Once Upon a Time: LGBT relationship not a 'Very Special Episode'

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Ever since the creative team behind Once Upon a Time announced that the show would finally be exploring an LGBT relationship in its fifth season, fans have been waiting with bated breath to find out who that would involve.

The easy guess was Mulan (Jamie Chung), who recently returned a nearly unrecognizable character after having her heart broken because Aurora (Sarah Bolger), whom she harbors feelings for, had a baby with Prince Phillip (Julian Morris). With Mulan now setting off on a new adventure with Ruby (Meghan Ory), some viewers pondered whether that was the LGBT relationship the OUAT bosses were talking about — they even already have a ‘shipper name, MulanRouge!

Alas, the powers that be are staying mum. “We’d rather not comment on who it is with or what it is about,” executive producer Adam Horowitz tells EW. “Our goal is to make it as we see it in the real world, just as normal and as a part of every day life as it should be.”

“Our worry is the more the press asks us, the more it’s turning into the very special episode of Once, where we have a gay character, as opposed to what we wanted, which was we tell a story of love no different than Snow [Ginnifer Goodwin] and Charming [Josh Dallas] or Hook [Colin O’Donoghue] and Emma [Jennifer Morrison],” executive producer Edward Kitsis adds.

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While the OUAT duo appreciate the fans’ support for the upcoming story line, “We also feel the weirdness of the more we talk about it, the more does it seem marginalized as opposed to normalized,” Horowitz says. “That’s where we are and why we’re hesitant to comment specifically on what our plans are.”

In other words, be patient. It’ll happen, and when it does, it’ll just be another story line to enjoy.

Once Upon a Time returns Sunday, Nov. 29 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.