Granny

Widow Lucas, better known as Granny, is a supporting character on Once Upon a Time. The courageous and determined grandmother of Red Riding Hood, Granny was well aware of the power of the vicious, bloodthirsty wolves that tormented her village for generations... and also that her granddaughter was one of those wolves, a secret she kept from Red. Following the enactment of the Dark Curse, Granny became trapped in Storybrooke as the owner of a bed and breakfast and a diner.

Before the Curse
After being let go by the Huntsman, Snow White finds herself taking shelter in Widow Lucas' chicken shed. Red discovers her there and invites her to come back to Granny's with her. While stopping at the well, Snow uncovers the site of a massacre. Red reveals that it is wolfstime, a time of the month when the moon is full and the wolf hunts. At a town meeting, Granny shows the villagers the scars of her first encounter with a similar wolf 60 years before. She warns the crowd that the wolf is truly evil and that the only thing people can do is hide until wolfstime is over. While chatting about Peter, Red's love, Snow learns that Red feels trapped like a rat in a cage. Granny has always been overprotective and Red feels Granny disapproves of Peter. Seeking to prove herself, Red comes up with a plan to kill the wolf while it slumbers in the daylight. Red and Snow track the beast but are shocked to find that the wolf's prints take a human form and lead back towards Granny's house... and specifically Red's window. Red and Snow become convinced that the wolf is Peter and Red tells him what she has found. Peter begs her to tie him up in chains in order to protect everyone from his murderous hunger. Red does as he asks and promises to stay with him through the night until wolfstime is over. Back at Granny's, Snow is pretending to be asleep with Red's cloak around her in order to fool Granny. Granny discovers the truths and tells Snow that Peter is not the wolf, but Red is. Snow learns that Red's cloak was designed by a wizard and helps to stop Red from turning into the wolf. Red has no memory of being the wolf and Granny has kept it from her all these years. They race to rescue Peter, but are too late to save him. Granny shoots the wolf with a silver tipped arrow and Red transforms back into human form. As the realization of what she has done sinks in, Red is left devastated, and a hunting party descends on them. Granny orders Red and Snow to leave quickly.

After Charming is imprisoned by the loathsome King George, Snow White and her troupe set out to rescue him, including Red, Granny, and the seven dwarfs. Red is sent to check out the perimeter and find the whereabouts and condition of the prince, and comes back - with the blood of someone on her chin - to report that even though the prince is still alive, she heard word that the Queen is also there. Snow realizes that Regina knew she'd come for the prince, and that it's a trap, but it doesn't matter at this point, she needs to go to him. She tells her friends that she'll understand if they want to give up, but they all reject this. They all get set, and Red questions why the Queen is doing this. Snow explains that she destroyed Regina's happiness, and now she wants to destroy hers. Snow finally makes it to the castle, with the help of her friends, but once she gets to the dungeons she learns that Charming isn't really there, but merely an enchanted mirror showing his reflection. Regina asks to meet with Snow at the stables, and she obliges. There, Regina tells her the truth about Daniel, the stable boy, and hands her a poisoned apple to bite on willingly. When she does, she will fall under a sleeping curse, and her prince will live. Snow does just this, and Granny and the others are horrified to discover her lifeless body, knowing that their friend sacrificed herself for the prince, and for all of them.

After the good guys take down King George and take over his kingdom, the Evil Queen is finally captured, and her powers temporarily taken from her. The royal council meets to discuss what to do with her, and Jiminy Cricket says that he believes the Queen may never change, and thus they need to suspense justice. The attendants throw suggestions around, and when Granny suggests that they banish her to another realm, Jiminy replies that it would be unconscionable to condemn another realm to the same pain they've endured, and Red agrees with him, saying that the Queen is their problem and they must deal with her themselves. Charming decides that the Queen must be executed, and excuses the council. Later, Granny attends the Queen's execution with her granddaughter, but Snow White prevents it from actually happening, much to everyone's surprise.

