On the one hand, my favorite Rumple has always been the devoted father Rumple — it’s the side of his character that is the most credible and relatable, and the one that RC portrays in the most heartfelt way. On the other hand, what fresh retcon is this? Bae would have never, in a million years, compelled his father to use dark magic. And this wasn’t even under a moment of duress. He wasn’t physically threatened, it wasn’t to make Rumple defend himself or anyone from Beowolf — it was literally because he didn’t want to go relocate to another village. If he had forced Rumple to defend himself against Beowulf and his useless magic sword, that’d be one thing — but this seems like it was written in such a way as to show that Bae was really just petty. It was completely, utterly out of character, and the memory potion is just a little too convenient a way out — his heart would have physically darkened. So the same level of retconning and bad writing that they did to ‘darken’ Rumple when the plot needed they are now applying to try to make him sympathetic. Ugh
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Maybe because RUMPLE used the potion on BAE it explains why BAE became more fanatic about RUMPLE give up magic and not being the DARK ONE…. it pushed him into running away.
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