‘Once Upon A Time’ Season 6: What To Expect When ‘OUAT’ Returns In 2017 – Emma Swan, Gideon, Black Fairy, ‘Rumble,’ And More Spoilers

Once Upon A Time Season 6 will return with the second half in three months. That is a long time to wait, but thankfully, there are a few spoilers to hold fans over until then. Find out what to expect when the fairy tale drama returns to ABC network in 2017.

OUAT spoilers are ahead. Do not continue reading if you don’t want to know any information about the series.

During the midseason finale, Jennifer Morrison’s character was plagued by visions. The hooded figure who kills Emma in Once Upon A Time was finally revealed and it was a surprise to most viewers. Also, OUAT fans saw the weapon that can kill the Evil Queen (Lana Parrilla) without harming Regina. However, the villain got to the magic lamp first. She wished that Emma was not the Savior and she was whisked away to a fake version of the Enchanted Forest. In Emma Swan’s wish realm (which is not the same thing as an alternate reality), her life is very different.

Regina wished to be where Emma was taken. While there, Rumple (Robert Carlyle) tells Regina to “queen it up” in order to get Emma to accept the Savior truth. Later, Emma arrives at the Evil Queen’s castle and doesn’t even bother fighting. Instead, she is going to surrender the kingdom. Yes, this is a much different Emma Swan than Once Upon A Time fans are used to. However, a series of events happen that make Emma understand that life as she knows it cannot be real. Unfortunately, there is a complication due to the return of Robin Hood (Sean Maguire) and they miss the window to get through the portal that will lead them back to Storybrooke.

So, what can be expected when Once Upon A Time Season 6 returns in 2017? In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, executive producers Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis teased a few details. First, expect to see more of the Black Fairy (Jaime Murray). She took Rumple and Belle’s (Emilie de Ravin) baby and raised him to be evil. Now a grown man, Gideon (Giles Matthey) is determined to kill Emma on OUAT. Fans are curious why he wants to kill the Savior. That was not revealed in the winter finale. However, it will be the “launching off point” in the second half of Season 6. When asked how they decided that Gideon would be the mysterious hooded creature, Horowitz revealed he was chosen at the start.

“Well, that was the plan from the get-go. It wasn’t a decision like, ‘Who are we going to put under the hood?’ It was about designing the season to reach that point. And there’s more to the reveal than everything you see in the winter finale. It’s a story that is only just beginning, and becomes an important part of the second half of the season.”

In Once Upon A Time Season 6, fans will also learn more about the dark realm. It is where the Black Fairy took baby “Rumbelle.” Time does not work the same there and there are other things that are not quite right. The showrunners also hinted that fans will discover more about the Black Fairy, who she is, and why she is doing these things.

As for Rumple and Belle, Once Upon A Time Season 6 spoilers teased that there might be hope for the couple. That seemed impossible, especially considering everything Rumple has done this season. However, co-executive producer Edward Kitsis said that sometimes unexpected things bring people together. He is also hoping for the best when it comes to “Rumbelle.” As for Adam Horowitz, he explained that there has already been a clue that things might go in a positive direction for the former couple.

“I’ll say this: In the episode that aired this past week, before the winter finale, I think you saw Rumple go right up to the line. And when he had the ability to speed up her pregnancy and do one of the worst things possible to Belle, he didn’t do it. He got to the line and he turned back from it, even though Belle doesn’t know that at the end of Episode 9. But he did, and I think that was a really important moment and a really telling moment, which is that despite all of his love for power and addiction to magic, there is a deep abiding love for Belle in there as well, and he’s always in conflict because of that. That’s the glimmer of hope that has not died out and is kind of the root of that relationship.”

Other Once Upon A Time Season 6 spoilers include Emma and Regina trying to get help from anyone they can. Also, expect to see August Booth aka Pinnochio (Eion Bailey). As for Robin Hood’s return, fans are being warned that he is not the same man that Regina lost last season, but he a familiar version of him. It will, of course, have a significant impact on Regina. It will not only affect her, but everyone else’s stories, too.

Kitsis teased that Regina separated the darkness from herself, but it came back. She has explored a lot of things and has gone through a diverse journey. However, the one thing Regina needs to keep exploring is herself.

In the wish realm, the characters fans have gotten to know over the years are the same, yet different. They will have new spins and twists using the “logic rules” that exist in the wish realm. As for what else to expect, Horowitz gave a little teaser on Aladdin (Deniz Akdeniz), Jasmine, the scarab, and the Savior history.

“In the second half of the season, we are going to be going to Agrabah and we’re going to be picking up that story — both the Aladdin/Jasmine (Karen David) story that we started to tell, and how it also continues to impact Emma, being that they are both Saviors and they have that tie between them. So when we saw that moment of giving the scarab to Henry, what it was symbolizing was the connection between Aladdin and Emma and the lineage of Saviors. That’s a story that becomes more important in the second half, plus it’s just fun to go to Agrabah.”

What do you think is going to happen in the second half of Once Upon A Time Season 6?

[Featured Image by Ethan Miller/Getty Images]