Once the good guys are able to overtake King George, Prince Charming and Snow White occupy his castle and get married, a wedding that Red attends. However, the Evil Queen shows up and announces to everyone that she will destroy their happy endings. The royal council meets, which includes Red and Granny, among many others, to come up with a plan. The Blue Fairy tells them of the enchanted tree that can be used to protect the saviour from the curse if fashioned into a vessel, but warns them that only one person can go in it, although this turns out to be a lie hidden by her and Geppetto. Eventually, the curse hits, and the residents of the fairytale land are sent to Storybrooke, Maine. Granny is cursed as the owner of the local diner and run down bed and breakfast. ("Pilot"/"The Stranger")

Early Life
After the Dark Curse hits, Widow Lucas becomes trapped in the town of Storybrooke, Maine with the identity of Ruby's Granny, who works at Granny's Diner. On the very first day of the curse, Mayor Regina Mills, otherwise known as the Evil Queen, strolls through town to see Granny and Ruby arguing outside the diner, the latter moaning due to the fact that she has to work the early shift and doesn't want to. Regina smiles as she sees this, regarding this as Red's unhappy ending. The next day, she walks by and sees the same, Ruby and Granny arguing about shifts, and the next day, the same again. Eventually, Regina grows board of this repetition, and the many others. When Regina comes into the diner, she is served by Granny. After hearing the mayor and some newcomers, Kurt and Owen, talking about how they need a place to stay, Granny reveals that she owns a Bed and Breakfast.

Season 1
"You're a tough act to follow."

- Ruby

Shortly after arriving into Storybrooke, Emma Swan, the savior, makes her way to a local resting place, Granny's Bed & Breakfast. When she enters, she overhears Granny herself arguing with her granddaughter, Ruby, about how she was out some night and is now going out again. Ruby tells her grandmother that she should had moved to Boston, and Granny ironically apologizes over her heart attack interfering with her plans to sleep her way through the Eastern seaboard. Ruby is the counterpart of Red Riding Hood, and Granny is Red's grandmother. Emma calls out for their attention, and says she'd like a room. Both women are surprised, and Granny asks Emma what view she'd like. Granny then asks what her name is, and she tells her it's Emma Swan. A male voice behind her then repeats the name "Emma"... she turns around to find the man - the counterpart of Rumplestiltskin. He tells her Emma is a lovely name. She thanks him. Granny then hands him a wad of cash, telling him 'it's all here'. He takes it, thanking her, and then says "Enjoy your stay... Emma." He then leaves. Emma asks who that was, and Ruby says, behind her, that it was Mr. Gold, who 'owns this place'. Emma asks if she means the inn, and Granny tells her he owns the town.

The first morning after the tower clock starts working again and time unfreezes, Granny heads to her diner, bringing with her the bread of the day, as her granddaughter Ruby puts up the sign. Ruby smiles at her grandma, but then looks disgruntled once she's walked by. Later, inside Granny's bed and breakfast, Emma uses her key to open the door to her room, but before she can come inside she is stopped by a voice calling for her. It's Granny herself, who tells the blonde that what she is about to say is terribly awkward, but she needs to ask Emma to leave. Emma is confused, and Granny says that they have a no-felons rule, a city ordinance. Emma smiles and guesses that the Mayor's office called to remind Granny of this. Granny's reaction seems to be a dead giveaway of this, and the elderly woman tells her tenant that she can gather her things, but Granny needs to take her room key back. Emma gives it to her nonchallantly.

A short while after Emma saves Mayor Mills from a fire in her house, a crowd is gathered outside. As Emma talks with Ruby, Granny, Archie and Mary Margaret, Henry asks a fireman if Emma really saved Regina's life. Nearby, Regina is sat on a gurney breathing into an oxygen mask, feeling fine, she takes it off. Sidney approaches her and takes a picture of her for the news, however this angers Regina as it means he is basically throwing the election to Emma, making her seem like a hero. Over in the group that Emma is talking to, Mary Margaret asks if Emma really saved Regina. Henry runs up to them saying she did, announcing that the fireman told him. Ruby calls Emma a hero and then Mary Margaret says they should find out if there is a picture of the rescue. Granny suggests making campaign posters, something Archie thinks is a great idea. They all then run off to discuss their plans, leaving Henry and Emma. After a debate in which Emma runs for the position of sheriff against Sidney Glass, Granny and a large crowd of other people head over to the diner to celebrate the former's victory.

Emma Swan meets with her friend and roommate, Mary Margaret Blanchard, at Granny's Diner one morning, to question her about how Henry, her biological son, has been doing ever since his foster mother, Mayor Mills, forbade Emma from seeing him. Mary Margaret explains that he misses her, and she should know, for she spends six hours with him everyday. Upon overhearing this, Ashley Boyd jokingly asks if she also takes newborns, because she would love to get six hours of rest per day. Ashley hands her baby, Alexandra, to Granny, who looks after her for a little while, and sits down with her friends, venting to them about the stresses of being a young mother and about how Sean is always working at the cannery so they haven't even had the time to get married yet.

