05x00 - Dark Swan Rises

[bunniefuu]

Have we started?

[Chuckles]

Okay.

So, these are fan questions?

Let's see. Hold on.

Do you want me to read them?

"Did you ever imagine... "

"'Once Upon a Time'... "

"... Would have... "

"... such an impact... "

"... On so many people?"

Well, hello, dearie.

It's nice to be a part of a show that brings some hope to people's lives.

I need you to believe.

It's extraordinary the power that this show seems to have.

I choose hope.

Parilla: I had no idea that it was gonna have the impact that it has.

Both: Heroes always win.

Narrator: "Once Upon a Time"...

Woman: It's a magical storybook...

The magic of fairy tales...

Woman: Full of heroes and villains.

Narrator: Came to our world.

Goodwin: There's something wonderful about doing a show based on the power of hope.

You deserve a happy ending, Emma.

It strikes a chord with so many people.

Narrator: And people everywhere...

[Gasps]

Fell in love.

[Cheers and applause]

Thank you.

What did you do with my family? Where are they?

[Screams]

Narrator: Now those same people...

Don't you just love a good twist?

Want answers.

"What do you hope fans take away from... "

"How much fun is it to dress up... "

"If you can describe season five in three words, what would they be?"

Narrator: Tonight, let us celebrate...

To the dwarfs!

[All cheering]

A beloved story...

It plays to the family audience.

You're my mom.

That's the thing that makes it work.

Narrator: The people who tell it...

It is that collaboration that makes "Once" special.

I've missed you.

Narrator: And the most cherished moments chosen by TV's most devoted fans...

The fans have been incredibly supportive and telling us amazing things about how the show has touched them.

Just in time...

Don't you know, Emma? It's you.

For the next chapter...

Woman: Emma!

Narrator: Where darkness rises...

No!

Over Storybrooke, Maine.

Tell me.

What's her name?

My name is...

Emma.

Narrator: It is a story driven by the power of magic, and for the devoted fans of "Once Upon a Time," tonight is cause for celebration.

From the Enchanted Forest all the way to Neverland, this show is able to create such a complex universe.

It's really fun to talk in a community about the show because there's so much going on.

I even own a pillow with their images on it.

Narrator: Just ahead of the season five premiere... the cast and creators are answering fan questions.

We're so moved by the fans of the show...

"Oncers," as we call them.

Because of their passion and their devotion.

Narrator: And they're honoring the loyalty of oncers everywhere.

We just wanted to write a show about hope, but we never thought it would resonate the way it did.

It touches a lot of people in a lot of different ways, so it feels good to be part of something like that.

That really just inspires us so much, and it's more than we could have ever dreamed.

♪

I feel like that is one of the most fun parts of the show.

Are you Emma Swan?

Yeah.

My name's Henry. I'm your son.

It interestingly didn't start for me until later in the show because for the first while, Emma really had to be that foundation of reality.

I know the hero never believes at first.

If they did, it wouldn't be a very good story.

Carlyle: That was the thing that attracted me in the first place.

There was this kind of...

This world that we all thought we knew that was gonna be twisted slightly.

Who's that?

That is someone you don't want to mess with.

They call her Bo Peep.

I think it's one thing that this show does so well is take these characters that we've known and loved for most of our lives...

What's the name of the place we're heading, Captain?

Neverland.

And create a newer version of them and sort of put a twist on them to make them more relevant.

I left my talking phone in the back of your truck.

It's just called a phone.

What an impractical name.

Goodwin: What we've done is made these characters real and relatable and flawed and said, you know, à la a gimmick telephone, these are the real people.

And you've heard these other things about these people.

They became these myths and legends, but here's what that was really about.

You really don't know who I am.

I'm your sister.

Mader: It feels a little bit naughty 'cause you're like, "that's not quite how it was."

Details, details.

Morrison: But those stories are so nostalgic and they're so filled with sense memory.

You know, it takes you straight back to when you were a kid and it was being read to you, or the first time you saw the cartoon version.

First beanstalk.

I didn't think that I would ever be playing Captain Hook because, you know, he was an older man traditionally, and to be able to do that and then try and take that character and make him my own, it's kind of a fun thing to do.

And all you have to do is sign on the dotted line.

Carlyle: When it turned out that it was Rumplestiltskin that sent Cinderella to the ball and not the Fairy Godmother, that was it for me.

I thought, "there's something quite dark in there, as well."

Every story needs a memorable detail.

We all know these stories, and when there is a twist or a character's having relationships that you would never guess, especially when it's your own character...

I will never comprehend why you continue to stand by my side.

I love you.

Dallas: That's been then one of the biggest joys, to be able to take all of these characters that we all know and love and give them such a depth of history that we've never known before.

They'll never love me.

So sad. And yet, so true.

Parilla: I never knew this much about the Evil Queen 'cause I don't think this much existed, so it's been a lot of fun playing this iconic character, growing up and seeing her my whole life.

Man: Get down!

[Shrieks]

It's extraordinary the power that this show seems to have, and it connects people.

I now pronounce you husband and wife.

[Doors open]

[Spectators gasp]

Sorry I'm late.

A huge, beautiful draw of the whole fantasy and idea of being drawn into another world.

I shall destroy your happiness.

Aah!

Gilmore: It's really fun giving some good characters a little bit of a dark side and some bad characters a little bit of a good side.

I love you.

I love you, too.

♪

My favorite Disney fairytale.

I loved fairy tales growing up.

When I was little, I was very much a girly girl, and my mum would read me stories before I went to bed.

Psst! Come to the window.

Goodwin: This changes all the time.

I mean, it used to be "Snow White."

Me and my twin sister would always watch all the Disney animated films, and I think her favorite and kind of my favorite was "Cinderella."

Now, you have a good time, but be sure to watch the clock.

We also enjoyed "Snow White." I always liked the seven dwarfs.

Everyone, grab an axe.

It'll give you your dwarf name.

Is "Dumbo" a fairy tale?

♪

Mader: "The Little Mermaid" was my favorite.

How'd you do that?

[Chuckles]

I used to babysit little boys that thought I actually was Ariel, so I used to sing them all the songs.

Maguire: "Robin Hood" was always in the lexicon of all little boys, especially me.

When you steal for someone else, that makes you a hero. I liked the idea of independently roaming around the country being kind of a hero and doing good things.

It is chipped.

Oh, it's just a cup.

Goodwin: I got really into "Beauty and the Beast."

Lately I've been into "Sleeping Beauty."

The queen may be evil, but I'm wicked.

And wicked always wins.

Mader: I watched "The Wizard of Oz" for the first time, you know, when I was like 5 or 6, and The Wicked Witch of the West was so terrifying.

Oh! Ohh!

I used to have awful, awful nightmares.

You're melting.

And now here I am, playing someone that's probably giving other children awful, awful nightmares, which I find hilarious.

No!

Mader: It's all come full circle.

Narrator: And so, the magic continues...

My aim is true. Don't test me.

As new fairy tales come to life...

I'm King Arthur of Camelot.

In an all new season of "Once Upon a Time."

What I love about "Once Upon a Time" is that all the fairy tales are mixed together.

It's cool that way.

It's really just nice to see where we're gonna be playing every single week, and it's always different.

I love the writing and the visuals.

I like that there's a bunch of fairytale characters in it.

The creators were able to bring all of these characters together in one universe.

And we love to see them interact, whether that be in a lovely way or in an evil way.

It's just so much fun to watch.

♪

You have no idea how easy it is to fall back into the darkness.

That moment was such a huge deal for Hook because it's the moment where he realizes that he might not get his happy ending.

Wait, if you're afraid of losing your happy ending, that means you found it.

What is it?

It's you.

Horowitz: Where Hook says that Emma is his happy ending, for the character of Hook, it's an acknowledgment of an ongoing battle to be a better man.

Kitsis: For so long, it just felt like she was going to be another conquest for a pirate, but you realize she wasn't a conquest.

She was who he really loved.

I had no idea you had such a soft side.

I don't. Just like a fair fight.

O'Donoghue: The response to Emma and Hook has been crazy.

Good form.

They have an interesting sort of fun dynamic where there's a little bit of back and forth.

I should've known you'd be old fashioned given your age.

What are you, like 300?

As you can see, I've retained my youthful glow.

Emma started so guarded and so tough and had been through so much that it's been fun to just sort of peel away those layers.

You couldn't handle it.

Perhaps you're the one who couldn't handle it.

O'Donoghue: For the last two seasons, you've seen that hook is trying to shake off the villainous side that he had.

He wants to try to be the best person he can be...

It was the right thing to do.

So that he can prove to Emma that he's worthy of her love.

You traded your ship for me?

Aye.

♪

Playing the Evil Queen was some of the most fun I've had on this show.

It was like the photographic negative of Snow White.

What do we remove first?

Your fingers or your ears?

Parilla: Ginny and I talked about, do we sort of emulate one another?

[Grunts]

Parilla: And we decided to make it our own.

[Gasps]

Surprised to see me?

I wanted her to have kind of a tomboy sort of attitude about things.

Turn around slowly.

What do you want?

My name's Henry.

And I'm your son.

That was his first time in the Enchanted Forest, and it was awesome.

Look, kid, the queen wants me dead.

She thinks I ruined her life.

Love to be able to play evil Charming and evil Snow.

Get in here!

No need to yell, Snow.

I will always find you.

We all have different sides to us, and to be able to really play those out is so much fun.

What is that?

It's goat's milk.

Where's your rum?

I'm allergic. Never touch the stuff.

In that episode, Hook was a coward and completely different than anything you would've seen before.

What are you doing?

I'm afraid you don't know me very well.

I'm sorry. I can't help you.

There was something really freeing about making the opposite choice than what Snow White would've made.

This isn't who you are.

Dallas: I hope in some world that we're able to go back and visit those characters again.

It was like a breath of fresh air.

Hope is a very powerful thing.

Which is why I'm going to have to snuff it out of you and that awful son of yours.

The reaction from the audience, particularly in the social media, they loved it.

They loved to see Rumplestiltskin as the hero.

If there's anything my family and I can do to repay you.

Good deeds have their own reward.

[Neighs]

♪

Um, the first season.

Season one will always hold a special place in my heart because it was the first time that we were able to start exploring these characters.

I know it's crazy, but I swear you're the only thing in this whole place that feels right.

Gilmore: My favorite season of "Once Upon a Time" has probably been season three because it was so awesome going to Neverland and being with Peter Pan.

Episode 316, "It's Not Easy Being Green," is hands down my favorite.

Felt like a little mini movie for my character.

Is that my mother?

Her name was Cora.

Why did she abandon me?

Mader: I just felt very lucky that me and Zelena were given that opportunity by the writers 'cause it gives more understanding for the audience.

You don't need Regina.

I'm going to cast your curse.

And it makes the character more relatable, and you end up rooting for someone that isn't necessarily always wonderful.

You're turning green, dearie.

Envy will do that to you.

Then, of course, there was that epic showdown between me and my sister and the Wicked West in the middle of Storybrooke.

You can't b*at me, little sis.

Where are you taking me?

Let's call it... your room.

My room?

Well, it sounds a lot nicer than dungeon.

De Ravin: "Skin Deep," my first episode I did, so many moments in that episode.

That's probably still my favorite episode as a whole for Rumple and Belle together.

It's a beautifully written episode, that one.

Thank you.

No matter.

Carlyle: From that point on, it just kind of, you know, snowballed.

The "Beauty and the Beast" thing, there was an awful lot of people out there who didn't believe that they were capable of love.

