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Once Upon a Time S05E11: Swan Song (Full Reaction) (Patreon)

Published:
2026-02-28 14:00:16
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2026-10
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The Dark Ones target a living soul for sacrifice, leading to a showdown between Dark Swan and Dark Hook; in a flashback, the Evil Queen forces Hook to confront a demon from his past.

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Heidi Elizabeth Marcum

Swan Song- Thank you so very much for another fabulous reaction to one of my absolute favorite episodes, Reds!!! And not just from season five, but from throughout this entire show!!!! It's near impossible for me to say which episode out of all of them, might be my all time favorite episode. Because I love them all so much! Even the episodes that I consider to be my least favorite episodes each season. However, which episode is my one all time favorite episode? Well... Swan Song for me is most definitely in the top running, because I absolutely love, love, love it so, so very much!!! I think this episode is absolutely heartbreaking and yet so beautiful too. :) In case you are unsure of the meaning of the term, "swan song"... This term doesn't just refer to Emma just because her last name is Swan. The term "swan song" actually refers to the final words or final actions of someone who is about to die. In the case of this episode, Emma swears she is going to sacrifice herself to destroy the Darkness and prepares herself for death in order to save her family from all the previous Dark Ones. So, this term does in fact have a double meaning, because Emma is preparing for her own "swan song" and her last name is Swan. However, Killian sacrifices his life for Emma and her family instead when he takes upon himself all of the Darkness from all of the Dark Ones and sacrifices himself instead. His final actions, being Killian's "swan song" instead of Emma's because he dies to save her and her family. A perfect title for this fabulous episode I love so much! :) First, in regards to Gold's cut when he and Dark Hook were fighting aboard the Jolly Roger in the previous episode, titled... Broken Heart, and why Gold is able to open the portal to the Underworld... Dark Hook cut Mr. Gold in his arm using his hook, not the sword. He did so, in order to get some of Gold's blood in order to open the portal to the Underworld so that he could bring all of the previous Dark Ones from the Underworld to Storybrooke. And this is also the reason why Gold is able to use his own blood to open the portal to the Underworld, as is revealed to us in the previous episode, titled... Broken Heart. Rumplestiltskin from Dark Hook's mind reveals to him that by taking some of the blood of a person who has previously died and been to the Underworld, then came back to life, is the only way for a living person to open this portal to the Underworld. Gold died back in season three's episode, titled... Going Home, and he therefore traveled to the Underworld upon his death, but was later resurrected by Neal. This is why Gold's blood allows for Dark Hook, and now Gold himself, to open the portal to the Underworld at any given time. And now... This episode begins with an incredible backstory for Killian that I very much absolutely love, love, love!! We see him as a young boy between the ages of ten to thirteen years. We also see young Liam, but he's only shown to be asleep in the bed next to where Killian is trying to sleep aboard the ship they are traveling across the ocean in along with their father. Upon the light going out within their quarters and because of the storm raging outside surrounding the ship, Killian wakes up frightened and frantically calls out to his father, played by actor... Adam Croasdell, who is the perfect actor to play Brennan Jones, since he looks so much like Hook as a grown man. Once again... Such perfect casting. And not just from Killian's father, but also because of Oliver Bell, who plays young Killian and whom I love as a young Killian very much! It is definitely easy to tell who this young boy is straight away, and not just because they were all sailing aboard a pirate ship. But continuing on with my thoughts about the storyline... Killian's father enters the room to comfort his son as he relights the lamp, then kneels down beside his son to coax him back to sleep, offering him gentle words about one day being a man of his own making, to which Killian states that he wishes to be just like him when he grows up. Brennan then assures his son he will look after him while he sleeps and the light so that it doesn't go out again. At first... Brennan appears to be a loving father, who loves his sons. And I think he does love them to some degree. However, appearances can certainly be deceiving. Unfortunately, Killian awakens again some time later to once again discover that his father isn't with him and that the light has gone out like before. And when Killian calls out to his father and starts to run out of the room to find him, he's immediately caught by the ship's Captain who goes on to explain that Killian's father had abandoned him and Liam so he could escape from the law, because it's revealed that Brennan Jones is a known thief and had heard there were soldiers at the ship's next port waiting to apprehend him. And if this isn't bad enough, the Captain also tells Killian that their father had sold him and Liam to him in exchange for a rickety rowboat so he could escape. And the look on Killian's face is full of confusion, fear, and sadness, and it's heartbreaking. There are so many characters throughout this show who've been abandoned by their parents in some way or another. And it's all heartbreaking of course. However, I feel that out of all the characters' pasts, Killian's and Liam's pasts are among the most tragic. Not only were these two boys simply abandoned without any words to say goodbye and without so much as an explanation offered by their father himself, but Brennan also sells his boys into servitude, having been sold to this ship's Captain. And from the man's callousness shown as he explains to Killian what their father had done, it's clear that he wasn't a good man. After all, he was a pirate, as were the rest of the crewmen. We knew that Killian had been abandoned by his father, from back in season two's finale episode, titled... And Straight on 'Til Morning, when he is talking to young Baelfire aboard the Jolly Roger within the episode's backstory, and reveals that his father had abandoned him too, just like Rumple abandoned Bae. But Killian's father did so much worse. Being forced into slavery at such a young age is so heartbreaking, and it explains a lot about Killian as a man and why he turns out as he does. Why he became such a villain for a long time. And it's really that much more amazing to me, that Killian has been able to push his demons aside at all in order to become a disciplined and righteous Leftenant within the Royal Navy for a time, as well as for him to become the hero and good man he truly is now. Continuing on with the backstory... Many years later, a long time after Killian becomes Captain Hook and had left Neverland to return to the Enchanted Forest, Hook is waiting not far from the Evil Queen's Palace for her to come out to meet him, with a drink in his hand. And from their conversation, we come to understand that this storyline takes place shortly after they meet, just after Regina enlists him to kill Cora, shown back in season two's episode, titled... Queen of Hearts. Regina goes on to explain to Hook that she is going to give him a test he must pass, in order to show her that he has no weaknesses that her mother can exploit. Later... Upon them walking into a tavern somewhere deep within the Enchanted Forest, Regina guides Hook inside, then tells him he must kill someone for her. Thinking that she means just anyone, or perhaps one of the biggest brutes within the tavern who calls him out for simply being a pirate, Hook attempts to kill the brute until the Evil Queen immediately snaps the man's neck to stop him, then turns Hook around to come face to face with his real target... Hook's own father. Now... I have to explain the problems with this episode's timeline. Because the timeline explained within the next scene is actually off, and was clearly never fixed by this show's creators and writers. Because it's been well established that Hook spent over two hundred years in Neverland before Pan releases him from his services, and yet it's said by Brennan upon being shocked to see his son still alive, that he had abandoned his sons nearly a century ago and that he had been under a sleeping curse during the time. However, the truth is that Brennan had abandoned his sons and remained under the sleeping curse for nearly two centuries. Not just one. Plus... Regina exists in this time now, so it has definitely been at least two hundred years, not just one hundred. But getting past the timeline issues... I absolutely love these next scenes between Hook and his father!! I love, love, love how Killian refuses to really explain his story beyond that his life has been nothing but full of pain and tragedy, and then demands to know how his father is still alive after all these years. Brennan goes on to explain that he had been caught by the soldiers not long after he tried to escape, and for some reason was put under a sleeping curse. Whether it was his punishment given to him according to law, or if it was because he had wronged someone else capable of casting the curse over him and had taken him from his jail cell, it's never explained. But in his time asleep, Brennan goes on to explain that his nurse charged with his care came to fall in love with him as she cared for him, while he fell in love with her too while asleep. In all honesty... I think the storyline with Brennan having survived for as long as