"Zelena" derives from the Bulgarian word for green - zelen. It is also Ukrainian feminine adjective for green.
The title is the final track of Bruce Springsteen's 1973 album "The Wild, the Innocent, & the E Street Shuffle." This starts a trend of having a Springsteen song as an episode title for the mid-season premiere.
When Aurora is setting the table for her and Phillip, the plates form what is known in the Disney Universe as a hidden Mickey.
The fruit bowl on the island in Emma and Henry's apartment is swan shaped.
When they realise that someone is occupying their castle, Regina says 'Nobody eats my porridge, nobody sits in my chair' - a nod to 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears' a fairytale not explored in the show.