Why I am glad Belle did what she did

[JML]

Perhaps Gaston will be restored, and we can explore that possibility.

[obisgirl]

I’m very proud of Belle and the way she dealt with Rumple’s problem. I think it would have been too dangerous not only for her but the whole town if he was allowed to stay.

If she acted otherwise, it would have proven the hater’s arguments that she is just a doormat for him. I’m really glad that wasn’t the case.

I also hope, you know, that Belle will not have second thoughts about banishing him when the show returns. I don’t want her to doubt herself and the decision to made.

I do wonder if Rumple will find some kind of loophole and actually find a way back into Storybrooke. Or other wise, if not, he’ll probably be lurking outside of the town line waiting for the trio to take care of things for him.

[Keb]

We’ve seen that Belle, as strong as she is, has very human insecurities. She tends to be quiet until she hits a breaking point and then calls people out on things–but she’s genuinely nice and doesn’t want to hurt people, even those who have hurt her. (Except when she’s Lacey…which is an interesting aspect they really haven’t explored enough.)

I think though that she IS going to doubt whether she did the right thing. Unless Hook fills her in on the details (which I’m hoping we’ll get some indication he does), she made an extreme decision (not the first time with her) based on incomplete data. She’s going to question whether she should have given him another chance, whether he’s okay outside of Storybrooke (she still loves him, after all), whether there was any other way to deal with his lies and murder attempts, whether there was some better explanation. She’s going to question whether she could have stopped him earlier–and this is where there’s some rich character exploration they could do–or if she was somehow enabling him to get worse (the line about “I lost myself trying help you find yourself” points that way). She IS going to blame herself for not believing the truth sooner, and she’s going to blame herself for anything negative that comes of the decision she made (including her own shattered heart).

It took a lot of strength for her to give up her happy ending to stop Rumple, and she deserves all the praise for that. But that doesn’t mean she’s going to be confident or happy about the choice she made. She’s not a doormat, but her strength comes from her ability to care for and sacrifice for others. Her insecurities will still be there even without Rumple in the picture, and possibly amplified by her grief.

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

[PriceofMagic]

We’ve seen that Belle, as strong as she is, has very human insecurities. She tends to be quiet until she hits a breaking point and then calls people out on things–but she’s genuinely nice and doesn’t want to hurt people, even those who have hurt her. (Except when she’s Lacey…which is an interesting aspect they really haven’t explored enough.)

I think though that she IS going to doubt whether she did the right thing. Unless Hook fills her in on the details (which I’m hoping we’ll get some indication he does), she made an extreme decision (not the first time with her) based on incomplete data. She’s going to question whether she should have given him another chance, whether he’s okay outside of Storybrooke (she still loves him, after all), whether there was any other way to deal with his lies and murder attempts, whether there was some better explanation. She’s going to question whether she could have stopped him earlier–and this is where there’s some rich character exploration they could do–or if she was somehow enabling him to get worse (the line about “I lost myself trying help you find yourself” points that way). She IS going to blame herself for not believing the truth sooner, and she’s going to blame herself for anything negative that comes of the decision she made (including her own shattered heart).

It took a lot of strength for her to give up her happy ending to stop Rumple, and she deserves all the praise for that. But that doesn’t mean she’s going to be confident or happy about the choice she made. She’s not a doormat, but her strength comes from her ability to care for and sacrifice for others. Her insecurities will still be there even without Rumple in the picture, and possibly amplified by her grief.

I agree with all of this. Belle blames herself when things go wrong even when they’re not her fault. I’d be very surprised if she’s not blaming herself for Rumple’s actions and not noticing sooner, even though Rumple kept it so well hidden from her that there was no way she could’ve known what he was up to.

She is going to worry about whether or not she did the right thing with banishing Rumple because she does still love him and she can’t just switch those feelings off. (Also, Rumple was the only one who seemed to spend any time with her outside of using her for “research) Belle is probably going to feel lonely without Rumple and upset that the man she loved could be so secretive. If none of the other characters (preferably regular but recurring will do) show any support or comfort towards Belle, then they really are self-absorbed. Even a thank you would suffice especially from Hook and Emma since Belle single-handedly saved his life.

All magic comes with a price!

Keeper of Felix

[Keb]

She’s saved his life TWICE now. Which is the same as her count for how often he’s tried to kill her. (I’d argue three times but two were the same day.)

Hook owes Belle BIG.

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

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