To me, love is a mystery to be uncovered.

That's what this show does, certainly with this relationship, that's that anyone is kind of capable of that, or everyone deserves a happy ending.

This tree didn't fall, it's been cut.

It's an ambush.

Goodwin: Episode 103, "Snow Falls," will always be my favorite episode.

The episode in which Snow and Charming meet and fall in love.

Hyah!

Dallas: When we first meet Snow and Charming, where she hits him in the face with a rock...

[Grunts]

[Chuckles] That's love right there.

You can't hide from me!

Wherever you are, I will find you!

What we see with Snow and Charming in terms of the evolution of their relationship is a real relationship.

You can't get married without this.

When they're standing in the field and they're about to separate, and he pulls out his mother's wedding ring...

I know. Not your style.

Well, there's only one way to find out.

That scene is my favorite scene because that's the moment that I believe that charming fell in love with her.

Yeah, not me at all.

I loved that they took the Snow and Charming story and then flipped it on its head and created that story for Emma and Hook.

Worry not. It's but a fallen tree.

Is that...

Your father.

O'Donoghue: The season finale of season three, the "Back to the Future" kind of thing, it's fun to get to play all that stuff.

Any ideas how to get back?

How would I know how to get back to the future?

Who do I look like, Marty McFly?

Marty McWho?

He's a 300-year-old pirate.

He hasn't had time to go to the movies.

Wait.

Goodwin: I feel like that episode was a genius reminder that you change one element of something, and...

It appears your parents didn't need our help after all.

Everyone becomes a different person altogether.

Yeah, not me at all.

And it made me really appreciate their story for what it really was.

It's okay, Swan.

Not everyone gets a chance to watch their parents fall in love.

Those variables take us to where we are in the present moment, and I think that's what's so exciting about this show because really anything is possible in life and on "Once Upon a Time."

We did it.

I watch the show alone 99% of the time.

Usually that 1% is with my mom because she's the only person who can stand me when I watch the show.

We're all just kind of live blogging and messaging each other and freaking out.

I usually watch the show with my 7 year-old daughter.

We like to watch it with friends.

And family.

Family.

It's a show all about love and the importance of friendship, and I really do think it brings us closer together.

♪

[Chuckles]

Horowitz: Belle and Rumplestiltskin have had many ups and downs, and their relationship has been a tricky one and a difficult one.

[Fingers snap]

[Record plays]

That dance was pure happiness in the midst of the rough seas of their relationship.

Care to dance?

We realized that the most iconic thing from that film we hadn't done yet.

I would love to.

De Ravin: That's one of my favorite moments, too.

Definitely the sweetest and the most beautiful.

Carlyle: An awful lot went into that.

We danced for about an entire afternoon.

Horowitz: There is a real pure love at the center of the two of them, and this was a great expression of it.

And it was also a great nod to a movie that we all love, as well.

Playing Belle and Rumple's love story.

I love it.

It's strange because it's obviously fairytale, you know.

It's fantasy, all of this.

You're not who I thought you were.

And I'm glad.

The hills and the valleys, it's always interesting.

There's always something to be embracing or dealing with.

Promise me you won't give in to your hate, and we can be together.

I promise.

And it's so incredibly interesting because of those hills and valleys.

It's kind of like a roller coaster.

And every relationship's like that.

So, I like that.

I am now and for all the future yours.

Will you marry me?

Yes.

Overall, I think it's to do with the reality of these two characters in this very unreal world.

You'd never give up power for me, Rumple.

The town line scene is brought up to me so many times as not quite so happy of a memory for their characters.

I'd say I saw the man behind the beast That was a scene that you cry when you read it.

Now there's only a beast.

It was just so beautifully written, and also knowing our characters together.

I don't want to lose you.

[Crying] You already have.

Belle... Please.

Carlyle: That scene was very emotional.

So we feel it as much as the audience do at times, you know, especially when it's written as well as that.

Belle, please.

