Neal Cassidy

"These are the remnants of Neal Cassidy, a boy who was in this land alone, and all because his father was too much of a coward to hold into what he had."

- Mr. Gold to Robin Hood

Baelfire, also known as Bae, later known as Neal Cassidy, formerly known as the Mysterious Man, is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time. He débuts in the eighth episode of the first season. He is portrayed by guest stars Michael Raymond-James, Dylan Schmid and Brandon Spink, and co-stars Sebastian Wilkinson and Dean Petriw, and is the main reality version of Baelfire.

Trivia

 * -|Character Notes=

Etymology

 * "Baelfire" is another word for bonfire, a large fire built outdoors, as for signaling or in celebration of an event. "Baelfire" can be spelled in a number of different ways, including Bale Fire, Beal Fire and Bel Fire, and is the hallmark of any Beltane celebration.
 * Emma alludes to this when she lies to Henry and says that his father was training to be a fireman, and died saving a family from a burning building.
 * According to Rumplestiltskin, Baelfire is "a strong name".
 * Neal's name is similar to Neal Cassady, an infamous thief who served eleven months in prison for possession of stolen goods; just like Emma did when Neal let her take the fall for his crime.

Character Notes

 * Baelfire is the only person his father has broken a deal with.
 * According to the Blue Fairy, Bae is the light that keeps his father human at his core.
 * Baelfire has a talent for drawing, which he inherited from his mother. The drawings on his cave walls show several memories from his life, including:
 * A portal with hands reaching into it, reflecting how he was separated from his father in "The Return".
 * The port and starboard symbol on Hook's ship from "And Straight On 'Til Morning". Hook's grapple hook is also pictured.
 * London, where Baelfire lived for some time in "Second Star to the Right".
 * A drawing of the Darling family and their dog Nana, all of whom Baelfire lived with for a short time in "Second Star to the Right".
 * Neal has a collection of clocks, just like his father, Mr. Gold, and his son, Henry.
 * The address of Neal's apartment is 89 Wooster Street, New York, NY, 10012.
 * His apartment is situated across the street from the back building of real-life Italian pasta supplier Piedmont Ravoli Co. Inc. located on 162 Mulberry Street in New York.
 * According to Tamara, Neal avoids mayo like "its the plague".
 * Neal's wanted poster reads:

WANTED FOR GRAND LARCENY  NEAL CASSIDY DESCRIPTION


 * Date of birth: March 23, 1977
 * Place of birth: New Jersey
 * Height: 5' 9":: Weight: 170 pounds
 * NCIC: W238392092039
 * Occupation: Janitor
 * Scars and Marks: Neal Cassidy has a scar on his left arm from a knife wound
 * Remarks: Neal Cassidy may be in possession of stolen firearms

Hair: Black Eyes: Brown Sex: Male Race: Caucasian Nationality: American


 * According to his wanted poster, Neal was born in 1977. Baelfire was born long before that; however, the data are probably meant to represent his biological age. Since Neal and Emma met in 2001, he would have been twenty-four while she was seventeen at the time.


 * According to Michael Raymond-James, Emma is Neal's true love.
 * Belle has also referred to their relationship as true love.

Storybook Notes

 * Henry's storybook contains a retelling of a scene from "Desperate Souls":


 * -|Production Notes=

Production Notes

 * The casting call name for Neal was "Jack" and describes him as, "in his 20s or 30s, charismatic, sexy and mysterious, but also loyal and kind, and he's running from his past in a land full of danger."
 * For his role as Neal, Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis offered Michael Raymond-James the part right away without an audition.
 * Michael Raymond-James is mistakenly credited as "Neal Cassady" in the press release for "Tallahassee".


 * -|Cultural References=

Disney

 * Neal thinks the movie Mulan is "pretty good".

Lost

 * The back of Neal's iPod has a Geronimo Jackson logo. Geronimo Jackson is a fictional band on Lost.
 * Neal and Emma planned to start a new life together in Tallahassee, a location referred to on Lost, and a reference to the episode "The Man From Tallahassee".
 * According to his wanted poster, Neal was born March 23, 1977. 23 is one of the Lost numbers, and 1977 was an important year in the Lost timeline.

Popular Culture

 * The song playing on his iPod during the walk to his apartment is "Charley's Girl" by Lou Reed.
 * The same song is playing in Emma's New York apartment in "Going Home".
 * While living as thieves in Portland, Neal says to Emma, "Maybe it's time we retire the Bonnie and Clyde act". Bonnie and Clyde were famous outlaws and robbers who traveled the central United States with their gang during the Great Depression. Their effect on pop culture would last for decades beyond their demise.
 * While searching for a way to get to Neverland, Neal makes a reference to the ruby slippers from the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. (In L. Frank Baum's original novel, Dorothy wore silver shoes. They were changed into ruby slippers for the movie.)
 * The Portland flashback scene with Emma and Neal at the fairground is an homage to the famous scene from the 1954 movie On the Waterfront, where Marlon Brando is sitting in a swing in a children's park and handles a white glove dropped by Eva Marie Saint as they recall earlier days.
 * Neal loved the song "Only You" by Yazoo, and taught Henry how to use it with girls like he did with Emma.
 * -|Set Notes=

Props Notes

 * Baelfire's kickball is in Mr. Gold's pawnshop during the Dark Curse.
 * The dreamcatcher hanging in Neal's apartment was given to him by Emma.

Set Dressing

 * There is a sign in Neal's apartment that reads "Cleaner & Hatters".
 * Neal has many vintage items in his apartment such as an array of old radios, old microphones, classic cameras, records and record player, old pencil sharpener, cobbler's wooden shoe forms and an old telephone.
 * Neal's son Henry also has a collection of vintage items in his own apartment in Seattle.


 * -|Other Notes=

Reawakened: A Once Upon a Time Tale

 * Emma is said to think that Henry has the same ears as his father's.

Appearances
Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.