FINAL TIMELINE AND AGES
One thing that has always been questionable is the passage of time in the show, specifically the timeline and the ages of the characters, but based on all that we have seen over the past seven seasons and what they have shown, I believe I have cracked the code on the ages of a handful of our characters and the present day timeline from the pilot all the way to the series finale. The timeline begins on October 18th, 2011. I know they have said her birthday was on the 23rd, which was the series premiere, but according to the
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ONCE - Once Upon a Time podcast
One thing that has always been questionable is the passage of time in the show, specifically the timeline and the ages of the characters, but based on all that we have seen over the past seven seasons and what they have shown, I believe I have cracked the code on the ages of a handful of our characters and the present day timeline from the pilot all the way to the series finale.

The timeline begins on October 18th, 2011. I know they have said her birthday was on the 23rd, which was the series premiere, but according to the show that’s not the case. 1×01, The Pilot, takes place within two days. At the end of the episode, Emma mentions to Regina that the day before it was her birthday when Henry had found her after she made a wish to not be alone on her birthday, and at the end of the episode when Emma decides to stay in Storybrooke, the clock on the clock-tower begins to tick. In 1×02, The Thing You Love Most, it picks up right where the Pilot leaves off and the clock ticks away to the next morning and the entire episode is in one day and at the end of the episode, Regina mentions that it’s Thursday which would place Emma’s birthday on a Tuesday. Her birthday could have been on the 4th, 11th or 18th, but I chose the 18th as it’s closest to the 23rd.

Speaking of 1×02, Regina’s age is alluded to by Maleficent. Adam and Eddy had mentioned that Regina was 18, but according to what they have shown that’s not the case. Maleficent said that Snow and Charming are the same age that she was when she was to be married. In 1×18, Stable Boy, Cora refers to Regina as an “old maid” and if Cora was 12 and EXTREMELY developed when she married Henry Sr., then there’s no way she could have been 18 at that time. Now, jumping to 3×01, Heart of the Truest Believer, Emma exclaims that she and her parents are the same age and at this time, Emma is 29 and if they are the same age then that gives us a clue as to how old Regina is. If they are the same age as Emma, by the beginning of season three, then that would have made them 28 when Emma came to Storybrooke and 28 when they were cursed, which would have made them 28 when they married, which would have made Regina 28 when she was to marry in 1×18, Stable Boy, but now we need to figure out Regina’s current age. In 4×10, Shattered Sight and 4×18, Sympathy for the de Vil, it’s mentioned that Snow White was 10 when she and Regina first met, making them 18 years apart. So, if Snow and Charming are 28, the same age as Emma when the show first begins as Regina is 18 years older then that would make her 46 at the beginning of the show.

Now we also have to factor in their birthdays. Emma’s is in October while Charming’s is undetermined, but according to some events in the past and some mentions and events in present day, we can pin-point Snow and Regina’s birthdays or the time of year they would take place.

Now, in 2×15, The Queen is Dead, it’s Snow’s birthday and when she reunites with Johanna, the handmaid, Johanna mentions that Snow was born in one of the harshest winters of all and in Manhattan, Emma, Rumple and Henry were with Neal and there were no Christmas decorations up and if it was winter, which it was, then that would make this around January of 2013. So Snow White was born in January.

Now for Regina’s birthday. In 5×12, Souls of the Departed, it’s Regina’s birthday. It’s undetermined when that actually is, but I do believe I have figured it out. During that time, Snow and Charming were in the process of taking back the kingdom and based on Snow’s attire it had to be early on in that plot point that we never really saw, but that’s another post in of itself. Now there are other episodes and flashbacks that touch on them taking back their kingdom and these are the episodes.

1×22: Land Without Magic

3×02: Lost Girl

5×12: Souls of the Departed

2×03: Lady of the Lake

2×10: The Cricket Game

These are the episodes that touch on that plot point, chronologically, but we still need to figure out WHEN Regina’s birthday would be. At the end of 2×10, The Cricket Game, Regina rushes to her carriage to crash a wedding, the wedding of Snow and Charming taking place after Rumple tells her of the Dark Curse that will ensure that she could hurt Snow in another land which we know she succeeded in casting and we know that the curse was cast on Emma’s birthday on October 18th, but when did Regina threaten them?

