Last Rites

"Last Rites" is the 109th episode of Once Upon a Time.

Summary
Emma and the others have finally returned to Storybrooke and are able to reunite with Snow, but, unfortunately, they still have to contend with Hades, who continues to deceive Zelena as he lays out his plan to use the all-powerful Olympian Crystal to take over the town. The heroes desperately search for a way to defeat him as Hook does the same from the Underworld, looking for those missing storybook pages. Regina and Robin, meanwhile, take a more direct approach which culminates in an epic showdown that will leave our heroes forever changed.

Plot
"Previously on Once Upon a Time..."

In Oz of the past, Hades explains to Zelena that his older brother Zeus stopped his heart, leaving him with only anger. Belle prepares to put herself under a sleeping curse to halt her pregnancy but Rumple reminds her that there's only one way out of it: true love's kiss. She insists that he's not going to be the one to wake her, but rather her father is. Hades tells Liam that he doesn't really care about the Underworld version of the storybook except for a few select pages about him. Liam rips out these pages on Hades' demand and disposes of them. Hades is next seen getting down on one knee, proposing that Zelena make chaos with him. Zelena and Hades go through the portal to Storybrooke with Baby Hood in tow.

Teaser
Storybrooke Present Day "The land of the living!" Hades revels as he stands atop the town's woodland bridge, taking it all in, "I never thought I would see this world again! Not with a beating heart." Zelena approaches him with both a smile and her daughter in tow, taking his hand as he declares that he owes it all to her. He asks if she feels his heart beating and she does, to her joy, and he adds that he's finally becoming himself again... but Zelena doesn't seem so glad, despite stating that she is. Hades senses that something is troubling her and she reveals that it's her sister, who's still not there. Her true love tells her not to worry, assuring that Regina made it back safe, but the Wicked Witch would rather not rely on hope, questioning why they're in the woods as opposed to the town, where they'd be able to check. Hades points out that he shouldn't step foot there because Snow White still thinks he's a villain - "People are always looking for villains to blame." Zelena promises to tell them he's changed; that love changed him, and he agrees that it certainly did. However, as she goes to start heading into the heart of Storybrooke, a sudden thought occurs to her and she turns back to the Lord of Death, asking if he wouldn't mind taking the baby in case the townspeople don't believe her. "Just take her to my sister's office, you'll be safe there," she instructs, allowing Baby Hood to pass hands, and Hades is astounded that Zelena would trust him with her daughter. With an even bigger smile than earlier, she proclaims that she'd trust him with anything, before finally leaving. Hades gently rocks the baby in his arms as he watches his true love depart, and then a sudden figure can be seen emerging from behind - a man in handcuffs and heavy armor, apparently in a great hurry. As it becomes clear that this man is an escaped King Arthur, he runs across the Toll Bridge and stops dead upon seeing Hades, sliding along the floor due to his fast pace. "Hello there," Hades greets solemnly, and from down on the ground Arthur begs the stranger not to let the shackles fool him, for he's King Arthur of Camelot and he was unjustly imprisoned. He looks behind himself briefly, as though worried that his captors might be after him, while Hades merely grins as he extends an arm to the man, helping him to his feet as he says that he understands being "unjustly imprisoned". Arthur thanks him, and Hades wonders what happened to land the monarch in such an awful predicament; it's then that Arthur explains that he was destined to rule a kingdom - a broken kingdom - and not everyone is as understanding as Hades seems to be. Hades assures that he indeed does understand, for he too was destined to rule a kingdom, and this unlikely similarity leads to Arthur asking this blond oddity's name. Hades introduces himself, "God of Death", and continues to rock Baby Hood as he adds that he thinks he was destined to rule "this very kingdom, right here". But - he pauses to shush the crying baby - he will need Arthur's help. With that, he flourishes his fingers and Arthur's neck is snapped in less than an instant. The inept King drops dead, his spine more broken than his prophesied kingdom, and Hades decides, "And that will do nicely." ONCE UPON A TIME

