Tonight on ABC their fantastical series Once Upon A Time returns with an all new Sunday December 6, season 5 winter finale called, “Swan Song” and we have your weekly recap below. On tonight’s episode, Resurrected Dark Ones target a living soul for sacrifice so they can return to the realm of the living. Meanwhile, Emma (Jennifer Morrison) battles Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) but their confrontation leads to devastating consequences; and, in a flashback, the Evil Queen (Lana Parrilla) forces Hook to confront a demon from his past.
On the last episode, in a Camelot flashback, Hook became a Dark One and his lust for revenge against Rumplestiltskin was reignited. When Emma and Hook disagreed about their best course of action, the final pieces of the puzzle were revealed as events in Camelot caught up to the present and we witness a charged confrontation between the forces of light and dark that sent our heroes on a collision course with destiny.
Meanwhile, in Storybrooke, Hook’s centuries old lust for revenge against Gold put both of their fates in jeopardy while Emma’s love faced the ultimate test as she tried to convince Hook to turn away from the darkness before she, Mary Margaret, David and Regina embarked on a new mission as an unsuspected evil was released. Did you watch the last episode? If you missed it, we have a full and detailed recap right here for you.
On tonight’s episode as per the ABC synopsis, “the dark siege of Storybrooke is underway as all of the resurrected Dark Ones target a living soul for sacrifice so that they can return to the realm of the living. With doom imminent, Gold advises Mary Margaret, David and the rest of the heroes to spend their last fleeting moments enjoying the company of their loved ones.
Emma, however, refuses to give up, knowing that she is responsible for righting all the poor choices she made as Dark One – there’s only one problem, Dark Hook. When they face-off with the fate of Storybrooke at stake, Hook’s actions will devastate Emma in a way no one saw coming. In a Fairy Tale Land flashback, the Evil Queen tests Hook’s mettle by forcing him to confront a demon from his past before contracting him to dispatch one from hers.”
Tonight’s season 5 episode 11 looks like it is going to be as magical as ever so make sure that you tune in to our live coverage of Once Upon A Time at 8:00 PM EST!
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#OnceUponATime begins with a child asleep on a ship. He calls for his father who comes to comfort him when he wakes scared in a storm. His father lights a lantern and says when he’s scared, look inside himself for bravery.
The boy is a young Killian. His father asks what type of man he’ll be and he says he wants to be just like his father. He comforts his son and tells him to go to sleep. Later, Killian wakes and wakes his brother Liam and says their father is gone.
Another man says his father rowed away and says he’s a thief and fugitive and there were soldiers at the next port. He says he traded them into his service to pay for the row boat he used for escape. The man says – no you know the kind of man your father is.
Now, Killian waits on Gold and says he’s won. Gold says the sword was in his neck last time. Gold hits at him and Hook says Belle knows and that’s why she left him. Hook says he’ll like what’s next – he says he’s finally going to get his revenge.
Emma tells the others they have to stop Hook from resurrecting the other Dark Ones. Regina says they need to hit him hard. Mary says Killian didn’t want to be a Dark One and Emma says that doesn’t matter now.
Emma says the man she loved died back in Camelot and they have to stop him no matter what. The gang splits up to search for Hook. Robin and Regina are near the harbor and then Zelena poofs up. Regina asks about her daughter.
She says she decided to give herself sole custody and doesn’t want them involved. She says she’s going to teach her how to be wicked. Zelena says there’s no point in fighting since both of them will be dead soon and she can take her.
There’s some hooded Dark Ones in the street. They are all over town. Mary and David face two, Regina and Robin face two and the dwarves are surrounded by them. Emma hears a call from Henry who is under attack by Nimue.
She walks through Henry who shudders. Gold is there and says check your wrists. All of them have the mark of Charon. Gold says the Dark Ones only have a day pass out of the underworld and this mark will let a Dark One take their place.
Gold says they will be taken to the underworld in place of the designated Dark One. He says it’s a terrible place that’s worse than any hell they can imagine. Gold says they can’t win and Emma says she’s not marked and won’t give up.
Gold says use the time to say goodbye. He walks away after the doom and gloom sermon. Regina approaches Hook at the docks. Regina says he can’t go through with this and says she gets that he thinks Emma betrayed him.
