"Once Upon A Time" returns with a big splash in 2013, as Regina's mother Cora and Rumplestiltskin's nemesis Captain Hook finally sail into Storybrooke, with vengeance in their hearts.
"His overriding motivation is to get revenge on Rumplestiltskin. That's what he wants first and foremost," Colin O'Donoghue, who plays the handsome Hook, said after ABC flew us up to speak to the cast in Vancouver Canada in late 2012. "The thing about it is, Cora will have her own agenda and he has his own agenda and it's about whether or not they mix and who has more say in the matter as to what happens first."
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While the pair will touch down on dry Storybrooke land, don't expect a big welcoming party.
"He creeps around a little bit," Colin told Access , speaking from a comfortable spot on set - behind Regina's desk. "People don't know he's there and then he sort of makes his play."
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And while Robert Carlyle's Mr. Gold isn't quite as dark in Storybrooke as he is as Rumple in Fairytale Land, Colin said Hook won't go throwing caution to the wind and try to skin that crocodile (Rumple, of course, wears a suit made out of crocodile) without a plan.
"Remember too that Hook is as old as Rumplestiltskin, which is like hundreds of years old, because he went to Neverland, so he's had all that time to think about all of that," the Irish actor said. "He's sort of, I would imagine, would be pretty methodical how he's gonna go about doing it, but once he's in it, he'll plan to a point, but because Rumplestiltskin is the Dark One, there's only so much planning you can do. You know what I mean?"
And while not yet aware as the episode opens about the presence of Hook and Cora in town, Robert, who plays Rumple, said they two characters will be his main foes.
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"Aye. They're definitely a nemesis for him now," the Scotsman said on the Vancouver set, dressed in his Mr. Gold finest. "There's no doubt about that. I think that certainly the appearance of Hook again is a big, big deal, a huge deal."
Also worth keeping an eye on with her magical mother in town, will be Regina, who has set aside her use of magic once again, in an attempt to keep her adopted son, Henry, placated.
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"After all these years, she's genuinely trying to be a good person, after losing Henry," actress Lana Parrilla said, referring to how Regina's son is spending time with his birth mother again - Emma Swan. "I think she's really trying to redeem herself, not use magic, not hurt anyone."
But Lana hinted that the good Regina won't be around forever.
"I love where she's going, it's just a matter of time though before she crosses back over to the dark side and it's not going to be very long," she said. "Don't worry the Evil Queen's coming back. She's coming back!"
"Once Upon A Time" airs Sunday at 8/7c on ABC.
-- Jolie Lash
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