The fifth season of the American

ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has been ...

series ''

Once Upon a Time "Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 (according to the ''Oxford English Dictionary'') in storytelling in the ...

'' was ordered on May 7, 2015. It began airing on September 27, 2015, and ended on May 15, 2016. On June 9, 2015, the promotion of

Rebecca Mader Rebecca Leigh Mader (born 24 April 1977) is an English actress, best known for her roles as Charlotte Lewis in the ABC series ''Lost'', and as Zelena, the Wicked Witch of the West, on ABC's ''Once Upon a Time'', for which she garnered critical ...

and

Sean Maguire Sean Maguire (born 18 April 1976 in Ilford, London) is a British-American actor and singer, who rose to fame in 1988 when at the age of eleven he took on the role of "Tegs" Ratcliffe on the BBC children's drama ''Grange Hill'', in which he rem ...

to series regulars was announced for the fifth season, portraying their characters Zelena /

Wicked Witch of the West The Wicked Witch of the West is a fictional character who appears in the classic children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' (1900), created by American author L. Frank Baum. In Baum's subsequent ''Oz'' novels, it is the Nome King who is ...

and

Robin Hood Robin Hood is a legendary heroic outlaw originally depicted in English folklore and subsequently featured in literature and film. According to legend, he was a highly skilled archer and swordsman. In some versions of the legend, he is depic ...

, respectively, while a few days later,

Michael Socha Michael Robert Socha (born 13 December 1987) is an English actor, known for his roles in the films ''This Is England'' and ''Summer'', and the television series ''This Is England '86'', '' '88'', '' '90'', '' Being Human'', '' Once Upon a Time ...

was confirmed to not be returning as a series regular as

Will Scarlet Scarlet (also Scarlett, Scarlock, Scadlock, Scatheloke, Scathelocke and Shacklock) is a prominent member of Robin Hood's Merry Men. He is present in the earliest ballads along with Little John and Much the Miller's Son. The confusion of surnam ...

/ Knave of Hearts. The fifth season also saw the series reach its 100th episode, which aired on March 6, 2016 as the mid-season premiere. Existing fictional characters introduced to the series during the season include the main antagonists for the two volumes,

King Arthur King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...

Nimue The Lady of the Lake (french: Dame du Lac, Demoiselle du Lac, cy, Arglwyddes y Llyn, kw, Arloedhes an Lynn, br, Itron al Lenn, it, Dama del Lago) is a name or a title used by several either fairy or fairy-like but human enchantresses in the ...

and

Hades Hades (; grc-gre, ᾍδης, Háidēs; ), in the ancient Greek religion and myth, is the god of the dead and the king of the underworld, with which his name became synonymous. Hades was the eldest son of Cronus and Rhea, although this also ...

, alongside

Guinevere Guinevere ( ; cy, Gwenhwyfar ; br, Gwenivar, kw, Gwynnever), also often written in Modern English as Guenevere or Guenever, was, according to Arthurian legend, an early-medieval queen of Great Britain and the wife of King Arthur. First ment ...

Merlin Merlin ( cy, Myrddin, kw, Marzhin, br, Merzhin) is a mythical figure prominently featured in the legend of King Arthur and best known as a mage, with several other main roles. His usual depiction, based on an amalgamation of historic and le ...

, Merida,

Percival Percival (, also spelled Perceval, Parzival), alternatively called Peredur (), was one of King Arthur's legendary Knights of the Round Table. First mentioned by the French author Chrétien de Troyes in the tale ''Perceval, the Story of the G ...

Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the Gr ...

Megara Megara (; el, Μέγαρα, ) is a historic town and a municipality in West Attica, Greece. It lies in the northern section of the Isthmus of Corinth opposite the island of Salamis Island, Salamis, which belonged to Megara in archaic times, befo ...

Zeus Zeus or , , ; grc, Δῐός, ''Diós'', label=Genitive case, genitive Aeolic Greek, Boeotian Aeolic and Doric Greek#Laconian, Laconian grc-dor, Δεύς, Deús ; grc, Δέος, ''Déos'', label=Genitive case, genitive el, Δίας, ''D� ...

Poole Poole () is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 2019, the local authority is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Counc ...

