Once Upon a Time Season 5: My Hopes for Dark Swan, Rumbelle and Others 

With the clang of the Dark One’s dagger — now emblazoned with Emma Swan’s name — on Storybrooke’s Main Street, ABC’s

pointed itself down a very new and dangerous path.

Once Upon a Time @ Comic-Con: Dark Swan’s Fate, a

The Darkness that has consumed assorted individuals over the course of centuries has fled Rumplestiltskin and — at Emma’s own, brave, selfless doing — found a new host in the onetime Savior. The twist promises wildly different storylines for not just Emma (dubbed “Dark Swan” in promotional materials) and Rumple, but also for those who love them, and until now have known them in a precise way.

The mission to save Emma will apparently take viewers to King Arthur’s Camelot, where Merlin (AKA the Sorcerer AKA the one who can rid the realms of the Darkness once and for all) resides. But beyond that, little is thus far known about the fantastical drama’s plans for Storybrooke’s heroes. So until I tackle my bi-annual deep dive with series creators Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis, here are some of my hopes and wishes for the half-season to come.

Take a peek inside my (sometimes-scary) brain below, then weigh in with your own hopes for Season 5 (premiering Sunday, Sept. 27).

I really hope theybcontinue to keep the level they established towards the end of S04. Since S02A the show has been a bit shaky, but they turned the ship in S04B and they need to continue in tgat direction.

I don’t think Rumple will get too dark this season, but it’ll be interesting see him fight for his goals without any magic.

Also I really hope the Charmings will get a bit more individual stories this season, I mean David pretty much isn’t doing anything besides hanging on Snow’s skirt.

I agree with you Matt that i hope that Charming and Snow play a big role here, this is their baby girl on the line.

I also as always we know Hook will step up and fight for Emma anytime, and anywhere. See the best in her, and never give up on her.

I do think the temptation will be there to go in the darkness for Hook seeing as its the woman he loves is there but importantly he knows above all else Emma wants to be saved from this darkness. Which overall in the end i see Emma doing that herself with the help of others esp her parents (I am kinda leaning towards Snow here the most) and Hook.

I wonder how long it’ll be before Morgana shows up. Teach Emma a few things

Nice article Matt! I just really hope that Rumple and Belle will still be active in the show even though he’s in a coma-like state and that Belle would have her own storyline that doesn’t revolve around babysitting Neal. I also don’t want to wait 10 episodes for Rumple to wake up -.-

I hope that make S5 as fascinating as S1 & 2: create a compelling story that will truly reflect uninhibited “Dark Swan” without their cheesy “love story” that characterised their S3 & 4 that the show was almost crippled. ALIENATING charmings & Henry for their soap opera like story.

I agree with your points about the Charmings and the supporting players. I’m not worried about Regina because the way she’s been the last two seasons works well for me and had a nice feel of a character growing compared to the show’s beginning.

Rumple… I definitely think he will go back to being dark because the way his heart was wiped clean in the finale was too much of an largely unearned quick fix and that would be a disservice to his character. I don’t know what their plans are for Hook. I personally find him very boring since he fixed his villainous side to make him a love interest for Emma. So yeah. Maybe it could help if he were at least tempted.

I want to see more of Belle too and I hope we’re also getting some more Robin Hood backstory this season. I’m so curious if they’re planning to bring in Richard the Lionheart!

Disagree. They did not fix his villianious side because if you see he wasnt exactly comfortable with being a villain (he embrace that part to just get his revenge) hence we see his self loathing at times. And because he wasn’t a evil villain or on the scale like the others. And he was always meant to be Emma’s romantic partner and part of her story. And his backstory with his brother, pirate killian, and with Ursula and so on suggested there was always that hero underneath that was walled up due to loss of love and taking on vengeance.

You know what would be kinda awesome? If people who are not stanning for him could comment on articles and give their opinion without “Hookers” pushing their idealized ideas about him on them. I’m sorry if this sounds harsh, but it’s extremely tiring. Especially since it’s the same few of you who are doing this in comment sections across the internet. You can’t say a single vaguely critical word without having people jump at you for daring to be critical.I know it’s hard for some of you to accept, but not everyone has to like Hook and not everyone has to suscribe to this idea of him as this poor, misunderstood puppydog who could never harm a fly and only needed twu wuv.

It’s called an opinion and the ONLY negative one posted here is yours. I don’t understand who your post is even pointed at. Of all the posts I just read through until yours, no one was bashing those who don’t like Hook. Your statement is clearly coming from some made up rant in your head. Get that looked at ;)

I don’t think you understood the comment you are responding to either. You two make quite the pair.

IMO she didn’t jump on him. She responded with her opinion, which happens to differ from his. That is generally WHY people post on entertainment sites – to interact and engage with other fans. The only “jumping on” that I observed was when you called her a stan, made sweeping generalizations about fans of the character, etc. No, not everyone has to like a certain character, but it’s their right to support and defend if they so choose. I felt like she was being respectful.

As someone who genuinely enjoys ALL of the characters/couples on OUAT (but also doesn’t take the show too seriously because, come on) I’m not bothered by criticisms. I am bothered by the infighting among a fandom that is growing increasingly toxic (FWIW I don’t hold one group responsible in full). I have largely stepped away from the fandom but I usually come back because my husband refuses to watch the show and I want to talk about it with someone sometimes. But nothing changes. I just don’t know why someone can’t defend Hook – or Regina or Rumple or Robin or WHOEVER – without being criticized for that. Quite frankly, I see that a lot more often than I see people pushing “idealized ideas” around.

Last time I checked this was a public and not a private forum. If you post an opinion here people are free to reply as they wish. You are entitled to your opinion yes but others are not required to share it or not respond.

I definitely hope to see Hook, Snowing and Henry playing BY FAR the largest roles in bringing Emma back to the light, because they are the ones she loves the most and the ones who most love her. That’s how the finale set it up, with her telling her parents to take the darkness out of her and finally telling Hook she loves him. I’ll feel extremely cheated and lied to if that’s not how it plays out.

I really want to see the power inherent in Hook & Emma’s love, like we saw with her parents. The True Love of a person born of True Love should be really powerful in this show. And I also hope to see Emma fight to save herself from darkness.

And I know it’s probably a useless hope, but I want Regina not to be front and center in this storyline. I’m so tired of everything being about her in the end. I need a break from her.

I’m not sure what they’re going to do with Rumple. I don’t know if he’ll work too well as a character without his shadiness and underlying threat. He’s so addicted to power, it’s hard to see him giving that up.

I pretty much agree with this post. On everything. Well Said Jackie :)

One thing to think about is that Rumple minus the Dark One equals “coward”. So, we may actually see some character growth in Rumple. We know his heart is now pure white. It’s very possible that he will be the one that needs to take the role as savior, but we know underneath the Dark One lies a coward. It will be a struggle for him to overcome his cowardice to help Emma. Also keep in mind, that just because his heart is pure white now, doesn’t mean it can’t be tainted.

My wishes are exactly that on the whole that Emma’s parents and Henry and Hook play the bigger role in saving and fighting for her. Love is the key – Emma loves them the most and they love her the most.

My wish is also to see Hook taking some charge and be a drive here in this arc since its the woman he loves in danger and with darkness – the very darkness and dark one scenerio he has had a long history with. He has spent his whole life after the dark one and now it’s the woman he loves – that is just heartbreaking. Poetic all so many levels. Hook’s first arc was to destroy the dark one for vengeance and now I feel he will have to destroy the dark one curse/darkness for LOVE. He is the only one who has a long history with the dark one.

Again I agree with this too. The poeticness of Hook and the whole Dark One history he has had and now it is Emma the one who he loves the most.

I agree with almost all of this except that I hope Emma DOES kill someone. If they’re gonna go dark Swan, I want them to commit to it. It would also be a great chance for Hook to just embrace being a villain full-time. Give him some edge and leave it that way.

He didnt really like being a villain. [I do wonder what some people have understood about Hook and his backstory and character.]

Thats pretty much been obvious and why he was one when he realised in season 2 – just how empty is was and it was an end not a beginning. He isnt going to risk his love and Emma to be a villain.

My hopes are exactly what the last shots/scenes of the episode showed.

Emma: Her having faith and asking her parents (adding Hook in here too as he was in that visual scene with them so he is included) to save her as she said she needs them to get rid of the darkness again but as Heroes.

Emma looking at her Hook and her parents last whilst the darkness is swirling around her was powerful so I hope they have a bigger part here and rightly so and naturally so they should as parents and as her partner/the man who loves her so deeply, and who she finally said I Love You to, it was one of the moments added in the last scenes which was big too.

Next is we saw the depth of darkness and what it is and the reveal of Merlin was to 3 people: Emma, Henry, Hook. To me it would foreshadowed that Henry and Hook would play some part in this together and with Emma to find Merlin.

And very last ending shot of the camera visual onto her parents/Hook, and then zooming into Hook and then zooming into the dagger. The last two shots of Emma/Hook. So my wishlist is that naturally Emma’s family (Snowing and Henry) and Hook are also the key players here and foreshadowing done in the last scene of the finale.

Rumple: He is addicted to power. It is not something he ever chose to let go or not have. So I think he will want it back again.

My interest in the show really waned in 4B. The show has gone so far in making excuses for the villains that no one is responsible for their actions and the idea of permanent consequences (like Regina was told when she cast the original curse) seems to be out the window. I hope the show gets back on track, because in 4B I started flipping the channel for the first time.

I hope Emma kills Hook , yesss no more Hook !!

Agreed, especially about Snow and Charming getting a lead role in saving the daughter they once upon a time sent through a magic wardrobe to save them.

And yes to Hook being tempted… But not giving in, of course, because as he’s told Emma he went dark because he lost everyone, and that’s not where he is now.

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