The big takeaway from the Once Upon a Time 100th episode? Not the trip to the Underworld we've all been anticipating. Sure, it's a monumentally important development in the series that's setting up one heck of an exciting second half of the season, but the main thing that will have Twitter buzzing once the episode ends is the tour de force performance from Lana Parrilla.
Not only does Parrilla get the opportunity to chew the scenery like none other as everyone's favorite Evil Queen in the episode's flashbacks, but her reformed Regina has a reunion with her dastardly mother Cora (Barbara Hershey) and father Henry (Tony Perez) in the Underworld that the actress herself described to E! News as "five years in the making."
When E! News caught up with the cast of Once Upon a Time as they gathered to celebrate the milestone they've reached, we asked Parrilla if she there was an episode in the run of the series that she holds most dear. Her answer? This one. And trust us, having seen it, she's right to be proud of the work she and Perez, especially, turned in. Just heed our warning: Have some tissues handy.
We spoke with the rest of the cast about what the audience was in store for with the big trip to Hell, and they each expressed, in one way or another, that the Underworld represented their pasts coming back to haunt them. For Regina, it's in the form of her tragic family history. For others, it's a bit more surprising. Keep your eyes peeled for Charming's (Josh Dallas) past to bump into Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) and him quickly and in a rather humorous fashion.
For more from Parrilla, Dallas, and their co-stars Jennifer Morrison, Jared Gilmore, and Colin O'Donoghue on what fans can expect from the Underworld, be sure to press play on the video above!
Once Upon a Time returns with its 100th episode on Sunday, March 6 at 8 p.m. on ABC.