give Emma a very, very good reason for wanting to go live in Medieval World because her experiences there thus far have not endeared the place to her. I don't see her ever being comfortable living there forever, so I would hope if they do all end up there it's fully choice based and not a the curse must end we're all stuck here now kind of move. Adam & Eddy mentioned in that interview that we have good things like penicillin here, so it's not like the writers are completely ignoring that the Enchanted Forest isn't all that.

[retrograde]

Adam & Eddy mentioned in that interview that we have good things like penicillin here, so it's not like the writers are completely ignoring that the Enchanted Forest isn't all that.

In interviews, perhaps, but they basically ignored it for all the missing year flashbacks. I think Smee's thing about frozen yogurt is the only recent mention of the advantages of our world over the EF. It's one thing for the royals, but if I was one of the townspeople who had been dragged back into being a peasant, I'd have been pissed.

[Mitch]

It's one thing for the royals, but if I was one of the townspeople who had been dragged back into being a peasant, I'd have been pissed.

 

Exactley, and I have said before...who wouldnt want to live where there are cars, and central heat and air and medical care. I think the privelaged royalty stuff is annoying and I wish the town folk would say "You can call him Prince whateveryoulike but here you aren't royalty." I also thought it was a missed opportunity to have the other royals all vying for positions of power in this small little town, and Rump A Dump manipulating the dfferent factions for his own means. He is much more intersting as Mr. Gold then as Sparkle Dark or making out with his daughter.

 

I would think that the Charmings dumb decisions in this world and theirs would totally make everyone but their most desperate groupie Grumpy want to get rid of them.

Edited August 22, 2014 by Mitch

[KingOfHearts]

 

If the Enchanted Forest is endgame, they had damn well better give Emma a very, very good reason for wanting to go live in Medieval World because her experiences there thus far have not endeared the place to her.

 

Well, she didn't have any very, very good reasons for moving to Storybrooke either, but now she's accepted it as her home because the almighty plot demanded it.

 

 

I would think that the Charmings dumb decisions in this world and theirs would totally make everyone but their most desperate groupie Grumpy want to get rid of them.

 

Thank You! Snow and Charming are horrible rulers. Storybrookers can be so freaking blind to it. (Diner speech, anyone?)

 

It's a mixed bag, I'd say. Some people are going to want to go back to Enchanted Forest because they had better lives there (Snowing, for instance), while others who were peasants (Jefferson) would rather stay comfortable in Storybrooke. It's a major logistics dilemma that shouldn't just go away. There's also the third option of leaving Storybrooke if the barrier is down, which complicates where everyone wants to live even further. 

 

And again, there's always Big Bads that can change the status quo any given moment.

Edited August 22, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[KAOS Agent]

 

Well, she didn't have any very, very good reasons for moving to Storybrooke either, but now she's accepted it as her home because the almighty plot demanded it.

 

I agree that Emma's track to staying in Storybrooke was very poorly done, it's not really that big a deal. Although I'm seriously pissed that the show just ignored how awesome Emma is to go from having nothing but the clothes on her back and going from being both homeless and an unemployed single mother to building the life she did in New York. Expecting her to give all that up after thinking about how hard she had to have worked to get there sets me off, which is exactly why I want them to have a real reason for a move to the Enchanted Forest should that happen. Family pressure would not be acceptable to me. That said, there's a big difference between her staying and making a life in Storybrooke, Maine where she still has all the modern conveniences and medicine and can take off for a weekend away in Vegas if she wants and moving to some backwards land where people still churn butter and fetch water using buckets. Of course, I understand that Emma would be royalty so the grunt work wouldn't be hers to do, but moving there would involve a massive life change that I can't see Emma ever wanting.

 

 

There's also the third option of leaving Storybrooke if the barrier is down, which complicates where everyone wants to live even further.

 

I always assumed there was a mass exodus to the border after Zelena was defeated. Everyone who wasn't invited to the grand naming ceremony potluck, packed up and took off. I know I would have. Even Emma thought that's what she should have done.

[KingOfHearts]

I don't expect a big move to the Enchanted Forest without some plot reason, like the end of Going Home. It won't be like, "We're tired of Storybrooke. Time to move back home. Everyone, let's go!" Only Snow and Charming would really be leading the exodus back if it were a choice, because they're the ones with great titles and shiny thrones to go back to. People like Regina and Dr. Whale, however, have much better lives in Storybrooke.

 

I'm kind of hoping Regina finds someone and decides to live in the Land Without Magic, because the writers said her original premise was that our world was the only place she could find a happy ending. There is really nothing but disdain and a bad reputation for her back in EF. If anyone should go to EF though, it's Henry. He's the only main cast member to have never gone there, yet he believes in it more than anyone else.

 

I used to think, back S1, that the Enchanted Forest was like a Disney dream. But it's become less and less appealing over the course of the series, what with all the war and other dangers.

Edited August 22, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[Curio]

I don't expect a big move to the Enchanted Forest without some plot reason, like the end of Going Home. It won't be like, "We're tired of Storybrooke. Time to move back home. Everyone, let's go!"

You know, I've never understood why they haven't just tried to move the town of Storybrooke to the Enchanted Forest. Surely, with the combined magic of Regina, Rumple, and Emma working together, they could replicate the buildings and the streets and whatnot. Electricity wouldn't be too hard to conjure up, either. There could just be this weird little pocket in the Enchanted Forest that randomly has cars and modern technologies and stuff. That way, people could actually venture outside of the town perimeter without the fear of losing their memories. Traveling to a castle would be a quick one day trip, no magic beans required.

 

It seems to me that everyone just likes the town of Storybrooke, not the fact that they live in our "real world without magic." If Emma and Henry ever feel the urge to actually go back and take a vacation in one of our real world cities, they'd just grab a couple magic beans and take a weekend vacation. This way, no one has to fear the town being destroyed by a curse again or real world people finding out about it.

