Tonight on ABC their fantastical series Once Upon A Time returns with an all new Sunday April 3, season 5 episode 16 called, “Our Decay” and we have your weekly recap below. On tonight’s episode, Belle (Emilie de Ravin) and Zelena (Rebecca Mader) arrive in the Underworld, where Belle receives some life-changing news.
On the last episode, finally reunited, Hook and Emma had to find a way to defeat Hades so that they could return to Storybrooke with Snow, David, Regina, Robin, Henry and Gold. A surprise visit from Hook’s departed brother Liam just might have provided the lead they were looking for. 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, “Belle and Zelena arrive in the Underworld, where Belle receives some life-changing news. Meanwhile, Snow and David try to send a message to their son; and in a flashback, Hades seeks a potential ally in Zelena when he visits her in Oz.”
Tonight’s season 5 episode 16 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!
Tonight’s episode begins now – Refresh Page often to get the most current updates!
#OnceUponATime starts many years ago in Oz. Zelena has a green cupcake with a candle on it and looks at a memory of her mother giving her away as a baby. She sees herself crying and says her mother gave away the wrong child and will soon see. She blows out the candle.
A flying monkey delivers the scarecrow and tells him he’s going to help her with a time travel spell. She wants the scarecrow’s brain. Dorothy marches in and says stop and Zelena says the slippers were a one way ticket home. Dorothy says she got word she took over and came to stop her.
Dorothy says leave the scarecrow alone. Zelena throws a ball of magic at her and misses and Toto knocks down a tapestry on her. Dorothy and Toto run out with the scarecrow while Zelena rages. Now, in under Storybrooke, Hades looks at a page from the book of him and Zelena. The clock ticks.
Hades goes back to his lair and wants Gold to open the portal. Gold asks why he needs it and Hades says he needs to bring someone alive through the portal. Hades has a contract and says if you want me to tear this up, make the portal.
Gold asks where he wants the portal to go and Hades says Storybrooke. Belle checks on the babies and notices Blue seems distracted. Then Blue comes in and Belle realizes it’s Zelena. She changes back and they wonder why and how she’s back.
Zelena says she came back for her baby and tells Belle step aside or die. Gold wants to know why Hades wants Zelena’s baby. Hades is annoyed and says get me her baby and I will rip up the contract and Belle will never know that he owes Hades her baby.
Zelena picks up her baby and Blue pulls out her wand. Gold cuts his hand in the underworld and the portal opens as his blood drips. Belle tells Zelena to stop this and then all three women stumble when the whole room rumbles. Zelena sys it’s not her.
The portal swirls open and Belle and the baby fall in and Zelena jumps in after them. Hades asks where’s the baby when the portal closes and he sees nothing. Belle and Zelena are in the underworld and Zelena is in pain and has no magic.
She tells Belle she didn’t do this and Belle asks why is the sky red? Zelena tells her they’re in the underworld and Belle says Rumple must need her help. Zelena says it’s Hades and he wants her baby. Belle won’t give her the child and Belle says she can’t be trusted.
Zelena begs her and tries to stand but it looks like her leg may be broken. Belle takes off. Back in Oz, Zelena rants at the Munchkins and tells them tell her where the scarecrow is. Hades show up and introduces himself. The terrified Munchkins run off.
He kisses her hand and says she impressed him by sending so many bodies his way. She sweeps as he brings up time travel. He says he believes in her and she says the devil is flirting. He says he’s not the devil but it’s a common mistake.
He says Dorothy is powerful and has the love of the people which Zelena does not. He says no one loves her but Dorothy can be defeated with an ally. She asks why he needs a time travel spell and he says all in good time. She says no thanks and puffs away in green smoke.
Snow is upset to find out they’re regulars at the diner in Hell. David says he’s thinking about Neal too and she says she wishes their baby could hear their voices. The witch says he can and says it’s just a level one haunting. She says they need a booth.
She wants David to breathe into a vial and says the breath of the living is valuable and says go to the booth and tell the operator who they want to haunt. Henry is with Hook, Regina, Robin and Emma and shows them something he doesn’t remember writing.
He says it was just there when he woke up. He is annoyed with the adults in his life and says lay off. Emma says they have a teenager. Someone knocks. It’s Zelena. They’re shocked and she says she’s alive and fell through a portal. She says their baby is there too and is in danger.
Back in Oz, Hades asks if it’s her birthday and she says she doesn’t know her birthday only the day she was abandoned. She tells him to leave. Hades mentions her sister and says he knows how she feels with a sibling that gets everything you wanted while you got nothing.
He says his older brother is a god – Zeus – and says he got everything and rules Mt Olympus while he’s trapped in the underworld. He says all he has left is anger. He says only true love’s kiss can restart his life and allow him to escape his curse.
Hades says no one is as hated as him but Zelena says she might be. Hades says he knows where the scarecrow in and says let me help you – let me help us. He says he can make sure that he winds up on Olympus and his brother suffers.
Zelena says he’s as vindictive as she is and they laugh. Robin is ready to go track their daughter and Regina goes along. Belle is in town with the baby and goes to the library. Of course, it’s not a library there and she hears a noise and hides.
Gold comes out of the elevator and she’s stunned to see him. He asks why she’s there and why she has the baby. She says she’s alive and a portal brought her, the baby and Zelena. She’s surprised that he did the spell. She asks why he would steal a baby.
He says Hades forced him to work the spell and says a long time ago, he made a deal he never thought would come up again. He says to save Baelfire’s life, he had to give up his second born child. She’s shocked to learn she’s pregnant.
