It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, as Once Upon a Time‘s fall finale drew to a close. Emma and Snow White had managed to traverse realms and return to their fam in Storybrooke. But meanwhile, unbeknownst to anyone, Captain Hook and the original Queen of Mean closed in on Storybrooke via the pirate’s brig.
TVLine met up with Josh Dallas, who plays Prince Charming, to get a peek at what’s to come when Season 2 resumes a week from Sunday, on Jan. 6.
TVLINE | I asked Ginny [Goodwin] and Jen [Morrison] this first question, too: Was it kind of strange doing the split narrative, where half the cast was off doing something else and you’re no longer crossing paths with these people you worked so much in the first season?
Yeah, but there’s something nice about having a whole new group of people that you’re working with. And even though we were all separated, we were all kind of working towards the same common goal, so it felt like we were all together anyway. But yeah, it was a change from Season 1 for sure.
TVLINE | When Charming got stuck in the sleeping spell, my first thought was, “Oh, I guess Josh just got a couple of weeks off.”
Yeah, when I read that script, I was like, “Oh, OK, another sleeping curse. Good thing I did Coma Acting 101 in college” – which I also got to use in the first couple of episodes in Season 1!
TVLINE | Captain Hook and Cora are now in Storybrooke, but their respective adversaries are Rumplestiltskin and Regina, which will likely keep those two distracted. Is now the time for Snow and Charming to finally be happy?
With all great, epic love stories, there are always obstacles thrown in front of the lovers, all of the time — and particularly with our show. And I think certainly in the case of Snow and Charming, that will continue to happen throughout the series. But at the moment, now that they’ve gotten back together and they’re both in Storybrooke, there is time to breathe and think about where they are, who they are, what their relationship was and what it can be now, where they belong….
TVLINE | “Do they expand their family? And what are the ramifications if any of another ‘true love’ baby?”
Yeah. There are all those kind of questions going on. Of course, there are things happening in Storybrooke that the Charming family has to deal with first. Besides Cora and Hook showing up, we have something else that’s happening that needs the family’s attention. There are things that are going on that prevent them from kind of really taking that time [to relax], but they find their way around it and start talking about their future.
TVLINE | Is Regina going to almost regret that she helped get the ladies get back? Obviously it was a magnanimous gesture, but…. She looked vaguely perturbed when Henry walked off with Emma.
Regina is interesting, because when it comes to Henry, he is her only thread to real goodness, her only chance at real redemption. I think she will try to do whatever it is that will make Henry happy, but whether she regrets her decision to help give Henry his mother and his family back…. “Maybe.” That’s all I can say.
TVLINE | What kind of welcome do Hook and Cora get in Storybrooke? Do they just walk into town, down Main Street…?
No, it’s shocking. It’s shocking and exciting, and it’s not what you’re expecting for their welcome — particularly for Hook. I’ve tried not to give any of this away, but he gets thrust into the group, as it were, quite violently.
TVLINE | Might there be some thumping of chests with Charming and Hook?
There might be…. I mean, Charming doesn’t take kindly to people who are liars and manipulators — he finds that a real weakness in people — and Hook is one nasty character. Of course, they haven’t met yet, properly, but I think there’s going to be some interesting things for sure between the two of them.
TVLINE | David Anders tweeted [in late November] that he was being kept “uber-busy” as Whale. Do you get pulled into that at all? He and Charming had been clashing ever since Snow’s “We were cursed!” confession.
I think Charming feels like he’s settled that score. You know, he’s a man, he still has jealousies and [Whale] was messing with his woman. But Dr. Whale and David are cool now. I don’t think they’ll be “best friends,” but Dr. Whale is someone that can be very useful in Storybrooke — and that will come into play once Hook comes into town.
TVLINE | How does the sheriff thing shake out now that Emma’s back?
David always said that he was only going to take over until she got back, because he so believed Emma and Snow would return. Of course, naturally he’s a leader and he’ll always be there to lead, so maybe we’ll see some teaming up, some “father-daughter sheriffing” going on. He likes the gun holster, for sure. [Laughs]
TVLINE | We haven’t had any good ol’ Fairytale Land flashbacks in a while. Are some coming up?
Yes, for sure. I can’t remember the title of the episode, but you’re going to see more of the story between Regina, Snow and Charming.
TVLINE | Ginny indicated to me that there might be stuff in Charming’s past to explore further.
Oh, absolutely. That will come much later into the season; there is a lot more to explore with his whole life. He has a twin brother that was never fully realized in the first season — we just saw kind of a glimpse of him — so maybe we’ll see that story with him and King George.
TVLINE | We still don’t know Charming’s real name. Didn’t [series creators Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis] say we’d find it out this season?
We will find out. We will find out. It’s surprising what it is. It’s surprising and it’s obvious… which is weird!
source: tvline.com
