‘Once Upon a Time’ Season 5 Episode 18 Recap: Ruby Slippers

By
Rebecca Murray
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Once Upon a Time Season 5 episode 18
Teri Reeves, Meghan Ory, and Jamie Chung in ‘Once Upon a Time’ (Photo by Jack Rowand / ABC)

Wolves and witches and flying monkeys, oh my! Once Upon a Time season five episode 18 had a little bit of everything, including a happy ending for Ruby and the return to Storybrooke by one of the gang who had been trapped in the Underworld. Toto’s dognapping, deals for magical slippers, and romance filled the episode titled ‘Ruby Slippers’ and airing on April 17, 2016. One of the better season five episodes, ‘Ruby Slippers’ threw in a few twists fans didn’t see coming.

The Recap:

The gang tries to revive Ruby after zapping her believing she was a creature out to kill Snow. Gathered around a bed in the Charming house, they try to figure out what she was doing in the Underworld and the only clue is a strip of material she had with her.

Back in Oz some time ago, Ruby (Meghan Ory) and Mulan (Jamie Chung) run through the forest. Ruby sniffs for the scent of her pack but can’t find it. Ruby tells Mulan everything she knows about Oz, which is basically that there’s a lot of singing. They decide they’re going to head back to the Enchanted Forest when suddenly an adorable little dog approaches. It’s Toto, followed close behind by Dorothy (Teri Reeves) who thinks Ruby or Mulan is a witch. Ruby explains Toto barked because he knows she’s a wolf. Unfortunately, Toto picks just then to run off through the woods and Ruby stops Dorothy from chasing after him, telling her Toto’s heading a different direction. That wolf sense of smell definitely comes in handy for hunting down lost dogs, among other things. The threesome are headed off to find Toto when the Wicked Witch’s green tornado is spotted and they run for cover.

Back in the Underworld, Zelena (Rebecca Mader) holds the note from Hades (Greg Germann) and suddenly he appears. He’s actually there to warn her Ruby has arrived, and Zelena knows that means Ruby’s there to get revenge after what she did to her friend in Oz. Zelena says she’s going to leave the Underworld (she’s alive and has her own transportation) because if she stays, she’ll do something she regrets – something that will make Regina (Lana Parrilla) keep her daughter from her. Hades tries to talk her into staying, but Zelena won’t give in. Hades promises that even if she leaves, he’ll take care of Ruby.


At Gold’s Pawnshop, Belle (Emilie de Ravin) is still upset she sent Gaston to a fate worse than death instead of showing him mercy. Rumple (Robert Carlyle) reminds her he was trying to protect their child and Belle reminds him that it didn’t work because Hades found a loophole and didn’t destroy the contract. Now, she’s more determined than ever to make things right on her own without Rumple’s help.

At the Charming place, Ruby comes to and doesn’t understand how using a tracking spell to find Zelena made her wind up in the Underworld. The gang lets her know it’s because Zelena is there, too. She’s hunting her down because Zelena wanted Dorothy’s silver slippers and did something horrible to her, but Ruby doesn’t know exactly what. Ruby’s been tracking her to find out what she did to Dorothy who has disappeared without a trace. Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) promises they’ll find out what happened. Everyone heads off to get the answers from Zelena except for David (Josh Dallas) and Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) who go make a call to Neal to let them know they’re okay.

Unfortunately, when David, Hook, and Henry (Jared Gilmore) get to the phone booth the line is long and Cruella’s at the front of it. She’s the Mayor and orders her goons to rip out the phone. David tries to convince her to stop but she replies, “Looks like chisel-chin junior will just have to go to bed without what I can imagine are terribly dull bedtime stories.” Henry wants to know if she’s doing it because he won’t write her back to life, but Cruella says Hades ordered the phones removed. There’s too much hope in the realm and Hades can’t have that.

Rebecca Mader in 'Once Upon a Time' (Photo by Jack Rowand / ABC)
Rebecca Mader in ‘Once Upon a Time’ (Photo by Jack Rowand / ABC)

Zelena prepares to leave, tapping her slippers together. She’s stopped by Emma (Jennifer Morrison), Regina, Ruby, and Snow who tell her she can’t go anywhere until she tells them what she did to Dorothy.

Flashback once again to Oz, and the threesome’s still searching for Toto. Zelena is suddenly there on the path and she tells them she doesn’t want to be in Oz but was banished there by Ruby’s Storybrooke friends to keep her from her baby. She needs the slippers she gave to Dorothy, but Dorothy won’t give them up. Zelena has Toto and won’t give him back unless Dorothy gives her the slippers.

