Corbin, I think the simple answer is what Ranisha has said – it’s not a matter of there being a way. There are a million THOUSAND ways to bring the guy back. If they so wanted, he could re-enter in the first five minutes of 4×01 and it would fit easily with the mythology of everything they’ve set forth. It’s a matter of there being a will to get him back.
For whatever reason, they felt that whatever story is being told now requires Neal to be dead. That sucks – sucks big time – and you’re totally right in everyone and everything being off because of it. It boils down to, they are no longer telling the story that Once was founded on. In order to tell this new story, it will all have to be out of character. Because acting in character means Neal wouldn’t be dead. If Neal, Belle, Rumple, Emma, Snow, Charming etc was in character – he would have been brought back. He wouldn’t have died in the first place, because he wouldn’t have chosen dark magic; he wouldn’t have died in the first place because Belle would have done research. He would have been brought back via the alternate timeline because Rumple would NEVER have drank the forgetting potion. Or via TLK because Rumple would have told Emma to kiss him! Plus all of the other cheerleaders in this story who should have been like, “Uh, is there something we can do here?”
I still go back to A&E feeling that the only way to be true to these characters and still have CS happen is for Neal to be dead. The good news is, if down the line they are able to turn the tide, at least it will be easy to bring him back. Emma: Hey Rumple, do you still have the black fairy’s wand? Rumple: Yeah? Emma: K, let me borrow it, brb. *steps thru, grabs Neal by hand, steps back thru* Thanks Papa! Seriously. Cake.
The number of ways they could have brought him back, and the idiocy required NOT to bring him back, only speaks to the determination they had to have him dead. Which is what made the storytelling of 322 so bizarre. Guy must be dead but guy must guide story? Right. Seriously?
Bizarro world…
Cause this story needs some mending & a better happy ending...