[Keb]

Or the writers are cruel. Take your pick.

[Keb]

TLK failed, and Daddy French won’t wake Belle.

Honestly I have hopes that this has to lead to Rumple’s finally choosing Belle and his child over power, but I’m very worried about Moe’s lifespan right now.

So what will Rumple have to do to earn Belle’s forgiveness at this point? What would make this ship work again for those who have jumped ship based on Rumple’s behavior since S4 started?

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, she’s right.

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 not saying Hook cares for no one else. I’m saying his relationships with them have been shortchanged; we did not see development for those relationships even though there were promising starts. The only truly developed relationships Hook has are with Emma and Rumple.

Bringing him back as they did, while obliterating another main character, heightens the contrast. (Granted, Robin’s relationships were even less developed, which is sad–as it would have made his death more potent had they been explored more fully.)

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]

Instead of a show about heroes and hope, this has become a show about “see what being good gets you.” That’s the message of obliterating Robin and reviving Hook by pure deus ex in the same episode. That’s the message of Neal’s disappearance and Belle’s constant punishment.

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]

You kill people off, you get attention. And in a show like this one, where sometimes people DO come back…well, people will keep watching and clinging to a thread of hope sometimes.

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]

Okay, this episode made me ANGRY. What is it they have against fathers on this show? Rumple’s not allowed to be one, Neal isn’t, now Robin isn’t…but Hook (whom I love as a character and don’t really want dead either) gets an actual Deus Ex Machina to stay alive? (And why doesn’t Arthur get the same, hm? He did just as much!)

That said, there were some good things I guess.

–Genuinely was surprised that Zelena killed Hades.
–Arthur finding a way to redeem himself, good setup…too bad we’ll never see any of it.
–Yay Merida wasn’t forgotten!
–Regina acknowledging that it was a jerk move to force Robin to give his daughter to someone he has very little reason to trust.
–Wicked Sisters coming together is beautiful.
–Moe gets LINES. And PLOT. and CONFLICT. and CONTINUITY.
–Emma bossing people around and getting told by Rumple EXACTLY what she needed to be told. Yes, it IS largely on her that they’re in that mess.
–Rumple’s face when Moe calls him on his kiss not working. Poor evil puppy.

Mixed:
–Moe refusing to wake Belle. It’s SO in character that I can’t help appreciating it, but still, less Belle. Also Rumple immediately going for the threats with the cane of feels. Liked and hated in the same moment.
–Robin’s daughter being named Robin…this isn’t as bad as Neal (or naming the kid Marian) but still. If they kill off Maurice and name Belle’s kid after her dead Grandpa…
–Hook getting a second chance. It means yay, more of Colin’s lovely face and Hook’s banter, but good golly is it a sucky storytelling choice, and it makes the other meaningful deaths less sacrificial and more insulting.

Disliked:
–Deus ex machina would have worked for me for characters with more ties to the rest of the cast (like Neal). Hook’s ties are STILL mostly limited to Emma and Rumple, which skips right over the Charming/Mills bit instead of tying them together. The Underworld plot did NOTHING to reinforce his bonds with the others, save for one brief moment with Charming…
–Hook’s redemption consisted of finding some pages at almost no risk to himself. The heart concept was “too easy” but this was a challenge? And Hook had a lot to redeem himself for. He’s said so himself a thousand times. He murdered his own father out of jealousy; we saw it.
–Just HOW did killing Arthur help Hades in the least? I really didn’t get that.
–So Arthur’s just gone. And the people of Camelot? I suppose now Gwen and Lance get to love each other and rule the kingdom, or what? (I presume we will get some tie up of this in the finale, but ugh.)
–So there isn’t any hope for the people in the river of lost souls, is there? Bleh. I was hoping that Hook would be able to save THEM while he was down there, and actually EARN his inevitable redemption.
–Zelena killing Hades. It was a good twist but very very sad for her.
–Robin’s death. They played it off as if everyone in Storybrooke was crushed by it, but his relationships with everyone besides the merry men, his children, and Regina were not developed at all. His sacrifice was only for Regina’s sake, which yay, true love, but…I dunno, it lost some impact because he’d been used to sparingly. If they’d played up the relationships with him and Belle, or Will, or anything…but he spent most of the time in the background when he wasn’t kissing Regina. And the Marian thing really made his character less likable for me. The Robin Hood that was willing to face Rumplestiltskin to save his son and wife, that one I would have felt worse about dying (and poor Roland!!!!!!!!). This one, whose character has been pretty much destroyed over the last season and a half, I don’t know how to feel about.
Also, giving Hook back for next to nothing when an act of True Love and bravery wasn’t enough to save Robin in any way…ugh.

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]

Rumple doesn’t have much use for the heroes atm, but he’s shown (some) concern over his grandson’s fate, and doesn’t really want to do in Emma or the Charmings unless it’s necessary (which he has occasionally thought it was, but doesn’t seem to right now). He even gave Robin back his heart after feinting taking it for Pan’s viewing pleasure.

So I don’t think Rumple set them up. He was motivated to get their quest(s) done with so they could all go topside anyway. (Also, um, couldn’t he take them back whenever he wanted with his blood, once their names were off the tombstones?)

Zelena never intended to come to Underbrooke in the first place. She was just trying to get her baby, and accidentally got summoned along with it. She also expressed concern about her newly reconciled sister, so…

In the grand scheme of things, I think we must take Hades’ actions at face-value as they were presented. His WHY is still up for grabs, and confusing, but there’s no reason to believe someone else set up the heroes like that.

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 have a secret fear that they are going to kill off Moe. I don’t know if I could forgive them for doing that after all the other torment they’ve put Belle through though.

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]

Snow & Emma talking!

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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