[Keb]

I love the Frozen shirt.

Just finished my cloak and got some pics of it:

[Keb]

I think, though, that the message of the show is definitely not saying “Belle’s a horrible person and should apologize and Rumple’s not a horrible person and doesn’t have to.” That’s what BELLE thinks but it’s definitely not the experience of the audience, or Rumple. We’re still in the midst of that story, but if there’s any takeaway from last night, it’s that Rumple’s a -more- horrible person than Belle because he’s still keeping horrible secrets from her AND manipulating her.

And it’s not all right just because he loves her.

That’s the message I’m getting. And I can still enjoy just how sweetly he expresses his love for her even in the midst of being a jerk who is getting more and more trapped by his web of lies.

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

[Keb]

I love that we’ve got such a MIX of strong female characters, which doesn’t just mean they’re BA in a fight.

We’ve got girls who dress/behave all along the feminine-masculine spectrum, and even the strongest girls (like Emma & Mulan, who arguably behave in the most masculine ways) sometimes embrace their softer sides (Emma’s date dress?). And you’ve got women who don’t fit the traditional “strong female character” mold at all, like Belle, but still save the day in their own ways. (Last night was not Belle’s save the day night. But we’ve seen her do it. It is not a failing for her to sometimes need her husband or her father or her mother or heck, even Archie, to help her out.)

Because if it diminishes a woman to need a man’s help for -anything-, then does it not also diminish a man to need a woman’s help?

I love that Belle is allowed to save the day in a dress sometimes. I love that Rumple is allowed to save her sometimes. I love that I can believe, in the end, they will save each other every time–just like Snowing.

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

[Keb]

Belle’s moment of selfishness parallels Rumple’s choosing power over love multiple times, for the most immediate and relevant bit. But it’s also understandable–she had to sail two weeks to get what she thought was the only way to put her mind to rest, and she almost had it when she realized she needed to save Anna, too. It was a very human failing.

Her pedestalization of Rumple is equally human; she needs to believe that he’s changed, and he has some. She’s got good evidence, both real and fake, that he’s not the monster he once was. He DID choose Bae over the dagger–she was there for that–and he DID choose to sacrifice his own life to save everyone from his father. Those are real things she has in her pocket.

And yes, she’s got doubts about the dagger and his commitment to flying straight; remember how she glanced questioningly at him just before he changed the security tape showing Zelena’s death? But he keeps playing to prove she’s got the real dagger (because it’s benefiting him, and because he’s scared to admit the truth to her), so she doesn’t have sufficient evidence to support any suspicions she has. And she wants to believe he trusts her that much. That was the first argument she held up against the mirror–his faith in her. She needs that support, as strong willed as she can be at times. Because if he doesn’t trust her, if he hasn’t changed, then that says a lot about her, too–at least in her mind. Besides, she knows he relies on her faith in him for his strength to be a better man (he’s told her so); how could she let him down?

Belle’s lying felt a little OOC but guilt will do that. And using the dagger? Power is tempting, corrupting, and that dagger has shown just how corrupting it can be. It persuaded Rumple to kill Zoso and become the monster we know and love. It was only a matter of time before Belle was compelled–by simple human nature–to use it for something.

And I did say it only decreased my need to shake Rumple. He still needs to get his act together. I was just moved so much by this episode, though…I think the last one that got this deep into my head was the Outsider or maybe Quiet Minds (but for far less noble reasons in the latter case). I’m a little biased now due to Feels but I think this is my favorite ep after Skin Deep.

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

[Keb]

So, the cut on Rumple’s throat: Parallels to Snowing (when they met and Snow cut Charming with the rock on the chin) and Zelena (when she shaved him and nicked him with the dagger so she could break the blood magic on his safe–where, incidentally, the real dagger was shown to now be). Very interesting parallels there to explore when I have more time.

