Once Upon a Time has been steadily gaining an audience as its second season rapidly approaches its finale. While the first season focused on the dichotomy between Storybrooke and the fairytale world, the return of magic in the season finale, as well as the characters’ true memories, was a massive gamechanger whose effects have reverberated throughout the season. The show panel at PaleyFest spoke about what to expect in Season 2, hinting at another promising finale
– The key news was the reveal of the season finale episode titles. Split into two episodes, each one an hour long, the first episode will be titled “Second Star to the Right”, and the second one will be called “Straight on ‘Til Morning”. Fans of the Disney incarnation of Peter Pan will recognise these as directions on how to get to Neverland, and the panel confirmed as much. With Captain Hook already a major presence in the show, it remains to be seen how Peter Pan turns out in the show.
– The audience hasn’t seen the last of August just yet.
– There will be another flashback episode, this time revealing the beginnings of Storybrooke. One of the more fascinating aspects of the first season was an examination of the dynamics in Storybrooke vs. the fairytale world, and an episode looking at the first week of Storybrooke promises to delve into how those dynamics were established following the triggering of the curse.
– Belle will be further developed this season as well; in particular, there will be an examination of her alter-ego, Lacey, and in the words of Emilie de Ravin, “Things are going to get a lot more interesting for Mr. Gold.”
These, and many other details, were discussed at the panel, which can be seen below. The show airs Sundays on ABC, and you can read our reviews here of the episodes to date, as well as upcoming episodes as they air.