‘Once Upon A Time’ Spoilers: When Will Lily Appear Again, And Which Actress Is Playing Adult Lily?
Once Upon a Time fans will finally get to see Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison) reunited with her juvenile delinquent childhood pal Lily. However, Lily is going to be all grown up, and she might not be so friendly anymore.
Once Upon a Time fans first met Lily in an Emma Swan flashback. Young Emma almost got caught shoplifting breakfast pastries while on the lam, and a teenage Lily (Nicole Munoz, pictured above right) helped her out by using her parents’ credit card to pay for a shopping cart full of food. Lily pretended to be a runaway without parents just like Emma, but Emma eventually found out that Lily was actually adopted by a wealthy family. This revelation destroyed their short-lived friendship.
It was later revealed that Lily was the child Maleficent lost long ago. The Charmings tried to save Emma from becoming a future bad girl by transferring her potential for darkness onto baby Lily, and the infant was sucked into a portal along with Cruella de Vil and Ursula. This is how Lily and the Queens of Darkness ended up in the land without magic.
According to TV Line, Once Upon a Time fans will soon get to see the adventures of the two baddies and a baby in the magic-free world. During the April 19 episode titled “Sympathy for the De Vil,” viewers will find out what happened to them right after they were dumped out of the portal. There will be an explanation for why Cruella and Ursula decided not to raise baby Lily themselves, and fans will learn why Lily aged while the Queens of Darkness did not.
Speaking of older Lily, Entertainment Weekly reports that she’ll be played by Agnes Bruckner, the actress who starred as the titular character in the The Anna Nicole Story Lifetime movie. She’s pictured above on the left.
Agnes Bruckner won’t appear “Sympathy for the De Vil.” As the Inquisitr previously reported, that episode will mainly focus on Cruella obtaining her happy ending. Instead, Bruckner will first pop up in the April 26 Once Upon a Time episode titled “Lily.” Executive Producer Edward Kitsis said that someone will help reunite Maleficent with her adult child, but he didn’t say who this would be. However, he did hint that Lily’s lying could prove to a big problem. It likely had a major effect on who she grew up to be, and she might tell a few fibs to her new fairy tale character acquaintances.
“When we met Lily, she didn’t seem like a bad person, but she was lying to Emma. Lying came second nature to her. What we’re going to see is: We’re all faced with choices and it’s the choices you make. What happened to Lily and how she grew up is something we’re going to really explore.”
Agnes Bruckner signed on for a three-episode arc on Once Upon a Time, so Lily is going to be in Storybrooke for a while. The character was mischievous as a teen, but her rebellious antics couldn’t exactly be labeled as “evil.” However, it’s possible that Lily’s heart has darkened over time, and she might have dangerous magical abilities just like her mother.
Or maybe Lily won’t be evil at all. The sorcerer’s apprentice only transferred Emma’s potential for darkness over to Lily. Perhaps her potential for darkness wasn’t actually all that great, or maybe Lily simply never lived up to that potential — there was never any guarantee that the girl with the star scar would fully embrace the dark side. Emma might tell Lily that she’s sorry for shrugging off their friendship all those years ago, and Lily might accept her apology on the spot. The Charmings might even get their comeuppance by discovering that Lily is a great person as Emma slowly goes evil.
According to E! News, fans will learn more about Regina’s MIA lover before they get to see what kind of woman Emma Swan’s old friend has become. This Sunday’s episode, “Heart of Gold,” will explore Robin Hood’s origin story. It will also feature the return of Rebecca Mader as Wicked Witch Zelena.
Once Upon a Time returns Sunday, April 12 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
[Image credits: Jason Kempin/Getty, ABC]