Oh, and the fact he didn’t heal it before facing DQ: Keeping it like a reminder the way he did his lame leg in S2? Or wearing it to remind himself why DQ needs a serious warning?

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

[Keb]

The need to shake Rumple until he Does The Right Thing (TM) actually diminished for me this episode–precisely because Bobby played Rumple’s anguish at violating her trust so perfectly in the scene where Belle breaks down. This is why I keep forgiving that silly imp for things like torture and murder–because he just has so much heart and soul.

I mean, she cut him physically with the knife and that’s nothing (although I’m interested that he doesn’t heal it right away–maybe he’s wearing the wound as a form of penance as he did the lame leg in S2 when he could have healed it?) but then she cuts him with her complete faith that he’d never keep secrets from her (and yeah, she seems naive given their history on that count, but she’s just discovered she’s -capable- of hurting him and betraying his trust, been through a reminder of two times when she was semi-responsible for someone else getting hurt/killed, and experienced an intense magical simulation of the darkest kind of depression, so she’s not exactly thinking clearly here–and certainly pedestalling him, the man who just saved her AND forgave her AND whom she believes is 100% hero since his death to save the town) and you can see how he’s just crumbling inside because he knows how wrong she is and it’s killing him.

All the awards to both of them.

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

[Keb]

Maybe it brings out their hostilities toward each other and Rumple tries to kill Hook and Belle tries to use the dagger to stop him–

This could be interesting.

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

[Keb]

I think it’s mostly teasing. I don’t think Emma’s bothered by it, but it’s a big deal to learn two of your boyfriends are a couple hundred years old.

Incidentally, Hook’s estimate works with my current timeline framework better than the 300 years that gets thrown around a lot.

I loved this episode. (Captain Guyliner. OMG.)

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

[Keb]

Who says Robin is Regina’s last chance at love?

But…this episode…right now I’m loving it more than any since Skin Deep. Everything from Captain Guyliner to Oaken vs Belle (which was the Best. Cameo. Ever.) to Belle dealing with her inner doubts (which I LOVE that they bring those back–we saw glimpses of them in Dark Hollow and it’s like, look, Belle actually has some character! USE IT, A&E!!!) to the infuriating question that RC & EM are playing so perfectly of What The Heck Does Rumple Want From HER?

I loved the Regina told Robin to forget her and find a way to love his wife again. That, people, is character development, and that’s also her actually acting from love instead of selfishness.

I loved every moment of Belle & Anna adventuring. It was as perfect as I had hoped.

I loved the clothes (the lace blue dress!!! This is so getting made eventually for me.) A little mixed on the short white coat but it was pretty…just not that practical for adventuring.

The names. The timeline clues. THE BOOK. (The same one she’s clutching in Skin Deep.)

(Does that mean Anna was imprisoned for 3 years too?)

Belle’s inner doubts: I’ve been dealing with similar feelings a LOT lately for various reasons and that resonated so powerfully with me–I can’t even explain it but it rang so true that I think I was actually trembling in that scene, and I very nearly cried when Rumple rescued her. And yeah, she cut him but you could see it in his face when her trust in him was cutting him so much worse.

Mixed:

Yeah, I wanted a bit more of her mother.

I’m scared Belle will be background again for another year…

Disliked:

I couldn’t understand why Belle was lying to everyone for a long time…but I think when the mirror brought all her doubts out, it made a bit more sense to me. Still…it did feel a little OOC for her to keep it secret, or to think Rumple couldn’t understand choosing a thing over a person in a stressful moment when she knows at least part of his story.

But otherwise…this was an amazing episode. I loved it. It was everything I hoped for, not much of what I feared, and more powerful than I expected.

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

[Keb]

Well, they’d probably have his name as Moe if he were in present, so I totally expect it’s in the flashback. But there’s half a chance that he’ll show up in present if he’s in the flashback anyway, and besides, he’s IN IT. I was worried he wouldn’t be–that the focus would only be on her mom.

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

[Author]

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