Outside Granny's Diner, August pulls up on the side of the road on his motorcycle and waits there. Emma, who is being observed by Granny and Ruby, asks if he is going to come inside for the drink he wanted. He tells her he does want the drink, but he didn't say at Granny's. He tells Emma to "hop on" She asks if he wants her to get on the bike, so he mockingly tells her that is what "hop on" means. Emma suggests going somewhere that she can drive, so August suggests Emma stop controlling everything and take a leap of faith. Emma rolls her eyes. August states she owes him a drink so tells him to hop on. He tells her he knows a good watering hole. Emma seems reluctant, so Granny, who is watching from afar, jokingly tells Emma if she doesn't go she can take her place. August gets a helmet ready and Emma finally agrees to get on the bike. She sits down, wrapping her arms around August and the two drive away, with Granny smiling at them both. Later on, whilst walking down the street, Granny bumps into Mary Margaret, and having heard of her affair with David Nolan, she tells the teacher that she should be ashamed of herself. This comment deeply hurts her.

When Miner's Day arrives in Storybrooke, Mary Margaret Blanchard decides to look for volunteers to help sell candles at the festival that night. She heads over to Granny's Diner to find volunteers, but nobody accepts the offer because of the affair she had with David Nolan. Later on, during the celebration, none of the candles appear to be getting sold as the store is being run by Mary Margaret, the town whore, and Leroy, the town criminal. In an attempt to sell candles, Leroy breaks the electricity in the surrounding area, causing a large amount of people to buy the candles and bringing everyone together. As they all light their candles, Granny helps light Mary Margaret's, suggesting that she has forgiven her, despite what she has done to hurt people.

At Granny's Diner, Ruby is flirting with August; she tells him about how she has never been outisde of Storybrooke, as Granny calls her name persistantly. After constant ignoration by Ruby, Granny shouts at Ruby and tells her to stop flirting. Finally, Ruby goes to meet Granny at the counter and the elderly lady tells her that she wants her to start working nights. Ruby immediately refuses and a fight escalates between the two, eventually leading to Ruby quitting her job at the diner. Mary Margaret offers her a place to stay, and Henry looks up jobs for her online at the sheriff's station. Ruby answers the non-emergency line at the station, which Emma overhears. Impressed, Emma offers Ruby a job at the station, which she accepts. Ruby then leaves to get lunch for Emma. Later, Ruby enters the diner and boasts of her new job to Granny, who is unfazed by the revelation. Ruby returns to the station and accompanies Emma and Mary Margaret to the woods, helping to find David Nolan. Searching through the woods, Ruby hears David, though Emma does not. Ruby takes off into the woods. Emma finds her standing over a bleeding and unconscious David. They manage to wake him up; however, he has a mild case of amnesia. As Emma takes David to the hospital, she asks Ruby to go to the Toll Bridge, to see if there is anything of importance there. There, she finds a small jewelry box. Ruby opens the box, and is horrified by its contents: a human heart. Later on, Granny tells Ruby that she was giving her a hard time because she wants Ruby to someday own the diner. Ruby is ecstatic and takes her old job back, having had enough of excitement.

After Ruby finds Kathryn Nolan alive, her friend Mary Margaret is acquitted from the ongoing accusations against her, and thus the townspeople throw her a "welcome home" party to commemorate her innocence, and Ruby is in attendance, along with Billy and Granny, and many others. Mary Margaret wonders why all these people came to welcome her home, to which Emma comments that she has a lot of friends... and the teacher is forced to reply that it didn't seem that way the day before. When Henry gives her a card from his entire class, Ruby smiles.

One night, Regina is has a terrifying nightmare in which the people of Storybrooke become aware of their past selves and seek vengeance against her. Ruby is a part of the dream, and ties her to an apple tree in the middle of the road, out on the town, along with Archie. Regina begs to be let go, to which Ruby replies that they won't, not after what she's done to them. Eventually, Ruby and the others watch as Emma proceeds to behead Regina. The mayor and former queen awakens from her horrid dream, shaken.

When the Dark Curse is finally lifted by Emma Swan's kiss of true love, planted on her beloved and presumably deceased biological son, Henry Mills - who had fallen victim to a sleeping curse, waves of magic spread through Storybrooke, Maine, and its residents, hit by them, are finally able to remember their true identities and past. Ruby and her grandmother are seen walking in front of the diner when they are hit by said waves, and are able to remember their pasts as Red Riding Hood and Widow Lucas, at last.

