Last Rites - 5x21

Recap and Analysis
By Joanne Denney - @Dragonlady755
 
Zelena learns the hard way that love is sacrifice. In this episode, we are shown the difference between four couples. On one side, Emma, Killian, Regina and Robin are willing to do anything to save their partner. In stark contrast, Hades and Rumple selfishly put their wants and desires before the needs of their lovers, Zelena and Belle.  

Hades, Zelena and Baby Hood arrive back in Storybrooke. Zelena worries that Regina has not returned as well. Hades reassures her that Regina will soon return. Zelena questions why they're hiding out in the woods rather than returning to the town. Hades explains that Snow White still thinks of them as villains and that it's not safe for them. Zelena tells him that she will convince Snow White that love has changed Hades and has him take the baby to Regina's office where it will be safe.
 
After Zelena departs, Hades is surprised by King Arthur running towards him in handcuffs.  He’s escaped from the Storybrooke jail. Arthur tries to convince Hades that he was unjustly imprisoned and is a king. Hades helps Arthur to his feet, acknowledging that they have a lot in common. He too was imprisoned and should rule over the kingdom. Hades introduces himself to Arthur as the god of death and tells Arthur that he will need his help in ruling Storybrooke. He then snaps Arthur's neck.

​Snow questions Merida on how Arthur escaped his cell. Apparently Sleepy was on guard duty. After they leave, Charming arrives with Henry and Emma from the Underworld. The charming family embraces each other. Emma is sad over losing Hook and blames herself. Snow gives her a pep talk about all the other people that they helped move on in the Underworld. David tells Snow that Hades and Zelena came through the portal and are in Storybrooke. 
 
As Robin and Regina look for Baby Hood, Zelena greets them, relieved that they made it back.  Zelena tries to tell them that Hades has changed. Regina informs her that Hades tried to trap them in the underworld, but Zelena won't believe them. Regina says that they will do whatever they have to to protect Storybrooke. Angry that they should threaten Hades, Zelena reminds them that Hades is a god, and if they plan on hurting him, then they do so at their peril.  Zelena disappears into a cloud of green smoke leaving Regina frustrated.

Entering Granny's diner in Underbrooke, a disoriented King Arthur tries to get the lay of the land.  He sits at the counter, asking a boy where he is. The Blind Witch states that the boy stopped talking centuries ago, and offers him coffee. Arthur is impatient, but then hears Hook’s familiar voice over his shoulder. Grabbing a knife from the counter, Arthur threatens Hook, demanding to know where he is. "Well, you can't kill a dead man."  Arthur slowly realizes that he is in the Underworld. Hook demands to know what is going on in Storybrooke and who killed Arthur.  Arthur has a meltdown. "Denial, grief, anger.  Can we just get to acceptance?" Hook asks, "Who killed you?"  Arthur tells Hook that Hades killed him.
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Hook asks him if he saw Emma and the others. The Blind Witch interrupts by saying Hades protects his secrets well. This statement inspires Hook to go on a quest to discover Hades' weakness. He invites Arthur to join him. Arthur is reluctant to help Hook, but Hook tells Arthur that he will either move on to a better place or a far, far worse one. Arthur needs a seriously good deed to make up for all the bad ones. Arthur agrees to help Hook on his quest.

Merida, David, and Emma look down on Arthur's dead body. Emma recognizes at once that Hades killed him. She immediately decides that they have to stop Hades by killing him. David stops her as she goes charging off. He tells her to slow down. They don't know if they even can defeat Hades or how to do it. David doesn't think that Emma is thinking clearly because of her grief. She insists that she is only trying to protect Storybrooke. David wants her to start dealing with Hook's death by grieving. 
 
Hiding out in Regina's office, Zelena complains about Regina not trusting her and how Regina and Robin threatened Hades. Hades suggests that he turn himself in, but Zelena refuses. Hades then suggests an alternative course of action. They must defend themselves. He shows her the broken Olympian Crystal that he stole from Zeus. Once he fixes it, they will be unstoppable. 
 
Outside the Storybrooke Town Hall, Emma, Charming, Regina, Robin, and Merida discover that Zelena has cast a protection spell. Regina suggests that they sneak into the building via a secret underground tunnel. She and Robin can use the tunnel to get his daughter back and to talk some sense into Zelena. Emma wants to come too, but Regina tells her that she is too emotional and is not thinking straight. This upsets Emma. David tries to calm her by saying that they still don't know how to stop Hades. They need to figure it out because once they have the baby, Hades will come after them.
 
Robin and Regina enter the secret tunnel. As they walk, Regina apologizes for trusting Zelena with Robin's daughter. Regina tries to defend Zelena, but Robin is less than forgiving. Regina is stunned by his attitude.