, Jekyll and Hyde. The season also saw the return of numerous deceased characters from previous seasons, including the Blind Witch, Cora Mills / the

Queen of Hearts The queen of hearts is a playing card in the standard 52-card deck. Queen of Hearts or The Queen of Hearts may refer to: Books * "The Queen of Hearts" (poem), anonymous nursery rhyme published 1782 * ''The Queen of Hearts'', an 1859 novel by ...

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by List of Scottish novelists, Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and Puer aeternus, never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending ...

Cruella De Vil Cruella de Vil is a fictional character in British author Dodie Smith's 1956 novel ''The Hundred and One Dalmatians''. A pampered and glamorous London heiress and fashion designer, she appears in Walt Disney Productions' 17th animated feature fi ...

, Baelfire / Neal Cassidy,

Milah The ''brit milah'' ( he, בְּרִית מִילָה ''bərīṯ mīlā'', ; Ashkenazi pronunciation: , "covenant of circumcision"; Yiddish pronunciation: ''bris'' ) is the ceremony of circumcision in Judaism. According to the Book of Genesis, ...

Prince Henry Prince Henry (or Prince Harry) may refer to: People *Henry the Young King (1155–1183), son of Henry II of England, who was crowned king but predeceased his father *Prince Henry the Navigator of Portugal (1394–1460) *Henry, Duke of Cornwall (Ja ...

Liam Jones Liam Jones is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL). He was drafted by the Western Bulldogs in the second round of the 2008 AFL Draft, and made his senior debut in 20 ...

, Prince James,

Gaston Gaston is a masculine given name of French origin and a surname. The name "Gaston" may refer to: People First name *Gaston I, Count of Foix (1287–1315) *Gaston II, Count of Foix (1308–1343) *Gaston III, Count of Foix (1331–1391) *Gaston ...

Claude Claude may refer to: __NOTOC__ People and fictional characters * Claude (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Claude (surname), a list of people * Claude Lorrain (c. 1600–1682), French landscape painter, draughtsman and etcher ...

, and Stealthy.

Premise

With Emma having become the new Dark One, her family travels to Camelot to find the sorcerer Merlin, in a bid to remove the darkness from her vessel. The heroes then met King Arthur and Queen Guinevere of Camelot, with both on the hunt of the Dark One's dagger to make Excalibur whole. The trip to Camelot is cut short when another Dark Curse is cast, returning everyone to Storybrooke, where it is revealed that Hook had also become a Dark One and is responsible for the new curse. The battle to destroy the darkness leads to the death of Hook, prompting Emma and the heroes to take a trip to the Underworld where Hades, as well as most of the deceased villains, have plans of their own to get back to the land of the living. Hook is eventually resurrected, but a bid from Mr. Gold to capture all of Storybrooke's magic results in the arrival of Mr. Hyde and refugees from the Land of Untold Stories to Storybrooke, as well as the separation of Regina Mills and her evil self, who wages war on Regina.

Cast and characters

Regular

Ginnifer Goodwin Jennifer Michelle "Ginnifer" Goodwin (born May 22, 1978) is an American actress. She is known for her starring role as Margene Heffman in the HBO drama series ''Big Love'' (2006–2011) and Snow White / Mary Margaret Blanchard in the ABC fanta ...

Snow White "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is a 19th-century German fairy tale that is today known widely across the Western world. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'' and numbered as Ta ...

/ Mary Margaret Blanchard *

Jennifer Morrison Jennifer Marie Morrison is an American actress, director, producer, and former child model. She is mainly known for her roles as Dr. Allison Cameron in the medical-drama series ''House'' (2004–2012) and Emma Swan in the ABC adventure-fantasy s ...

Emma Swan Emma Swan is a fictional character in ABC's television series ''Once Upon a Time'' and the protagonist of seasons 1-6. She is portrayed by Jennifer Morrison as an adult, by Abby Ross as a teenager, and by Mckenna Grace as a child. Emma appears ...

/ Dark Swan *

Lana Parrilla Lana Parrilla (born July 15, 1977) is an American actress. She was a regular cast member in the fifth season of the ABC sitcom ''Spin City'' (2000–2001) and in the fourth season of '' 24'' (2005), and starred in ''Boomtown'' (2002–2003), '' ...

Evil Queen The Evil Queen, also called the Wicked Queen, is a fictional character and the main antagonist of "Snow White", a German fairy tale recorded by the Brothers Grimm; similar stories exist worldwide. Other versions of the Queen appear in subsequent ...

