The masterminds behind Storybrooke reveal five major spoilers, including Hook and Swan’s potential voyage aboard the love boat.
With most of Once Upon A Time‘s core characters shuffling off to Neverland at the end of season two, it’s anyone’s guess what we can expect to see in season three. Thankfully, executive producers Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis were generous with scoop June 8 during the Once panel at the ATX Television Festival.
1. ‘Captain Swan’ Might Become A Thing
Oncers have shipped Emma (Jennifer Morrison) with Captain Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) since the pair first shared a scene, and now that Ms. Swan’s baby daddy is out of the picture — albeit temporarily — there might finally be romance in the cards:
[Hook] wants a new chance, and I think being surrounded by all these characters last year — even seeing his nemesis happy with someone else — made him realize that maybe after all these hundred years, [he] needs to get over Mila. So, who knows? They’re on the ship together and Emma thinks Neal’s dead.
2. Mr. Gold Vs. Henry
If you thought Mr. Gold (Robert Carlyle) was only helping to look for Henry (Jared Gilmore) out of the goodness of his heart, you clearly don’t know him very well. The seer told him Henry would be his undoing, and those eerie words will linger in his mind throughout season three:
“He’s torn between competing impulses, like what he knows he should be doing and what his various agendas are,” the EPs explained. “They often times conflict, and he often times makes choices none of us would make.”
3. Emma’s Magic (Finally) Explained?
We’ve seen Emma use her powers a few times in season two, but we still don’t fully understand what it’s all about — and neither does she. Season three, the EPs told the crowd, will aim to answer our magic-related questions:
She’s definitely going to ask the question ‘Why do I have magical capabilities? What does it really mean to be the Savior?’ And we’re going to dive a lot deeper into Emma’s story, and we’re going to see a lot more of her past.
4. Snow White’s Next Step
If you were a fan of Snow White’s (Ginnifer Goodwin) bandit-esque persona from the Enchanted Forest, you’re going to love season three! The EPs told us she’ll have to get back to her roots — and not give into her heart of darkness — if she wants to be a hero:
Her journey in season three is interesting. At the end [of the second season finale] when she said, ‘Let’s do the hard path,’ was the moment she realized it’s time to start doing the right thing and [she's] the one who has to heal this heart. With Henry being gone, what we’re going to see in season three is that what’s required in this mission is … the bandit Snow. It’s time for her to rise to the hero that she was to save her grandson.
5. Belle & Rumple Are Safe — For Now
Fear not, ‘Rumpbelle’ shippers! The EPs told us that the distance between Belle (Emilie de Ravin) and Rumpelstiltskin won’t necessary impede their fan-fueled relationship:
“It’s going to be another challenge to [Belle and Rumple's] relationship,” they said. “They’re separated, but he left her behind to protect her … from many things.”
