Belle

[PriceofMagic]

What did you think about the other reasons RG?

[RumplesGirl]

2. Snowing interrupt Rumbelle A LOT. If somebody is constantly interrupting your private time with your true love, you’re going to be a little bit resentful of that somebody. Also the fact that Snowing accused Rumple of killing Archie with absolutely no proof whatsoever just because they thought it wasn’t Regina definitely got Belle on the defensive. Charming seems the more mellow of the two whereas Snow is more stubborn. Whilst Charming has helped out Rumple on occasion, Belle’s interactions with Snow has always been when Snowing wanted something, so it isn’t exactly a friendly social relationship going on.

that’s very true. But thus far, Belle doesn’t seemed bothered by it. In fact in 310 when Snowing came to Rumple for help, Rumple tried to shut them down only to have Belle whisper “rumple” and give him a look. She wants him to help. So if she’s annoyed, she hasn’t really shown it.

3. Snow’s attitude- People will probably disagree with me here, but as of late, I’ve felt that Snow has an “all about me” attitude, especially in the echo caves. (Good Form and Ariel are my least favourite episodes) where her wanting another child was basically because her current relationship with Emma wasn’t what SHE wanted. I can’t explain it but season 3 Snow is not my favourite version of Snow.

While I don’t agree about Snow’s attitude, I see where you’re coming from. I think NL did things to people’s head. It made you say things/do things you may not normally do. I think it was a dark and scary little island of misfit toys and everyone went slightly crazy. It was Vegas. Once everyone got back to SB, they need time to readjust but I don’t see Snow having that same mentality. In fact, when Charming suggested in 310 they go get started on making a baby, Snow’s concern was for sad Neal and not her own child bearing.

"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"

[angiebelle]

I actually liked that Belle lost her confidence in “Dark Hollow.”  It made her feel more human, more relatable.  I completely understood how she was feeling as I have a lot of self esteem issues myself.  I didn’t think it seemed out of character for her.  We saw her second guess herself in “The Outsider” too.

I agree that Belle seems to forgive a little too easily at times.  I think the episode “Lacey” took it too far.  You have to wonder how on earth she could still fall in love with him after seeing all those bloodied aprons..almost makes her come across as sadistic!  I do think that otherwise, Ouat’s Belle is actually one of the closest to her Disney counterpart of all of them.  She argues back in both versions.  She deliberately does what she was asked not to do in both versions (sneaking out of her room and ending up in the West Wing in the film…and in “The Outsider” leaving home to seek Bae’s shawl),

I also agree with you all about Belle’s perspective getting glossed over.  We never really get to see her react to all the terrible things that have happened to her- being locked up, being memory wiped, turned into Lacey, etc. Every time I’ve hoped for such a moment, I’ve been disappointed.  I wanted so much for them to address how she felt about the time she spent as Lacey- she should be experiencing a “we are both” complex for the first time.  I wanted a bigger moment with her and Neal- how did she know he was alive?  What a frustrating waste of opportunity! When Adam and Eddy were asked how Belle is always able to bounce back so well, they said it was because she is so full of light, but I’d still rather see things affect her. Who realistically comes out of 30 years of confinement unscathed?

I’m thankful that while in Neverland, we got Vision!Belle because the alternative would have been no Belle at all. At least they found a way to keep her presence known even if she wasn’t there physically.  Yes, I was a bit despondent myself when she did not board that ship at the end of S2…that would have been the perfect opportunity to integrate her, but in hindsight, I’m not sure that would have worked with the way they wanted the season to play out.

I feel as if last season, the writers weren’t quite sure what to do with Belle.  They love Emilie and wanted to make her a series regular, but the hard thing about using Belle in the story is that she brings out the good in Rumple, so any time they need him to go really dark, they have to pull him away from her.  I think that may be part of the reason they get separated so much.

In S2, Belle had no involvement what so ever with the central thread of the story arc.  She didn’t really know the Charmings and so wasn’t affected by Emma and Snow being missing.  Therefore, we only saw her in side stories in town.  When “The Outsider” first aired, I was so excited when Belle fell over the line because I thought her memory loss would be part of the main arc.  Sadly, it wasn’t.  It resulted in her having only about 5 minutes of screentime total for the next 7 episodes.  I actually have always liked memory loss stories, and I was fascinated by the whole Lacey situation.  I wish they could have done more with it, but S2 suffered from too much plot.  They couldn’t deal with Belle’s situation because they were too busy with Cora and Hook then Greg and Tamara.