Regina Mills The characters of ABC's '' Once Upon a Time'' and its spin-off '' Once Upon a Time in Wonderland'' are related to classic fairy tale and fantasy characters, and often tie-in with other Disney media properties. Cast Main cast : = Main cast (c ...

Josh Dallas Joshua Paul Dallas (born December 18, 1978) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Prince Charming/David Nolan in the ABC television series ''Once Upon a Time'' and as Ben Stone in the NBC/Netflix sci-fi drama series ''Manifest'' ...

Prince Charming Prince Charming is a fairy tale stock character who comes to the rescue of a damsel in distress and must engage in a quest to liberate her from an evil spell. This classification suits most heroes of a number of traditional folk tales, incl ...

David Nolan David Nolan may refer to: * David Nolan (politician) (1943–2010), co-founder of the United States Libertarian Party * David Nolan (American author) David Nolan is an American author, civil rights activist, and historian. Biography Nolan was b ...

/ Prince James *

Emilie de Ravin Emilie de Ravin (; born 27 December 1981) is an Australian actress. She starred as Tess Harding on '' Roswell'' (2000–2002), Claire Littleton on the ABC drama ''Lost'' (2004–2008, 2010), and as Belle on the ABC drama ''Once Upon a Time'' ...

as Belle French *

Colin O'Donoghue Colin Arthur O'Donoghue (born 26 January 1981) is an Irish actor and musician, best known for portraying Captain Killian "Hook" Jones on the ABC TV show '' Once Upon a Time''. He appeared in the 2011 horror thriller film '' The Rite'' (2011 ...

Captain Hook Captain James Hook is a fictional character and the main antagonist of J. M. Barrie's 1904 play ''Peter Pan; or, the Boy Who Wouldn't Grow Up'' and its various adaptations, in which he is Peter Pan's archenemy. The character is a pirate captain ...

/ Killian Jones *

Jared S. Gilmore Jared Scott Gilmore (born May 30, 2000) is an American actor, voice actor and Twitch streamer. He is best known for his role in the series ''Once Upon a Time'' as Henry Mills. Early life Jared Scott Gilmore was born on May 30, 2000, in San Dieg ...

as Henry Mills *

/ Zelena *

Robert Carlyle Robert Carlyle (born 14 April 1961) is a Scottish actor. His film work includes '' Trainspotting'' (1996), ''The Full Monty'' (1997), ''The World Is Not Enough'' (1999), ''Angela's Ashes'' (1999), '' The Beach'' (2000), ''28 Weeks Later'' (20 ...

Rumplestiltskin "Rumpelstiltskin" ( ; german: Rumpelstilzchen) is a German fairy tale. It was collected by the Brothers Grimm in the 1812 edition of ''Children's and Household Tales''. The story is about a little imp who spins straw into gold in exchange for a ...

Mr. Gold The characters of ABC's ''Once Upon a Time'' and its spin-off '' Once Upon a Time in Wonderland'' are related to classic fairy tale and fantasy characters, and often tie-in with other Disney media properties. Cast Main cast : = Main cast (c ...

Recurring

Liam Garrigan Liam Thomas Garrigan (born 17 October 1981) is an English actor. As a youth, he attended classes at Kingston upon Hull's Northern Stage Company and was a student at Wyke College, Kingston upon Hull. His first television role was as Nic Yorke in ...

Elliot Knight Elliot Knight is an English actor. He made his acting debut as the title character on the Sky1 action-adventure series '' Sinbad'' (2012). Continuing to work on television, Knight appeared as a series regular on the BBC One crime drama '' By Any ...

The Sorcerer ''The Sorcerer'' is a two-act comic opera, with a libretto by W. S. Gilbert and music by Arthur Sullivan. It was the British duo's third operatic collaboration. The plot of ''The Sorcerer'' is based on a Christmas story, ''An Elixir of Lo ...

/ the Usher * Joana Metrass as

Lee Arenberg Lee Arenberg (born July 18, 1962) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Pintel, one of Captain Barbossa's crew, in the '' Pirates of the Caribbean film series''. He also had a recurring role as the dwarf Grumpy in the televisio ...

as Grumpy / Dreamy / Leroy *

Beverley Elliott Beverley Elliott (born 31 December 1960) is a Canadian actress and singer-songwriter. She is best known for playing the role of Granny in ''Once Upon a Time'', Maggie Krell in ''Harper's Island'', Brick Bannerman in ''Kingdom Hospital ''King ...

as Widow Lucas / Granny * Andrew Jenkins as

Sinqua Walls Sinqua Walls (born April 6, 1985) is an American actor known for appearing in ''Friday Night Lights'', ''The Secret Life of the American Teenager'', and ''American Soul''.Sinqua WallsUSF Guard Bio/ref> Early life and education Originally from ...

