‘Once Upon A Time’ Spoilers: Teri Reeves Cast As Grown-Up Dorothy Gale, Hook Might Not Be Dead After All

Fans of Once Upon a Time will meet a new Dorothy Gale this spring. The character appeared in season 3, but she’s back as a grown up warrior — and a new actress is playing the role. Teri Reeves, best known for her work on Chicago Fire, will first appear in episode 16. She’s set to save Oz — but only after encountering a few challenges.

TV Line reported earlier this month that Dorothy, who appeared in the episode “Kansas” as a youth, will come back as an adult woman in her late 20s, as a “brave warrior for the good,” fighting against the Wicked Witch. Reeves, 31, will have a recurring role. On Friday, she took to Twitter to share the news.

I’m so excited about this! What an incredible gift to receive at the end of the year. https://t.co/aWAnMMUrvM

— Teri Reeves (@TeriReeves) December 18, 2015

The last time viewers of Once Upon a Time met Dorothy Gale, she was played by Matreya Scarrwener, and closely resembled the Dorothy moviegoers knew from The Wizard of Oz. Scarrwener is now 17-years-old and starring on another show — Ties That Bind on the UP network.

TV Line‘s description of Dorothy’s plot line is thin on details, but suggests she will have to find new allies and grow up even more than from when Once Upon a Time viewers last encountered her.

“Dorothy returns to Oz to save the magical city from the most wicked of witches. But to do so, she will have to forge new friendships, unlocking a strength she has never had before.”

Gale shows up in episode 16, several weeks after OUAT comes back on the air with new episodes — season 5 is set to resume with episode 12 on March 6. It will be a long wait for Oncers — three months after the dramatic winter finale when Hook died and Emma vowed that his death would not be in vain.

But fans who want to see Hook make a comeback will find some hope in comments made by Once Upon a Time producers. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter after the winter finale aired, show co-creators Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis said the underworld is a special place. They made the statements in answer to the question of whether someone stabbed in the underworld can come back.

“That’s actually a great question, and the rules of the underworld — what it means to be there, whether you can leave, how you can leave, where you go…

“[It’s all] going to be explained by our favorite, favorite tour guide of the underworld, and her name is Cora.”

Kitsis said the season’s second half is about the characters coming to terms with their pasts. Horowitz confirmed that the underworld is not a place of finality for anyone.

“It’s not hell. The underworld isn’t hell — it is a place between. It’s the place for people with unfinished business, so it’s not about good or evil.”

The idea that Hook’s storyline might not be finished yet was explored in a Bustle blog post, where writer Kelly Schremph said that given the producer’s comments to THR — and the fact that Once Upon a Time takes place in an environment of fantasy and magic — fans could see him return.

Once Upon a Time airs Sunday nights on ABC.

[Feature photo by Timothy Hiatt/Getty Images Entertainment]