[Keb]

I’d like to claim the sand dollar that Ursula, Mal, and Cruella sent Rumple with Belle’s message in it…if it’s not already the same one he used to send Belle his message in Dark Hollow.

[Keb]

Well, I LOVE when they call back to previous magical devices/methods, so…as mad as I am about it NOW, if that gauntlet becomes a major chess piece next arc, I might forgive them a bit. But they missed out on some major character-building opportunities by skipping to the Plot Device gauntlet.

I did love that Ursula used the same sand dollar technique that Rumple later used with Ariel. That was a lovely callback (and Belle is ALSO Leia, hee! Of course, so is Emma, but that’s okay too!) and a neat way to connect stories.

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]

A thought: Just as Rumple had to distance himself from Belle (we did see a bit of that–and zero kisses after the honeymoon–in how they interacted in their rare scenes over the course of the season) to let himself be evil enough to seize his power, he also had to distance himself from his son–easier with his son dead. Not let go entirely, but push away thoughts of what Bae would think if he knew. So maybe he can’t even bring himself to speak that part aloud in the moments before he goes through with it.

IF that’s what they were doing, IF they bring the concept back someday, then I’ll fully accept this headcanon. Otherwise…I dunno.

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, we barely saw his affection for Belle and got nothing at all about why he’d care for Henry (beyond the obvious–he’s his grandson), for the entire arc. We were presented with Horrible Man who LIES to the nicest most adorable wife ever and kills nuns who want to save an entire town and LOVES the fact that he gets to crush a heart to get Ultimate Power. We weren’t shown any hint of the coward (the label wasn’t even brought up until the finale this season) trembling inside, and most of the bits that showed how he doted on Belle were cut (as was anything with Belle in it, as far as I can tell).

For a fan as invested in Rumple as I am, the fear we’ve known about for three seasons is still there, and you can see it in some of Bobby’s work, but it was never played up, not even in Family Business where there was an open opportunity for him to express it in some way. Even I was convinced that there had to be some reason he needed to leave Storybrooke besides simply covering his trail so Belle wouldn’t find out and be mad at him for what he had to do to keep his power. If there had been a HINT that he feared that, it would have made sense sooner, and felt far more IC.

And connecting his experiences with Nealfire to his experiences with Belle (which are quite parallel in a lot of ways) would indeed have been the sensible thing to do. For someone like me who is desperate to understand him, who rewatches and rewatches the episodes taking meticulous notes, while following the creators’ commentary etc, it’s not so hard to put most of the pieces together and say okay, yeah, that works…but for an average viewer just watching it as a show? We last saw Rumple do anything actually kind or even acknowledge what his son would have wanted three months ago. Who actually remembers little things from three months ago if they’re not obsessive about 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]

I have to admit the gauntlet made me angry. It would have been so, so much more powerful and emotional to see Belle actually TALK to Hook or Anna for SO many reasons. To see her actually piecing things together with that brain of hers, to see Hook signaling something was wrong with his craftiness (surviving just because you got lucky isn’t being good at surviving, Killian dear), seeing Belle have the chance to apologize to Anna and getting Anna’s reaction to her marrying Rumple–ALL of that would have been such good payoff for everything they’ve set up. Instead…she tests a magical gauntlet that we ONLY just discovered existed for this episode?

The parallel of her learning that he hadn’t actually surrendered the gauntlet for her just as he now hasn’t actually surrendered his power for her works for me, but I don’t think it’s nearly as interesting (and heck, still could’ve been created in some fashion) as having Belle interact with people. I mean…honestly, this whole arc it’s felt like they were allergic to letting Belle TALK to anyone. Or be on screen. Of the cut scenes they showed us, 80% featured Belle’s only other moment in that episode–and meanwhile, there were only four hours of the 12 this season where she really felt present at all.

