Devil's Due - 5x14

Devil's Due
by Samantha Lee - @samsjag

In this episode we see another chapter in the difficult marriage of Rumple and Milah. There is also a Captain Swan reunion and a tender moment for Regina. Finally, Hades makes a deal with the Dark One.

First we see Hades torturing Hook who refuses to choose who must stay in the Underworld.  Hades threatens to throw him into the River of Lost Souls as punishment.  He is particularly unhappy that Hook's friends brought Hope to the Underworld. 

Rumple arrives at the Underworld Pawn Shop where he finds a note from Pan telling him that the shop is his to use. He brews up a potion and uses a crystal ball to find "who he seeks" and has a vision of Belle. She seems happy and well, but for some reason Rumple becomes upset and he drops the ball which shatters to pieces. 

Meanwhile, Regina, Hook, Emma and the Charmings are cleaning up the apartment after Cerberus' attack. They are making more plans to go rescue Hook. Rumple shows up and tells them that he has decided to help them after all because it's the only way they will ever get out of the Underworld. His plan involves just himself, Emma and a "helpful dead person".

Flashback 300 or so years. Milah, Rumple and a young Bae are gathering wood in the forest.  Milah and Rumple argue as Bae wanders off and gets bitten by a snake. They go to the local healer who wants 100 gold pieces for the cure. They leave empty-handed. Milah suggests that since they can't pay, Rumple will have to kill the healer to get the potion and save Bae. Later Milah and Rumple are in the tavern where she gives him a dagger to use on his murderous mission.  After he leaves, a drunk begins to bother Milah and Captain Killian Jones steps in to rescue her.  She finds his tales of adventure, deep stares, and leather pants very alluring, but she tells him she has responsibilities here. Killian tells her that he comes to this port often, so perhaps they will meet again under different circumstances.

In present Underworld, Rumple finds Milah working as a crossing guard. She is not happy to see him, but when he tells her that she can help him save Hook from Hades she is willing to cooperate. Emma arrives on the scene and Rumple delights in introducing Milah to the woman who has been the lover of both her son and her own lover. Probably the most awkward intro ever even for Once.  Meanwhile, Regina is at the Blind Witch's Diner where she finds Cruella skulking around. Regina wants information about the "Underbrooke" graveyard. Cruella explains the "settings" of the gravestones: Upright means the person is still in the Underworld. Tipped over means they have moved on to a better place. "Happy person, tippy stone." A cracked stone means the soul has been sent to a worse place. Cruella, who is the new mayor, is willing to help by sharing maps she found in the mayor's office. We also find out that Regina is having trouble using  magic in the Underworld.

It turns out the entrance to Hades' lair is in the basement of Emma's house. Emma's house is decorated with items from the nursery including her crib and unicorn mobile. They join hands like kindergarteners crossing the street so that they can pass through the barrier which prevents the living from entering "Hell" and it's Milah who helps them cross. Rumple dismisses Milah, but before she goes, Emma tells her about her vision of Neal and how he said he was in a better place and was happy. Milah insists on helping Emma finish saving Hook. The three of them float down the River of Lost Souls in a boat that Rumple found, but when they reach the entrance to the cavern where Hook is chained up, Rumple tells Emma that she must go after Hook by herself and he warns to not to use magic since Hades will notice. Milah decides to stay and watch Rumple to make sure he doesn't take off with the boat since it is also their way out of the Underworld.

Emma finds Hook and frees him from where Hades has chained him over the River of Lost Souls.  This gives Rumple and Milah time to have a nice chat. Rumple tells her that if her unfinished business is Hook's love then it's too late for that. Milah says that's not it. She is stuck in the Underworld because of how she treated Bae. She regrets abandoning him and letting her hate for his father taint how she treated him. She wants to move on so she can see him again and apologize to him. Rumple tells her that he too betrayed Bae and that as a grown man he forgave him. He assures her that Bae will forgive her too. It's a nice moment between them.

In the past, Rumple is unable to kill the healer. He ends up making a deal for the potion instead.  He must pay a "terrible price" but he accepts. He is willing to trade anything. Rumple arrives home with the potion and they cure Bae. Rumple admits to Milah that he didn't kill the Healer because he didn't want his son to have a murderer for a father. He tells her he made a deal to give the healer his second born child. Milah is furious that Rumple traded away their future, their potential family. He insists that Bae is all the family they need. This does not appease Milah and she storms off to the tavern.

In the present, Milah and Rumple watch the Lost Souls crying in the river. Suddenly Hades appears. He freezes Milah and tells Rumple that he's there to make a deal. He takes Rumple to his lair where he tells him how much he appreciates all his work as the greatest of all Dark Ones and how many souls he's sent to the Underworld. Hades wants Rumple back in the real world and continuing his work as Dark One and supplying him with souls, but he wants to keep the others in the Underworld to prevent them from all the good they do. So he asks Rumple to sink the boat that he found as it is their way out. Hades says he can send Rumple home to Belle with just a wave of his hand. Rumple asks why he doesn't just destroy the boat himself and Hades says because he wants Rumple to do it. Rumple points out that Milah has just seen Hades and she will tell the others that something is going on. Hades tells Rumple that Milah is a problem he will have to solve on his own.

Rumple returns to Milah and she unfreezes. She asks what happened to Hades. Rumple destroys the boat. He tells Milah he's finally become the man she wanted him to be, the man who takes what he needs. Milah screams out for Emma but Rumple drowns out her cry with his own shout as he tosses her into the River of Lost Souls with a blast of magic. A look of genuine pain flows across Rumple's face before he conquers this emotion. He composes himself as Emma and Hook emerge from the cavern. He tells them that Hades destroyed the boat and Milah. Hook is upset to hear about Milah. Emma explains how Milah helped with the rescue. Hook says that Hades has much to answer for. Rumple agrees, "Indeed he does". The simple statement comes out as a full-on threat from Rumple.

In the Underworld graveyard Snow helps Regina look for a grave. It's Daniel she's looking for. His gravestone is tipped over and Regina is relieved that he's moved on and happy. Regina has a private moment at Daniel's graveside to remember her first True Love. Back in town, Regina and Snow find an injured horse laying by the street. Regina instinctively uses magic to heal it. Then she produces a fireball just to be sure she's got her mojo back. They rush off to Emma's house where everyone is meeting up. Emma explains how Rumple helped her save Hook but that Hades had destroyed the boat and Milah. Hook confronts Rumple about negating his sacrifice by taking back the Dark One power and he says he should kill him for that, but since he just saved him they would call it even for now. Robin tells Rumple that they are sorry for his losing Milah. "She made me who I am," admits Rumple.

Regina says it's time for them to do the heart-split so Hook will be able to leave once they find a way out of the Underworld. Emma explains to Hook how she is going to give him half of her heart like Snow did for Charming. But when Regina reaches for Emma's heart, she is unable to grab it.  At the cemetery they find three new head stones. Hook tells them that Hades had tried to make him choose three of them to stay which he refused to do. Then it is revealed that Hades has made the choice and the three names are: Regina Mills, Snow White, and Emma Swan. Maybe Snow should go back to being Mary Margaret again?  "I got the pirate out in a day and you lot managed to find a whole new way to fail. I'll be in the shop," says Rumple before walking away.

Then in the quickest flashback ever, Dark One Rumple visits the Healer to clear his debt. The easiest way out of his deal for his second child is to just kill the Healer which he does by taking his heart and crushing it. (Later comments from Hades place this flashback to the time when Rumple was in love with Cora and there was a chance he would have a child with her.) In the present, Rumple goes to Hades to send him home as promised. Hades says he isn't ready to send Rumple home yet. Then he tells Rumple that he figured out why he became upset when he saw the image of Belle in the crystal ball. Hades says that Rumple was asking to see his child, Bae, but instead he saw Belle. This means Belle must be pregnant! Then Hades conjures up the healer.  He tells Rumple that the contract for his second child has been transferred to him. Any time he wants he can take Rumple's baby. Hades says that now Rumple is working for him. All magic comes with a price and he needs Rumple to do something for him that only the Dark One can do.

So in a typical one step forward, three steps back adventure, our heroes managed to free Hook, but now Emma, Regina and Snow are trapped. I think this trip to Underbrooke is going to be most difficult for Rumple. In his three hundred years as the Dark One he sent a lot of souls to the Underworld. Centuries of deal-making to his credit, and now Rumple is the one left in a desperate situation.