[Keb]

Library scenes (two of them now!) > ballroom scene. As much fun as that would be, I just don’t quite see it with this particular incarnation. But the library–that’s actually what I see as tying the two of them together. When Gold’s all upset that he and Lacey have nothing in common–that’s exactly what Regina wanted of course. So it leads to the question: What did Belle and Rumple have in common? They’re both smart, pretty good at reading people, value bravery, and love a good story. Oh, and they’re total nerds (which I say as a high compliment and in reference to a tumblr gifset that proved the case to me). Evidence? Belle obviously loves her books, but Rumple reads plenty too. Including the town charter. Belle looks for the good in Rumple partly because she wants the story to be better than she fears; Rumple told Cinderella that every story needs a memorable detail and dressed Charming up for his heroic moment with Snow at the coffin. Rumple quotes things about libraries when he gives her the SB library. And they never get very far on their dates before someone interrupts them, but they clearly have things to chat about; she might not entirely approve of magic because of Dark Magic’s effects on Rumple, but she’s interested enough to laugh when he goes on about condiments.

So all or most of that is gone from Lacey. 🙁

[Keb]

As long as Rumple is scared–for himself, for his beloved, for his son, for anyone his son cares about…he will want his power. Problem is that having his power is in direct conflict with at least one of the things he cares about protecting with it at this point. Poor guy.

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]

Thing is, cursed True Loves are tricky. David’s advice is hard for Rumple because I don’t think he quite knows what Belle fell in love with to start with–he’s still baffled years later in SB when she says it, though pleased. He couldn’t allow himself to believe even when he had fundamental proof in TLK actually working in FTL. So he doesn’t actually understand what she sees in him–what goodness he actually still has–even when she spells it out.

And cursed, especially cursed to make it as difficult as possible on Gold, Lacey’s even trickier. The obvious model is the one he turned to–David and Snow/Mary Margaret. Twice. When Snow took the potion to forget Charming, he had to show that he’d die for her to get her to fall for him again. He showed her a bit of that when they first met and fell in love, too. In SB, the cursed memories made it a lot harder (and Regina’s messing with them hardly helped)–and they did screw up a lot with each other as a result. MM did reject him when he couldn’t have faith in her.

Scary story arc for both Rumple and Belle here. But riveting imo.

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, the problem is that if he goes dark to get Lacey to fall for him, he can’t afford to go so dark that Belle can’t forgive him for it. She’s been willing to forgive a lot, but she does have lines that he can’t cross with her–he has to be honest with her and he has to be more merciful than he’s generally inclined to be. And he KNOWS this. He almost lost her in The Crocodile over the honesty thing, and he saw her reactions to wanting to kill Hook and Regina for hurting her–she didn’t want him to give in to his darkness either time (just as she didn’t want him to with Robin).

So he’s going to have to tread this line very carefully, even without Nealfire in the picture. AND Regina’s betting on his going dark, and baiting him, I think partly because she feels like if she can’t have Henry no one should be allowed to, least of all him. (Gold obviously likes Henry or he wouldn’t be so disturbed by the dream, but it’s more about his relationship with Nealfire than with Henry atm, since he’s scared of what he and Henry might do to each other.)

So he can’t go so dark as to offend Belle or Nealfire if he’s going to win either of them back…but Lacey only likes him dark. Evil, evil Queen.

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 loved just about every second of this episode.

The library!
And the Don Juan lines–laughed SO HARD!
And Rumbelle’s “first” hug!
And Regina and Rumple being family and knowing it!
And Regina being all evil Mayor again. And Rumple trying to woo Lacey and ordering hamburgers and iced teas. And Granny’s suggestion that Belle had raided Ruby’s closet. And the little family moments for Emma, Neal, and Henry. And the Dwarves + Anton.

Just…everything. The only thing I don’t like is that they saved the eventual choice Gold’s gonna have to make–how does he balance being dark enough to attract Lacey without going so dark that Belle will reject him?–for later. So I have to wait 🙁

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’m so loving that Regina and Gold discuss the grandfather business. And that Gold says that makes them family. Just…can’t wait to see it.

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]

Yeah, Henry’s grandpas being bros is just…amazing. Love them together. They can broship all day long and heck, I’d be happy with that show even without Belle and the rest.

I do really like the Ruby/Belle friendship, as well as the friendships between Ruby and Snow and Snow + Dwarves. Mulan + Belle and Mulan + Aurora and Mulan + Phillip are all kinda excellent friendships too.

What I want to see more of (and I’m annoyed we never saw Leroy visit Belle in the hospital–at least Ruby did, though GAH why the lying?) is Belle + Grumpy’s friendship. That and her brief stint with Mulan are like the only friendships she had after meeting Rumple (so far as we know), and Leroy’s the only one besides her father, Regina, and Rumple who we know would have recognized her in SB (before Hook showed up).

Though Jefferson did know of her and I hate that he’s not on the show much cuz how he found out about her would be interesting, too. He spent enough time with both Regina and Rumple pre-curse that he might have learned of her back then, which would explain how he knew she could be of use to him. I kinda wonder what sort of relationship they would have at this point.

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]

Indeed. The actors on this show are not only amazingly talented, but dedicated and wonderful and sweet and silly and fluffy.

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]

Was rewatching the carriage sequence and I know that without context it’s always tricky, but I can’t help feeling like they may have cut some stuff between “My THINGS” and “You really are as dark as people say.” It just feels…disjointed. Partly because he stops the carriage in between there to meet the sheriff, and I think there’s just got to be more to it. We’ll see! They have shown us clips with cuts in the middle before, so it isn’t that weird to think so, is it?

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]

Also, now I am wondering, if Lacey drinks -all- that alcohol…how well will Belle’s body take it? I mean, physically it’s the same body. Belle’s not exactly a lightweight (she guzzles the stuff in FTL, after all) but…

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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