♪

You're quite possibly the biggest pain in the ass I have ever had the displeasure of writing about.

Yes, there is that.

That's always been Rumplestiltskin or Gold's problems.

Can he actually follow through with it?

Can he break the habit?

[All gasp]

He's addicted.

Whether it's the magic, whether it's the power, whether it's any of these things that's encompassed him, and he finds it very difficult to shake that off.

It's time the villains got their happy endings.

It's one thing wanting to stop.

It's another thing stopping.

♪

Oh!

It's one of the best things that's ever happened to me.

It's a lot of fun. I have to say.

[Laughs] Tons of fun.

I absolutely love it.

My hook, if you please.

I don't normally get to wear eyeliner and leather at home.

It's kind of a fun thing to do.

Is that any way to address a queen?

I find that the costumes transform us.

They are a big part of the performance.

Did my carriage splash you?

I wouldn't do it on my own time.

I wouldn't be wearing corsets just to go down to the shops and get my groceries 'cause that would be a real pain in the ass.

And I would say that our version of the Evil Queen is a bit more attractive.

[Laughs]

With the costumes and the hair and the makeup, she's always changing.

The Queen is dead.

Long live the Evil Queen.

We're blessed to have one of the most amazing wardrobe departments and costume designer.

Eduardo Castro is ridiculously talented.

It's the only show I've ever been on where I actually look forward to a fitting.

You're like, "oh, my God, I've got a fitting!"

Like, you can't wait.

This show needs an audience.

The old Hook costume, the pirate costume, really sort of lends itself to creating a character.

You have to stand a certain way just to support the bloody weight of the jacket.

But it makes Hook who he is, as well.

It's always nice to make an impression.

The iconic gold dress, but then the other iconic iconic wedding gold dress.

That was just like a perfect poufy, "want to just stand on top of a cake" dress.

That's my favorite.

Parilla: I would work with a makeup artist and the hair stylist and talk to them about how erratic or crazy she should look at a certain time in her life, and she slowly starts to look crazier and crazier.

And I love that.

That's my dress.

Looks better on me, don't you think?

Mader: When I'm fully the Wicked Witch, I'm in the full black and I've got my broomstick and the hat's on and the skin is green.

It's like, "pinch me, and maybe I'll wake up.

How is this my life?"

[Laughs evilly]

Whether it's knowing that you will one day find your true love or holding onto that ray of hope that things will get better, fairy tales have an amazing way of brightening anybody's day.

I love the heroic gestures that we don't see very often in our modern times.

Hope makes us believe that anything is possible.

So long as you believe hard enough, you'll be able to achieve your dreams.

Think it's the hope and the magic, and with hope, anything's possible.

♪

You have to do this.

I can't.

The moment where they share the heart in 319 is a huge moment for Snow and Charming.

You can't be more connected than sharing a heart.

I can't lose you.

You will never lose me.

The show started with their true love waking her up, and we felt like this was the natural evolution of everything they've ever come to.

Think of our baby. Think of being a mother.

All I could think about when watching that was that I was super pregnant.

It'll only grow stronger when you look at that baby's face.

I recall that there was a genuine tears problem.

I kept losing it.

I've loved you since the first moment I saw you.

And I'll love you until my last.

Horowitz: That's why personally, I think we responded to it, and I think fans responded to it, as well.

If you split my heart in half, we can both survive.

Seeing the romance of this great love come together.

Goodwin: It doesn't surprise me at all that Snow and Charming share a physical heart.

[Gasps]

You're okay.

It actually made a lot of their story fall into place.

♪

I think that's a lovely thing, actually.

It's one of the nicest things about the show.

I love that the show is about hope and belief.

I think that it's something that's pretty rare nowadays on TV.

Looks like fairy tales to me.

And what exactly do you think fairy tales are?

Morrison: Just to see people's reaction, that it does bring some hope to people's lives and it does brighten their day a little bit.

They are a reminder that our lives will get better if we just hold on to hope.