he has, and him falling in love while under a sleeping curse, is pretty weak. And I wish the creators and writers had come up with a better storyline to explain his survival for this long. However, I do love that Brennan Jones has survived for this long, and that he and Hook come face to face with one another again after all these years, because I love all that comes next. I absolutely love the pain and the anger we see in Hook's eyes and on his face while he listens to his father's story, then goes on to tell him that he is going to help him escape so that the Evil Queen will come to think he's dead and so that he can still get what she owes him for pretending to keep his word to her so that he can still get his revenge against Rumplestiltskin. In all honesty, Hook takes his father's story so much better than I would have expected him to. After everything Brennan did to him and Liam, and after all the pain he's suffered through since his father's abandonment, I'm amazed Hook even considered helping Brennan to escape. Unfortunately, Brennan then asks his son for a second paper of transport as he shares that he has another son. And once again, Hook agrees and keeps his word to help them both, as we see in their next scene together that Hook had gotten the papers for them both. However, Hook then listens from the doorway of his father's cabin, as Brennan once again is seen comforting his third son in the same way Brennan had comforted him all those years ago, using the very same words he had promised him, just before Brennan went against his word and abandoned him and Liam. And if this wasn't bad enough, he also overhears that Brennan has named his youngest son Liam, just like his older brother. Hook is angry, and rightly so. Once the boy is asleep, Brennan walks outside to join Hook again and starts to thank his middle son for risking so much for him. However, Hook immediately lets his anger show through as he shouts at his father for calling his other son Liam after his brother, to which Brennan tries to explain that he had done so to honor Liam and supposedly Killian too, as a reminder to never abandon him again. And this only makes Hook angrier, because Brennan had abandoned him and Liam. Killian looked up to his father as any child adores and loves their father. So, to hear that he couldn't ever abandon another son he had with another woman, in the same way he was able to abandon him... It's absolutely heartbreaking. And I can't blame Hook for being so hurt and angry at this. So, in spite of his word to help his father and his other son escape, Hook then rips up the papers, and kills his father like the Evil Queen asked of him to do, claiming it was to ensure that she would keep her word to help him gain his revenge, when I really believe Hook had only done so because his grief, pain, and his anger overpowered him and became too much for him to deal with. And he simply couldn't let how his father wronged him go. It is most definitely wrong that Hook kills his own father, and leaves his youngest son there to find his father's body, leaving young Liam alone to grow up without his father too. But I can certainly understand why Hook has done as he does. Hook's past is full of tragedy and pain. It's heartbreaking. However, I love that we learn so much more about Killian's past, because it explains a lot of why Killian is who he is and why he struggles so deeply with the darkness inside of him. And this finally brings me to the present storyline in Storybrooke... I love the first scene between Dark Hook and Gold, when Gold comes to confront Hook once again after their fight aboard the Jolly Roger! I love that Gold attempts once more to try to kill Hook, while the Dark One continues to mock him, and is even quite cruel when he brings up how Belle's left him and then talks about his dead son. Their great rivalry is still alive and well, and I love it! In the meantime... David, Mary Margaret, Henry, Regina, and Robin are all walking alongside Emma down the main street through town, then are quickly joined by the dwarfs minus Dopey since he's still a tree, as her family are trying to encourage her to think rationally and to think about the man she loves, whom she's now acting so eager to kill in order to stop his plans now that they remember again. I love how Mary Margaret actually defends Killian for once, as she reminds Emma and Regina that he never wanted to become the Dark One, and that he's still the man Emma loves. Sadly, Emma states that the man she loves died back in Camelot. And while this is partly true, it's also not because Killian is still very much inside the Dark One. He's just buried deep down inside because the darkness has overpowered the good in him. But I at least love seeing that the pain of what she knows she must do to stop him, does hurt her. The group then splits up to try to find Dark Hook, as Regina and Robin head towards the harbor until their path is blocked by Zelena, who claims she's going to change her deal and take full custody of hers and Robin's daughter because she knows that the Dark Ones have been risen and believes they will take care of her problem with Regina and Robin being a threat to her and her child. And in this moment, two Dark Ones appear before them and attack. The same happens to David and Mary Margaret, the dwarfs, Gold, and Henry as well, as they're all attacked, before they all come together again outside of Gold's shop. Gold goes on to explain that they have all been marked with the Mark of Charon... The Boatman of the Underworld, and explains that soon, the Dark Ones will appear to drag their souls down to the Underworld, so that they can take over their lives and live again. Gold goes on to explain how treacherous and terrifying the Underworld is, then states that he's accepted his fate. And from a later scene while they're all down in Regina's vault looking for answers that can save them, it's revealed her parents and Henry have also accepted their fates too, and that they don't wish to spend their final hours trying to find a way to stop the Dark Ones, but simply by enjoying what time they have left with their family. It's very sad, and very unlike these heroes, just like Emma says to her mother. And I really do hate that Snow and Charming give up too. However, Emma isn't ready to give up her family and loved ones without a fight. And neither is Regina. Regina finally finds Killian in the harbor where she expected him to be, and tries to convince him that what he's doing is wrong, as she tries to speak to the good man still inside of him. I also love that this is one of the few times we ever hear Regina call him by his real name, and not Hook Captain Guyliner, or any of her many other names for him. And I love how Killian recognizes this and mocks her for not using one of her many bon mots for him as he calls them. Unfortunately, Killian refuses to listen to her, especially once she attempts to bring up how he had killed his father, only for him to immediately begin to choke her in order to warn her against bringing up their past that he had made her swear never to talk about again. And with that... Killian walks away from her without another word. After Emma and Regina refuse to give up, as Emma confides in Regina when she tells her she's prepared to die like they had talked about in Camelot, they then go to talk with Gold about getting Excalibur back so that Emma and kill herself in order to destroy the Darkness inside of her and in Hook once and for all. Gold gives her the sword, unbeknownst to them that he had poured one of his potions over it first, which is why he doesn't request any kind of deal from her. But I will talk about this again shortly... Gold then warns Emma that Excalibur chooses its miracles, meaning that her plan to destroy the Darkness once and for all might not work like she's expecting it to. However, Emma ignores him, showing her determination to move forward in her plan. Next... I really love when Regina and Robin confront Zelena again, especially when Regina uses her magic to bring herself and Zelena to the clock tower, where she then uses the Apprentice's wand to summon up another tornado that brings the Wicked Witch back to Oz. I love Regina's s confidence and even cockiness, especially when Zelena is taken up by the tornado and cries out that her sister will see her again, as Regina makes a reference to The Wizard of Oz saying, "Somewhere over the rainbow! Enjoy Oz, witch!" This is one of my favorite quotes in this entire episode! I just love how Regina says it with such glee and it's perfect for Regina's and Zelena's characters!! Brilliant! :) After Emma enters Granny's to leave a letter for her family to say goodbye to them without confronting them in order to keep them from trying to talk her out of her plan, she then returns to her house where she's left Excalibur locked behind the sealed door to her basement, then she is shocked upon being confronted again by Killian. Knowing exactly what her plan is, he tries to convince her to give him the sword, then momentarily pretends to be Henry, long enough to take Excalibur away from her because he knows she won't kill him wearing her son's face. Emma absolutely should have known that Henry was really Killian in disguise, given how obvious it was. However, I like the idea of his plan to take Excalibur away from her. I just wished this scene could have been done a little differently, in a way that would make more sense. I especially love how Emma pleads with him again by reminding him that this isn't what Killian would have wanted, only for him to remind her that she should have let him die, and never should have turned him into a Dark One. And at last... We finally come to my absolute favorite scene and moment throughout the entire episode!!! A scene that is absolutely tragic, heartbreaking, and beautiful as well. The Dark Ones all soon bring everyone they've marked to the lake in the park