Please, 2nd half of S3, find ways to include Belle in the big picture!  I want to believe that sooner or later they will figure it out. Rumple is temporarily gone.  Belle *has* to interact with the others or she’ll have nothing to do.

I know I have a reputation for being an eternally optimistic Belle fan, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get frustrated too!  I’m very saddened by how little we see Belle in comparison to the other series regulars.  I just refuse to stop hoping things will get better.

[ready_to_rumbelle]

One thing that irritated me (a lot) was in 307, they have Belle mourning and in deep sadness, unable to eat. And while I know WHY and it was sad and I wanted to hug her: it’s untrue to her character. She would be running that joint. She knows she’ll see Rumple again and that he loves her. She would be sad but she’d also be the girl declaring that everyone would be home soon so get the town in order. I wish they had let her do that.

Funny you should say that because I liked that about her. I had to agree with Emma in The Heart of the truest Believer when she was irritated that Snowing were so “infuriatingly optimistic”. For me it seemed only human that Belle got to a point then, when she was sick of fighting and waiting for her TL. I know that I criticized the depressing tone of the first half of season 3 in one thread but that was merely because I felt that it was overused.

However, I think that adding some flaws to Belle’s character might be good, too. No one likes to see the perfect guy/girl on TV but rather watch a character they can relate to and Belle’s “forgiving” manner  (we have never seen her vengeful towards Hook or Regina) is honestly annoying and don’t get me wrong, I really like her.

[betsypaige24]

RumplesGirl wrote:

betsypaige24 wrote: I hate to say this, I really do, but she is a plot device. Unlike some Belle fans, I’ve never had a problem with her being part of Gold’s storyline, furthering his redemption arc – I’ve found it beautiful and gorgeous how she loves and supports him, how her faith in him gives him faith in himself. The problem is that she’s stuffed in a hospital or otherwise disappears into some dark corner of SB until she’s needed.

I actually agree with you. While Emilie is a great actress, I think that Belle’s role is really to serve as Rumple’s moral center. But like you I don’t have a huge problem with that. Belle is my favorite Disney princess, but here on ONCE, while I do LOVE Belle and LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE Rumbelle, this iteration of Belle isn’t my favorite. I’m ok with her being tied to Gold. But yes it is a matter of expectation vs reality. Even if her whole character is just “Rumple’s TL” they need to start developing that outside of speeches and quick romantic gestures like dressing him in the shop.

This! Beauty and the Beast is undoubtedly my favorite Disney movie, and Belle my favorite princess. One thing that makes me a little upset about the OUAT version of Belle is that they pretty much have free reign over the Disney incarnations and one of the best parts about Disney’s Belle is her ability to stand up to the Beast and put him…and pretty much anyone else in their place. She was incredibly supportive and loving but knew when “tough love” was necessary. OUAT’s Belle tends to lack that – she shows her unending support and holds her own against Rumple but it’s more….maybe passive aggressive? For lack of a better word? And she has an insane ability to forgive and forget. Which is why I think we haven’t, and won’t see OUAT Belle say anything to Regina and Hook. Or anyone else who does her wrong. She focuses on forgiving and forgetting – an endearing and equally frustrating quality.

Actually, Belle has stood up to Rumple/Gold several times, so I don’t agree: Skin Deep, she walked out. Broken, she walked out. Croc, she walked out (but basically I thought she was completely out of character in the Croc; nevermind her escaping through a window without leaving a note, but in the mine scene, she treated Gold the same way she treated the father who tried to erase her identity).  After that, she’s basically been a non-entity on the show. We saw her briefly in Child of the Moon, barely in episode 8 or 9 (I forget, but it’s the one where Hook tried to kill her in FTL) and then in the  Outsider….. She then didn’t make an appearance until the finale (not counting Lacey because that wasn’t her).

