It's finally back, Oncers!
After so much speculation about what the heavily-rebooted seventh season of Once Upon a Time might look like, we've finally gotten our first official taste. And dare we say, it didn't disappoint! Sure, a lot of fan-faves were nowhere in sight and, yeah, Storybrooke is a thing of the past, but the relocation to Hyperion Heights is a good look for the show. And those new characters? We only wish we'd met them sooner.
Going into the season, we had so many questions: How did Henry (now an adult, played by new series regular Andrew J. West) forget all about magic? How did everyone wind up on the west coast? Why is Seattle allowing a one-handed man to be a police officer? How on Earth did Henry age, but Regina—excuse us, Roni—stay exactly the same? What are we even supposed to call Rumple? And who the hell set this new curse?
While the season premiere did deliver some answers, it certainly left us with a whole host of new questions. While we impatiently await next week's episode, let's look back on the five biggest surprises from the season premiere!
1. Henry's Memory: While we still don't know how Henry forgot all about the life he lived, we were struck by the cruel memory of his family that was implanted in his mind by whoever cursed him. Rather than just forgetting they ever existed a la his mom Emma Swan's similar predicament in season one, grown Henry believes his wife and child are dead. That's just cold.
2. Rogers Remembers: Killian Jones who? The man formerly known as Captain Hook (Colin O'Donoghue) is patrolling the streets as Officer Rogers, and when he finds himself in possession of Henry Mills' first book, entitled—of course—Once Upon a Time, a certain illustration gives him pause. The drawing in question? Why, none other than one of Emma Swan herself. Cue the episode two return from former star Jennifer Morrison!
3. A Cheeky Alice: We didn't know what to expect out of relative TV newcomer Rose Reynolds and her new version of Alice (the role was previously played by Sophie Lowe in the failed spinoff Once Upon a Time in Wonderland), but we were blown away by how fun and unpredictable she turned out to be. She's got a connection to Rumplestiltskin in both the Enchanted Forest and Hyperion Heights. She's something of a cat burglar (we think). And she's not too keen on her Wonderland connection. "You have a one-way trip and it's all anyone knows about you," she shouted at Henry as she tried to keep him from interfering in a story that wasn't his. Too earlier to declare her our new fave?
4. A Golden Reveal: We still don't know what we should be calling him, but if you thought Rumple/Gold/Whoever (Robert Carlyle) was simply part of Hyperion Heights criminal syndicate, as his first appearance in the episode seemed to indicate, you're not alone. But no, in the final moments of the episode, Rogers learned the villainous Victoria Belfrey (Lady Tremaine's alter ego, played by Gabrielle Anwar) had him promoted to detective. His new partner? Rumple, of course. This is going to be good!
5. A Curse, of Course: Unlike curses past, where it was pretty clear who set them into motion from the jump, we're still in the dark on how or why our heroes are currently toiling away in Hyperion Heights with no memory of their magical lives. But Henry's actions in the Enchanted Forest has us wondering if he might be to blame. Our evidence? First, that warning from Alice as she tried to convince him to leave: "When it's not your story, bad things happen." Second, his decision to abandon his one opportunity to return home to see Operation Glass Slipper through. Could his smitten feelings for the feisty Cinderella (Dania Ramirez) have doomed them all to their current misery? We'll see...
What did you think of OUAT's brave new world? Are you on board like we are? Sound off in the comments below!
Once Upon a Time airs Fridays at 8 p.m. on ABC.