Preview of the Once Upon A Time season premiere, The Heart Of The Truest Believer

We just got back from an ABC screening of the first two episodes for Season 3 of Once Upon A Time.

The premiere is called “The Heart Of The Truest Believer” and as we like to do here at KSiteTV, we have a few teases to share about the season opener. Hopefully not enough to ruin things, but enough to satisfy appetites for more info.

Are you ready? Let’s go…

It all begins with a birth. Once Upon A Time Season 3 opens with a flashback to the birth of Henry, showing the first time Emma lost Henry, leading to now, when she has lost him yet again.

Not-so-smooth sailing. The show’s creators liken the journey into Neverland as being like a road trip. At first, people want to work together, but the next thing you know, they’re at each other’s throats. Everyone seems to be annoying everyone else, with the appropriate sprinkles of snark coming especially from Regina and Captain Hook. It’s going to be a stormy ride, with some creatures and situations we haven’t seen before from Once. And yes, someone is going to have to unite them all.

Emma has doubts. She also points out how much her parents’ lives have “sucked” since the curse broke.

Captain Swan. Yes, there is some Captain Hook flirting with Emma in the cabin of the ship. They share a drink, and do a toast to Neal, showing a rare sentimental side to Hook.

Speaking of Neal… Someone calls him out for taking the “easy way” rather than facing his feelings for Emma. He ends up in a few locations we’ve seen before on the show, including a potentially surprising one. The joy of having a character like Neal, who lived for so long in the “real world,” means we have a character who is well aware of the… “other media” versions of the characters. There’s a shoutout to one of those animated movies in the premiere; the first two episodes also reference how Captain Hook looks in the Peter Pan movie.

We do find out more about the “Home Office.”

“The Heart Of The Truest Believer” is a title that will hold some huge meaning and implications for Season 3. Believing is a very good thing in Neverland.

All in all, the Once season premiere is exactly what it needed to be — surely, the show needs more Storybrooke stuff, but we can wait until the second half of the season for that, right? This one, though, is action packed, exploring and not ignoring the series’ regular cast of characters, and it stays true to the show’s mythos. I think writers/creators Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz did a great job on this one.

The Once Upon A Time season premiere airs Sunday, September 29 on ABC. Take a look at some preview images!