Note: yes we know we haven't included photos from this current season but we haven't ever quite been convinced that it was still OUAT that was being aired, so instead, we're indulging nostalgia for the fans.
It would seem no one on social media is shocked at this news. We knew it had to happen - and soon - but whatever our mixed feelings* about Once Upon A Time, it's the end of an era for fairy tale folk, and for having fairy tales getting some attention in a network series on a regular basis. Though story-wise, we agree it's high time the Happily Ever Afters were given out once and for all, (and those following since the beginning were given a proper wrap up at the end of season 6, with 7 only being a 're-boot'/experiment), it will still be a sad day to say goodbye to a series that has inspired a whole new generation to discover - and love - fairy tales in many variations.
After seven years, 156 episodes, and countless twists on beloved characters, OUAT will officially say farewell in a series finale slated for May. Here’s an official statement from (the series creators).
Kitsis and Horowitz: “Seven years ago, we set out to create a show about hope, where even in the darkest of times, a happy ending would always be possible. But we never imagined the happy ending that was actually in store for all of us – years and years of adventure, romance, magic and hope. We’re so grateful to our brilliant collaborators – the cast, crew, and writers – as well as our partners at the studio and network for making this journey possible. But most of all, we want to thank the fans. Their fierce loyalty and devotion was the real magic behind Once Upon a Time. We hope they join us for these last few hours as we journey to the Enchanted Forest for one more adventure.”
EW: You already executed your plan for what you envisioned a series finale would be in the season 6 finale. So what’s that feeling like now trying to find a way to wrap everything up in a hopeful way?
Horowitz: That’s something we’ve thought about long and hard entering this season. For us, the season 6 finale really was a series finale in the sense of ending a six-year story and paying off a lot of that. For us, this is more the feeling of Once Upon a Time, so rather than bringing everybody back to do it again, it’s more about trying to have nods to the past seven years, but really make it about what is that hopeful, optimistic worldview that Once Upon a Time has always embodied. We want to leave the audience with that.
And they promise that there will be many familiar faces returning for the "final-finale" this time, though no confirmation on whom just yet.
* Fan-fiction and cosplay with a budget versus empowering fairy tale based-fantasy that freshens well-worn tales for a whole new generation.
San Diego Comic Con is now over and lots of news for upcoming TV series and movies was, as always, released to the delight of fans. OUAT was no exception and SDCC saw the official release of the trailer for this newly-re-vamped version of OUAT, as well as giving folks a sneak peek (first few minutes it looks like) of the first episode.
Official season 7 trailer:
Sneak peek from the beginning of the first episode of season 7, titled 'Hyperion Heights':
If you'd like to know more there are videos on YouTube of the various OUAT panels in which both the creators and the cast for season 7 were interviewed and presenting, so you can find out more details that way if you're keen.
In the meantime, what's important for fairy tale folk to know is this: you may have noticed (or been made aware by the difficult-to-avoid news of it online), that Season 7 has a new and different Cinderella, but you may not know what that really means. Creators Horowitz and Kitsis are quick to point out this doesn't overwrite the original Cinderella of OUAT. (They say she's happily living in Storybrooke holding her very successful Mommy & Me classes).
A grown-up Henry (season 7 new main character) meets a different Cinderella
What they're underlining is that Henry has discovered that there are different versions of the same tale in 'many different universes' (read, cultures), so a POC Cinderella isn't a rewrite, but an expansion, (though she does seem stuck with the European trappings of the white Cinderella). But it's still a good addition - POC have been underrepresented in the classic canon of tales. (OUAT's black Rapunzel was a wonderful standout and we wish we'd seen more of her.) Essentially we have a 'multiverse of fairy tales' now.
We like this premise - of learning of variations on the well known tales. How much of the associated cultural diversity (apart from POC casting) makes it into the show is yet to be seen of course, but it's a move in the right direction at least. There will also be an effort to increase the diversity of LGBT characters this season; something which they began with some well known tale characters but it seems the emphasis will be closer to the show's core this time. (You can read more about the plans HERE.)
Some of the new regulars in OUAT's season 7 (Drizella, Alice, Tiana & Lady Tremaine)
Fans are reacting in polar opposites for the most part. While about half are just very sad most of the pillars of OUAT will no longer be seen regularly (most of the actors have contracts for limited appearances - usually one episode), some are also not happy that the emphasis is on 'a new Cinderella'. The other half have not only embraced the POC inclusion but are hoping to see that 'variations on the tales in different universes' expansion, explore diversity, so are optimistic.
