[sherry02]

'Once Upon a Time': Regina revealed in exclusive sneak peek

[GrhmLz]

I watched the sneak peek. Lucy looks so excited to have figured out Roni is Regina, lol.

[sherry02]

Spoiler Room: Scoop on Grey's Anatomy, Blacklist, Supergirl and more | EW.com

What can you tease for Zelena’s return to Once Upon a Time? — Oliver Hmm, let’s say you’ll first see her in a place that’s very unexpected. But the reason she returns is far less so. “In times of crisis, you reach out for family,” EP Edward Kitsis says. “Regina’s going to need her sister coming up.” Adds EP Adam Horowitz: “It’s about the strength of the sisters. That relationship becomes front and center and entirely important.”

We saw that one coming.


'Once Upon a Time' Star Lana Parrilla Opens Up About Season 7 Reboot | Hollywood Reporter

'Once Upon a Time': How Lana Parrilla Helped Set the Tone for the Reboot The actress credits her creative collaboration with showrunners Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis and teases a “partnership” for her villain-turned-hero character. Once Upon a Time creators Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis spent plenty of time crafting their idea for a rebooted seventh season — but when it came time to pitch the “requel” idea to leading lady Lana Parrilla, they flew up to Vancouver, where the series has filmed for more than six years, to do it in person. Her reaction? “Oh, here we go again!” That’s a good thing, by the way. The actress has played so many versions of her character, the (formerly) Evil Queen Regina — who, over six seasons, transformed from villain to hero and captured the hearts of fans in the process — that she was ready for a new challenge. “I love creating with Adam and Eddy. I think we’ve done an incredible job over the last six years, so I have a lot of faith in that relationship and I really believe in them,” she tells The Hollywood Reporter. “They’re incredible communicators. I can call them at any time. I love that I already have this beautiful history with my bosses. It’s not only the personal relationships but also the creative collaboration that we have been a part of for the last six years, to continue that and to continue telling some really cool, different stories was all part of the intrigue for me and my interest in returning.” Horowitz and Kitsis tell THR that Parrilla immediately responded to the "bold and risky” pitch. “Lana is always up for challenges and pushing herself. That’s what makes her such a great actress,” they said via email. “She is always going for something new.” Once Upon a Time might be an ensemble show, but Parrilla in particular has an incredibly passionate fan base, which she credits to the evolution of her character over time. “Regina is a very powerful character. She’s a very inspiring character. She’s fun. She’s delicious. She’s complicated and complex. Fans have been following her storyline over the years, and where she originally started from and where she is now is complete night and day. It’s really her journey has really captivated the audience,” she says. “I’ve met a lot of people who have learned a lot from Regina’s decisions and mistakes and have chosen a different path in their lives, and I never thought I was going to play a character that would have such an impact, globally, on an audience.” Besides, she posits, “Who is the Evil Queen without Snow White? This is really an ensemble show. You need all these characters to tell these stories. I feel very lucky that Regina is one of the most beloved characters on this show, but it does take a village.” Roni, the new, cursed version of her character, is a lot more like real-life Lana, and she was thrilled to trade pantsuits for jeans and T-shirts. “Roni’s just a little more laid back. Even how she dresses is a bit more comfortable — she’s in jeans, cool leopard boots and a rock t-shirt. I mean, that’s basically my wardrobe,” Parrilla says with a laugh. “She’s a little more relaxed, a little more laid back, a little more rough around the edges, like the girl you want to go have a drink with. She’s a little bit more understanding and a bit more mature in a different way.” One common trait, though, is an underlying maternal instinct — something Parrilla says she has had her whole life. She’s always making sure everyone’s warm and fed and taken care of. “Ginny Goodwin always used to say, ‘Oh my god Lana, you’re always feeding everyone.’ During the pilot, even though we were at the Sutton Place Hotel, I would order a bunch of different dishes and I would create my own dish with all these ingredients that I would get from the hotel, and then I would have little dinner parties,” she says. “It’s something that I really love to do. … It’s just part of my DNA. I really don’t know how else not to be.” Parrilla is still so close with Jared Gilmore — who played her TV son until Andrew J. West took over the role in season seven — that the young actor is coming back to Vancouver to stay with her for a weekend. “I always felt like Jared’s second mom and I think his mother can even attest to that,” she says with a laugh. “I’m very close to the people that I end up working with.” She’s carried that maternal energy over to her performance with West, whom she says is “sweet and kind,” just like Gilmore. “There are some similarities between [West] and Jared. Even if neither one of them sees it, I see it,” she says. “I was looking for how are they alike and how are they different … not only for myself to connect with but also for the audience. There were some things that I did with Jared that I actually currently do with Andrew — the way I hold his face or the way I grabbed his chin, the way I hug him. These are all the same ways I used to hold and hug Jared.” Showrunners Horowitz and Kitsis tell THR that they’re thrilled with how Parrilla has led the new members of the cast. “Lana has embraced all the challenges this new season has brought. Along with our other legacy actors, Bobby Carlyle and Colin O'Donoghue, Lana has been a true leader,” they wrote. “Together they’ve created an atmosphere that has allowed our new actors to seamlessly join the show. Lana’s fearless approach to every challenge is an example that we think has really helped set the stage for everyone joining the cast as 'Once Upon a Time’ continues to evolve.” While the first block of season seven episodes centered on establishing OUAT’s new storyline and characters, the focus is now on figuring out which fairy tale characters are under the new curse — and why. During the Nov. 10 episode, “Wake Up Call,” Roni’s backstory will be explored as the hour will tie in to the mysterious photo of Regina and young Henry she discovered the week prior. “[Roni and Henry] don’t really understand where this photo came from and they go out on this hunt to see how it came about,” Parrilla explains. “We learn a little bit more about Roni’s background, too, and her back story and the things that she wanted and desired in her life that she didn’t necessarily get.” And, as Horowitz and Kitsis promised her when they pitched their idea for season seven, there should be a love interest and a happy ending coming as well. “I know that’s something the audience has really been wanting, especially after she lost Daniel and Robin,” Parrilla says. “I think the audience really wants to see Regina in a partnership with someone and that’s something I want for her too.” Once Upon a Time airs Fridays at 8 p.m. on ABC.

This article makes me think if the love interest is happening, it's because Lana wants it, not because the writers want it. Which explains why only Lana seems to be talking it up and it's feeling to us like it will just be tossed into the second half and either very rushed or not developed by the end of the season/series. I'm glad to be getting backstory on Roni though. I'm guessing there is something there about the loss of or lack of a child. She seemed pretty upset when Lucy mentioned Henry being her child. The only thing about that is it doesn't set up anything new going forward because we know sooner or later she and Henry will remember each other.

[GrhmLz]

---> ME in reaction to the confirmation on Zelena & Regina. BUT ... I'll try to suck it up if I see Regina getting story of her own that centers on her and the new love interest is actually being pursued.

Lana is definitely intune with her fanbase and it aligns with some of what she'd like to see for her character too. I am happy she is very forward about that. It wouldn't surprise me if we have a new LI coming because of Lana's influence or input, since I remember we have her to thank for what became of Regina|Henry. The other slight possibility is A&E realize behind the scenes how badly they mucked up with OQ so that is why they were assuring her about a final love interest? Maybe we can rest easy that they won't repeat history with it.

You could be onto something regarding the loss of a child if the curse made her forget she raised a son.

[sherry02]

I'm really expecting there to be something about a child or lack of a child in there. Roni wouldn't even remember taking that infertility potion. Or it could be that she had someone she loved once and she lost that person and it caused her to just give up on the idea of family.

That interview did make it seem like Lana wants a love interest with a happy ending this time for Regina, so I feel hopeful that whatever they are doing in regards to that won't end badly this time. I just wish we would get some clue about it because they are already filming ep 12.

[GrhmLz]

Okay, carrying this idea over from the Zelena|Regina thread. A theory that could be used to course correct the Zelena|baby mess. But keep in mind, I did stress far-fetched and it's not like I believe we would be lucky enough for this to happen but here it goes based off this tweet:

Check out @bexmader’s Tweet:

Check out @bexmader’s Tweet: https://twitter.com/bexmader/status/...335746048?s=09

So, earlier we were discussing a tweet with included script by Bex. Eloise Gardner could be made out in the dialogue and since it appears that name is linked to the missing girl Hook is seeking and most likely his daughter, I am re-thinking it's maybe not Tilly|Alice after all.

