I like this as you know. His son was his true downfall and only Belle is his moral compass now. And with ehr in a sleeping curse, Rumple is fully off his leash and I love it.
Now with the crystal….I’m not sure what Rumple’s plan is. He also knew Hades brought the crystal with him to storybrooke so does Rumple know about this object somehow and what it can do? And what was the deal Rumple was going to offer Hades? I just find Rumple so intriguing when he’s dark because he’s so conniving and he knows when to lay low and when to pick his battles. It’s all about survival with him. He knew the heroes would find a way to defeat Hades, so he tried to get something out of it before it happened. Rumple wasn’t going to kill him unless he went after Belle. I’ll be interested to see what Rumple does moving forward.