The main task for today is to find the Underworld version of the Storybook in hopes that it holds the secret to defeating Hades. Henry gets a tip on the location when he talks with the Apprentice about finding the Author’s quill. The Magician’s house is here, along with many of his light magic creations.

But first, we learn all about the hidden lives of the Jones brothers. Back in Neverland in season 3 we saw Liam die for the belief that he served a just king, which worked to prove his heroic nature to both the audience and Killian. Today we learn that this heroism is tarnished by an earlier deed. It would appear that Liam has spent his life trying to be the perfect brother and role model to Killian, but he made a mistake early on that sent many men to their deaths. As a result, Hades now has Liam in his pocket, willing to do anything to make sure that Killian doesn’t learn his secret.
This is the fundamental problem every character in the show faces. They were born to their storybook worlds and are forced into the archetypal roles of Good or Evil, leaving no room for honest mistakes. I mean sure, as mistakes go, leading an entire ship full of men to their deaths in order to save your own skin and take the jewel for yourself is a biggie, but is that one mistake enough to lose your brother’s love and mark you as a villain for the rest of your life? Hades says yes. As a result, he has Liam steal the pages that tell his tale out of the Storybook, and lie about it to his brother.

But this is the Underworld, after all, and no good deed goes unpunished. Captain Silver has found out the truth. (And on a side note, didn’t Costas Mandylor make the perfect sea captain? I’d sail with him any day.) He got a bum deal. All he wanted was one little Eye of the Storm Sapphire, but Liam mutinied, sank his ship, killed his crew, then got to live and keep the sapphire too. Captain Silver gathers his old crew and hijacks Liam and Killian intending to make them pay. He wants them to walk the plank into the pit of flames. Hades steps in because he doesn’t like anyone leaving his realm – in either direction – so he makes an example of the captain by tossing him in. But he also unintentionally gives Liam the opportunity to earn his way out. Killian tries to save Liam, which must be hard with only one hand when hanging over a pit of fire, but Liam accepts the blame for his actions and chooses to sacrifice himself into the flames. Apparently whatever power is on the next rung above Hades decided that was a pretty good choice, because bing, bang, boom, Liam is allowed to move on to that better place everyone is talking about. Oh, and he can take all the guys he killed with him, because it’s all good now that they know why they had to die.

These events gave Hook the chance to tell his brother he was forgiven, and that he had to forgive himself. Words that he wouldn’t listen to when Emma said them, but that he took to heart now that he said them out loud himself. Finally, he can come to terms with his choices and move forward.
While the others were looking for the Storybook, Henry goes in search of the quill. The Apprentice has warned him that he shouldn’t use it to make himself the hero, but that’s what Henry really wants. The quill gives him the power to write his family back home safely, and even to bring Cruella back to life like she asked him. No doubt it’s a hard choice for Henry, but ultimately he decides to use the quill as it was meant to be used – to simply record the stories, not to create them. He believes that the power of the quill will allow him to write Hades’ tale back into the Storybook and recreate the missing pages.
So what have we learned this week? We learned that David’s brother James is bitter about being given up by their mother, even though it meant he got to be a prince. We also learned that James doesn’t have very discerning tastes, and he’ll put any old thing in his mouth. We see that beyond all expectations, Regina has become the voice of reason in the group. I wonder if it’s because this place is forcing her to confront her past sins in an honest and straightforward way; she seems to have found some deeper peace here. But the biggest thing we learned by far is that Hades has something going on with Zelena. Which is great and terrible news, of course. She’s such a delightful character to watch that the season will be richer for having her, but the thought of her and Hades teaming up is truly terrifying. Thrilling, but terrifying.
It always seems to be the little things that give me the most pleasure. Seeing Rumple’s Enchanted Forest jail cell acting as the holding cell in the sheriff’s office, for example. This week, it’s Hades who brings the most fun. I’ve been enjoying Greg Germann’s portrayal of Hades because of the dispassionate way he expresses himself. Hades can say the most horrific things, but he could just as easily be giving his food order to a waiter. It makes watching him really fun, because he gives no clues as to what he’s thinking. Which brings me to the…