Lancelot Lancelot du Lac (French for Lancelot of the Lake), also written as Launcelot and other variants (such as early German ''Lanzelet'', early French ''Lanselos'', early Welsh ''Lanslod Lak'', Italian ''Lancillotto'', Spanish ''Lanzarote del Lago' ...

Amy Manson Amy Manson (born 9 September 1985) is a Scottish actress. She has portrayed Alice Guppy in ''Torchwood'', Abby Evans in '' Casualty'', Lizzie Siddal in ''Desperate Romantics'', Daisy Hannigan-Spiteri in '' Being Human'', Medea in ''Atlantis'' ...

as Merida * Olivia Steele Falconer as

Violet Violet may refer to: Common meanings * Violet (color), a spectral color with wavelengths shorter than blue * One of a list of plants known as violet, particularly: ** ''Viola'' (plant), a genus of flowering plants Places United States * Viol ...

Keegan Connor Tracy Keegan Connor Tracy (born December 3, 1971) is a Canadian actress and author. She is best known for her roles as Audrey Malone in the Showtime comedy-drama series '' Beggars and Choosers'' (1999–2000), the Blue Fairy in the ABC fantasy drama s ...

The Blue Fairy The Fairy with Turquoise Hair ( it, La Fata dai Capelli Turchini; often simply referred to as The Blue Fairy, ''La Fata Turchina'') is a fictional character in the 1883 Italian book ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' by Carlo Collodi, repeatedly appea ...

/ Mother Superior *

Timothy Webber Timothy Webber is a Canadians, Canadian television, film, and stage actor best known for his performance as Djordje in the film ''My Father's Angel'', for which he was a Canadian Screen Award for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor nominee at the 21s ...

as the

Apprentice Apprenticeship is a system for training a new generation of practitioners of a trade or profession with on-the-job training and often some accompanying study (classroom work and reading). Apprenticeships can also enable practitioners to gain a ...

Meghan Ory Meghan Ory (born August 20, 1982) is a Canadian television and film actress. She is best known for her role as Red Riding Hood /Ruby on the ABC fantasy series ''Once Upon a Time'' and also starred in the short-lived CBS drama ''Intelligence'' as R ...

Red Riding Hood "Little Red Riding Hood" is a European fairy tale about a young girl and a sly wolf. Its origins can be traced back to several pre-17th century European folk tales. The two best known versions were written by Charles Perrault and the Brothe ...

/ Ruby *

Jamie Chung Jamie Jilynn Chung (born April 10, 1983) is an American actress and former reality television personality. She began her career in 2004 as a cast member on the MTV reality series '' The Real World: San Diego'' and subsequently through her appe ...

Mulan Hua Mulan () is a legendary folk heroine from the Northern and Southern dynasties era (4th to 6th century CE) of Chinese history. According to legend, Mulan took her aged father's place in the conscription for the army by disguising herself as ...

David Anders David Anders Holt (born March 11, 1981), known professionally as David Anders, is an American television and stage actor. He is best known for his roles as Julian Sark on ''Alias'', as Adam Monroe on ''Heroes'', as John Gilbert in the TV series '' ...

as Dr. Victor Frankenstein / Dr. Whale *

Barbara Hershey Barbara Lynn Herzstein, better known as Barbara Hershey (born February 5, 1948), is an American actress. In a career spanning more than 50 years, she has played a variety of roles on television and in cinema in several genres, including weste ...

as Cora Mills /

* Caroline Ford as

Robbie Kay Robert Kay is a British actor whose credits include '' Fugitive Pieces'', '' Heroes Reborn'', ''Pinocchio'', '' Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides'', and Peter Pan in the ''Once Upon a Time'' television series. Career Kay's family mov ...

as Malcolm /

Pied Piper The Pied Piper of Hamelin (german: der Rattenfänger von Hameln, also known as the Pan Piper or the Rat-Catcher of Hamelin) is the title character of a legend from the town of Hamelin (Hameln), Lower Saxony, Germany. The legend dates back to ...

Greg Germann Gregory Andrew Germann ( ; born February 26, 1958) is an American actor who is known for playing Richard Fish on the television series '' Ally McBeal'', which earned him a Screen Actors Guild award. He also is known for his roles as Eric "Rico" ...

Giancarlo Esposito Giancarlo Giuseppe Alessandro Esposito (; born April 26, 1958) is an American actor and director. He is best known for portraying Gus Fring in the AMC crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'', from 2009 to 2011, and in its prequel series ''Better Ca ...

as Magic Mirror / Sidney Glass *

Victoria Smurfit Victoria Smurfit (born 31 March 1974) is an Irish actress. She is known for playing Orla O'Connell in the BBC television series ''Ballykissangel'', Detective Chief Inspector Roisin Connor in the ITV police procedural ''Trial & Retribution'' and ...

/ Cruella Feinberg *

Tony Perez Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leag ...

as Prince Henry Mills *

Teri Reeves Teri Lynn Reeves (née Kretz) is an American theater and television actress. Her television credits include '' Chicago Fire'', '' Battleground'', and '' NCIS''. Early life Reeves was born in Northern California but moved many times in her life. ...

Dorothy Gale Dorothy Gale is a fictional character created by American author L. Frank Baum as the protagonist in many of his ''Oz'' novels. She first appears in Baum's classic 1900 children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and reappears in most of its ...

Michael Raymond-James Michael Raymond-James (born Michael Weverstad; December 24, 1977) is an American actor. He is best known for playing René Lenier in the first season of the HBO series ''True Blood'', Britt Pollack on the FX series ''Terriers'', Neal Cassidy/B ...

as Baelfire / Neal Cassidy *

Emma Caulfield Emma Caulfield Ford (born April 8, 1973) is an American actress. She is best known for her starring role as former demon Anya Jenkins on the supernatural drama television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' (1998–2003), which earned her a no ...

as the Blind Witch

Guest

* Mckenna Grace as Young Emma *

Ryan Robbins Ryan John Currier (born November 26, 1972), better known as Ryan Robbins, is a Canadian actor. Early life Robbins was born in Victoria, British Columbia. Career Robbins is known for his roles as Ladon Radim in ''Stargate Atlantis'', Henry F ...

as Sir Morgan * Paul Telfer as Lord Macintosh * Glenn Keogh as King Fergus *

Caroline Morahan Caroline Morahan is an Irish actress and television host. In 2010, she was chosen as the face of Littlewoods Ireland. Early life Caroline Morahan graduated from Dublin City University with a Bachelor of Arts in communication studies, earni ...

as Queen Elinor * Lily Knight as Witch of DunBroch *

Adam Croasdell Adam Croasdell is a Zimbabwean-born English actor. He played the role of Dr. Al Jenkins on the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' and has appeared on shows such as ''Blood of Zeus'', ''Castlevania'', ''Monarch'', '' NCIS'' and ''Preacher''. He has a ...

as Brennan Jones * Oliver Bell as Young Killian *

Eric Keenleyside Eric Keenleyside (born October 11, 1957) is a Canadian actor. Early life Eric was born in St. Stephen, New Brunswick, grew up in London, Ontario, and spent time in Brisbane, Australia. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts (acting) from the Univer ...

as Maurice / Moe French *

Bailee Madison Bailee Madison Riley (born October 15, 1999) is an American actress and singer. She first gained acclaim for her role as May Belle Aarons in the fantasy drama film '' Bridge to Terabithia'' (2007). Madison received further recognition for her ...

as Young

Jonathan Whitesell Jonathan Rae Whitesell (born August 28, 1991) is a Canadian actor known for his role as Luke Matthews in the Freeform 2017 science fiction drama '' Beyond''. He later played several high-profile recurring roles as Bryan and Kurtz respectively in ...

Kacey Rohl Kacey Rohl (born August 6, 1991) is a Canadian actress. She is known for playing Sterling Fitch in the television crime drama '' The Killing'', Prudence in the 2011 dark fantasy film ''Red Riding Hood'', and Abigail Hobbs in the television drama ...

