"Once Upon A Time" season 5 aired episode 11, titled "Swan Song", on 6 December, before it went on a mid-season break. ABC's fantasy drama is now on a three-month-long hiatus and is expected to return with episode 12 only next year, on 6 March, 2016.
There will be no new episode on "Once Upon A Time" until spring 2016 and when the show returns with episode 12, it will also mark the 100th episode of ABC's fairy tale series. And the co-creators Adam Horowitz and Eddy Kitsis have already teased that Emma along with her friends and family will be on a quest to bring back Captain Hook and they will face things and people from their past and present.
The synopsis of "Souls of The Departed" reads: "The quest to find Hook will begin as the town of Storybrooke becomes the underworld where everyone you thought was dead and buried, is alive and kicking!"
The "Once Upon A Time" season 5 winter finale ended with Emma going down to find Captain Hook, who sacrificed himself permanently to get rid of the darkness in him, Emma and all others. "Swan Song" also showed Regina sending Zelena back to Oz after Zelena vows to get custody of her daughter.
Now, when the show returns in 2016 with episode 12, the fans can expect to meet a lot of characters from the past. Several surprises awaits Emma, Regina, Snow White and others as they run into Regina's mother, Prince Henry, Sidney Glass, The Blind Witch, Peter Pa, Cruella de Vil and Milah.
"The second half is a lot about them getting closure on their pasts and how the past comes to haunt you. What peopleare going to see — kind of in honor of the 100th episode in our fifth year — is really seeing a lot of people from our past who we haven't seen in a while," Kitsis said in an interview.
"It's not just about finding Hook, it's about what happens when Emma and all of our characters enter this realm and have to face things both from their past and present," added Horowitz.
The co-creators also said that the Underworld is not hell and it looks a lot like the Storybrooke. And, fans will get to know more about the rules of the Underworld.
While we all are hoping that Emma finds Hook down there, we also know that every love interest Emma has had has died. Now, fans are wondering if she will settle with Hook or will move on to find true love in someone new, who doesn't die? When this question was asked to the showrunners, Kitsis said, "I'll tell you what — I think that is going to have to be a question she has to solve. The reason she is going down there is for that very reason. She finally lowered that wall and let Hook in, so she doesn't want to lose another person who she loves. So echoing her father's line, "I will always find you," and I think come hell or high water, she's gonna try."
"Once Upon A Time" season 5 is on a mid-season break and will return with "Souls of the Departed" on 6 March, 2016. For more information on the upcoming episode and live streaming details, don't forget to check back here.
