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Season 5 – Once Upon a Time

Play trailer Poster for Season 5 – Once Upon a Time Sep 2015 Drama Fantasy Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 12 Reviews 77% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
"Once Upon a Time" tells the story of a new world, one in which fairy-tale legends and modern life collide. Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison) is comfortable in her life as a bail bonds collector when Henry -- the child she gave up a decade earlier -- suddenly shows up. He is convinced that she is the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming, who sent her away before the Evil Queen could cast a spell, freezing the fairytale world in time and bringing them to present-day Storybrooke, Maine. After taking Henry home, Emma decides to stay in the town to keep an eye on him, and she discovers he may not be wrong after all.
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Once Upon a Time — Season 5

Once Upon a Time — Season 5

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Critics Consensus

Once Upon A Time successfully recaptures earlier season's magic by focusing on core characters and letting kooky gimmicks be.

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Critics Reviews

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Gwen Ihnat AV Club 09/28/2015
B-
Fool me once, shame on you, Storybrooke; fool me twice, what the hell, I'm still here, aren't I? Go to Full Review
Mandy Treccia TV Source Magazine 01/18/2019
Once Upon A Time returned for its fifth season with a fantastic episode centered on Emma's journey to becoming the new Dark One better known as "The Dark Swan." Go to Full Review
Catalina Combs Black Girl Nerds 06/27/2018
Once Upon A Time threw some real life notions into the mix. Go to Full Review
Peter Canavese Groucho Reviews 08/10/2016
2.5/4
It's comforting to know Once Upon a Time is there as an entertainment families can rally around, and one that will challenge them thematically as much as it panders by playing in the Disney sandbox. [Blu-ray] Go to Full Review
Lily Sparks TV.com 09/29/2015
The cast is still superlative and the emotional dynamics between the core characters are still compelling. Everything else (like the plot and the wigs and the Charmings' track record as parents) is at least bad enough to be funny. Go to Full Review
Amy Ratcliffe IGN Movies 09/28/2015
8.4/10
Morrison delivered some of her best work on the show to date, and it's terrific to see the plot focus on a member of the regular cast. Go to Full Review
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Audience Reviews

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Mario M 12/08/2023 it was kinda hard to finish it quickly but loved it See more Aj B @AJ2525 06/27/2023 Once upon a time returns with Amazing Charactors, Amazing Story, and Amazing twists and turns! Season 5 is with out a doubt the best season of this show, and one of my favorite seasons of a show of all time! See more Pablo 06/17/2023 My Favorite Season of the Series, I liked the focus they gave to Emma and Captain Hook, in addition to the fact that they turned them into Dark Lords, the only part I didn't like was the fact that they didn't pay attention to Regina. See more Eric M 12/13/2021 Not a great season for children, but nonetheless, an amazing way to show the development of every main character. Emma Swan faces choices she'll regret having to make, Captain Hook challenges his inner demons, and Snow White/Mary Margaret learns to grow into who she is supposed to be. Overall, a great season, and it's a peak performance of the real fight between good and evil on mainstream television. See more 09/25/2021 wonderfull, is the best serie ever, i nevee gonna stop watching this serie and this season and never stop crying. I love so much this season, Colin (Killian Jones) is amazing and the romance of this season is completely heartbreaking. See more 02/26/2021 This show started out really great, fun, and entertaining. Unfortunately, as the seasons progressed, the writers must have changed, because the whole feel of this show began to change as well. I could handle all of that except for the fact that the writing got pretty bad, massive plot holes, things that just didn't make any sense, and let's not forget, dragging out stories for far longer than they should have (we spent nearly the whole season in the underworld which was unnecessary). The characters that were with us in the first two seasons have completely disappeared except for an occasional story here and there to break up the monotony of the main story line. All they did was reuse the same plot with a slightly different angle and give no proper explanations for things. B-O-R-I-N-G. I loved Killian, but his whole romance with Swan was just unbelievable. Mostly because we didn't really see them 'have a relationship'. All they did was run around trying not to get killed, jump between realms, and come back from the dead, over and over again, throw in an occasional kiss, and that's it. I think the fanfiction on this show is way better than the actual show, especially the romance between Killian and Swan which just didn't make it to the screen imo. (Btw, check out the fanifction if you haven't). Season 5 is the last season I'm watching. When SPOILER ALERT the 'evil queen' comes back (which i predicated way before it happened, even HOW it was going to happen, which again, just speaks to the lack of creativity the last few seasons of this show went through) is when I realized I just can't take it anymore. There's no way I can get through 2 more seasons of hair pulling, why would I do that to myself? Why would you? To sum up, this show started out great, but like many of it's fairy tales, there's no happy ending here. See more Read all reviews
Once Upon a Time — Season 5

