Board Thread:Spoilers!/@comment-26830263-20170710210232/@comment-27060727-20170718183106

Chameleon-Guy wrote: The thing is that Emma is not some random character, she was the protagonist, you can't write her off in a number of ways, like, she's not home so she can't say good bye to Henry when he leaves. She's the Savior, if a major crisis happens this season, with her husband and kid involved, why isn't she present? It'd be weird to have her still around and not saving the day. I'll be mad if this is her final appearance ever, and the explanation they give for her absence is "Oh, she's just in Storybrooke off-screen". Besides, her parents will appear somewhere during the season too, without her, they have to explain that as well. That, if this is really her last episode.

I agree. But if they can't get Jen to appear when they'd want her to, they have no choice, even if Emma was the protagonist for 5 seasons. And I can't see them setting Emma up as part of the ongoing plot if they haven't gotten Jen on another guest contract.

I do think that any former main's appearance will be to support a veteran main still on the show. I don't think Emma and the Charmings will be focused on in a storyline involving just themselves. So Snowing can appear without her and vice versa.

Like Emma would return for a Hook or Henry episode, Snow or Zelena would return for a Regina episode, Belle would return for a Rumple episode, etc.