It's certainly different from what we were expecting for the 'revisioning' of OUAT, but it's a welcome one, with a lot of possibilities. Although the tone will clearly be different, there will also be many callbacks to the first era of OUAT and it looks like the mythology of the show will stay intact too, so that should please fans who plan to continue watching. Either way, we can expect more fairy tale character mix-ups and revisionings in the usual OUAT style so likely we will be posting on the series for a while to come.
Season 7 begins this Fall, October 6, 2017...
By the way: the new title poster revealed at SDCC (and shown at the head of the post) holds some Easter eggs (hidden images) which some smart folks noticed and have shared. Most aren't spoilery but in case you don't want to know the sort of stories that are coming, we recommend you stop reading.
Once again, Once Upon A Time is going for an official "reset," heading into its just renewed seventh season. Unlike (yet) another curse, everyone ending up in opposite land, everyone losing their memory again or some other variation on how it all began, the big difference this time around will be that only three of the main series stars will remain.
Those are Regina, Rumpelstiltskin and Captain Hook.
Words can’t do justice to what Ginny, Josh, Emilie, Rebecca and Jared brought to ONCE UPON A TIME… but we’ll try… never have we had the privilege of working with a more talented group of collaborators. Each brought unique talent, incredible intelligence, and their own individual bit of magic as they gave life to these iconic characters.
Ginny reinvented Snow White for a modern audience – there was no way she would be stuck cleaning up after dwarfs, she created an iconic empowered heroine for the 21st century.
Josh mined the depths of Prince Charming – a character who in myth was just a “type” but in his superlative interpretation became a complex man fighting for love and family.
Emilie took the character of Belle to a deep and soulful place, bringing great intelligence and warmth to the character, making her fiercely independent, strong willed but also an eternal optimist who saw only the best in all those she encountered.
Rebecca took us on a broomstick roller coaster ride as she re-invented the Wicked Witch of the West by finding the pain beneath the green. She made the character soar to incredible heights while always keeping her grounded and relatable.
And Jared literally grew up before the eyes of millions, from a child actor with enormous innate talent to a young man whose abilities continue to astound as he created a character who truly, as we say on the show, has the heart of the truest believer. We can’t thank them enough for the hard work, dedication, and passion they delivered day in and day out. Without them there would be no ONCE UPON A TIME.
As ONCE continues, this group will always be the beating heart of the show. And even though we won’t be with them every week, in a show about magic and hope, we fervently believe it won’t be the last we see of them.
Jennifer Morrison has agreed for a single episode appearance to help transition out her character, who has been the lead of the show since the beginning.
A new character/actor expected to draw new viewers and keep old ones, is The Walking Dead‘s Andrew J. West, who will be appearing in the two hour season finale this Sunday.
Joining West is Jane the Virgin’s Alison Fernandez, who has been cast as “a precocious 10-year-old with a constant twinkle of mischief in her eye…[who] comes from a broken home, [with] struggles that have only made her stronger — something which will come in handy when darkness threatens everything she holds dear.” (TVLine)
As to what is meant by a "reset", or more specifically "springboard the narrative in a new direction", it has seemed very undecided right up till today's announcement (at the time of writing the post), with the President letting it slip that creators Kitsis and Horowitz were 'still finalizing their pitch'. Whatever the case, it's not even clear if the fairy tale aspect will remain intact, or if it will be in the same universe and belong to the same 'show mythology' as the rest of OUAT.
Kitsis & Horowitz: "We are going to complete some stories this year. There’s one chapter to this book that Henry has, so maybe it’s time for us to get to the end of that chapter. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a second book and a second chapter, just like in everyone’s life.” (TVSeriesFinale)
(ABCs Entertainment President) Dungey declined to comment whether that “next piece” would be a different incarnation of Once, a spinoff or a something else. But it’s clear that the series, which has reinvented itself a number of times, may be heading for its biggest reinvention yet as the show’s main storyline comes to an end this season. “There will be a little bit of closure in this particular narrative regardless of what happens with Season 7.” (Deadline)
With Kitsis and Horowitz, who previously created Lost, and are known for their looping and repetitive storylines (with variations), Once Upon A Time has already had more than its fair share of reboots, and the storylines for all the main characters have run a much longer course than they probably would have (should have?) on any other show, so the big fear is that a) season seven won't be anything like OUAT at all or b) that it will be the agonizing death of OUAT, as opposed to going out strongly with this last musical, wedding and two part final battle.
The bright spot for fairy tale folk is that is will still have the title Once Upon A Time - a phrase that is difficult NOT to associate with fairy tales, so some aspect of that is very likely to remain part of the new format and direction.