My Rating

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Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Sep 27, 2015 The Dark Swan Those searching for Emma receive help from unexpected allies; Emma struggles to resist her dark urges as she tries to find Merlin before her transformation is complete. Details Episode 2 Aired Oct 4, 2015 The Price Regina steps up in an unexpected way to protect Emma; a celebration at Camelot turns deadly; Hook tries to bring Emma back to the light. Details Episode 3 Aired Oct 11, 2015 Siege Perilous Heroes in Camelot work to free Merlin; when David goes on a quest to retrieve a magical relic, Arthur insists on coming along. Details Episode 4 Aired Oct 18, 2015 The Broken Kingdom Mary Margaret is unable to convince David that Arthur could be dangerous and decides to takes matters into her own hands; Hook's love gives Emma hope. Details Episode 5 Aired Oct 25, 2015 Dreamcatcher Henry asks Violet out; those searching for Gold break into Emma's house, where they find a glimpse of Emma's end game; Merida tackles her mission. Details Episode 6 Aired Nov 1, 2015 The Bear and the Bow A spell is discovered that allows a chosen one to communicate with Merlin; Emma tries to force Mr. Gold's heroic transformation. Details Episode 7 Aired Nov 8, 2015 Nimue Merlin takes Emma on a journey to confront his nemesis; in a flashback, a young Merlin falls in love with a refugee named Nimue. Details Episode 8 Aired Nov 15, 2015 Birth Emma must make a gut-wrenching decision; Zelena's pregnancy accelerates, forcing Hook to seek answers. Details Episode 9 Aired Nov 15, 2015 The Bear King Zelena and Arthur cross paths with Merida, who is attempting to settle a debt; flashbacks reveal Merida's combat training. Details Episode 10 Aired Nov 29, 2015 Broken Heart A charged confrontation sends the heroes on a collision course with destiny; Hook's lust for revenge against Gold puts them both in jeopardy; an unexpected evil is released. Details Episode 11 Aired Dec 6, 2015 Swan Song The Dark Ones target a living soul for sacrifice, leading to a showdown between Dark Swan and Dark Hook; in a flashback, the Evil Queen forces Hook to confront a demon from his past. Details Episode 12 Aired Mar 6, 2016 Souls of the Departed The mission to rescue Hook from the Underworld turns out to be more difficult than expected as the heroes encounter souls with unfinished business. Details Episode 13 Aired Mar 13, 2016 Labor of Love The heroes must confront a terrifying beast to rescue Hook, who is being held captive in Hades' prison; Mary Margaret looks for a childhood friend who has knowledge about defeating the monster. Details Episode 14 Aired Mar 20, 2016 Devil's Due When Hook refuses to choose three friends to leave in the underworld, Hades threatens to condemn him to the River of Lost Souls; Gold wants to help find Hook so he can go home to Belle. Details Episode 15 Aired Mar 27, 2016 The Brothers Jones A surprise visit from Hook's brother Liam may provide Hook and Emma with the tool they need to defeat Hades; in flashbacks, the bond between the Jones brothers is tested as their merchant ship heads into a storm. Details Episode 16 Aired Apr 3, 2016 Our Decay Gold creates a Storybrooke portal; Zelena and Regina clash; Belle and Rumple are reunited; Snow and David try to send a message from the Underworld to their son, Neal. Details Episode 17 Aired Apr 10, 2016 Her Handsome Hero Belle and Rumplestiltskin disagree over how to protect their child from Hades; Hades encourages Gaston to act against Rumplestiltskin; Emma has a nightmare that seems to be coming true. Details Episode 18 Aired Apr 17, 2016 Ruby Slippers Ruby and Mulan meet Dorothy in Oz, where the three witness Zelena's return; when Dorothy goes missing, Ruby's search for her leads to the underworld; Snow and David struggle with being separated from their son. Details Episode 19 Aired Apr 24, 2016 Sisters Hades asks Zelena to heal his heart with true love's kiss, so they can leave the Underworld and trap the heroes there forever; Regina finds out about Hades' plan and enlists Cora to help find a way to separate Hades from Zelena. Details Episode 20 Aired May 1, 2016 Firebird Hades seeks help getting Zelena back from Rumplestiltskin and Peter Pan; Cruella De Vil wants the heroes to remain trapped in the underworld; Emma makes an unexpected friendship while looking for information about her family. Details Episode 21 Aired May 8, 2016 Last Rites Emma, David, Regina, Robin and Henry reunite with Snow in Storybrooke; Hades deceives Zelena as he works on his plan to take over the town using the Olympian Crystal; Regina and Robin's efforts to defeat Hades lead to a showdown. Details Episode 22 Aired May 15, 2016 Only You Regina is shaken by the death of Robin Hood; the heroes must stop Gold after he steals Hades' Olympian Crystal; Henry goes rogue. Details Episode 23 Aired May 15, 2016 An Untold Story Emma and Regina race to find Henry before Gold finds him; Snow, David and Zelena are imprisoned and face two disturbed individuals. Details
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Season Info

Director
Ralph Hemecker, Craig Powell, Geofrey Hildrew, Romeo Tirone, Ron Underwood, Eagle Egilsson, Alrick Riley, Dean White
Executive Producer
Edward Kitsis, Adam Horowitz, Steve Pearlman
Screenwriter
Andrew Chambliss, David H. Goodman, Jane Espenson, Edward Kitsis, Jerome Schwartz, Dana Horgan, Adam Horowitz, Tze Chun, Bill Wolkoff
Network
ABC
Rating
TV-PG (V)
Genre
Drama, Fantasy
Original Language
English
Release Date
Sep 27, 2015