Mr. Smee is usually a joke. In the original J.M. Barrie plays and the classic 1953 Disney animation, he’s the soft-bellied, bumbling comic relief who spends most of his time sharpening Hook’s hook or accidentally hitting the Captain with a hammer. But when Once Upon a Time Smee debuted, things got a little more complicated.
He wasn't just a sidekick. He was a man caught between worlds.
The ABC show Once Upon a Time (OUAT) had this weird, brilliant knack for taking one-dimensional fairy tale characters and giving them a reason to be the way they are. With William Smee, played by Chris Gauthier, the showrunners didn't just give us a guy in a striped shirt. They gave us a survivalist.
Honesty is important here: Smee is a coward. But in the context of the Enchanted Forest and the Cutlass Bay, cowardice is a legitimate strategy for staying alive. If you're hanging out with Killian Jones (Captain Hook) or Rumplestiltskin, you've gotta be smart about where you stand. Gauthier brought a certain "everyman" energy to the role that made Smee one of the most relatable, albeit morally gray, characters in the Neverland arcs.
The Man Behind the Red Beanie: Who Was the OUAT Smee?
In the Once Upon a Time universe, William Smee didn't start on the Jolly Roger. He was originally a man looking for a way to cheat death—or at least avoid the hardships of a magical world gone wrong.
Before he became the first mate we know, he was a trader. He dealt in the rare, the magical, and the dangerous. This is a huge departure from the source material where he's basically just a pirate who likes knitting. In OUAT, Smee is the one who tries to broker a deal with Rumplestiltskin for a magic bean. That’s a high-stakes move. You don't just walk up to the Dark One unless you have some serious guts, or you're desperate.
Smee was desperate.
He wanted his youth. He wanted a life that didn't end in a muddy ditch. When Rumplestiltskin turned him into a rat (briefly), it set the tone for his entire character arc: Smee is a guy who constantly underestimates the predators around him until he’s forced to serve them.
Why the Hook-Smee Dynamic Changed
In most versions of Peter Pan, Smee is Hook’s caretaker. He’s almost maternal. In Once Upon a Time, the relationship is built on a weird kind of mutual necessity. Hook needs a crew he can trust—or at least a crew that is too scared to betray him—and Smee needs a captain who can keep him safe from the even bigger monsters in the sea.
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Chris Gauthier and Colin O'Donoghue had great chemistry. It wasn't the master-servant vibe from the cartoons. It was more like a tired boss and his long-suffering assistant who knows exactly where all the bodies are buried. Smee was the one who actually kept the Jolly Roger running while Hook was off chasing revenge against the Crocodile.
The Storybrooke Shift and the Loss of Identity
When the Dark Curse hit, everyone lost themselves. Smee became a different kind of lackey. In the real world—Storybrooke, Maine—he worked for Mr. Gold (Rumplestiltskin). Talk about irony. The man who once tried to trick the Dark One ended up as his direct subordinate in a town where nobody remembered their magic.
This is where the Once Upon a Time Smee character gets interesting for fans.
Even without his memories, Smee retained that "henchman" DNA. He was the one Gold sent to do the dirty work, like kidnapping Belle's father or tracking down magical artifacts. It raises a cool psychological question the show loved to play with: Are we born to be sidekicks, or do our circumstances make us that way?
Even as a "civilian," Smee was still a middleman. He never wanted to be the hero, but he also didn't have the stomach to be the true villain. He just wanted to be on the winning side.
The Neverland Arc: Survival of the Fittest
When the show finally moved to Neverland in Season 3, we saw the pirate version of Smee in his element. This wasn't the "Disney" Neverland. It was a nightmare. Peter Pan was a villain, the Lost Boys were a cult, and the jungle was trying to kill everyone.
Smee’s role here was crucial for the audience.
