Neal’s lines about how important family is to Rumple, coupled with the introduction of “blood magic” makes it seem like we’re going to see more of both in the near future. This definitely sounds like a setup where someone who was not previously known to be related is going to pick up an item and it will cause the magic to react.
Yes that line really stood out, especially as Rumple in this episode left the family he has left on the JR. I think it was total foreshadowing.
Sometimes, lines are set up with false information so they can be proven wrong in a surprising way later, so while this may be fishing for something that isn’t there, I found it strange that they specified Neal was Rumple’s “only” son. Why not just say “son”? It’s not incorrect, by a long shot, but it seemed suspicious in way that might me we’d find out he isn’t. Maybe a firstborn son met an untimely fate when Rumple was unable to do anything about it? And that’s why he was so ready to do whatever it took to ensure Bael’s wellbeing? Robin’s stated that nobody would claim to be Rumple’s son unless they were also made me raise an eyebrow.
Hmmm. I don’t know. I don’t find this to be suspicious. I think it’s just reinforcing the idea that Bae is all Rumple had. He didn’t have other children, just Bae, who’s existence is really Rumple’s driving force.
However, it would be strange for parents to have children named “Rumplestiltskin” (that time period/land lends itself to some exotic names) and “Peter”. The accents (super British and super Scottish) also don’t match at all. But it Rumple was raised by Spinsters, who is to say he didn’t have an adopted brother or sister? If the two were raised as brothers, and end up resolving this conflict peacefully, perhaps it would be an opportunity for the show to mend some of the “blood relations trump adoptive family” issues people have found problematic.
Yes the two could have been raised as brothers. We know they like to play with non blood family.