Act I
Snow, clinging onto baby Neal at her apartment, demands to know how Arthur escaped, for she thought Merida was supposed to be guarding his cell. Merida reveals that "this useless lump", referring to Sleepy, fell asleep on watch, and Snow questions why anyone would put Sleepy on guard duty. Sleepy just stands there, holding an ice pack to his head, as Merida points out that Snow was gone for weeks, and she did the best that she could with who she had. Snow decides that they can blame each other later but, right now, they need a search party; she orders Sleepy to gather the dwarfs and go, and Merida goes with him, addressing him by his Enchanted Forest name and having to hear him complain that he prefers Walter. Neal whines like the baby he is and Snow says that she agrees, then moaning that they need their family back soon. "Soon enough?" David asks as he swings the apartment door open, and Snow is overjoyed to be met by her husband. The married couple reunite by the way of a passionate kiss which lasts for the duration of both Henry and Emma also entering the family home. Neal is then handed to his father, who says that he missed him, and Snow exclaims the names of her daughter and grandson in excitement, embracing the latter as she asks if everyone else made it back safe. David assures her that Regina and Robin are back too, with Henry adding that his grandfather came back with Belle (at least they think he did), all of which begs the question which soon falls from Emma's mother's lips: "And Hook...?" The blonde is mostly stoic, but the tiniest shake of the head tips Snow off that the ultimate endgame of Operation Firebird was unsuccessful, and to compensate she hugs her daughter perhaps tighter than she ever has before. She says how sorry she is while Emma bemoans all the mistakes she made, wishing she'd never gone down to the Underworld. Snow assures her that it's okay, pointing out that they all made it back and, nevertheless, they helped a lot of people move on. "You got to see Hook one last time." David says that there's more to it because they weren't the only ones who came through the portal: Hades and Zelena made it back too, and they have Robin's baby. Regina, meanwhile, is busy telling Robin not to worry; that they'll find his daughter, she promises. It's then that the Mayor's name is exclaimed by her sister, who comes running towards her, taking her hand as she expresses her joy that she made it back. Robin doesn't have time for pleasantries though, and he demands to know where the hell is child is, at which Regina tells him to wait. She tells a confused Zelena that they need some answers, and Robin repeats his question. Zelena replies that Baby Hood is with Hades, with her having come to explain to everyone that he's changed, but Robin exclaims, "I'd hate to be the one to break this to you but no, he hasn't!" The Wicked Witch grows further confused; she reminds the two heroes that Hades helped them, taking their names off their graves, but Regina insists that it was a trick to ensure that they'd trust him, revealing that he tried to trap them down there. Zelena can't believe what she's hearing, and she doesn't, recalling that she was with him the whole time and that they waited for the others, but Regina insists further that that was a show he was putting on for her benefit. She adds that Zelena can't trust him with her child, but Zelena insists in turn that Hades is different now that his heart is beating. "Love has changed him; I've changed him." Regina knows and understands that her sister wants to believe that, but sometimes the truth really hurts. She suggests that Zelena simply tell them where he is, but the newly-reformed villain wonders what they're planning to do when they find him. Regina says that that depends on him, but they'll do whatever they have to to protect the town. "You mean imprison him?" Zelena worries, and all Regina does is repeat herself: they'll do whatever they have to. She knows this is hard to hear, but Hades is not the man Zelena thinks he is. "Actually, he's not a man at all!" Zelena snaps, "He is a God! And if you try to hurt him, you'll do so at your own peril!" She proceeds to disappear angrily in a flurry of green smoke, and both Regina and Robin appear highly disappointed.

Trivia

 * The title card of this episode features the Storybrooke Town Hall.
 * This is the first title card of Season 5B not to have its subject depicted amid the red skies of the Underworld.
 * Although credited, Emilie de Ravin (Belle Gold/Belle) is absent from this episode.

Production

 * The title of this episode was officially confirmed by executive producer/co-creator Adam Horowitz, via his Twitter account, on February 25, 2016.

Gallery
Gallery of photographic stills released to promote the episode.