Her Handsome Hero

"Gaston: Her Handsome Hero... Interesting. Wouldn't have picked you for a fan of cheap romance. Belle: No! No. This is not like that. This book is about compassion and forgiveness... the things that truly make a hero."

"Her Handsome Hero" is the seventeenth episode of Season Five of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It was written by Jerome Schwartz, and directed by Romeo Tirone. It is the one-hundredth and fifth episode of the series overall, and premiered on April 10, 2016.

Synopsis
Belle turns to Rumplestiltskin with hope of finding a way to protect their child from Hades. However, they disagree over whether to use dark magic, as Belle forbids Rumplestiltskin from using his powers for evil. Meanwhile, Hades secretly meets with Gaston in the Underworld and encourages him to seek revenge on Rumplestiltskin. As the heroes try to find a way to defeat Hades, Emma has a terrifying nightmare that she realizes is beginning to come true. And in flashbacks, Belle and Gaston meet for the first time, but their blossoming romance comes to a halt on the eve of the Ogre wars.

Recap
In the Enchanted Forest, Belle bursts into the stables asking her father why her riding lesson has been cancelled. Maurice tells her a suitor is visiting, Gaston. Belle has heard of him, and refuses to meet him, telling her father that Gaston is the vainest man in the world and she considers him a hunter of both animals and women. She turns to leave but her father stops her telling her there is a lot at stake. Ogres have began attacking the northern border. Gaston's father has a strong army, and if Belle were to marry Gaston, he would help them.

She rejects the idea, only Maurice then asks her to give Gaston a chance. Just then, Gaston walks in, and much to Belle's surprise he is sweet and understanding. He tells her he has heard much about her (all good things), but he also says that she obviously doesn't think very highly of him and he is okay with that, implying he heard everything. He turns to walk away when she stops him and says that "one walk couldn't hurt anyone."

Back in the Underworld, Emma wakes up from a nightmare where she was with Hook and Snow White trying to erase the names from the tombstones that Hades has created. Hook says he thinks something is wrong when a tornado appears. They seek shelter where Hook then says he senses a large creature nearby. Snow decides to fight the creature only to be taken. Emma then woke up. Emma tells Hook about the dream and wonders if they are visions of the future.

Regina spent the night in the library preparing a spell to break Hades' protection spell on the elevator by drawing runes all over the elevator door. Emma and Regina use their magic to open the door, which opens and reveals a brick wall instead of a way down to Hades' lair. Emma states that she believes she may be able to erase the names from the tombstone by using her magic.

Hades is waiting to see Zelena when he notices a daisy growing in the broken road and realizes the visitors have brough hope. Regina decides to talk to Zelena, who knows more about Hades rather than the others. When Regina visits Zelena, she realizes that she and Hades are in love. Zelena believes she may be Hades' only weakness.

Emma goes to the headstones to try cast the spell from her dream, only to suddenly realize that her nightmare was coming true when the same storm appears. She, Hook and Snow go to Regina's vault, where Hook, Snow, and even Regina tell Emma not to give up. Emma failed everyone but she saved Hook's life. Snow White tells Emma that love is worth it.

Meanwhile, Belle walks into Mr. Gold's shop, telling him she won't be separated from her unborn child and demands his help. He asks if this means that she accepts him as he is, she says she accepts that nobody fights for a child like a father. She does however, set down guidelines, such as no dark magic. He counters that dark and light magic are a matter of perspective. She tells him that if he wants any sort of future with her that he better do things her way.

Back in the Enchanted Forest, Belle and Gaston go for a walk. They find a young ogre trapped. Belle believes it will not hurt them and wants to let it go. Gaston agrees to leave it until they know it's okay to let it go. They return home and go to the library where they search for books.

Belle finds "An Alphabetic Inventory of Magical Antiquities", which lists all of the magical items in the kingdom. Belle reads about a mirror which reveals the evil in a person's soul. She hopes to use the mirror on the ogre to see if it means the kingdom any harm. Belle also shows Gaston her favorite book, "Her Handsome Hero", and she says the story defines how a hero is supposed to act; with compassion and forgiveness. They nearly kiss, until Belle turns him down. Belle leaves to fetch the mirror and Gaston agrees to watch over the ogre.

Moments after picking up the flower in the Underworld, Hades enlist Gaston, who was working at Storybrooke Pet Shelter. Hades wanted Gaston to take down everyone, starting with Gold to try and stop hope returning to the Underworld. He gives Gaston a set of lethal arrows, which were forged in the River of Lost Souls.

When Gold and Belle attempt to look up a spell to save their child, they end up leaving in an argument over his use of Dark Magic. They are met by an arrow fired by Gaston which misses them. Gold catches the next one, even as Belle tries to mediate. Gaston tells Belle that Gold was the one who killed him as he aims another arrow. However, Gold uses magic to take him and Belle to the docks.

Belle is shocked to learn about how Gaston died. Gold hopes to use Dark Magic to defeat Gaston. Belle refuses to allow him, believing that she's meant to help Gaston move on which would solve the conflict and weaken Hades. While looking through Gaston's locker, Belle finds the book "Her Handsome Hero" and figures out that she was Gaston's unfinished business. Belle then asked Gold to leave.

However, Belle is then surprised by Hades, who showed up to give her a deal: he will destroy the contract about her child if she allows either Gaston and Gold to through the other into the River of Lost Souls.

Gaston goes to the pawnshop, to find Gold only to be confronted by Belle. She believes he still has feelings for her, only to learn that the book was only a constant reminder of why he died. Belle tells him she is Gold's wife which upsets Gaston who leaves. Belle then finds Gold and asks him to promise not to hurt Gaston.

Back in the Enchanted Forest, Maurice reveals that the ogres are now advancing on their kingdom and believes Belle's actions are to blame. He says that they cannot win - they need the help of Gaston's kingdom so Belle will have to marry Gaston to get their help. Gaston arrives and proposes to Belle, and Belle reluctantly agrees, as she believes it is the only way to save the kingdom.

At the docks, Gold uses magic to choke Gaston by the throat and was ready to send him to the River of Lost Souls until Belle gets the dagger and commands him not to hurt Gaston. He drops Gaston on the ground. However, Gaston is unable to let his vendetta against Gold go, and when he goes for his arrow, Belle accidentally knocks Gaston into the River of Lost Souls.

Unfortunately, Belle discovers that because she saved Gold, the contract allowing Hades to take their baby was still in effect, as it had to be Gold to knock Gaston into the River of Lost Souls, not Belle. He then looks at a withering daisy flower that he picks up and is delighted that it means hope was fading away. The flower later shows up at Granny's Diner, as a gift to Zelena from Hades.

Emma, Regina, Hook, and Snow decide to return to the tombstone and see where Emma's dream leads. They chase down the beast in the woods that Emma believes to be the same one from the dream, and uses her magic to stop it. When they reach the creature, they are shocked to find a wolf, only to learn from Snow as she put Ruby's cloak on a big bad wolf; it's actually Ruby, who has shown up in the Underworld. She does not know whether she is still alive. Snow tells Emma that her dream was actually a vision pointing them to Ruby.

Starring

 * Ginnifer Goodwin as Mary Margaret Blanchard
 * Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan
 * Lana Parrilla as Regina Mills
 * Josh Dallas as David Nolan
 * Emilie de Ravin as Belle/Belle French
 * Colin O'Donoghue as Hook
 * Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills
 * Rebecca Mader as Zelena
 * Sean Maguire (Credit only)
 * Robert Carlyle as Mr. Gold

Guest Starring

 * Wes Brown as Gaston
 * Greg Germann as Hades
 * Eric Keenleyside as Maurice
 * Meghan Ory as Ruby

Trivia
Production Notes=

Production Notes

 * The title card features an ogre running in the woods.
 * The title of this episode was announced by Adam Horowitz via his Twitter account on January 20, 2016.
 * This episode is named after the book that Colette read to Belle when she was young. The book first appears in "Skin Deep", and is first seen in close-up in "Family Business".
 * Wes Brown replaced Sage Brocklebank as Gaston for this episode. The "Skin Deep" shots of Gaston in the recap were also re-filmed with Wes Brown.
 * The line, "I am Sir Gaston, and you, beast, have taken..." was changed to "I am Sir Gaston, and you, beast, have taken my love."
 * The new line is the version that was originally scripted for the episode "Skin Deep".
 * The CGI model created for the library in Maurice's Castle, which was also seen, briefly, in "Family Business", is later recycled and re-used for the interior of the Count of Monte Cristo's estate in "A Bitter Draught". This can, for example, be seen from the identical design on the Solomonic columns (columns characterized by a spiraling twisting shaft like a corkscrew) and the windows, and the curved ceiling, which is very similar to the one in the Count's home.


