1) What was your favorite episode of S5B?
I think I’m going to have to go with “Our Decay”, too. Bex and Greg German really sold the episode for me. The relationship between Zelena and Hades just worked so well, despite being fast paced. It was a lot of fun, and I’m still stunned at how much I enjoyed it.
2) What was your least favorite episode of S5B?
“Ruby Slippers”. Ruby and Dorothy’s relationship came out of nowhere, especially when we all expected Mulan to be part of the LGBT ship. They also only knew each other over the course of a day, and yet Ruby got to wake Dorothy with true love’s kiss?
3) What did you think of Hades and the Underworld?
Hades by far was the main highlight of the entire Season, and I mean that with 5A factored in too. Sure he was hammy and over the top, but Greg German was a pure delight to watch on screen. Hades happens to be one of my favorite Disney villains, and his performance did not disappoint. However, I felt there was a lot more that could have been done with his character. We were robbed of a proper backstory flashback, showing his relationship with Zeus and how he came to ruling the Underworld. We were only told, but never shown.
I have mixed feelings about the Underworld itself. At first I thought it was a creative twist to have the Underworld look like a twisted version of Storybrooke. This avoided the lack of set variety we encountered in Neverland, which was all jungle with no daylight. I also loved how it opened the opportunities for dead characters to reappear in present day, while also allowing certain characters to interact for the first time. We had Cora reuniting with both of her daughters, Henry meeting Henry Sr., and Milah meeting Emma. However, the rent tint got old fast, and the rules of how the Underworld worked were all over the place. What defined “unfinished business”, getting sent to “a better place”, “getting sent to “a worse place”, the river of Lost Souls, etc. I was also disappointed that the people in the River of Lost Souls never got saved. So Auntie Em and Milah are just up a creek without a paddle for all eternity?
4) What was your favorite and least favorite moment?
Favorite moment: Cora reuniting with Regina and Zelena. We had been waiting for 2 years for Cora and Zelena to interact on screen, and it was one heck of a scene. It was also very heartfelt to see Cora help her daughters make peace with one another. There were emotions all over the place, and I couldn’t help but feel very touched by all of it.
Least favorite moment: Robin Hood’s death. I was so against the idea of permanently killing him off for a variety of reasons, and I still am. After 3 Seasons of development for Outlaw Queen, they suddenly decide to kill off Robin? Not to mention, once again Regina’s character gets crapped on. Also rubbed salt in the wounds that Robin died, yet Hook got to come back from the dead by the end of the same episode.
5) We had a lot of old favorite (and least favorite) return this arc; which character did you most like seeing? Who did you wish we saw?
I loved seeing Cora again, for the reasons stated above in favorite moment. Pan returning was a treat too, though I wish more had been done with him. He was probably my favorite villain, before Hades showed up.
6) Thing you’re most looking forward to in S6?
I’m intrigued to see if more characters will take Jekyll’s serum. It could be fun to see Rumple, Hook and Zelena face off against their pure evil counterparts. I also want to see more of Jekyll/Hyde, along with the other characters that have untold stories!
7) Overall grade and final thoughts on S5B?
B+. Aside from the issues I brought up, this was my favorite arc since 3A’s Neverland arc. Overall, Hades and the Underworld gave a lot of life to the how. However, more could have been done, and there were some very questionable moves along the way. I’d still take it over 5A by far. It’s odd, because normally I prefer the A half of the Season over the B half of the Season. This is clearly the exception so far.