Once Upon a Time - ABC

[Outlast]

Presumably the way Merlin 'defeated' the darkness long long ago was to tie it to the heart of the first Dark One - which is a story I would be very interested in. So either Merlin will have to find some one new to corrupt utterly (to save Emma from the darkness) or they'll have to find a new way to defeat the darkness all together. Mayhaps they need a expert on magic? Perhaps one with a newly purified heart...

[Merry Prankster]

Outtie, the Prankster admires your perseverance---all roads lead to Rumple.

MP reviewed the clip of the Sorcerer's final words ("get a life," he knows) and he is troubled by something:  In order to defeat the Darkness, someone must find Merlin, who is far away, for he is the only one who can “destroy” the Darkness.  The use of “destroy” raises a central question:  If Merlin can destroy the darkness now, why couldn’t he destroy the darkness long ago?  Did Merlin somehow gain power over time?  Why did the writers not use “defeat, conquer, tame, control,” etc.?  Was it a mistake or a foreshadowing of events?  What is OUAT without Darkness?

The Prankster agrees with Outtie that the origin story of the first Dark One could be very interesting.  The Prankster has another thought:  If the Prankster is correct on the story, Emma is the most powerful sorceress ever to exist.  If the dark magic progressively taints her white magic thereby making it additive, will Emma become the most powerful Dark One ever to exist, far more powerful than Rumple (who is an ordinary human) and perhaps rivaling Merlin himself?

Idea for a story line for Season 5b that might please Outtie:   During 5a, a romantic triangle develops between Belle, Rumple and Will (Outtie hates it already).  In the end, true love wins out and Belle hands Will his walking papers.  Will vows revenge against Rumple or Rumple/Belle and the thief, conniver, deceiver, finagles his way into becoming the new Sorcerer’s Apprentice (we already know Merlin is not infallible, e.g., Isaac) at the end of 5a.  A 5b storyline would be Will’s efforts to obtain his revenge against Rumple or Rumple/Belle.

Question:  Has the identity of Zelena's father ever been revealed?

[Outlast]

Outtie, the Prankster admires your perseverance---all roads lead to Rumple.

Yes yes they do. But please note I have restrained my use of gifs  somewhat in the last few weeks. You're welcome. No promises that I won't relapse at any moment though.

And you're right I hate that story idea, MP. One of the few good things Belle has said all season was saying she didn't love Will in the finale.

Question:  Has the identity of Zelena's father ever been revealed?

Yes. It was a very disappointing scoundrel with no magical lineage whatsoever (that we were shown anyway) a story which has perplexed fans ever since given Zelena's extraordinarily precocious magical powers from infancy.

[LindaM]

I always thought that the Zelena's father thing was the mystery man in the gazebo but Linda's mind if full of placement testing, graduation and student problems, moving into a temporary location which hasn't been deciding, and Mayitis which happens at all uaniversities.

Merlin would be good but I fear he is not Zelena's father.  While her evilness may come from Cora and her treatment, I think it is a little more pronounced.  We've got to learn a lot more about Zelena before I'm buying it is Merlin.

To me, I always thought that Merlin, like Arthur, would sleep until Britain needed him again in their greatest time of need.  I've actually read a history of WW II where people thought Churchhill was Merlin.

How about Aslan?  Aslan is good and defeated evil with the stone table.  What if Emma, like Aslan, must sacrifice her life to destroy all the evil.  But the world cannot exist without ugliness in it.  Maybe it is placed in another Pandora's Box?

[Outlast]

Basically Cora met 'Prince' Jonathan in her tavern. He gave her a straw ring and she took him to her room. Fast forward a few weeks and she's pregnant and looking for her 'prince'. she finds him (in a gazebo) and he was actually a gardener who then blackmailed her into stealing from Prince Leopold (who later married Eva and fathered Snow).

I suppose they could retcon Merlin in as 'prince' Jonathan (Zelena's father).

Someone find out who played him and if that actor shows up in the cast lists for season five then we'll know there is more to Jonathan and Cora's story. Of course that would pretty much make Merlin a villain... maybe Jonathan could be Arthur? Arthur has quite the history of producing children in bad situations (hello Mordred).

I can't see them bringing in Aslan and I kind of hope they won't because they'd probably ruin C.S. Lewis' vision.

[Merry Prankster]

I suppose they could retcon Merlin in as 'prince' Jonathan (Zelena's father).

The Prankster likes the idea.  In some of the literature Merlin is a shape-shifter.  The Prankster suspects Lily will play a significant role in 5a, possibly tying into the Merlin quest.  Her Daddy was in dragon form when she was conceived---whom might he be?  Hmmmm........

The Prankster also hopes for the return of Cora in the back story.  She is so deliciously evil---Regina, on her most evil day, is a piker compared to Cora.

[LindaM]

And according to IMBD -- Jonathan was played by New Zealand actor: 
   
David de Lautour

For me, I always convinced myself that Aslan would be the last season when he invites Emma, Henry, Regina, Rumple and others to come further in and they find out why they crossed the waves of time like they did.  Narnia's last book, The Last Battle, explains what happens after death.  When the children who were kings and queens of Narnia (except for Susan) die in a train crash, they are jolted back to Narnia as their king and queen persona.  There they find that the believers see on a higher plane than the nonbelievers of Aslan.  As Aslan moves them away from the apocalypse destroying Narnia, they go into a new Narnia and Lucy eventually announces that there are many worlds connected here.  When Lucy sees her parents, she finds that they died at the train wreck too.  All are reunited as all worlds come together and Aslan tells all he is known by many names in other worlds.  Well, that's how I'd play it anyway.

The good news is filming starts in July (if not already) and leaks should give a hint soon of where it's going.

[Outlast]

Link to adorable fan art I just found...

http://retrogrlfan.tumblr.com/tagged/pocketrumple
Pocket Rumple - so odd and yet so cute