The Outsider

"The Outsider" is the eleventh episode of Season Two of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It is written by Andrew Chambliss & Ian Goldberg and directed by David Solomon. It is the thirty-third episode of the series overall, and premiered on January 13, 2012.

Synopsis
Mr. Gold finds an unwilling test subject to see if a spell he has concocted will allow him to cross the border of Storybrooke—without losing his memory—and go in search of his son, Baelfire; Belle stumbles upon a vengeful Hook in the Storybrooke harbor whose main goal is to eradicate Rumplestiltskin; and Mary Margaret and David go house hunting in search of a bigger place to live. Meanwhile, in the fairytale land that was, Belle meets Mulan as the two set out to slay a fearsome beast called the Yaoguai, who has been ravaging the land.

Recap
Mr. Gold drives his car down the street and stops just short of the Storybrooke border. He opens the trunk and William Smee is tied up in it. After Mr. Gold releases him, he takes Smee's red hat and asks him why he wears it so often. William Smee tells him it was made by his mother, which prompts Mr. Gold to pour potion over it. He puts the hat back on William Smee's head and pushes him over the town line. Remarkably, he still remembers his past. Hook tells Smee that he now has a trip to plan.

The people of Storybrooke gather to lay what they think is Archie Hopper to rest. Mary Margaret gives a touching eulogy as the town residents console each other. Marco gives his old friend a personal goodbye.

In Hook's ship, Captain Hook is interrogating the true Dr. Hopper. Hook asks him about the dagger, but Archie claims he knows nothing of a dagger, and Hook believes him. He then asks him of Mr. Gold's weakness, but Archie will not tell him, so Hook threatens him with physical violence. Fearing for his life, Archie then tells Hook what he may be able to do to get his revenge against Mr. Gold.

Belle walks into Mr. Gold's shop after being called by Mr. Gold. He tells her that he has developed a potion that when poured over the object he holds most dear will enable him to leave town so he can search for his son. He tells her the object he holds most dear is Baelfire's shawl, the only thing that remains of his boy. She  asks if she may accompany him, but he replies that he only has enough magic left for one, and that this is a journey he must embark on his own.

Back in the Enchanted Forest,  Belle is sitting in a pub while a group of men discuss slaying a fearsome creature in a far away land called the yaoguai. While she is there, she is approached by Dreamy. He has come to thank her for her advice on love. He tells her that he and Nova plan to run away together. Dreamy encourages her to go with the group of men on the adventure she has been dreaming of. Before she leaves, he gives her a vial of fairy dust, insisting that she take it for fairy dust is used to bring about good.

In Storybrooke, Belle goes into the library where Captain Hook is waiting for her. She recognizes him as the man who has broken into her cell at the Evil Queen's palace. A fight ensues, and Hook ends up trapped under a bookcase. She hides in the elevator, where she calls Gold, but the signal is broken up and her cannot understand her clearly.

Back in the Enchanted Forest, Belle is travelling with the group of men from the pub to the far off land to slay the yaoguai; while on their journey, they tease her for reading. The book she is reading is in another language that contains information concerning the yoaguai. She tells them that the beast will be near a lake, which is a lie, and they kick her off their wagon and head to their false destination. Belle heads to the correct location of the creature, the mountains.

She arrives at the cave illustrated in her book where the yaoguai resides. She reads that the yaoguai hibernates by day, so being it is daytime she attempts to enter the cave to slay the creature. The beast is awakened and comes charging out of its dwelling when a warrior attempts to shoot it with an arrow. However, the beast is not hit and flees. Belle is left with the warrior who is revealed to be Mulan. Belle thanks Mulan for saving her life, but Mulan blames Belle for ruining her hunt. Mulan is upset because it has taken her weeks to find the yaoguai, but Belle responds that she has found it in a day. Mulan believes that Belle was just lucky, however, Belle shows her the book and tells he she has used knowledge from it to track down the yaoguai. She offers to help Mulan find the beast again, but Mulan rejects her offer and tells her to stay out of her way.

In Storybrooke, Belle is still trapped in the elevator in the library where she is rescued by Mr. Gold. Hook has since fled the scene.

In Mary Margaret's apartment, Emma tries to offer food to a despondent Henry, but he is not interested. Emma discusses Henry's sadness with Emma. The residents of Storybrooke are in the apartment to mourn Archie. Leroy announces that the dwarves have been considering a return to their home, the Enchanted Forest. Emma retorts that she and Mary Margaret have fought to return from the Enchanted Forest, but Leroy is still concerned about Regina's unknown location. He is also concerned about the outside world coming into Storybrooke. Ruby agrees, being that she will not be well received by the outside world when she transitions into her wolf form. Leroy concludes his argument by saying they want to return home simply because they are homesick.

