The Final Entries: Once Upon A Time . . . Best Twists

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Disclaimer
Please note that this is a list made by several SpoilerTV writers/contributors and that this reflects our opinions and isn't the ultimate list and we don't preach this to be the only truth out there.

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We are only one week away from the premiere of Once Upon A Time's final twelve episodes and after last weeks Best Character Adaptation article we are counting down the Best 7 Twists. Those 7 moments that left our jaws down on the floor.

Hope you enjoy the read and join the discussion in the comment section down below.
Major thx to Jaz (JZ), Jamie (JC) and Joey (JD) for their writing contribution and all STV staff members who voted.

7th Place - Snow White casts the 2nd curse in A Curious Thing (3x19)

JD: Snow would literally have been my very last guess on who cast this second curse, though of course it all makes sense once we find out. This might actually have been the last time I didn't throw my hands in the air when everyone lost their memories (minus this last season because I'm viewing it as more of a spin-off than a continuation). To me the curse thing got worse as it went on, but I was still all for it at this point, and the intricacies will certainly stay with me long after the show ends.

MK: This was really unexpected and while it was obvious it wasn't Zelena I would never imagine it to be Snow who crushed the heart of the thing she loves the most. It was simply terrifying and simultaneously beautiful moment as the reveal was shocking and celebrated the love between Snowing.

6th Place - Mulan is in love with Aurora, Quite A Common Fairy (3x03)

JZ: This is a huge twist for the series because, for the most part, ABC hadn’t ventured too far from the canon of Disney Princesses with all of them ending up with their fairy tale beaus. Mulan was the first character to break this mold. Although the story ended in heartbreak and underutilized by the writers, I enjoyed the delicate reveal as well as Jamie Chung's acting throughout. They still remain one of my favorite pairings to date.



JC: Here I was expecting a love triangle between Aurora, Philip, and Mulan with both girls fighting over the guy. But no, turns out Mulan had feelings for Aurora. Unfortunately, that’s also were that storyline ended. Nothing was really explored here, just one of this show’s many missed opportunities for an LGBT romance in the sea of straight couples.

JD: This was definitely a game-changer, and made me realize a bit of a double standard I had. I was getting some hard vibes that Mulan was actually in love with Phillip and was going to ruin things for Aurora, and I kinda didn't like her because of it. But then when we found out she was actually in love with Aurora, I was all for it and didn't care how Phillip would feel at all. I absolutely loved the risk they took with this, especially when we were in a bit of a less accepting time and I was so thrilled that there wasn't a ton of backlash for it. I'm still holding out hope that this pair somehow got together.

5th Place - August Reveal, The Stranger (1x20)

JZ: I really enjoyed this twist because August was one of the most challenging character mysteries which had the audience scratching their heads for months! Was he the author? Rumple’s Son? Henry’s dad? Brothers Grimm? Turns out he was Pinocchio and while I didn’t believe that theory at first, looking back at it, it all makes sense with beautiful Easter eggs hidden throughout the series from the whale to his handy wood making/locksmith skills! Not only that, he was Emma’s first friend in the real world in scenes from their childhood that were beautiful but heartbreaking.

JD: This twist caught me completely off-guard. I had about 10 different theories lined up for who August could be, and never even thought to consider Pinocchio. I think I actually may have forgotten that Pinocchio was Disney and therefore fair game, so I would never have guessed it. Plus his whole storyline with Emma was great. Season one just had so much gold!

4th Place - Emma's True love kiss breaks the Curse, A Land Without Magic (1x22)

JC: Honestly, this isn’t really a twist in my book. Mainly because I already knew it would happen before watching it (thank you internet). But it was pretty clear to me that the curse would be broken by Emma in the finale. What I didn’t expect is how many time they’d repeat this storyline.

JZ: I loved this twist because it showed that “true love” doesn’t have to be a romantic love. It can mean different things to different people. I loved that for Emma it was her love for Henry after a season of questioning her position as his mother and in his life in general.

JD: I loved this one purely for the sentiment. The first time I saw Emma in the hospital room with our unconscious Henry, I shouted "Just kiss him and everything will be fixed because a mother's love IS true love!" so it wasn't too much of a twist for me, but I still absolutely loved it.

MK: This was the perfect ending to a perfect first season. Everything worked so well and them mirroring the true loves kiss between Snow and Charming made it just that much better.

3rd Place - Graham's Death, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter (!x08)

JC: With so many minor characters, I did not think Graham would die first. I thought he would play a much bigger role in the show. But I guess his only real purpose was being a plot device to create more animosity between Emma and Regina.

JD: This one upset me. There was so much buildup of him getting some memories back, and I was kinda hoping for a Graham/Henry team-up to help Emma save everyone which would end up with Emma and Graham happily ever after. He finally remember everything, and then Regina CRUSHED HIS FREAKING HEART!!! I wasn't ready for it, and it's still one of the defining moments of the series for me.

MK: This was a certain hearbreaker. I mean this is a show about fairytale characters, you simply just don't kill one. In a extremely unexpected way Graham was robbed out of the OUAT world and is missed ever since.

2nd Place - Peter Pan is Rumple's father, Think Lovely Thoughts (3x08)

JC: This shouldn’t have been surprising since everyone is related to each other on this show, but this wasn’t one I saw coming. Probably because of the huge age difference, it’s easy to forget that Pan is immortal (but Rumple was too, so it got a bit confusing there). But I think this was probably the last “this character is related to this character” twist that really surprised us. By the time Zelena came around (not long after) we nothing surprised us anymore.

JD: In my opinion, this moment saved that whole storyline. I really was not enjoying the season much up to that point and was getting ready to put the show on my "catch up in a few seasons" list, but they sucked me right back in with this twist. I ended up watching the season again with a friend who was catching up and knowing what was coming made the whole thing so much more enjoyable. An A+ twist in my books!

MK: And suddenly everything made sense. This was one game-changing twist that elevated the whole Pan arc to another level. The performance of all actors, present and flashbacks was extraordinary and simply made this twist deserving of the 2nd place.

1st PLACE - RED IS THE WOLF, RED-HANDED (1x15)

JC: This one was my favorite twist. I didn’t start watching OUAT when it first aired, I caught up over the summer after season one. So this was actually a twist that I knew about beforehand. I actually think it was one of the deciding factors for me to start watching this show. I was very into the supernatural stuff and hoped to see a lot more of Red, alas she disappeared soon after. Still, Red Riding Hood being the wolf remains my number one twist.

JZ: This was my favorite reveal because it was just a good old-fashioned horror story twist and a take that took me completely by surprise. Sometimes keeping it simple is the smartest thing an audience can do!

JD: Loved this twist! I remember watching the episode for the first time with a group of friends and we all flipped out at this reveal. I was already a fan of the show by this point, but this honestly cemented my early dedication to the show.

A lot of great twists were left out and the list of honorable mentions would be too long. So use the comments section and tell us which are your favorite ONCE UPON A TIME TWISTS! And don't forget to stop by next week for our FINAL ENTRY: Best Romantic moments.