The cast and creators of ABC’s Once Upon A Time came together March 3 to discuss the inner workings of the show at PaleyFest 2013 — but the panel quickly shifted into a spoiler-fest! Read on to find out what we can expect from Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) embracing her dark side, Charming (Josh Dallas) exploring a new path, and the impending arrival of a certain boy who never grows up.

Neverland Is Coming, But Peter Pan May Have To Wait

The writers have been dropping hints about Neverland in recent weeks — after the March 3 episode, I theorized that Neal (Michael Raymond-James) could actually be Peter Pan, himself — and it sounds like those “hints” are about to take shape.

Creator Edward Kitsis revealed that a new land will be introduced this season, and although we’ll hear a lot about an important character from that land, but we won’t actually meet him/her — in the form of that character, at least — until the show’s third season.

Given that the final two episodes of season two are titled “Second Star To The Right” and “And Straight On ‘Til Morning,” I’m thinking the land in question is Neverland. (And that the character is none other than Peter Pan.)

Snow White Embracing The Dark Side

When Snow vowed to kill Cora on the March 3 episode, many fans — myself included — suspected we might see her embrace the dark side to exact revenge. Lo and behold, Ginnifer confirmed our fears at PaleyFest, promising that fans can expect a major shift in her Storybrooke persona.

“What she is going through is going to shake her self-identity, her self-definition,” Ginnifer revealed. “If she’s not the Snow White she can read about it in story books, then she doesn’t know who she is. That opens a lot up for her. She can get in touch with a more evolved way of protecting herself and her family.”

And it sounds like Lana Parrilla is just as excited about ‘Dark Snow’ as we are: “We’re definitely going to see a different side to Mary Margaret,” she said. “I think we’ve earned it.”

More Trouble For Snow & Charming?

Remember when Ginnifer told HollywoodLife.com that wanting “different things” could cause trouble in Charming and Snow’s relationship? It sounds like that trouble is about to arrive.

“As much as David likes electricity, he misses his sword and his castle and his horse,” revealed Edward. “He wants to rebuild his land. That is something a lot of people will get on board for.”

The question: Will Snow be one of those people?

HollywoodLifers, what do you make of these spoilers? Do you think Neal could be Peter Pan? And how excited are you to see an edgier Snow? Drop a comment with your thoughts and predictions!

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— Andy Swift

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More Once Upon A Time on HollywoodLife.com:

1. ‘Once Upon A Time’ Recap: Snow Suffers Another Tragic Loss
2. ‘Once Upon A Time’ Recap: Mr. Gold Finally Finds His Son
3. ‘Once Upon A Time’: Baelfire Revealed & More Scoop From Sunday’s Episode

Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Prince Charming (Josh Dallas) finally ‘found each other’ again on the Nov. 25 episode of Once Upon A Time, even if it wasn’t under the best circumstances. Unwilling to let Henry (Jared Gilmore) suffer from the flames anymore, Charming allowed Mr. Gold (Robert Carlyle) and Regina (Lana Parrilla) to put a sleeping curse on him — because curses are apparently the cause and solution to every problem on this show.

But here’s the snag: Shortly after ‘reuniting’ in the fiery in-between world, Snow and Charming realized they couldn’t actually touch each other, which made the possibility of a kiss — well, pretty impossible. So Charming will remain cursed, while Snow and her questionable little-boy haircut must return to square one. Again.

Shortly before all of this dream nonsense went down, Cora (Barbara Hershey) revived everyone she had ‘killed’ at the base camp to attack the girls and kidnap Aurora (Sarah Bolger), who was an easy target — you know, due to her complete and utter uselessness in battle/life. And although Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) snuck into Cora’s dungeon and set Aurora free, he had a nasty little plan up his sleeve. His other sleeve. The one without the hook.

What the audience didn’t see — presumably while we were all entranced by Hook’s unparalleled beauty — was that Hook stole Aurora’s heart, which Cora used to put a few choice words into the narcoleptic princess’s mouth. Now Snow, Emma (Jennifer Morrison) and Mulan (Jamie Chung) think Hook is one of the good guys. (See ya, compass!)

A few observations (but mostly judgments):

– When Hook told Cora he had a special surprise for her just below his belt, did anyone else get the uh-oh feeling?

– Am I the only one who got visibly giddy when Cora told Aurora there’s a chance she can see Prince Phillip (Julian Morris) again? 

