Last Rites

"Robin died... to protect me. That's what true love is. It's sacrifice. It's giving up everything for the person you love."

- Regina Mills to Zelena

"Last Rites" is the twenty-first episode of Season Five of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It was written by Jerome Schwartz, and directed by Craig Powell. It is the one hundred and ninth episode of the series overall, and premiered on May 8, 2016.

Synopsis
Emma, David, Regina, Robin and Henry are finally back home in Storybrooke and reunited with Snow, but, unfortunately, they still have to contend with Hades, who continues to deceive Zelena as he lays out his plan to use the all-powerful Olympian Crystal to take over the town. The heroes desperately search for a way to defeat Hades while Hook does the same in the Underworld, looking for those missing storybook pages. Regina and Robin take a more direct approach, which culminates in an epic showdown that will leave our heroes forever changed.

Family Reunion
A scene of Robin Hood reuniting with Little John and Roland, after leaving the Underworld, was filmed. Robin was supposed to hug and kiss Roland, who asks his father about his sister.

"Belle of the Box"
TBA.

"Two Halves"
TBA.

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 (Credit only)
 * 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

 * Lee Arenberg as Leroy
 * Emma Caulfield as the Blind Witch
 * Beverley Elliott as Granny
 * Liam Garrigan as King Arthur
 * Greg Germann as Hades
 * Amy Manson as Merida
 * Victoria Smurfit as Cruella De Vil
 * David Hoflin as Zeus
 * Eric Keenleyside as Moe French

Co-Starring

 * Raphael Alejandro as Roland
 * Kiefer Bahrich as Sad Eyed Boy
 * Jason Burkart as Little John
 * Michael Coleman as Happy
 * Faustino di Bauda as Walter
 * David-Paul Grove as Doc
 * Gabe Khouth as Mr. Clark
 * Mig Macario as Bashful
 * Michael P. Northey as Friar Tuck

Uncredited

 * Unknown baby as Robin Hood
 * Unknown baby as Prince Neal

Trivia

 * -|Production Notes=

Title

 * The title card features the Storybrooke Town Hall.
 * The title of this episode was announced by Adam Horowitz via his Twitter account on February 25, 2016.

Production Notes

 * The establishing shot of Game of Thorns is stock footage from the shooting of "The Crocodile", but with a slightly lighter color hue. This can easily be seen from all the plants and flowers surrounding the shop, which are completely identical to the ones seen in "The Crocodile".
 * An exterior shot of the town hall is reused for the montage scene where the Black Fairy's curse is broken in the Season Six finale "The Final Battle Part 2".
 * In the episode script, after Robin says to Regina, "Our future is not written by our past", Regina responds, "So you think... we might... still have a future together?" This line is not in the final episode.


 * -|Episode Connections=

Event Chronology

 * The Storybrooke events take place after "Our Decay" and before "Only You".
 * There are Christmas trees decorated with Christmas decorations outside the Storybrooke Town Hall, indicating that the episode takes place around Christmas.


 * The Underworld events take place after "Firebird" and 50 years before "Tales From The Underworld: A Knight With Cruella".

Episode Connections

 * Hades' heart was restarted in "Firebird", and he left the Underworld in the same episode.
 * King Arthur was imprisoned in "Birth".
 * Hades tells Arthur that he understands what it's like to be unjustly imprisoned; referring to the story he told Zelena in "Our Decay".
 * Mary Margaret returned to Storybrooke in "Ruby Slippers".
 * Walter fell asleep while on watch duty, just like he did in "Snow Falls".
 * Emma and her family left the Underworld in "Firebird".
 * Regina gave Robin and Zelena's child to Zelena in "Firebird".
 * Hook decided to stay behind in the Underworld in "Firebird".
 * Mary Margaret mentions that Emma and the others helped many people move on from the Underworld. This references Regina's father in "Souls of the Departed", Hercules and Megara in "Labor of Love", and Liam in "The Brothers Jones". Other souls that moved on, after Mary Margaret already left the Underworld, include Cora in "Sisters", and presumably numerous people in "Last Rites" after they received their unfinished businesses from Henry.
 * Hades' removal of the heroes' names from their gravestones, and his later attempt to trap them in the Underworld permanently occurred in "Last Rites".
 * Moe was previously abused by Mr. Gold and his cane in "Skin Deep".
 * Hook alludes to being physically tortured by Hades in his lair, and Arthur finds proof in the form of a cat o' nine tails. Hook's torture took place off-screen in "Labor of Love" and "Devil's Due", although the method used is first revealed in this episode.
 * Hades removed the pages from the storybook in "Our Decay".
 * Belle went under a Sleeping Curse in "Ruby Slippers".
 * Mr. Gold tried true love's kiss on Belle in "Firebird".
 * Robin and Regina sneak past Zelena's protection spell by using an underground tunnel, just like they did in "Witch Hunt".
 * Cruella ripped out the Underworld's haunting booth in "Ruby Slippers".
 * Mr. Gold's reason for wanting a piece of the Olympian Crystal is revealed in "Only You".
 * The last time Hook sailed down the River of Lost Souls, was when he was Hades' captive in "Devil's Due". Hook and Arthur find the Underworld storybook over the entrance to the place where Hook was held captive in the same episode.
 * As Hook flips through the storybook, there is an illustration of Snow White and Hercules in Hercules' camp from a scene in "Labor of Love".
 * The storybook page of Princess Leia and Prince Charles was an event shown in "Snow Drifts", and the actual page appeared in "There's No Place Like Home".


