Owen and Tamara’s plan to destroy Storybrooke was finally exposed on the May 5 episode of Once Upon A Time, but that revelation came with a potentially deadly price for one of the town’s most beloved residents.

Is Neal Dead?

When Neal (Michael Raymond-James) discovered the truth about his fiancée, it seemed like the jig was up — until the little vixen whipped out a magic bean and opened up a portal to God-knows-where. As Neal held on tight to Emma (Jennifer Morrison), the two finally exchanged a pair of long-awaited “I love you”s; but for once, true love wasn’t enough to save the day. Could Neal really be the major death teased by Once‘s executive producers earlier this week?

Personally, I’d be shocked if Neal is actually dead. Not only has the guy been sucked through similar portals before, but there’s so much left to explore between him and Emma — not to mention Mr. Gold (Robert Carlyle) and Henry (Jared Gilmore).

Have faith, Neal fans. Have faith.

Storybrooke Faces Its Final Days

Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Charming (Josh Dallas) managed to save Regina (Lana Parrilla) from Owen, but the Evil Queen didn’t exactly have great news upon waking from her ordeal. Owen and Tamara now have Regina’s “trigger” in their possession, and as instructed, they’re about to set the complete destruction of Storybrooke into motion!

I think Once‘s creative team has done a much better job building suspense for this season finale than last season. I genuinely don’t know what the future holds for Storybrooke, nor its inhabitants, and I’ve got a feeling next week’s finale is going to be a major game-changer.

Baelfire’s Connection To Captain Hook

This week’s fairy-tale flashback gave us our first peek at Peter Pan — or, at least, his shadow — as a young, homeless Baelfire was taken in by the Darling family. Upon his arrival, the Darlings’ daughter Wendy also began receiving visits from a mysterious shadow boy, but he was a lot less cuddly than Disney has led us to believe for decades.

No, this “shadow” snatched up poor Baelfire and whisked him off to Neverland against his will. And where exactly did poor Bae end up? Aboard the Jolly Roger, aka the infamous pirate vessel owned by one Captain Hook (Colin O’Donoghue)!

With present-day Neal now M.I.A. and Tamara’s finger literally on the trigger to destroy Storybrooke, the stage has been set for next week’s epic season finale. How do YOU think the season will end, HollywoodLifers? Drop your theories in a comment below!

— Andy Swift
Follow @AndySwift

More ‘Once Upon A Time’:

1. ‘Once Upon A Time’: A Major Death & More Scoop From The Final Episodes
2. ‘Once Upon A Time’: A New Enemy Threatens All Magic In Storybrooke
3. ‘Once Upon A Time’ Recap: Is The Gang Leaving Storybrooke Forever?

Emma (Jennifer Morrison) may have finally obtained the golden compass on the Nov 4. episode of Once Upon A Time, but the viewers got an even better treasure of their own: the identity of Henry’s (Jared Gilmore) father!

Through a series of flashbacks — wait, this show has flashbacks now?! — we watched Emma fall in love with Neil Cassidy (Michael Raymond-James) 11 years ago. Like most couples, they met while stealing the same car, and the rest was grand-theft history. But the real twist came when Emma and Neil planned to run away to Tallahassee together, and Neil was stopped by a very familiar face: August (Eion Bailey)!

After showing Neil the contents of his suitcase — what the $%^& was in that suitcase?! — Neil believed August’s story about Emma’s destiny, and arranged to have her caught by the cops. So Emma got two equally precious gifts from Neil in jail: a keychain, and a positive pregnancy test!

(I guess now we know why Henry is so messed up in the head; he was incubated in prison.)

Up the stalk without a hook:

Emma’s history of betrayal with Neil left her with some understandable trust issues, which manifested themselves during her adventure up the beanstalk with Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) in present-day Enchanted Forest. After besting the giant (Jorge Garcia) and getting her hands on the compass, Emma chained Hook up and left him in the castle.

My prediction: Hook and Emma will reunite and fall in love — just in time for Neil to arrive in Storybrooke and force Emma to make a choice. (Seriously, this is one of the only shows on TV without a love triangle. It’s about damn time.)

They dreamed a dream:

It looks like Charming (Josh Dallas) may be on the cusp of finding a way to communicate with Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) and her merry band of princesses!

At the end of the episode, Henry woke up from a nightmare in which a windowless room was on fire, and a strange woman was staring at him from across the room. It was a total mirror of the dream Aurora (Sarah Bolger) had earlier in the episode, though in her dream, it was a pair of male eyes staring back at her.

That’s right, the only two character I dislike on this show are now dreaming about each other.

Were you surprised to learn that Neil is Henry’s father? Do you think Henry’s dream is a way of connecting the two worlds? And what do you think was in August’s suitcase? Drop me a comment with your predictions and theories!

— Andy Swift

Follow @AndySwift

More Once Upon A Time on HollywoodLife.com:

1. ‘Once Upon A Time’: Jorge Garcia’s Giant Spells Big Trouble For Emma
2. ‘Once Upon A Time’ Scoop: Are Emma & Captain Hook Getting Together?
3. ‘Once Upon A Time’ Recap: Dr. Whale’s Identity Is Finally Revealed

The masterminds behind Once Upon A Time promised we’d learn the identity of Henry’s (Jared Gilmore) father this season — and it looks like they might already be making good on that promise! A new batch of pics from the Nov. 4 episode, titled “Tallahassee,” reveals a flashback to Emma’s (Jennifer Morrison) life before Storybrooke, in which she’s spotted with a very familiar face.

Michael Raymond-James, who we first saw receiving the “broken” note on the season premiere, is riding shotgun with Emma in the new photos, leading many fans to speculate that he was once Emma’s lover — and potentially Henry’s biological father.

Spoilers also reveal that an out-of-towner will enter Storybrooke very soon, and given these new pictures, I’m thinking Michael’s character is certainly a contendor.

— Andy Swift

Follow @AndySwift

More Once Upon A Time:

1. ‘Once Upon A Time’: Ariel, Tarzan & More Are Coming To Storybrooke
2. ‘Once Upon A Time’ Recap: Hook Sets Sail & Rumpelstiltskin Kills Again
3. ‘Once Upon A Time’ Season 2: Six Big Spoilers That Will ‘Change Everything’