{"id":11350,"date":"2016-03-28T14:53:32","date_gmt":"2016-03-28T18:53:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hardwoodandhollywood.com\/pop-culture-spin\/?p=11350"},"modified":"2016-03-28T14:53:32","modified_gmt":"2016-03-28T18:53:32","slug":"11350","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hardwoodandhollywood.com\/pop-culture-spin\/2016\/03\/28\/11350\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: ‘Once Upon a Time’ S5 E15"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"ABC\"<\/a>

ABC<\/p><\/div>\n

This was not my favorite episode of Once Upon a Time<\/em> by a long shot. In fact, it was definitely my least favorite since its return a few weeks ago. Once Upon a Time<\/em> has a habit of everything tying up neatly, seemingly by chance. However, often times its plot can teeter a little too closely to convenience, which is what happened this week.<\/p>\n

The main chunk of the story went something like this: Henry wants the quill back, and while looking for it stumbles upon the apprentice, who tells him that it\u2019s hidden inside the sorcerer\u2019s house. Of course, they\u2019ll need the key to get in, which is guarded by David\u2019s twin, with whom they have unfinished business (\u201cHe kissed you?\u201d \u201cI thought it was you!\u201d).<\/p>\n

Quick side note; I’m glad they finally tied up the loose end regarding Snow\u2019s and James\u2019 kiss. David and Snow are the best couple on Once Upon a Time<\/em>, and I love that\u00a0there was no hint of jealousy besides a quick remark from David as to whether he kisses like his brother.<\/p>\n

Anyway, back on track. It turns out that the one thing they need to defeat Hades is also in the sorcerer\u2019s house\u2014the Underworld version of the Storybook. Except Liam, Killian\u2019s brother who randomly shows up, is being blackmailed by Hades to get rid of the book. See how it all fits nicely together in a way that, had this not been Once Upon a Time<\/em>, would certainly feel forced?<\/p>\n

And it doesn\u2019t end there. Liam\u2019s separate plot, including his flashbacks, had touches of this convenience that I suspect came out of the writers\u2019 laziness to create more sensical explanations.<\/p>\n

For starters, I\u2019d never have\u00a0expected\u00a0a mutiny to run so smoothly. It happened practically in the blink of an eye. And while there\u2019s been no mention of Hades presenting himself in the Overworld, as he puts it, before, it turns out that, of course, Hades has some backstory with Liam \u2013 which is where the blackmail comes in.<\/p>\n

Back in present day Once Upon a Time<\/em>, the bizarreness continues when Liam\u2019s betrayed crew (of ten minutes, following said smoothest mutiny in history) gains access to the fires that send people of the Underworld to a worse place. By the way, this was something I found issue with before but chose not to mention. Shouldn\u2019t a place like that be guarded? Or somewhere only Hades can enter?<\/p>\n

Eventually Hades actually does show up and stops both Jones brothers from being subjected to the flames, and instead demands that only one make the trip\u2014Killian. Of course, Liam being just as annoyingly self-righteous as Emma says, puts himself in the line of fire (pun only slightly intended) and in another turn of coincidence, saves his soul instead. The subsequent boat ride with the rest of his no longer angry crew into \u201ca better place\u201d was so cheesy it almost ruined the entire episode for me.<\/p>\n

Back to Liam. Even though Emma and I had good reason not to trust him (my distrust occurred the second Hook said his brother had never done anything wrong in his life), I have to admit the man gave Emma some harsh truth she really needed to hear. Emma\u2019s actions involving Hook for\u00a0Once Upon a Time<\/em>‘s fifth\u00a0season have been incredibly selfish, and someone needed to point that out. Besides me, that is. Liam proved to her that Killian needed to make the choice to leave the Underworld for himself, instead of her deciding for him again.<\/p>\n

Luckily for me and everyone else who would be lost without Hook\u2019s dreamy eyes to stare into, he (somewhat incongruously) made the decision by the end of the episode. The fall of his hero of a brother was supposed to feel like the deciding factor for Hook, but it still felt like quite a leap for him to make so fast.<\/p>\n

Another change of heart that happened this episode of Once Upon a Time<\/em> was Henry\u2019s. Henry\u2019s story was probably some of the most interesting conflict of the episode, but for some reason ended up taking a back seat. After being convinced by Cruella to change the story, it seemed like Henry was heading down a path similar to the previous owner of the quill.<\/p>\n

His change of heart, encouraged by the Sorcerer\u2019s Apprentice, was a much more believable one. Henry, despite his often short-lived teen angst, is too sweet of a kid (he says adorable shit like, \u201cmoms,\u201d for crying out loud). I knew that Henry would make the right decision in the end, which hopefully means he saved the Apprentice\u2019s soul. I\u2019m a bit confused how he plans on rewriting Hades\u2019 story when he doesn\u2019t know it, but maybe there\u2019s some magical superpower that authors have that we don\u2019t know about?<\/p>\n

All we know for sure is that Hades and Zelena know each other. Because of course all soulless redheads have to be friends. I always knew we hadn\u2019t seen the end of her, and now I\u2019m thinking she\u2019ll be back sooner than later.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This was not my favorite episode of Once Upon a Time by a long shot. In fact, it was definitely my least favorite since its return a few weeks ago. Once Upon a Time has a habit of everything tying up neatly, seemingly by chance. However, often times its plot can teeter a little too<\/p>\n

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