Leaving Storybrooke

"I thought my story came to an end a long time ago, and then new people came into my life... People who gave me a second chance. I can't wait to see what's in store for me next. Well, for everyone. I refuse to believe there won't be more adventures, more love, more family. And yes, there will be more loss, because that's just a part of life. And in the end, we can get past it all... with hope."

- Regina Mills

"Leaving Storybrooke" is the twenty-second and final episode of Season Seven of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It was written by Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz, and directed by Ralph Hemecker. It is the one hundred and fifty-fifth episode of the series overall, and premiered on May 18, 2018.

This episode is the second part of the season seven finale and the series finale.

Synopsis
Wish Rumple's evil plan is revealed and Regina realizes the only hope to stop him is by turning Wish Henry from his path for vengeance. Meanwhile, Tilly and Margot try to get help in Storybrooke. With his hope of ever being reunited with Belle fading, Weaver struggles to find a way to defeat his evil alter ego; and when Rogers' life is threatened, he is faced with the ultimate sacrifice.

Henry Riding Down the Street: Extended Version
The scene with Henry riding down Storybrooke Main Street was originally accompanied by footage of Tilly, Margot and Rogers in front of Granny's Diner, and Archie and Pongo walking down the street. However, most of the footage was deleted in post-production, although Archie and Pongo can still be glimpsed in the lower left hand corner of the screen as Henry rides through Storybrooke.

Henry Riding Through the Forest
Footage of Henry riding through a forest was also filmed, but was deleted from the episode.

Starring

 * Lana Parrilla as Evil Queen*/Regina Mills*/Roni
 * Colin O'Donoghue as Hook/Rogers
 * Andrew J. West as Henry Mills
 * Dania Ramirez as Jacinda Vidrio
 * Alison Fernandez as Lucy
 * Mekia Cox as Sabine
 * Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin*/Mr. Gold*/Weaver/ Rumplestiltskin (Wish Realm)

Special Guest Star

 * Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White*/Mary Margaret Blanchard
 * Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan
 * Josh Dallas as Prince Charming*/David Nolan
 * Emilie de Ravin as Belle
 * Jared S. Gilmore as Young Henry*/Sir Henry (Wish Realm)
 * Rebecca Mader as Zelena/Kelly West

Guest Starring

 * Tony Amendola as Geppetto*/Marco
 * David Anders
 * Lee Arenberg as Grumpy*/Leroy
 * Beverley Elliott as Granny
 * Christopher Gauthier as Smee
 * Sean Maguire as Robin Hood
 * Rose Reynolds as Tilly
 * Tiera Skovbye as Margot
 * Raphael Sbarge as Archie Hopper
 * Keegan Connor Tracy as Blue Fairy*/Mother Superior/ Blue Fairy (Wish Realm)

Co-Starring

 * David Avalon as Doc
 * Jack Davies as Pinocchio
 * Faustino di Bauda as Sleepy*/Walter
 * Gabe Khouth as Sneezy*/Mr. Clark
 * Abigayle Laura Mutch as 5-Year-Old Margot

Uncredited

 * Cinder as Pongo
 * Unknown baby as Hope
 * Unknown as Prince Neal
 * Kevin Santarosa as Coronation Guest
 * Eric Keenleyside as Moe French*
 * Georgina Haig as Elsa*
 * Merrin Dungey as Ursula*
 * Kristin Bauer van Straten as Maleficent*
 * Victoria Smurfit as Cruella De Vil*
 * Mig Macario as Bashful*
 * Michael Coleman as Happy*
 * Jeffrey Kaiser as Dopey*
 * Sarah Bolger as Aurora*
 * Julian Morris as Prince Phillip*
 * Olivia Steele Falconer as Violet Morgan*
 * Jessy Schram as Cinderella*
 * Tim Phillipps as Prince Thomas*
 * Deniz Akdeniz as Aladdin*
 * Karen David as Jasmine*
 * Unknown baby as Emma Swan*
 * Unknown baby as Young Henry*
 * Dave Mathews as Doctor*
 * Meghan Ory as Ruby*
 * Unknown baby as Prince Neal*
 * Jakob Davies as Pinocchio*
 * Unknown baby as Gideon*
 * Michael P. Northey as Friar Tuck*
 * Jason Burkart as Little John*
 * Raphael Alejandro as Roland*
 * Amy Manson as Merida*
 * Jamie Dornan as Sheriff Graham*
 * Barbara Hershey as Cora*
 * Noah Bean as Daniel Colter*
 * Bernard Curry as Liam Jones*
 * Robbie Kay as Peter Pan*
 * Michael Raymond-James as Neal Cassidy*

