“Welcome to Storybrooke.”

With those three words, bail bonds person, Emma Swan, is catapulted into a world beyond her wildest imagination. On the day of Emma’s birth 28 years before, the Evil Queen cast a dark curse upon the fairy tale denizens of the Enchanted Forest, ripping away their homes and their memories, sending them to our world. Now they live, the unknowing citizens of Storybrooke, Maine, under the thumb of the Queen herself. Henry, the Queen’s adopted son, hunts down Emma, who is apparently his birth mother, and brings her to Storybrooke to fulfill her destiny.

According to Henry, Emma is The Savior, a prophesied hero born to break the curse…and the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. Between underhanded deals, magical hearts, and mysterious histories, Emma must break the curse or fall victim to one of the Queen’s attempts to remove her from the equation.

Now with an extended world view and an extended family enriched by three seasons, Emma must prepare to face the advent of the “Frozen” characters on Sept. 28. After the equally heartbreaking and spectacular season finale in the third season, I think we were all left with plenty questions that will hopefully be answered in the new season.

Many reviews I have read on other websites seem to look down on the idea of using “Frozen” as a money grab by Disney, but I refuse to think of it in such negative terms. It is an attempt for Disney to milk the franchise however, knowing the writers Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, Once Upon A Time’s take on “Frozen” will be completely different from the original in a new and exciting way. Perhaps Anna and Elsa will have happily grown up together and Elsa’s visit to Storybrooke is not one of evil. Here’s to hoping.

In general, one of this show’s greatest draws is its amazing acting. Because of the duality with the characters in Storybrooke as normal citizens and their adventures through their fairy tales in the enchanted forest, the same actor will sometimes play approximately five different people within the length of one episode.

The show shines because the actors portray the duality marvelously. Lines are lines but the actors are the ones who bring them to life. I have always loved the plot no matter what episode is on, but the reason I care about it relates to my emotional investment in the characters. Without the actors’ spectacular level of skill, the writer’s vision would never come out so clear and raw as this show portrays it.

*Spoiler alert ahead, continue at your own risk!

While we’re talking about big spills of the third season finale, let’s talk Maid Marian. All you Outlaw Queen shippers, myself included, were bawling watching Regina’s happy ending get snatched away from her once again. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the term “shipping,” it is when you want certain characters to have a relationship.

In the Outlaw Queen ship, those characters would be Robin Hood and Regina, the Evil Queen. Will true love be able to weather such an onslaught? Could Regina go back to being the Evil Queen in her misery? Can we ever forgive Emma for saving Marian’s life? Hopefully the upcoming season will answer those questions as well.

Meanwhile, the Rumbellers- people who ship Rumplestiltskin and Belle- experience their own tragedy. For those of us who went back and rewatched “Kansas,” an episode towards the end of the third season, Belle made Rumplestiltskin explicitly agree to not got after the Wicked Witch. Afterwards, he proposed, yay Rumbelle! However, shortly after, he goes straight to the witch’s cell and stabs her. Why? Why does this show have such an annoying habit of reforming the villains only to have them revert back to their old selves with one horrible choice? It’ll be interesting to see if Belle ever forgives Rumple for this one.

On a happier note, Captain Hook and Emma have finally had a meaningful kiss. I wonder what these two will be like as a couple; they don’t seem the handholding type. My guess is the next season will contain some wonderfully awkward moments that will have me laughing until season five.

If you’re interested in the show or just want to see the “Frozen” characters in real life, check it out on ABC on Sundays at 8/7c!