Once Upon a Time: Season Five, Epiosde Eighteen – “Ruby Slipplers” (Puppy Love)

First Aired April 17th, 2016.

In the Underworld, Ruby/Red Riding Hood (played by Meghan Ory) is revealed to still be alive. Flashbacks show her in Oz looking for her pack with Mulan (played by Jamie Chung).

Hades (played by Greg Germann) warns Zelena/The Wicked Witch (played by Rebecca Mader) about Ruby’s arrival which worries her because Ruby knows a dark secret about Zelena. Ruby tells the others that she used a spell to track down Zelena to find out what happened between her and Dorothy (played by Teri Reeves). Dorothy is revealed to have been put under the Sleeping Curse and only True Love’s kiss can revive her. Zelena attempts to bargain with her daughter for the slippers so Ruby can help Dorothy, but after a talk from Regina/The Evil Queen (played by Lana Parrilla) she willingly gives up the slippers. After they realize her Aunt Em (played by Gina Stockdale) is in the Underworld, the heroes resolve to find her and bottle her kiss to wake Dorothy. Emma (played by Jennifer Morrison) sees how much it hurts her parents to be separated from their baby and tells them to leave with Ruby. Snow White/Mary Margaret (played by Ginnifer Goodwin) can’t leave but she tells David/Prince Charming (played by Josh Dallas) to do so. Meanwhile, Belle (played by Emilie de Ravin) asks Zelena to help get Hades to give up her baby.

Initially, it was annoying that Ruby was just another visitor to the Underworld (it’s becoming the new hot destination), but her story this episode was great. Zelena putting Dorothy in a Sleeping Curse knowing nobody living could wake her is a stroke of genius (not that I’m pro evil). Regina threatening to withhold Zelena’s baby worked for now but there is no way she will continually be bullied under that threat. She can’t be forced into being good and sooner or later she is going come after them full-force. Emma was right to get her parents out of the Underworld, not because of their baby, rather that they have no purpose there. For the past few episodes Mary Margaret and David have been relegated to meaningless B storylines for the sake of including them in episodes. There was potential with David and his evil twin James but since the premiere he hasn’t made any appearances. Better to get the Charmings and maybe Henry (played by Jared Gilmore) out of the picture and keep the central players on the frontlines.

In Oz, Mulan and Ruby encounter Dorothy (played by Teri Reeves) and Ruby’s inner wolf scares off Toto. While looking for him they all witness Zelena arriving in a cyclone. Zelena wants the ruby slippers to get back to Storybrooke and holds Toto hostage until Dorothy returns them. Dorothy reveals to Ruby that, after she went home from Oz, her family in Kansas tried to commit her in response to her account of the adventure she went on. She was saved by Aunt Em. Gradually, an attraction between Dorothy and Ruby becomes apparent but Ruby worries Dorothy can’t accept her wolf side. Mulan convinces her not let any chance for happiness slip away like she did but later Ruby finds Dorothy has disappeared. When the heroes find Aunt Em, they give her a bottle to blow a kiss into, however Hades laced it with water from the river of Lost Souls and her spirit dies. He warns other spirits they will suffer the same fate if they aid the heroes. Ruby goes back to Oz to give Dorothy True Love’s kiss. Mary Margaret heads along after David switched places with her on Hades’ tombstone.

No wonder Dorothy went back to Oz: one minute there’s no place like home and the next her family wants to lock her in the nuthouse. You know it must have been bad if she was willing to live somewhere with an evil witch constantly hunting her down. Ruby and Dorothy’s relationship developed organically and was the first real LGBT relationship Once has had. People might want to count Mulan and her infatuation with Sleeping Beauty but it was just that, an infatuation that didn’t go beyond looks of longing. When Hades decides to actively get involved, he manages to get things done. And how ironic is it that Aunt Em melted into a puddle of water? I can see why Hades was getting worried: people seemed very happy in that hell diner Aunt Em was running, almost like the Underworld was some tropical resort for them. If only one of the Charmings could leave, Mary Margaret was the right choice because there are still avenues to travel down with David and his evil twin. We can catch up with Mary Margaret in a couple episodes.

Zelena finally accepts Hades’ romantic advances and they toast to Dorothy’s demise, unaware that Ruby has woken her. Belle tells Rumpelstiltskin/Mr. Gold (played by Robert Carlyle) that she wants to put herself under a Sleeping Curse to keep her baby from Hades. True Love’s kiss would mean losing his powers and Gold refuses, but Belle instead plans for her father to give her the kiss and puts herself to sleep. Zelena may not be so hot on Hades when she finds out he missed the mark with Dorothy. Gold would let Belle sleep forever to hold onto his powers. If that’s not proof he isn’t father/husband material, I don’t know what is. Being asleep should just make it easier for Hades to target Belle, but since Once‘s her-centric episode her role would likely be reduced again so she should simply get some rest.

Quotes & Thoughts

“You think I want to be in this emerald-tinted dump?”

Henry doesn’t even write when using his Author powers, he just holds the quill over paper. The “Author” title continues to get more and more ridiculous.

“Love’s freaking scary.”

Imagine if Belle slept through her pregnancy; no morning sickness or labor pains. Talk about a happy ending.

 If you enjoyed Manny’s review, you can find the rest of his work right HERE on Sci-Fi Bloggers. You can also follow him on Twitter @KN_Manny.

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