Board Thread:Spoilers!/@comment-24304025-20150202171011/@comment-4877635-20150307142933

I think I've worked out clues for Zelena not actually dying. In 'Kansas', we've all been focusing on her death in Storybrooke, everybody has forgotten her first death in Oz from Dorothy, revealed in the same episode. Here are the two clues:

1) Glinda told Dorothy that now Zelena was dead, her magic would be reversed. However, when Zelena was defeated, the flying monkeys turned back to humans. It was almost as if Zelena realised she'd have to fake her death so the flying monkeys would have to turn back to their original forms.

2) When Dorothy 'killled' Zelena, she turned into a pile of clothes and melted skin. This then turned from a green smoke back into Zelena. When Gold killed Zelena, she randomly turned to clay/china and smashed into a pile of rubble. Then a green smoke appeared and what was left of Zelena disappeared.

My theory is Zelena knew when she was beaten that Gold would kill her so prepared to fake her death again. THat's why these plot holes happened in 'Kansas'