A wolf, a pair of flying monkeys, true love’s kiss and a trip home make up this episode of Once Upon a Time, “Ruby Slippers.” Flashbacks to Oz detail how Ruby ends up in the Underworld, but by the end of the episode her true love’s kiss isn’t the only one that’s (going to be) needed.
Meanwhile, Ruby’s arrival in the Underworld also leads to a chance to go home for one of the Storybrooke residents — but who makes that journey?
3 More Once Upon a Time Characters We Hope to See in the Underworld >>>
There’s No Place Like … Anywhere But Oz with Zelena
In the flashbacks, Ruby learns that Oz is nothing like the movie or book (alas, there’s no singing) and figures out pretty quickly that she’s not going to find her pack there. However, before she and Mulan can even really think about heading back to the Enchanted Forest, they cross paths with Toto and Dorothy. And when the dog runs off, Ruby tracks him — right to Zelena.
Zelena just wants to get back to her baby, so she proposes a trade: her silver slippers for Dorothy’s dog. She gives Dorothy until sundown the next day to decide.
While off gathering the last ingredient for the sleeping powder to use on Zelena, Dorothy and Ruby bond a bit over the former’s family and the latter’s village. Dorothy’s family didn’t believe her when she told them about Oz, and it was only because of Aunt Em that she wasn’t locked up. She gave Toto to Dorothy, and he’s all she has left of her. Ruby understands all too well about people turning their backs on her and shares her own story. Though she came to Oz looking for her pack, she’s come to understand that they may not be the answer anymore. (And the seeds are planted…)
Once in the poppy field, however, they only have enough time to exchange nicknames (Wolfie and Kansas) and grab poppies before flying monkeys head their way. Ruby transforms and Dorothy rides on her back into the woods, but once they rejoin Mulan, Dorothy makes a hasty retreat to “get some shut-eye.”
Ruby thinks that she was bothered by her transformation, as she admits to Mulan while also confessing that she’s realized she’s maybe been looking for someone like Dorothy. They may have just met, but she’s never felt this way about anyone before. Mulan urges her to tell her how she feels before it’s too late, having her own experience to draw upon. But when Ruby goes to talk to Dorothy, she’s gone.
A Slippery Problem
Hades pops by Zelena’s to inform her that Ruby’s in town, and Zelena immediately fears that her presence will undo any good will she has with her sister because of what she did. It’s time for her to leave the Underworld, but before she can, the Storybrooke group, along with Ruby, stops her.
Ruby did a tracking spell to find Zelena after Dorothy disappeared. Zelena reveals that she put Dorothy under a sleeping curse, meaning the only thing that can break it is true love’s kiss. But who can do that? Maybe Aunt Em. And since she’s dead, it’s possible she’s down there and they can bottle up the kiss like the Blind Witch did with David’s breath.
When they do find her, however, she turns to water before she can help them — Hades’ doing, of course. It’s also a warning to the people of the Underworld: this is what happens to anyone who deals with the heroes.
Phone Home — or Not
Meanwhile, Cruella supervises, as the phone booth is ripped out, on Hades’ order to put an end to that hope he hates that’s bubbling up around town. And Snow White fears he could be making a move on Storybrooke. It’s time for her parents to go home, Emma decides. Their other child and possibly their town need them. There’s one problem: the gravestone with Snow’s name on it. She can’t leave. But David can.
That’s something David struggles with, as he thinks that Snow should be the one to go home. Hook takes the opportunity to thank David for coming along to save him, and David admits that while he did do it for Emma, Hook has grown on him a bit. That conversation plants the seeds for what transpires when it comes time for a trip out of the Underworld.
OUAT: 4 Reasons Why the Decision to Go to the Underworld was a Foolish One >>>
A Lesson in Love
You see, all hope isn’t lost for Dorothy, as Snow suggests that Ruby can give her true love’s kiss. She sees how worried her best friend is, and Ruby admits that, yes, she’s right, but she doesn’t think that Dorothy feels the same since she bailed on her. Snow brings up her and Charming’s first meeting. Love can be scary, but what you get back when you love someone outweighs the risk.
As Ruby’s preparing to leave, David shocks Snow when he shows her that he had Hook cross out her name and put his on the gravestone instead. (See, Hades should have been more careful about enchanting his hook and letting him get away with it.) It’s time for Snow, not David, to go home.
After a stop in Oz, of course, for Ruby to wake Dorothy with true love’s kiss (and just as Zelena and Hades think they’re toasting to her eternal slumber), Dorothy admits that she left because she was afraid she’d lose her to Zelena. Ruby promises that she’ll always come back for her.
With Henry’s new pages depicting Ruby and Dorothy’s reunion and Snow back home with Neal, the others still in the Underworld are determined to figure out a way to join them.
Belle Takes a Big Risk
Though Rumplestiltskin wants them to work together to protect their baby and somehow get out of the contract with Hades, Belle doesn’t want to risk doing something else she regrets if she leaves it to him. Instead, she goes to see Zelena, in hopes that she can get through to Hades since he’s in love with her. When Belle realizes that Hades can always speed up her pregnancy like Emma did with Zelena’s, she knows she doesn’t even have time on her side. But Zelena might have a way.
When Belle returns to Rumple, she reveals her new plan: the sleeping curse. While she’s asleep, he’ll have time to stop the contract. He (wrongly) thinks that she expects him to then be the man she wants him to be to wake her, but she informs him that her father will wake her. After he destroys the contract, he has to do whatever it takes to get her back to him. And then she pricks her finger. The sleeping spell is activated.
Once Upon a Time season 5 airs Sundays at 8pm on ABC.
(Image courtesy of ABC)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
If it’s on TV — especially if it’s a procedural or superhero show — chances are Meredith watches it. She has a love for all things fiction, starting from a young age with ER and The X-Files on the small screen and the Nancy Drew books. Arrow kicked off the Arrowverse and her true passion for all things heroes. She’s enjoyed getting into the minds of serial killers since Criminal Minds, so it should be no surprise that her latest obsession is Prodigal Son.
