Our Decay

"I gave you what you wanted, what she had. It's not... perfect. The Underworld is a place of, uh... well, destruction. Despite my best intentions, things don't grow here. They decay. But it's our decay."

- Hades to Zelena

"Our Decay" is the sixteenth episode of Season Five of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It was written by Tze Chun & Dana Horgan, and directed by Steve Pearlman. It is the one-hundredth and fourth episode of the series overall, and premiered on April 3, 2016.

Synopsis
Emma, Snow, David, Regina, Robin, Henry and Hook continue to search for a way to free everyone from the Underworld. At the mercy of Hades, Gold creates a portal to Storybrooke, which transports Belle, Zelena and Baby Hood to the Underworld. While Zelena and Regina get into a sibling squabble, Belle is reunited with Rumple only to learn some tremendously shocking news that will change her life forever. Meanwhile, Snow and David hopelessly attempt to send a message from the Underworld to their son, Neal. In flashbacks, Hades learns about Zelena’s very special spell and pays her a visit in Oz with the intention of striking an alliance, but finds himself with more than just a partner in crime.

Recap
Several years ago, Zelena is celebrating the day she was abandoned by her mother Cora in the Land of Oz. Her flying monkeys bring back a Scarecrow, who she hopes she can use to create a time travel spell to change history by ensuring her mother does not abandon her. However, the Scarecrow is saved by Dorothy, who has come back to Oz using a pair of silver slippers.

In present-day Storybrooke, Belle tends to baby Neal at the convent when she sees Mother Superior. Another Mother Superior shows up, telling Belle that her double is an impostor. Zelena then reveals herself. She found a way to return from Oz in the hope of taking back her child. However, when she tries to leave the convent, a portal opens that sends Belle, Zelena, and the child to the Underworld.

In the Underworld, the clock hand ticks again, signifying that yet another soul had moved on. Hades reflects on the page depicting him with Zelena. Gold is trying to create a portal to bring Zelena's daughter to the Underworld so that Hades won't take his own child.

Meanwhile, Snow White and David Nolan discover that they can use a special phone to contact their son Neal. At the loft, Henry is showing Snow, David, Regina, Robin, Hook and Emma illustrated drawings that mysteriously appear to him. Zelena then surprises them. They believe Zelena may be dead but she explains that a portal brought her, her child and Belle to the Underworld.

At the same time, Belle surprises Gold at the shop who then comes clean about still being the Dark One and his reacquired powers, as well as her pregnancy. Gold tells Belle that she will have to choose whether or not she wants to be with him even though he will never change.

Back in the past, Zelena confronts the Munchkins who told Dorothy that Zelena was still alive. Hades appears and offers his assistance to capture the Scarecrow, only Zelena replies that she needs no help and vanishes. However, Zelena later reconsiders. Hades reveals that his power is limited to the Underworld unless he receives a kiss of true love.

Robin, Regina and Zelena catch up with Belle and return the baby to Zelena so she can feed her. However, Zelena was about deceive everyone by escaping with her daughter, only to have a change of heart and returns her baby upon learning that her magic isn’t powerful enough in the Underworld to protect the baby by herself. She believesthat Hades brought her to the Underworld so that he can use her daughter to enact a time-travel spell.

Meanwhile, at the loft, everyone starts to believe that Zelena, even without her powers, can help them. Henry also shows them more drawings, including the story of baby Neal hearing his parents, indicating that Snow and David succeeded in getting the message to their son.

Back in Oz many years earlier, Hades brings Zelena to Dorothy’s bicycle so that they can find the Scarecrow. Hades enchants it so it will bring the two to Dorothy and they find an attraction between them. They arrive and Zelena takes The Scarecrow’s brain, but leaves Dorothy alive to prevent turning her into a martyr an to humiliate her. As Hades reveals his love for Zelena, but she believes that he is only manipulating her for true love's kiss and the time travel spell which he will use for his revenge against Zeus. Zelena demands that Hades leave Oz.

Outside in the street, Zelena later confronts Hades to tell him that she will never give him her baby. Hades later admits to having feelings for her, claiming that he was simply trying to summon her daughter to keep her safe, even going as far as creating an Underworld version of Storybrooke for them to share together. However, Zelena turns down Hades again. He finally tells her that if she ever changes her mind, he’ll always be waiting for her "at home" in the Underworld.

