The Cora/Regina/Zelena scenes were well-acted, but I'm not on board with the instant redemption for either Cora or Zelena. Why does anyone on "Team Hero" trust Zelena all of a sudden, after all the truly horrible crap that she's done to them?

I really wanted to see Mulan find some happiness. Since we saw her heartbreak over Aurora seasons ago, I think this story would've had more depth and resonance if they'd incorporated Mulan as one half of the couple. It's always good to see Ruby, but the Dorothy/Ruby story felt too rushed, and Dorothy herself wasn't…

Great review! I loved seeing Belle front-and-center. It was a little confusing that these flashbacks seemed to take place before Belle's mother died; when we saw her, the ogres were attacking their castle.

It really makes no sense, because Belle HERSELF didn't always hold this clear-cut "power=evil" attitude. This concept of Belle not "condoning" Rumple having power only really started in (crappy) Season 4. Before that, Belle herself said on multiple occasions that she loved Rumple for his flaws, loved "even the parts…

As much as I usually hate Zelena, I was totally on her side there. Regina's argument about helping family (Hook isn't her or Robin's family) was weaksauce. There is no real reason for Robin to be in the Underworld, especially at the cost of leaving behind his newborn baby. Same for Snow and Charming.

And when a scary-looking portal opened right in front of the babies' cribs, that shady Blue Fairy did nothing to try to close it! Isn't she supposed to be some mega-powerful magical being?

Great point about Emma's actions in being cool with Milah being at odds with her character's history. Plus, Emma knew that Neal loved his father. As a "hero", she should have put aside her personal feelings and told Rumple that Neal is happy. By not telling Rumple, she inadvertently kicked off the chain of events that…

Oh, man…I couldn't care less about Emma and Hook. Their scenes just grind the entire show to a halt. They're so boring to me.

Yeah, if this episode was supposed to make me sympathize with Milah, it failed on that front. Sure, she finally showed some self-awareness in that scene with Rumple in the boat, but she was a terrible wife and mother. Her reason for being angry with Rumple was that he wouldn't kill the healer to get that potion. He…

I'm hopeful that this can be a great storyline for both of them, especially if Rumple tells Belle what is happening. I'd love to see them work as a team/use their collective intelligence to figure out a way out of the deal with Hades and save their baby. Both Rumple and Belle have lost parents, so exploring those…

So far, this season is a huge improvement over Season 4, which I thought was a mess. Last week's episode was kind of boring, but I really enjoyed this one—it felt more like the show I loved in the first two seasons. The Regina/Emma/Henry scenes were really effective and I liked how they tied in with the Rumple/Merida…

Totally agree. Chemistry is subjective, but I think that Rumple/Belle and Snow/Charming have more chemistry in little looks and touches than Emma/Hook or Regina/Robin do with their makeout scenes.