He says they can fix this with his power and she’s double shocked to learn he’s the dark one again. He says yes and shows her the knife. He says he loves that dagger and he also loves her but both are possible. He says she wanted him to be a better man and he is.
But Gold says he can’t be a different man. She says not always and he says he was – even when he was a coward and he won’t let the power go again. Belle says not even for me and Gold says falling in love with the man behind the beast isn’t what happened.
He says she fell in love with him because he was the man and the beast and says they exist as one. Belle says no – she can’t condone this. He says she can but has to choose to. He says if she does they can have a family, happiness, and it’s her choice.
Belle says she’s not making any choices now and says get me back to our friends and fix all of this mess. Gold says he’ll do that and she’ll see he’s right. Snow and David go to haunt their son Neal using the haunting booth. They wonder how it works.
They ask someone in line if he knows how it works. He says he doesn’t know or if the messages even get through. He says he may have wasted a lot of time for nothing. They step into the telephone booth to give it a try.
Zelena asks Robin what he named their child. He says he hasn’t named her yet because he needs to get to know her but hasn’t had the time because he’s protecting her from Zelena. Regina tells Zelena that she was once like her and thought all she needed was vengeance.
She says her enemies became her family and she was finally happy and that’s why she’s there. She says when family needs you, you step up. Zelena rages that her daughter needs help and they need to find her. She’s angry and impatient.
Back in Oz, Hades takes Zelena to where the house landed with Dorothy and picks up the bike. He gets on and tells Zelena to get on too and says trust me. She hops on and is close to him. Hades seems distracted. She giggles as he drives them down the path.
She says it’s like a broom with wheels. They tumble off and he catches her. He asks if she wants to try again and she says yes. She asks how this will help them find her prey. He says the bike belongs to Dorothy and says enchant it to go to her.
Regina and Robin find Belle and the baby and Robin takes his daughter who gurgles. He thanks her and then Zelena is there and she asks why. Zelena says she’s helping and Regina says it’s fine. The baby cries and Zelena says she has a bottle and asks to feed her.
He says no and she says she has no magic there and just wants to feed her. He hands her over but warns her first. Zelena then refuses to hand her back and then uses magic to throw them back and runs off with her daughter.
Snow and David talk to Emma about missing Neal and she tells them he’ll hear their voices when they get home. Zelena hobbles away and her daughter cries. She says they need to find a safe place. Zelena realizes her magic hurt her daughter and she cries bitterly.
Back in Oz, Hades and Zelena close in on Dorothy. They find a little house and scarecrow and Dorothy at the fire. Zelena uses magic to hold back Dorothy and rips out scarecrow’s brain. Dorothy tells her she’s not afraid of her and Zelena asks what happened to her in Kansas.
Zelena says she doesn’t care and says she wants everyone in Oz to know Dorothy can’t protect them and failed. Zelena says then she’ll have nothing. She calls out to Hades who is gone. Now, we see Zelena in the underworld version of her house and Regina and Robin approaching with Belle.
She opens the door and comes out upset. She says it’s all her fault and says she can’t protect her here. She says Hades wants to use her for a time travel spell. She says he had love in his heart but now it’s gone. Regina says the baby is the symbol of innocence.
Zelena tells Robin to protect her and take her even if she never gets to see her again. Zelena asks Regina to protect her and says it’s more important than what happens to her. Zelena kisses her daughter goodbye as she cries.
Belle asks Robin about the baby’s name but he says he can’t name her yet in case Hades tries to use her name against it. Hook says it sounds like Zelena was sincere. Robin it taking the baby to the forest to hide her.
Henry comes down and says he woke up with more pages and they wrote themselves. It’s about Neal hearing his parents’ voices instead of wind chimes and they were singing a lullaby to them. Snow says he heard them and they thank Henry.
Snow says she wants to get back home to their family and says they’re going to take down Hades now. Hades stands in the middle of the street looking very determined. Back in Oz, Zelena found him at the wizard’s room and he says he has dinner for them.
He says he knew she’d succeed. She asks if he’s leaving and he says he’s not going back to the underworld. She asks if he thinks they’re and he says it’s true love and asks if she feels it too. She says she just met and he says when he had his arms around her, he felt something.
He says his heart fluttered for a moment. He says he truly believes his heart will start once they kiss and they can be together. He moves to kiss her but she says no and says she can’t be so stupid. She says she almost believed him.
She says he wants free of the underworld so he can have revenge. She says he wants the spell just like she does and says love is not enough. Hades says he doesn’t want that anymore and just wants her. He says he loves her. She grimaces and says no one can love me.
She says if you did – you would want to take away my best chance for revenge. She tells him to go away and never show his face again. He says she will regret this and then he puffs away in blue fire. She cries bitterly after he goes.
Now, she approaches him in the underworld streets and says hello. She says she knows he wanted her baby. He says when he heard she fell through, he came looking for him. She says she wants to make it easy and threatens him if he touches her baby.
Hades says he never would have hurt her and says true love endures. She asks if this was about the spell. He says he was trying to rescue the baby for her. Hades asks wouldn’t she like to not be alone and says he chooses her and says they can have love.
She says she gave back her baby so he wouldn’t hurt her. She cries and says she wants to trust him and says it’s too much. She says she’ll get her daughter back all on her own. He says April 15th. She asks what. He says that’s your birthday in case you want to know.
She asks how he knows and he says he tortured it out of a miller’s daughter then took care of her for Zelena too. He says he knows she doesn’t need him or anyone but if she wants him, he’ll be waiting for her at home, just like he always has.
THE END!
