Fairytale drama "Once Upon a Time" will return this fall to finally answer viewers' burning questions.
Last season, fans wondered how Mulan (Jamie Chung) and Aurora (Sarah Bolger) helped Philip (Julian Morris) get his soul back before they found the injured Baelfire. "Once Upon a Time" co-creator Eddy Kitsis told TVLine that viewers may be thrown a bit of a hint, but will not find out the full truth until later on. "We'll hint at it, but we probably aren't going to show that [back]story for a while," Kitsis said.
"One of the things about season three is we've really tried to focus on the core characters, including the six people on that boat and Neal. We do eventually want to get to that [Philip/wraith] story, but we're coming out of the gate with the people on that boat," Kitsis revealed.
As far as Ariel's (JoAnna Garcia Swisher) introduction goes, she may have a past connection to Regina (Lana Parrilla). Regina referred to a "certain mermaid" in a past episode called "Skin Deep." Fans have speculated that the "certain mermaid" referred to is the famous, red-headed mermaid Ariel. Although it is not definite, co-creator Adam Horowitz said that "we might" flash back to an encounter between Ariel and Regina in the upcoming season.
It was also revealed that there will be a one-hour special, as has been done in the past, to recap the last season before the new season begins. The special will be called "Once Upon a Time: Journey to Neverland," and it will air on Sunday, September 29, and will lead into the season three premiere.
Season three will also showcase Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Emma (Jennifer Morrison) banding together to fight Peter Pan and his Lost Boys, according to TVLine. Their mission will bring out the arrow-slinging Snow that viewers have seen in past seasons.
"In a lot of ways, Mary Margaret may not be able to bond with Emma, but Bandit Snow and Emma have a lot in common," Kitsis said. "David and Mary Margaret last year were saying, 'We are both,'" Kitsis continued. "But this year it's, 'We need Snow and Charming.' That's what this mission requires."
Their mission will most likely take place within season three's big Neverland story arc, which will take up eleven episodes of the season.
Kitsis referred to the long storyline "as its own season, like one giant movie."
E! Online has reported that British actor Sean Maguire has also joined the cast as Robin Hood for season three, replacing Tom Ellis, who could not return for season three. Although the Prince of Thieves only appeared in one episode last season, he quickly earned a place on Rumplestilskin's (Robert Carlyle) hit list. Robin Hood will have at least a four-episode arc, and he will resume his alliance with Belle (Emilie De Ravin).
"Once Upon a Time" premieres on Sunday, September 29 on ABC.