‘Once Upon A Time’ Recap: ‘Last Rites’
As we gear up for the two-hour season finale of Once Upon A Time next week, we set the stage with a rather good episode. I’m actually quite fond of having the threat in Storybrooke be one that we already know, vs. having someone show up at the last minute whom we don’t even know anything about. Not to say that during the finale we won’t get the introduction of a new big bad, but let’s hope that they stick to dealing with more internal matters than going too outside of the box. The fact is there’s been a whole lot of focus on those outside of the OUAT main story bubble. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but our heroes and villains who have been on the show since season 1 need some lovin’ too.
Fellow critics might call this episode a heart-breaker or tear-jerker, and that would be correct, but probably not for the same reasons as you’d think. Before we get into that, let’s talk a little bit about tying up loose ends– or getting rid of them so to speak. King Arthur escaped back in Storybrooke and was murdered at the hands of Hades. This lands him in the Underworld, where he’s teamed up with Hook. Man, that guy just won’t go away. Will he? They obviously want to keep Hook in the picture, and this was a decent enough way to do it. Not saying I like it, but it was decent.
Was anyone (but Zelena) believing Hades’ act? Because, homeboy was trying a little too hard. He might have truly loved her, but when it came down to it… he was after one thing: revenge. Something that we were starting to see Zelena didn’t want any part of. While Robin and Regina were trying to get his daughter back from Hades, we see the manipulation between the Underworld’s King and Regina’s sis happening in front of our eyes. It really sucks that Happy Endings pretty much don’t exist in this world, even if the whole premise of the show is based off trying to find them
It seems Rumplestiltskin is trying to make a deal with Belle’s father in order to wake her from her sleeping curse. Turns out dear old dad would rather she stay that way until Rumple is out of the way, instead of bringing her back to life. You have to hand it to him, he’s got some balls. This forces Rumple to try and make a deal with Hades… again. Ugh. I’m over that partnership. Speaking of partnerships… this is actually one I don’t hate, that of Emma, Snow, Charming and Henry. They’re working hard to stop Hades and it’s giving me all the nostalgic feels.
In true OUAT fashion, I did not expect the Hades situation to come to a conclusion within the same episode it was practically introduced. I thought the epic battle between God and Storybrooke would be how the season concluded. OUAT really knows how to drag out its overthrow of its villains, so to see Hades defeated within the 42 minute episode was interesting. And felt a bit rushed. As a result of this rushed plot, we get a dead Robin Hood. Which, I’m totally OKAY with. I’ve never been a fan of him, and even though he sacrificed himself to save Regina and his baby, I still just don’t like him. Sorry! Another plot that I’m super pissed about is Hook being rewarded for his role in Hades’ demise. He gets to return to Storybrooke at the hands of Zeus, and just like that he’s alive again, and kissing Emma. I’m starting to think that there’s just no consequences for their actions anymore. If people can come back from the dead, the Underworld, the beyond– whatever all willy nilly then does life even have any value? Think about it. I hope that the repercussions for Hook’s return are bold, because it just baffles me that no one deals with the aftermath of such wizardry. Ha.
The baby finally has a name! About damn time… and it’s Robin. Poor Roland has no dad now… what happens to him? Does Regina take him? Does he become an orphan? Did I miss what happens to the little bugger? Perhaps. I’m all over the place today.
It broke my freakin’ heart to see Regina crying not only over Robin, but the potential loss of her sister. That scene where she was pleading for her life, asking Zelena to believe her and to side with her because Hades was a bad guy was just so damn gut wrenching. I was happy to see that in the end Zelena realized that Hades would always want power and that love wouldn’t be enough. A real lesson many of our characters on OUAT must learn. I think that now that Belle is under the sleeping curse, and Regina has lost her love, that these two will become darker and darker. I saw a glimpse of that in Emma when she was trying not to mourn the death of Killian, all while he was in the Underworld trying to get a message to her to tell her how to kill Hades. I get it, he needed to make sure she was okay before she moved on—but it was just so anti-climactic how his “good deed” aka putting some pages in a magical book and everyone in Storybrooke doing all the other work could land him a “go back to Earth” free card. Bah.
There are so many gray areas I’m not okay with, and some that I am okay with. Although I hope that one day all of the characters get their happy ending, I’m sure that that’s not the case. Overall I’m ecstatic about Robin being out of the picture (hopefully for good) and the potential for Evil Regina to come out again. No more heartbreak for Regina, please God (just not Hades).
Next week, do your worst OUAT two-hour season finale, do your worst!
Former tech nerd and Producer at a literary publicity firm. A college grad with a B.S. in Journalism, who loves covering the Entertainment world. In my spare time, I enjoy watching and reviewing my favorite T.V. shows, staying textually active on social media, as well as interviewing some of my favorite talents in the industry.
