Along with a familiar setting, there is an “open invitation” for original cast members to return for the ONCE UPON A TIME finale.
With Once Upon a Time set to end after Season 7, executive producers Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis are preparing for the series’ grand finale. Rather than trying to tie up every loose end, they’re focusing on the feeling of the show and the strong relationships they’ve built in the show through the years. The natural way to do that is returning to the original setting: the whimsical little town of Storybrooke, Maine.
The latter half of Season 7 will shine a spotlight on two relationships in particular: Alice (Rose Reynolds) and Robin (Tiera Skovybe), and Regina (Lana Parrilla) and Henry (played by both Andrew J. West and Jared Gilmore in a flashback). Kitsis explains,
The whole second half explores the Alice-Robin relationship. You’ll see them be cursed but pulled together in Hyperion Heights. … Episode 20 is a Regina-Henry flashback, but Henry is played by Jared. He was ten years old when he started [the show]. He grew up on the show. We’re really excited to have him back.
Other things to look forward to include a Zelena-centric (Rebecca Mader) episode, directed by Parrilla; Mother Gothel (Emma Booth) trying to create a coven; someone trying to kill witches; and more characters meeting their demise before the series ends. Kitsis acknowledged that the show could have ended with Season 6, when several original cast members like Jennifer Morrison and Josh Dallas departed, but he and Horowitz are grateful for the chance to say a proper good-bye.
It’s all about celebrating what we loved about ‘Once.’ We all took a really long car trip together. For us, it’s about saying good-bye to the show and what we loved about the show: the magic, the swashbuckling, the romance.
Once Upon a Time returns for its spring premiere this Friday on ABC.
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