It's nice to be a part of a show that translates that way to an audience.

I gave the book to him because I wanted Henry to have the most important thing anyone can have.

That's one of the main reasons why the show is so successful...

Believing in even the possibility of a happy ending is a very powerful thing.

And why it strikes a chord with so many people.

We've always worked out.

You know why?

Because we have hope.

I don't know the last time I saw a television show based on such a beautiful, magical, and attainable value.

You get a quarter from the Hope Commission every time you say that word. Admit it.

That's what everyone needs in the world, is having a bit of faith in something.

Our show is a great representation of that.

Sooner or later, your heart will find its way to happiness.

That doesn't feel possible.

There's a moral lesson to learn at the end of every episode.

I've seen a lot of our fans respond to that.

You feel things with your whole soul.

Don't let anything hold you back.

♪

It's always amazing playing a strong female.

Sometimes a hero has to sacrifice everything to save the people they love.

I feel responsible... because the effect that this character has on so many makes me responsible.

No!

Enough.

So, now you're a hero?

Today I am.

Mader: Playing a strong female character is a way more important role model for young women than playing someone weak.

That's what's so great about this show is they really know how to write for women.

Out of my way, munchkin.

I'm a dwarf.

That's even worse.

It's about being powerful and strong and being authentically you, whether you're a hero or a villain.

Relax.

And there's strength in that.

That pointy little hook of yours can scratch a mere mortal, but me?

[Scoffs]

You're out of your depth, pirate.

It's usually a nice platform to be able to portray some awesome messages for especially our younger female audience.

There aren't a lot of opportunities for women in this land to be heroes.

That's why, you know, characters like Elsa and Anna from "Frozen" fit so well into the canon of "Once Upon a Time."

The only way to ever truly be in control of your powers is to embrace them.

Strong female characters coming in to mix with all our characters.

It's time to stop being afraid.

Morrison: And I like that the way strong women on this show are written is in a way that's very real, you know?

Just because you're strong doesn't mean you're never vulnerable.

I think there's a real depth of dimension to what's going on.

[Chuckles]

[Laughs] Good question.

We would probably be all going out of Storybrooke on vacation to, I don't know, Bahamas, south of Mexico.

They would go insane because, I mean, that's not something that they're used to.

I think a nice picnic in the park with everybody in Storybrooke, then going bowling with the seven dwarfs, and then ending up in the pub...

Love the ambiance.

With the Charmings, Emma and Hook, and me and Regina.

Maybe read. Go for a little walk.

A quick little smooch, maybe, and dinner.

And maybe finally get to see "Back to the Future."

I think her perfect day would involve a bath.

I don't think these people ever bathe.

I took a bath this morning, I swear.

They certainly don't seem to eat.

I cannot tell you the relief of cooking something that I didn't have to k*ll first.

Don't I know it. Meatloaf back home... What a bitch.

Maybe they go out on a boat?

I mean, we're by the water all the time.

Maybe we go out on Hook's boat.

[Laughs] I don't know.

I think Storybrooke needs a crisis to stay interesting.

[Cheers and applause]

Gilmore: It's really great to have those moments in the finale or something where the crisis has been averted and you have a few hours just to sit back and relax in Granny's.

This is Granny's.

She makes a mean lasagna and runs an inn.

Kitsis: Friday-night Granny's is usually the best time because lasagna's half-off.

I never though Granny's lasagna could taste so good.

[Chuckles]

We actually very often wind up sh**ting Granny's scenes on Friday nights.

Yeah.

And it's always fun.

You have all your favorite characters just hanging out, and the lasagna may be fake, but the fun's real.

♪

My favorite character is Regina Mills.

She's becoming a little bit more lighter, which I think every one of us, we're secretly rooting for.

But you can't deny the fact that she played the Evil Queen really well.

Her outfits are amazing, her makeup is amazing, and her hair.

She is such an inspiration for me in that department.

Not in, like, the evil department.