According to the events of the past, it took Regina nine months to cast the curse. After Regina crashes their wedding, Snow and Charming immediately go on their honeymoon in 3×10, New Neverland and at the end of the episode, Snow decides to start living and not allow Regina to determine how she should live her life and when they return from their honeymoon, Snow and Charming have a run-in with Maleficent, Cruella and Ursula 2.0 in 4×13, Unforgiven and in that episode, it is revealed to Snow by Maleficent that she is pregnant with…Emma and it takes nine months for a baby to fully develop which means that Snow and Charming got pregnant in January and they were married in January, around Snow’s birthday, but we still don’t know when Regina’s birthday is. It’s pretty unclear, but based on 5×12, Souls of the Departed, Regina’s birthday could be toward the end of the year, around the fall or early winter, but definitely before, or after Snow’s birthday depending on how you look at it which would make the events line up like this…

1×22: Land Without Magic

3×02: Lost Girl

5×12: Souls of the Departed

2×03: Lady of the Lake

2×10: The Cricket Game

1×01: The Pilot

3×10: New Neverland

4×13: Unforgiven

Season one takes place in seven months beginning on October 18th, 2011 and ending in early-mid May of 2012 leaving the ages of our heroes to be…

1×18: Stable Boy

Snow White: 10

Regina: 28

1×01: Pilot

Henry: 10

Emma: 28

Snow White: 28

Charming: 28

Regina: 46

Season 1

Henry: 10

Emma: 28

Snow White: 29

Charming: 28-29

Regina: 47

Season two picks up right where season one leaves off, early-mid May and then ends February of 2013. Now, I would gave them some artistic liberty since 2×15 The Queen is Dead is supposed to take place in January of 2013 and we are to believe eight months had passed from 2×01 Broken to 2×15, so there’s that and so we move onto season three which begins where season two leaves off in February of 2013 and the first half taking place in a week as 3×07, Dark Hollow had only been five days after 2×22, And Straight on ’til Morning/3×01, Heart of the Truest Believer. During 3×03, Quite a Common Fairy, Robin mentions that Roland is four years old. It isn’t clear exactly when Roland’s birthday is, but it is some time after the events of 2×19 Lacey when we first meet Robin Hood and Maid Marian who was VERY pregnant with Roland and if he was four at this time, that would have made him two-three when the curse was cast.

Season 3A

Roland: 4

Henry: 11

Emma: 29

Snow White: 30

Charming: 29

Regina: 48

Now, the second half of season three skips an entire year putting them at February of 2014 in present day and takes place in an entire month as Snow was eight months pregnant when she cast the curse that brought them back to our world in 3×19, A Curious Thing and Neal, Baby Snowflake, was born in the next episode, 3×20, Kansas leaving the season at March of 2014. Now in terms of Zelena’s age, it can be quite tricky, but based on what I’ve uncovered previously, it can be determined that she’s around 51 when we meet her in Storybrooke. In 3×18, Bleeding Through, Cora meets Jonathan and they have a night-cap and she finds out that she’s pregnant. At the end of the episode, she abandons baby Zelena in the woods so she could have her best chance, which I believe took place around June or July as it’s revealed in 5×16, Our Decay, that Zelena’s birthday is April 15th, tax day. How fitting. Anyway, the baby had to be a few months old as she wasn’t newborn. After that we go straight into 2×16, The Miller’s Daughter where Cora meets Prince Henry and King Xavier and reunites with Princess Eva and by the end of the episode, she has not only married the Prince but has a child, Regina, who had to be a few months old by the end of the episode putting them around the beginning of the following year and only a few months before Zelena’s second birthday.

Season 3B

Neal: 0

Roland: 5

Henry: 12

Emma: 30

Snow White: 31

Charming: 30

Regina: 49

Zelena: 51

Now, season four, five and six all take place in three month intervals. Season four picks up where season three leaves off with Elsa coming out the urn like she’s Alex Mack and it’s about a month they spend dealing with the Snow Queen and at the end of 4×11, Heroes and Villains, Belle forces Rumple to leave Storybrooke after they all find out that he’s trying to kill Hook and cleave himself from his dagger (Should have let him go through with it) and it immediately jumps to six weeks where he crosses paths with Ursula 2.0. It’s unclear how much time passes from that point, but in 4×17, Heart of Gold, we find out that Robin, Marian (who we later find out is Zelena) and Roland, leave Storybrooke nine weeks prior to that point, and we know they also left just hours before Rumple was kicked out in the same episode. Knowing this, only three weeks had passed during the second half of season four placing them in early June for season five and they skipped another six weeks, placing them in mid-late July when they return to Storybrooke from Camelot. During this time, Zelena is pregnant with Robin’s child which is revealed in 4×19, Lily after Robin finds out that Marian has been Zelena the entire time. In 5×08, Birth, Emma attempts to strike a deal with Zelena, all the while accelerating her pregnancy and she gave birth to baby Robin who for some reason had no name until 5×21, Last Rites, but let’s not gripe about that, okay? Okay. Now, baby Robin would have been born late July, a month before Henry’s birthday where he would turn 13 and then after Emma kills Killian (I approve) they all venture into the Underworld to save him (from what and why). They then spend another month in the Underworld and season five ends around late August of 2014.

