The only way I will ever catch up on any new episodes (i haven’t watched any since quiet minds, and I want to unwatch that episode so badly) so the only way I would ever consider going back to this story is if they treat it like the tragedy it IS and not try to pretend that this story is about hope and happy endings.
If this is the direction that this story is taking, then the next step would be to force Gold to kill Henry in front of Regina, have snowing try to save Henry only to get themselves killed, have Regina kill herself (i would’t mind a heartbreaking scene of Emma crying over Regina) Zelena can force Gold to kill Belle as well
They can have gold lose more and more weight untill he looks like a skeleton, trying to starve himself to death. But the dark one can’t die, he will remain, forever a slave to darkness.
This is the only end fitting to the ‘bold’ story they have decided to tell by killing the one character MOST deserving of a happy ever afer ending. A bold and tragic story.