where the portal to the Underworld is... However, we don't actually see the dwarfs among the heroes throughout this scene, which I think is a let down because they should have been there too. I think this was an oversight on this episode's director's part. It's not like it's a money issue where they couldn't afford to bring the dwarfs into this episode, since we see them earlier on. But nonetheless... Everyone is at the lake along with the Dark Ones, and soon Emma runs between them to join with her family as she apologizes to them for being unable to save them since Killian stole Excalibur away from her. And then... Dark Hook arrives as well and waits beside the Dark Ones now surrounding everyone. I love how Dark Hook is in this scene, until Regina steps forward to once again remind him of that night between him and his father in spite of Killian's earlier warning. And at last, her words finally get through to him, as Killian is forced to remember the kind of man he truly wants to be, knowing that if he follows through with his plan to help the previous Dark Ones, then he would regret it for all of his immortal life... However long it might be. After all, the good man inside of him is still there, no matter how deep down inside he's tried to bury himself, and Killian still loves Emma very deeply. Her family too. And in this moment... Killian finally turns against the Darkness and faces Nimue and the other Dark Ones, as he orders Nimue to stop hurting Emma and to stop with their plan. However, when they refuse, Killian uses every ounce of strength within himself to summon all of the Dark Ones into Excalibur as he raises the blade in front of him to do so. And when he's finished, he turns around to face Emma, and pleads with her to take Excalibur so that she can do to do as she had planned to do to herself, pleading with her to kill him so that he can rid the world of the Darkness once and for all. I cry throughout this beautiful and heartbreaking moment between Killian and Emma, every time I watch it. It's so sad and yet so, so beautiful too. I love how Killian pleads with Emma to remember him as he was and to let him die a hero. It's so, so heartbreaking to hear him say that if there's anyone who deserves to go to the Underworld, that it's him. Which is hardly true. In spite of his brief fall upon becoming consumed by the Darkness, Killian certainly doesn't deserve to suffer any more than anyone else does. And then... Emma and Killian share a final kiss after he convinces her that his death is the only way to free them both from the darkness at last, and they both say I love you, before Emma finally stabs Killian with Excalibur right through his heart in his chest, causing him to agonizingly cry out in pain. All the while, Emma is weeping, especially once he collapses upon his legs giving out on him in the moment he dies in Emma's arms, just after the Killian's sacrifice forces the Darkness to be expelled from both of their bodies, in the belief that the Darkness has finally been destroyed once and for all. So beautiful, and so heartbreaking! I absolutely love, love, love this scene between Killian and Emma, especially upon seeing and deeply feeling the beautiful emotions they express throughout it as well... And both Colin O'Donoghue and Jennifer Morrison are absolutely phenomenal throughout Swan Song, especially in this ending!! Scenes like this are why I love them and their characters so, so much. And if there is any moment throughout all of Once Upon a Time that I had to choose to be my absolute favorite for them as my favorite True Love couple, this moment would be it. Not knowing in this moment back when I first watched this episode when it first aired, that the heroes would be going down to the Underworld to try to save Killian, I cried so hard because for a moment, I did believe that Killian was no longer going to be in Once Upon a Time. Killian is after all... my absolute favorite character in all of Once Upon a Time!! But when Emma arrives to share with her family her plans to enter the Underworld to save him, and that she hopes to split her heart with Killian to save him just like Snow did for Charming shown in season three's episode, titled... A Curious Thing, my heart leapt out of my chest, and I was so, so happy!!!! :) I really love this scene between these heroes and I love that they're all willing to go down to the Underworld with Emma to help her save Killian, showing just how much he has come to mean to them all as well. I love seeing them all, including Gold, standing once again at the lake while they prepare themselves to enter the Underworld. I absolutely love when Emma uses her mother's and father's most famous line between one another as she whispers to Killian almost like she hopes he can hear her saying, "Hook... I will find you. I will always find you." So beautiful. :) Next... I absolutely love the scene when Emma comes to confront Gold again upon hearing the whispers coming from within