ABCLet it be known that Captain Hook is in it to win it.
Once Upon a Time's Colin O'Donoghue is currently battling Outlander's Sam Heughan in the final round of our Alpha Male Madness, our annual tournament that crowns TV's ultimate leading man, and the competition is getting fierce, with both actors playing up the showdown on Twitter. And it sounds like Heughan better watch out! "Colin is probably the most competitive person I know. Literally, the most competitive person I know," OUAT showrunner Eddy Kitsis tells E! News of the tournament.
But even Kitsis and Adam Horowitz are getting in on the fun, asking the ABC hit's fandom to bring home the win for TV's hottest pirate.
"Oncers unite!" Horowitz says, while Kitsis ads, "Oncers unite to show how strong you are, because that's what it really comes down to. It's fandom vs. fandom, and I know Once has the best and this is the opportunity to show that."
Gauntlet, meet floor!
It sure sounds like Hook could use a win right now, seeing as his relationship with Emma (Jennifer Morrison) may be hitting a bit of a rough patch as her dark side continues to come out to play. So will Emma's descent into darkness mean the end of her relationship with Hook, who was a villain himself not so long ago?
"Well, I think that it what he is trying to say to her. He's often tried to share with her, which is the advice he had, that you don't start off wanting to be a villain, but you convince yourself you're doing it for the right reasons," Kitsis says. "And if you notice that his reaction toward her is that he understands the allure of the dark side and he wants to protect her from it. I think he is understanding and I think he's concerned she'll fall victim to it much more than he's morally concerned."
And while they wouldn't say if we've seen Emma's darkest move yet, Kitsis ominously previews, "I will tell you it's not been settled."
But maybe fans should be more concerned about another character's dark side coming out to play: Regina, who was dealt a devastating blow when she found out her love Robin Hood (Sean Maguire) is expecting a baby with Zelena (Rebecca Mader). Horowitz assures Sunday's episode will "fully" get into all of the baby mama drama, previewing, "Regina, for all the darkness and lightness that has been at war in her, is a character of great strength and she's going to have to draw on that strength now."
Kitsis adds, "Everyone's worried about Emma going dark right now, but based on last week, I'd be more worried about Regina."
And that seems be the keyword heading into the final episodes of the season—worry—as Horowitz warns, "I would say it's fair to worry about everyone. There should be a lot of anxiety in the fandom."
So which characters and relationships should you start sending out prayer circle invitations out over? Kitsis reiterates that fans "should be worried about everybody...you never know what craziness is going to happen."
Also, you should be worried about ALL of OUAT"s couples.
"For the various couples on our show, that either exist or may exist, there's some real emotional moments coming that will show hopefully some new insight to all the new relationships we've seen, whether it's Rumple and Belle, Hook and Emma or Regina and Robin Hood," Horowitz says. "I think we've worked hard to put in some moments that are really emotional and give you insight into who they are and who they may or may not become."
OUAT airs Sundays at 8 p.m. on ABC.