When Once Upon A Time aired its season finale back in May, viewers were likely surprised to see that the curse which took away everyone’s memories and left them in Storybrooke had now been listed — and not just that, it looks like magic is returning to the world. Two characters who might be affected the most by this change are Prince Charming and Snow White, who had flirtation as Mary Margaret and David but didn’t have the opportunity or chance to remember who they really were — until now.
We spoke with Josh Dallas at this year’s Con about what this change means for Once’s top star-crossed couple.
“I think it changes for every character in the show, because the curse has been lifted,” Dallas says. “Magic has come to Storybrooke. He remembers his old life; his old memories, his old emotions. He remembers who he is at the core, which I think has always been fighting to come out of David, and because of the curse, it was never possible.”
With Charming’s return, he won’t forget what has happened for his previous life in Storybrooke. “Charming will remember everything about David, and remember everything that David went through, and remember that David hurt the woman that he loved. That won’t ever leave him. David is dead. Charming is back. And Regina has a lot to answer for,” Josh teases. “David will always live in his heart, and he will know all of those emotions that he went through as David, and what he wasn’t able to do as David because of the curse. He wasn’t able to be honorable. He wasn’t able to be truthful. He wasn’t able to be forthright. He wasn’t able to stand up for what he believes in, and what he loves, and the consequence of that, was that he hurt the woman that he loved. But that was the curse. The curse is broken. Charming is back!”
The memory of David’s actions will definitely disappoint Charming once all of the memories return. “He hurt the woman that he loved more than life. Of course he’s disappointed. He’s devastated, because David’s actions are not the actions of Charming, and that’s one reason why he’s so angry, because that’s something Regina did to him, and Regina did to them, and their relationship. There’s some payback, I think, in store,” Dallas explains.
The Snow-Charming dynamic is something that Josh Dallas seems very fond of, and their first encounter was one of his favorite moments in Season 1. “I loved when we first went in and we saw how Snow and Charming first met; how Charming got his name, how that love first blossomed. I loved that setup and that foundation of that character. And as far as Season 2 goes, I’m looking forward to exploring that family dynamic between Emma and Henry and Snow, and also finding out more about Snow and Charming and their background, and more about their relationship at different points in time. Of course, we’ll always go back in flashbacks and see more about these characters’ histories. So I’m looking forward to delving in more, and looking forward to Charming in Storybrooke, and how that reacts,” he says.
Another relationship that Charming will now have to deal with is the notion that he is now a father to Emma and a grandfather to Henry. “This is one thing that I’m really, really looking forward to and exploring in the whole of this next season, the fact that Emma is his daughter. She’s grown. He missed out on her entire childhood. He has a grandson! He’s never been a parent before. He never had that opportunity. so he’s got that to deal with, and he’s got Regina to deal with,” he says. And will he ever learn that Geppetto was lying when he said only one person could go through to another place? “It’s possible. I can’t tell you if that’s going to happen. I think our creators, Eddy and Adam, are geniuses, and they have taken the show in so many different directions, and anything’s possible.” But as far as Season 2 possibilities go, there’s one subject that repeatedly seems to come from Josh Dallas — Regina needs to watch her back. “Regina’s got a lot to answer for, and Charming’s angry,” Dallas teases.
Once Upon A Time returns this Fall on ABC. Come talk Once on the KSiteTV Forums and stay tuned for more Once interviews in the coming days!