– And don’t pretend like you didn’t get excited when Rumpelstiltskin said the m-word: mermaid! (Don’t forget, Ariel will be on the show at some point.)

– How should we be referring to these characters now that they’re self-aware? Josh’s character was referred to as Charming and David this week, and it confused me.

What’s your take on this week’s episode? Do you think Hook really is as bad as he seems? And are you secretly rooting for Cora, like I am? Drop me a comment with your thoughts and theories!

— Andy Swift

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More Once Upon A Time on HollywoodLife.com:

1. ‘Once Upon A Time’: Are Sparks Flying Between Charming & Ruby?
2. ‘Once Upon A Time’ Recap: Ruby Loses Control & Someone Dies
3. ‘Once Upon A Time’ Recap: Henry’s Father Is Revealed & [Spoiler] Returns

Once Upon A Time viewers were given a rare look at Charming (Josh Dallas) and Ruby’s (Meghan Ory) friendship on the show’s Nov. 11 episode, as he saved her from an angry mob of wolf hunters, but I have to ask: Could there be something more than friendship between them? This was the first time we’ve really seen Josh and Meghan work together, and while I’m not sure if their chemistry was scripted, it was absolutely undeniable.

If there’s one thing I learned from Emma (Jennifer Morrison) and Graham’s tragically short-lived romance, it’s that Storybrooke residents who work together usually end up playing together, too. And I know Ruby and Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) are attached at the hip, but would this really be the first time you’ve heard of a girl stealing her best friend’s boyfriend? Once loves putting this kind of twisted spin on classic fairy tales!

From an entertainment perspective, Charming and Snow could use a little more non-geographical drama in their relationship. Can you imagine her finally returning from the Enchanted Forest, only to discover that her “prince” has fallen for her best friend? That’s good television!

Not to mention, Ruby pretty much exists to ruin relationships. Quinn? Dead. Billy? Dead. Peter? Dead. This she-wolf needs a collar just so she can hang a “Warning: Damaged Goods” sign around her neck.

And it’s not like Charming and Snow haven’t both cheated before! He married Kathryn and she slept with Dr. Whale, and even though they were “cursed” at the time, the affairs still happened.

Do you think there’s something more than friendship between Charming and Ruby, or are Josh and Meghan just really magnetic actors? Drop me a comment with your thoughts and theories!

— Andy Swift

Follow @AndySwift

More Once Upon A Time on HollywoodLife.com:

1. ‘Once Upon A Time’ Recap: Ruby Loses Control & Someone Dies
2. ‘Once Upon A Time’ Recap: Henry’s Father Is Revealed & [Spoiler] Returns
3. ‘Once Upon A Time’: Jorge Garcia’s Giant Spells Big Trouble For Emma

When poor Billy’s corpse was found in a dumpster on the Nov. 11 episode of Once Upon A Time — side note: Billy was Cinderella’s fat mouse BFF Gus in the Enchanted Forest — everyone pointed fingers at the town’s wolf-in-waitress’s clothing, Ruby (Meghan Ory). But because Charming (Josh Dallas) is as brilliant as he is beautiful, he deduced that Ruby had been framed for a murder she didn’t commit!

Long story short, Albert (Alan Dale) was responsible for setting up Ruby, as part of his grand-master plan to usurp control of Storybrooke. And after an angry mob, equipped with pitchforks and torches — but sadly not singing “Kill the Beast” à la Beauty and the Beast — went hunting for the wayward wolf, the truth was finally exposed.

I enjoyed watching Charming and Ruby working together this week, but am I the only who got a serious uh-oh feeling about their relationship? They have a surprising amount of chemistry as a pair, and considering there could be a lot more about their history we still don’t know, I’m thinking this could be a big problem.

Albert got the last laugh, however, as he burned Jefferson’s (Sebastian Stan) hat, which Charming was planning on using to unite the two worlds.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town, Henry’s (Jared Gilmore) fiery dreams were beginning to take a physical toll on him, so Regina (Lana Parrilla) asked Mr. Gold (Robert Carlyle) to conjure up a solution. He gave Henry a necklace that would take care of the flames — but we’ll get to that later on.

