Once Upon a Time Just Killed Off A Major Character, But Things Are About to Get Awesome

OUAT might have just killed its hottest character and we're rather upset about it

Oh crap, you guys.

Things just got good on Once Upon a Time, despite the fact that they killed off the show's hottest and most eyeliner'd character. 

Yep: Captain Hook (Colin O'Donoghue) has sadly died, but we highly doubt he'll stay that way.

First, let's discuss how that plan to get rid of the darkness ended up playing out. While Hook was hell bent on getting revenge, Emma (Jennifer Morrison) plotted to absorb all the darkness and then run herself through with Excalibur, thereby getting rid of that darkness forever and preventing her family from ending up in the Underworld. 

Instead, two things happened: First, Hook stole the sword from her and absorbed the darkness instead, forcing Emma to kill him with Excalibur. 

Then, Emma discovered the next twist: Rumple (Robert Carlyle) had engineered the sword to transfer all the darkness to him instead, turning him into an extremely powerful Dark One, with Belle none the wiser after just returning to his arms. 

So, Emma turned to blackmail in order to get Rumple to help her save Hook. 

Unlike a few other shows on TV that like to pretend their main characters are permanently dead, Once Upon a Time made no bones about the fact that it was going to do whatever was necessary to save Hook, and in this case, whatever's necessary apparently involves turning Storybrooke into the Underworld and filling it with all the show's characters who are supposed to be dead! Cue the return of Cora, Peter Pan, the Blind Witch, and hopefully a few more surprises that explain all those returning characters in the upcoming 100th episode, which is also the spring premiere. 

In the five seasons that this show has been on the air, there has been no plotline that has excited us more, and we seriously hope this is more than just a one-episode story.

Could this trip to the Underworld also explain the upcoming appearance of Hercules? Seems like a lot of things are slowly coming together...

What did you think of tonight's episode? Are you excited to see this storyline play out? Sound off in the comments!

Once Upon a Time will return Sunday, March 6 at 8 p.m. on ABC.