Robert Carlyle gives a stunning performance in this week's Once Upon a Time episode "The Crocodile."
There has never been any doubt that Robert Carlyle is a gifted actor, arguably one of the best actors of his generation. He's gone from film to television and back again both here and in the U.K. He's done tiny budget independent films that allow him to create characters and give voice to films with great social or political weight and bigger projects that undoubtedly allow him to support small-budget worthwhile cinema. But there is also no doubt that whatever role he chooses to do, he has an ability to transform himself completely, making the character unforgettable.…
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26 - John
HEA is happily ever after
27 - Action Kate
HEA=Happily Ever After
My question is, if Rumple is hundreds of years old, as several people have noted here, how can Bae still be alive for Rumple to find him? Bae doesn't have eternal life like the Dark One does.
I love Belle. I love how strong she is and how she does not put up with anyone's garbage, be he lover or father. She is just. not. interested. And when she chooses to reach out to Rumple with the offer of dinner, it is an adult fully aware of her own choices and their consequences. She's not swooning back into his arms; she's offering him an opportunity to earn her trust and her heart again. Brava.
28 - John
I am guessing there is a time difference between various worlds or that he designed the curse to go to a time when bae was still around but guess he couldn't design it to say the process time bae crossed over.
As for HEA I kinda hope the show doesnt go with the predictable redemption/hea in the death/afterlie. Since it's a tv show I had no sympathy for her. I think Rumple having a HEA depends on what he does in the now cause the writers have hinted at regina getting redemption and hea and she killed her own dad too.
29 - Betsy
Jane answered my tweet:
@JaneEspenson Do you believe Rumple completely crossed the line when he killed Milha and that he can never have a HEA? That made me so sad.
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33m Jane Espenson ?@JaneEspenson
@Betsypaige24 I believe rehabilitation is always possible.
I think so as well, Barbara. I believe they did that to show just how powerful a hold the curse had on Rumple, but I think by the time of Skin Deep, he truly regretted that.
I don't look at Gold as a villain; whatI do is separate the man from the curse. his real self, the one he lived as for 30 something or 40 years, was a good man. I don't believe he was a real coward. He was timid and weak, but who isn't at times? He cared for his wife (whether love or not) and he adored his son. Rumple raised Bae into a kind and selfless boy. How did he do that unless by the example he set? I think we must never forget this.
There's no changing the past, but Gold becoming the good man I believe and Belle believes he is inside is still very possible. I believe he wants that very much ...and he can still make the future a better place as a way to atone for his past.
The library scene was a monumental moment for me because for the first time, we’ve seen into the heart and soul of Rumplestiltskin/Gold; he will never be the same again, he can never be the same again. He has crossed the Rubicon, passed the point of no return. By taking that leap of faith, by revealing his innermost personal feelings to the woman he so deeply loves and cherishes, he is repudiating his former self, the self that put up a mask of bravado, the self that refused to acknowledge that he had feelings, emotions. Gold wants to love, he does love, he’s in love with being in love â€" that romantic, gallant part of him is coming out. Does he do things correctly all the time? No he does not, but he genuinely loves to make Belle happy and he cares very much about her well-being. That scene in the kitchen on Sunday didn’t turn out well, but still…..he was going to make her breakfast, he was concerned about her not eating. Later, it was apparent that he was concerned about her being cold. He swallowed his pride and went to Charming for help and advice; his love and worry over her superceded everything and he didn’t care that he appeared to be vulnerable to Charming and Red. Pre-Belle Gold would have thought of vulnerabilities as weaknesses and would never have demonstrated them to anyone; post-Belle Gold is simply different.
Of course this is a process and Gold isn’t going to change overnight. Frankly, I don’t want him to change completely; he’s a marvelous character with some wonderful qualities and, as I’ve always felt, a good and decent man at his very core. We all have dark sides, everyone in SB has one, so there will always be some part of that inside of him. It’s also complicated because his past as Rumple is always coming back to haunt him â€" or it will haunt him. What I’m hoping is that by the end of the season, by which time the storylines for season 3 will probably be set up, Gold and Belle will be firmly together, a REAL partnership in love. I would be disappointed if this weren’t the case. If it is the case, they can deal with anything together â€" they will be an incredibly strong unit.
I love literature - was an English major in college - but never read much Byron. What's a Byronic hero? Thanks!
HEA for Gold? Bae and Belle....He and Belle would have children and be truly happy for as long as they live.
30 - barbara barnett
Ahhh. You shall find out when you read the article :-) I'm evil that way! Jane will be on my radio broadcast November 5 to talk Once. She'll be taking calls from the fans as well.
31 - Betsy
John, We are the lucky ones that Bobby and Emilie have such remarkable chemistry. I honestly could go on and on all day about this - it's my favorite thing to talk about, lol.
