The small New England town of Storybrooke was ‘frozen’ over when Season 4 of ABC’s hit series, “Once Upon A Time,” premiered on Sunday, Sept. 28.
The show’s storyline revolves around classic fairytale characters that lose their memories and are transported to our world after a curse created by the Evil Queen, Regina (Lana Parrilla). Even though the curse was broken at the end of Season 1, each episode is still packed with drama. Now that Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison) has restored everyone’s memories, we are torn between who is good, who is evil, whom we should root for, and whom we root against.
Characters like Snow White, Prince Charming, Rumpelstiltskin, Belle, Robin Hood, Captain Hook, and many more, are still peacefully living in the small town of Storybrooke — but those who watch the show know that trouble is about to start.
In the Season 3 finale, Emma and Hook returned home after being taken back in time to Storybook Land, the original residence of the fairytale characters. While there, Emma freed Maid Marian (Christie Laing), from the Evil Queen’s fortress. Emma felt that if she left Maid Marian there to die, she would never be able to live with herself — but by doing so, she complicates the future timeline: Robin Hood (Sean Maguire) is shocked by the reemergence of his previously-deceased love interest. With Maid Marian’s return, what will happen to viewers’ new favorite couple, Robin Hood and Regina?
Last season saw not only the return of Maid Marian, but the emergence of a figure with a blue gown and ice powers. This could only mean one thing: Queen Elsa (from the hit animated film, “Frozen”) has joined us in Storybrooke.
The Season 4 premiere opens in Storybook Land, with Elsa (Georgina Haig) and Anna’s (Elizabeth Lail) parents aboard a ship in a terrible storm. Their mother decides to write a letter to her daughters to explain why they were aboard that ship. She tosses it into the ocean right before the ship goes down, and both parents are killed.
We then flash to modern day Storybook Land, where we see Anna and Elsa are planning Anna’s wedding in the small town of Arendelle. While Anna is trying on her mother’s wedding dress, Elsa finds a secret diary from her mother that reveals the real reason for their journey on the ship: they were scared of Elsa and her ice powers. Anna refuses to believe this, and brings Elsa to her soon-to-be in-laws, the trolls. Grandfather Troll tells the girls that, although he does not know the real reason behind the trip, he does know their destination: Mist Haven.
Anna decides it would be best if they traveled to Mist Haven to get more answers, but Elsa disagrees; she cannot leave Arendelle because she is queen. Later we find out that Anna sneaks away to prove that their parents were not scared of Elsa and that they left for a different reason.
Back in Storybrooke, Elsa finds herself confused and frightened by her new surroundings. Elsa was in search of Anna just before she was brought through the portal to our world with Emma and Hook, which we saw at the end of Season 3. Elsa cannot control her ice powers while scared, and begins freezing Storybrooke.
With Marian back in town, Robin Hood tells Regina that he can no longer continue their relationship because Robin Hood had made a promise to stay with Marian “until death do us part.” Regina becomes infuriated and reaches out to a long lost friend, Sidney (Giancarlo Esposito), also known as the Magic Mirror, who we have not seen since Season 1. Regina hatches a plan to go back in time and make it so Mairan never existed.
Another one of viewers’ favorite couples, Rumpelstiltskin and Belle, were married at the end of Season 3. In the Season 4 premiere, we see Belle bring Rumpelstiltskin to a vacant house where they can spend their honeymoon. Once Belle goes to sleep, Rumpelstiltskin casts a magical spell with his dagger, which he promised Belle he would give up.
Of course, there are still a ton of unanswered questions: Will Emma and Captain Hook become an official couple? How will Snow White and Prince Charming handle being new parents now that they have a second chance at it? Will Belle and Rumpelstiltskin split once she finds out his secret? Will Regina go back in time and erase Marian’s existence so that she and Robin Hood can finally be together? This season is going to be full of drama, fights, deaths, finding true love, and so much more.
“Once Upon A Time” airs on ABC, Sundays at 8:00 pm.
IMAGE TAKEN from etonline.com
