Beauty (Once Upon a Time)

Did You Know?

• The episode marked the return of recurring guest star Giles Matthey and guest star Anton Starkman.
• The montage used footage from previous episodes showing key moments in the love story of Belle and Rumple, featuring archival footage of Sage Brocklebank, Eric Keenleyside, Raphael Sbarge, and Chris Shields.
• As with "A Pirate's Life," both Carlyle and De Ravin knew about the outcome of their characters before production began.

Plot

Halloween themed decorations are seen in the forest. A year after the Final Battle, Gold and Belle enjoy life in Storybrooke as a family with their son Gideon. On Gideon's first birthday, Gold tells Belle he has acquired a family travel book. The family leaves Storybrooke and spends years traveling the realms, but age begins to catch up to Belle.

Rumple grows tired of being The Dark One and wants to rid himself of the cursed immortality and darkness. He throws the dagger into a wishing river, only for it to return. He vows to Belle he will find a way to dispose of it. As years pass, Gideon leaves for college at 18, while Rumpelstiltskin and Belle continue looking for a way to get rid of the dagger.

Belle finds a solution: they must travel to the Edge of Realms and wait for sunset after an eternal day. They arrive and realize the sun may never set. Belle suggests they settle down, and they build a home, living happily for many years with Gideon visiting. One day, Belle collapses.

Rumple suggests using his powers to heal her, but Belle reveals she knew the "sunset" signified her own death and wanted to live a happy life before passing. In her final moments, she asks Rumple to let her go, telling him once he is rid of the dagger he will return to her. Belle passes away. At her grave, Gideon offers to take the darkness into himself, but Rumple refuses, revealing he already has someone else ready: a mysterious Guardian.

Later, Rumple steps through a portal into the New Enchanted Forest and runs into Alice from Wonderland, revealing she is to be his Guardian.

Production

The scene where Belle and Rumple construct their home mirrors the opening of the Disney/Pixar film Up, with similar house-building steps, the home's look, matching chairs, and yearly picnics that end when Belle collapses and dies. The music matches Michael Giacchino's Up score in mood, instruments, and chord patterns. Before filming, actors Carlyle and De Ravin already knew their characters' fates. This episode also marked the series' third LGBT reveal, as Alice/Tilly references having an ex-girlfriend.