♪

It's here!

The curse!

It's here!

Prince Charming: It's not too late. We can still stop it, right? Regina?

I have to say goodbye to the thing I love most.

Henry?

Kitsis: We saw in the pilot that Snow White gave up Emma so that she would have her best chance.

And we saw Emma tell Henry she gave him up to give him his best chance, and here now we see Regina letting Henry go so that he would have his best chance.

You will take him because you're the savior.

I think the fans like it for the same reason the writers like it, which was it was the very first time we saw Regina and Emma really becoming friends.

Horowitz: It really taps into the message of hope we try to do with the show.

You can get to a new place and a better place, and seeing these two characters find friendship with each other is a powerful message.

When the curse washes over us, nothing will be left behind.

I love being this new hero... and sharing that with the audience... and giving that to Regina 'cause she deserves it.

I will have my vengeance.

I absolutely loved her arc from the beginning.

I will find a way to have everything.

It was fun being evil for those first three years.

Aah!

But really digging down deep and seeing her struggles on how to be a good person, and the rewards that come with doing the right thing.

She's won everyone's heart over, and they really want her to have her happy ending.

You still owe me that drink.

And now she has a bit of that.

Yes, I suppose I do.

When people forgive you for what you've done wrong and say, "let's move on", then you can kind of change and evolve, and Regina reflects that thing that you can make that journey from the darkness into the light.

The best example I can set to my son is to live truthfully, to follow my heart.

To you.

Parilla: I think that Regina never thought she would ever have love in her life, so the fact that she has that now... it's changed her, and it's genuinely made her happy.

This makes me wonder why we didn't do this a few decades ago.

Maguire: Somebody wandered into her life and immediately connected with her, and she's turning from somebody who had no salvation to somebody who can be a hero.

Yes and no.

What are you waiting for?

I love Lana and I love her character, but it's so much fun to fight with her, though.

I need your heart.

I'm really torn!

#torn.

I am also hopeful that Zelena and Regina will sort of come to some resolve, although that's probably not as fun to watch.

Our mother taught me one thing.

Never bring your heart to a witch fight...

Something you'd know if she hadn't abandoned you.

I will get your heart!

Not today.

Rebecca, I don't know.

Red apples are so sickly sweet, don't you think?

People tend to like something a little sharper.

And green apples are just... Bitter.

Even from the beginning, there was depth and a reasoning behind her motives and her anger and her jealousy.

I can see why our mother was so disappointed in you.

[Laughs]

[Grunts]

Whether it's me and Lana or me and Bobby, it's just so delicious.

Zelena?

How is this possible?

When they told me that, they were like, "oh, by the way, you've been Maid Marian this whole time,"

I'm like, "shut up."

Hello, dear husband.

No.

So, for the whole first half of season four, I was there really all along as Maid Marian.

Like, what a twist.

Do you want to tell her?

Or should I?

Tell me what?

And then the guys said, "and you're pregnant." I'm like, "no!"

Is it going to be green?

[Laughs]

It's the perfect temporary home.

Yes. This home is temporary.

But me being in your life is not, because this...

Means forever.

Mader: There are so many different ways that this pregnancy can change the dynamic between Zelena and Regina.

What happens with Zelena and Robin's baby...

That's exciting.

You underestimate me, Zelena.

Mader: Is it gonna give her everything that she's always wanted?

Enjoy your new home.

But I'm very excited to find out.

My favorite character is Emma.

It's very rare that I find a character that I identify with so much.

I love to see, like, what she's able to do, what she's able to overcome.

Seeing her character develop and grow throughout the course of these past four seasons has been amazing.

At her very core, she's retained this incredible ability to love, and that's just... I find that really inspiring.

Regina?

I know you're in there. I can see the lights on.

Kitsis: Emma and Regina have been against each other.

They have teamed up, usually just about Henry, but this was the first time where Emma wanted to be friends with Regina.

I know this is all complicated.

