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This article focuses on Emma Swan's Boston apartment.
For her New York apartment, see Swan New York apartment.


Perhaps even the Boston skyline? As I recall, you had a lovely apartment overlooking it all.

Fiona to Emma Swan src

The Swan Boston Apartment is a Land Without Magic location on ABC's Once Upon a Time. It first appears in the first episode of the first season.

History

During First Curse

Some time after being released from prison, Emma embarks on a career as a bail-bonds person. Eventually, she moves into a Boston apartment. For perhaps weeks or months, Emma begins a dating site correspondence with a runaway embezzler, Ryan, who she intends to arrest. They meet for a restaurant date, where Emma confronts Ryan with the truth, and later knocks the suspect out before apprehending him. With a night's hard work done, Emma grabs some groceries and heads home. Since it is her twenty-eighth birthday, she bought a small cupcake for herself. Lighting a blue star candle on the cake, Emma silently makes a wish before blowing it out. Coincidentally, the door bell rings, and she opens the door to find a young boy, Henry, claiming to be the son she gave up ten years ago. After he pushes his way into the apartment, an overwhelmed Emma retreats to the bathroom. Regaining a semblance of calm, she walks out, to which Henry cheerfully asks her to come home with him. Instead, Emma threatens to call the police, though the boy reasons he'll just tell them she kidnapped him. Using her "superpower", Emma deducts he is lying and prepares to make the phone call until Henry insists she has to go home with him. Reluctantly, she agrees and drives him to a place called Storybrooke. ("Pilot")

Some time later, having moved in to Mary Margaret's loft, Emma requests for any remaining belongings from her former home to be brought to Storybrooke. ("The Price of Gold")

Before Second Curse
Directly after driving out of Storybrooke to escape Peter Pan's curse, Emma and Henry obtain false memories, from Regina, of their life together. They recall a fire breaking out in Emma's apartment in Boston, which causes them to start afresh in New York City. ("Going Home," "New York City Serenade")

During Fourth Curse
Because of the Black Fairy's Dark Curse, Emma Swan no longer believes in magic and is locked in the mental hospital because of her previous belief. The Black Fairy offers her freedom if she is willing to set Henry's Once Upon a Time Book on fire, as this will prove she no longer believes. Emma initially refuses to do this and is kept locked in the hospital, but once Henry breaks his arm trying to steal the book from Archie Hopper, she agrees and returns to her apartment. However, after reading a miniature book Henry gave her about how she used to be brave, Emma decides to return. ("The Final Battle Part 1," "The Final Battle Part 2")

Trivia

On-screen Notes

  • The apartment number is 205.[1] ("Pilot")
  • The apartment has undergone a few notable changes by the time of "The Final Battle Part 2": For example, the apartment is smaller (in "Pilot", there is enough room between the kitchen island and the windows for a coffee table, an armchair and additional furniture;[2] in "The Final Battle Part 2", there is very little room there[3]), the windows have dwindled in size (in "Pilot", they nearly reach the floor;[2] in "The Final Battle Part 2", there is enough room to place a small table beneath them[3]), and the view has changed from overlooking the city[2] to being blocked by buildings.[3] This indicates that a different set was used for "The Final Battle Part 2".

Production Notes

  • The giant floor to ceiling windows looking out over the city in "Pilot", are meant to highlight a lonely person who is surrounded by life, but lives by herself and isn't connected to any of it.[4]
  • In the episode script for "Pilot", Emma's apartment is described as "a small dingy apartment in a cookie cutter apartment complex"; "the kind of place you live in because you have to, not because you WANT to."[5]

Props Notes

  • On the door to Emma's apartment, it says "Cast a Spell",[6] but it wasn't made not the show and was already there when they came to the set. Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz were going to paint the door, but decided to keep it after reading that line.[4] ("Pilot")
  • Emma's baby blanket is draped over a chair in the apartment.[2] ("Pilot")

Set Dressing

Appearances

Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.

References

  1. File:101WhoAreYou.png
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 File:101LetsGo.png
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 File:622BostonApartment.png
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis on Season One Blu-ray/DVD Commentary for "Pilot"
  5. ONCE UPON A TIME "Pilot" by Edward Kitsis & Adam Horowitz (PDF) pp. 11. Retrieved on September 9, 2020. “The door opens to a small dingy apartment in a cookie cutter apartment complex. Anna enters, flips on the lights, illuminating the kind of place you live in because you have to, not because you WANT to.”
  6. File:101ImYourSon2.png
  7. File:101IDontHaveASon.png
  8. File:104HenrysRoom.png
  9. File:101GoingWhere.png
    File:101CallingTheCops.png
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