In the Game of Thorns flower shop, Gold confronts Moe French, Belle's father. Gold tells him that Belle needs him. She is under a sleeping curse and only True Love's Kiss can wake her. Moe refuses to help. He hates the fact that Belle is with Gold, not understanding how Gold could get a beautiful woman like Belle to love him. He would rather see Belle cursed than with Gold. Rumple reintroduces Moe to an old friend, the Cane of Pain, slamming it down on the counter causing Moe to flinch with the painful memory of Gold beating him with it. Still Moe refuses. He would rather die than help Rumple. As Gold starts to threaten Moe again, Emma interrupts and tells Moe to leave, and he quickly departs. She asks Rumple for his help informing him that Hades is in Storybooke, and she hopes that Gold knows how to kill Hades. "Even if I knew, why would I tell you?" Rumple states, "You're the one who got us into this mess." He departs, leaving Emma discouraged. 
 
Hook and Arthur enter Hades' throne room. They search for the lost storybook pages. Hook is sure that the pages will reveal Hades' weakness. Unable to find them, Hook is frustrated. Killian promised Emma that he would help her, and he can't move on until fulfilling that promise. He asks Arthur as a king where would he hide his treasure. Arthur responds, "The most important stuff I hid where no one would dare touch; my throne." Arthur searches Hades' antique barber's chair and finds the missing pages in a hidden compartment. He hands them to Hook, who scans them quickly. He knows he has to get them immediately to Emma. They contain information on how to destroy a god.
 
Hook and Arthur return to Granny's diner in Underbrooke. They are there to talk to Cruella, who is sipping gin and scoping out the handsome new addition to the Underworld: Arthur. Hook demands that she tell them where the phone booth is so that they can contact their friends in the other world. She confesses that she destroyed it. She wasn't about to let people resolve their unfinished business and escape the Underworld. If she was trapped, then everyone else should be trapped with her. Hook then remembers the storybook. He asks Cruella about its location. It is in sight, but out of reach, she informs him. She put it in the River of Lost Souls. Hook confides in Arthur that if they can get their hands on that book, there may be a way to save Emma.

​Emma enters the Storybrooke library where the Charmings and Merida are researching how to defeat Hades. Snow asks Emma to help them, but she says she doesn't have time to look through books. As Emma turns to leave, David stops her. He knows she is hurting, but she shouldn't be bent on revenge. Emma swears she is not out for revenge. She can't grieve Hook's death because she knows he’s trapped in the Underworld in pain, and the last thing she told him was to move on.  David agrees that they have to help Hook. Snow tells Emma to sit down and help them find a way to defeat Hades for Hook. Emma complies reluctantly. 
 
Hades uses his powers to mend the Olympian Crystal slowly. He tells Zelena that his brother didn't want him to have it, so he broke the crystal. Hades didn't have the power to put it back together. But, thanks to Zelena, he has his heart back and can mend the crystal. Hades swears that once it’s whole, they can show everyone that they were wrong about the two of them. Hades suggests that they can live any life they want, and they could even rule Storybrooke together.  Zelena's dreams are simpler than Hades’. She just wants to live a peaceful life with Hades and her baby. Hades tells her that they have to make a show of strength before they can survive. The phone rings. Hades answers it to find Gold on the other end of the line. Rumple offers Hades a deal, his protection for a piece of the Olympian Crystal. Hades is surprised that Rumple knows anything about the crystal, but Rumple is aware of any powerful magic brought into Storybrooke.  Hades passes on the deal. 
 
Robin and Regina finally reach the underground entrance to the town hall. Once again Regina apologizes for allowing Zelena to take his daughter. Robin is more forgiving now and agrees that they owe Zelena another chance. "We all have the capability to change and the future is not written by our past," Robin states and they kiss passionately. Without any plan, they enter in hopes of saving Robin's daughter.

​In a boat on the River of Lost Souls, Hook and Arthur approach its source. Arthur glances downward to see lost souls swimming around them. Hook warns him not to touch the water, or he will become a lost soul as well. As the boat docks, they see the book resting in the hands of a gargoyle. Hook leaves Arthur to guard the boat as he climbs the stair to retrieve the book. A lost soul emerges from the river and attacks Arthur and tries to drag him into the water. Hook reverses course to help Arthur despite Arthur's plea to go for the book instead. Hook wards off the demon with a torch. Once again Hook climbs to the book; another demon emerges to grab the book first.  Arthur calls to Hook to toss him the torch. He then strikes the demon with it, destroying the lost soul. The book goes flying towards the river, but Hook dives for it and manages to retrieve it before it’s lost. 

​Arthur complains that Hook never told him that the lost souls could attack. Hook theorizes that now Hades is gone, there is no one keeping them under control. Hook opens the storybook and tells Arthur how it can cross realms. By returning the torn pages, Hook can help Emma defeat Hades. The missing pages are about the Olympian Crystal, the one thing that can destroy a god.  Hook closes the book hoping that Emma will find the pages.
 
In the Storybrooke library, Emma researches. She sees the storybook nearby. Emma opens it to see an illustration of her and Hook dancing at her first ball. She is sad and quickly closes the book.  She puts it on a stack behind her, out of sight. As she returns to her research, the storybook magically opens and turns to the missing pages. Hearing it, Emma is surprised and quickly turns to look at it. She picks up the book to see the drawing of the Olympian Crystal. She smiles, knowing that Hook has helped her from the other side.  