In the Underworld, Regina and the gang tell Zelena they won’t let her see her baby again unless she tells them what happened to Dorothy. Zelena says even she can’t help Dorothy now because she used a sleeping curse on her, taking a page from Regina’s book. Only true love’s kiss can wake her up and Dorothy doesn’t have a true love.

Zelena and Regina are alone when Zelena offers up a deal: the silver slippers in exchange for her daughter. Regina reminds her about Dorothy’s unbreakable curse, but also tells her it’s possible for her to do a good deed now. Zelena’s not sure and Regina tells her to try. Zelena actually does try, handing over the slippers and telling Regina she hopes they’re able to wake Dorothy (but she’s not actually holding out much hope that can happen). Regina walks outside with the slippers and hands them over to Ruby, but Ruby’s still confused as to how they will help. There’s still no one to give Dorothy true love’s kiss. The only person Dorothy ever loved was her dead Aunt Em.

Back in Oz, Mulan, Ruby, and Dorothy work on a sleeping potion they can use on Zelena to free Toto. They need poppies to finish the spell, and Dorothy and Ruby set out to find them. Dorothy’s still angry and barely speaks to Ruby, but finally opens up and tells her her family tried to have her committed when she returned to Kansas after visiting Oz. Only Aunt Em believed her and shortly after that, she died but not before giving Toto to Dorothy to keep. Toto’s the only one who understands Dorothy, and Ruby tells her she also doesn’t feel like she belongs anywhere either. Ruby confesses to Dorothy that she accidentally killed her boyfriend and the town ran her out, but she’s finally made friends after ending up in Storybrooke. The only reason she’s in Oz is because she’s searching for her pack; they may be the thing that’s still missing from her life. But now she’s not sure they’re really the answer.

Back in the Underworld they find Aunt Em’s grave and it’s intact which means she’s still in the Underworld. But, that still leaves the problem of getting Aunt Em to Dorothy to give her a kiss. Snow comes up with a solution: get the blind witch to bottle a kiss from Aunt Em and Ruby will use the slippers to deliver the kiss to Dorothy in Oz. Just then Hook, David, and Henry race up and tell Snow that Hades had the phones removed. Snow gets upset and worries Hades is making a move on Storybrooke, but David says giving up hope is exactly what Hades wants to have happen. Emma wants them to go home now because Neal – and maybe Storybrooke – need them. Emma says their part of the mission in the Underworld is complete. Hook assures David and Snow the remaining members of the Storybrooke gang will find a way to defeat Hades. Then David reminds them even if that’s so, he and Snow can’t just walk out of the Underworld. Emma says they can go to Oz with Ruby using the slippers, and then when they find Dorothy they can click their way back to Storybrooke. There’s one big problem that only Regina brings up: Snow’s name is on a tombstone so she can’t leave. But…David can. He’ll have to represent the Charmings in this little side adventure.

Belle goes to Zelena and begs for help. She knows Hades loves Zelena and wants her to ask him to rip up their contract. Zelena wonders why she doesn’t ask Rumple for help, and Belle says she doesn’t trust him. Zelena says Belle’s finally seen the beast for what he is, which is similar to her situation with Hades. Zelena says, “I’m never going to get my happy ending. Not with Hades, not with my daughter, not with anyone.” Belle then has a bout of morning sickness, asking Zelena if she remembers the feeling. Zelena doesn’t because the Dark Swan sped up her pregnancy so she never experienced it, and Belle realizes she doesn’t have months to work on a solution to her Hades problem because he can speed up her pregnancy, too. Zelena, actually being kind, says there might be a way to stop him from doing that.

At the Charming house, Hook tries to find answers in the storybook but can’t. Aunt Em died in Kansas and that’s all it says. David comes in and is pissed Snow can’t go home and says they should both be home with their son and shouldn’t be there. Hook thanks David for coming to save him, and David says they did it for Emma but then adds, “I guess you’ve grown on me a bit.” Hook smiles, saying, “I tend to have that effect on people.” Hook tells him to use the slippers, go with Ruby, and go home.