Moment of Goodness
On the ship, Hades appears to Liam with his offer of the sapphire. Although he gives us many enjoyable moments in the scene, my favorite is when he puts out the match with his bare fingers. Is it just me, or did he enjoy that just a little too much? Fire is his domain, and clearly he is in control.
Once Upon a Time airs Sundays at 8/7c on ABC.
Related posts
Classics
Dennis Heaton Talks The Imperfects
Longtime readers at TV Goodness will know that Motive is one of my ride-or-die series, and as such, I am fiercely loyal to its creator, Dennis Heaton. He followed up that fantastic reverse procedural with Netflix’s The Order and is back on our streaming screens with The Imperfects, which dropped…
Kelly McCormack Talks Favorite Moments in A League of Their Own
[Warning: Mild spoilers for season 1.] Now that you’ve had a chance to watch A League of Their Own, here’s the rest of my chat with Kelly McCormack about her favorite moments of the season. Seeing the iconic Peaches uniforms for the first time wasn’t just a goosebump moment for…
John Griffin and Harold Perrineau Talk From on EPIX Season 1 Finale
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] How are we doing, #FROMily? In case you missed it this morning, the very good news is that that cliffhanger will be followed by a second season, which was gifted this morning ahead of the linear broadcast of the finale. I always legitimately appreciate when we…
Elizabeth Saunders Talks EPIX’s From
[Warning: General spoilers ahead.] One of the things that makes EPIX’s From such a fun ride is the abundance of Canadian cast members. Elizabeth Saunders, who plays Donna, is a favorite from her turn on the third season of Mary Kills People [streaming on Global TV in Canada and Roku…
Corteon Moore Talks From “Broken Windows, Open Doors”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight’s episode of From had us all in our feels as we learned through flashbacks about the Sophie’s Choice Boyd had to make to save his son, and back in the present as Boyd said his piece with Ellis before heading into the woods with…
Pegah Ghafoori Talks From “All Good Things…”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode] Tonight on From, Fatima’s anniversary celebration turned into a Colony House of horrors when a misguided Kevin let his monster bae in and she promptly killed him and left the window open for her crew. While the party devolved into terror and sent everyone running,…
Shaun Majumder Talks From “Book 74”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight on EPIX’s From, Father Khatri made a bold move, kidnapping Sara instead of turning her in, and then recognizing her as a vessel for some big messages. That startling realization speaks to him on multiple levels–as a man of faith, a man trapped in…
Avery Konrad Talks About Sara’s Struggle in From “Silhouettes”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Over the course of the season so far on From, we’ve witnessed Sara’s battle against the voices telling her to to do terrible things, and tonight we saw her unravel further, threatening the Matthews and lashing out in a moment of terror with horrifying results….
Hannah Cheramy Talks From “Choosing Day”
[Warning: Spoilers for tonight’s episode.] Tonight, on EPIX’s From, the Matthews participate in the show’s version of the sorting hat, choosing where to call home–the town or Colony House. At the end of the episode, Julie makes the decision to split from her family and instead settle in with Fatima…
Ricky He Talks From “The Way Things Are Now”
[Warning: Spoilers for episode 102 of EPIX’s From.] Epix’s new series From is two episodes in and it’s already laying the groundwork for a seriously spooky season. Tonight’s episode demonstrated the careful balance of relief and horror that the show hits, with our characters’ worst fears realized, just not when…
What They Said: Three Revealing Conversations from Survivor’s Remorse “Closure”
WARNING: Spoilers for Survivor’s Remorse “Closure” The latest episode of Starz’s Survivor’s Remorse featured conversations that showed characters really digging deep into their thoughts, emotions and motivations.
Two Takes: The Catch “The Knock-Off”
Who can you trust? If this episode of The Catch was any indication, the answer is just about nobody. Betrayal was running rampant as Felicity (Shivani Ghai) arose from the dead to seduce-con Margot, Gretchen (Maria Thayer, Gotham, The Mindy Project) played gold-hearted Alice 2.0 before swindling Ethan, Tessa jumped…
What They Said: Top 3 Quotable Moments from Preacher “El Valero”
Both Quincannon and Jesse refuse to give up on what they each think is rightfully theirs. While Jesse is struggling to face the consequences of his actions, Quincannon has laid his past demons to rest and is hellbent on moving forward and putting Annville on the map again. Despite a…
What They Said: Favorite Quotes from Supergirl “Worlds Finest”
Oh, Supergirl. That ending was cold. But I can’t hate on you because the latest episode has quickly become one of my favorites.
What They Said: Top 4 Quotable Moments from Black Sails “XXIII”
The dialogue in “XXIII” is phenomenal. It’s always a fun ride when Black Sails carries its viewers along without giving them the chance to catch their breath. When an episode moves at this unforgiving pace, there is no chance for a breather nor is there a respite from the information…
What Lucifer Said: Favorite quotes from Supernatural “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”
Supernatural episodes are almost always funny but thanks to the dialogue and a certain man speaking said dialogue, I laughed a lot during “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” You know, when I wasn’t busy fearing for Sam’s life or wondering what in the world was going on with Dean and…
What They Said: The Flash, “Legends Of Today” and Arrow, “Legends Of Yesterday”
Two nights of Arrow + The Flash = what more could we ask for?! I don’t know what it is about blending these shows, but I can’t help but feel that every time they come together, they somehow become greater than the sum of their parts. And that’s saying a lot…
What they Said: Top 4 Quotable Moments from Graceland “Little Bo Bleep”
Shoot outs. Fake outs. And long-awaited revelations. “Little Bo Bleep” was a jam-packed episode that wrapped up some loose ends and totally frayed others. Â It finally gave us one Sarkissian in jail and pulled back the curtain on Briggs’ master plan, but it also set up Jakes for a world…
What They Said: Favorite Quotes from Poldark “Part 4”
“What have I told you, I don’t require my wife to crochet and sip tea, but I do require her to remember she’s not a beast of burden.†No, I’m not talking about The Rolling Stones! I have to admit though, just for a second, the lyrics popped into my…
3 Moments of Goodness from Brooklyn Nine-Nine “Johnny and Dora”
The most satisfying part of this season’s finale has to the Jake and Amy kiss. Well, they kiss three times but the last one is the best one — and it means something. The Charles and Rosa dynamic was also great. I love how she’s convinced he doesn’t know anything…