Welcome back to season 5, Oncers. Once Upon a Time season 5, episode 12 introduced us to a whole new Underworld.

Time to strike a deal. Or so the circumstances surrounding Hook’s capture would have it seem. Once Upon a Time‘s 100th episode, “Souls of the Departed,” did not give the pirate much of a fighting chance, opting to cast him against his grave, beaten and bloody and out of reach of Emma and her family. It did, however, set the stage for Operation Firebird in the Underworld.

The months we had to let the Dark Swan plot line fade away only lasted mere seconds for the team heading to the Underworld. Once Upon a Time‘s season 5 had to serve many purposes. First, “Souls of the Departed” had to rebuild the stakes of the trip to the Underworld. Second, the episode needed to reestablish the trajectory of season 5’s arc — how far would you go for love or revenge?

Everything about “Souls of the Departed” felt a bit off center. That was intentional in some regards; the Underworld is a place of uneasy familiarity. The stage was set for the coming weeks, but little regard was paid to develop compelling storylines for the rest of the characters. Regina and Cora’s reunion was the strongest of the bunch, with Regina accepting Henry’s forgiveness coming in a close second.

I must admit, I am getting tired of revisiting the petty Regina of the Enchanted Forest. It is becoming harder to buy that Regina and Snow’s past is something they can move on from in the present. Regina’s storyline thus far in Once Upon a Time is one of sacrifice and a commitment to change. Hopefully, as she shed some of the baggage she held onto from her first curse and sacrifice of her father we will begin to move away from the Evil Queen displeased with not having Snow’s heart on a platter. The Evil Queen is fun, but not when she is pouting over cake and pie.

Cora’s desire to do right by her daughter was, yet again, proven to be a bargain with the devil. She did not want to keep Regina free from danger so much as she wanted her daughter out of Hades’ way. If anyone understands Regina, it is Henry. Her protector in the Enchanted Forest helped her recognize her strengths in the present. She is fiercely loyal to her causes, but sometimes she needs a little direction to keep her on the right path.

The cameos for the 100th episode were hit and miss. Peter Pan’s appearance shook Rumpel, but his request, that Rumpel sacrifice one of his fellow travelers so he could return to the land of the living, felt unnecessary. Cruella’s car was all we saw of the villain whose season 4 appearance was one of the best of the season.

The most surprising, and best cameo of the night, was Neal. Not only did his presence tug at every Once Upon a Time fan’s heart, but his warning about the Underworld was not unfounded. Neal has moved on, to where we are still unsure, but he found his way out of purgatory. Killian might not be so lucky. Some other notables included James, giving Josh Dallas a chance to play a darker version of himself, and the Blind Witch who provided a nice does of levity to the grave circumstances.

Speaking of “grave” circumstances, Hook’s seem rather dire. Though only in the episode for a minute, Killian Jones is in need of rescuing and he is in need of it soon.

The next step seems rather obvious — Emma needs to find Hades. The small taste of Greg Germann’s ruler of the Underworld was enough to lay the groundwork for the type of opponent Storybrooke heroes will deal with this season. We’ve done it all on Once Upon a Time, between bargaining for souls, hands, curses, information, and magical ribbons that join sisters. But this time, even the Dark One shudders at the thought of sticking around in the land of Hades longer than necessary. We caught a glimpse of what Hades was able to reduce Cora to with the clink of a wine glass. Is there anyone who can out-master the master?

Could season 5 be the best ‘Once Upon a Time’ season?

It very well could turn out that way.

The darker tone of season 5 is a welcomed break from the drumbeat of “I. Want. My. Happy. Ending.” that drove season 4. If everyone got their happy ending, Once Upon a Time would have folded well before 100 episodes. I want to see complicated characters facing tough choices. It’s what makes television worth watching. Once Upon a Time loves to throw in flashbacks to further complicate the present, but in season 5 the storytelling backed away from the far, far past and focused their narrative on the actions of five weeks.

In the coming weeks, the mission to save Hook will once again step into the forefront of the season with trips to his past that will likely align with Regina’s continued mission to hold onto her future with visits from her past. Expect to see more of Hades, Zelena, and another pirate, Captain Silver, to test the resolve of Once Upon a Time‘s former villains.

Watch Once Upon a Time season 5, episode 13, “Labor of Love,” Sunday, March 13 at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC.