@LisaFromOH wrote:
I think the shawl was not only protecting Rumple’s memories, but also his magic. Before he took it off, Emma said she wouldn’t let him forget. I think her magic is what protected his memories while he was not touching the shawl (unconsciously on her part). However, she did not think about protecting his magic (and may not have even if she’d thought about it). That was why he was so surprised when he wasn’t able to use his magic.
Hope I am stating this clearly, my brain’s kind of fuzzy right now (lots going on in RL).
Makes sense to me. They released this scene as a sneak peek, and when I originally saw it, I thought that perhaps Emma making a point of touching the shawl and touching him right after he took it off was her thinking, “I dunno what this magic of mine does exactly, but let’s see if it helps if I touch stuff.” It did come right after Emma looked him dead in the eye and said she wouldn’t let him forget, after all.
@AngieBelle wrote:
I’m pretty sure it is a case of magic only exists in Storybrooke, not the rest of our world. He just was trying to will it to work- deep down he probably knew it wouldn’t. I don’t think he lost anything when he took off the shawl for a second. He just got woozy. He’ll have his powers again when he crosses back over the border.
But things that contain magic in SB retain them in our world, otherwise the shawl wouldn’t be working. Unless he doesn’t actually need it on him in our world, and he’s just being paranoid, because the only place it was ever being actively magical was right at that spot on the town line? They made a point of putting a blurry effect on him a couple of times right after he took it off though, so I think something did happen to him then. They could have just left it with his facial expressions and movements to convey that he was thrown off balance a bit, but they went to the trouble of adding a special effect. It sorta reminded me of the pulse that goes out when twoo wuv’s kiss breaks a curse.