Once Upon a Time in Hollywood Review Alternate History Unsettling

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[This story contains spoilers from Once Upon a Fourth dimension's series finale, "Leaving Storybrooke."]

One time Upon a Time'due south story book has closed for practiced.

The ABC drama aired the second half of its ii-office seventh season (and series) finale Friday, giving the bear witness's fairy-tale characters — Evil Queen Regina (Lana Parrilla), Rumplestiltskin (Robert Carlyle), Captain Hook (Colin O'Donoghue) and the remainder of the familiar figures — a happy catastrophe at final.

"The goal was to send the fans abode happy," co-creator Edward Kitsis tells The Hollywood Reporter of the series ender. "It was one last adventure, so nosotros wanted to exercise something that would delight Oncers everywhere."

The final hour featured Regina; her son, Henry (Andrew J. Due west); her sister, Zelena (Rebecca Mader); Alice (Rose Reynolds); Robin (Tiera Skovbye); Cinderella (Dania Ramirez); Snowfall White (Ginnifer Goodwin); Prince Mannerly (Josh Dallas); Rumplestiltskin and more banding together to defeat evil — in the course of alternate versions of Rumple (Carlyle) and Henry (Jared Gilmore as his original, younger version of the character) — once and for all. For her hard work, Regina was named the Skilful Queen, leader of the united storybook realms. Her family and friends were all there for her ceremony — even a late Emma (Jennifer Morrison), Hook and their new baby.

Kitsis and co-creator Adam Horowitz spoke with The Hollywood Reporter nearly their favorite finale moments, the non-negotiable story points they wanted in the episode, whether they ever considered putting other Disney backdrop (ahem, Star Wars!) in the mix, and what they have planned adjacent.

What were the things you knew you had to include in the finale?

Horowitz: There were a number of things, and I think you saw it in the conclusions to the stories of then many of the characters. We wanted to requite the Evil Queen her happy ending. We wanted to see that Emma and Hook had gone on to be happy. We wanted to have Rumple and Belle reunited. We wanted to accept all these journeys notice a measure out of happiness and put the stories in a identify for the audition, in their minds, to experience like they're going on and that the hazard continues.

What were some of your favorite callbacks that you wanted to include in the finale?

Kitsis: We definitely wanted to have Emma come in and say, "Pitiful I'one thousand late." We definitely wanted to finally go the reply to who Lily's male parent was — and in a way that surprised everyone, because they had long given up hope. And nosotros definitely knew that we wanted Snow and Charming to appear every bit knights.

Talk near seeing Lana as Regina onscreen with the two versions of her son — younger (Jared Gilmore) and older (Andrew J. Due west).

Kitsis: It was absolutely surreal and it's really crazy. What's great is one, seeing Jared grown upward now, and how strong he was. I think this is Jared's all-time performance always, he has become such a smashing actor and a young adult. And two, Andrew West is amazing because he looked at and studied Jared, and took him into an adult. One of the things that I love virtually Andy'due south performance is, if you lot noticed, Josh Dallas does a twirl every fourth dimension he holds the sword. If you remember, there was a season where Josh taught little Henry how to sword fight. So, if y'all watch Andrew West with a sword, he does Josh'due south move considering he was taught that. Those are the little things that are done in the show that nearly people don't recognize.

Is there anyone yous tried to go but just couldn't manage to schedule for a final cameo?

Kitsis: No. Our dream was to go anybody back, like anybody that nosotros've always seen on the prove, but that was both price-prohibitive and schedulewise [prohibitive]. Everyone we went to said yep, which was great.

Are you lot up for reviving Once at any point in the future?

Kitsis: I would say we are up for someone else doing it and we wait forwards to seeing what that would be.

Horowitz: We feel like we told our story that has been very near and love to our hearts for a very long time. This was an thought we had more than than 15 years ago and we feel very happy with what we did and how nosotros did information technology and, should the prove keep on in some form downwards the line, I think we'd be big fans.

Do you programme to continue doing broadcast?

Kitsis: I don't think we've said "no circulate." I call back that the show that we practice next, whatever we do adjacent, has to be something that nosotros beloved and feel very passionate nearly and so where that is and what dwelling that is, is actually going to be generated by the material unless what kind of show information technology is.

Horowitz: One of the things we love about Once Upon a Fourth dimension is that it, to united states of america, really showed that broadcast can agree all sorts of shows. In this evolving amusement mural, there are so many places for things to exist. So information technology really depends on what we detect ourselves doing and where the appropriate identify would be.

One unique aspect of In one case and working at a company like Disney is that you were able to generally pull whatever IP y'all wanted for unlike storylines. What was that like for y'all to play with?

Kitsis: Disney has been a fantastic partner right from the beginning. They really gave us the keys to the kingdom and Adam and I simply ran with it.

What was your virtually insane encounter when it came to using characters or other Disney-owned IP?

Horowitz: I think that so much of the fun was being able to match upwards all these different characters.

Kitsis: Dr. Frankenstein going on a appointment with Snow White was ever fun. For us information technology was fun to do the Frozen affair, and getting to meet with people from that correct after the movie was fun. Really, honestly, it was insane the whole manner through. To exist on a prepare and watch Prince Charming wake up Snow White surrounded by dwarves but have information technology be in a wood two hours outside of Vancouver or just writing Grumpy, or Mad Hatter or Alice and you lot experience that history and the power of these characters. You just felt very grateful that we were able to write them because everyone grew up hearing these as their kickoff stories and to be able to take them and make them your own was really a humbling feel.

Was at that place annihilation from the Disney family you didn't get to practise that you wanted to?

Horowitz: I experience like we did what we wanted to practise. If we had continued on I imagine nosotros would've establish other things but we really feel expert nigh what we were able to become to and how it all fit into this universe of characters we created.

What near Star Wars?

Kitsis: We never felt like that had a place. I think that putting Chewbacca with Henry going to the library to ask Belle nearly a spell just felt wrong. I remember information technology was universe specific. When we did Jekyll and Hyde and Frankenstein that was kind of pushing the boundaries. We did weird references that no i got. Like, we had a Franz Kafka reference and we didOne Flew Over the Cuckoo'southward Nest references. Merely … Marvel and Star Wars were their own universe, and we only felt that their universe is so slap-up because you get to be emerged in them and then we never really wanted to reach out to those fifty-fifty though Star Wars, we always say, is our favorite fairy tale.

Well, speaking of Star Wars, there are live-action TV shows in the works. Would you want to take that on?

Kitsis: I would love to. I cannot wait to see the Jon Favreau show considering we are huge fans of his and we only know information technology's going to be awesome. Star Wars actually brings out the fan in u.s.a.. Plain, every writer would love to write a Star Wars but and then there is likewise a function of you that's a fan and just wants to be pure about it too.

Horowitz: I recall it's in actually good hands right at present with Favreau and all the folks at Lucasfilm. We would exist excited to encounter what they melt up but nosotros just couldn't be bigger fans.

What was your personal favorite moment in the finale?

Kitsis: It's hard to say, but when Rumple or Gilt looks at Captain Hook in the snow earth and he says the answer to why he hasn't killed him all these years is, "Because y'all're my oldest friend." That one always got me.

Horowitz: For me, information technology's when Snow and Charming reveal themselves. That moment we must've watched a hundred times in the editing room and every time I just wanted to cheer.

What did y'all recollect of the Once serial finale? Share your thoughts in the comments section, beneath.

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Source: https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/once-a-time-series-finale-explained-adam-horowitz-edward-kitsis-interview-1113233/