I was questioning if they might be tying Zelena into the Eloise Gardner story. If so, how crazy would it be if they retconned s4 with RH and Robyn IS the missing daughter of Hook 2.0? Here it goes. The time line has always been a bit wonky, moving faster or slower, and it's lagged behind in the latter seasons and we know at the end of s3, Zelena escaped through her time portal. She didn't die. What if she ended up wherever Wish!Hook was for a period of time and he fathered Robyn? Zelena did come back through the EF to get back to SB. She posed as Marian but through Ingrid's magic, froze. A hypothetical pregnancy could freeze during that time too and later she passed it off as RH's to stick it to Regina? Later, after making progress with her sister, I could see Zelena hesitant to tell the truth. S6 finale ended with Robyn as a baby so Zelena could have taken off anywhere after that ending with Hook 2.0 learning about his daughter. Again, I realize some plot holes exist with this like Wish Hook supposedly coming into existence at the time of EQ's s6 wish or Hook 2.0 already being aged and then deaged again, but Robyn will suddenly be aged too (Eloise Gardner is her cursed HH name?) and it's not like they are even going out of their way to explain how Rumbelle family went somewhere & aged or why Henry is older than his SB parents. Just throwing this out there. I would give anything at this point for a 'baby daddy retcon' as it pertains to Robyn.

I also know another recent pic shows a younger Hook with Rapunzel which could hint at a connection there instead, her possibly being the baby mama. I still think it's possible Lady Tremaine was Rapunzel when younger, though, and Rapunzel is just the connection to the Witch he's been looking for. And of course, the other possibility is the Witch is connected to both Hook's daughter & Zelena's daughter so Hook & Zelena team up.

What caught my attention, though, is the article said Regina would need Zelena as opposed to Zelena needing Regina, so I'm not so sure the attention will go to a story about Robyn missing. Although, it still could if it is connected to Hook|Rogers. And since Zelena & Robyn are not regular characters, I would assume they would need to be connected to the story for our main characters, somehow or someway.

[sherry02]

I would be thrilled to find out just about anyone other than RH is that girl's father. The description for Robyn said she is trying to escape the shadow of her parents, so it seems like she has been with Zelena her entire life. I think it's unlikely she will turn out to be wish Hook's daughter, but you would certainly not hear any complaints from me if that did happen. I wouldn't care if there were a thousand plot holes involved, I'd still accept it.

It does seem like Zelena and Robyn will tie into the story with the witch (or Eloise, if she is not the witch) somehow.

[GrhmLz]

Well, considering Robyn never even met her father, what shadow is there to escape there? Am I supppsed to buy Zelena praised RH to her and went on and on about what a great man he was like she was actually in a relationship with him? Please!

But, yeah. I would embrace just about ANY Retcon to disconnect RH from paternity, lol.

[sherry02]

I was confused about that as well. I doubt Zelena has told her anything about him, but it's possible Regina has made it a point to make sure Robyn knows who her father was. Wish Robin said he could never live up to that man's legacy, maybe Robyn feels the weight of that legacy in some way too. Of course that would mean at some point there was a conversation explaining why her mother has a child with the man her aunt was in love with.

ETA: Post episode interview. Looks like Regina seeks Zelena's help in dealing with the curse.

'Once Upon a Time': Another original awakens!

