Magic is coming in season 2 of "Once Upon A Time", Sunday, Sept. 30 at 8 (Imahge courtesy of ABC)

Season one of “Once Upon A Time” ended in a familiar fairytale fashion, with plenty of happy endings to go around. However, the finale also produced an enormous cliffhanger that promised another exciting round of episodes set to premiere on Sunday, September 30.
The show is set in the fictional town of Storybrooke, Maine. Unknowingly to the town’s residents, they are all actually fairytale characters from childhood favorites like “Snow White” and “Beauty and the Beast.” They originally lived in a parallel universe together and were brought to our world – a land without magic – by an evil queen’s Curse.

In their fairytale land, Snow White and Prince “Charming” James are happily married with a child. In the real world, they are Mary Margaret Blanchard and David Nolan, blocked from each other by obstacles specifically designed by the queen’s (Known as Regina Mills, now conveniently mayor of Storybrooke) Curse.

Before the Curse was complete, the royal couple was able to “ship” their infant daughter Emma to the real world in hopes of sparing her. Emma Swan eventually winds up in Storybrooke as an adult, when she is reunited with her own son, Henry Mills, whom Regina adopted as her own.

In the background is Rumplestiltskin’s real-life personality, Mr. Gold. Though he did not retain the magical powers he enjoyed back in the fairytale world, Regina granted him the power of money and made him the most important (and feared) man in Storybrooke. Back in the fairytale world, Rumplestiltskin had a son who was also shipped to the real world, and a connection with Belle that was shattered by the queen’s doing.

As if the plot was not already intricate enough, each episode focused on a certain fairytale character’s background – Red Riding Hood discovering her werewolf ways, Hansel and Gretel’s struggle with the Blind Witch, the Mad Hatter traveling to the Red Queen’s land, and more – that happened to tie into the overall story of how the Curse came to be.

Henry, though young as he is, suspects a Curse from the beginning after he reads a fairytale book that details every character’s struggle. It is his determination that leads to Emma finally seeing Storybrooke for what Regina carved it to be.

In Regina’s attempts to stop Emma, she puts a poisoned apple from the fairytale world into an apple turnover and presents it to her rival. In Henry’s frustration with his real mother not believing him, he realizes Regina’s intentions and eats the poisoned dessert. Only after he collapses and is comatose does Emma believe in him.

With some help from Mr. Gold (who, naturally, was already well aware of the situation), Emma takes on Regina and the Curse breaks in the finale. Henry is awakened by true love when his mother kisses him on the forehead. Snow White and Prince Charming are in each other’s arms. Rumplestiltskin and Belle are reunited and he at last possesses what he demanded most in the real world – a potion for magic. It is the moment when that magic, portrayed by a purple cloud, begins to consume Storybrooke that the first season ends.

So many questions are brought up after such a moving finale. What will become of Regina, now helpless and vulnerable to the residents who realize her dishonesty? Where will the relationships of the show (Snow White and Prince Charming, and Rumplestiltskin and Belle) go from here? Where is Rumplestiltskin’s son? Will the fairytale characters be able to go home now? Would they even want to? Most importantly, how will the purple cloud that enveloped the town affect the real world?

“Once Upon A Time” has so much potential for its second season and the expectations are high. After a successful first season, the possibilities are endless as to where the producers want to take things from here and are more than capable of creating another flawless season. So far, all that is for certain is that the show is incorporating magic and more fairytale characters.

Be sure to tune in every Sunday at 8/7c on ABC for a wickedly good time.

Reach Staff Reporter Kathy Zerbib here.