Did Once Upon a Time season 5, episode 13, “Labor of Love,” take Hercules from a zero to hero? Not exactly.

With Hades on the rise in Once Upon a Time season 5 it made perfect sense to introduce Hercules and Megara. Hercules is a classic hero’s journey. It follows the well mapped out narrative structure checking off every box along the way. Naturally it aligns rather seamlessly with some of the narratives within Once Upon a Time‘s world.

As a fan of both Once Upon a Time and Hercules, of course I wanted Hades to make an appearance. Of course I wanted Megara to join in and tell the band of heroes from Storybrooke to stop wasting their time trying to save her. How could these stories not seamlessly integrate? “Labor of Love” found a way to make it happen. I would not exactly call it a Greek tragedy, but watching “Labor of Love” fail to meet my arguably high Hercules standards had me feeling a bit…

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Let’s get this out there– I wish they left Megara in her Greek realm or world or timeline kickin’ it with Philoctetes and fighting with Pegasus. Luckily, by episode’s end, they sent Hercules and Megara off to Olympus. My own personal adaptation gripes aside, Hercules’ story in the Enchanted Forest was not half bad. If Once needed someone to remind Snow White she is more than just a hope spewing machine, then Hercules is the man to do the trick. Besides who doesn’t love it when someone unexpected teaches our heroes to be courageous and bold?

#Neverforget

Instead of striking a deal with Hades and trading their souls to save the lives of their loves, Megara and Hercules both find themselves in Hell after Cerberus, Hades’ three-headed guard dog killed them both. For Hercules that meant a failing his final labor and for Megara that meant failing to out run a beast.

But why was Megara trapped in the cell and not out working like the other souls? Why was one of Disney’s best female characters left in the dark corner of a prison? Where was her sass? What was her unfinished business? Where was her purpl Let’s stop there, shall we?

We all know by now that flashbacks work far better than any pep talk in the present to get things done. (Shoutout to David and Regina for both giving it their best effort!) Back in the Enchanted Forest a young Snow White sits upon her throne as the people are tortured by a vicious bandit. They need help and they need it now.

Bailee Madison brilliantly captures young Snow’s the innocence and moxie of an inexperienced princess sitting in a seat of power without a clue how to run a kingdom. Regina, of course, is working as the puppet master behind the bandit crisis in an attempt to make Snow out to be incompetent. Hercules, however, just happens to be wandering the realms after completing 11 of his 12 labors that will allow him to join the gods and his father Zeus on Olympus. He stumbles upon a defeated Snow and offers to train her to face her problems rather than run from them. It helps that they also find each other very attractive.

It was important to have Snow fail in her first encounter. Seeds of hope do not grow in gardens where everything comes easy. Hercules defends the princess, but does not fight her battles for her. Instead he guides Snow to the path of the hero. Sacrifice and bravery in the face of your greatest fears are what make a person strong. Though muscles from the gods certainly help, Hercules’ appeal to the strength already inside Snow gives her the push she needs not only in the Enchanted Forest, but also in the Underworld.

Just because she stepped off the beaten path of the bandit Snow White, does not mean that person vanishes. Mary Margaret is still the Snow White from the Enchanted Forest. Hercules may have lost his way after dying in Cerberus’ grasp, but it does not discount the 11 labors he already completed.

Recognizing weaknesses in failure and using them as opportunities to identify ways to succeed is how Snow and Hercules forged their heroic paths. It is what brought them together with Megara at the end to slay the latest CGI beast. All they needed to remember was that in their darkest hour, within their heart’s the power that will make them into heroes too. ?

The most interesting storyline of the entire episode, however, belonged to Henry. Finally, his role as the Author is relevant again. When Henry breaks into Cora’s office to find plans of the Storybrooke themed Underworld he finds himself face to face with an old frenemy– Cruella.

In last week’s episode, Pan’s plea for a return to the land of the living was lacking one major component, justification. No one would benefit from him living again. But Cruella has the kicker. If she can return to the land where gin flows free, then Henry can once again have a mother who is not stained with the blood of fallen villain. All Henry needs to do is write her a way out of purgatory.

But the quill is gone! There is no magic squid ink! His family has no idea that he has an ongoing storyline besides coming up with operation names! What the sorcerer did not tell Henry is that the quill is not an inanimate object, but a living breathing entity. Does that make Henry a murderer if he sent a pen to hell? Either way, Henry is captivated by the chance to erase his mother’s mistakes and write some wrongs. (Get it? He’s a writer!)

While Cruella does her work on Henry, Hades works his way into Hook’s head. Hades is starting to warm up to the idea of having a few more residents in the Underworld. His vindictive side wants to punish them for letting souls escape. In order to kill two souls with one plan, he decides to out Hook in charge of the welcome wagon. For every soul that they free, Hook must choose one of theirs to stay. At least Once Upon a Time is letting Hades come out to play in the best way!

Stray thoughts:

? Hades response to why the Underworld looks like Storybrooke might be my favorite side step of the series– “I have my reasons.”

? It may sound like a joke, but Mary Margaret and David quite literally have a two bedroom suit waiting for them in hell. Their loft is preserved for the Charming couple’s eventual extended stay. Hades must take one look at them in Storybrooke and realize that there is no way those two are meeting their death without at least one thread of unfinished business.

? Snow’s line to Hercules about her life should be the new slogan for the series– “It’s kind of a convoluted story, but man it’s been quite a life.”

Watch Once Upon a Time season 5, episode 14, “Devil’s Due,” Sunday, March 20 at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC.