'Once Upon a Time' Season 2, Episode 11: 'The Outsider' Recap

A car drives up to the border of Storybrooke—it is Gold. He pops the trunk of his car, revealing Smee. Smee begs for Gold not to push him over the border, but Gold reminds him it was no worse than what he was planning to do with Belle.

Gold takes Smee’s red hat, which his grandmother made for him. He pours a potion over it and tells Smee it’s his only chance. Smee puts the hat back on, and Gold pushes him over.

He remembers who he is.

“Now go,” Gold tells him. “I have a trip to plan.

Snow is speaking at Archie’s funeral. Yet the real Archie is on board Hook’s ship, being interrogated by Hook.

“Where is his dagger?”

Archie has no idea what he’s talking about, and Hook can see that he’s telling the truth. He asks if Gold has any other weaknesses.

Belle goes into Gold’s shop, where he tells her the news. He shows her the shawl he has from his son that he can use to find Bael, and though Belle asks to go with him, he tells her he must go alone.

Flashback to Belle in a tavern, listening to a man round up other men to go face down a beast. Dreamy (pre-Grumpy) approaches her and asks if she’s looking for an adventure. He thanks her for the advice she gave—to run away with Nova. She tells him the last time she faced a beast it didn’t end well, but he encourages her to join the men on their wagon, and she does. He gives her a small packet of fairy dust.

Back in Storybrooke, Belle walks through the library, where she sees Hook. She tells him the library isn’t open yet, before she recognizes him as the one who broke into her cell at the queen’s palace. She runs, locking herself in the elevator.

Gold’s phone rings. It is Belle, begging for help, but he can’t understand her.

On the wagon, Belle reads while the men laugh at her. She consults the book, which is in another language, and tells them they can find the beast by the lake. They boot her off the back, and take off without her. Yaoguai, the beast, she reads aloud, hibernates by day, and prefers mountain territory.

She finds the cave of the animal, and it rushes out, starling her. A masked archer chases it off with an arrow—Mulan. Mulan is annoyed that Belle has ruined her hunt.

Inside the elevator, Belle stares in horror as Hook pounds away. The door opens—but it is Gold. They embrace.

At home, Emma tries to get Henry to eat, but he refuses. Snow reminds her she’s doing what she can. Leroy-Dreamy-Grumpy approaches them for the dwarves, and asks when they can go back home. Storybrooke is not as safe as they thought, and they’re homesick.

Gold takes Belle to the shop, but she tries to talk him out of going after Hook. She asks what happened. Belle asks about his wife, Milah.

“She died. That’s all that matters.”

They enter the shop, but it has been ransacked. Hook, on an adjacent roof, Hook has gotten a hold of Bael’s cloak. Belle begs to help Gold again, but he refuses.

Back in the Enchanted Forest, Belle is getting her head ducked in a well for lying to the men. Mulan comes again, beating up the men. She wants Belle to track the beast again so she can kill it.

Gold finds Smee, magically strangling him. Gold turns him into a rat.

Belle does some research in the library with a knot she found, and realizes Hook came on his ship. She goes to the dock, looking for it, and recognizes anomalies. She walks onto the ship, going past the invisibility.

Belle explores the ship. She hears Archie calling, and uncovers him. She cuts him free, and tells him to go find Gold and tell him where she is.

Snow and James watch Henry sadly call Archie’s office to hear his voice on the machine. Pongo pushes open the door, followed by Emma. They’ve all decided Henry should have Pongo. Snow isn’t upset, but she thinks it will be kind of cramped... she suggests she and James get their own place.

On the ship, Belle finds a locked box, and discovers the key. She opens it, but it’s just gold.

“Looking for this?” Hook asks, the shawl in his hand. Belle makes a run to grab a gun, but he gets there before her, and points it at her.

In Storybrooke, Belle and Mulan have re-discovered the Yaoguai. However Mulan is suffering from a gash on her leg, and isn’t in the shape to go after it. She tells Belle she will have to do it—the fate of her village depends on her.

On the ship, Belle argues with Hook. She finds out that Milah went after Hook; that they were in love. He also tells her that Gold killed her. Belle won’t believe it.  She breaks away from Hook and takes off with the shawl. Hook catches up with her.

Gold comes on board. Gold beats Hook with his stick. Belle tries to make him stop, showing him that she has the shawl, but Gold tells her to turn away, and continues to beat him.

In the Enchanted Forest, Belle gets the Yaoguai’s attention. It chases her, fiery, growling. She cuts a pipe and drenches it, extinguishing it. It moans and flops on the ground. It writes something with its paw—save me. Belle sprinkles the fairy dust on it, and it transforms into a man.

Maleficent had transformed him—Aurora’s prince.

On the ship, Hook eggs Gold on while Belle continues to beg him to stop. Gold insists he must die, but finally he gives in. He tells Hook to take his ship and sail until he falls off the edge of the world. He and Belle leave.

James and Snow look at real estate, but James shoots down every house. He doesn’t want to be buried in Storybrooke like Archie—he wants to go home too. She tells him she’s tired of fighting.

As Henry works to protect himself from Regina, there is a knock at the door. It’s Archie. He comes in and tells them that Regina wasn’t the one who attached him, it was Cora.

Gold and Belle drive up to the edge of Storybrooke. He thanks her, and asks why she hasn’t given up on him yet.

“I learned a long time ago when you find something that’s worth fighting for, you never give up.”

Flashback, as Belle brings up the prince to show Mulan. She tells Mulan she has another beast to best. She goes off in search of Rumple, but is intercepted by Regina. She gets taken away, screaming that she will never give up fighting for him.

Belle and Gold stand at the edge of Storybrooke. He puts the potion on Bael’s shawl, and slowly steps over. He remembers who he is. Belle wishes him goodbye, and as they say their farewells, Belle is shot from behind. The force pushes her over the line, into Gold’s arms. He screams her name, but she doesn’t know who Belle is.

As Hook moves closer with the gun, a car careens out of nowhere, mowing him down. It has an outside license plate.