Although we have been critical of Once Upon A Time over its course, we do want to acknowledge just what a fantastic and creative job they've done in persisting on rewriting familiar stories and fairy tale narratives, and archetypes, in different lights. Not only that, the tally of characters introduced is HUGE (one day we will have to list them) and the series regulars, whose stories continue through multiple arcs and variations, number quite a large ensemble - not an easy feat to combine while keeping the 'mythology' intact. These characters have not only explored their traditional stories (usually Disney-based) but had them twisted, re-visioned from different points of view, often in combination with other fairy tale characters, which sheds a different light on them again, and sometimes they've explored other fairy tale plots as part of their own journey as well. Some of these have worked better than others, as is the case with any show with a huge variety of characters and storylines, but it's also been extremely creative and woken up a lot of people to the possibilities of fairy tales, including how their own lives can be reflected in them. As much as it's been difficult - as serious fairy tale students and enthusiasts - to watch from time to time, things will be very different without a series that regularly brings adults fairy tale characters regularly to the screen.
Here we should note the Once Upon A Time In Wonderland spin-off as well. Though not as successful as expected, we believe people will look back and realize there are many gems to be mined from that adventure as well. There has also been a foray into 'The Land of Untold Stories' as a main arc - again, something that felt a little awkward at the time, but looking back will prove an interesting study.
The show looked at storytelling, often literally, with an 'author' and a magic pen changing the tales and people's lives in the process, and the mysterious book of fairy tales first given by Snow White to Henry is an anchor and pivot point for many plots of the series. It went to the 'real' world (of New York) and back again, visited the Underworld, and other dimensions in addition to Wonderland, such as Oz, Agrabah, Neverland - even the ins and outs of Fairyland (which are different to the Enchanted Forest) - and many others, connecting them all in bizarre and creative ways. So often the show was meta, both in terms of the tales and characters used, as well as its 'parent' (Disney), but also with regard to writing and retelling tales. The production images created with liberal use of fantasy settings, elaborate costumes, use of magic items in the storylines, archetypes and CG have inspired thousands of people to create their own narratives and 'image stories' and will forever remain a part of fairy tales to come. That aspect is possibly one of the most successful outcomes of the show - it encourages and inspires people to create their own stories. One day there will be a lot to sit down, look at, and, yes, study.
Just take a look at the variety of characters and worlds OUAT has explored, just by way of the variety of promotional posters we've included here (there are many more as well). These only highlight the largest arcs and it's still an impressive array.
The oddest thing is that it's been another year since Kitsis and Horowitz let it slip that they were "running out of fairy tales heroes and villains to work with", (their words) which explains the dive into mythology and legends, as well as classic literature these past couple of years. We do find it odd that they seem to think there's no fairy tales left to work with though! There are literally thousands to choose from and out of those many (many!) that enjoy popularity in society beyond Disney - that is, they're familiar stories the show could tap into. (Hey OUAT folks - we know a bunch of people who can help with that!)
What that means for a reboot and a 'change in narrative direction', is... not something that inspires confidence in continuing, or in a spin-off, but we do know that OUAT has charmed enough folks, even if they're not tuning in faithfully with each new episode, to be more than a little curious to see what happens next. Season six promises to wrap up the storylines playing out since the beginning and to bring 'satisfying closure' for fans in the two hour finale for which the musical/wedding episode last week was the prelude. Will hanging in there to bring the show back for another season pay off though? We'll just have to wait and see.
They do tend to say that "all reboots come with a price". As per the show's main theme, however, we choose HOPE.
Don't forget: the two-hour season finale - which the creators have promised will wrap all the main storylines of the wholeseries to-date, is TOMORROW:
After the fan-happy musical-wedding episode this weekend, ABC's Once Upon A Time is only one episode away from the end of the season, and still no series renewal in sight. On Monday morning, fans got a bit of a blow as Jennifer Morrison, who plays the lead, Emma Swan, announced she had decided not to renew her contract with Once Upon A Time. While previous rumors indicated the cast would be whittled down by about half, if the show were to continue (including without Snow, Charming or Henry) there's a good chance Morrison's decision will have a detrimental impact on the series continuing at all.
