Trying to Make Sense of OUAT Season 7’s Timeline Part II- An Unsolvable Puzzle: The Coronation & Everyone’s Ages
Hey folks! Here I go again trying to explain things I will never fully comprehend! Please read part one (wicked-storybrooke.tumblr.com/post/177430184596/trying-to-make-sense-of-ouat-season-7s-timeline) to understand what the heck I’m on about a bit better. Again, please feel free to add to this or to correct me if there’s something I’ve missed!
Now, for the coronation!
So first of all, I don’t know what’s going on with Pinocchio over here, since the last time we saw any version of him, he was adult August. I cannot try to explain this without my head exploding, so I’ll leave that part for now.
So the coronation can’t have happened too long after the events in Storybrooke (with Curious Archer and the town folk) in 7x22, given the fact that young Robin was 5 years old at the time and young Neal is around a year older than her (I’m not sure if we were ever given an official age gap between the two). This means the Hyperion Heights characters cannot be in their own original timeline during this coronation. So after defeating Wish!Rumple they either: traveled back to the future xD so they could live out their lives in their own timeline and grabbed another time-hopping-bean and took a ride straight to the United Realms around 19-years-in the past just to have the coronation at that exact time; They time traveled around 3 years into the future from the time Robin meets her 5 year old self in 7x22, in which case they basically skipped time up until Hope is born, so that the coronation could be held at that exact time; alternatively they were trapped around 22 years in the past for 3 years at least or they just wanted to remain around 22 years in the past as compared to their original timeline? I think the option that arguably hurts the story least is the one where they returned to their own timeline after Rumple dies and defeats Wish!Rumple and just took a trip (22 minus 3 years, which would be) 19 years into the past for them or they waited 3 years in their own timeline and visited the UR for the coronation 22 years in the past. Sounds convoluted, I know and the biggest problem is why would Regina unite the realms in the past only to return to her own timeline. If that did happen I imagine she left the leadership of the United realms up to a bunch of other queens, kings, princes and princesses such as Snow and Charming for a hot minute up until her return in what would be around 3 years for them.
One thing’s almost certain, they must have definitely grabbed Tiana from Hyperion Heights and Zelena from San Francisco (both would likely be from the same timeline as the Hyperion Heights folk in Storybrooke’s). This is definitely the Zelena who was cursed to be Kelly, since this Zelena has magic and storybrooke!Zelena doesn’t regain magic until Robin’s 18.
If the S7 Characters were stuck in the past or chose to remain there, how did Robin and Zelena not mess up the time-space-continuum??? This is assuming Kelly!Zelena didn’t hitch a ride straight back to San Francisco after her sister’s coronation. If we still put the coronation 3-5 years after the townsfolk chased Alice & Robin with axes & crossbows, then we can say past!Regina has already left to help past!Henry at this point. In fact, she’s definitely left because on the day she chooses to stay in the New Enchanted Forest, Emma is still pregnant.
Now assuming every event occurs in a single timeline, the events in what was assumed to be Stoybrooke in 7x11, with 18-year-old Robin and Zelena had to have actually occurred in the Storybrooke section of the United realms. So why did neither of them or Regina mentioned that they already knew the future, that everyone would be absolutely fine, that the HH curse would break and that the Regina they just reunited with would eventually cast a curse to bring all the realms together?- Well, because of the space-time-continuum of course!! They’ve seen the movies, they know what’s up. No but seriously, there has to be some kind of memory potion involved (if it happens in a single timeline!). Maybe Regina took one before she left to help Henry and maybe Robin had one hell of an 18th birthday party with her mum and they mistook glasses of memory potion for party cocktails before they left (pssst….if anyone wants to write this crazy party, I’ll love u forever!) or Regina just gave them some when they arrived, knowing that the consequences could be severe if any of the Mills women already knew their future.
Unless of course, by being in the past they created a whole new timeline or when the Coven of the Eight’s curse was cast, it didn’t only take them back in time and to another realm; It could also have taken them to an alternative timeline! A timeline where an alternative-timeline-version of Robin grows up in the United Realms (as opposed to the Hyperion Heights!Robin we know, who could have grown up in plain ol’ Storybrooke). I’m not sure if the second theory works without other giant plot holes though but I think it aligns with what we’ve seen of time travel in this show in the past.
