What the heck.
I have just finished watching the season five finale of Once Upon A Time – or OUAT for short. Totally was not expecting that. At all.
All I can advise for OUAT fans who have yet to watch it, is brace yourself. Also, you may want to warn your family that you are watching the finale and screaming, talking to the TV, and other noises are all very fair game.
**Warning: Spoilers Ahead**
Where do I even start? So much happens in the finale that it’s basically a whirlwind of scenes and emotions.
Dark Hook has brought all of the past Dark ones into Storybrooke through a portal that goes to the Underworld.
As you watch, the Dark ones go and touch all of our beloved characters: Regina, Robin, Mary Margaret, David, Henry, etc…Well, they touch almost all of them. Emma, her brother, Robin’s children are left untouched.
A symbol is left on their wrist. It indicates that when the moon reaches a certain point, they will be taken to the Underworld. The Dark ones will be left in their place.
Even though the situation looks hopeless, Emma is determined to save her family any way possible…even if it means she gets destroyed in the process. After all, the only way to eliminate the darkness forever is to place it all into one vessel and have that vessel killed.
Mary Margaret, David, Henry, and Neal decide to go to Granny’s Diner. Spend their last moments as a family together. Emma promises her mother she will come, but first she has to try and fix this.
Fast forward.
It is now time. Emma was unable to save her family. They are all taken and surrounded by Dark Hook and his fellow Dark Ones.
As a last resort, Regina faces Hook. She tells him to drop the act and says that he has to decide, “What kind of man are you going to be?”
I love that line. What kind of person are you and myself going to be? Are we going to give into sin and our struggles? Let the whispers of temptation fill our ears with falsely wrapped words? We all have a choice to make each day on what kind of girl, woman – boy, man, we will be.
You can see the clear battle raging in Hook’s mind as Nimue cuts off a great deal of Emma’s air supply from her final attempt to protect her loved ones. Flashbacks insure before Hook makes his decision on what kind of man he will be.
Hook takes Excalibur and draws all of the darkness from the past Dark Ones into its blade. There is only one way to fix everything that he has done: destroy the darkness once and for all…and with it, himself.
At this point, he holds out the sword to Emma – asking her to strike him down. Tears fill her eyes, and she shakes her head adamantly, not wanting to lose him.
But his words that finally convince her come shakily, “Let me die a hero. That’s the man I want you to remember.” They share a kiss and whisper “I love you” before Emma reluctantly and tearfully shoves Excalibur into her love.
This scene has so many emotions and heart-wrenching lines it should have a disclaimer: warning, hyperventilating and heart crushing scenes occur, watch at your own risk.
As Hook dies in Emma’s arms, she transforms back into herself – no longer a Dark One. Tears fall down her face as she pulls the sword from Hook only for it to disintegrate.
When the sheet is covered over Hook’s face and they wheel his body away, Emma tearfully leans against her parents – face portraying the agony that she is going through.
Later, we watch as Belle returns and shares a passionate kiss with Rumple. She tells him she loves him.
Some time after this, Emma texts Rumple to meet her in his shop. He does. And the most shocking revelation is revealed. Rumple has the real dagger. The dagger that now has the power of all the Dark Ones from all time. He was the true Dark One all along.
Shocked does not even begin to describe myself at this point. Rumple frustrates me indefinitely. So many times I and I’m sure others, have thought he was turning good. And the odd thing is, I want Rumple to be good. Then, of course, my thoughts turned to Belle. That poor woman has suffered more emotional scarring from him than should ever be acceptable. It truly is sickening how much Rumple not only manipulates those around him but especially her.
Emma, naturally, is horrified. This means that Hook’s sacrifice of death was in vain. For now, Rumple has the power of all the Dark Ones from all time combined.
Not one to give up, Emma tells Rumple he owes her. She could easily tell Belle about him before he could kill her. With that in mind, Rumple accepts her request: she has decided to go to the Underworld and get Hook. Just like her parents share a heart, Emma decides that she and her love will too.
The finale ends with the scene of the portal to the Underworld opening and our heroes embarking through it.
Again, it seems, that our fairytale characters are stacked against unimaginable odds. I can’t wait for March when the next season starts!
Do any of y’all watch Once Upon A Time? What were your thoughts about the season finale? Let me know in the comments!
~ Southern Dreamer
Southern Dreamer 