Trivia

 * -|Production Notes=

Title

 * The title card features the "Leaving Storybrooke" sign.
 * It is also the third and last Season Seven title card to not feature the Seattle skyline. The two other are from "The Guardian" and "Homecoming".
 * The title of this episode was revealed by Adam Horowitz via his Twitter account on March 14, 2018.
 * This episode is named after the road sign with the same message at the Storybrooke town line.

Production Notes

 * This episode contains the most number of guest starring and uncredited cast members in the whole series.
 * Sleepy and Dr. Whale's names are misspelled "Sleep" and "Dr. Wale", respectively, in the press release.
 * The credit of Dr. Whale is a mistake in itself as David Anders does not appear in the episode. It is likely that the release was meant to read David Avalon instead, since Doc does appear and is missing in the press release.
 * This is the only episode of the series where the press release solely credits Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas as Snow White and Prince Charming, despite the fact only Mary Margaret Blanchard and David Nolan appear outside of archive footage.
 * Keegan Connor Tracy and Rebecca Mader are also credited as the Blue Fairy and Zelena respectively, despite the fact Mother Superior and Kelly West also appear.
 * An establishing shot of the Wish Realm version of the Dark Castle is stock footage from the background plate used for the view of the Dream World version of the original Dark Castle in the Season Six premiere "The Savior", and from an establishing shot of the same building in the Enchanted Forest in the Season Six episode "Changelings".
 * Another establishing shot is taken from a shot of original Dark Castle in the Season Two episode "Lacey".
 * Fans and harnesses were used to achieve the scenes where Tilly and Rogers are being sucked into their prison realms.
 * Footage of a male Munchkin on the streets of Storybrooke after it became part of the United Realms was filmed, but this ended up being cut from the episode.
 * Jakob Davies, who portrayed Pinocchio for most of the show, being replaced by his younger brother Jack Davies by the time of the Season Six episode "The Song in Your Heart", accompanied Jack to the set on the last day of filming for the series finale.
 * It is also confusing for Pinocchio to be there, since both August and Wish Pinocchio were adults by the time of when there were last seen.
 * Originally, Emma and Hook's baby was not going to appear on the show.
 * The scenes for Roni's coronation took two days to film.
 * Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Dallas and Rose Reynolds were not present when Jennifer Morrison filmed her scenes.
 * Jennifer Morrison and Lana Parrilla worked on the first day, while Ginnifer Goodwin's and Josh Dallas' scenes had to be shot on the second day. According to Adam Horowitz, the only interactions that had to be digitally "faked" were between Emma, Snow and David.
 * According to Rose Reynolds, each side of the crowds were filmed separately.
 * At a fan convention in 2018, Rebecca Mader proposed the series finale would involve everyone from all the realms ending up all together in Storybrooke, despite not knowing at the time that this is exactly what would happen in the episode script.
 * The shot of a garden pinwheel of Tinker Bell on a house lawn in Storybrooke at the end of the episode is stock footage from the Season One premiere "Pilot".
 * It is unclear when the ending of the episode takes place. The fact that Roni seems to cast the Dark Curse right after the events of the death of Weaver makes it a time paradox, since the events of this episode occurs before Henry graduates from highschool, making it impossible for some of the characters existing in the Royal Castle. However, there is also no explanation if the group first finds a way to get back to their original timeline, or the Dark Curse that Roni casts automatically sends them to that time. Regardless, it remains unknown.
 * Kevin Santarosa, a production staff member on the show, appears as a guest at Roni's coronation. He can be seen standing behind Rogers and next to Marco.


