In the fairyland of the past, we see more of
Rumplestiltskin’s past, before he became the Dark One, when he was ridiculed
for being a coward and deserting from the army during
the Ogre Wars. He returns home to fine his son, Bael, alone – his wife,
Mila hasn’t returned yet. He goes looking for her and finds her in the Inn
drinking with sailors who all mock him for his cowardice and weakness. When Bael
comes in, Mila agrees to return home. At home we learn how miserable Mila is,
how she is tired of being known as the wife of a coward and how it would have
been better if he had fought – though he points out that he is still alive
which is more than many of those that fought. She wants to leave the area, go
somewhere they aren’t known.
Later, Rumplestiltskin receives word that he has to go to
the docks, that the sailors –pirates – his wife had been drinking with had
kidnapped Mila. He hurries to the dock and meets captain Killian Jones. Rumple
begs, he has a son who needs his mother, he needs his wife, please release
Mila. Killian claims his crew need “companionship” but offers to duel Rumple
for his wife. Rumple begs further and Killian tells him to go home and tell his
son that his father is a coward – and that a man who won’t fight for what he
wants deserves what he gets
We move forwards in time, to when Rumplestiltskin becomes
the Dark One but, in
the process, has lost his son. He is in a bar meeting a Procuror, a man
known for his skill at acquiring strange
objects. He is trying to interest Rumplestiltskin in a magic bean that will
help him reach other worlds – he knows Rumplestiltskin’s story and knows he is
looking for his son who fell through the portal. Rumpestiltskin agrees to buy the
bean in exchange for the Procuror’s restored youth.
The Procuror leaves and Captain Killian enters.
Rumplestiltskin decides to hang around.
When Killian leaves he bumps into Rumple disguised as a beggar and, when Cillian harases him, he takes great pleasure in revealing who he is. Killian remembers him as the man he was which allows Rumple to introduce himself as the Dark One – causing the pirates to take a hurried step backwards. He asks after Mila, Killian pretends not to know who he means. Rumple offers to drag the memory out of his brain – an unpleasant process. Memory suddenly restored, Killians tells Rumple that she died, a long time ago. Rumple decides it’s time to continue their duel he rand from so long ago – at dawn and adds that there is really no point of running.
The duel between Rumple and Killian – Rumple stealing
Killian’s sword in the first few seconds, is a joyous display of Rumple’s power
as he toys with the captain and easily defeats him. At the end he tells the
captain that being unable to free his wife was like having his heart ripped out
– something he starts to do to Killian, until Mila calls on him to stop. Yes,
she’s alive and in love with Killian and was never kidnapped at all. She gets a
brief moment to explain this (“tick tock dearie!”) and settle son a deal to
save their lives – Rumple gets the magic bean, they get their lives.
To the pirate ship, where the procurer has been kidnapped
and imprisoned. They show Rumple the bean and ask for a deal – but it’s not
that easy. Doting father Rumple cannot understand how Mila could have left
their son, Bael. He’s enraged at Mila as she tries to tell him why and how it
hurt her – he won’t listen even as she describes her misery until she says she
never loved him – and Rumple pulls out her heart. Killian grabs the bean and
tells Rumple he’ll only get it over his dead body – Rumple wants him to live
and suffer so just cuts off the man’s hand, with the bean clutched in his fits.
In desperation, Killian tries to stab Rumplestiltskin with the first thing that
comes to hand – a hook. Naturally, it does nothing against the Dark One.
But when he returns to his home, he pries open the
fingers of the hand and finds… nothing. Killian had tricked him.
In Storybrooke Belle and Rumplestiltskin/Gold are having
a sweet, happy time together, him giving her a necklace, planning to go out on
the town. She’s so happy that he’s changing, becoming softer, gentler – when in
walks Grumpy. He’s furious and wants his axe, he claims that just because
Rumplestiltskin possesses something doesn’t mean it’s his – that none of the
things in his shop are his – seeing Belle with him he accuses her of being with
a monster and being another possession. Rumplestiltskin loses his temper and
forces Grumpy back against the wall, strangling him, threatening to bury his
axe in his skull. Belle begs him to stop – says it isn’t him any more – but he
turns and says it always will be – “dearie”, his voice changing to match the
Rumplestiltskin of fairyland and his skin gleaming golden.
Which is when Belle wakes up from the dream and goes looking for him. She finds him looking through the basement window and sees Rumplestiltskin spinning straw into gold (yes I love that he does that) – and working on a glowing, purple potion. He’s using magic again.
Belle confronts him and asks why he needs magic, why is
he messing with it. Rumple tells her that magic is power but she questions why
does he need power? He is using power as a substitute for courage and he hasn’t
changed.
The next day, Rumple/Gold finds that Belle is missing. He
starts to search the town but absolutely no-one wants to help the guy who
terrorised them for so long – in Storybrooke and fairy land. He even checks
with her father in the florist’s – who didn’t even know she was still alive and
was still desperately looking for her. He assumed Rumple was holding her
prisoner and still thinks he’s a monster
At Granny’s Belle runs into Ruby (is it just me, or would
Ruby be a ten times more awesome sheriff/princess/queen than anyone else up for
the role?) Ruby notices something’s wrong by Belle’s troubled demeanour and the
copious amount of ice tea she’s drinking. She hasn’t seen Belle around and they
talk – with Ruby finding out Belle was a kept woman and she thinks she’s
heading towards a bad breakup. Ruby offers to ask Granny about getting Belle a
room there (see? Ruby is awesome and knows just what people need). Belle talks
about needing a job and Ruby asks what she loves – naturally, Belle says books.
