Board Thread:Spoilers!/@comment-25361971-20150128004028/@comment-25733960-20150306233612

Andrew.scott.503 wrote: I do not get the people who speculate that Zelena impersonating Mariam how this retcon works... Original Timeline:

OK, we know that in Oz, Zelena spies on Regina, although at this point I think Regina's training with Rumples has ended. Also, would not Zelena be part of Oz's ruling witches council with Glinda (and we saw that she put her vendetta on hold)?

We also know that about this time Regina has imprisoned Mariam for speaking against her, Marian is scheduled to be executed and was executed. Why would Zelena impersonate Mariam just to be executed? I suppose Zelena from an earlier point of time impersonate Mariam to see if she could incite riots against her half-sister, but I would it not be easier by impersonating someone with a lot more influence to do this then some peasant woman\villager?

Altered Timeline:

Past Zelena would not of impersonated Mariam for the same reasons as in the original timeline. So that leaves contemporary (Spirit\Ghost?) Zelena travelling back in time with Emma and Hook.

We see Rumples confront Zelena in the jail cell and turn her into a porcelain statue, then shatter it. Since this IS Rumples with full magic powers, how could Zelena survive this? Maybe having her life force connected in the necklace, her spirit\ghost is transferred to the necklace, but I just do not see Rumples not being aware of this - and he certainly wanted revenge on Zelena for making him her slave.

Moving on - say that the green smoke from Zelena's necklace that initiated the time portal was more then just 'residual' magic but Zelena in a gaseous state? (Much like Barbra Eden's I dream of Genie pink smoke when leaving\entering her bottle?). If so, then would not Zelena being first to enter the time portal choose the point in time (presumably at a time that would alter Cora's decision to giving her up as a baby - thus her vowed of Regina NEVER BEING BORN) rather then Emma's choosing her parent's first meeting?

As Ghost/Spirit/Gas Zelena now in the past, what would she do? Being gaseous, I don't think she could do much to manipulate objects. Perhaps she would be able to process someone? Why would she choose Marian? Did Marian JUST happened to stumble across Ghost Zelena? Being in the EF, without some sort of portal, Zelena would not be able to travel Oz to her past self, could she? Go to Rumples? Why? Come across the QofD? How? Hang around Emma/Hook without being detected\Sensed by Regina, Rumples, Blue Fairy and then taking over Marian in the jail cell? If so, why would Marian/Zelena protest so much about going back with Emma/Hook?

So there will need to be a lot of retconning to make Marian be Zelana. Of course with magic ANYTHING is possible, even doing weird plot twisting to make it happen, but it would be very confusing story telling and still not have giant plot holes....

We can't answer that because we haven't seen the episode,....

But, what makes you think Zelena used the time portal to go to the past?

Maybe she traveled to the future and killed and replaced Marian after she decided to let Regina and Robin be happy together