Season 2
After the curse is broken and everyone is reuniting with one another, Granny shares a reunion with Red, Snow and Charming, delighted to remember her past. Snow is addressed as “Your highness”, and she is excited to see before her very eyes the seven dwarves, reunited, and taking a bow. They all exchange in a group hug. When they break it off, Grumpy asks if the curse has been broken, and Charming replies that it appears so. Charming and Grumpy then shake hands while Red asks what they do now. Grumpy asks why they’re still in Storybrooke, Charming tells him that that’s an excellent question. All the dwarves begin to ask questions about the curse and purple smoke until they’re interrupted by one short answer: “Magic”. The line comes from the Blue Fairy, who joins them, and says that magic is there as she can feel it. The group go to find Rumplestiltskin, the man responsible for the return of magic, but on their way, Jiminy approaches them and asks them to stop an angry mom from killing Regina.

The town is in despair after the wraith attacks and turn to Prince Charming for help. As he's being swarmed by citizens with questions and worries one morning, he tells them all to wait two hours and he will meet them at the town hall where he will reveal his plan to fix everything. Later, the meeting commences, and many of the citizens of Storybrooke, including Granny, are in attendance. The old woman is wielding a crossbow and her granddaughter, Ruby, asks her if it's really needed. Granny reminds her that they're living in a lawless town with magic, so yes, she does need it. Charming is absent from the meeting but Regina shows up, now with her powers back. She pushes people out of the way with magic and Granny fires an arrow at her from her crossbow, however, Regina catches it in one hand and sets it on fire, throwing it back into the crowd where it rebounds and sets the town crest behind her alight. The town becomes deep with worry after this and attempt to leave, however, Charming heads them off at the town line, giving a speech, where he mentions that they should re-open Granny's Diner, as well as the schools and other establishments, that convinces them all to stay.

The dwarves and Charming celebrate at Granny's Diner after they discover fairy dust in the town mines which may aid in getting Emma and Mary Margaret home. As this goes on, David goes into the back room where he sees Granny constructing a cage for Ruby, who is set to transform that night as it is the first wolfs' time since the curse broke, and thanks to Regina, Ruby hasn't turned in 28 years, meaning that she can no longer control her wolf-self. The next morning, Granny returns to her diner where she discovers that Ruby has escaped during the night, she worriedly begins searching for her granddaughter and she and David find her in the woods. On their way back, they discover the truck of Billy, the town's local mechanic, and find half of Billy's corpse by the side of it, his legs being in a skip. Ruby is devastated as she believes herself to be the culprit. David locks her up in the sheriff's office, however, when Spencer and his mob discover her whereabouts, Granny and David take Red to Belle at the town library. As Belle chains Ruby up, Granny and David go looking for answers and discover Ruby's red cloak and an axe that was used to kill Billy in Spencer's car, proving that he framed Ruby in order to make Charming look like a weak leader. The two of them hear a wolf's howl and realize that Ruby got out, they then drive to find the mob lead by Spencer, who has a gun aimed at Ruby's wolf self. Granny fires an arrow at a petrol tank, causing it to explode and for Spencer to lose his concentration, as David talks to Ruby. He helps her gain control of her wolf self before returning her to her human form via her red cloak. She thanks him but Spencer gets away, and Granny tells David to go and find him, Ruby follows.

At Granny's Diner, the chef in the kitchen gives two burgers with a side of fries to Granny as music plays around the busy diner. She takes the food over to a table, where Rumplestiltskin and Belle are sat, enjoying a nice chat. As she puts them on the table, Belle tells her they smell delicious, Granny says that are delicious. With an attitude, she looks at Rumple and adds it didn't take any dark magic either. She leans towards him and says she charges extra for the pickles, Rumple awkwardly acknowledges this. After Granny walks away, Rumple explains he has a complicated relationship with her, as he does with most people. Belle assures Rumple that it'll take people a while to get to know him, like it did for her.

After Emma and Mary Margaret return home from the Enchanted Forest, a party is held in their honor at Granny's Diner, to celebrate their homecoming. Granny is in attendance and the party honorees are greeted happily. Emma states that it will be nice to eat food that she doesn't have to kill first, and Granny agrees, saying that meatloaf back in their land is a bitch. As the party commences, David makes a toast, telling the guests that he and Mary Margaret have a saying: that they will always find each other. And though he believes that with all his heart, he raises his glass to not having to look for a while, as do the guests. Granny and the other attendants are shocked when Regina then walks in with her lasagna, and even more shocked to learn that Emma invited her. The party continues to run into the evening.

Gallery
Gallery of photographic stills released to promote the character.