Rachel Shelley Rachel Shelley (born 25 August 1969) is an English actress and model. She is best known for playing Helena Peabody in the Showtime series ''The L Word'' and Elizabeth Russell in the Oscar-nominated Bollywood epic ''Lagaan''. Early life Rachel ...

as Milah *

Bernard Curry Bernard Curry (born 27 March 1974) is an Australian actor, best known for his role as Jake Stewart in Wentworth, Luke Handley in Neighbours and Hugo Austin in Home and Away. Career Curry first appeared in ''Neighbours'' in 1995 as Luke Handle ...

as Liam Jones *

Costas Mandylor Costas Mandylor (born Konstantinos Theodosopoulos; 3 September 1965) is an Australian actor. He is best known for his role as Kenny in ''Picket Fences'' and for portraying Mark Hoffman in the ''Saw'' films. Early life Mandylor was born i ...

as Captain Silver * Jeff Gulka as

Boq Boq is a minor character in ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' by L. Frank Baum. Jack Snow, ''Who's Who in Oz'', Chicago, Reilly & Lee, 1954; New York, Peter Bedrick Books, 1988; p. 23. He becomes a more prominent character in Gregory Maguire's 1995 ...

Paul Scheer Paul Christian Scheer (born January 31, 1976) is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, director, and podcaster. Scheer is a SAG award-winning actor known for his roles in Showtime's comedy series ''Black Monday'' and FX/ FXX's ''The L ...

voices

Scarecrow A scarecrow is a decoy or mannequin, often in the shape of a human. Humanoid scarecrows are usually dressed in old clothes and placed in open fields to discourage birds from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops.Lesley B ...

Wes Brown Wesley Michael Brown (born 13 October 1979) is an English former professional association football, footballer who played as a defender (association football), defender. Brown began his career with Manchester United F.C., Manchester United, jo ...

Ava Acres Ava Acres (born May 13, 2004) is an American actress. She played young Regina in '' Once Upon a Time'' and also appears in ''Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'' as Katya Belyakov, the main antagonist of the episode "Melinda". In addition, she has played ...

as Young Regina *

Isabella Blake-Thomas Isabella Rose M. Blake-Thomas (born 21 September 2002) is an English actress, known for her roles as Princess January in ''Secret Society of Second-Born Royals'', Young Zelena in ''Once Upon a Time'', Peggy Kendall in ''Game Shakers'' and Sam i ...

as Young Zelena *

Rya Kihlstedt Rya Kihlstedt is an American actress. She starred in the 1997 comedy film ''Home Alone 3'' as Alice Ribbons. The following years she appeared in films '' Deep Impact'' (1998), '' Women in Trouble'' (2009) and '' The Atticus Institute'' (2015). On ...

as Cleo Fox * Max Chadburn as Natasha "Tasha" Morris * Geoff Gustafson as Stealthy *

David Hoflin David Hoflin (; born 25 February 1979) is a Swedish-born Australian actor. He is most famous for playing Jason Bates in ''Ocean Girl'' between 1994 and 1998, and Oliver Barnes in ''Neighbours'' between 2007 and 2008. Peripheral 2022. Career He h ...

Hank Harris Hank Harris (born November 5, 1979) is an American actor who has been working in movies and television since the late 1990s. He grew up in Duluth, Minnesota and Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is perhaps best known for his role as Emory Dick in ''Po ...

as Dr. Jekyll / the Groundsman *

Sam Witwer Sam Witwer (born October 20, 1977) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Crashdown in ''Battlestar Galactica'', Davis Bloome in ''Smallville'', Aidan Waite in '' Being Human'', Mr. Hyde in ''Once Upon a Time'', Ben Lockwood in '' ...

Mr. Hyde Dr. Henry Jekyll, nicknamed in some copies of the story as Harry Jekyll, and his alternative personality, Mr. Edward Hyde, is the central character of Robert Louis Stevenson's 1886 novella ''Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde''. In the story, ...

/ the Warden *

Arnold Pinnock Arnold Pinnock (born 1967) is a Canadian actor who is perhaps best known for his appearance as Paul Greebie, Casey's guidance counselor, in ''Life with Derek''. Pinnock was born in Birmingham, England. His career began with sketch comedy at Toro ...

as Poole / the Orderly *

Tzi Ma Tzi Ma (;) is a Hong Kong-American actor. He is well known for his roles in television shows, such as ''The Man in the High Castle'' and '' 24'', and films, such as ''Dante's Peak'', ''Rush Hour'', ''Rush Hour 3'', ''Arrival'', '' The Farewell' ...

as the Dragon

Episodes

Production

Development

The season has been confirmed to be split into two halves, with the mid-season premiere being the 100th episode. In October 2015, Horowitz announced that the episode set to air on November 15, 2015 was set to be a two-hour episode. He later clarified that the season's twelfth episode would be considered the 100th episode of the show, stating "it's all semantics. But yes, we're considering 512 the 100th!" when discussing the fourth-season episode, "

Smash the Mirror "Smash the Mirror" is a two-part story comprising the eighth and ninth episodes of the fourth season of the American fantasy drama series '' Once Upon a Time'', which aired on November 16, 2014. This episode is a two-hour episode, making it the f ...