 * -|Episode Connections=

Event Chronology

 * The Underworld events take place after "Our Decay" and before "Ruby Slippers".
 * The Enchanted Forest events take place before "Family Business".

Episode Connections

 * Gaston was killed by Rumplestiltskin in "Skin Deep".
 * Belle and Zelena arrived in the Underworld in "Our Decay".
 * Zelena's relationship with Hades was explored in "Our Decay".
 * Mr. Gold uses his Dark One powers to catch an arrow in flight, just like the two previous Dark Ones, Emma and Hook, did in "The Dark Swan" and "Broken Heart" respectively.
 * Gaston claims the best way to kill an ogre is by shooting at its eye. This is seen to work in "Lady of the Lake" when Mary Margaret saves Emma from an ogre attack.
 * The repercussions of the Ogre War between the Ogres and Maurice's kingdom is shown in "Family Business" and "Skin Deep".
 * -|Cultural References=

Disney

 * Belle, Gaston and Maurice are characters of the same names as in Disney's 1991 film Beauty and the Beast. LeFou, the man who likes to spread tall tales to embarrass Gaston, is a reference to Gaston's sidekick from the movie.
 * Maurice states that Gaston is the son of Lord LeGume. According to the story reel included in the Platinum and Diamond Editions of the DVD and Blu-ray release of Beauty and the Beast, Legume was originally intended to be Gaston's surname.

Fairytales and Folklore

 * This episode features Beauty and the merchant from the "Beauty and the Beast" fairytale, Hades from Greek Mythology, Captain Hook from the Peter Pan story, the Wicked Witch of the West from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz story, and Red Riding Hood from the "Little Red Riding Hood" fairytale.
 * A statue of a griffin can be seen on top of the grave that Hook, Emma and Mary Margaret are hiding behind. A griffin is a legendary creature which has the front half of an eagle and the hind half of a lion.


 * -|Set Notes=

Props Notes

 * A statue of a griffin can be seen on top of the grave that Hook, Emma and Mary Margaret are hiding behind. The same statue can be seen on Pleasure Island in the Season Six episode "Murder Most Foul", among the gargoyles that children throw bottles at.
 * Most of the symbols that Regina draw on the Underbrooke Library elevator, are Elder Futhark runes:
 * The top symbols, ᛈᛟᚱᛏᚨᛚ (with a pentacle between them), translate as "portal".
 * The ones in the middle, around the locks, ᚨᛋ ᚨᛒᛟᚹᛖ ᛋᛟ ᛒᛖᛚᛟᚹ, translate as "as above, so below". This is a well-known occult maxim from the Emerald Tablet, an ancient, mysterious tablet which is one of the pillars of Western alchemy, and is said to be inscribed with the secrets of the universe. This tablet is one of the texts that form the basis of Hermeticism. In Fulcanelli's translation, the full maxim reads: " As below, so above; and as above so below. With this knowledge alone you may work miracles."
 * The ones going down the right side of the door, next to the door frame, spell out "ᛒᛖ ᛁᛏ ᚹᛖ ᚹᛁᛚᛚ", meaning "be it we will".
 * The symbols at the bottom right, ᛋᛟ ᛒᛖ ᛁᛏ, translate as "so be it".
 * The word that Regina is writing when Hook and Emma come in, is ᛞᛟᛗᚢᛋ, which translates as "domus", which is Latin for house, home.
 * A pentacle (a pentagram with a circle around it) is inscribed at the top of the door. The pentagram and the pentacle have historically been used by occult faiths and magicians, and today, the pentagram is used as a symbol for Wicca, Witchcraft, and Paganism.
 * Mr. Gold's spell book says:

Y      ou are ready to use your own magical ability. You must be able to concentrate. You must be able to focus intensity and visualize the magic. What you want to happen must be perfectly clear in your mind.

