Once Upon a Time Season 5 Episode 19 Recap

Today’s episode may very well be the strongest episode of this entire season and possibly even a strong contender for strongest episode of the series, at least in a very long time. Much of the episode centers around the dynamic between Regina, Zalena and their mother Cora.

Since Zalena’s relationship with Hades could potentially prove dangerous for our heroes, Regina enlists the unlikely help of her deceased mother, Cora. At long last, Cora confronts the daughter she abandoned and tries to make amends. What follows is a powerful series of scenes between Regina, Zalena and Cora in these three characters, each with every reason to hate the other, finally confront their issues, made even more powerful by this weeks flashback, revealing that there was a time when Zalena and Regina met each other as children and learned that they were sisters, but were forced to forget one another thanks to Cora’s magic. The subplot of the episode also deals with a family dynamic, this one being that of David and his deceased twin brother James. It’s not as strong as the main plot, but it does have a lot of good moments, and it concludes with the harsh lesson that some people are unable to move on. Big props to Josh Dallas this week who pulls double duty as the virtuous David we all know and the far more jealous and devious James and does a great job keeping both characters distinct, even when one is impersonating the other. However, this episode belongs to the Regina-Zalena-Cora dynamic. Now, I’ve made my negative feelings towards Zalena no secret over the course of these articles, and even I couldn’t help but get misty eyed seeing her reconcile with her long-lost mother. All three of these characters have been through incredible transformations over the course of this series, and the journey from the people they were because of the influence of their family and who they are now comes to a head in this moment. Regina was once a tyrant who lived only for vengeance. Now, despite having every reason to enact vengeance on her evil sister, Regina instead is willing to do whatever it takes to see that her sister doesn’t become what she once was. Zalena, who spent her whole life consumed by jealousy upon seeing her sister living the life that should have been hers while she was abandoned and forced to live with an abusive foster father, now can put that behind her as she finally reconciles with the mother who gave her up. And finally, there’s Cora. Even though Cora cared about her daughter, her belief that love is weakness molded both Regina and Zalena, making them cruel and heartless, and it is only after spending years in purgatory that she realizes the error of her ways and can finally make things right between her daughters. All three actresses turn in some of their best performances in this episode. Lana Parilla is great always. Rebecca Mader finally drops Zalena’s usual “wicked” shtick and actually allows the character to show some genuine human emotion. And finally, Barabara Hershey ties it all together by knocking her performance out of the park. Cora in her early appearances was essentially a less sympathetic version of Regina, but here, we don’t see that character. The years in the Underworld have stripped Cora of her petty obsessions and desires. All she has left to hang on to is the chance that she may be able to make things right with her daughters. In this moment, you forget that these three characters are The Evil Queen, The Wicked Witch and The Queen of Hearts. All you can see is two sisters, finally brought together after confronting their issues with their mother. And when Cora finally walks across the bridge to either ascend into heaven or be dragged into hell, she accepts her fate whatever it may be, knowing that she has finally brought her daughters together like she should have long ago. This was an absolutely phenomenal episode. This confrontation was a long time coming and it delivered and then some. The three actresses turn in their best performances to date, and the results will bring tears to your eyes. To top it all off, the episode ends with an excellent cliffhanger. I won’t say exactly what happens, other than to say that even if Hades does have some kind of master plan, it’s now irrelevant because the real villain has finally returned.