The Once Upon a Time episode, “Beauty,” did more than just tell the end of Rumple and Belle’s story and explain (at least partly) how Rumple ended up in the cursed land of Hyperion Heights. “Beauty” was also fans’ first proper introduction to the new Alice, even if it was mostly through her cursed persona, Tilly. Evidently, though, “Beauty” is just the beginning for Alice because in an interview with TVLine, executive producers Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz promised “epic” plans for the character.
Once Upon a Time Recap: Belle and Rumple (Sort Of) Get Their Happy Ending>>> In “Beauty,” Tilly/Alice casually dropped the fact that her ex-girlfriend had “toiled” with Victoria Belfry, otherwise known as Lady Tremaine. This confirmed that Alice is gay and has much more of a connection to the new Once Upon a Time baddie than many have realized. These revelations weren’t just throwaway details.
“We’re going to get a little more into that in the winter finale (episode 10),” OUAT co-creator Eddy Kitsis explained. “And we’re going to get into much more detail about Tilly in the second half of the season — including her flashbacks, a big arc for her and an epic love story we’re excited about.”
This won’t be the first same-sex romance on Once Upon a Time. The series wrapped up Ruby’s story by having her discover (and act on) feelings for Dorothy, with Ruby waking Dorothy from a sleeping curse with true love’s kiss. But that was just a quick arc, no more than two episodes, while the plans for Alice will be much larger.
“The romance becomes really entwined in the larger story we’re telling for the season. It’s important on both a character level, for someone who’s in love and dealing with love and on a larger plot level for the show,” Adam Horowitz added.
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This should be very encouraging news for Once Upon a Time viewers. It’s about time that the show incorporates a major LGBT romance into its world, especially one that is more than a casual story in the grander scheme of the season. In particular, Alice being at the center of the romance is an inspired choice because the actress, in a very short amount of time, has become a magnetic presence and one of the most charismatic and mysterious characters on the series.
It’s unlikely that Alice and the romance she explores in season 7 will be so important that it breaks the curse that the characters are under. However, Alice can see through the curse when she’s off her “meds” and Horowitz likely isn’t lying when he explains that the romance will be involved on a larger plot level.
There’s a solid chance that Alice’s potential love interest could be Hook’s missing daughter and that is what will tie it into the larger plot. Of course, there’s also a possibility of Alice being Hook’s offspring, which was implied slyly by “Beauty.” Anything involving Alice is sure to be important.
At any rate, having a LGBT romance in such a prominent role with such an interesting character should help Once Upon a Time season 7 continue its creative renaissance of mixing the series’ old themes in new situations.
Do you agree? Do you want to see Alice in a major romance? Will she be involved with a new character or someone we’ve already met? Let us know what you think in the comments!
Once Upon a Time season 7 airs Fridays at 8/7c on ABC. Want more news? Like our OUAT Facebook page.
(Image courtesy of ABC)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Derek is a Philadelphia based writer and unabashed TV and comic book junkie. The time he doesn’t spend over analyzing all things nerdy he is working on his resume to be the liaison to the Justice League.
