Recap: ONCE UPON A TIME Hook’s Brother Showed Up

Episode 515 “The Brothers Jones”
Written by David H. Goodman and Jerome Schwartz
Directed by Eagle Egilsson

This week, there was an excellent story with Killian and his brother, and a potentially wasted opportunity with Henry.

In flashbacks, we saw Killian and his brother, Liam, scrubbing the deck on Captain Silver’s ship. Liam suggested that the two of them leave to join the king’s navy and mentioning that Killian could eventually make a good Captain. Captain Silver didn’t like that talk. He allowed Liam to seek out the position in the navy and buy their freedom, but he would hold Killian as collateral. When Liam gained acceptance for the both of them, Silver would only let one go. So Liam stayed as not to leave his now drunk brother who had gambled away all his money.

Captain Silver steered his ship into a hurricane toward the center to find the legendary Heart of the Storm, a special sapphire in the heart of the hurricane. Killian realized where he was steering it somehow without any sun, stars, or instruments to tell him that. So Liam led a mutiny and successfully took over the ship. Then he was visited by Hades who offered him a deal. If he would let the ship go down, claiming the lives of the sailors on board, he and Killian would be spared and he would get the Heart of the Storm. And so he did. He and Killian woke up on a beach and were met by a captain and crew of a naval ship. In exchange for the legendary sapphire, Liam asked for a commission in the king’s navy. He and Killian were offered immediate commissions on the captain’s ship, The Jewel of the Realm, which would later become the Jolly Roger.

Later, in the Underworld, Cruella took Henry out to look for the quill of the Author which he had broken and thus sent it to the dreaded place of the dead. While looking for it, Henry found the Sorcerer’s Apprentice who told him not to write Cruella back into Storybrooke, that he should only record what happens and not change it. But Henry was tired of sitting on the sidelines and wanted to be a hero and help Emma, even if it meant helping Cruella. The Apprentice said it was in the Sorcerer’s house which was protected by a spell. The sheriff had the key.

Snow and David went to the sheriff’s office to get the key out of the desk drawer. Snow quickly left with the key when Cruella showed up to seduce James, David’s twin brother. David played along for a while. But Cruella knew who it really was.

Emma healed Killian of his wounds just before Liam showed up and was reunited with his brother. Liam was paid a visit later by Hades who struck another deal with him. Hades wouldn’t tell Killian what Liam really did to the ship and crew if he would go to the Sorcerer’s house, find the story book, and get rid of the pages about Hades.

Our intrepid heroes went to the Sorcerer’s house and began searching for the book. Henry went off searching for the pen. Liam found the book first and tore out the pages. When the others arrived, he said the pages were already gone, but should still be in the house. So while everyone else was searching, he went outside and tossed the pages down the well outside. Some ink got on his hands and was a telltale sign to Killian that he had the pages and wasn’t the upstanding person he thought his brother was. The crew arrived and one of them revealed that he overheard the latest deal with Hades.

The crew took the Jones brothers to the fire pit to “walk the plank”. Hades showed up. He offered to spare Liam since he followed through on his end of the bargain. But Killian would be thrown in since escaping from Hades’ prison wasn’t acceptable. Liam gave himself up in Killian’s place. And in doing so, it opened up Heaven for him, which turned out to be a ship on the sea. He took the crew with him. Killian stayed behind to help Emma defeat Hades.

Henry ended up finding the quill and an ink well. But he then decided that the Apprentice was right and he should only record, not change what happens. That was truly unfortunate since having Henry drunk with power would have been great character development. Instead, he remains plain, boring Henry. Such a wasted opportunity.

Hades received the pages that were tossed down the well. It showed him with Zelena. Yup, the Wicked Witch is set to make a comeback. It will be good to see her return from Oz.

 

Once Upon a Time airs Sundays at 8/7c on ABC.