From Jennifer Morrison's Instagram:
jenmorrisonliveAs I reached the end of my 6 year contract on ONCE UPON A TIME, I was faced with a significant decision. ABC, Eddy Kitsis, and Adam Horowitz very generously invited me to continue as a series regular. After very careful consideration, I have decided that creatively and personally, it is time for me to move on. Emma Swan is one my favorite characters that I have ever played. My 6 years on ONCE UPON A TIME has changed my life in the most beautiful ways. I am absolutely blown away by the passion and commitment of the Oncer fans. I am so honored to have been a central part of such a special show. I will be forever grateful to Adam, Eddy, and ABC for giving me the gift of playing Emma Swan. As I move on to other creative endeavors, I will continue to attend the fan conventions whenever my professional schedule allows. I always look forward meeting the fans. If ABC Network does in fact order a season 7, I have agreed to appear in one episode, and I will most certainly continue to watch ONCE UPON A TIME. The creativity of the show runners has always inspired me, and I cannot wait to see the ways that they continue to develop and reinvent the show. #Onceuponatime#EmmaSwan#UglyDucklings
The show's 'ugly duckling' ('beautiful duckling'?) Emma Swan has more than played out her story line of homeless waif looking for her home, finding her family, her destiny, losing her faith and going to the dark side (being a 'Black Swan') then becoming the Savior all over again. However, it was bringing Emma Swan to Storybrooke that got the story rolling, and while we've been introduced to many interesting folk with their own intriguing stories along the way, it's safe to say the show has revolved around Emma staying and cementing her home in Storybrooke through the entire six season to date. How to keep the interest of fans overall without her character would be quite a challenge at this point.
Once Upon a Time was once a great show that married the lighter, sweet elements of fairy tales with their darker implications — that of the boogeyman under your bed or the pervasive mommy issues that pop up throughout folklore.
But what was once an intriguing revisionist fairy tale show became glorified Disney fan fiction, where you could see Elsa from Frozen team up with Prince Charming against warlord Bo Peep, or witness Mulan falling in love with a battle-scarred Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. (Sadly, these all sound wackier and more fun on paper than they were on screen.) Anchoring this growing cast of Disney and public domain characters was Jennifer Morrison‘s Emma Swan, whose bounty-hunter-turned-Savior — and daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming — provided the catalyst for the story. Now after six seasons, Morrison announced that she won’t be returning to the show as a series regular, calling the show’s fate into question. Does this mean the (happy) end for Once Upon a Time?
While Emma isn't always the reason, or even the most common reason people return to the show (#TeamRegina), she has remained central to all the main storylines, so even a(nother) reset would have issues. The other reasons fans return and have such a passion for the show, however, aren't insignificant, so the potential for continuing remains, but it's going to take some tricky negotiations of stories, along with finding that sweet spot of Disney-nostalgia-with-a-twist, to keep viewers tuning in.
But... Wasn't the Musical a Good Thing for OUAT?
Short answer: "YES".
And how did fans like the musical episode? (And what did our Fairy Tale Newsroom think?) We know ratings were down, but that seems likely due to the Princess Diana special airing the same evening, which, we're guessing would have a decent overlap in audiences, so there's that. Fans, however, have been overall very positive through to rapturously downloading the soundtrack to play on a loop, so, after the dust settles and this show joins the nostalgia show shelf, this episode will be returned to as a highlight. (You can hear/relive some of the songs HERE.)
"But was it any good?" - we hear you asking. The thing is, musicals are hard. We get that. Musical episodes, in non-musical shows, are really hard. Unlike what most fans (and cast) expected, the show chose to create entirely new songs for the special episode which has about as many advantages and disadvantages as the cast singing favorite Disney songs would have. Tough choices! Our take was that the songs (almost all sung in flashbacks, which was a little odd to get used to) were better written than expected, but the staging and choreography suffered from not having as much fun as the lyricists did, and they really could have done with many more good callbacks to the Disney movies - or at the very least key early episodes from the series - to cement that 'like' factor. It helped that the cast were (largely) up to the task, and that it's expected to have a good dose of cheese (please!). In fact, for this show, a cheese-free musical effort would have flopped badly.
We saw some great sparks between this couple - reminding us - again, where it all began
While we're not quite ready to see OUAT on Broadway (what a thought!), Snow and Charming's opener 'Happy Beginnings' was a really good way to set the tone, in fact we have to wonder why we didn't hear more of Snow, in particular, singing throughout the series, and Charming could apparently match her quite easily as needed. It would have fit Snow's character extremely well (although we would have suggested more bluebirds, though perhaps not attacking them as she did in an earlier season like the pics below... although that would have been a perfect moment for a musical, if Snow wasn't her Mrs. Charming -self!).
In fact, the opener worked so well, it was sort of odd to see people go back to speaking after that (and we never quite understood why speaking was allowed - minor quibble). While the back and forth between flashback song-wish/curse happening in The Enchanted Forest and the present day dramatically spoken lines of Black Fairy threatening Emma and all she loved, (emphasis on the drama) was a little clunky, the concept of 'The Song In Your Heart' was a good frame for the episode, and neatly book-ended the show's main story arcs - from the very beginning - in a satisfying way too.
