Really???? A Gauntlet????

[Keb]

I have to admit the gauntlet made me angry. It would have been so, so much more powerful and emotional to see Belle actually TALK to Hook or Anna for SO many reasons. To see her actually piecing things together with that brain of hers, to see Hook signaling something was wrong with his craftiness (surviving just because you got lucky isn’t being good at surviving, Killian dear), seeing Belle have the chance to apologize to Anna and getting Anna’s reaction to her marrying Rumple–ALL of that would have been such good payoff for everything they’ve set up. Instead…she tests a magical gauntlet that we ONLY just discovered existed for this episode?

The parallel of her learning that he hadn’t actually surrendered the gauntlet for her just as he now hasn’t actually surrendered his power for her works for me, but I don’t think it’s nearly as interesting (and heck, still could’ve been created in some fashion) as having Belle interact with people. I mean…honestly, this whole arc it’s felt like they were allergic to letting Belle TALK to anyone. Or be on screen. Of the cut scenes they showed us, 80% featured Belle’s only other moment in that episode–and meanwhile, there were only four hours of the 12 this season where she really felt present at all.

This was the episode where she really got to shine, to save the day, to BE THE HERO, and…still…it’s like they’re keeping her away from all the other characters. This is the first time in four seasons she even said ONE word directly to Henry. Hook, who was left alone in the dang shop with her several times after Rumple took his heart, never even tried to get her to notice something was wrong? He’ll signal Emma by squeezing her hand but not even attempt to find a way to get Belle to figure it out? He tricked Regina and escaped Maleficent and survived being pals with Cora and enemies with Pan…and he can’t find a way to use the one thing that could save himself and Storybrooke? Or even try? (Yes, Rumple probably commanded him not to…but not to attempt at all?)

And the letdown of Belle not getting to say farewell to Anna at all…ugh. I mean…you set up a whole episode where Belle is wracked with guilt for letting the Snow Queen get Anna, and then you don’t let her even apologize or get any closure at all? You set up Anna to be aghast learning that Belle not only came across but married Rumple…and then we don’t get to see that expression? The chances that the Frozen cast are going to come back even for cameos seem kinda slim, so that was the chance…and they wasted it, and Anna’s warning to Emma almost didn’t make sense in context. To Belle, it would have. And Anna didn’t have complete knowledge so it still could have taken Belle a little time to figure things out, plus you’d have the lovely drama of Hook actually trying and not trying to keep them apart. Which also didn’t play out.

And so the tiny bit of significance that the gauntlet had within the episode is just DROWNED by wasted opportunities to develop the characters and their relationships. To show us Hook fighting under impossible odds, Belle putting the pieces together (one minute she’s wondering about the gauntlet and the next time we see her she’s mysteriously in the clock tower being a BA Princess…but the development is just MISSING), Anna being a friend, Rumple’s perfect plan shattering around him when the heroes work TOGETHER.

We didn’t even see the stupid gauntlet in action. It was a dead prop.

…I hate that stupid gauntlet even if I did like the Rumbelle fluff backstory.

[MatthewPaul]

I remember dragging myself outta bed on Saturday mornings to watch that Aladdin show, always hoping it’d be a Mozenrath ep so I could hear that voice.

[TheWatcher]

I wonder if we will ever actually see the gauntlet again. Thats a useful artifiact and could come in handy.

"I could have the giant duck as my steed!" --Daniel Radcliffe
Keeper Of Tamara's Taser , Jafar's Staff, Kitsis’s Glasses , Ariel’s Tail, Dopey's Hat , Peter Pan’s Shadow, Outfit, & Pied Cloak,Red Queen's Castle, White Rabbit's Power To World Hop, Zelena's BroomStick, & ALL MAGIC

[Keb]

Well, I LOVE when they call back to previous magical devices/methods, so…as mad as I am about it NOW, if that gauntlet becomes a major chess piece next arc, I might forgive them a bit. But they missed out on some major character-building opportunities by skipping to the Plot Device gauntlet.

I did love that Ursula used the same sand dollar technique that Rumple later used with Ariel. That was a lovely callback (and Belle is ALSO Leia, hee! Of course, so is Emma, but that’s okay too!) and a neat way to connect stories.

Keeper of Belle's Gold magic, sand dollar, cloaks, purple FTL outfit, spell scroll, library key, copy of Romeo and Juliet, and cry-muffling pillow, Rumple's doll, overcoat, and strength, and The Timeline. My spreadsheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6r8CySCCWd9R0RUNm4xR3RhMEU/view?usp=sharing

[SirMedraut]

I’m rather annoyed, I replied to this thread last night and it didn’t post.

Let’s try again.

I admit to being really tired of the plot-device-of-the-week shtick, but less annoyed about it being a gauntlet than some people seem to be. I dunno, to me a gauntlet seems to be one of the most easily portable and instantly recognizable pieces of armor. It screams “knight!”. Of course, they’ll never explain how it can do what it can do, but I’m headcanoning that it was taken off the hand of a dead, traitorous knight and enchanted, hence why it can “betray” others’ biggest weaknesses.

I like to think that we’ll eventually get flashbacks to when Rumple got the gauntlet. Not til next year, because besides the possibility of Merlin-as-SorcerAuthor there’s no time or space for a proper dive into Arthuriana in 4B, but perhaps after Jafar in 5A. Because after 3A and 3B’s finales with the wand, I’m pretty much convinced this is the third arc in a row which has concluded with the involvement of an item that came from the Black Fairy of Camelot.

Because, really, why would the good guys have a magical weakness-revealing gauntlet unless they were keeping it from everyone and if that’s the case why would Merlin give it TO RUMPLESTILTSKIN? Simple, because he didn’t, the gauntlet came from Morgana and was traded to Rumple after she no longer had any use for it, having already used it to uncover the Lancelot/Guinevere affair, which would also be a great way to bring Sinqua Walls back and tie the gauntlet into things hinted at way back in season 2.

Which, of course, means that we’re never even going to hear the word “gauntlet” again.

Keeper of Zelena's witch hat and the Black Fairy's wand.

[obisgirl]

The gauntlet to me seemed so ordinary. It’s supposed to have this magical power to show your enemies weaknesses and we kinda saw it do that with Rumple when he was trying to free Belle, but that also could have been a “placebo” to make others believe it had that power when really it didn’t.

I think if we ever visit Camelot for real, it would be a final season thing. Otherwise, Camelot and anything or anyone from there is a plot device to move the story forward. And that’s a shame because I know there could be an interesting angles and twists Adam and Eddy could potentially play with there.

[Keb]

Well, we’ve touched on Camelot multiple times now, and had Lancelot actually in a couple episodes.

I would not be shocked to see Camelot come up again, though I don’t know if we’ll ever actually go there.

Keeper of Belle's Gold magic, sand dollar, cloaks, purple FTL outfit, spell scroll, library key, copy of Romeo and Juliet, and cry-muffling pillow, Rumple's doll, overcoat, and strength, and The Timeline. My spreadsheet: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6r8CySCCWd9R0RUNm4xR3RhMEU/view?usp=sharing

[Hook’s Girl]

I wonder if this magical gauntlet comes from the same source as King Midas’s “golden touch”. It could have been someone’s “curse” & Rumple was more then happy to “help” to remove it. Rumple said that his visit to Camelot was good for him, but not so good for Camelot. I wonder what he meant by that.

Nothing is impossible on OUAT. Everything has a way of repeating itself. Keeper of the Keeper tread: https://oncepodcast.com/forums/topic/official-keeper-thread-3/#post-217924

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