the dagger as the voices call out to her. And as absolutely frustrating as it is... I love the big revelation that Gold has once again become the Dark One, and the most powerful of all the Dark Ones to have ever lived on account of Killian willing all the previous Dark Ones into Excalibur before the sword disintegrated into ash. As much as I hate Gold all the more, more than I have ever hated him before for taking away Killian's sacrifice, because Killian absolutely sacrifices himself to try to destroy the Darkness once and for all... I also think it is brilliant of Gold to do, because I do just absolutely love Rumplestiltskin as the Dark One. And this selfish act is completely in his character, especially since he believed then that power is all he has left since Belle has left him, which again... I will talk about momentarily... First, I love how Gold explains to Emma how he managed to take back his power and became the Dark One once more, upon using potion that he is then shown in a flashback pouring over Excalibur. A potion that then transfers the Darkness from Killian and Emma, as well as all previous Dark Ones, back into Gold instead of it being destroyed like Killian died believing he had accomplished. I absolutely hate Gold for doing this to Killian, Emma, and to Belle too. But I still can't help but love him too. He's a character I love to hate. Now... There is a theory fans of this show believe that explains how Killian actually felt that the Darkness was being transferred from him into Gold again, because just before he dies and collapses, there's a brief moment that looks like Killian is trying to warn Emma of something while he's supposedly pointing towards Gold. Now, I don't know if this is true or not, but I really love this theory, and it could be possible. And then... Emma becomes incredibly angry with Gold upon realizing that he had taken Killian's sacrifice away from him as he's betrayed them all over again in spite of everything they did to save him when he was dying in the end of season four's finale episode, titled... Operation Mongoose Part Two. I love how she's completely unintimidated by Gold, as she then tells him that he is going to do something for her... Meaning that he is going to help her to save Killian. Just phenomenal! :) And lastly... If there's one thing I don't really care for about this episode, aside from the scene with Killian taking Excalibur away from Emma earlier on... It's the scene in the end between Gold and Belle. Don't get me wrong... I do sometimes love Belle and Gold together as a couple. However, it's at this point in the show that Belle really starts to irritate me to no end with how easily she continuously comes back to Gold after everything. And her wishy washy feelings towards him only continues on, getting worse and worse. I understand the creators' and writers' reasonings for bringing them back together. Because at the time... Gold had been sincere with wanting her to be happy and understanding that her happiness couldn't include him for now. However, Gold really is evil at heart no matter all he tried to do to prove otherwise. And I really wish there was so much more time in between Belle having told Gold that she can't be with him, to Belle immediately coming back to him saying she wants to be with him. Especially knowing that he has immediately gone back to being the same selfish villain he's always been. It's because of this that Belle and Gold are my least favorite True Love couple in the show. Because a lot of the time... They really aren't True Loves at all. And while I do love Rumple as the Dark One, I also hate that he's betrayed everyone yet again because he is so darn weak, cowardly, and selfish. Overall... I absolutely and wholeheartedly love, love, love this episode!!! Especially because it is so centered around Killian and his and Emma's love story. I love Killian's backstory, and I love his sacrifice he makes for Emma and her family and friends in spite of all the pain and darkness he suffers from because he is forced by Emma to become a Dark One... The very being and entity he hates above all else and with every fiber of his being. Killian suffers a fate that was forced upon him by Emma, even though she does so out of love. Swan Song is beautiful, heartbreaking, and just about perfect! And Killian's death for me... His death is definitely one of the most heartbreaking moments throughout this entire show! And yet it's also one of the most beautiful moments for me as well! So, thank you so much for all of your reactions for this Camelot arc, Reds!!! I really love it very much in spite of its flaws, and I most definitely do see the flaws throughout this arc for sure. However, I still absolutely love these episodes within this season overall so far!! And now... I can't wait for you to get into the upcoming Underworld arc, as the heroes and Gold all enter the Underworld to find and save Killian!!! :) Thank you, my dear friend!! Sincerely, Heidi