Skin Deep (Once Upon a Time)

Plot

The Ogre Wars are going poorly for Sir Maurice's lands in the Enchanted Forest. He summons Rumpelstiltskin, who offers to help in exchange for Maurice's daughter, Belle, coming to live at his estate and take care of him. Belle's father and her fiancé, Gaston, refuse the deal, but Belle defies them both and accepts. At the castle, Rumpelstiltskin gives Belle a chore list, which includes a task about skinning children for their pelts.

Belle drops a teacup in shock, but Rumpelstiltskin reveals it was a joke and is not angry about the chipped cup. Over several months, the two grow closer. Belle later finds children's clothing in a room, and Rumpelstiltskin explains it belonged to his son, who he lost along with his wife. Gaston then arrives to fight Rumpelstiltskin for Belle, but Rumpelstiltskin turns him into a rose and gives it to Belle.

When asked about Gaston, Belle says their relationship was an arranged marriage, not love, and that she left home to be heroic and save her village, since women have few opportunities there. Rumpelstiltskin then asks Belle to go to town for straw for his spinning. When she doubts he trusts her to return, he somberly admits he does not expect to see her again.

Production

"Skin Deep" was written by consulting producer Jane Espenson, with direction from Milan Cheylov, a director known for his work on 24. The episode was designed as a retelling of "Beauty and the Beast," and series co-creators Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz wanted their version of Belle to be immediately likeable, intelligent, and strong. This led them to cast Emilie de Ravin, whose involvement was announced in November 2011. De Ravin accepted the role after reading the script, feeling the character was brave and had a playful quality that would make her appealing to Rumpelstiltskin. During their casting meeting, Kitsis and Horowitz explained that Belle is a strong, intelligent woman in a world that frowns upon those traits, and that de Ravin would be transforming the iconic Belle into a fully realized woman.

Espenson noted that this was one of the show's most romance-focused episodes. When the production team realized it would air close to Valentine's Day, they chose to embrace that theme. Unusually for the series, the episode's central theme shifted during development. It was originally about Rumpelstiltskin choosing power over love, but as Espenson worked through drafts and discussed them, she concluded that while Rumpelstiltskin believes he is making that choice, his actions are actually driven by a deep-seated belief that he is unworthy of love. Due to time constraints, Espenson had to cut several plot points, including a failed escape attempt by Belle. She focused on trimming the Storybrooke segments to preserve as much of the fairy-tale storyline as possible, since the Belle-Rumpelstiltskin romance needed room to develop believably.

De Ravin was already a fan of the show before joining and enjoyed seeing the costumes up close, calling Belle's gold dress "absolutely stunning." In December 2011, the casting of Gaston, Belle's former suitor, was announced, with Sage Brocklebank of Psych taking the role. De Ravin described this version of Gaston as less arrogant than the animated character, but still humorous. Rumpelstiltskin's castle was filmed almost entirely using greenscreen, with only a handful of real props. This was de Ravin's first experience with greenscreen technology, which made her quite nervous. The physical props helped her during filming, and the production had a monitor setup that showed a rough preview of how the final scene would look.

Cultural references

The episode is packed with nods to Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Belle drops a chipped tea cup, a clear callback to Chip, the boy turned into a teacup in the animated film. Belle's father calls Rumplestiltskin a "beast," and her fiancé is named Gaston, after the movie's villain, who is transformed into a red rose—a key object from the film. Belle's fantasy-world wardrobe, including her iconic yellow ballgown and blue-and-white outfit, is heavily inspired by the Disney version.

Elsewhere, Mr. French runs a flower shop called "Game of Thorns," a wink to the series Game of Thrones, with the name and logo visible on his van. David is shown reading Anna Karenina, a novel about a tragic affair. The episode closes with a reference to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: Regina encounters a nurse who strongly resembles Nurse Ratched, and a janitor mopping the floor looks like the Chief from the story.

Reception

The episode "Skin Deep" saw a drop in viewership compared to the previous installment. It earned a 3.0 rating in the 18-49 demographic and was watched by 8.65 million people, a 14 percent decline, though it still managed to rank second for the night. The decrease was partly attributed to airing opposite the 54th Grammy Awards, which posted their highest numbers since 1984, and the sudden death of Whitney Houston the day before the ceremony. In Canada, the episode placed sixteenth for the week with an estimated 1.55 million viewers, a slight dip from the 1.58 million who tuned in for the prior episode.

Critical response to "Skin Deep" was divided. Amy Ratcliffe of IGN gave the episode an 8 out of 10, praising Robert Carlyle’s performance. She noted that she especially enjoyed him in this installment, saying he conveyed genuine emotion despite his exaggerated Rumpelstiltskin accent and elevated every scene he appeared in. She expressed hope that the episode would lead to something larger. Laura Prudom of The Huffington Post commended writer Jane Espenson, calling her a perfect match for the episode and highlighting her skill at crafting complex, empowered female characters when at the top of her game.

Hillary Busis of Entertainment Weekly offered a more critical take, describing Espenson’s attempt at a "nightmarish, twisty tale of obsession and loss" as "decidedly mixed." Busis argued that the relationship between Belle and Rumpelstiltskin lacked sufficient development, noting that while fairy tales often feature quick romances, the animated Beauty and the Beast at least made the attraction understandable. She felt "Skin Deep" failed to explain that connection. In contrast, Teresa Jusino of Tor.com called the episode an "amazing retelling" of the Beauty and the Beast story, praising its funny, charming, and harrowing moments and its exploration of Rumpelstiltskin’s character at both his warmest and darkest. However, Jusino was critical of the subplot involving David and Mary Margaret, which she felt was unnecessary and did little to advance the story.