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.

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.
 * Paul Scheer, the voice of the Scarecrow, previously portrayed Hart Archer on the Season Two DVD and Blu-Ray extra Good Morning Storybrooke.
 * -|Episode Connections=

Event Chronology

 * The Underworld events take place after "The Brothers Jones" and before "Her Handsome Hero".
 * The Oz events take place years after "Kansas" and many years before "Ruby Slippers".
 * The Storybrooke events take place after "Devil's Due".

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 Baby Hood 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".
 * The bike that Hades finds, was first seen next to the remains of Dorothy's house in "Kansas".
 * -|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.

Pop Culture

 * The way Zelena calls Dorothy "my pretty" is a reference from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz
 * 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

 * 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.
 * -|Props Notes=

Props Notes

 * The icing on Zelena's birthday cake is green.
 * 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 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.
 * When Zelena walks past the fallen clock tower at the end of the episode, the time on the clock is 8:27. In "Souls of the Departed", the time on the clock was 8:15. This indicates that twelve souls have left the Underworld since the heroes arrived, but only ten souls have left for Mount Olympus on-screen: the Valet, Hercules, Megara, Liam and six of Captain Silver's sailors. However, two others, Blacktooth and Captain Silver, have left for the Worse Place.
 * -|Goofs=

Goofs

 * When Belle and Baby Hood 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.