Cheaper By The Pack:

While Ruby may not have committed murder in Storybrooke, she did quite a bit of killing during a flashback to the Enchanted Forest. This week’s trip down enchanted memory lane gave a little more of her back story, specifically how she learned to embrace her wolf-y ways.

A chance encounter with a handsome devil named Quinn — and aren’t they all handsome devils on this show? — led her to meet an entire pack of wolves, including her mother, Anita (Annabeth Gish)! Ruby’s new pack taught her to love herself for the wolf she is, but all hell broke loose when Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) found her way to the pack. She was followed by King George’s soldiers, who made quick work of poor, handsome Quinn.

Furious over the intrusion, Anita demanded that her daughter kill Snow, but she couldn’t do it, and Anita ended up losing her own life as a consequence.

Nightmare-ing Beauty:

Meanwhile in present-day Enchanted Forest, Aurora (Sarah Bolger) had another fiery dream of her own, only this time, she actually communicated with Henry. Using the pendant he received from Mr. Gold, Henry extinguished the flames and introduced himself to Aurora — a fact that came as quite a shock to Emma (Jennifer Morrison) and Snow.

Am I the only one who was surprised that they were surprised? For people who have dealt with ogres, giants and evil witches over the course of three weeks, they’re unusually close minded.

What’s your take on this week’s episode? Did you squee when Billy revealed he’s really Gus? Do you share my uh-oh feeling about Charming and Ruby? Drop me a comment with your thoughts!

— Andy Swift

Follow @AndySwift

More Once Upon A Time on HollywoodLife.com:

1. ‘Once Upon A Time’ Recap: Henry’s Father Is Revealed & [Spoiler] Returns
2. ‘Once Upon A Time’: Jorge Garcia’s Giant Spells Big Trouble For Emma
3. ‘Once Upon A Time’ Scoop: Are Emma & Captain Hook Getting Together?

Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Prince Charming (Josh Dallas) may be separated by two worlds on Once Upon A Time right now, but in a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, Ginnifer reveals the lines of communication between the star-crossed lovers are about to open up! ”That’s going to change everything,” she says. And that’s not all!

The cast and crew also revealed five more game-changing spoilers, so read on for a look into the future of Once Upon A Time:

2. Prince Charming vs. Dr. Whale: Remember when Charming got over Snow’s one-night stand with Dr. Whale (David Anders)? Trick question; he hasn’t gotten over it — yet. “Charming eventually settles that score,” Josh reveals. Additionally, the show’s Oct. 28 episode, appropriately titled “The Doctor,” will reveal Whale’s fairy tale identity.

3. Belle’s identity crisis: There’s a good chance that dating Rumpelstiltskin (Robert Carlyle) is going to take its toll on sweet, innocent Belle (Emilie de Ravin). ”Whoever you’re with rubs off on you,” Emilie explains. “It’s going to be a struggle for Belle to keep herself who she is.”

4. Daddy issues: By the time season two is over, the show’s executive producers promise we will know the identity of Henry’s (Jared Gilmore) father.

5. The Queen of Hearts, unmasked: We’ll also find out the identity of Wonderland’s rotten royal, who we first met at the end of season one. Many fans, myself included, think there’s a very good chance it’s Cora (Barbara Hershey). It doesn’t totally gel with the show’s timeline, but then again, aren’t we operating on three timelines anyway?

6. New in town: We’ve seen what happens when fairy-tale characters try to leave Storybrooke, but what happens when an out-of-towner (possibly accidentally) stumbles into Storybrooke? We’ll soon have our answer!

OK, now I want to hear your theories: Who is Henry’s dad? What is Dr. Whale’s fairy-tale persona? And who’s REALLY the Queen of Hearts? Drop me a comment with your best guesses! 

— Andy Swift

Follow @AndySwift

More Once Upon A Time:

1. ‘Once Upon A Time’ Recap: Emma Sabotages Her Return To Storybrooke
2. ‘Once Upon A Time’ Recap: Regina’s Powers Return — Can She Be Trusted?
3. ‘Once Upon A Time’ Pics: Cora’s Back — And Who’s Leaving Storybrooke?

Now that the curse is broken, it looks like everybody wants to see what life is like outside of Storybrooke! New pictures from the Oct. 7 episode of Once Upon A Time, curiously titled “We Are Both,” find the seven dwarves — among others — attempting the great escape. So why is Charming (Josh Dallas) keeping them at bay?