 * -|Episode Connections=

Event Chronology

 * The Wish Realm events take place after "Homecoming" and (due to the time travel revealed in "Is This Henry Mills?") several years before "Breadcrumbs".
 * The Storybrooke events take place after "Homecoming" and (due to the time travel) before "Hyperion Heights".
 * The United Realms events take place several years later, several months after "A Pirate's Life" (where Emma was pregnant with baby Hope, who is an infant in this episode).
 * The Mount Olympus events take place after "Last Rites".

Episode Connections

 * The Wish Realm version of Rumplestiltskin kidnapped Lucy and Jacinda in "Homecoming", with Roni, Henry, Weaver, and Rogers attempting to rescue them in the same episode.
 * Leroy whistles the song "Heigh-Ho" when going to the Granny's Diner. He also whistles the same song in "Dreamy", "We Are Both", "Tiny" and "Siege Perilous".
 * Tilly and Margot arrived in Storybrooke in "Homecoming".
 * The Dark Curse was cast in "The Eighth Witch". It was broken in "Is This Henry Mills?".
 * Henry's graduation takes place in "Is This Henry Mills?".
 * Robin told Alice about Storybrooke in "The Girl in the Tower".
 * Zelena lost her magic in "Where Bluebirds Fly".
 * Zelena learned how to drive in "The Black Fairy"
 * She also expressed her hatred against driving, comparing the cars to "deathtraps" in "A Bitter Draught".
 * The Wish Realm version of Belle was found to be dead in "Tougher Than the Rest".
 * Belle died in "Beauty".
 * Wish Hook's heart is poisoned with the Curse of the Poisoned Heart by Gothel in "Knightfall".
 * The Evil Queen declared that she would cast the Dark Curse in "Pilot".
 * Regina killed Queen Snow and King David in "Wish You Were Here".
 * Robin Hood was killed by Hades in "Last Rites".
 * Robin and Regina first met in "New York City Serenade".
 * Robin's feather plays a plot point in this episode. It also did in "The Savior".
 * Mr. Gold and Wish Hook first became friends in "The Guardian".
 * Maui's Fish Hook was first seen in "Knightfall".
 * The reason of Rumplestiltskin's hatred against the fairies was seen in "Dreamy", "The Return", "Fall", "Changelings" and "The Black Fairy".
 * Weaver uses a dreamcatcher even though he has no magic at the time. Hook uses the same method in "Page 23".
 * Mr. Gold and Belle got married in "There's No Place Like Home".
 * The Wish Realm version of Henry removed the power of the Guardians in "Homecoming".
 * Robin chose using a bow over magic in "Secret Garden".
 * Robin and Alice first met and fell in love in "The Girl in the Tower".
 * Mary Margaret and David were last seen in "The Final Battle Part 2".
 * Prince Charming and Snow White led the war council in "Pilot".
 * Wish Rumplestiltskin uses the word "Guilty" to describe himself when Weaver confronts him. Rumplestiltskin also used the exact word when confronted by Maleficent, Ursula and Cruella De Vil in "Darkness on the Edge of Town".
 * Rumplestiltskin became the Dark One in "Desperate Souls".
 * Weaver's plan to destroy the Darkness is finally concluded, which he began in "Beauty".
 * Regina's lessons with Rumplestiltskin take place in "We Are Both", "The Doctor", "Quite a Common Fairy" and "Enter the Dragon".
 * The Dark Curse was also cast in "Pilot", "Going Home", "A Curious Thing", "Broken Heart", "The Song in Your Heart" and "The Eighth Witch".
 * Lily wanted to find her father in "Operation Mongoose Part 2".
 * Zelena regained her magic in "Secret Garden".
 * Emma opens the door of the Royal Castle and says, "Sorry, I'm late", just like the Evil Queen did in "Pilot".
 * Emma revealed that she was pregnant in "A Pirate's Life".
 * While Regina is giving a speech to the kingdom, clips from "Pilot", "Snow Falls", "The Price of Gold", "That Still Small Voice", "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter", "Dreamy", "The Stable Boy", "The Stranger", "A Land Without Magic", "Broken", "Queen of Hearts", "The Outsider", "The Miller's Daughter", "The Heart of the Truest Believer", "Good Form", "Going Home", "New York City Serenade", "Quiet Minds", "Snow Drifts", "There's No Place Like Home", "A Tale of Two Sisters", "Breaking Glass", "Darkness on the Edge of Town", "Poor Unfortunate Soul", "Sympathy for the De Vil", "Operation Mongoose Part 1", "Dreamcatcher", "The Bear and the Bow", "Souls of the Departed", "Last Rites", "A Wondrous Place" and "The Final Battle Part 2" are seen.