Season 5

Robin: 1 month

Neal: 5 months

Roland: 5

Henry: 13

Emma: 30

Snow White: 31

Charming: 31

Regina: 49

Zelena: 52

As for season six, it’s unclear the passage of time from 6×01, The Savior and 6×22, The Final Battle Part II, but I’ve determined that it’s about three months as I’ve mentioned as many episodes are only days apart or the same day, i.e.

6×09: Changelings

6×10: Wish You Were Here

6×11: Tougher than the Rest

6×12: Murder Most Foul

All of the episodes are within the same day. Speaking of 6×09, Changelings, Gideon is born in that episode after his pregnancy is accelerated by the Evil Queen and Belle appoints the Blue Fairy to take Gideon far away so he may have his best chance and in that time, the Black Fairy kidnaps her grandson, Gideon, and takes him to the Dark Realm where his age is accelerated and he returns to Storybrooke fully grown (28) after only being just born no more than 12 hours prior. Now, how do we figure out when his birthday actually is? Well, in 6×10, Wish You Were Here, after the Evil Queen steals the Genie’s lamp after Aladdin has made himself the genie of the lamp, she makes Emma’s wish to no longer be the savior come true and the Wish Realm (eye roll) is created. In the Wish Realm, Emma celebrates her 31st birthday, meaning that Gideon was born on Emma’s birthday. Now we know where those episodes fall, how do we know where the season ends? Now since the episodes still fall one after the other, either being the next day,

6×19: The Black Fairy

6×20: The Song in Your Heart

6×21 & 6×22: The Final Battle Part I and Part II

Or the same day:

6×14: Page 23

6×15: A Wondrous Place

6×16: Mother’s Little Helper

I’ve determined that the season ends late November of 2014. At the end of 6×19, The Black Fairy, Rumple meets up with Fiona, his mother, in a back alley and right above her in the crescent moon, now it is alluding to the prophecy that she is the great evil that is to defeat the savior, but I also took in account the moon cycles of 2014 and based on the moon, the episode could fall between the new moon and first quarter being November 22nd – November 29th. Here’s a link to prove that.

https://www.calendar-12.com/moon_phases/2014

With that said, season six would have ended late November of 2014 and putting the ages of the characters here:

Season 6

Gideon: 1 month

Robin: 4 months

Neal: 8 months

Roland: 5-6

Henry: 13

Emma: 31

Snow White: 31

Charming: 31

Regina: 49-50

Zelena: 52

This would also determine that season one-season six took place in three years and one month from 1×01, The Pilot to 6×22, The Final Battle Part II.

Now, the wrench in the machine that throws everything off, the dreaded seventh season.

Henry leaves home at the age of 18 to find his own story in 7×01, Hyperion Heights and in this episode, he meets Cinderella. In the present, he has a ten year old daughter and she finds him to bring him home as they have been cursed and have no recollection of who they once were. Now because of previous information of other characters, it’s determined that our heroes are,