Once Upon a Time awoke another original during Friday’s episode. With Roni (Lana Parrilla) on the hunt to uncover the truth behind the photo of Regina Mills and young Henry Mills, Drizella (Adelaide Kane) enlisted the witch (Emma Booth) to wake up Regina. It turns out, Drizella needs her help to keep Henry and Jacinda from breaking the curse through true love’s kiss. How will Regina handle this news? EW turned to Parrilla to get the scoop. ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How does Regina feel upon realizing she’s been under this curse? LANA PARRILLA: She’s in a complete state of shock. Not having any memory of who you truly are, then being woken up and remembering why the curse happened to begin with is all a huge, huge shock to her system. She’s taking it all in, but it’s quite jarring to her. She doesn’t quite understand how to process everything just yet. Drizella wakes her and it’s a progression. Regina forgets that she doesn’t have magic and goes to strangle Drizella, and realizes, “There’s no magic in this world, I don’t have magic.” Drizella toys with her and tries to get her to remember why this curse happened and the consequences of breaking the curse. The consequences of breaking the curse terrify Regina more than anything. This is all very shocking for her. But really her focus is mainly on the consequences and what could possibly happen if this curse is broken. It’s really up to Regina to either not break the curse or figure out a way to break the curse so people aren’t hurt in the process. But if she breaks the curse, horrible, horrible things will happen to the people she loves. Anything you can tease about how Regina/Roni is going to cope with the weight of knowing her true identity and not being able to reveal herself to Henry? That’s the hardest part of it. She wants to reach out and grab her son, hold him and kiss him and she can’t. It’s painful. If I had to connect it to anything in our world, it would be having a family member get diagnosed with Alzheimer’s or dementia. People don’t know who you are anymore. That’s a horrible loss, that’s a huge loss to feel. I went through it with my grandmother. It’s taking every instinct and impulse for Regina to not react and grab her son and try to get him to see the truth and to believe again. She knows she can’t break the curse, she knows she has to keep Henry and Jacinda away from one another. That’s really hard for her, too, because she wants her son to be happy, she wants him to find his happy ending. But knowing that she has to keep these two apart — it’s all really for the greater good. As dire as this all is, Regina is a fighter and she is someone who will never give up. She’s one of the most persistent characters of the show and she can fight to the bitter end, so she’s going to try to fight to the bitter end to try to figure out a different way to break this curse without losing her loved ones. What will keeping them apart entail on Regina’s part in the coming episodes? She ends up putting negative seeds in both of their heads, getting them to look at things like, “Maybe you shouldn’t be rushing into this, maybe you should be taking your time, maybe your focus should be more on” — especially with Jacinda — “Lucy and getting your daughter back.” She’s not super manipulative, but she’s keeping them apart for now until she figures out a better way to approach all this. It’s a process and it takes place over a couple episodes, where she’s not quite sure what to do. And I think she feels a little victimized right now. She’s at the mercy of Drizella and her power, and she feels a bit weak right now, because she doesn’t know what to do. But then little by little, she comes up with another plan, and that plan involves someone who we know, and she’s going to find this person to try and get some help. She’s going to find the one person who can possibly help her break this curse. Once Upon a Time airs Fridays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Stay tuned for more from Lana Parrilla on the return of her on-screen sibling Zelena.

[GrhmLz]

Thanks for the post episode interview.

It is going to be very interesting to see how things play out in HH now with Regina awake. So it looks like Regina will be seeking Zelena out for help. But not to state the obvious, it fails. They GOT cursed. Unless they mean she seeks her out in HH too?

[sherry02]

I was assuming they meant in present day HH Regina finds a way to contact Zelena and asks her to come to HH. Zelena seems to have a cursed name too though, so I might be wrong about that. Maybe she is cursed along with everyone else.

[GrhmLz]

Yeah, not too sure how much help Zelena can be in HH without her memory AND without magic? How is that going to work!

I am still curious what exactly Drizella put into place so Regina would prevent the curse from breaking. Plus, why would it be Henry|Jacinda with TLK? Emma did it with TLK in s1 because she was the savior meant to break it. Are we missing something here? Drizella specifically stated Regina's loved ones would be hurt - but how? If Henry's heart is protected and so is Lucy's, is she referring to others beyond her family? The other cursed people in HH? Drizella seems to have made this personal with Regina.

[sherry02]

Yes Drizella does seem to have targeted Regina personally with this curse. I'm not sure if that is because she was really that angry that Regina wouldn't help her kill her mother or if it is because she sees Regina as the person most likely to be able to break the curse. Lucy did say to Roni that she would be the one to break the curse because she's really Regina. Not sure if that is foreshadowing or not.

Considering the complete devastation Regina seemed to feel last night when she remembered whatever Drizella did, I really think the cost of the curse breaking is either Henry or Lucy's life. Maybe something about the curse is keeping one of them alive? Perhaps Drizella killed one of them and the curse somehow brought them back? I wonder how long we'll have to wait to find out.

I'm a little confused as to why we would assume TLK with Henry and Jacinda would break the curse anyway because it's always been shown that that belief has to first be established. Mary Margaret and David were kissing in season one before the curse was broken, but it took two people who both believed in the curse, Henry and eventually Emma, in order to break it. Also in season 3, the curse couldn't be broken until Henry's memories returned and he believed again. Neither Henry nor Jacinda are showing any signs of believing anything in that book is real.

