From what I’ve read, A&E said that we should have hope for Rumbelle. Maybe, he won’t die, and it won’t be over. I’m hoping they do a Beauty and the Beast sort of thing where Rumple almost dies before Belle breaks the curse.
Adam said the same thing about Neal and Emma, but that was before Neal died. And Neal ‘died’ in S2 only to be brought back in S3a just to be killed off in S3b in the worst, most rushed manner. So, let that be a caution about these writers. Buzz words like “hope” and “redemption” are almost devoid of any real meaning. What happened to Swanfire could easily happen to Rumbelle — and may have already.
"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy