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Once Upon a Time S05E12: Souls of the Departed (Full Reaction) (Patreon)

Published:
2026-02-28 14:01:21
Imported:
2026-10
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The mission to rescue Hook from the Underworld turns out to be more difficult than expected as the heroes encounter souls with unfinished business.

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Heidi Elizabeth Marcum

Souls of the Departed- Welcome to the 100th episode of Once Upon a Time, Reds!! Although... I will say that if you count season four's episode, titled... Smash the Mirror Parts One and Two as two episodes like they are split into, just like season four's two part finale episodes, titled... Operation Mongoose Part One and Operation Mongoose Part Two are split into, then technically Swan Song is really the show's 100th episode, making Souls of the Departed episode 101. But the creators have officially dubbed Souls of the Departed as the 100th episode, which is the reason for them working so hard to bring back as many of this show's past guest stars and the fans' favorite characters as they possibly could to celebrate. And boy did they succeed! :) I absolutely love, love, love seeing most of the characters who've died in seasons past, brought back again now that the heroes have arrived in the Underworld to save Killian!! I love seeing Neal. I really love this opening scene between Emma and Neal. Because I feel it's very important for Emma to know that he's found peace now that he's moved on from the Underworld. And not just for her, but I love that she is able to pass a message from him along to Henry, and to Gold as well, in her own time. Also... I love that Emma asks him if Killian is in the Underworld, and Neal quickly assures her that he is. This whole moment is very sweet and it's good to know that Neal is finally happy and at peace. Oh... And yes, the amusement park setting is exactly where Neal takes Emma on their first date just after they meet. And we see this in a flashback back in season three's finale episode, titled... There's No Place Like Home. We also have several other characters brought back as well... We see the Blind Witch once again played by Emma Caulfield, from way back in season one's episode, titled... True North. We also see Pan once again played by Robbie Kay, Regina's father... Prince Henry played by Tony Perez, Charming's twin brother... Prince James also played of course by Josh Dallas, and unfortunately, we also see Cora again. For those who like Cora, it's great that she's come back in the show too. However, as I've mentioned a number of times, I've never really liked her other than thinking simply that she is a good villain. And we also see Cruella's Panther De Ville, indicating we will see her again at some point too, as well as Sidney again within this episode's backstory. So many great appearances, and I love it!!! And now, as for the present storyline... After Emma wakes from her dream with Neal, her parents are there to calm her and to assure her they're all okay, then Gold tells them to brace themselves, because they've all arrived within the Underworld. I love the eeriness once the heroes and Gold all walk through the fog, until they come into a much darker version of Storybrooke, where a number of the buildings and landmarks are crumbled and worn down, including Storybrooke's clock tower, as we see the clock and its roof broken upon the ground in front of the library. I also love that the reasons for the Underworld opening up to looking like an eerie Storybrooke, remain a mystery. The heroes all keep together, although they begin to walk at different paces as they take a closer look at their surroundings and the people they immediately see to be eerily staring at them. And boy... Is the Underworld ever eerie. I can certainly understand Regina's worry. Mary Margaret is the first to enter the Underworld's version if Granny Diner, as she finds the Blind Witch behind the counter taking orders, as this establishment's owner. I love that we get to see more of the Blind Witch, who was killed in season one's episode, titled... True North, after Hansel and Gretel shove her into her own oven and then Regina burns her alive with one of her fireballs. And I love how Emma Caulfield plays the Blind Witch! The Blind Witch is spunky, sassy, and she's just a character I was always intrigued by, so I'm happy she's back too! But back to the episode... Mary Margaret asks the witch if she's seen Captain Hook or knows where she might find him, but in so doing, she asks if she's seen their friend with dark hair and has a hook for a hand. I love how the Blind Witch excitedly answers, "Captain Hook!", but then tells Mary Margaret that she doesn't know him... Simply knows of his reputation because her description of him is pretty complete and obvious who she means. And then... David walks in, or so Mary Margaret believes him to be, and he kisses her quite passionately. And Mary Margaret is able to detect that he is actually James straight away, not her husband. I really love seeing him again too, although I am disappointed we don't get more with him. I am excited to see David and James meet at last! We'll see if this long awaited meeting still comes to pass. David then walks in just after James walks away, and both Emma and Gold soon walks in close behind him. I love how Emma's thoughts are on Killian and finding him, while Mary Margaret tells