This was the episode where she really got to shine, to save the day, to BE THE HERO, and…still…it’s like they’re keeping her away from all the other characters. This is the first time in four seasons she even said ONE word directly to Henry. Hook, who was left alone in the dang shop with her several times after Rumple took his heart, never even tried to get her to notice something was wrong? He’ll signal Emma by squeezing her hand but not even attempt to find a way to get Belle to figure it out? He tricked Regina and escaped Maleficent and survived being pals with Cora and enemies with Pan…and he can’t find a way to use the one thing that could save himself and Storybrooke? Or even try? (Yes, Rumple probably commanded him not to…but not to attempt at all?)

And the letdown of Belle not getting to say farewell to Anna at all…ugh. I mean…you set up a whole episode where Belle is wracked with guilt for letting the Snow Queen get Anna, and then you don’t let her even apologize or get any closure at all? You set up Anna to be aghast learning that Belle not only came across but married Rumple…and then we don’t get to see that expression? The chances that the Frozen cast are going to come back even for cameos seem kinda slim, so that was the chance…and they wasted it, and Anna’s warning to Emma almost didn’t make sense in context. To Belle, it would have. And Anna didn’t have complete knowledge so it still could have taken Belle a little time to figure things out, plus you’d have the lovely drama of Hook actually trying and not trying to keep them apart. Which also didn’t play out.

And so the tiny bit of significance that the gauntlet had within the episode is just DROWNED by wasted opportunities to develop the characters and their relationships. To show us Hook fighting under impossible odds, Belle putting the pieces together (one minute she’s wondering about the gauntlet and the next time we see her she’s mysteriously in the clock tower being a BA Princess…but the development is just MISSING), Anna being a friend, Rumple’s perfect plan shattering around him when the heroes work TOGETHER.

We didn’t even see the stupid gauntlet in action. It was a dead prop.

…I hate that stupid gauntlet even if I did like the Rumbelle fluff backstory.

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 do make sense, RG, but because Belle never spoke to anyone, all she knows is what she felt, found, and saw: Rumple casting some huge spell by crushing Hook’s heart, in possession of a dagger he told her SHE had. She doesn’t know that he tried to hat Emma (only Hook knows this) or hatted the fairies or conspired with the Snow Queen or wished the whole town dead so that he could get away with her and Henry as a “hero.”

The gauntlet did serve ONE purpose here: She discovered he still had it, when she believed that he’d given up for her. It parallels the dagger it led her to. She sees the parallels and puts enough together to realize that he’s a danger to the town, even if she doesn’t know exactly what he’s doing.

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]

It’s a perfectly acceptable headcanon…we know Belle overindulges when she breaks up with Rumple. She went straight to the pub in FTL instead of straight home, and did in Granny’s supply of iced tea when she couldn’t get Rumple to be honest with her in The Crocodile…and then there’s Lacey…

Yeah, Belle is probably pretty smashed right now.

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]

It’s so weird how this crushing, emotionally devastating breakup actually has some of us optimistic. I mean…this one actually hurt less afterwards than when he died. And it’s because unlike when he was dead and I had no idea what would happen (but maybe a bit of dread about what it would take to bring him back…which was accurate), I know they’re both alive and still love each other and I THINK this means we’ll get to see the story they’ve been teasing us with for three and a half seasons.

I hope so.

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]

They needed to show us that, though it goes pretty closely with my understanding of what he was doing…so maybe they thought they were showing it to us. But I think most people just got “Wow, Rumple is horrible,” because he was hurting Belle and all the people who hurt Belle are horrible because PUPPIES I mean JEEZ she’s adorable and sweet and kind and it’s like hurting babies to hurt Belle.

And in this whole half season we only saw his fears of anything come up in Family Business, where the focus was more on Belle’s fears (which was good–but they could have played that up some more especially with how they made it turn out).

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 slowly starting to accept that maybe Rumple’s plan really was just…leave Storybrooke. It feels so flat but…

Here’s the thing. He knows full well Emma & the other heroes are going to be ticked when he kills off the fairies and Hook. He knows BELLE wouldn’t put up with that. So leaving Storybrooke with her unaware was really his only chance to get away with it. It wasn’t the Plan. It was the getaway.

Also, a loose dangling end: Are the fairies still trapped in the hat? He sort of released all those powers for his ritual. Where are they?

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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