The second season of the American ABC fantasy-drama series Once Upon a Time was announced on May 10, 2012. It premiered on September 30, 2012, and concluded on May 12, 2013.
The season's plot follows the breaking of the curse and the introduction of magic by Rumplestiltskin / Mr. Gold into Storybrooke in the first season finale, with the characters having to deal with their dual identities and new emerging threats. Existing fictional characters introduced to the series during the season include Captain Hook, Princess Aurora, Mulan, Prince Phillip, Robin Hood, the Darling family, and the Lost Boys.
Premise
With the curse broken, the residents of Storybrooke struggle with resolving their original and cursed memories, left wondering about the fate of their land. When Rumplestiltskin / Mr. Gold successfully introduces magic into the real world, some of the Storybrooke residents try to figure out how to return home, leading to an incident with the Mad Hatter's teleporting hat that causes Emma and Snow White / Mary Margaret to be accidentally transported to the Enchanted Forest. They discover that part of the realm was spared from the curse, keeping the remaining inhabitants frozen during the 28 years. Among them are allies Aurora and Mulan, along with enemies Regina's mother Cora and Captain Hook. The latter two follow Emma and Mary Margaret as they successfully make it back to Storybrooke, with Cora wanting to get even with Regina, and Hook wanting to kill Rumplestiltskin for taking his hand and his lover. Meanwhile, Rumplestiltskin works to bypass the protective boundary and leave Storybrooke to find his missing son Baelfire, who is revealed to be Henry's father. The magical boundary around Storybrooke starts to falter, allowing strangers from the outside world to enter the town, including outsiders Greg Mendell and Tamara, both of whom secretly working for a mysterious organization tracking and eliminating magic. Their actions lead to Henry's captivity in Neverland, setting up the third season.
Cast and characters
Main
Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White / Mary Margaret Blanchard
Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan
Lana Parrilla as Evil Queen / Regina Mills
Josh Dallas as Prince Charming / David Nolan
Emilie de Ravin as Belle / Lacey
Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills
Meghan Ory as Red Riding Hood / Ruby
Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin / Mr. Gold
Colin O'Donoghue as Captain Hook / Killian Jones
Recurring
Lee Arenberg as Grumpy / Leroy
Michael Raymond-James as Baelfire / Neal Cassidy
Beverley Elliott as Widow Lucas / Granny
Barbara Hershey as Cora / Queen of Hearts
Jeffrey Kasier as Dopey
Michael Coleman as Happy
Mig Macario as Bashful
Faustino Di Bauda as Sleepy / Walter
David Paul Grove as Doc
Sarah Bolger as Aurora
Ethan Embry as Owen Flynn / Greg Mendell
Jamie Chung as Hua Mulan
Keegan Connor Tracy as The Blue Fairy / Mother Superior
Raphael Sbarge as Jiminy Cricket / Dr. Archie Hopper
Sonequa Martin-Green as Tamara
David Anders as Dr. Victor Frankenstein / Dr. Whale
Gabe Khouth as Sneezy / Tom Clark
Tony Amendola as Geppetto / Marco
Chris Gauthier as Mr. Smee
Alan Dale as King George / Albert Spencer
Jorge Garcia as Anton
Sebastian Stan as The Mad Hatter / Jefferson
Julian Morris as Prince Phillip
Guest
Bailee Madison as Young Snow White
Rachel Shelley as Milah
Eion Bailey as August Booth / Pinocchio
Tony Perez as Henry
Dylan Schmidt as Young Baelfire
Jamie Dornan as Huntsman / Sheriff Graham Humbert
Tom Ellis as Robin Hood
Freya Tingley as Wendy Darling
Parker Croft as Felix
Gabrielle Rose as Ruth
Eric Keenleyside as Sir Maurice / Moe French
Noah Bean as Daniel Colter
Rose McGowan as Young Cora
Sinqua Walls as Sir Lancelot
Annabeth Gish as Anita
Ben Hollingsworth as Quinn
Gregory Itzin as Alphonse Frankenstein
Chad Michael Collins as Gerhardt Frankenstein
Cassidy Freeman as Jack
Lesley Nicol as Johanna
Rena Sofer as Queen Eva
Joaquim de Almeida as King Xavier
John Pyper-Ferguson as Kurt Flynn
Benjamin Stockham as Young Owen Flynn
Tzi Ma as the Dragon
Wil Traval as Sheriff of Nottingham / Keith
Episodes
Production
Development
On May 10, 2012, ABC ordered Once Upon a Time for a second season, which premiered on September 30, 2012.