Starring

 * Ginnifer Goodwin as Mary Margaret Blanchard
 * Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan
 * Lana Parrilla as Regina Mills
 * Josh Dallas as David Nolan
 * Emilie de Ravin as Belle French
 * Colin O'Donoghue as Hook
 * Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills
 * Rebecca Mader as Zelena
 * Sean Maguire as Robin Hood
 * Robert Carlyle as Mr. Gold

Guest Starring

 * Emma Caulfield as the Blind Witch
 * Greg Germann as Hades
 * Teri Reeves as Dorothy Gale
 * Paul Scheer as the Scarecrow (Voice)
 * Keegan Connor Tracy as Mother Superior

Co-Starring

 * Ray Boulay as Oz Guard
 * Jeff Gulka as Munchkin #1
 * Donny Lucas as Sad-Eyed Man

Uncredited

 * Rose McGowan as Cora*
 * Unknown baby as Zelena*
 * Unknown baby as Baby Hood
 * Unknown baby as Prince Neal
 * Unknown dog as Toto

Trivia
Production Notes=

Production Notes

 * The title card features Munchkins.
 * The title of this episode was announced by Adam Horowitz via his Twitter account on January 17, 2016.
 * Paul Scheer, who plays the voice of the Scarecrow, previously portrayed Hart Archer on the Season Two DVD and Blu-Ray extra "Good Morning Storybrooke".
 * This is the only episode of the arc to feature all the main characters.


 * -|Episode Connections=

Event Chronology

 * The Oz flashbacks take place years after "Kansas" and before "Where Bluebirds Fly".
 * The Storybrooke events take place after "Devil's Due" and before "Last Rites".
 * The Underworld events take place after "The Brothers Jones" and before "Her Handsome Hero".

Episode Connections

 * Zelena lights a candle on a cupcake to celebrate her birthday, similarly to what Emma did in "Pilot".
 * Zelena talks about how she sent Dorothy back to Kansas, an event shown in "Kansas".
 * Zelena asks Dorothy what happened to her in Kansas. Her question is answered in "Ruby Slippers".
 * Zelena was banished to Oz by Regina in "Swan Song".
 * Prince Neal and Robin were left in the care of the Sisters of Saint Meissa in "Swan Song".
 * Belle's pregnancy was first known to Mr. Gold in "Devil's Due".
 * Henry began using the Enchanted Quill again in "The Brothers Jones".
 * Robin's baby is named in "Last Rites".
 * The bike that Hades finds, was first seen next to the remains of Dorothy's house in "Kansas".
 * Hades and Zelena share a true love's kiss in "Firebird". Hades' heart is restarted in the same episode.


 * -|Cultural References=

Fairytales and Folklore

 * This episode is a rendition of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz story, with the Wicked Witch of the West and Dorothy Gale.
 * Zelena also makes a reference to the Quadlings from the novel.
 * This episode features Hades from Greek Mythology, Captain Hook from the Peter and Wendy story, Robin Hood from the ballad, and the Blind Witch from the "Hansel and Gretel" fairytale.
 * The Scarecrow, Toto, Boq and the other Munchkins from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz story also appear, as well as the Underworld from Greek Mythology.

Lost

 * Zelena's birthday is April 15, or 4/15, two of the Lost numbers.

Popular Culture

 * The way Zelena calls Dorothy "my pretty" is a reference from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz.
 * Mars and Venus, a famous painting by the Italian Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli, is hanging on the wall inside the convent nursery.
 * The munchkin Boq is also a reference to the character of the same name from Gregory Maguire's novel Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West.

Religious

 * There is a statue of the Virgin Mary inside the convent nursery.
 * According to Hades, people are always confusing him with the Devil.
 * Zelena tells Hades to go back to his brimstone. "Fire and brimstone" is a figurative expression of signs of God's wrath in the Bible. "Brimstone" is another word for sulfur, and evokes the acrid odor of volcanic activity.


 * -|Set Notes=

Props Notes

 * The icing on Zelena's birthday cake is green, as are the candles Hades use for their dinner.
 * Zelena's mirror, which she uses to look into the past, is the same prop used for the mirror in Rumplestiltskin's castle in "It's Not Easy Being Green". The same prop is used for one of the mirrors in the World Behind the Mirror in "I'll Be Your Mirror". It is best seen in the shot where Regina says, "There is no way out", where the mirror can be seen behind her.
 * Emma unicorn mobile in the Royal Castle, which was in Mr. Gold's pawnshop during the Dark Curse, can be seen hanging in Prince Neal's nursery room in the Storybrooke Convent.

Set Dressing

 * The Underbrooke Diner's daily menu offers dry white toast, tapioca, oatmeal, porridge and custard. The evening menu consist of peppers, pound cake, ricepudding, plain risotto and tofu. Every dish costs 10.95.
 * Mary Margaret likes to order oatmeal, while David prefers dry white toast.
 * There is an antique 1950s Dobbs hat box from Hatco (a leading hatmaker of western hats) in Walsh's workshop. The lid says "New York".


 * -|Goofs=

Goofs

 * When Zelena is disguised as Mother Superior, she wears a nun outfit with long sleeves. The real Mother Superior appears wearing rolled up sleeves. However, in the next shot (after Mother Superior says, "Who are you?"), it switches; Zelena has the rolled up sleeves and Mother Superior has long sleeves.
 * When Belle and Robin are found by Regina and Robin, Regina is suddenly wearing a hat despite not wearing one earlier and having spent the entire day out in the woods with Robin.
 * When Zelena is taking the Scarecrow's brain, her skin is not entirely green.


 * -|Other Notes=

Filming Locations

 * The scenes inside the Storybrooke convent were filmed on a movie set built inside a sound stage.