Gaston, the villain and odd man out in Disney’s classic tale of “Beauty and the Beast” will return to the second half of Season 5 of the American fairy tale drama TV series “Once Upon a Time” whose midseason will premiere on ABC on March 6.
Viewers of “Once Upon a Time” would recall that Gaston was first introduced during Season 1 as the fiancé of Belle, played by Emilie de Ravin.
At that time, Gaston, played by Sage Brocklebank, tried to save the beautiful Belle from Rumplestiltskin, played by Robert Carlyle, when she agreed to be his maid, details the Ecumenical News.
But the Dark One got wind of Gaston’s plan to save Belle and turned him into a rose which he then gave to Belle.
Reports have it that Gaston will return on the second half of Season 5 but the character shall no longer be played by Sage Brocklebank, but Wes Brown of “True Blood.” It was actually showrunner Adam Horowitz who confirmed the return of Gaston.
However, his return will be a backstory and not a continuation of what happened to him during Season 1. Accordingly, Gaston’s appearance in Season 5 of “Once Upon a Time” will be during the time before Belle met the devious Rumplestiltskin.
Season 5 of “Once Upon a Time” will air its 12th episode on March 6 titled “Souls of the Departed” but the air date of the episode where Gaston will re-appear has yet to be disclosed. Reports also have it that shippers of ‘Rumbelle’ will also be learning the fate of the unlikely couple when Season 5 of the TV series resumes.
A devious alter ego
The midseason finale of “Once Upon a Time” before it went into its winter hiatus, titled ‘Swan Song’ showed Rumplestiltskin, also known as Mr. Gold, discovering a way to be the Dark One again, oblivious to the knowledge of Belle.
Show creator Edward Kitsis disclosed that Mr. Gold’s farewell to Belle was really sincere as he wanted her to be safe from the evils of the Dark One. An opportunity to turn once again to the dark side was presented to Mr. Gold and he decided to take it.
It would appear that Gaston would return as a good guy yet again as he will be tangling with the Dark One. The plotline is giving many fans of “Once Upon a Time” a lot of excitement, prompting ABC head Paul Lee to feel confident about the show’s staying in the network for several more years.
In a recent interview, Lee threw praises to show creators Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis for their inventiveness and confirmed that “Once Upon a Time” has a long and bright future on the network.
Filming still underway
According to insiders, filming for the remainder of the second half of Season 5 of “Once Upon a Time” is still ongoing and it is likely that the production will be completed before the show returns to the small screen on March 6.
ABC has already released some teaser photos from the set and the pictures only confirmed that the characters will have an interesting time in the Underworld, notes the Christian Post.
One of the photos showed Zelena in a scene with Hades, played by Greg Germann.
After she was banished by Regina, played by Lana Parrilla, from Storybrooke, it was said that Zelena will be causing major trouble for the rest of the characters.
There are also reports that another character is expected to bring more drama to the series. Accordingly, Robbie Kay will return to reprise his role in “Once Upon a Time” as Peter Pan.
The actor shared some teasers about his character’s return on social media where he said that viewers would get to see Peter Pan a little bit in a different light. He said that a lot has happened in the last two years or so and Peter has evidently learned a lot from what has happened in Season 3.
Apart from Gaston, Zelena, and Peter Pan, several other characters will be coming back to rejoin the TV series.
Another exciting plotline that viewers should watch out for in the second half of Season 5 is the visit to the Underworld, which will surely bring some obstacles for many of the characters, allowing them to grow and evolve.