", being two separate episodes.

Casting

On June 9, 2015, it was announced that

and

had been promoted to series regulars for the fifth season, portraying their characters Zelena /

and

, respectively, while it was later revealed that

would not be returning as a series regular as

/ Knave of Hearts although further appearances as a recurring or guest star were hinted. Adam Horowitz confirmed via

Twitter Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...

that

would return as Belle, while Vine Report confirmed the return of

. On June 26, 2015,

confirmed his return as

/ David Nolan and Horowitz confirmed that there would be ten series regulars for the season. During Comic-Con 2015,

and

were confirmed to return as

/ Mary Margaret Blanchard,

/ Regina Mills, Captain Killian "Hook" Jones and

/ Mr. Gold respectively, while Morrison's character was confirmed to take on the moniker "Dark Swan".

also returned as Henry Mills. On June 26, 2015, it was revealed that

would return as

. On July 1, 2015, it was announced that

would play

during the first half of the season, while

Gabe Khouth Gabriel Forest Khouth (November 22, 1972 – July 23, 2019) was a Canadian voice and television actor who worked for Ocean Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia. Career Khouth had played several roles in anime, most notably Nicol Amalfi in '' ...

and

confirmed via social media that they would be returning as

Sneezy ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' is a 1937 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Based on the 1812 German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, it is the first full-le ...

/ Tom Clark and as Grumpy / Dreamy / Leroy respectively. On July 10,

and

confirmed via their Twitter accounts that they would be returning as Widow Lucas / Granny and

Blue Fairy The Fairy with Turquoise Hair ( it, La Fata dai Capelli Turchini; often simply referred to as The Blue Fairy, ''La Fata Turchina'') is a fictional character in the 1883 Italian book ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' by Carlo Collodi, repeatedly appea ...

/ Mother Superior respectively while it was also confirmed that

, Joana Metrass and Andrew Jenkins had been cast as

and

respectively. Adam Horowitz announced on Twitter that

had been cast in the role of the Scottish archer Princess Merida from '' Brave''. Addressing rumours surrounding the characters origins Kitsis and Horowitz stated, "we are sticking to the canon of the movie ''Brave'' in terms of who her parents are and where she came from, but post-movie is where our ''Once Upon a Time'' spin comes into play". On September 8,

was confirmed to be returning for multiple episodes of the season as

Little Red Riding Hood "Little Red Riding Hood" is a European fairy tale about a young girl and a sly wolf. Its origins can be traced back to several pre-17th century European folk tales. The two best known versions were written by Charles Perrault and the Brother ...

/ Ruby, while on September 15, Horowitz revealed that

would be returning as Mulan. Both Chung and Ory made their first appearance this season in "

The Bear King "The Bear King" is the ninth episode of the fifth season of the American fantasy drama series ''Once Upon a Time'', which aired on November 15, 2015. In the episode, Merida, Mulan, and Ruby deal with King Arthur and Zelena. In DunBroch's past, Me ...

". The premiere episode of the season, "

The Dark Swan "The Dark Swan" is the first episode of the fifth season of the American fantasy drama series ''Once Upon a Time'', which aired on September 27, 2015. In this episode, the events of Emma Swan being consumed by the Darkness have left the resident ...

", saw the return of David-Paul Grove as

Doc DOC, Doc, doc or DoC may refer to: In film and television * ''Doc'' (2001 TV series), a 2001–2004 PAX series * ''Doc'' (1975 TV series), a 1975–1976 CBS sitcom * "D.O.C." (''Lost''), a television episode * ''Doc'' (film), a 1971 Wester ...

, Faustine Di Bauda as

Sleepy Sleepy means feeling a need for sleep, also known as somnolence. It may also refer to: People * Sleepy (rapper) (born 1984), a South Korean rapper part of the hip hop duo Untouchable * Sleepy Bill Burns (1880–1953), American baseball player * ...