Edited August 22, 2014 by Curio

[Rumsy4]

Any thoughts on the promo?

 

I don't think Adam and Eddy have much input on the promo, and even if they do, I doubt they'll be giving out the season'a arcs. But I did find it interesting that Rumple seems a little wary at seeing Elsa. Hook's by himself. Regina and Emma are working together again. Snowing are together as always. No baby Snoflake. And no Belle. 

Edited August 31, 2014 by Rumsy4

[KingOfHearts]

Well, Regina and Emma were standing next to each other civilly, so any fight between them isn't a focal point for the advertisers. I'm starting to think any riffs 3B created are going to be mended pretty fast, except for maybe the dagger thing, so they can get right into Nevengers vs. Big Bad. Then they'll probably have little angsty subplots in between. (Like Hook's kiss curse or Charming's dreamshade)

Edited August 31, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[RadioGirl27]

I think people is overanalyzing the promo, especially SQ fans (Emma and Regina are together, so that mean they are endgame). A&E have little to do with it, and three regulars are missing from it. It has been done to introduce Elsa and nothing more.

Edited August 31, 2014 by RadioGirl27

[Rumsy4]

Belle and Will Scarlet are missing. Who's the other regular I forgot? Poor Belle is always sidelined (not that I care much, tbh). Putting Will in the promo would be confusing at best, anyway. 

 

Yeah--I'm not reading too much into the teaser. At any rate, Elsa's clearly not a villain, even though Snowing have their weapons drawn.

[RadioGirl27]

Belle and Will Scarlet are missing. Who's the other regular I forgot? Poor Belle is always sidelined (not that I care much, tbh). Putting Will in the promo would be confusing at best, anyway.

Henry is the other regular missing. I don't care for any of them (Belle, Will or Henry), I used them as an example that we can't and shouldn't read too much into the teaser.

Edited August 31, 2014 by RadioGirl27

[myril]

from the promo:

Regina: Here we go again
Emma: Really?

 

Nice one. With Emma's subtle undertone. Oh yes, here we go again. Next villain please! ;-)

 

Think will make me some popcorn and enjoy the inevitable drama unfolding online with people looking for meaning in unrelated details. What a teaser.

[retrograde]

Think will make me some popcorn and enjoy the inevitable drama unfolding online with people looking for meaning in unrelated details. What a teaser.

I can't recommend it. People are pissed Belle isn't in there, people are pissed Henry isn't in there, SQ fans are convinced Emma and Regina standing next to each other means something....

[stealinghome]

Honestly, what I took from Emma and Regina standing together is that everyone is dispensing with the pretense and officially christening Regina the co-lead of the show alongside Emma.

[Rumsy4]

I can't believe I forgot Henry is a series regular! :-p

Honestly, what I took from Emma and Regina standing together is that everyone is dispensing with the pretense and officially christening Regina the co-lead of the show alongside Emma.

stealinghome--Word! And they are the only two with lines.

[KingOfHearts]

I'm interested in seeing how Frozen impacts Once. It's not that I'm fascinated with it per se, but whether it will sink or float. It will either get a larger audience by absorbing the Frozen fans, or cause the show to officially jump the shark. Fan reaction has been polarized from what I've seen. People are either really excited about it or they plan to stop watching altogether.

My feelings about it personally are indifferent. It's not Frozen itself that disappoints me, but it's how obvious a cash cow it is. It doesn't feel relevant to the last three seasons at all - it doesn't logically fit in place. Theoretically they could have dropped in almost any random character through the urn to begin an arc about their franchise. In that way, it's a blatant shoehorning. I don't mind doing a Frozen story, but if it's supposed to be the main arc, it's not worth watching if we all know it'll be concluded at the end of 4A.

The main concern here is that this potentially weak arc could weaken the rest of the show's story quality. It shows a growing lack of creativity.

Edited September 1, 2014 by KingOfHearts

[Mari]

I honestly don't know what the writers were thinking with the Regina executes Marian reveal. They could have easily had Marian return from the dead without the unnecessary part where Regina parades a hooded Marian around all while smiling and cupping her ear in delight at hearing Marian's pleas for mercy and then sentences her to death. It's incredibly disturbing. Oh look, here's a gif of it.

It gives them lots of drama options--Will Regina turn evil?  Who will Robin chose?  Why is Marian acting so unreasonablely by rejecting the woman who tried to kill her? How will Regina react to Emma, who caused all this?  Plus, I think they see it as a way to un-True Love the Robin/Marian relationship. They get to have Regina horrified and hurt, and blaming a nice, convenient member of the White family, which is one of their favorite things.

 

Given the usual story treatment of Regina, it's entirely possible that one of these'll happen:

a)  Marian turns out to be actually a really unreasonable, bad person.  Possibly even full-blown evil.  Huh, look over there--it's Hero Regina!  Obviously, Robin should be with her, instead.  Bad Emma for bringing Marian to Storybrooke.  If she had just let Marian die, none of this would've happened.

 

b)  Marian turns out to be a sorceress of some kind (possibly Maleficent or Zelena, for example.)  Oh, look!  Hero Regina saves the town from Fake Marian Sorceress!  Obviously, Robin should be with her, instead.  Bad Emma for bringing Fake Marian Sorceress to town . . .

 

c)  Marian dies, while Regina tries to save her.  Marian's final words include a  blessing on the Robin/Regina relationship.  Obviously, Regina is who Robin truly should be with.

 

Do all of these make me want to throw shoes?  Yes.  But I'm not sure the writers realize how much some of the actions they've had Regina commit have tainted her, and by the way they developed the relationship Robin/Regina, that as well.

 

(Also, that is one creepy gif.)