Board Thread:Spoilers!/@comment-25926288-20161101150057/@comment-1916997-20170208070304

Crazy theory time for me:

If we use IMDB and other sources we know characters in this episode include August, Robert (Charming's Dad), King George, Young Pinocchio, Young David, Young James, Young Ruth, and some Carnies. We also have creepy carnival music. We know this episodes flashbacks will definitly deal with Charming's father's death, and we have lots of proof of that. First off, the creators have basically told us this episode was coming. Second, we have all the expected cast members for it: Robert, Ruth, George, Young David, Young James. Obviously it seems that Robert will try to go get his son James back from George, George refuses, and kills Robert to make the problem go away. But what if the real twist of the episode is not that someone we know is a villain (George) led to Robert's death, but someone who we see as a hero. Here's where Pinocchio comes into play. Pinocchio should have had lots of adventures as a living puppet before the scene of him and Gepetto and Mostro that we saw in Season 1. Yet this has never been shown. Because a puppet wouldn't age, we don't know how long Pinocchio was around for. What if his adventures spanned over several decades? Then he would have been around when Robert was coming back home after not getting his son James. Maybe Pinocchio did something (probably not intentionally) that led to Robert getting killed. We know Pinocchio winds up as part of a puppet show in his adventures (I and others have already brought up Stromboli), and what better place to have a puppet show with a living puppet than a creepy carnival, which explains the Carnies that are cast and the music. This also explains why August is in the episode, imagine David's dilemma when he finds out August, one of Emma's friends, was responcible for his father's death. You had bet we would see the confrontation between August and David. Also, who does Emma side with, her father or her friend? I'm feeling really good about this theory, so hopefully I'm right. We'll find out soon enough.