He reminds her she set up the dark curse to punish Snow for telling a secret. Hook says plenty of people she killed are waiting on her in hell. Regina says he’s not the man he was when she asked him to kill her mother. He chokes her into silence.
He says she has no idea the kind of man he truly is. He lets her go and she chokes. Back in the EF, we see Hook meeting with Regina, then the dark evil queen. She tells him she has a task and he says he’ll kill her mother and he wants revenge on Rumple.
Regina says she needs to know what kind of man he is and says her mother is expert at exploiting weakness so he can’t have any. She tells him to get into the carriage. He swigs his wine, tosses the goblet aside and gets in with her.
Henry is researching the mark looking for a solution. Mary says maybe Gold is right and they can’t win it. Emma says hope is in her blood. Mary says if these are her last moments, she wants to make the most of them with her family.
Henry says dinner at Granny’s and David agrees. Mary says Emma can take care of Neal once they’re gone. Mary kisses her head and says she hopes she succeeds but says meet them for dinner to say goodbye.
Emma says if she can destroy the Dark Ones, they can’t take them. Emma tells Regina she has a plan and she can’t tell anyone else. Regina says the darkness has to go into someone and sacrifice them. She asks who and Emma says – me.
Belle meets with Gold and hands her something and says she needs to cross the town line and go see the world. He hugs her and says he wants her to live out her dream. He gives her the car keys and says go live your life.
Belle says she knew he had a hero in there. She leaves. Gold has a mark on his arm and looks upset. Regina and Emma show up and Regina says they can’t go down without a fight. Gold says they deserve it. Emma says they need Excalibur.
Regina tells him Emma is going to take all the darkness into herself then destroy herself and the darkness along with it. Gold comes out with the sword and says it was destined for a true hero. Emma asks doesn’t he want to make a deal.
He says no and tells her she’s brave. He says it might not work and says the blade chooses who it finds worthy. Emma says she has to be with her family while she can. She asks Regina to come to Granny’s. Regina says she and Robin need to protect the baby.
Hook and Regina come into a tavern back in the EF. She tells him to face down a certain man to prove he’s worthy of the task. There’s a giant man who says pirates ain’t welcome. Regina kills the man with a flick of her hand and says face him.
She points him to the bartender – it’s his father. Regina and Robin find Zelena in her office looking at paint chips. Regina throws the paint swatches into the trash and Zelena says she’ll have everything that Regina has soon.
Regina has the wand in her hand and Zelena says she wasn’t powerful enough to make it work. Regina makes it work and says let’s go somewhere. She poofs she and her sister to the clock tower. Regina says hang on and green magic swirls into town.
Zelena is picked up by a cyclone and she screams at Regina that she’ll see her again. Regina says – enjoy Oz, witch. She’s swept away. Gold watches Belle drive away. Emma goes to Granny’s and sees her family there. She sets down a note for them on the jukebox.
She gives them one last look and whispers that she’s sorry and it’s the only way she can make up for what she’s done. Killian lurks in the streets and Nimue is there with him. She tells him he knows what he needs to do.
Back in the EF, the bartender tells Hook it’s time to close up and he reveals himself to his father. He tells his father it’s Captain Hook now. He says he told him to decide what kind of man to be and he says this is what he became.
His father says he left a century ago and Hook says they both cheated death. Hook says Liam is long dead. He asks where he’s been and he says Neverland. He asks where a scoundrel runs after selling his sons into servitude.
His father says he was caught and put into a sleeping curse. He says true love’s kiss awoke him and Hook asks who can love him. His father says it was his nurse and she made him see the error of his ways. He says she changed him.
His father says he wishes he had been the father he deserved. He tells him sorry. Hook asks where they woman is and his dad says after they married, she got sick and died from the plague. Hook says he came to kill him.
He says his life is the price to pay to get his revenge – then he says they both lost too much. Hook says the world must think him dead. He says he can send him far away and he can start again. He asks Killian to come with him – he says he can’t.
Hook says they have to hurry and says he’ll bring him a letter of transit tonight. His father asks for two and he says they had a son. Now, Emma goes home and gets the sword. Hook is there and says he can’t let her use it.
Emma says she has to do it. He says she’ll die if she does it. She asks why he cares what happens to her. He says he owes her for the man he’s become. She says Killian didn’t want to be this man. He says he will make Gold pay now.