Ruby points her towards the public library, it’s been shut down so long but now
everything’s changing.
Belle heads to the library – and a homeless person, the
Procurer from Fairy Land, asks her for change and, when he gets close enough,
grabs her and kidnaps her. And delivers her to her father – he is a Procurer
after all. They have a reuinion which starts out sweet but quickly devolves as
it’s clear that her father has his views on who Belle should and should not
love and be with and refuses to accept she loved Rumple and was with him by
choice. Her refusal to move on this matter leaves him with one choice in his
eyes – and he has the Procurer take her away.
Meanwhile at the mines, Grumpy and his fellow dwarfs are
still mining for fairy dust and Prince Charming is now the acting sheriff. At
the sheriff’s office, Rumple approaches him to report Belle missing and ask for
help. Charming’s less than amused considering the amount of mess they have to
clean up with Rumplestiltskin bringing magic back, but Rumple appeals to him as
someone who has also lost people he loved. Unfortunately, Charmings finds
people are not thrilled to help Rumplestiltskin (including a butcher whose
father Rumple once turned into a pig – something Rumple doesn’t even remember)
while Rumple wants relationship advice, to the shock of all. He wants to know
how David and Mary Margaret made things work – he claims honesty (which is a
bit of a stretch all things considered).
They arrive at Granny’s and Ruby’s unwilling to answer
questions since she thinks Belle wants to get away from Rumple – but she takes
Charming’s guarantee he’ll look after her (I really wish I knew why this whole
town has so much faith in Charming) and tells them about the library. She also
offers to use her wolfy senses to track Belle down by smell. Following the
trail leads her to Belle’s father’s florist shop where they learn what he plans
to do – to save Belle from Rumple they will force her across town lines and
make her forget who she is.
Charming can’t see how they can since they have patrols
to prevent accidental crossing – but he notices the dust on the florist’s hands
– some of the tunnels under Storybrooke leave the town boundaries. To the mines!
Where Belle has been handcuffed to a mine cart that is hurtling it’s way to the
edge of town – until it is stopped by Rumple’s magic and slowly pulled back to
them (much to Ruby’s awe). With a wave of his hand, the handcuff is removed,
Belle is free, memory intact.
But, just because she has been rescued doesn’t mean she
is happy with her father or Rumple (which I’m glad to see, there’s too much “oh
you saved me – so we are now ideal couples!” in fairy tales and fiction in
general) she storms off and doesn’t want to see either of them.
She decamps to Granny’s where Ruby serves her breakfast
which is a novelty to Belle (remembering that Belle has either been in Fairy
Tale land or in a prison and has no idea about the Real World) where Granny is
also letting Belle stay. But she is left a key – to the library.
Going there she goes in, sees it’s full of books and
Rumplestiltskin who is arranging it to be re-opened. But not as a condition to
get back together, just because. He admits everything she said – that he sought
power to make up for his cowardice and continued collecting power ever since
and refused to let it go. He used it as a replacement for courage. His original
task was to come to Storybrooke to find his son, Bael, but even when the curse
broke, his first action was to bring back magic – his crutch, his shield. And
now he finds himself cursed, unable to leave the town – if he does he wouldn’t
be able to find his son because he wouldn’t remember him. Which is what he was
doing in the basement, trying to find a way to break the new curse.
Belle, in the face of his honesty, suggests that maybe
they get a burger some time.
And the aftermath:
Back in Fairy Tale land, in the past, Captain Killian
fixes the hook to his severed hand. He asks the Procuror his name and he says
it’s William Smee. He wants something for his bean – Killian offers him a place
on his crew because they’re going somewhere where they won’t age and will have
a long time to plot their revenge on Rumplestiltskin – Neverland.
In Storybrooke, in the present, Rumplestiltskin/Gold asks
Smee about Captain Hook – but Smee says he never got pulled through to
Storybrooke, gold asks Smee about hook where is he
And in Fairlyland in the present, Captain Killian/Hook is
meeting with Cora, Regina’s mother. She shows him the bottle of wardrobe ash
she got from the last episode – it’s not enough, but it’s a start for them to
get to Storybrooke, so Cora can find her daughter and Hook can find
Rumplestiltskin.
I’m not sure who it was that decided that all pirates
must wear eye-liner but I approve. Yes yes I do. Keep your parrots and
peg-legs. I also like this twist on Captain Hook and why he went to Neverland
and the Crocodile he’s afraid of.
I’m impressed also how it manages to merge together the
three plot lines – Fairy land past, fairy land present and Storybrooke.
But I think there’s a hole in the backstory which I hope
we will see more of – Prince James/Charming/David. He’s respected and accepted
as a leader but I’m not sure he has done enough to justify being cast as this
great, respected, honoured leader.
(5 for the eyeliner)