What has Belle forgiven/forgotten that she shouldn’t? Milah? I’m fine with that. Why should she hold onto anger about something that (a) he’s clearly remorseful about and (b) happened 300 years ago and (c) it didn’t happen to her. What exactly would be the point of holding that against him?  He can’t do anything about it now……no matter how much he regrets it. She knows who he is,  has always seen that he has this wonderful, great heart. The only point in not forgiving/forgetting this would be to cause him pain…… and for what?  If you’re referring to Maurice beating, assuming they discussed this, we don’t know she forgave him right away, but considering what her *** father tried to do to her, I’m pretty sure she would have understood why Gold would have believed that he drove her to suicide. He was a desperate, broken man when the chipped cup was stolen and frankly he had a nervous breakdown…he wasn’t in his right mind.

Unfortunately, we saw Belle standing next to Regina in Gold’s shop in Going Home and also showing concern when she fainted. I don’t blame Belle, I blame Adam and Eddy for not giving a crap about her. I don’t think the Belle that I see on the show has forgiven or forgotten what Hook and Regina  did, but because they won’t allow her her moment, it might come off like that. I dislike SOOO much of what these two have done.

RG, this is why it would be ok with me if they made Belle a recurring character……She’s not someone they intend to ever give any screen time to and Rumbelle is, despite the gloriousness of their love story and their insane popularity, low ship on the totem pole. Hence, the constant separations. If they try to separate them AGAIN after their next reunion, I think they will lose many viewers who are barely holding on now.  If they don’t, then they must given them storylines together. What saddens me is that Bobby and Emilie have the most extraordinary chemistry, and it’s being wasted.  Whether this show has 1 more season or multiple seasons left, their time together is limited and I feel like at the end of the show (if I make it), I will be left with a ton of regrets. I can’t think of another show that would have wasted such potential.

As it stands, it would be nice if Belle could actually take an active role in things………have a neat little storyline arc about her shattered life without Gold and how she eventually discovers he’s alive (or believes it) and goes to find him.  That would make sense, but I just doubt we’ll see it.

[Cinders]

Personally, I think the character Belle has been lost, and has become Rumbelle.

I’d love to see just Belle. Her character was introduced by Rumple and she’s been hog tied to him ever since. Her dialog, her goals, her dreams, her visions, her future, all Rumbelle.

I’d love to see her tell Rumple that she’s fine by herself. I’d love to see her walk away from Rumbelle (but only if their endgame is to be together).

I want to see Belle become who she was in the beginning when we first met her. “No one decides my fate but me”.

I’d love to see her take a more meaningful journey by herself, find her inner Belle, and then return to Rumple as she once was. Outspoken, with a touch of Lacey’s spunk.
As she’s portrayed now, I have no connection to Belle other than as an extension of Rumple.

[betsypaige24]

Stelio Kontos wrote: I think Belle’s lack of screen time just goes back to what the original plan was for her character. The fact that she’s even still around was moe than what they had planned for. The thing is we’re already two season past that and quite frankly the writers do need to get on the ball here and do a better job integrating Belle into the way the story is being told. With Rumple “gone” this is the perfect time to make some strides with her character and integrate her better with the rest of the main cast. She seems like too much of an outsider right now but hopefully that will change. I really want to see how she gets along with Bae if they don’t have those two developing some kind of relationship that would be incredibly disappointing.

It is the perfect time to integrate Belle more. She and Snow have a lot in common and I think they’d make good buddies. If Ariel can ever come back, I’d love to see more AriBelle and AriSnowBelle. If Belle and Neal aren’t BFFs by the time they get back to SB, I’d going to be mad. But, I’m going to sound a bit like Betsy (I say that with love), I am very nervous that A and E will ignore that this is integration time. Belle and Nealfire FOR SURE but with anyone else….Idk. They should but the question is will they.

Stelio, agreed! God, I want Belle/Bae bonding and have for a dog’s age………..that might be why they made it seem as if Bae/Belle already liked each other (obviously Gold must have told him about Belle – and of course Bae remembered her from the phone call – and I suppose Ariel told Belle Bae was alve), so that they could start to bond relatively quickly so that when Gold died, they’d already be pretty close.  These two were practically side by side all the time in Going Home – at the cemetary (loved the look between them) and in the shop, when Belle touched him. Perhaps this indicates they will grow truly close in S3B……I’ve always felt that Bae could use a real friend AND a maternal figure in his life and Belle has always been devoted to him.