Back in Oz, Dorothy, and Ruby make it to the poppy field. Dorothy apologizes for calling her Wolfie and Ruby says in return she’s going to call her Kansas. There’s definitely something going on beneath the surface here, but it’s interrupted by flying monkeys sent by Zelena. Ruby changes into a wolf and Dorothy rides her to safety. They return to Mulan with the poppies and Dorothy pretends to be tired, excusing herself.

In the Underworld, Ruby, Regina, and Emma visit the blind witch to find out where Emily Brown is. She hates Auntie Em because she’s the competition as she’s running her own diner. The gang heads over there and finds Auntie Em behind the counter. They tell her they’re trying to help Dorothy and she needs to blow a kiss into the bottle to wake her up. Snow says maybe that’s Aunt Em’s unfinished business and why she’s in the Underworld. Aunt Em opens the bottle and all of a sudden she fades away, dissolving into a puddle on the floor. Of course it’s Hades’ fault and he gladly takes credit, standing up from the booth where he’s been eating lunch. He hurt her because they’re trying to help her and help Dorothy who is Zelena’s sworn enemy. “Let’s call it a teachable moment,” says Hades. Emma thinks this all means he’s afraid they’ll actually win this battle. He threatens the Underworld inhabitants that if they help the savior, they’ll wind up like Aunt Em.

Back in the not so wonderful land of Oz, Mulan says they’ll be ready to attack when the sun comes up. Ruby tells her Dorothy wanted to know what she’s been looking for, and now she thinks she’s been looking for someone like Dorothy this whole time. “I know we just met but I have never felt like this about anyone before,” says Ruby, but she’s sad because of how Dorothy looked at her when she transformed. Mulan says Dorothy might have been feeling the same thing Ruby was feeling but couldn’t put it into words. Ruby goes to tell Dorothy how she feels and finds just a scrap of material from her dress in the bed.

In the Underworld, Snow tells Ruby that she’s the one who can give Dorothy true love’s kiss. Ruby is surprised, but Snow says she can tell exactly how worried she is about Dorothy. Ruby says she’s right but she doesn’t think Dorothy feels the same way because she bailed on her in Oz. Snow says love is a funny thing and people in love hurt each other all the time. Ruby admits she’s scared and Snow says that’s a great sign. Ruby agrees to try to wake up Dorothy.

In the cemetery, Regina tells Ruby to click her heels three times while thinking about where she wants to go. Snow and David share one final hug, but then a twist is revealed. Hook crossed out Snow’s name and put David’s on the headstone which worked because it’s a life for a life. It also worked because Hades enchanted Hook’s hand to carve the markers in the first place. Hook can’t erase the names but he can change them. Snow protests, but David won’t change it back. He tells her if one of them goes home it should be her. “Go to our son. Go home. I’ll be back before you know it.” Snow and David kiss – a long, lingering kiss – and then Ruby and Snow join hands. She clicks her heels and off they go.

Zelena visits Hades and tells him she hasn’t given him a fair chance, and Hades says melted Auntie Em only because Zelena hates Dorothy. He did it just for her happiness, but Zelena has a hard time believing it. But, she decides to take that chance and they toast to Dorothy’s eternal slumber, unaware of Ruby’s trip to Oz.

In Oz, the munchkins, Mulan, and Toto are watching over Dorothy when Snow and Ruby appear. Mulan’s been waiting for Ruby to get back and Snow tells Ruby, “You can do this.” Ruby approaches Dorothy, bends over her sleeping body, and caresses her hand and hair. She then leans in for the kiss and it works! Dorothy awakens and they call each other by their nicknames. Even Toto barks his approval. Dorothy reveals she only left because she couldn’t lose Ruby to Zelena. Dorothy’s amazed Ruby came back for her and Ruby says she will always be there for her. They kiss again and there’s more than one munchkin shedding tears of joy. And in the Underworld, Henry holds the page showing the kiss and smiles. He turns the page over and writes the end of their story. Then he rushes downstairs and shows David pages of Snow back in Storybrooke holding Neal.

In Gold’s shop, Belle tells Rumple she’s found a way to stop Hades from taking her baby. She can use the sleeping curse she got from Zelena, prick her finger, and pause her pregnancy. If she’s asleep, Hades can’t take the baby and Rumple will have more time to work on destroying the contract. Rumple thinks it will make things worse because the only way for her to wake up is true love’s kiss, which means she’s forcing him to become the man she wants him to be. He says he’s not that man and Belle agrees. She says her father will wake her up and Rumple will have to do whatever it takes to get her back to her dad. She pricks her finger and falls fast asleep.

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