[Keb]

As for Zelena’s life force, we saw it return to the pendant when she was “killed.”

Aside from saying that she would be powerless without it, Glinda also phrased things as “In some ways, it IS your life now.” Or something to that effect. By separating the two, the heroes made it possible for Zelena to come back…or, you know, PLOT.

[Keb]

She’s acting quite a lot like Killian when he thought his hand was cursed, actually.

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]

And even then, they found ways around it: See Sidney killing Leopold for Regina.

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 like this dynamic. Interesting, too, that one of their goals is to prove Gold wrong…

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 was frustrated, but I intended no disrespect and I apologize for making you feel that way.

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’ll just be over here doing my “Belle gets a line!” dance. Well…gently, so I don’t tear my stitches. (Recovering from surgery sucks.)

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, but the SHOW isn’t throwing her characterization under the bus here–the fan theory that Belle’s in on it (in any capacity beyond a willingness to help Regina) is what’s throwing Belle’s character under the bus.

Just. No.

There is every reason to believe what we were shown: Regina took Belle’s heart shortly (perhaps immediately) after Belle asked how she could help, orchestrated a meeting between her and Rumple, and either controlled her throughout or stepped in when it got sappy and she was ready to show her hand. As of the end of the episode there is NO reason to believe that Regina does not still have control of Belle’s heart, or that Belle has any idea what happened in the forest.

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]

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Now…do say how in the world could Regina have gotten Rumple to behave while she was away if she couldn’t use Belle? There would have been no way in doing so, and she basically did “an eye for an eye”…he threatened her soul mate, and she’s threatening his true love, though the only difference is…his true love is on it. It’s a dangerous game, but a game that had to be played if she has to go rescue Robin and Roland from Zelena, while also making sure Rumple doesn’t go on a killing spree while she’s away.

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No. Belle is not “in on it.” Even IF she agreed to let Regina remove her heart (which doesn’t make sense to me AT ALL given what we saw and how both characters have been portrayed throughout the series), Regina used the heart to command Belle to forget everything that had just happened. She no longer even knows that she saw Rumple in the forest.

(I suspect this is where the whole concept of “it isn’t Belle’s heart really” comes from–the need to escape the fact that Regina DID squeeze, causing off-screen pain to Belle, did threaten to crush the heart, which would have killed Belle, and took away even Belle’s memory of seeing Rumple…if Belle is “in on it” and it wasn’t her actual heart, then lo and behold, Regina is all innocent?)

Look, Regina is in a tight spot. I get that. She wants to save Robin from Zelena and Rumple. From a Regina perspective (which is already a very skewed perspective), she’s justified in using Rumple’s tactics against him. Since S1, she’s known of ONE way to have power over Rumple that’s actually effective: Belle. This is hardly the first time she’s used Belle as a weapon against Rumple; even in S3 when they were on neutral terms, she gave the dagger to Belle and not Rumple.

None of that means that she’s in the right for taking Belle’s heart. Even if Belle consented to the entire plan beforehand (highly doubtful), there are some things that are just a little bit beyond consent, like, yanno, potentially being murdered.

This DOES get all tangled up with the Graham stuff (another reason I’m really bothered by their decision to leave it ambiguous), which is already a mess and a half. I only just read both the comics (they are gloriously done), and honestly, the Shadow of the Queen story only muddled the situation further. In the comic, they have Graham regain his heart, but to save others, he consents to the queen’s taking his heart again–pretty much exactly what we’re talking about if Belle agreed to have Regina take her heart for these purposes.

It’s a royal mess but even assuming some level of consent, Regina abused her power over Belle’s heart and raped Graham. Trying to assert MORE consent from her victims (or worse, suggesting that she’s right in killing/torturing them if they don’t do as she asks) doesn’t sit well with me. It feels like warping what we’re seeing, warping her character as well as the characters of her victims, to make her less evil. But if she’s less evil, then her redemption is less meaningful, as others have said.

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]

And then there’s the fact that Belle WOULD worry about Rumple in this situation, and wouldn’t just wander off if she weren’t being controlled. These convoluted theories just throw Belle’s characterization completely under the bus–and dismiss Regina’s characterization out of some strange desperation to keep her hands clean.

Regina has done and still sometimes DOES do horrible things to people. That doesn’t mean you can’t like her and support her eventual redemption. Trying to shift the blame onto her victims is not the way to do that. Belle is a victim here, no matter what she actually agreed to (which in my mind is nothing more than what was shown–ie, “How can I help?”).

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]

Hi 🙂 Just random hugs for all of you.

I just had surgery on my back and I’m feeling much better and might get some timeline work done now that I have to rest and heal.

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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