Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-24674051-20150519145000

I started writing the below as an off-topic reply, and decided it needs to be in a thread of it's own.

The show REALLY needs a time jump. First, so that the writers can start writing Henry as a teenager, and that by itself might make his character more interesting. a time jump also lets Zelena have the baby without us seeing a Pregnant Zelena (not an exciting prospect in my book),  Prince Neal (and Alexandra and Philip Jr) would all be pre-school age, Roland would be in Grade School, which might make it easier for on-screen appearances by the next royal generation, since it is easier to work children older than an infant.

The question is, how do you work in a time jump? with Emma just becoming the DO at the end of the S4 Finale, there is no reason why a couple of years can't pass as they try to determine how to find Merlin. I mean, seriously, Rumple was the Dark One for 300 years, I highly doubt that they will solve the problem in a couple of months.

What I would suggest is that the premiere open immediatly on the street, with Emma disappearing, (basically the final scene of the Finale)  and the first order of Business is to get Emma back with the rest of the group. Depending on how they want to go, that could take 1-2 scenes or an entire episode. But, once Emma is back with the group, start implementing the time jump. You could do it as one large jump, or a sequence of smaller jumps between episodes (in other words, weeks or months pass between episodes).

I personally like the sequence of smaller jumps, as each episode can move the plot forward a little, solve one part of the riddle on how to find Merlin, and leave the group with some mystery to understand before they can take the next step, one that requires some research. (This could also help to pull Belle into the story more, as it would play to her strengths). The goal would be to get the show to where, by the end of Season 5, the timeline is approximately matched up to current time (ie, Summer 2016).

What are everyone else's thoughts?  