[Keb]

I think the season will focus a lot on Rumple’s efforts to get Bae and Belle back, and what he has to do in order to redeem himself in his son’s eyes. Meanwhile, Regina’s journey to win back her own son is going to parallel that, with Cora taking over the role of puppeteer until the final showdown.

[Keb]

HappyEndings,

There are pieces of the puzzle missing, as both the Seer and Rumple said. There are a few things he’s been completely blind to–like the fact that Belle wasn’t killed the way Regina said. Also, as a chessmaster, he probably has augmented his Seer abilities with knowledge of what’s going on behind the scenes, so he’s often appeared to know more about the future than this ability tells him.

ScarletLady,

TLK broke the curse. Rumple brought magic after that. We know the curse was broken by TLK and not the potion because Belle recognized him before he used it.

His lack of concern about Henry may have been that he knew the curse was about to be broken anyway; he might have guessed how Emma would do it. Or he may have known with his Seer ability. He didn’t have much reason to be worried about Henry at that point–they didn’t have much of a relationship until later–and his focus was only on getting back to Bae, for which he believed he needed magic. I suspect that there may have been some reason he needed to wait for the curse to break before he brought magic back, though the only thing I can think of is not wanting to have an empowered Regina during the curse.

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 half suspect August somehow knew that Emma was pregnant at that point, even though she and Neal apparently didn’t. A baby would have led to their settling down somewhere, and Emma’s having no reason to go to Storybrooke. A baby in Storybrooke, on the other hand…

But even if he didn’t know already, he was paying attention at that point–at least for a little while–and probably thought it prudent to get the baby to Storybrooke. Perhaps Regina adopted the child when it arrived in Storybrooke because she didn’t want anyone else raising it and perhaps accidentally breaking the curse by realizing that Henry wasn’t like the others? And then she started to love him–all the more when Emma threatened her prime position in his life. She may have questioned how the child arrived, but she had to handle the problem somehow, and so it wasn’t so much a sudden desire to be a mother as a way to deal with something unexpected.

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’ve been wondering if Rumple possibly made a deal with her or her father to get her hand in marriage. He likes deals, after all, and wanted a family; it’s perhaps risky since this is pre-Dark One Rumple but it could happen–he kind of makes a deal with the Seer for the drink of water, after all.

Her “I love you too” might have been more of a formality–she’s honestly trying, and it’s in response to his declaration–and her plea for him not to go may be related to the fact she already knows she’s with child. She might have been scared of raising the kid alone at that point. But she does suggest that when he comes back they can start a family, so maybe she does know–and she also knows it’s what he always wanted, so perhaps she doesn’t tell him at that point because she knows he might do something stupid as a result.

The turnaround seems rapid to us because we go from that scene to what must be between 5-10 months later, depending on the exact timing. She’s been on her own for all that time, and Rumple’s already got a reputation thanks to his father, so she’s not exactly the most respected woman around. She’s just learning the family business that Rumple left her with, so she’s probably not making a lot of money at it, either. She’s given birth to a child that, when the rumors start coming back (and they would go a lot faster than a man hobbling home from a front that must be at least a few weeks’ travel time away, given the size of Baby Bae and the fact that the Seer said he -would- have a son), ties her forever to the village coward, and if she never truly loved him in the first place, it’s just adding insult to injury.

It would be interesting to see how she decided to marry Rumple in the first place at some point, and would probably clear up some of the questions we’re left with now. What matters is that any affection she might have had for him died when she realized he crippled himself to avoid the battle, and she can’t see any value in his having chosen that path for the sake of being with his son.

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, not all of Rumple’s power now comes from having been the Dark One. He may have had the ability to take the Seer’s powers because he was the Dark One, but it’s not a Dark One ability. It’s possible that some of his other abilities were similarly acquired. Will these go away if his Dark One curse is removed?

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, there are about a dozen reasons that Rumple can’t/won’t hurt Henry at this point.

1. Bae wouldn’t forgive him.
2. Emma would stop him–she stopped Cora from hurting Snow, after all.
3. Belle, should she find out, would also not approve.
4. Rumple actually likes Henry. He gave him things freely before he knew they were related. He doesn’t do that for anyone else but Belle and Bae.
5. He’s got a deal with Charming–non-interference, and he made a promise based on that deal that no harm would come to Emma and Henry on their trip. He’s not one for breaking deals, with the one exception.
6. The way he stared extra hard at Henry when he vowed to kill all of them should harm come to Belle suggests, perhaps, some lingering hesitancy about killing the kid too. I think he was serious in his threat but I also think it came out of his fears and panic rather than any particular malice against the Charmings.
7. Oh, yeah, he knows now that Henry is his direct descendant…and that his actions led to not only his son, but his grandson being fatherless as he was. Ouch, guilt. But anyway, as Family, Rumple will feel bound to protect Henry, with perhaps the same irrational rage he expressed toward any threat to Bae or Belle.

Henry’s safe, but Rumple’s got a lot of reason to be afraid about their relationship 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]

What I want to see, right at the start of the next episode, is Henry coming in from the window and having a conversation with his grandfather, right in front of Emma and Neal:

Henry: So you’re my other grandpa. Did you know?
Gold: (shakes his head no)
Henry: Well, thanks for bringing me here…so I could meet my dad. (wraps his arms around Gold for a big hug, and Gold’s free hand kinda pats his back uncertainly)

Cuz a, Gold really does need a hug, b, Neal needs to see that his dad isn’t a complete monster anymore, and c, Henry and Gold have really bonded quite a lot since Emma first came and Henry was kinda scared of Gold.

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, what got her worked up with the cup was when Rumple started talking about magic. I wonder if her Storybrooke self believes that a delusion about magic is why she was put into the asylum.

I’m also wondering if her memories reverted to before she was released from the asylum by Jefferson, since she doesn’t even remember Gold’s name and Jefferson was very particular about that. So how much did Sneezy lose?

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 want to cuddle him so much.

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 pretty sure she’s going to be key in Rumple’s redemption story. I am baffled as to why the Charmings/Red/Leroy (who should remember her from FTL) have done pretty much nothing to protect her. Regina just waltzes right on in, and so does Greg…

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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