[GrhmLz]

Originally Posted by sherry02 (View Post) Yes Drizella does seem to have targeted Regina personally with this curse. I'm not sure if that is because she was really that angry that Regina wouldn't help her kill her mother or if it is because she sees Regina as the person most likely to be able to break the curse. Lucy did say to Roni that she would be the one to break the curse because she's really Regina. Not sure if that is foreshadowing or not.

My guess is that it's a little bit of both - she targeted Regina for being angry with her and she also came to view her as a threat to break her new curse. Drizella seemed to connect with Regina right away over their magic and readily embraced the guidance Regina offered, like she was lacking what she craved from her own mother. Didn't Drizella comment if she had a mother like Regina? Perhaps in her mindset, Regina betrayed her like her mother.

I also wondered if Lucy's comment about Regina breaking this curse was foreshadowing for her being the one to do it.

Considering the complete devastation Regina seemed to feel last night when she remembered whatever Drizella did, I really think the cost of the curse breaking is either Henry or Lucy's life. Maybe something about the curse is keeping one of them alive? Perhaps Drizella killed one of them and the curse somehow brought them back? I wonder how long we'll have to wait to find out.

My first guess would be that Ivy targeted Henry BUT Ivy's insinuation at the bar seems to indicate multiple people will be effected by the curse breaking, not just one of them. I assume she is referring to Henry, Lucy, & Jacinda as Regina's loved ones. Unless there is something more we don't know about the EF2 in the time that passed before the curse? Something secretive behind Ivy's veiled threat? Perhaps Regina did meet somebody during the time before this curse was cast and that's how they plan to eventually introduce or connect her new LI as well in part 7b? Did Drizella do something to this person as a failsafe and they reveal it later?

I am only leaning towards Henry or Lucy not being dead before the curse because it has already been pointed out by the new Witch that Lucy's heart is protected just like Henry's. Unless Drizella found another way around it?

I'm a little confused as to why we would assume TLK with Henry and Jacinda would break the curse anyway because it's always been shown that that belief has to first be established. Mary Margaret and David were kissing in season one before the curse was broken, but it took two people who both believed in the curse, Henry and eventually Emma, in order to break it. Also in season 3, the curse couldn't be broken until Henry's memories returned and he believed again. Neither Henry nor Jacinda are showing any signs of believing anything in that book is real.

I am wondering if TLK between them is not what actually breaks the curse but just something Regina has to prevent so Henry or Jacinda don't get hurt? It could be an extra added something Drizella added into the curse to stick it to her stepsister and also a way to keep Regina in line so the curse doesn't get broken by her, IF Lucy's line about Regina breaking it is leading somewhere. Or maybe I am just giving the writers too much credit.

[sherry02]

Originally Posted by GrhmLz (View Post) My guess is that it's a little bit of both - she targeted Regina for being angry with her and she also came to view her as a threat to break her new curse. Drizella seemed to connect with Regina right away over their magic and readily embraced the guidance Regina offered, like she was lacking what she craved from her own mother. Didn't Drizella comment if she had a mother like Regina? Perhaps in her mindset, Regina betrayed her like her mother.

Yes, I think she saw Regina refusing to help her kill her mother as a betrayal. Perhaps she thinks that if someone gives you everything you want, that is love, and doesn't understand the concept of doing something for someone's own good. Regina was trying to save her from herself, but she couldn't see it that way.

Perhaps Regina did meet somebody during the time before this curse was cast and that's how they plan to eventually introduce or connect her new LI as well in part 7b? Did Drizella do something to this person as a failsafe and they reveal it later?

That would be a great surprise, but it would make Regina's new love interest important to the story, so probably not.

I am wondering if TLK between them is not what actually breaks the curse but just something Regina has to prevent so Henry or Jacinda don't get hurt? It could be an extra added something Drizella added into the curse to stick it to her stepsister and also a way to keep Regina in line so the curse doesn't get broken by her, IF Lucy's line about Regina breaking it is leading somewhere. Or maybe I am just giving the writers too much credit.

I'm tired of the overuse of TLK so I'd like it to be something else, but it does seem important that Regina keep Henry and Jacinda away from each other, so they are at least leading us to believe the curse can be broken with TLK even if that is not actually what is going to break it. If the kiss kills whoever breaks it, I could see Regina trying to find another way to break it without TLK and then trying to break it herself.