 * -|Cultural References=

Religious

 * When Mary Margaret walks away from Emma, a cross-shaped headstone can be seen on a grave in the Storybrooke Graveyard. When Emma and Hook are reunited, a cross can be seen etched into another headstone.

Disney

 * This episode features Merida from Brave.

Fairytales and Folklore

 * This episode features Captain Hook from the Peter Pan story, Robin Hood, Little John, and Friar Tuck from the ballad, King Arthur from the Arthurian Legend, Hades and Zeus from Greek Mythology, Wicked Witch of the West from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz story, Cruella De Vil from The Hundred and One Dalmatians story, and the Blind Witch from the "Hansel and Gretel" fairytale.
 * The Underworld and the Five Rivers from Greek Mythology are featured.
 * Kronos, the father of Hades and Zeus from Greek Mythology, is mentioned in the Underworld Storybook. He is also completely rewritten from the villainous Titan that ate his children, was defeated by Zeus, and banished to Tartarus. Instead, he appears to be a loving father to both Zeus and Hades, and was killed by the latter.

Popular Culture

 * An early twentieth century edition of Modern Eloquence Vol XV: Political Oratory, edited by Thomas Brackett Reed and published circa 1901 - 1903, is lying on a table in Hades' Lair.
 * The inscription on archway where the Underworld Storybook is hidden reads as, "Abandon all hope, ye who enter here". This is a reference to Inferno, the first part of Dante Alighieri's epic poem Divine Comedy. In the poem, Dante passes through the gate of Hell, which bears an inscription ending with the famous phrase.
 * When Emma is in the library, looking up information on how to defeat Hades, among the books lying next to her on the desk is a 1976 omnibus edition of Sleeping Murder and Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Cristie (seen upside-down).
 * The book Emma is reading, seems to contain an alphabetical list of various authors of nonfiction. One of the people listed is the political science educator author Clyde Edward Jacobs (note that his name is covered by Emma's hand) and his books Law Writers and the Courts (1954), Justice Frankfurter and Civil Liberties (1961), The Selective Service Act (1967) and The Eleventh Amendment and Sovereign Immunity (1972).
 * The paragraph on Clyde Edward Jacobs is followed by a paragraph about Milton Jacobs. While his writings are obscured by Emma's arm, they include the book Study of Culture Stability and Change: The Moroccan Jewess from 1956, and several other titles.


 * -|Set Notes=

Props Notes

 * One of the missing pages from the Underworld Storybook reads:

Hades nodded to himself, impressed with the leader's magic. The leader was elegantly dressed in black, which also impressed Hades. Proper fashion was very important to him. He noticed that much more that whatever the leader was shouting about. It was a vitri- olic tirade about some young farm girl who had offended the great leader. The leader believed that the blue villagers were hiding the farm girl. But instead of snap- ing the necks of the villagers for their heinous crimes the leader merely went down the line of them, transform- ing each one into a drooling, screeching beast. This form of animorphic retribution may have been satisfying to the leader, but it wouldn't do at all for Hades. He’d have to somehow convince the leader to go back to plain old killing. It turned out this leader was one of Hades' larg- est suppliers of souls, and he couldn’t very well having that supply dry up. He started to think about what kind of deal he'd offer when the leader tried to turn Hades into a hairy beast. Of course this didn't work. The leader had mis- taken Hades for one of the blue villagers, due to his outfit. But Hades is a god. Even though he [image ends] to reside on Mount Olympus, like all the oth[image ends]


 * Another page reads:

welling in his eyes. Only these were not tears of sad- ness. They smoldered with rage. "You’re wrong about me, Father. I will make a great king." Hades wiped the tears away as he said this, though his voice was a vacuum of emotion. With cold determina- tion, he approached a towering pedestal on the far side of the bed chamber where an ornate filigreed box was left unattended. Hades face betrayed a slight smile. He knew this box held the prize he sought, and no one would stop him from taking it now. He opened the box and inside was an ancient crystal shaped like a crude lightning bolt. "The Olympian Crystal", he said reverently, with more love than he had ever shown for leathery old Kronos. "So…" a voice boomed from across the bed chamber. Hades turned to see Zeus in the room, looking at him in Judgment while touching the lifeless frame of their father for one last time. "…your heart really is sickened." Zeus stepped forward to his brother, in all his chiseled might. And every inch of his muscle nauseated Hades, but he maintained an even keel. For now. "Will you not take a moment to mourn our father?