, Jeffrey Kaiser as Seven Dwarfs, Dopey, Michael Coleman (actor), Michael Coleman as Seven Dwarfs, Happy, Mig Macario as Seven Dwarfs, Bashful, Raphael Alejandro as Roland,

as the

and Ingrid Torrance as the Severe Nurse who is revealed during the episode to be the show's version of Nurse Ratched from Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (novel), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and introduced Lee Majdoub as Sir Kay and Mckenna Grace as young Emma. Towards the end of the month,

was confirmed to be returning as Dr. Victor Frankenstein / Dr. Whale. The second episode of the season, "The Price (Once Upon a Time), The Price", introduced Olivia Steele Falconer as

, a love interest for Henry. On October 14, it was announced that

was cast as Hook's father, who would appear in a flashback before the midseason finale, and was later revealed to be called Brennan. The fifth episode, "Dreamcatcher (Once Upon a Time), Dreamcatcher", saw the introduction of

as Sir Morgan, Violet's father, and Guy Fauchon as Vortigan. The sixth episode of the season, "The Bear and the Bow", introduced Paul Telfer as Lord Macintosh, Marco D'Angelo as Lord MacGuffin and Josh Hallem as Lord Dingwall while the seventh episode, "Nimue (Once Upon a Time), Nimue", saw the introductions of Jason Simpson as Adda, Caroline Ford as Nimue, Darren Moore as Vortigan and Graham Verchere as a younger The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Merlin's Apprentice. On October 27, Glenn Keogh and

were cast as Merida's parents King Fergus and Queen Elinor respectively. During October and November 2015, multiple recurring characters from previous seasons were confirmed to be returning for the 100th episode, "Souls of the Departed", including

as Cora,

as Peter Pan,

as Magic Mirror / Sidney Glass, and

as the Blind Witch, who was last seen during the first season episode "True North (Once Upon a Time), True North". The episode also introduced a recurring character, Hades (initially dubbed "The Distinguished Gentleman"), who was portrayed by

. On February 22, it was announced that

will also return in the 100th episode as the deceased Neal Cassidy. On November 10, it was announced that

would return as

for numerous episodes during the second half of the season, beginning with the thirteenth episode, "Labor of Love (Once Upon a Time), Labor of Love". On November 16, it was announced that

would be returning in the same episode to reprise her role as a young Snow White, joined by newcomers Jonathan Whitesell and

, who would be portraying Hercules and Megara, respectively. On December 3, 2015, the cast of the mid-season finale, "Swan Song", was revealed with Eric Keenleyside returning as Maurice, Belle's father and Oliver Bell being introduced as a young Killian. On December 4, it was announced that

would be reprising her role as Milah, Rumplestiltskin's ex-wife and Hook's ex-lover, for at least one episode in the second half of the season. On December 8, it was announced that the character of Dorothy Gale (previously portrayed by Matreya Scarrwener) will be returning midway through the second half of the season to be portrayed by a new actress, as the character will be aged up to her late 20s-early 30s. On December 18, it was revealed that the recurring role had been recast to

, who would be making her first appearance in "Our Decay". On January 8, 2016, it was announced that the character of Gaston from ''Beauty and the Beast (1991 film), Beauty and the Beast'' will be reappearing in an upcoming episode in the back-half of the season. This marks the character's first appearance since the season one episode "Skin Deep (Once Upon a Time), Skin Deep".

was later revealed to be taking over the role from Sage Brocklebank. On February 9, it was announced that

and

were cast as young versions of Regina and Zelena, respectively. They appeared via flashbacks in the nineteenth episode, "Sisters (Once Upon a Time), Sisters". On February 18, it was announced that

would be appearing as Captain Silver, a pirate from Hook's past. On February 23, it was announced that

had been cast as Cleo, Emma's former mentor, in a flashback to a time before Emma's time as a bail bondswoman. On March 15, it was announced that

and

would be appearing in the recurring roles of "Jacob" and "Nathaniel", with their roles continuing into the sixth season. They were later revealed to be portraying Mr. Hyde and Dr. Jekyll, respectively.

Promotion

The first half of the season used the tag-line "#DarkSwan" for the entire duration of its run.

Ratings

Notes

References

External links

* {{101 Dalmatians 2015 American television seasons 2016 American television seasons Once Upon a Time (TV series), Season 5 Once Upon a Time (season 5) episodes,