"If you can't hit me, how do you expect to kill the Savior?"
If Emma can find a way to get Regina and herself back from the Wish Land when Once Upon a Time finally returns from hiatus, she'll find herself facing down an even more perilous threat. Namely, the sudden arrival of an all-grown-up Gideon (Giles Matthey)--you know, Belle and Gold's previously infant son--and he's come to snuff out our beloved Swan.
As alarming as that is, it's what Gold (Robert Carlyle) tells his son in this sneak peek at the midseason premiere that has us really worried. "I can help you, son," the Dark One tells his child. Not exactly the family reunion we had in mind, guys.
The shocking twist in Gideon's temperament from when we last time we saw him, protecting Belle (Emilie de Ravin) from Gold in the season six premiere, was a part of the plan from the very beginning. "I think that Giles is such a talented actor that when we met him and we saw what he could do, it seemed like he was the perfect fit for what we want to do with the character," series co-creator Adam Horowitz told E! News. "And he's brought so much of his own creativity into it. The collaboration in creating this character has been really amazing. And I feel confident the best is yet to come in what we're going to see from Giles."
As long as that doesn't include slaying the Savior, consider us on board.
Elsewhere in the midseason premiere, David (Josh Dallas) and Hook (Colin O'Donoghue) race to stop Gideon before he can confront Emma, while Regina (Lana Parrilla) struggles with the realization that everyone, perhaps even Robin (surprise returning star Sean Maguire), is better off in the Wish Land where the Evil Queen was defeated. And when Emma (Jennifer Morrison) inspires a familiar face to help her and Regina to get home, she discovers the power needed to change her fate. Someone might want to let Gideon know...
Once Upon a Time returns on Sunday, March 5 at 8 p.m. on ABC.