With the curse broken and the fairytale world and the “real” world crashing headlong into each other, much await our once amnesiac characters in this season of the show. While they may have recovered the full extent of their original identities, they are no longer those people entirely with their experiences in Storybrooke informing who they are now every bit as much as their fairytale selves once did.
It’s an intriguing idea and one that lets the show go in all sorts of exciting directions as the characters grapple with the fact that both their worlds, and identities are real, and will play a part in who they become in the future. It’s an exciting take on the what happens when the curse is lifted and frees the producers and writers from the inevitable “when the curse be lifted?” expectations that would have weighed down the show as it went on.
And much will be revealed.
Thanks to Comic-Con 2012, we know that the identity of Henry’s mysterious dad will be revealed, Dr Whale’s fairytale identity will come to the fore, and Mulan, Captain Hook (who you see in the sneak peek below), Sleeping Beauty and Jack and the Beanstalk will get their moment in Storybrooke’s sun. Even Rumplestiltskin’s son, Baelfire will feature, his fate finally known.
The cast also had a great deal of fun on their Comic-Con 2012 panel too. (Thanks to YouTube contributor, 3HeadedMonkey, for the awesome footage.)