 * -|Cultural References=

Disney

 * A garden pinwheel of Tinker Bell appears on a house lawn in Storybrooke.

''Lost

 * In the beginning of the episode, the time on the clock tower in Storybrooke is 8:15, a reference to Oceanic Flight 815. The same time is on the clock at the end of the episode.

Fairytales and Folklore

 * This episode features Rumplestiltskin from the Rumplestiltskin fairytale, Captain Hook, Smee, and Tinker Bell from the Peter Pan story, Robin Hood from the ballad, Pinocchio and the Blue Fairy from the The Adventures of Pinocchio, the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz story, Maleficent from the Sleeping Beauty fairytale, Pongo from The Hundred and One Dalmatians story and the Good Queen from "Snow White" fairytale.
 * Zorro from the story of the same name is mentioned and revealed to be Lily's father.
 * According to Edward Kitsis, they couldn't get the rights to the character, which is the reason why he doesn't appear in the episode.


 * -|Set Notes=

Props Notes

 * The council table first seen in the Season One premiere reappears in the Wish Realm in the same color scheme from the alternate reality in the Season Four finale "Operation Mongoose Part 2", but with a new centerpiece.
 * The illustrations in Wish Rumplestiltskin's prison books were created from frames and promotional images from the show:
 * The illustration in Roni's book is based on a frame of Regina from the Season Four premiere "A Tale of Two Sisters".
 * The illustration in Mary Margaret's book is based on a frame of Snow White from the Season One episode "Red-Handed".
 * The illustration in Kelly's book is based on a promotional image for Season Three.
 * An excerpt from the Grimm fairy tale "The Pink" can be seen in Mary Margaret's storybook.
 * The text page next to Snow White's picture reads:

tiger? Snow Cave of Wonders? with a deep, rumbling, bs my slumber?" the ow faced him uncertain- is not treasure that I " The Tiger con-  allow you to pass. never see the open ought. It seemed  jaws of this " ? Perhaps if she  should be clear again  her way out of  thanked the  she walked into


 * Fittingly enough, the accompanying illustration shows Snow White in a desert (as seen in the Season Six episode "Street Rats", the Cave of Wonders is located in the desert realm of Agrabah). The caption reads "The shifting sands had Snow disorientated and heartsick with yearning."
 * The story is based on Disney's Aladdin, where the Cave of Wonders is guarded by a spirit with the shape of a tiger's head. The cave can only be entered by a chosen individual and anyone else who makes attempts to enter are given a warning by the tiger. If they try to enter the cave anyway, they are killed by the spirit.
 * When Roni opens her own book, a micro-excerpt from the "Cinderella" fairy tale can be glimpsed.
 * The illustration of Roni shows her sitting alone on a rock by the ocean, with a shipwreck in the background. The caption reads "Regina knew the most important thing was not to lose hope. She would see her son again.
 * According to an alternate shot posted on the website of Gina Mackay, who worked as a graphic designer on Season Seven, the page next to the illustration reads:

the currents grew stronger and ecame swept up in a massive ght back to her barren rock. She n. But no matter how hard she ould always pull her right back where lapsed into the rock in exhaustion. "A ," she thought. So she watched the hori- p never came. And as days turned to nd to months, any speck of hope in Regina, and she came to realize she would never amily again.


