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Once Upon a Time: Mr. Gold's Goal and Finale Dish That'll Knock Your Socks Off!

ABC's fairy-tale boss teases Sunday's episode "The Return" and what's coming up in the crazy season-ender

By Christina Dowling Apr 20, 2012 10:51 PMTags
ONCE UPON A TIMEABC/JACK ROWAND

Things are about to get real up in Storybrooke.

Once Upon a Time's consulting producer, Jane Espenson, dishes on Rumplestiltskin's (Robert Carlyle) deepest desires, his hunt to expose August (Eion Bailey) and what's coming up in the show's mind-blowing finale.

For someone who is so powerful in fairy-tale land and retains all his memories in Storybrooke, we can't help but feel that Mr. Gold got the short end of the stick with happily ever afters. "There's something that Mr. Gold wants very much," Espenson explains. "That is what Sunday night's episode is going to be about—what does Gold want and why?" Could it be his son or his true love, Belle? But remember, there is that whole creepy obsession with babies.

Mr. Gold will also be trying to figure out August's real identity, so what's your favorite theory? The most intriguing one we've seen that August is Baelfire and Pinocchio but Espenson says, "I think it would be hard for him to be both, although that's fascinating." Not to fear Once theorists, Espenson says she's seen people guess correctly, "But you've got to be careful of clues, because one is a clue, a real clue and one is a mislead." But she assures us, "Questions will be answered. And answers will be questioned."

Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison) is one lucky lady surrounded by some handsome and mysterious men, but if there aren't enough hotties, Once Upon a Time is bringing back some more good-looking favorites. Yes, people, Sebastian Stan will be back. But Espenson played coy on just how he'd appear: "I can't say if it will be as the Mad Hatter or as Jefferson or as another guy with all his memories." What? Why you trying to blow our minds?

ABC/JACK ROWAND

If you love Emma and Jefferson, you weren't the only one. "Oh we were so excited," Espenson gushes. "When we saw the dailies—sitting here in the writers' room we look at the dailies everyday—and when we saw him we just all gasped and clutched our pearls because he is so, if I may say, hot. And the chemistry is so good." What's the perfect formula for a leading man? Pearl-clutching? Check. Swooning? Naturally.

Speaking of swoon-worthy men,if you have missed the dearly departed hot hipster sheriff Graham (Jamie Dornan) he's on his way back too mostly like as his alive flashback counterpart, the Huntsman.

The finale episodes are leading up to a crazy showdown in the freshman series' finale. "We have been holding our breath waiting for a Regina-Emma showdown—I would say just expect everything. Nothing's held back," Espenson promises. "The doors fly off, your socks and then your shoes, everything's going to fly off of you."

Uh, does that sounds like a Dorthothy-esque tornado or just crazy drama? "It is one hell of a finale. We watched it in the room yesterday and, oh my god, one of the best hours of TV I've ever seen."

That's good enough endorsement for us.

Do you have a theory for August's identity? Excited for the crazy finale? Hit the comments and be sure to tune in on Sunday for "The Return."

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