Right now your heart is broken, and you feel like you'll never be the same. I get that. Ever since Monday morning, Jennifer Morrison's last Once Upon A Time episode has seemed to be coming way too soon. Even if you don't know when exactly that episode will air. Well, let me help you at least get that out of the way: ultimately, her final episode all comes down to whether or not we get a Once Upon A Time Season 7, so keep your fingers crossed and read on.
The talented actress announced Monday that she would not be returning to the beloved ABC show with a heartfelt letter to fans that she posted to her Instagram. But we haven't seen the last of Emma Swan yet. Depending on circumstances, and your perspective, we have between one and three more episodes with Morrison, and the advance warning gives fans an opportunity to make the most of this final time together.
The actor has been with the show since its first episode, all the way back in 2011, and no matter what, she'll be wrapping up her six seasons with the show during its two-hour finale on May 14. That's set in stone, and there's no dark force in Storybrooke that can take that closure away from us.
Depending how you look at it, I'd say that counts as either one or two more episodes with Morrison, with a potential for a final Emma Swan appearance in Season 7 if the show is renewed. As she revealed in the Instagram post about her departure:
If ABC Network does in fact order a season 7, I have agreed to appear in one episode, and I will most certainly continue to watch ONCE UPON A TIME. The creativity of the show runners has always inspired me, and I cannot wait to see the ways that they continue to develop and reinvent the show.
Obviously, there's been no official word about Season 7, but, if the fairytale favorite is in fact renewed, it would likely return in late September 2017, like Seasons 2 through 6 before it. (Season 1 debuted in October 2011, but every season since has premiered in the month prior.) I'd imagine that any Emma Swan farewell episode would appear fairly early on in the season to explain her absence going forward.
But since we don't know one way or the other just yet, the safest course of action is to say your goodbyes to Emma Swan on the May 14 finale, just in case.