In performing a magical act, you will build up a massive cone of energy with your powers at intention, then when that energy is at its zenith, you will send it out to work for you and effect physical changes in the material realm.

I feel the need to remind you of the [two illegible words] principle: whatever energy or intention is sent out, whether it be ill or good, it will be returned to you in kind, three-fold. If you send out positive energies you will will get positive energies in return. It's akin to [illegible word] a rock into a pool of water. Energy positive [two illegible words] send out has the potential [three illegible words] and [two illegible words] this way, your life will [illegible word] expand and [illegible word].


 * The "cone of energy" is a reference to the cone of power, a method of raising energy in ritual magic. Traditionally, this is done by a group, although it can also be done without the assistance of other people. As energy is raised, a cone forms above the wielder(s). When the magic reaches its apex, that energy is sent out en masse, directed towards whatever magical purpose is being worked on.
 * The principle of magic energies being returned to the wielder three-fold, is a reference to the Rule of Three, a tenet held by people in some magical traditions, primarily Wiccans. It states that whatever energy a person puts out into the world, be it positive or negative, will be returned to that person three times.
 * The text is adapted from the following excerpts from the online article "Magic Circles & Spells on the website TheSmartWitch.com:

''Once you are ready to use your magical energy, you must be able to concentrate. You must be able to focus intently and visualize the magic. What you want to happen must be perfectly clear in your mind.''

When you perform a magical act, you will build up a massive amount of energy with your powers of concentration, then, when that energy is most intense, you will send it out to work for you.

(...)

''I will continually remind you of the basic witches’ principle: whatever energy or action is sent out, whether it be negative or positive, will be returned to you in kind. If you send out positive energies, you will get positive energies in return. It’s akin to tossing a pebble into a pond – every positive ripple you send out has the potential to affect many and much. In this way, your life will continually expand and improve.''


 * The accompanying illustration is from an eighteenth century demonology book called Compendium rarissimum totius Artis Magicae sistematisatae per celeberrimos Artis hujus Magistros, which roughly translates as A rare summary of the entire Magical Art by the most famous Masters of this Art. The book is dated to around 1775 and is written in German and Latin by an unknown author. The picture is one of the book's many watercolor illustrations of grotesque demonic figures up to all sorts of appropriately demonic activities, which is rather ironic, as Mr. Gold's book is supposed to be a spell book about light magic. Note that the illustration has been modified for the show: For example, the skulls and crossbones that adorn the table in the original illustration, have been removed, and the partially topless demon from the original is now fully dressed.
 * The same illustration can be seen when Mr. Gold flips through the spell book in "Ruby Slippers".
 * Another page contains text from Lorem ipsum, a filler text commonly used as mock-content when testing a given page layout or font. Lorem ipsum consists of badly garbled Latin, based on sections 1.10.32 and 1.10.33 of De finibus bonorum et malorum ("On the ends of good and evil"), a philosophical work by the Roman philosopher Cicero. Lorem isum is often used when previewing the layout of a document, as the use of more understandable text could easily distract the user from the layout being examined. While many forms of Lorem ipsum exists, the show uses a version that can be found on several online websites, including this page on the official website of Adobe Systems.
 * The exact same text can be seen in the book Her Handsome Hero when Belle is flipping through it in "Ruby Slippers".


 * A page in An Alphabetized Inventory of Magical Antiquities says:

[image begins] can unleash written words to beloved real objects


 * 3″ x 7″

Simply place the glass over every tenet and by saying the lines, "Abracadabra.. Abracadabra.. A"

Mirror of Souls: If someone has evil in their souls, it will be revealed in this mirror's gaze

Their eyes will glow with demonic fire


 * Size: Approx. 17″ x 19″

Set Dressing

 * A map of the United States of America, listing animal shelter spending by state, is pinned to a board at the Underbrooke Pet Shelter.
 * When Belle is talking to Gaston in the backroom of the Underbrooke Pawnshop, a rose arrangement in a metal vase is sitting on a table. It is an Underworld duplicate of a decoration in the foyer in Rumplestiltskin's castle in "Heart of Darkness" and "The Savior".


 * -|Other Notes=

Filming Locations

 * The scene where Maurice and Belle find an "injured" Gaston was filmed in Lynn Canyon Park in the District of North Vancouver.