‘Once Upon a Time’ season 3 debate: Talking Sarah Bolger, Jamie Chung, and THAT moment

Are Sarah Bolger and Jamie Chung going to be in next week’s episode of “Once Upon a Time”? Based on the press release for “Nasty Habits” that came out from ABC today, they are not set to turn up. Based on what we saw transpire in last night’s episode, this is going to be a cause for many to be rather sad.

As of right now, unfortunately, show co-creators Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis have placed themselves into somewhat of a pickle. Mulan and Aurora have suddenly become two of the most interesting characters on the show in the wake of last night’s revelation that Mulan was in love with Sleeping Beauty, but they’re separate from the main action of the story. Not only that, but both Chung and Bolger have roles on the midseason shows “Believe” and “Mixology.” You have to find a way now to give this storyline some sort of attention, while also coordinating schedules. In a show designed to give everyone happy endings, you cannot make the show’s first LGBT character end up both sad and alone.

But what we want to do here first of all is emphasize how important this reveal was to both this show and also Disney as a whole. Remember, this is a company that is as conservative as they come when it comes to many of their iconic characters. While “Once Upon a Time” is not canon with the animated movies, they do at times draw inspiration and themes from there. So being as bold as to make an iconic character either a bisexual or a lesbian is a move that deserves some respect. The only thing that drives us batty was seeing Horowitz attacked on Twitter for not having a gay character, and when the show adds one, he is attacked for her having a tragic story like Aurora being pregnant with Phillip’s child. The story’s not over, people!

This story, which was played perfectly by Chung and Bolger in the episode, has reinvigorated some energy back in the show both when it comes to imagination, and the notion that anyone can and should have an opportunity for love. With the Neverland story being so Henry-driven, which can to a point become tiresome, there is now a reason to make us want to go back into that modern-day fairy tale world.

One other bit of evidence that the show is not done there? Remember what we learned about Robin Hood and Regina … and he’s still roaming about. With two reasons to go back, and with Sean Maguire returning for more episodes, there are many reasons to believe that this story is far from over.

Click here for a look now into what is happening on “Once Upon a Time” next week, and we want to hear your thoughts below as to whether or not you like this surprising change for the characters.

Photo: ABC