Emma says he’ll become the thing he hates. He says she should have let him die. She says sorry and says she couldn’t see one more person she loves die. He says she can watch everyone she loves die. Henry takes the sword from her.
Then he magics into Hook and tells her enjoy the time she has left with her family because it’s too late. Mary spots the letter Emma left and reads it. They go to stop her but Nimue is there and says Hook already took care of that.
She says they will go to the underworld and nothing can stop it. Nimue waves a hand and all their marks flare. Regina, Henry, Robin, Gold, David and Mary are all at the waterside. Hook tells them this is it. Only Roland and the two babies are safe.
Emma runs up crying and Regina says he can’t watch another family be destroyed and says she knows why he doesn’t want to talk about what he did to his father. She says he will regret this forever. She says ask yourself what kind of man do you want to be.
Back in the EF, we see Hook at his father’s cottage. He goes inside and sees his dad tucking his son into bed. He tells his dad he’s scared of leaving. He tells his son all that matters is they’re together. He tells him the same thing he told Killian long ago.
The boy nods off and he promises to see Liam in the morning. Hook glares at this tableau. He waits in the yard and his father comes out. He thanks him but Hook asks how he can name his son Liam and replace his brother.
His father says it was to honor him, not replace him. Hook says he lied to them and he’s lying to Liam now. His father says he would never leave Liam. Hook throws the letters of transit into the fire and says he can’t let the queen find out.
He stabs his father in the stomach and he tells Killian he can change and it’s never too late. His father bleeds out as he watches. Now, Nimue tells Killian it’s time. Emma says no and Nimue hits her with magic to stop her from interfering.
Emma chokes as the magic damages her – it won’t kill her but can stop her. Hook says it’s enough and tells Nimue he’s going to be the man he wants to be. Nimue says he can’t stop them. He holds up the sword and all the Dark Ones are absorbed into it.
It glows red. He struggles to hold it. Emma tells him not to do this but he says there is no other way. He says do this now – he begs her to help him. He says take it but she says it should be me. He says he deserves to go to the underworld.
He says – let me make it up by being strong. She doesn’t want to lose him but he says let me die a hero, as the man he wants her to remember. She takes the sword and says she loves him. She kisses him and he says he loves her.
He says it’s okay. The sword struggles against her grip. She stares at him then runs him through with it. She holds him tight. Emma glows white – she’s not dark anymore. Excalibur crumbles to ash after she pulls it out of his body.
Killian collapses to the ground. Emma cries over his body. Hook’s body is draped in a sheet and paramedics take it away. Emma sobs into her mother’s shoulder. Boy, Emma sure can’t keep a man – that’s two dead in two years…
Gold is in his shop sipping tea when Belle comes in – he’s stunned to see her. She says Henry called and told her what happened. She says you lied and kisses him. She says he was truly selfless. She says she wants to be with him.
Emma lies on her sofa when she hears is disturbed. She texts Gold and tells him to meet her at the shop. He shows up and says she’s not invited unless he’s open. She says the dagger is calling to her. He says she’s imagining things.
She asks if he has it and he says it does. She says he’s the Dark One again. She asks how. He says when she asked for the sword, he saw an opportunity. He says he turned the sword into a conduit. He says Hook was moving the darkness, not destroying it.
He says Hook didn’t know and says things are as they should be. The dagger has his name on it again. He freezes her and says he has the combined power of all Dark Ones. She says he betrayed them all and he says that’s who he is.
Emma says do something for her – he asks why he would. She says she still has magic and can get to Belle before he can kill her. She asks if he can risk Belle hating him knowing what he’s done. He asks what she wants.
Emma tells her family she’s going to the Underworld to get him and tells them what Gold did and that he’s the Dark One again. She says she’s doing this right. She says she can Killian can share a heart and she can get him out.
Regina admits it could work. Robin asks how you get to the Underworld. The gang meets Gold at the water front and she says do it. He cuts his hand and asks if she’s sure. She says again – do it. He drips his blood into the water and the fog rolls in.
Charon’s boat appears and Emma looks back at her loved ones then walks out into the water. They follow her. Emma says – Hook, I will find you, I will always find you. That’s the end of the mid-season finale!
THE END!