her the Blind Witch doesn't know where he is. And in spite of Neal assuring her that Killian is there, she begins to doubt he is again, until Gold speaks up to tell her that Hook had died a Dark One, so he most certainly is in the Underworld. Now... Gold then splits off from the heroes, making it clear that he has his own agenda for coming along with them aside from Emma blackmailing him into joining them, despite him telling them that he's gonna try to help them find Hook in his own way so they can leave the Underworld sooner than they would without his help. Like always, Gold doesn't trust in the heroes to succeed on their own. Henry then joins Emma and his grandparents too, after he apparently goes to the Underworld's version of Neal's room in hope of finding his father. Emma then assures Henry that Neal has moved on and is at peace, which I really like, even though she doesn't exactly come out and say why she knows this. Meanwhile... Regina and Robin remain on their own as they continue walking down the main street talking about how the Underworld looks like Storybrooke, and her worries about having been the one to send a number of this world's inhabitants here knowing that there's going to be a lot of people angry with her for killing them. Then... Regina recognizes one such individual she knows has been following them, and is then told that someone is wanting to see her. Regina then joins him to confront whoever has sent for her, only to meet up with her mother, who is now the apparent Mayor of this part of the Underworld, just like she is up in Storybrooke. Like I said above, I wasn't too thrilled about seeing Cora again. And while she has her heart back in her chest, after she has told Regina that she would have been enough, shown back in season two's episode, titled... The Miller's Daughter... I hate that Cora is once again up to her old tricks and manipulations, not appearing to have changed at all, or to have learned from her mistakes. Cora acts towards Regina like she always did throughout this episode, even with her heart. I somewhat understand why, given that we learn in the very end that Hades warns Cora that he would hurt Regina if she didn't do what he wanted her to do by convincing Regina and the others to leave the Underworld, and that Cora really was trying to protect her daughter. However, I hate how Cora threatens Regina's father in order to convince her daughter to leave with everyone before something bad happens to them. I know that Cora never loved Henry and that she has no qualms with hurting him. But she still shouldn't have been able to hurt Regina so deeply by threatening to throw her father into the fires below them inside the cavern because her heart is once again in her chest. If she truly loves her daughter, she wouldn't be able to hurt her so deeply, because she knows how much Regina loves her father. To me... This shows that Cora is still plenty capable of being evil with her heart in her chest, in spite of why she claimed to have ripped it out in the first place as is explained in season two's episode, titled... The Miller's Daughter. So, I don't like any of this storyline, until the very end of it once Cora disappears, believing that Henry is about to end up in the fires. After Cora is gone, and Regina cries out for her father, I absolutely love, love, love the moment that the bright white light appears and reveals he's free to move on to a better place where he will be at peace at last! I absolutely love, love, love this moment for Regina!! I just really love Prince Henry's storyline all throughout this episode! And I love seeing Lana Parilla and Tony Perez reunite once more! I love how Prince Henry shares with Regina why he's been trapped in the Underworld, and that his unfinished business has been her, as he has always hoped that somehow, in some way, that someone would be able to save his beloved daughter from her evil ways and give her the peace that she's been seeking for so long. And I love his final moments with Regina as they say their goodbyes, and especially seeing him meet his daughter's son, Henry... his namesake. What a beautiful, tender moment! And I absolutely love their storyline! So beautiful and moving! :) Next... I love how Gold once again meets up with Peter Pan after all this time! It's fantastic seeing Pan again, even though it is confusing that Pan is once again Pan, when he died as Rumple's father, Malcolm. But I can shrug this off, believing that perhaps Hades restored his youth in exchange for Pan helping him too. And much to my surprise, after Gold had killed Pan back in season three's midseason episode, titled... Going Home, Pan actually offers to help his son find Hook for the heroes he came down with, yet he doesn't reveal his reasons for doing so. Nonetheless... His help consists of a bottle of what Gold later reveals to Emma to be Ale of Seonaidh, previously seen used by Merida in this season's episode, titled... The Bear King, when she pours this ale over her father's grave to speak with him again. One of my favorite moments and scenes throughout this episode, is when Emma takes this ale and pours it over Killian's grave upon being told that everyone who's died has a tombstone here in the Underworld, in hope of communicating with Killian so he can tell her where he's being held so they can come rescue him. Unfortunately, Killian appears before everyone, bloody and in too much pain to be able to speak with them, and as Emma