‘Once Upon A Time’ Episode 2.11: ‘The Outsider’ Recap

Mr. Gold decides to test a way of leaving Storybrooke without losing his memory. He takes William Smee, enchants his hat — which was made by his grandmother — with a potion, and pushes him across the town line. Smee remembers who he is and who Rumplestiltskin is.

The townspeople gather at Archie’s grave, and Mary Margaret delivers a eulogy.

The real Archie is still tied up in the hold of Hook’s ship. Hook is trying to get information out of Archie, but he says he doesn’t know anything. That is, until Hook threatens him, and he says he’ll tell him what he knows.

Gold tells Belle he’s found a way to cross the town line. He is going to use the potion on one of Bae’s shawls. Unfortunately, Belle can’t come.

Back in Fairy Tale Land, Belle is sitting in a bar listening to some townsmen talk about hunting a beast. Dreamy thanks her for the advice, and says he and Nova are running away together. He tells Belle she should sign up to hunt the beast, and she says she should probably stick to her books. She says the last time she faced a beast, it didn’t end well. Dreamy encourages her to join the hunt and she goes, with some fairy dust that might come in handy.

Belle goes to the library and encounters Hook. She recognizes him as the one who broke into her cell. She pushes a bunch of books on top of him, runs into the elevator and calls Gold, but he can’t hear her.

On the hunt, a townsman asks Belle how she plans to use a book to help them find the Yaoguai. She tells him to go to the lake, and he kicks her off the wagon. The Yaoguai is actually in a cave. She takes out her dagger and snaps a twig. A fiery, Cerberus type dog (with only one head) attacks her and Mulan saves Belle by shooting it with an arrow.

Leroy asks Mary Margaret and Emma when they’re going to go back to the Enchanted Forest. Leroy asks what will happen if someone from outside of Storybrooke wanders into the town, and says everyone is a little homesick.

Belle tries to talk Gold out of going after Hook. He tells her it isn’t her concern, but she counters that it is because he attacked her. Gold tells her that he was married and that because of Hook, he lost his wife and Bae’s mother. Gold enters his shop to find it trashed, and Hook is watching from a roof. Smee brings him Bae’s shawl and Hook says now Gold is trapped in Storybrooke.

Belle wants to go with Gold to get his son’s shawl but he tells her he doesn’t want to lose her too. He gives her a gun just in case Hook is stupid enough to go after her again. Belle asks him to promise that going after Hook is just to get the shawl back, and not about revenge.

Two townsmen are dunking Belle’s head into a well for telling them to go to the lake. Mulan shows up again and takes the men down. Mulan says they need to head out if they’re going to find Yaoguai and Belle says she’d be honored to help her.

Belle goes to the dock looking for Hook’s ship, which is still cloaked by Cora’s magic. She uses some bird seed to find the steps and finds Archie locked away in the ship’s hold. She uses a sword to cut his rope and tells him to go find Gold.

Henry calls Archie’s office and gets his voicemail. David promises things will get better, and Henry says it doesn’t feel that way. Emma brings Pongo home and says Archie knew how much Henry loved that dog. Mary Margaret says things might get crowded and suggests that she and David move out.

Belle finds a box with a key and Hook enters the room with the shawl. Belle goes for the gun and Hook grabs it before she can get it. He points it at her.

Mulan and Belle find where the Yaoguai is. Mulan’s leg is bleeding, and Belle asks how she is going to kill the beast. Mulan says Belle will have to kill it and tells her the fate of her village depends on her.

Belle tells Hook she isn’t afraid of him and that Gold needs the shawl to find his son. Hook says he didn’t steal Rumple’s wife and says he should have burned the shawl, but didn’t because Milla made it. He tells Belle that Gold ripped out her heart and crushed it right in front of him. Hook asks why she would want to fight for him and she says because his heart is true. She knocks him into the ship’s hold.

Belle tries to leave the ship, but Hook manages to catch up to her. Gold shows up just in the nick of time and starts beating Hook with his cane. Belle has the shawl and tells Gold they can leave. Belle reluctantly watches as he continues to beat him.

Belle gets the Yaoguai’s attention and lures it into the village. She cuts a pipeline which douses the beast’s fire. The beast writes something in the sand and Belle puts away her sword. She uses the fairy dust that Dreamy gave her and pours it on the animal. It’s Prince Philip, cursed by Maleficent to keep him from being with Aurora. She says he isn’t the first beast she’s faced, and she asks him to help her bring Mulan to a doctor.

Hook tells Gold to kill him and Belle says that’s exactly what he want. When Hook tells him to rip his heart out so he can be reunited with Milla, Gold says, “He has to die now.” Belle convinces him not to kill Hook and Gold tells him to sail away until he falls off the end of the world.

Mary Margaret and David are trying to find a new house, but David doesn’t like any of them. He says he doesn’t want to die in Storybrooke and Mary Margaret says she’s tired of fighting and hopes they can have a life in Storybrooke.

Henry is drawing blueprints for what to do when Mary Margaret and David move out. He is drawing up plans for an armory for when Regina comes back. There’s a knock at the door and it’s Archie. He says Cora kidnapped him, and Emma says they were wrong about Regina killing him. Emma realizes that they will have to pay the price for accusing her.

Gold and Belle drive to the town limit and Gold asks why she hasn’t given up on him. She says she learned a long time ago that when you find something worth fighting for, you never give up.

Belle brings Philip to Mulan, and says that he was the Yaoguai. Belle says she has to leave because she has another beast to face. Philip and Mulan introduce themselves — and it appears that this is when Mulan begins to develop feelings for him.

Belle starts to look for Rumple and Regina finds her first and throws her in a cage. Belle says she can’t keep them apart forever, and that she’ll never stop fighting for him.

Gold pours the potion on the shawl and prepares to cross the line. When he does, the potion works, and he says he wishes she could come with him. Hook shows up and shoots her, pushing her over the line. Gold says her name, and she doesn’t know who he’s talking about. As he’s about to hit him with a fireball, a car drives up and hits Hook.

Next week’s preview confirms everyone’s worst fears — an outsider has come to Storybrooke, and they have to decide between their lives and his.

What did you think of “The Outsider”?

[Photo credits: ABC]