7×01: Hyperion Heights

Gideon: 5

Robin: 5

Neal: 6

Roland: 11

Henry: 18

Emma: 36

Snow White: 37

Charming: 36-37

Regina: 55

Zelena: 58

Now it’s unclear how old Henry is when he meets Ella, when they’re married or when they have Lucy, but we do know one thing, Robin’s age. She was 18 when Lucy was born in 7×10, The Eighth Witch and in 7×11, Secret Garden, Robin mentions that she’s 18 and when Zelena goes to find Regina, Lucy had just been born. Now in 7×10, the curse was cast on Lucy’s eighth birthday and if Robin was 25 as she mentioned when Regina went to find she and Zelena, it’s clear that she wasn’t 18 in 7×11, but close, maybe a month or so from her birthday, which would put Lucy’s birthday around late May-early June. This wasn’t this first time this was done. In 5×05, Dreamcatcher, Henry told Sir Morgan that he was 13, but it was determined by Keb that that was around early July which would work as his birthday is August 15th. Now if Robin was 25 about to be 26 in 7×10, then that would make Henry 38, later to turn 39 in August of that year which would be…2040, which means that Lucy was born in 2032 when Henry was 30, if Robin was about to turn 18, and remember, she was being very defiant so it would make sense that she was say that she’s 18 instead of saying she’s close to being 18 and she is Zelena’s daughter so there’s that as well. Now it’s unclear when Henry and Ella meet and how old he was, but based on when he had Lucy and when the curse was cast and how old Robin was during those two time-frames that would make him around 29.

Meets Cinderella

Gideon: 15

Robin: 16

Neal: 16

Roland: 21

Henry: 29

Emma: 46

Snow White: 47

Charming: 47

Regina: 65

Zelena: 68

Has Lucy

Lucy: 0

Hope: 1

Gideon: 17

Robin: 17-18

Neal: 18

Roland: 23

Henry: 30

Emma: 48

Snow White: 49

Charming: 48-49

Regina: 67

Zelena: 70

Casting of the Curse

Lucy: 8

Hope: 9

Gideon: 25

Robin: 25

Neal: 26

Roland: 31

Henry: 38

Alice 2.0: 56

Emma: 56

Snow White: 57

Charming: 56-57

Regina: 75

Zelena: 78

Now I’m sure you’re confused as to how Alice 2.0 is 56 when she clearly looks to be the same age as Robin and here is how I determined that. In 7×07, Eloise Gardener, we see what happened in the Wish Realm when the curse wasn’t cast and we know the curse hit on Emma’s birthday, October 18th and everything leading up to that already happened in the Wish Realm with the exception of Robin, Smee, Blackbeard, the Sheriff of Nottingham not being older and Roland not existing, but let’s not open that wound which should have never existed in the first place. In 2×09, Queen of Hearts, Regina and Hook first meet and she sends him to Wonderland to kill Cora, but when he finds that she cannot be killed since her heart is elsewhere, they band together and escape the curse with the power of her magic dome. Now why Nook is with his crew instead of Cora in 7×07 is beyond me, but I will not touch on that either. Now, Regina sends Nook to a distant realm to retrieve a powerful magic and there he meets Rapunzel, goes on a daring mission for her to set her free from the tower, they have a tryst and the next morning, Alice is born. We then find out that Rapunzel is actually Gothel and she escapes the tower leaving Alice behind and Nook to care for her and if we are to believe that this happens RIGHT AFTER the curse was supposed to hit, then that would place this around October 19th-21st and let’s not forget that the Wish Realm was created in 6×10 on Emma’s 31st birthday which would make Alice 2.0 31 right off the bat, but I guess she gets a pass since she’s half Tree Nymph and according to Merlin, being a tree helped his skin (that’s supposed to be a joke).

Now it’s time to figure out when Hope was born and how long they were cursed. Now in 7×02, A Pirate’s Life, we find out that Emma and Killian are pregnant with Hope and it’s right after Henry meets Ella and I’ve determined he was 29, which would be maybe a month after his birthday, so September when he meets Ella and Emma and Killian announce they’re pregnant with Hope which would mean she was born around May, no later than June as Emma could have been no further than a month along in her pregnancy and Ella and Henry were married soon after for Lucy to be born the following year around late May-early June. Now this is all speculation and a guesstimate, not 100% factual. Now with the curse being cast around Lucy’s eighth birthday, I’ve determined that they were in Hyperion Heights, in the past (eye-roll) for a little over three years and again, this is a guesstimate. It gives time for Henry to write and publish his book and for it to flop. Also for Margot to leave Hyperion Heights and travel the world, Kelly and Roni to have their falling out and for Victoria to push Kelly out of Hyperion Heights, leading her to move to San Francisco. Now why three years? For the sake of the show rebooting, it would be fitting for Lucy to be 10 when she finds Henry, so maybe on her 10th birthday, she receives Henry’s book as a present, reads it, realizes that he is her father and they’re cursed, and find him, putting them at September of 2019 as 7×04, Beauty took place on Halloween. How did I determine that it was 2019 when season seven takes place? Well, in 7×20, Is This Henry Mills?, Henry calls himself, unknowingly, and his younger self had just graduated High School. With Henry being 18, this would place this event at late May-early June of 2020 as Henry’s birthday is August 15th and he was born in 2001. Now that doesn’t explain why Emma and Hook have Hope in the past since she isn’t conceived for another 10 years, but I digress. Now this is where I believe all of our characters ages should be by the end of the series (at least those whom we know of). And I also have a list of the characters birthdays, the ones we know of at least.

