The heroes’ journey in the Underworld continues this week on Once Upon A Time with the ongoing effort to find and save Hook.  This week we met new characters (Hercules) and were reunited with familiar faces (Cruella).  Hades is up to no good and Hook is paying the price.

***** SPOILERS BELOW *****

The episode begins with Hook attempting to break free from his Underworld prison, where he is being kept by Hades.  Unfortunately, instead of escaping, he gets a run in with the legendary Cerberus instead. Didn’t really think escaping would be that easy did you, Hook?? He does help Meg (of Meg & Hercules fame) escape, though, and gives her a task – get message to Emma saying where he is.

While wandering the cemetery (not creepy at all), Snow and Charming come across Hercules’ grave.  Snow gets choked up and we get our flashback story of the episode in the form of an apparent past friendship between Snow and Hercules.  Charming gets a little jealous and it’s kind of cute!  It turns out that Hercules is actually someone that Snow had a mini teenage fling with and taught her how to be the bad ass Snow we all know and love.

Meg finds the heroes and delivers Hook’s message.  With having found Hercules’ grave, Snow decides who would be better to defeat Cerberus than Hercules?  Next task, find Herc!  Regina and Snow’s relationship is also highlighted in how far they have come when Regina basically has to give Snow a pep talk about going back to being the bad ass, strong woman that she is.  Snow tells the crew she wants to be “Snow” again and not “Mary Margaret” anymore.  And fans all rejoice with them!

Overall the episode is very Snow-centric and it’s nice to see some young Snow flashbacks and see how she became bandit Snow.  Snow and Herc team up to defeat Cerberus with a little help from Meg, and Meg and Herc get to go on their way to the “better place.”  That’s two more down and out of Underworld, and Hades isn’t happy about it.  He tells Emma that Hook will suffer because of the actions of the heroes.  It’s pretty believable too, given at the time he has Hook’s bloody hook dangling from his finger!  After Meg and Herc leave the Underworld, Hades informs Hook he’s had enough of the heroes, at this point.  For every person who leaves the Underworld, one of Hook’s friends will have to stay.

Uh oh! And the worst part?  Hook will have to decide who must stay in the Underworld in their place!  Cruella is also resurrected in this episode, and has an interesting run in with Henry.  Henry goes to look for maps to the Underworld in Regina’s office.  But being the Underworld, you never know who you’re going to run into in familiar places!  He meets Cruella there, and she tells him that despite having broken his Author’s pen – the “pen” is just a vessel and the spirit of the pen is somewhere in the Underworld.  She wants him to help get her out of the Underworld and back into Storybrooke.  In return? Emma will no longer be a murderer.  He seems to go with it.  What are you thinking Henry?! Never team up with the villains!

What did you think of the episode?  Comment below!