But you can have happiness.

You just have to fight.

Horowitz: We love the idea that in season two, we saw Emma and Regina at a doorway having the biggest fight they've yet had.

You can pretend all you want, but we know how you are...

And who you will always be.

[Grunts]

And then in season four, to see another encounter at a doorway, only this time it was about one of them, Emma, proclaiming that she was going to get Regina's happy ending at last.

Henry brought me to Storybrooke to bring back the happy endings.

My job's not done until I do that for everyone, including you.

Morrison: Eddy and Adam have done this beautiful job of redeeming a villain in Regina, and in that process, Emma and Regina were able to find a true friendship.

Characters that they can relate to and see themselves in and learn how to overcome things.

Villains don't get happy endings.

You're not a villain.

You're my mom.

Gilmore: Regina, for instance... She was evil, but even if she has this dark side, everyone has this light side and can always be good.

Hey!

[Tires screech]

If you stick together and you don't give up, tomorrow can be better than today was.

Particularly for kids that are watching this that are maybe even about 13, 14, that age, I think this is the kind of show that will probably live with them forever.

Who could ever love me?

I knew what I was getting, Rumple.

Kitsis: We wanted to write a show about people struggling with problems, and we wanted to inspire people, and what's happened has succeeded more than we ever hoped for.

To have an audience that has stuck with us as long as they have is amazing, and to give us the opportunity to bring these characters to life and tell a new story with them, it's just so incredibly gratifying.

[Chuckles]

Let me think for a second.

Misleading.

Camelot.

Regal.

Uh, glamorous.

Adventurous.

Ooh.

Adventurous.

Adventure.

It will be... Oh, that's four words.

Unity.

Masculine.

Unexpected.

Wicked always wins.

Dark.

Twisted.

Epic.

It'll be epic.

Awesome.

Awesome.

Still figuring it out.

[Chuckles]

I don't know.

That sounds really suspicious, but...

[Laughs]

Well, we have "Brave" coming, which is really cool.

My aim is true. Don't test me.

Well, it's always exciting to go somewhere else.

Why, Camelot, of course.

Horowitz: We've always loved Camelot and that world and that mythology, and we're excited to put our "Once Upon a Time" spin on it.

Camelot's really cool, visually, characters, everything.

Episodes one and two feel like a movie.

We have all of the characters all involved.

I think it's gonna blow people's mind when they see the Dark Swan.

It's snuffing out the light.

Snow White: Emma!

Now that Emma has taken on this darkness, what's that going to do to this extended family, and how are they all going to handle it?

There's a lot going on in season five for Emma.

We're going to see her in so many different states.

The darkness being a part of her makes her instincts totally different, so someone who's always been very selfless is now very selfish.

Where's she gone?

Since season one, Emma has sort of become the glue in our show, and now that she's not there, what's that going to do to everyone?

With this dagger, I command thee, return!

O'Donoghue: It's gonna be difficult for Hook with Emma now being the dark one because he loves her, and he wants to do whatever he can to protect that love.

I can summon the Dark One from any corner of the world.

Well, there's your answer.

She's not in this world.

Emma, once she's taken on the darkness and she's sort of reborn into it, but then she's struggling with it, and there's times where the darkness is more powerful than the light in her, and there's times where the light is more powerful than the dark.

Kitsis: You have a lot of headstrong people who want to save Emma, but each one of them has a different opinion on how to do it, and for us, that's what's so much fun about season five.

Here's your supper.

We love these characters.

They started as a part of us, but now it's something else.

They've become their own thing, and we're just trying to do them justice and do the audience justice.

[Grunts] Who are you?

My name is...

Emma.

Emma Swan came to Storybrook as a savior I'm sure you'll enjoy them on your drive home.

Actually I'm going to stay for a while.

But battling the forces of darkness... [fiery roar] ... changed her.

How does the story end?

With the savior turning dark.

A devastating new chapter where good becomes evil.

[sinister swoosh]