‘Once Upon a Time’ season 4 spoilers: Kristin Bauer van Straten returns from ‘True Blood’

“Once Upon a Time” seems to be making quite a habit of scooping up actors not too long after their previous employment ends for storylines. We already know that Giancarlo Esposito is coming back following his time on “Revolution,” and now, Kristin Bauer van Straten is coming right over from “True Blood.”

Per a new report from Entertainment Weekly, the actress will reprise her role as Maleficent during multiple episodes of the fourth season, which is significant for a number of reasons. For one, she is supposedly dead already. Also, this could potentially mean more of Sarah Bolger as Aurora if she show wants to properly get into fairy-tale lore again. (We’re just speculating on that one.)

Finally, it is a very smart marketing move on the part of producers. “Once Upon a Time” seems to be taking its cues from Disney right now when it comes to their returning characters. First, you bring in several characters from “Frozen,” and now, we have to reference that “Maleficent” was a very big movie this summer at the box office. It makes sense to bring in new viewers with these characters. It’s not like the show really needs better ratings to continue, but they likely know that at this point in the run, they could certainly use some tools to ensure that they keep the same amount of people watching in.

We’re never going to complain about seeing more Kristin on the show, even if it is just for a five-minute appearance. With that in mind, we’re thrilled for an arc.

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Photo: ABC