TV Line: Storybrooke Will Not Be Forgotten

Once Upon a Time EP: Storybrooke Will Not Be Forgotten — Plus: The Hook-Up You Won’t See

Although Rumplestiltskin kissed Belle goodbye in the Season 2 finale of ABC’s Once Upon a Time – tasking her with a vague mission to hide Storybrooke from other lookie-loos as he and five others set course for Neverland — series cocreator Adam Horowitz tells TVLine there “absolutely” is a plan to continue visiting the Maine berg.

“Some people got on a ship, some stayed behind,” Horowitz notes. “And what happened to those who stayed behind is just as important as what’s happening to those on the ship.”

Storybrooke, however, is left populated by only one series regular — Emilie de Ravin, who plays Belle — now that Meghan Ory, who was promoted for a Season 2 arc that wound up truncated, has her own series, CBS’ Intelligence (where she “handles” human computer Josh Holloway). But given that her new show shoots in Vancouver, like Once, and won’t debut until midseason, “Ruby will probably be back at some point,” Ory tells us. “She never died, so she’ll be somewhere.”

Had Ruby been able to stick around, it appears she may have found a “spark” with Victor Frankenstein aka Storybrooke’s Dr. Whale. “I know they were talking about exploring a relationship between us,” David Anders shared at the Upfront event for USA Network, where he now recurs on Necessary Roughness, “but Meghan just got her own show! So there’s that. But I’m so, so proud of her.”

As for his own status with Once, Anders says, “I know I’ll be back, but I can’t speak to in what capacity.”

All of which brings us back to Belle, who undoubtedly will have the Dwarfs, Archie, The Blue Fairy et al helping her watch out for other visitors from the mysterious “Home Office.” “What’s going to happen to her? Who’s left with her? Who might she meet in Storybrooke?” Horowitz poses. “Those are all things that we intend to explore.”

I boldfaced the last part of the last paragraph for emphasis. Whom of significance do you think Belle could meet in SB? I predict a cameo from the new Once: Wonderland spin-off. Belle could meet Alice, the White Rabbit, the Red Queen, Cyrus, etc… She could have her hands full while trying to protect SB from outsiders, run the town’s daily life, and welcoming new townsfolk.