I admit I used to want SnowBelle, but I’ve been done with that for a long time given how poorly Snow (and everyone in her family) treats Belle. I actually thought Charm Belle had a shot, but after Child of the Moon, nope – that went downhill fast. I used to want EmBelle, but nope,  not now. I adore ArchBelle (Archie/Belle) and GrumpBelle, but those two gents aren’t seen THAT often…..

LOL don’t worry RG, you can use me as a touchstone for when you are nervous.

I do disagree about Dark Hollow…….. I think that was a wonderful scene and very realistic. No matter what Belle said at the docks, I think she was very worried about Gold not returning.  I loved how that entire episode showed her vulnerability and insecurities, but also her strength. In the diner scene, we saw how much she missed Gold……I adored that.

Yes BelleFire better be a thing by the time Rumple show up again or I’ll be right there with you. I mean maybe they’re hinting that they’ll develop them more after how Pan singled them out in the finale. The best part for me of the “villain’s don’t get happy endings” scene for me was when he tells the two most important people in his life how much they mean to him. He defeated his cowardice and protected them, and it was Belle who gave him the strength to be the good man that Bae always wanted him to be

Yes, and sigh, when he gazed at Belle for as long as he could before he had to move on to the confrontation…..ugh, I melted.  He couldn’t even say that Belle would be happy without him because to do so would be to diminish the remarkable strength and power of their True Love. Parents are always having to let their children go to some extent to live their lives, so he knew Bae could find his own personal happiness……but Belle, poor Belle, he knows how much she loves him.

[angiebelle]

Personally, I think the character Belle has been lost, and has become Rumbelle. I’d love to see just Belle. Her character was introduced by Rumple and she’s been hog tied to him ever since. Her dialog, her goals, her dreams, her visions, her future, all Rumbelle. I’d love to see her tell Rumple that she’s fine by herself. I’d love to see her walk away from Rumbelle (but only if their endgame is to be together). I want to see Belle become who she was in the beginning when we first met her. “No one decides my fate but me”. I’d love to see her take a more meaningful journey by herself, find her inner Belle, and then return to Rumple as she once was. Outspoken, with a touch of Lacey’s spunk.
As she’s portrayed now, I have no connection to Belle other than as an extension of Rumple.

I would absolutely love to see Belle come into her own!  That’s what I’ve been waiting for, and what I have been disappointed in not seeing save for a glimpse here or there.  I had been hoping to see more of that when she was the only series regular left in Storybrooke.  I am hoping again now that Rumple is momentarily out of the picture.  The writers have not yet given Belle a chance to shine in her own right with the exception of “The Outsider” and “Dark Hollow.”

[betsypaige24]

I respect your opinion Cinders, but I couldn’t disagree more.  Why should she walk away from the man she desperately loves? It’s not HIS fault that Adam and Eddy, pardon my French, crap on her.  He does as much as he can to encourage her, always has. In the Croc, he gave her the keys to a library – she couldn’t leave town, but she could have her adventures, she could learn, explore.

To me (and this won’t happen, IMO), having her walk away from Gold for no reason (she sort of did this in the Croc anyway) short of “I have to find myself” is unrealistic.  You can have a loved one in your life and still have your own identity; all she’d be doing would be making herself miserable (because she would be; why would she want to avoid him) and making him miserable.

It’s not necessary for Rumbelle to not exist in order for Belle to have an identity – it’s necessary to have good writers who care. I have zero hope for Belle or Rumbelle and so I’m not excited in the least about S3B.

[angiebelle]

Well, I agree that I wouldn’t necessarily want to see Belle deliberately walk away from Rumple in order to find herself.  I just want the show to give us storylines with Belle that aren’t just about how much they love each other and her being his conscious all the time. They don’t have to break up for that.  Belle just needs her own arc that isn’t about him.  They tell us she’s independent- let’s see it!  You can be in a relationship and still have your own identity, absolutely.  I’m married, and I’m my own person. I wouldn’t say the writers don’t care, but I would say they aren’t making her a priority.

[Author]

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