Honestly, if you were watching TV in 2011, you remember the "red hoodie" moment. It was visceral. Meghan Ory stepped onto the screen as Ruby, the rebellious waitress at Granny’s Diner with the sky-high heels and the heavy eyeliner, and suddenly the classic fairy tale felt... different. Sharp.
But then, just as things got interesting, she was gone.
The mystery of Meghan Ory Once Upon a Time remains one of the most debated "what ifs" in modern fantasy television. One minute she’s a series regular leading the charge in Storybrooke, and the next, she’s a background character whose disappearance felt like a glitch in the Matrix.
The Twist That Changed Everything
Most people think they know the story of Little Red Riding Hood. Girl meets wolf. Wolf eats girl. Woodcutter saves day. Standard stuff.
Once Upon a Time flipped the script.
In the episode "Red-Handed," we got the reveal: Red didn't find the wolf. She was the wolf. Meghan Ory played this dual identity with a raw, nervous energy that most fantasy actors can't quite nail. You’ve got the innocent girl in the Enchanted Forest and the "tough girl" Ruby in Storybrooke. Both were hiding the same predatory secret.
It wasn't just a gimmick.
Ory has mentioned in interviews that playing a character who is literally her own worst enemy was "hairy" (pun intended). She brought a specific physicality to the role—sniffing the air, the twitch of the head. It was subtle. It worked.
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Why Did Ruby Actually Leave?
Here is where the tea gets a little bitter for fans.
By the start of Season 2, Meghan Ory was promoted to a series regular. This was supposed to be her time. We were ready for "Wolfie" to become a core member of the Emma Swan squad.
Then, the screentime evaporated.
The showrunners, Eddy Kitsis and Adam Horowitz, were juggling a massive cast. Neverland was calling. Hook was becoming a fan favorite. Between the giants, the portals, and the curse-of-the-week, Ruby Lucas got pushed to the back of the diner.
Meghan Ory didn't just sit around waiting for a script that never came. She was cast as the lead in the CBS show Intelligence opposite Josh Holloway. It was a career-defining move at the time.
"It was all very crazy and serendipitous," Ory told TV Guide back in 2013.
The producers were supportive, basically telling her that if she had a shot at a lead role, she should take it because they didn't have enough story to keep her busy. It’s a classic case of a show growing too big for its own boots.
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The Logistics of the Red Cloak
Let’s talk about that outfit.
The red cloak wasn't just a fashion statement; it was a magical suppressor. Without it, she turned. Ory has joked about how cold she was filming in the Vancouver woods. She’d be wearing those iconic red thigh-high plastic boots—which she once described as "shady store" finds—and then immediately swapping them for Uggs the second the director yelled cut.
If you look closely at the early seasons, her Storybrooke wardrobe is almost entirely red, white, and black. It was a visual cue that the wolf was always right there, just under the surface.
The Ruby Slippers and the Final Act
Years later, Ory returned for a few guest spots, most notably the "Ruby Slippers" episode.
This was a big deal.
It gave Ruby a romantic conclusion with Dorothy (yes, that Dorothy from Oz). Some fans felt it was rushed, a "check-the-box" moment for LGBTQ+ representation that the show had ignored for too long. Others loved that she finally found "her pack."
Regardless of how you feel about the pacing, it was the closure the character deserved.
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Life After Storybrooke: The Hallmark Shift
If you’ve lost track of her since she hung up the cloak, you’re looking in the wrong genre.
Ory moved from the dark woods of Once to the breezy shores of Hallmark’s Chesapeake Shores. Playing Abby O’Brien was the total opposite of Ruby. No wolves, no curses, just family drama and lighthouse views.
She also married John Reardon, whom she actually met on the set of Merlin's Apprentice way back in 2006. They have three kids now. She’s essentially living the "Happily Ever After" that her character was always chasing.
What You Can Learn From the "Ruby" Arc
The Meghan Ory Once Upon a Time era is a masterclass in how to handle a character departure without killing them off.
- Don't wait for permission. Ory saw her character stalling and took a lead role elsewhere. That’s a lesson in professional worth.
- Subvert the tropes. If you’re writing or creating, look at how the Red/Wolf twist worked. It worked because it was internal, not external.
- Style is a story tool. Ruby’s transition from "over-sexualized waitress" to "confident leader" was told through her clothes.
If you’re looking to revisit her best moments, skip the later cameos and go straight back to Season 1, Episode 15. That’s the peak. It’s the moment the show proved it could be more than just a Disney fever dream.
Go watch "Red-Handed" tonight. Pay attention to the way she looks at Peter. Now that you know she’s the one who eventually kills him, the whole episode hits differently. It’s dark. It’s tragic. It’s exactly why we loved the show in the first place.