"Souls of the Departed" is the twelfth episode and midseason premiere of the fifth season of the American fantasy drama series Once Upon a Time, which aired on March 6, 2016.
In the Enchanted Forest, Prince Henry is trying to convince his daughter, Regina, still after Snow White's heart, to give up vengeance, but she is unable to let go of her anger.
He turns to the Magic Mirror in desperation to speak with Cora, believing that the best way to force Regina to get over Snow White is to just help her complete her plot, which Prince Henry is not in favor of.
As Emma, Gold, Mary Margaret, David, Henry, Regina, and Robin Hood arrive in the Underworld in their quest to find Hook, the ensemble comes across a brimstone-hued version of Storybrooke.
Gold tells them that every soul with unfinished business lives here until it is fulfilled, and since they have arrived that means they are ready to finish it as they were responsible, as Emma sees Cruella's car that serves as an example.
Around the same time, Mary Margaret enters an Underworld version of Granny's and is recognized by the Blind Witch by her smell, and is then encountered by David wearing different clothes and proceeds to kiss her, as she realizes it's James, who is the "Sheriff" in this world.
As everyone meets up again, Regina tells the others about Cora's warning, while Gold gives Emma the potion he obtained, which is from DunBroch, and can be used to summon the dead by pouring it over someone's grave.
"[3] Andrea Towers of Entertainment Weekly notes in her assessment of the review: "Once Upon a Time has taken us pretty much everywhere in and out of fairy tale lore over the past five years: Storybrooke, the Enchanted Forest, Arendelle, Neverland.
They used the Underworld to bring back a ton of characters for quick check-ins, but Neal and Henry were the only ones who really strongly impacted the story and the Storybrooke team.
They do have a compelling enough reason to stay in the Underworld -- though why Snow and Charming would spend so much time away from their newborn confuses me -- but overall, the episode was all about getting the board ready.
For all this show's inanities and love of catchphrases and gaping plot holes where logic should exist, there's clearly something very compelling about Storybrooke and its residents that resonates with viewers.
In my own home, it's a decent family watch, that the kids find intriguing and even occasionally scary enough not to be lame, and the adults in the house can still take an interest.
And the show still finds surprising mileage out of turning fairy tale tropes on their ear, or offering different sides of characters we think we know well.