Hades successfully mends the broken crystal. He is giddy with happiness. Zelena suggests that they just take it and leave Storybrooke, but Hades is determined to rule over it. Regina and Robin secretly listen to the other couple just outside the office door. Robin spies his daughter through the doorway. They need a distraction to get into the office and grab the baby. Suddenly the lights flicker. Emma is outside, trying to bring down Zelena's protection spell. Zelena decides to go out and confront Emma. Hades, grabbing the crystal, leaves to search for other intruders. After they leave, Regina and Robin manage to enter the office and retrieve the baby, but they are surprised by Hades. 
 
As Emma tries to break Zelena's protection spell on the town hall and is confronted by Zelena.  Emma tells Zelena that she is not trying to hurt her. Emma knows that Hades has the crystal and what he can do with it. Angry, Zelena zaps Emma, throwing her to the ground. She grabs the pages from Emma and reads them. Her expression changes as she learns about the crystal. She now firmly believes that Emma wants to kill her love, Hades. 
 
Inside the mayor's office, Robin picks his crying daughter to comfort her. They are surprised by Hades and the crystal. Robin puts his daughter back in her bassinet. He warns Hades to stay away from his daughter, but Hades isn't after the baby. Hades wants to kill Regina instead. Regina tells him that if he kills her, he will lose Zelena forever. Hades will never let Zelena find out. The crystal doesn't just kill. It totally wipes out a person and their soul out of existence. No afterlife. No possibility of moving on to a better world. As Hades raises the crystal to strike Regina down, Robin jumps in front of her, taking the full blast of the crystal. Hades laughs as Robin slowly turns to Regina. His body and soul separate, and his body drops to the ground, dead. Regina is frozen as she gazes tearfully at Robin's spirit.They reach for each other, but his soul disintegrates and disappears. He died sacrificing himself for love. Regina, dropping to her knees, holds Robin's lifeless body. Hades raises the crystal again, pointing it at Regina and laughing. 

Zelena returns, surprised at the scene before her. Regina blames Hades, and he counters saying that they attacked him. He was only defending himself. Regina accuses him of lying and telling Zelena that she only wanted to protect her from Hades. Zelena is confused and tries to figure out who is lying to her. Hades confesses that he trapped them in the Underworld and promised that they can rule Storybrooke together once they destroy their enemies. Frustrated, Zelena wonders why they can't just live a happy life together. 

​As Hades and Zelena are distracted by their disagreement, Regina makes a move for the crystal, knocking it out of Hades' hand. Zelena grabs it first. Hades tells her to kill Regina. Regina pleads with Zelena. She defended her and believed in her when no one else did. Regina tells Zelena that Robin died to protect her. That's what True Love is; sacrifice. Zelena realizes that Hades won't give up anything for her. He is bent on power and revenge. Hades tries to provoke Zelena into using the crystal on Regina, but she uses it on him instead, stabbing him in the chest. Hades becomes a pile of ash. Zelena weeps, horrified and distraught. Regina returns to Robin's body and is joined by her sister, Zelena. They hug and try to comfort each other.  

​In the Underworld, Hook thanks Arthur for helping him on his quest. A portal to paradise opens. Hook has completed his unfinished business by helping Emma defeat Hades. Arthur decides to stay behind in the Underworld. It was prophesied that he would repair a broken kingdom, and he now realized that it wasn't Camelot, it was the Underworld. Hook crosses through the portal and is greeted by Zeus on the other side. He thanks Killian for helping the heroes destroy his misguided brother, Hades. Zeus escorts Hook onward to where he belongs.
 
Emma stands by Killian's grave in the rain. Tearfully, she places a flask of rum next to the flowers. Emma thanks him for the missing pages and tells him that Hades is gone. She knows that she should feel happy about him moving on to a better place, but now she has to accept that he is gone. 
 
A crowd gathers at Robin's funeral. His friends and loved ones lay arrows decorated with roses on his casket. Henry hands an arrow to Regina. With a broken heart, she places the arrow. Zelena, carrying her baby, moves to be next to her sister. The crowd begins to disperse. "He never even got to name his daughter." Regina says mournfully. "There's only one name that I can think of that is fitting." replies Zelena, "Robin." They leave together. 
 
Emma steps forward to Robin's casket next to Snow.  Snow reminds Emma not to blame herself.  Emma asks to be alone to say goodbye to Robin, and Snow leaves. As Emma stands alone, she is suddenly hit with a flash of magic. Hook materializes behind her. He softly calls her name. Surprised, she turns to face him. She can't believe her eyes. They run to each other and kiss passionately. Their ordeal is finally over.  

Gold enters the mayor's office with a purpose. He looks down at the pile of ash that was once Hades. "You should have taken my deal," he says. Stooping down, he swirls his finger in the ash; he uncovers a broken shard of the Olympian Crystal. Holding it up to the light, he states, "Like I told you, this is MY kingdom."

Overall, it was an exciting and sad episode.  How will Regina react to the loss of her soul mate, Robin? What will become of Robin's children? Why does Hook get to return to Emma, when Robin can't be restored to Regina? Will this cause friction between the two woman? What are Gold's plans for the Olympian Crystal? How will he save Belle and their baby from the sleeping curse now that her father refuses to help? Everything is coming to a head for the season finale.