"Who loved you?" Zeus felt genuine compassion for his brother. And the olive branch he offered bore no hidden thorns, only the promise of reconciliation. That Zeus was capable of such forgiveness only stoked the flames within Hades further. "No, Zeus", Hades spat. "He only loved you." Hades took the crystal into his hands. It was his now, and no one would take it from him. Not even the mighty Zeus. The powerful magic within it glowed fora moment. "That power is not yours to wield," Zeus warned. "The Olympian Crystal is dangerous. It belongs to the king" "I should have been king," Hades said, wielding the crystal like a septer. "And once I use this to kill you, [three illegible words] kingdom I desire. He approached his brother, and for a moment, Zeus [two illegible words] that the crystal was powerful enough [three illegible words], even him. But Zeus bravely, perhaps [three illegible words] proud. Hades raised the crystal, [three illegible words] up at Zeus' chest, looking his brother in the eye as he prepared to strike him down, [three illegible words] into Zeus' heart, when…


 * Excerpts from the fairytale of "The Golden Bird" can be seen in the Underworld storybook, and in Henry's storybook.
 * An excerpt from "Snow-White and Rose-Red" can be seen in the Underworld storybook when Hook flips through it.
 * When Emma opens Henry's storybook, you can see that she has the page with her and Hook bookmarked.

Set Dressing

 * Inside Game of Thorns, there is a poster that says "Parents bowling for kids to fight child abuse" ... "At the Downtown Bowling Hall". A similar poster ("...preventing abuse and neglect before it starts" - "Downtown Bowling Hall") is pinned to a board outside the Storybrooke Town Hall in "Desperate Souls".
 * The poster at Game of Thorns, can also be seen in the Storybrooke Library in "Broken Heart", but it is unreadable in this episode.
 * A sign next to the Town Hall reads:

"The Storybrooke Improvement Society was founded by the Storybrooke Women's Institute in order to build the Town Hall. The architect was David H. Goodman cousin of Storybrooke entrepreneur Neil Westlake. The Hall was built and continues to be owned and maintained by members of the Society; men planted the apple trees on the north and women planted the apple trees to the south. The Hall has officially been designated as a Municipal Heritage Site. It serves the community as the focal and social center of Storybrooke"


 * David H. Goodman is an Executive Producer and writer for the show, and Neil Westlake is a graphic designer and production staff member on the show.
 * Neil Westlake is also listed as a complainant in a police report in "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter".
 * He is also listed as a land surveyor on a document in "Fruit of the Poisonous Tree".
 * Neil Westlake is also credited as a photographer on the front page of the Storybrooke Daily Mirror in "The Stable Boy".
 * He is also listed as one of the reviewers on the book blurb for Isaac's novel "Heroes and Villains" in "Operation Mongoose Part 1".
 * Neal Westlake is also the name of the author of the book Robin Hood: Myth & Legend in "Only You".
 * The sign is adapted, with illustrations and everything, from the real sign outside Fort Langley Community Hall in Fort Langley, the building that doubles as Storybrooke Town Hall for the show. The real-life version, which features drawings of maple trees rather than the apple tree that emblazons the Storybrooke version, reads:

The Fort Langley Community Improvement Society was founded by the Fort Langley Women's Institute in 1924 in order to build the Community Hall. The building was completed in 1931. The architect was Archibald Campbell Hope brother of Fort Langley entrepreneur Charles Hope. The hall was built and continues to be owned and maintained by society volunteers. The maple trees were planted by members of the society; men planted the trees on the north and women planted the trees on the south. The Hall was officially designated as a Municipal Heritage Site in 1979. It serves the community as the focal and social center of Fort Langley and is available for rental for special events. For information or viewing call 604-888-1223.

Costume Notes

 * When Hook returns to the world of the living, he is wearing the same outfit and jewelry that he was wearing when he died in "Swan Song"; his Dark One outfit. When Emma healed his injuries in "The Brothers Jones", his outfit changed into the one he was wearing before he was a Dark One, but when he is brought back to life, he is wearing the same outfit that he died in.
 * Mary Margaret is wearing an Aritzia Diamond Mosaic Blanket shawl in Birch/Light Grey.
 * The outfit Regina is wearing at Robin Hood's funeral is a homage to the style of Alexis Carrington from the television show Dynasty.