Meanwhile, in the fairy tale world, it looks like we get another look at what life was like for Regina (Lana Parrilla) growing up with her monstrous mother Cora (Barbara Hershey). Let’s hope Cora keeps her hands to herself this time around — we all remember how well that worked out for Daniel!

What do you think of the new pics, Once fans? Are you glad Cora is back? And why is Charming stopping people from leaving Storybrooke? Drop me a comment with your finest theories!

— Andy Swift

Follow @AndySwift

More Once Upon A Time:

1. ‘Once Upon A Time’ First Video: Colin O’Donoghue As Captain Hook
2. ‘Once Upon A Time’ Season Premiere: Emma & Snow Leave Storybrooke
3. ‘Once Upon A Time’: 5 Mini Spoilers From The Second Season Premiere

Once Upon A Time returns Sept. 30 on ABC, and it looks like it’s bringing a whole lotta drama with it! While Charming (Josh Dallas) and Henry (Jared Gilmore) manage to squeeze in some grandfather-grandson bonding, everyone else in Storybrooke is looking to pick a fight — and as always, Regina (Lana Parrilla) is at the center of the madness.

Speaking of Regina, has she promoted Dr. Whale (David Anders) to the position of right-hand stooge? I’m not complaining — John Gilbert looks damn fine in a suit — but I am a little worried about him. We all remember what happened to Graham!

Browse the gallery of season premiere pics, then drop me a comment with your take on the 23 spoiler-y shots!

— Andy Swift

Follow @AndySwift

More Once Upon A Time season 2 scoop:

1. ‘Once Upon A Time’ Season 2 Promo: Regina’s Reign Of Terror Continues
2. ‘Once Upon A Time’ Season 2 Video: Captain Hook Arrives In Storybrooke
3. ‘Once Upon A Time’ Casts Sleeping Beauty & Mulan For Season 2

Henry (Jared Gilmore) being rushed to the hospital on the May 13 season finale of Once Upon A Time was just the thing Emma (Jennifer Morrison) needed to finally believe his story! But because Regina (Lana Parrilla) baked the last of her magic into the apple turnover meant to put Emma to sleep, there was only one person in town she and Emma could turn to: Mr. Gold (Robert Carlyle).

Fortunately for everyone in Storybrooke, Mr. Gold was smart enough to save the only thing strong enough to break any curse: true love. Rumplestiltskin had bottled the love potion using strands of hair from Snow White’s (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Prince Charming (Josh Dallas), and stored it inside a beast only Emma could kill with her father’s sword. Unsurprisingly, Maleficient (Kristin Bauer Van Straten) was the beast that held the potion, and Emma battled the dragon to its death, securing the true love potion.

(The people of Storybrooke, and even those of the fairytale world, should seriously never underestimate The Savior when she’s wearing her red jacket!)

Jefferson (Sebastian Stan) released Belle (Emilie de Ravin) from the basement of the hospital where she’d been held by Regina, ordering her to find Mr. Gold and tell him Regina locked her up. Meanwhile, in the fairytale world, Charming awakened Snow with true love’s kiss, and they planned to take back the kingdom together.

Emma returned to the elevator that lowered her into the dragon’s layer, but instead of Regina waiting for her at the top, it was Mr. Gold! He urged Emma to toss him the potion because Henry didn’t have much time, which she did, but then she found Regina tied to a chair with tape over her mouth! Mr. Gold had — surprise, surprise — manipulated everything to have the potion for himself!

That’s when Henry flatlined at the hospital, and my heart — along with Emma’s, Regina’s and Mary Margaret’s — broke into a thousand pieces. But after all the tears, Emma woke Henry up and broke the curse with a kiss. (True love’s kiss! Duh!)

Snow and Charming were finally reunited, and along with every other citizen of Storybrooke, Belle remembered Rumplestiltskin. She followed Mr. Gold into the forest, where he dropped the potion into the well “said to return what has been lost,” and that triggered a rush of purple wind into the town of Storybrooke. Even though the curse is broken, magic — along with power — will be coming back.

Once Upon A Time will return for its second season in the fall, and I cannot wait to see how magic will turn everything around!

Will Regina gain back her power? Will the residents of Storybrooke fight back against the Evil Queen? Will Rumplestiltskin make Regina pay for what she’s done? Drop your best theories in the comments section below!

— Jaymie Bailey