Once Upon a Time season 7 episode 2: Jennifer Morrison returning (photo)

For everyone wondering when Jennifer Morrison is returning to Once Upon a Time for her final episode, now we know. According to a report from Entertainment Weekly, the former series star is going to be back for season 7 episode 2, which carries with it the title of “A Pirate’s Life.” It’s a chance for the fans and the show to properly say farewell to Emma Swan. For Jennifer Morrison herself, this fulfills a promise that she made to come back for at least one more episode in the series to give her character a proper goodbye.

So what will the story be like for Emma when she does make this big return? Well, it feels as though there’s only one way to describe this and that’s by saying get your tissues ready, because it’s going to be emotional. Here is some of what executive producer Adam Horowitz had to say on the matter to the aforementioned site:

“We get to find out what has happened with Emma and Hook [Colin O’Donoghue] since our happy ending we showed last year … We will be getting closure on her story in what we feel is a satisfying way.”

Meanwhile, fellow EP Edward Kitsis made it clear that this is a story that will answer some questions and not just dive into stuff you’ve already seen:

“What we’re not doing is a flashback story where we’re seeing stuff prior to, or during, the previous six seasons … We’re moving forward past the end of season 6, seeing what happened with Emma and Hook, and how it relates to the events in Hyperion Heights. It’s an emotional curtain call.”

For those wondering, Hyperion Heights is the name of the fictional Seattle neighborhood that is effectively the new Storybrooke of the series. You will see Hook, Regina, and presumably Rumpelstiltskin all there with new false identities, and the show will pivot to being more about an adult Henry (Andrew J. West) and his efforts to be a Savior — something that he may be reluctant to do at first. It’s a big pivot for the show, but it’s certainly going to have some familiar footprints from the first six seasons.

Is it tough to imagine the show without Jennifer Morrison?

Absolutely, but we also do understand why the producers would want to keep things going without her. Remember here that Once Upon a Time employs a ton of people, and clearly they were planning to move forward with a seventh season for quite some time (even before her exit was confirmed). It’s ultimately going to be up to the viewers as to whether or not the new version of the show is as good as the original, but we know that fans will give it a chance. We certainly believe that Morrison would want everyone to keep watching, even if she is not going to be a part of most of the story.

Want to know what could happen on the Once Upon a Time season 7 premiere?

Be sure to head over to the link here, as it’s where you can check out what we think is going to happen in our CarterMatt Premiere Wishlist series. (Photo: ABC.)