Season 7

Lucy: 11

Hope: 12

Gideon: 28

Robin: 28

Neal: 29

Roland: 34

Henry: 41

Alice 2.0: 59

Emma: 59

Snow White: 60

Charming: 59-60

Regina: 78

Zelena: 81

I also should mention Ella, Anastasia and Drizella since their ages came into play. In 7×09, One Little Tear, Anastasia ALMOST dies, but Gothel magically preserves her last breath and she was 14 at this time. In this episode we also see that Anastasia and Drizella were about four and eight when Rapunzel made that deal with Gothel and was entrapped in a tower for six years making the girls 10 and 14 when she returned and Anastasia was 14 when she almost died and Ella seems to have been the same age as Ana. Rapunzel did make a remark in the present that she hadn’t had a civil conversation with Drizzy since she was four which would mean she was four when Rapunzel made the deal with Gothel to save Marcus’ life.

7×09: One Little Tear

Drizella: 4/10

Ella: 14

Anastasia: 8/14

Their story was in Henry’s book which would have put them in their world just on the opposite ends, possibly. I made a post specifically about this.

Where Was Enchanted Forest 2.0 Located?

If that is the case and this happened right before the curse then that would make Ella four years older than Henry and Drizzy the same age as he was as the curse froze time until Emma chose to stay in Storybrooke in 1×01 and when they met in 7×01, Ella would have been 33 and Drizzy 29, 34 and 30 when Lucy was born 42 and 30 when the curse was cast as Drizella was frozen in stone for eight years and didn’t age. Anastasia was then revived in 7×09 and with what I’ve compiled then that would place the three here by the end of season 7.

701: Hyperion Heights

Anastasia: 14

Drizella: 29

Ella: 33

Had Lucy

Anastasia: 14

Drizella: 30

Ella: 34

Casting of the Curse

Anastasia: 14

Drizella: 30

Ella: 42

Season 7

Anastasia 14-15

Drizella: 33

Ella: 45

I had forgotten the three sisters until now, but at least I remembered lol

So with that, if they had gone back or stayed in their own time then they would have ended the show in late May-early June of…2043 as Henry would turn 42 later that year and his birthday is in August. So the entire present day timeline spans from October 18th, 2011 to late June-early July of 2043/2020 because of time travel (GRRRR) but also because of the “SOME TIME LATER”. In the final scene we are to believe that time has passed, but it’s not clear of how much time until you see Neal who looks no older than seven and during the 7×22 when Robin and Alice 2.0 run into Zelena, it’s clear that little Robin is five and I have mentioned it’s late May-early June of 2020 with Henry graduating High School. Now if he’s 18 around this time and Robin is five and her birthday is late July then Neal would be six as his birthday is in March, only a couple of months before this event and when the “SOME TIME LATER”, Regina had to have communicated with all the realms about uniting them which with magic could take no later than a month and she would know how to reach all of the realms in an instant with Jefferson’s hat if you factor in the events of 6×21 and 6×22 The Final Battle Part I and Part II lol 😛

Birthdays

Emma: October 18th, 1983

Snow White: January

Regina: End of the year, Fall-Early Winter

Rumplestiltskin: Late February-early March, end of Winter

Zelena: April 15th

Henry: August 15th, 2001

Robin: July of 2014

Neal: March of 2014

Gideon: October 18th, 2014

Alice 2.0: October 19th-21st

Lucy: Late May-Mid June

Hope: Mid-Late May

Since I did mention Rumplestiltskin’s birthday, I should probably mention his age, or at least the age he remained eternally after becoming the Dark One. Since a lot of events seem to happen to our heroes when they’re 28, I would say he hobbled himself when he was 28 in 2×14, Manhattan and he became the Dark One at 42 when Baelfire turned 14 in 1×08 Desperate Souls. Of course he and Baelfire were older than that by the time we get to present day events but this is just speculation lol.

If there’s anything I’ve missed or still any confusion don’t hesitate to let me know. Thanks for reading if you’ve gotten this far lol. Much love, Oncers.