-Neal’s lines about how important family is to Rumple, coupled with the introduction of “blood magic” makes it seem like we’re going to see more of both in the near future. This definitely sounds like a setup where someone who was not previously known to be related is going to pick up an item and it will cause the magic to react.
Yes, Neal’s line was totally foreshadowing IMO.
-Sometimes, lines are set up with false information so they can be proven wrong in a surprising way later, so while this may be fishing for something that isn’t there, I found it strange that they specified Neal was Rumple’s “only” son. Why not just say “son”? It’s not incorrect, by a long shot, but it seemed suspicious in way that might me we’d find out he isn’t. Maybe a firstborn son met an untimely fate when Rumple was unable to do anything about it? And that’s why he was so ready to do whatever it took to ensure Bael’s wellbeing?
The “only son” line is curious now that you mention it. I think though, that the scene in Manhattan where Rumple is talking about going to war, and then he and Milah are all smiley about the prospect of being able to start a family, they sound like people who haven’t had a child before.
That being said, I hadn’t even considered the possibility that Pan and Rumple were brothers.
Here’s what Barrie wrote about PP having a sibling…
Many nights and even months passed before he asked the fairies for his second wish; and I am not sure that I quite know why he delayed so long. One reason was that he had so many good-byes to say, not only to his particular friends, but to a hundred favourite spots. Then he had his last sail, and his very last sail, and his last sail of all, and so on. Again, a number of farewell feasts were given in his honour; and another comfortable reason was that, after all, there was no hurry, for his mother would never weary of waiting for him. This last reason displeased old Solomon, for it was an encouragement to the birds to procrastinate. Solomon had several excellent mottoes for keeping them at their work, such as “Never put off laying to-day, because you can lay to-morrow,” and “In this world there are no second chances,” and yet here was Peter gaily putting off and none the worse for it. The birds pointed this out to each other, and fell into lazy habits.
But, mind you, though Peter was so slow in going back to his mother, he was quite decided to go back. The best proof of this was his caution with the fairies. They were most anxious that he should remain in the Gardens to play to them, and to bring this to pass they tried to trick him into making such a remark as “I wish the grass was not so wet,” and some of them danced out of time in the hope that he might cry, “I do wish you would keep time!” Then they would have said that this was his second wish. But he smoked their design, and though on occasions he began, “I wish—” he always stopped in time. So when at last he said to them bravely, “I wish now to go back to mother for ever and always,” they had to tickle his shoulder and let him go.
He went in a hurry in the end because he had dreamt that his mother was crying, and he knew what was the great thing she cried for, and that a hug from her splendid Peter would quickly make her to smile. Oh, he felt sure of it, and so eager was he to be nestling in her arms that this time he flew straight to the window, which was always to be open for him.
But the window was closed, and there were iron bars on it, and peering inside he saw his mother sleeping peacefully with her arm round another little boy.
Peter called, “Mother! mother!” but she heard him not; in vain he beat his little limbs against the iron bars. He had to fly back, sobbing, to the Gardens, and he never saw his dear again. What a glorious boy he had meant to be to her. Ah, Peter, we who have made the great mistake, how differently we should all act at the second chance. But Solomon was right; there is no second chance, not for most of us. When we reach the window it is Lock-out Time. The iron bars are up for life.
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1332/1332-h/1332-h.htm
Given that one of the staples of this show is family angst, I’d be surprised if they didn’t include the bit about PP having a younger brother, and that playing into his issues and how he became who he is, (we know there’ll be a story to how PP got to be the twisted little villain he is). Having his origin story be something completely separate means introducing yet more characters to tell his family backstory. If he’s Rumple’s brother though, it’s two for the price of one and they can tell their childhood stories at the same time, so from a logical standpoint, it makes sense to keep the storytelling more concise IMO.
And I think it could be an interesting story if a pair of brothers were both doomed to become these villainous, controlling beings, both wielding their daggers and manipulating people for centuries. How and why were they doomed to begin with? Are they both victims of a bigger bad setting them up? Did it have something to do with their father having wronged someone powerful, which resulted in his family being cursed?
Some people think it’d be jumping the shark with yet another family connection. I tend to think that it could be a great climax to the crazy family tree, and after that, there’s no more crazy branches added.