 * Kelly's book contains an illustration of Zelena looking out the porthole of the Nautilus. The cation reads "”I hate fish and I have no desire to live like one,” Zelena thought as she looked out the porthole."
 * For David, Rogers and Lucy's books, green fields were used so that the illustrations could be digitally added in post-production. According to a prop photograph posted on an online auction, the captions read:
 * "Charming knew exactly where he was, and yet had never felt so lost."
 * "Captain Hook climbed atop a large mushroom and surveyed the land around him."
 * "“My hair will never grow long enough. Not in a thousand years,” thought Lucy."
 * Another prop photograph from the online auction offers a glimpse of Lucy's story:

Lucy looked out the window one more time. That makes about a thousand despon-   pacing the room and exploring every inch of it for a way out. She wondered if she'd cry herself to sleep tonight and wowed that she would not. She wouldn't give


 * It also contains an excerpt from Rogers' story:

Captain Hook had fought his way out of a hundred of skirmishes. He was quite experienced in the common tavern brawl. And the Jolly Roger had been boarded by enemy pirates more times than he liked   Bread-and-Butterflies  large enough to swallow a grown man whole. But with his cutlass by his side, this seemed like a fight that he


 * The Bread-and-Butterfly is a creature from Lewis Carroll's novel Through the Looking-Glass.


 * A behind the scenes photograph posted by Keegan Connor Tracy on Twitter reveals that the Wish Blue Fairy's book shows Blue crying in a forest. The caption reads "The Blue Fairy soon realized she wasn't in her home anymore".
 * When the portals to the storybook realms are open and everyone hangs on to prevent themselves from being sucked in, pages from Wish Rumplestiltskin's storybooks are turning in the wind:
 * One page contains a blurred illustration of Sleeping Beauty lying on a bed. It is called "The Sleeping Princess" and is from the 1916 fairy tale collection The Allies' Fairy Book, illustrated by the famous book English book illustrator Arthur Rackham.
 * One book contains an excerpt from the Grimm fairy tale "Little Sister and Little Brother".
 * The opposite page contains another excerpt from "The Pink". The same excerpt can also be seen in the storybook lying next to Weaver.
 * Another page contains a blurred excerpt from the "Cinderella" fairytale.
 * The opposite page contains another excerpt from "Little Brother and Little Sister".
 * A third excerpt from "The Pink" can be glimpsed on another page.
 * Yet another excerpt from "The Pink" is printed in the storybook next to Rogers.
 * When Regina is crowned the leader of the United Realms, Wish Henry is wearing Storybrooke's deputy sheriff's badge.

Costume Notes

 * Mary Margaret is wearing a Ted Baker Embellished Collar Sweater (exact style no longer available).
 * The dress Kelly is wearing during Roni's coronation is the same dress worn by her Enchanted Forest counterpart in the Season Three episode "Kansas".
 * The dress Mary Margaret is wearing during Roni's coronation is the same dress worn by the Wish Realm counterpart of her original persona in the Season Six episode "Wish You Were Here".
 * The ensemble David is wearing during Roni's coronation is the same attire worn by his Enchanted Forest counterpart in the Season One episodes "Pilot" and "A Land Without Magic".
 * The dress Sabine is wearing during Roni's coronation is the same dress worn by her New Enchanted Forest counterpart in the Season Seven episode "The Eighth Witch", but with a collar.


 * -|Goofs=

Goofs

 * In the scene where Leroy, Doc, and Walter arrive in front of Granny's Diner to receive their packed lunches from Granny, Archie is nowhere to be seen. After Leroy accepts the lunch bags and turns around as the Rollin' Bayou comes down the street, the next shot shows Archie is suddenly there with his dog Pongo.


 * -|Other Notes=

Filming Locations

 * The Dream World tavern scene with Roni and Robin Hood and the scene in the snow globe cabin were both filmed on a television set at The Bridge Studios.
 * The scene where everyone is gathered around the council table in the Wish Realm version of the Royal Castle, the scenes in Wish Rumplestiltskin's great hall and Roni's coronation in the actual Royal Castle, were all filmed on green-screen sets at The Bridge Studios.
 * Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas couldn't be there when the others filmed and instead filmed their part later with a body double for Emma, and the family was reunited digitally in post-production.
 * Burnaby's Central Park doubles as the Wish Realm for the scene with Rogers, Margot and the Black Knights.
 * A deleted scene with Henry riding a horse through the forest was filmed by Central Park's upper pond.
 * The scene where Weaver is reunited with Belle on Mount Olympus was filmed on a smoke-filled television set with the Storybrooke Wishing Well prop against a black background at The Bridge Studios.