I was originally gonna say the coronation happened just after an almost 19-year-old Henry left to find his own story (Jack said Henry spent his 19th birthday with him at the Crimson Crow) but if what I’ve worked out i my previous post is correct, it has to be at least around 3 to 5 years after Henry leaves, when Hook is looking for a cure for his heart so that he can return to 10~ year old (plus or minus a few years) Alice. As previously mentioned, the coronation also has to have occurred months after pregnant Emma visits Henry in the New EF. Neal doesn’t look 11 at the coronation but it wouldn’t be the first time the writers have chosen a younger actor to play the role by mistake. I think Josh dallas said he was suppose to be about 7 but idk it’s kinda close. If we say Neal was 7 during the coronation, that would make Henry 19 during the event. That would mean he met Ella and Wish Hook when he was 19. But that doesn’t work because, as mentioned in my previous post, we know Ella is 14+ years older than Alice and around the same age as Henry. We also know that Ella meets a 17+ year old Alice in ‘Pretty In Blue’ when the older woman is at least 31. And we also know that Hook is looking for a cure when he meets Henry. Alice has to be about 5 or 6 when Henry is 19. I don’t think young Alice is 5 or 6 in ‘Knightfall’ and we know Hook meets Henry after he’s separated from his daughter, so the coronation has to have occurred at least 3 years after the Bayou Rolls into Storybrooke in 7x22. That would make Alice 8 or 9 when Wish Hook meets Henry (which is more plausible!).
So that would mean Henry actually met Ella and Wish Hook when he was between 22 and 24 and so he’d be about that much older than Hope. 8 or 9 years later, he’d be between 31 and 33 when he meets 17+year old Alice. 30 makes the most sense, since Ella would be at least 31 and is likely a bit older than Henry, which would make Alice 8 when Hook is poisoned if we put past!Neal at 9 during the coronation. So, if we put Henry at 22 years older than Hope and if we say Henry is then 41-22=19 years, that would make Hope 19 in the present day, which would mean they are 19 to 20 years in the past during the coronation (depending on baby Hope’s age at the time). They were almost definitely 22 years into the past when 27-year-old Robin met 5-year-old Robin in 7x22, so it would make the most sense that around 3 years have past since 7x22′s Storybrooke shenanigans. Booyah!
Henry Meets Ella whilst Regina, Hook & Emma visit Henry and they meet Wish Hook
Henry is 22~
Ella is 23~
Emma is 40~
Hook is physically 40~
Wish Hook is de-aged to appear like OG Hook, so is likely physically 40~ (I’m gonna say Wish Hook originally appeared older because he aged during his time-travelling adventure(s) as he searched for a cure (refer to part I) it’s quite a stretch, I know but it’s the only way I can make sense of it since these events had to have occured around 9 years before the events of 7x11 due to Robin & Hope’s ages at the coronation)
Alice is 8/9~
Robin is 8/9~
Wish Hook is briefly reunited with Alice and Ella & Henry visit wonderland & eventually Lucy is Born and Drizella is turned to stone
Henry is 31~
Ella is 32~
Alice is 17~
Wish Hook doesn’t seem to age from here (probably because of the de-aging spell) so is still physically 40~
Drizella is 28~
Zelena & Robin travel to the EF2
Robin is 18
Henry is 32~
Ella is 33~
Alice is 18~ and off on her travels
Lucy is 1~
Alice & Robin meet
Alice 19~
Robin 18/19~
The curse is cast
Henry is 39~
Ella is 40~
Wish Hook is physically 40~
Drizella is physically 28~ because she didn’t age when she was turned to stone but her actual age is 36~
Alice is 25~
Robin is 24/25~
Lucy is 8
The curse breaks (assuming 2 years past and they aged during this time)
Henry is 41~
Ella is 42~
Wish Hook is physically 42~ (if the de-aging spell’s magic wore off in the LWM)
Drizella is physically 30~ but is actually 38~
Alice is 27~
Robin is 26/27~
Lucy is 10~
The present day Storybrooke folk when the HH curse breaks
Emma is 59~ (18 years older than henry at this time)
OG Hook is physically 59~
Hope is 19~
Prince Neal is 28~
The coronation
Henry is 44~
Ella is 45~
Wish Hook is physically 45~ (if the de-aging spell’s magic wore off in the LWM, if not he’s still physically 40~)
Alice is 30~
Robin is 29-30~
Lucy is 13~
Wish!Henry is 19-21~ (refer to part I to understand why I think this)
Neal is 8-9~
Little!Robin is 8~
Pinnochio is ??!??!??
The Season 7 characters’ past selfs during the coronation (just after pregnant emma visits Henry)
Henry is 22~
Ella is 23~
Wish Hook is physically 40~
Alice is 8/9~
Robin is 8/9~ (given past!Neal and past Hope’s ages at the coronation. Meaning there had to have been around a 9 or 10 year gap between the events of 7x02 and the moment Lucy was born since Robin was 18 when Lucy was still a baby in 7x11)
Just ignore this, I needed to put this somewhere