fears, in too much pain to even be able to hear her. I love seeing Emma's fear for him, and I love her parents' assurances that they will find him. I also love how Regina chooses to stay with her friends to help them find Killian in spite of her mother's threats. Also... I love how Regina and Robin both immediately shield Henry from seeing Killian in so much pain too. Regarding why the ale doesn't allow Emma to talk with Killian, or allow for the magic over his soul to work long.... It's actually never explained why, but I suspect it either has something to do with how Killian is currently being tortured, or perhaps because of something Hades has done to him. These are my best guesses. Sadly... This is all we see of Killian throughout this entire episode, and for it being the special 100th episode, it saddens me that this is the only screen time he's given, even though I do understand why this is. It's just sad not to see him be a part of this episode more, which is one of the reasons why I almost prefer to think of Swan Song being the 100th episode instead. And as for the backstory, revealing that it's Regina's birthday... I do like the overall storyline throughout this episode, as Cora returns from being trapped in Wonderland thanks to Henry calling on Cora to have her help Regina to move past her obsession to kill Snow White. Unfortunately, Cora is somehow able to escape from her imprisonment in Wonderland as she returns to Regina's Palace through the looking glass used to banish her to Wonderland, back in season two's episode, titled... We Are Both, when it magically appears thanks to Rumplestiltskin upon him giving this looking glass to Regina as a wedding gift. Unfortunately, Cora wants to help Regina rip out Snow White's heart, and actually succeeds in doing so when Henry once again interferes when he asks Snow to meet with him in hope of warning her that Cora is seeking to do so. However, Cora disguises herself as Henry upon arriving at the meeting place before the real Henry can, then rips out Snow's heart the moment she becomes distracted when Henry really arrives to warn her. Thankfully, Henry is able to outsmart Cora and trades Snow's heart with another of Cora's hearts from her vault, and when Cora gives the heart to Regina to crush, still believing it belongs to Snow, one of Regina's soldiers is killed instead. While I love that Henry is able to save Snow and give her, her heart back, I really hate the reveal of his deception when Regina observes Snow within her Magic Mirror while she squeezes, until suddenly Jiminy Cricket comes flying out of her top upon him making her feel uncomfortable., as this reveals that Snow was given her heart back. I just think this was a stupid idea. Ridiculous. I just love that Henry is revealed to have switched the hearts, and I like seeing Regina kill a random Black Knight. I just hate the Jiminy Cricket moment. It's too silly. This could have been done differently. Later... I also like how Regina is able to force Cora back into Wonderland through the looking glass with help from Sidney, who betrays Cora as Regina's behest in spite of what Sidney said to Henry earlier about not having a death wish in going against Cora. Unfortunately, Cora is able to snatch Henry and takes him along with her, after Regina had earlier shrunk him down and placed him inside one of her heart boxes in order to punish him for helping Snow White. And this moment finally explains why Regina had to enlist Jefferson's (the Mad Hatter) help to go to Wonderland, in order to get her father back from her mother, shown in season one's episode, titled... Hat Trick. What a callback! I love it!! And lastly... We've come to meet Hades, God of the Underworld at last!!! Most fans of Once Upon a Time don't particularly care much for Hades as a villain here in Once Upon a Time. I think mostly because Hades in the Disney animated movie... Hercules, Hades is so beloved. However, I really do love Hades here too for the most part. Because I love his personality and charisma, as well as his cruelty. And I really love the actor chosen to play him... Greg Germann. I've seen Greg Germann in a number of shows and movies too, and he's always great! And I just really like him overall as a villain! As he does a fabulous job taking on one of my favorite Disney villains... Hades!! I especially love how he punishes Cora for failing to do his bidding, by turning her back into the miller's daughter she once was, returning her to the life she so despises. Just desserts if you ask me. Cora deserves it all the way. But with this being said... I really, really hate the special effect of Hades' hair becoming blue flames. I know that this is a nod to the Disney movie... Hercules, because Hades' character in the movie has blue flames for hair. I appreciate the idea. However, I really feel that they should have axed this idea unless they could have made the special effects look a bit more realistic, or at least much better than it is. It just looks really ridiculously silly to me. The creators and writers could have easily written in a different nod to his character from Hercules that would have made more sense. Overall... This is a really great and fun episode!! And I really love it!! It's absolutely another of my favorite episodes this season for sure! And I absolutely enjoyed your reaction for it as well, Reds. I love seeing all of the characters brought back again. So, thank you again, my dear friend! Sincerely, Heidi