Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-5571357-20131216051805/@comment-1916997-20131217023417

Two things:

1. As far as why Ruby hasn't been in any episodes this season, that is completly due to the actress deciding she wanted a bigger role, which Intelligence (airing on CBS starting in January) can provide her. If she has time and there is an episode that will prominently feature her, and/or Intelligence bombs, she will be back.

2. I know there is another thread discussing this, so maybe it's not why it's being talked about here, but the biggest thing that is confusing me is the whole what exists/what doesn't and where is everybody. The episode shows everyone currently in Storybrooke getting returned to present day Enchanted Forest, but keeping all their memories, with the exception of Emma and Henry, who's memories are changed so that Emma never gave Henry up in the first place. Storybrooke is appearently turned back into the forest it originally was. One year later, Hook shows up, somehow getting back to the World Without Magic, and tells Emma (who of course can't remember him), everybodies in trouble. I understand all that, here's where it gets confusing, in previews we've seen both everybody who was transported back in the Enchanted Forest, and people (including people who were never their before) back in Storybrooke, which is back to normal. The only explination I can think of is the Wicked Witch of the West casted some kind of Copycat Curse of Regina's Curse (It can't be Regina's Curse because that scroll was destroyed, right?). But Hook escaped it some how? IDK. Needless to say, if I'm correct, then only Hook and Wicked Witch (and maybe Rumple, I'm 99.9% sure he's not actually dead) have their real memories, and everybody, including people who weren't cursed before (Phillip, Aurora, Mulan, Robin), plus Emma and Henry need their memories restored. That's the best I can come up with at any rate, I guess we'll find out how right that is in March.