TV Review: Once Upon A Time 5.12 “Souls Of The Departed”

Once Upon a Time
Season 5 Episodes 12: “Souls Of The Departed”
Directed by Ralph Hemecker
Written by Adam Horowitz, Edward Kitsis
Created by Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz
Starring Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Morrison, Lana Parrilla, Josh Dallas, Emilie de Ravin, Colin O’Donoghue, Jared Gilmore, Robert Carlyle, Sean Maguire
ABC
Air Date: Sunday, March 6th, 2015, 8:00pm

When we last saw our band of heroes in the fall finale of Once Upon A Time, they had just been spared being sent to the Underworld so all the Dark Ones could live topside. Emma (Jennifer Morrison) decided to sacrifice herself for all of them. Then Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) decided to sacrifice himself for her. Gold (Robert Carlyle) became a super-sized Dark One again. Emma figured that out and blackmailed him into helping her rescue Hook. The whole family voluntarily comes along for the fun-filled Hell vacation.

Spoilers below.

Once Upon A Time 5.12 “Souls of the Departed” review: How do you start a 100th episode? With Neal!!!!!! I knew it! He was the first person I’d hope she’d see, and she did! So good to see Michael Raymond-James on the show again! I love me some Captain Hook, but the romance between Neal and Emma was really sweet.

“This won’t end the way you think it will.” Neal says Hook is there (the underworld). “The underworld is for people with unfinished business and I’m not there.” He’s happy. And there to warn her. He left and she awoke on Charon’s boat.

They end up in a messed up version of Storybrooke, and an even worse version of Granny’s. Snow runs into the blind witch, and gets thoroughly kissed by David’s twin James. I know David and James are played by Josh Dallas, but boy… acting… James is wicked and enticing.

Flashback: It’s Regina’s birthday and she cannot be happy unless she crushes Snow White. Cora (the always delightful Barbara Hershey) tricks Regina’s father into leading her right to Snow. She takes Snow’s heart and presents it to Regina. But when Regina crushes it, some random knight falls to the ground. Her dad switched up the hearts.

Regina finds Cora and they have a tearful reunion. But Cora wants her to leave without everyone except Henry (Jared Gilmore) and her “thief.” We do find Cora’s real reasoning by the end of the episode.

It’s a day for parents as Gold runs into his dad Peter Pan (Robbie Kay). Peter gives Gold the thing he is looking with “no strings,” but wants to trade up one of the live souls to hitch a ride above. Um… that’s a string.

Gold brings it to Emma and says to go to the graveyard. They go to Hook’s grave and get flickers of a beat up Killian, but no clues as to his whereabouts. Emma begs Regina to take Henry and go.

Regina and her dad have a lovely reunion, and he pleads with her to stay and do the right thing. I don’t know. I think making sure Henry is safe is a noble thing. But her staying seems to do the trick for her dad. He earned his walk to heaven. And brought a bigger purpose to the group – save souls.

The underworld is purgatory, where people with unfinished business wait to go to hell or heaven.

We get to meet Hades (Greg Germann) who sports the blue flame hair a la Hercules (whom we will meet next week).

Looks like our group will be spending a little more time in the Underworld, and I am glad. There are so many more possibilities.

Really good episode. Once always knows how to reinvent itself, which is why it’s no surprise it has been renewed for a 6th season.

Once Upon A Time airs Sunday nights at 8:00pm ET on ABC.

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