He provided the grounding. While the main characters were busy with "The Heart of the Truest Believer" and grand prophecies, Smee was just trying to make sure the ship didn't get wrecked. He represented the common person in a world of gods and monsters. Most of us wouldn't be Emma Swan or Regina Mills. We’d probably be Smee, hoping the guy with the sword knows what he’s doing.
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What Most People Get Wrong About Smee’s Loyalty
People often assume Smee is loyal to Hook out of love or friendship.
That’s a bit of a stretch.
If you look at his actions across the seasons, Smee’s loyalty is a survival mechanism. He sticks with Hook because Hook is the most competent pirate on the seas. When Hook turns "good" for Emma, Smee is visibly confused. The transition from a life of pillaging to a life of domesticity in Storybrooke didn't suit Smee as well as it suited Hook.
He liked the structure of the pirate life. He liked knowing his place in the hierarchy. When that hierarchy dissolved, Smee kind of faded into the background of Storybrooke, eventually becoming just another face at Granny's Diner or the Rabbit Hole.
The Tragic Reality of the Character
Honestly, Smee’s story is kind of sad if you think about it too long.
He spent centuries—literally, because of the way time works in Neverland—serving others. He never got his own "Happy Ending" in the way the main cast did. He didn't find a True Love. He didn't get a redemption arc that ended in a coronation. He just... persisted.
But maybe that’s the point.
Not everyone in a fairy tale is a prince. Some people are just there to hold the coat. And Smee was the best coat-holder in the Enchanted Forest. Chris Gauthier, who sadly passed away in 2024, brought a warmth to the role that made Smee feel like more than just a plot device. He felt like a neighbor. A slightly sketchy neighbor who might sell you a stolen watch, but a neighbor nonetheless.
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Key Takeaways from the Once Upon a Time Version of Smee
If you're rewatching the series or diving in for the first time, keep an eye on these specific details about Smee:
- The Bean Trade: His introduction in Season 2, Episode 4 ("The Crocodile") is essential. It establishes that he was a man of ambition before he was a man of service.
- The Rat Phase: Being turned into a rat by Rumplestiltskin wasn't just a gag; it symbolized his low status in the magical food chain.
- Adaptability: Whether he was a pirate in Neverland or a thug in Storybrooke, he knew how to make himself useful to whoever held the power.
- Subtle Humor: Smee often provided the much-needed "what are we even doing?" perspective when the heroes' plans got too convoluted.
How to Appreciate the Smee Episodes
To really get the full Once Upon a Time Smee experience, you should focus on the "Crocodile" episode and the early Season 3 Neverland episodes. These show the transition from a greedy trader to a seasoned pirate who knows when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em.
Pay attention to his body language. Gauthier played Smee with a constant sort of "twitch," a man always looking for the nearest exit. It’s a masterclass in character acting that often gets overshadowed by the flashy magic and romance of the series.
Moving Forward: Why Smee Still Matters
Smee reminds us that the "side" characters are the ones who build the world. Without a crew, Hook is just a guy with a grudge. Without a henchman, Mr. Gold is just a lonely pawn shop owner. Smee provides the friction and the labor that makes the magical world feel lived-in.
If you’re looking to explore more about the secondary characters of Once Upon a Time, start by looking at how they mirror the protagonists. Smee is the dark reflection of loyalty—where Hook is loyal out of passion, Smee is loyal out of necessity. It’s a nuance that makes the show worth a second (or third) look.
For fans of the series, the best way to honor the character is to recognize the work Chris Gauthier put into making a "coward" someone we actually cared to see on screen. He wasn't just a pirate; he was the heart of the Jolly Roger's deck.
To dive deeper into the lore, you might want to cross-reference Smee’s Storybrooke scenes with his Enchanted Forest scenes. You’ll notice he’s one of the few characters whose personality barely changes regardless of the curse. He is who he is: a man trying to get through the day without being eaten by a crocodile or turned into a rodent again. That’s a goal we can all understand.
Next time you watch, don't just look at the heroes. Look at the guy in the back, checking the ropes and keeping an eye on the horizon. That’s where the real story of survival is happening.