Reply To: Shard or a Box?

What about the way this character is written currently and for the past few seasons makes us think it’ll stick this time?

Well, this time Rumple has his second child on the way. Look how far Rumple was willing to go the first time to find his beloved Bae — who was the entire reason for the dark curse. Perhaps one of the only times we’ve visibly seen Rumple hand over his dagger was to try and save Nealfire, his first-born child. So, Rumple choosing to go for the Olympian crystal did seem the logical step if he (a) didn’t know a portal was being opened at the time and (b) has no faith that TLK will ever work for him and Belle.

I’m not really a hardcore Rumbelle fan (though I did really like Skin Deep), but even I can pretty much tell they’re just dragging out a Rumbelle TLK until Robert Carlyle leaves (which likely will be at the end of S6). While I don’t think Rumple really deserves to get Belle back after what he did to her, I do think the writers of the show will end Rumple’s final arc with a TLK.  Probably Rumple will die in the end (since “villains don’t get happy endings”), but not before he saves Belle and their unborn child.