Season 5, Episode 13:
Labor of Love
An escapee from Hades' prison informs the heroes that Hook is being held captive, but to rescue Hook they must face a terrifying beast that guards the prison. This leads Mary Margaret to search for an old childhood friend who knows how to defeat the monster.
Tropes
- Adaptational Wimp: Hercules from the myths was able to complete his twelve labors. This version is killed by Cerberus and sent to the Underworld. He also needs Snow White and Meg's help to defeat Cerberus, thereby finishing his labors and allowing him to move on.
- Air-Vent Passageway: Variation; when Robin Hood and Henry discover that Cora left a protection spell on the door of the Mayor's office, Robin reveals there's a hidden grate that will let someone get in through the air ducts. Naturally it's Henry who uses them (because he knows what he's searching for, but he likely would fit better, too).
- Bait-and-Switch:
- It looks like the women will have to go on a long search for Hercules...then the Witch informs them he comes into the diner at his lunch break from working at the local docks.
- Also, given the plot of the movie, it seems Meg is likewise working for Hades but instead, she and Hercules are both allowed free to Olympus.
- Balancing Death's Books: Hades tells Hook that for every soul the team save, one of them has to stay in the Underworld...and Hook has to choose who.
- The Bus Came Back: Cruella is waiting in Cora's office to meet Henry.
- Cliffhanger: Despite going into the mines and eventually destroying Cerberus (elsewhere), the heroes aren't able to find Hook because Hades moved him—and now wants him to carve some of their names on headstones, to keep them trapped in the Underworld as punishment for the souls they've helped move on.
- Continuity Nod:
- Mary Margaret realizes all the graves at the cemetery are those of subjects from her father's kingdom.
- Regina and the Blind Witch briefly have it out over the former having killed the latter, and the latter having stolen the poisoned apple.
- Cruella asks Henry how is his mother, then clarifies "the one that killed me?"
- Young Snow dons an early version of the outfit she'll use as a bandit in the future.
- The entrance from the cave in the woods down to the labyrinth of tunnels where Hook was being held ends up going through the Underworld's version of Storybrooke's mines.
- Couch Gag: The title card features the Underworld cemetery.
- Cowardly Lion: In the Underworld, Hercules lacks his courage in life and needs to be convinced to help the heroes fight off Hades. This is because Hercules never proved himself in life, having been killed by Cerberus.
- False Flag Operation: It's revealed Regina is the one paying the outlaws to attack the kingdom in order to weaken Snow's standing with the people.
- Idiot Ball: Henry not telling Robin about the meeting with Cruella or her deal to bring her back to life.
- Instant Expert: Averted. Young Snow starts learning how to be an archer from Hercules, then shows up at the village where the bandits are robbing her people, threatening them into giving everything back and departing. And...when she goes to draw an arrow from her quiver, she ends up unable to snag one, then spilling the contents on the ground, while the bandits laugh and the leader steps on an arrow to break it; it takes Hercules pounding the ground to drive them off and save her. But then after a pep talk from Hercules (and presumably some more offscreen training), she's able to go back and be a genuine badass in facing the bandits down. Although she does still have one moment of shooting and missing, before knocking the leader's sword out of his hand.
- Jerkass Has a Point: She may be evil, but Cruella's point that returning her to life will remove the stigma Emma carries about having killed her makes sense. Henry clearly sees this and apparently sides with her. And since Cruella still can't kill anyonenote , returning her to life wouldn't be as bad a prospect as it might seem.
- Meet Cute:
- Young Snow and Hercules.
- Hercules and Megara have an after-the-fact one at the diner once Cerberus has been defeated.
- Mythology Gag:
- Hook finds himself facing Cerberus, the three-headed dog who guarded the Underworld in Greek mythology.
- Hercules shows Snow medals based on each of the labors he has completed.
- The name of the female prisoner who Hook helped escape and then Hercules saves? Meg.
- Hercules calls Hades as his uncle while Hades calls Hercules his nephew.
- Regina called Hercules "Wonderboy". Initially that's what Megara called Hercules in Disney's version of Hercules
- An Offer You Can't Refuse: Cruella makes one to Henry, and despite the fact she can't kill him, he clearly accepts (probably to help Emma). This will turn out to be a very nice Spanner in the Works, considering what the quill enables Henry to do later on.
- Redemption Equals Death: A uniquely reversed situation as Cruella says that if Henry can use his power as the Author to bring her back to life, then Emma will no longer have the stain of killing her.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here:
- Hercules is terrified of Cerberus and ready to run from it.
- Young Snow is ready to abandon being a future Queen and join Hercules as an adventurer.
- Super-Strength: Hercules' divine lineage gives him the power to cause earthquakes by slamming his hands on the ground. And lift enormous boat anchors one-handed.
- Took a Level in Badass: Young Snow takes her first steps to becoming an ace archer and fighter.
- *Twang* Hello: Snow introduces herself to the bandits this way.
- Unfinished Business: Like everyone in the Underworld, Hercules can neither ascend to Mount Olympus or suffer below because he has not settled a matter he is deeply passionate about. Hercules's business is the completion of his Twelve Labors, which he failed to finish before his death.