Gold and Belle exit the library and head towards his shop. He tells Belle that he has several powerful items in his shop that will keep Hook from ever harming her again. Reluctantly, Mr. Gold tells Belle about his history with Hook, but fails to include the detail that he is personally responsible for Milah's death. The pair arrives at Gold's shop to find it has been ransacked.

Hook and Smee are watching from afar on the rooftops. Hook is holding Baelfire's shawl, stating that now Gold is trapped in Storybrooke.

Back in his shop, Gold is taking out his anger on some of the items there by beating them with his cane. Belle urges him to stop, and he agrees stating he will retrieve what is his. Belle then asks to help him get his vengeance, but Gold insists it is his fight. He bids her to go to the library, lock the door and wait, and gives her a gun to protect herself. Gold leaves to find Captain Hook.

Back in the Enchanted Forest, Belle is being attacked by the men she misguided to the lake. She is being forced head first into a well when Mulan arrives and fights the men off. Mulan tells Belle she is used to men who think women have no business holding a sword. She also shares that she has fought in the Emperor's army. In the scuffle however, Mulan has been wounded. She notes that the sun will set soon, and says that she and Belle should prepare to hunt the yaoguai once again. Belle is confused by her inclusion in the quest, but Mulan replies that her tracking skills are far greater than her own; the plan is that Belle will track down the beast and Mulan will kill it.

In Storybrooke, Belle reads a nautical book and realizes that Hook came to Storybrooke by ship. Meanwhile, William Smee is walking down the street when he runs into Mr. Gold. He uses his magic to pin him to the wall and asks him for his shawl back. William Smee tells him he gave it to Hook. After Mr. Gold calls him a rat he transforms him into a rat, who scurries away.

Belle reaches the Storybrooke Dock and notices that a seagull appears to be perched on something invisible. She throws sand on the dock and this reveals the outline of Hook's ship. She walks up the steps of the ship and walks through Cora's spell. While underneath the ship, she hears cries for help. She finds Archie and uses a sword to cut him free. Archie leaves to find Mr. Gold.

In the apartment, Henry is on the phone and Mary Margaret picks up another phone to learn that he is calling Archie's answering machine. They are consoling Henry when Emma walks in with Archie's dog Pongo, who she received from Marco after telling him how much Henry loves the dog. Henry then takes Pongo outside to clean him up. After he goes outside, Emma, Mary Margaret, and David discuss the idea of Mary Margaret and David getting their own place.

On Hook's ship, Belle searches fot Baelfire's shawl. The captain appears in the doorway of the cabin Belle is in with the garment. Belle has layed the gun aside, and they both lunge for it but Hook is faster than her. He aims the gun at her forhead.

Back in the Enchanted Forest, Belle and Mulan are walking in the woods and Mulan's wound on her leg is getting worse. She tells Belle that she must be the one to kill the yaoguai.

On Hook's ship, Belle tells Hook that she is not afraid of him, and she is not leaving without the shawl. Hook claims that keeping Gold from his son would be doing the boy a favor. Hook then elaborates more on the details of his relationship with Gold and Milah. He tells her that Milah has come willingly to him, and that Rumplestiltskin has killed her bye ripping her heart out before his very eyes. He tells her he would have burnt the shawl, but he will not because Milah has made it. He asks her why she is fighting for a man like Gold, and she says because she still sees good in his heart, and tells him his heart is rotten. She then jabs him in the face with a metal pole hanging from the ceiling and runs out of the cabin.

Starring

 * Ginnifer Goodwin as Mary Margaret Blanchard
 * Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan
 * Lana Parrilla as Evil Queen
 * Josh Dallas as David Nolan
 * Emilie de Ravin as Belle / Belle (Storybrooke)
 * Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills
 * Meghan Ory as Ruby
 * Robert Carlyle as Mr. Gold

Guest Starring

 * Tony Amendola as Marco
 * Lee Arenberg as Grumpy/Leroy
 * Jamie Chung as Mulan
 * Beverley Elliott as Granny
 * Chris Gauthier as William Smee (Storybrooke)
 * Julian Morris as Prince Phillip
 * Colin O'Donoghue as Hook
 * Raphael Sbarge as Archie Hopper
 * Keegan Connor Tracy as Mother Superior

Co-Starring

 * Michael Adamwaite as Alistair
 * Michael Coleman as Happy
 * Faustino Di Bauda as Sleepy
 * David-Paul Grove as Doc
 * Jeffrey Kaiser as Dopey
 * Paul Lazenby as Claude
 * Mig Macario as Bashful

Uncredited

 * Unknown Dog as Pongo
 * Ethan Embry as Outsider

Trivia

 * This episode's titlecard features the Yaoguai.
 * Despite the episode being titled "The Outsider", Ethan Embry's character does not make an actual appearance in this episode.
 * This is the first episode in which the Evil Queen appears but her counterpart, Regina Mills, does not.