Always difficult to pull off a 'song battle', it's doubly difficult in a show that has had full on dragons and demons and universes cut in two. Clearly it was a tough sequence to stage (and very much worked for some fans and not at all for others) but Emma's Theme near the end was quite a (nice) surprise in the way it was handled, especially as we already knew it was Emma's actual musical theme, present since the beginning of the series, done as a proper song, and effectively pulled it all back together in time for a wedding.
And yes, we could not help but be reminded of the Buffy musical episode... (which we heartily applaud and adore by the way). Not quite as well thought through and balanced, but admirable nonetheless.
As odd and 'expectedly inconsistent' as the episode was, with different music styles and voice strength throughout, (although, we loved Rumple's fake-out!) it was still a very worthy effort, though we do feel there were a ton of missed opportunities, especially in the wedding. If there were ever a time to revisit the beginning, or to have fun with all the Disney fairy tale wedding tropes, this would have been it, but the oddly sterile and fake location put a damper on what should have been the episode's jewel. (Considering the very-possible looming 'FIN' factor it's a little arrgh!-inducing.)
Different fans around the web have had different song favorites, as expected, but overall, the show was a bold - and smart - move that worked. Its success is well-deserved, especially considering the consistent struggle with ratings this season and last, and should be held up as a 'high note' to end on.
So Now What?
Now what indeed. Next week - the final two hour, two part episode of season six - the show runners promised a wrap up of all the loose ends of the whole series and to leave no cliff hangers in case the show is not renewed. From the very quick preview, it looked like exactly that, something that might bring home that high note that this week's musical episode was a little loose on at times. Now that Emma is leaving, and things are looking more solid than they have for a while, although we will always lament the end of fairy tales being told weekly on TV, perhaps it would be a good place to accept, and sign, ~The End~.
POSSIBLE SPOILERS FOR THE FINALE BELOW!
Here is the press release for the final double episode of the season, The final Battle Parts I & II:
THE BLACK FAIRY’S CURSE LANDS OUR HEROES IN FAIRY TALE LAND WITH LITTLE HOPE OF RETURNING HOME, AND EMMA IS IN THE FIGHT OF HER LIFE, ON THE SEASON FINALE OF ABC’S ‘ONCE UPON A TIME’
“The Final Battle Part 1 & 2” – Henry awakens to a cursed Storybrooke and discovers Emma has been in the mental hospital, and the Black Fairy is the new mayor. Henry attempts to help Emma regain her memory while Gold tries to find out what has really happened to Belle. Meanwhile, Snow, Charming, Regina, Zelena and Hook are trapped in a crumbling Fairy Tale Land and desperately try to figure out a way to be reunited with Emma and Henry, on season finale of “Once Upon a Time,” SUNDAY, MAY 14 (8:00–10:00 p.m. EDT), on The ABC Television Network.
“Once Upon a Time” stars Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White/Mary Margaret, Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, Lana Parrilla as the Evil Queen/Regina, Josh Dallas as Prince Charming/David, Emilie de Ravin as Belle, Colin O’Donoghue as Hook, Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills, Rebecca Mader as the Wicked Witch/Zelena and Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold.
Guest starring are Lee Arenberg as Leroy/Grumpy, Raphael Sbarge as Archie/Jiminy Cricket, Beverly Elliott as Granny, Deniz Akdeniz as Aladdin, Peter Marcin as Chief, Giles Matthew as Gideon, Andrew J. West as Young Man, Alison Fernandez as Little Girl, Ingrid Torrance as Severe Nurse and Jaime Murray as Black Fairy, Karen David as Jasmine, Gabe Khouth as Mr. Clark/Sneezy, Faustino Di Bauda as Walter/Sleepy, Sara Tomko as Tiger Lily and Olivia Steel Falconer as Violet.
“The Final Battle Part 1 &2” was written by Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. Part 1 was directed by Steve Pearlman, and Part 2 was directed by Ralph Hemecker.
And there's also a handy (and fun) "Once Upon a Time: 12 Things to Know After the Musical Episode" article HERE from ENews if you're wanting to know a little more of both the behind-the-scenes for the musical episode, but particularly how it sets up the two part finale.
And yes, it talks about the possibilities of both the series ending and what might happen (the contingency plans the creators have) should it be renewed, along with some potential new characters (name actors) included/teased in the final episode.
Preview for The Final Battle:
There are SO many callbacks to the first episode in that promo! Let's hope this is everything they've promised.
After seven years, 156 episodes, and countless twists on beloved characters, OUAT will officially say farewell in a series finale slated for May. Here’s an official statement from (the series creators).