There’s so much going on with Bobby and Emilie that is remarkable. They physically match up very well for one; he’s short and slender and she’s just so petite. In Skin Deep, I couldn’t help but notice that as Rumple, he looked tiny in that throne and so small compared to everyone else; in fact, his crazy outfit seemed to swallow him whole. Yet with Emilie, the height differential is perfect. For another and I think this probably has a lot to do with why they look so good together, they really just seem to be on the same page. I know nothing about acting, but it just appears like they respond to each other so naturally, like it comes so easy to them, so effortlessly; they are natural partners for each other. Then, the biggie â€" that zing, bam, zowie chemistry, lol. Sometimes there is just something between two people and whether they are married or not, no matter. It helps that they get along so well….it’s sort of inexplicable, but I think we and the show should thank our lucky stars because this kind of thing does not come around very often
32 - Betsy
Barbara, I hope you redeem yourself!
I am not watching this show to get my unhappily ever afters, lol. Belle and Gold and Bae and many babies will all live in peace and harmony - and a few dogs and horses, lol.
Thanks for the heads up! It's funny, but she and Adam get LOADS of tweets about Belle and Rumbelle. Adam reassured some distraught Rumbelle fans (yay) that Crocodile wasn't the end for them, but the beginning.
My take NOW is that they are giving us the romance between them that they were not able to give us in Skin Deep (can't possibly show the development of a relationship in one episode). This will make Rumbelle stronger in the long run.
33 - barbara barnett
Betsy--see? I think that's what I said originally. A slow burn romance :-)
I think you will like this article!
34 - Betsy
I'm sure I will!
Aww. Someone I post with on a message board raised a good point: the reason why we did not see Rumbelle lovey dovey scenes in the house (or even him comforting her) was because they want to wait until the time is right between the two to show them.
I'm not a romantic person in the slightest -not at all. However, Rumbelle has brought out that side of me - after the show ends, I suppose it will go back into hiding, lol
35 - Pixie Michele
Agreed Barbara and all. Absolutely brilliant performances and writing. Loved the twist to the fairy tale of how Hook lost his hand to the Crocodile.
My two favorite stories are Peter Pan and Beauty and the Beast. Seeing them crossed here through Rumple is sheer delight. Crocodile skin deep is tough to work through; definitely demands time, but worth it to get to the good stuff underneath.
I thought about Baelfire's age difference too, but there's many possibilities if he's realm jumping (now becoming more prevalent.) Who's to say Bae stopped at the first place without magic? What if the bean goes with you? Hook got back to FTLand somehow by the end.
What if Bae became a lost boy/Peter Pan and didn't age? What if, before the Dark Curse hit, Bae jumped to the far part of FTLand that was spared (he'd be a good reason why it survived) and time froze for 28 years? So many "what if's" we haven't even seen hints of yet I'm sure. Such fun to play with, and watch. I can't wait to see Neverland.
To Barbara, and all who appreciate the darker side, enjoy the Halloween episode!
36 - Patti
I love slow burn romances. It's the slow build up, the little moments,little looks and longing,and little moments that really add up. I love that this pairing and it adds to that deep connection that was started in skin deep and adds to the strenght of the emotional connection/love.
37 - Patti
I would love love for Bae to still be a kid. I really liked the actor who played him in season one. It would be a great second chance for Rumple but the show would really shock me with that. It would be a true surprise because Rumple thought August was him and I fully expect whether he's the white rabbit,jack from the beanstalk or peter pan that Bae will be an adult and henry's dad making the charmings,regina and rumple tv's most twisted family.
Oh with the heart ripping happening again I fully expect when they do Oz that Cora,Regina or Rumple will have taken the Tin Man's heart.
38 - Betsy
I do have some issues with the writing for Belle in this episode and I hope it's not just because Jane didn't write it.
I thought the scenes in Broken, written by Adam and Eddy, were brilliantly done. Howevr, I CAN see how some people would get confused as to how Belle, even as disappointed as she was with Gold in the kitchen scene, would go from that to outright fury in "I never want to see you again". If she were really THAT furious about Gold not being honest, then why didn't she just lose it in the kitchen rather than later at the rescue? If it had to do with Mo and the idea she knew that Gold had prevented her from seeing her father, then that wasn't made clear at all. IF that were the case, the writers are leaving an awful lot to the imagination.......I don't think it was, though. Assuming it wasn't, then: Belle seemed disappointed in the iced tea scene, NOT furious. To her father, she also seemed a bit sad about the relationship perhaps ending......not furious. I think it's a bit disjointed, to be honest - not very consistent.
39 - John
I thought Belle was great in the episode and her motivations and reasoning human and understandable. Neither of the two people she loves trusted her to either let her in or to make her own choices. The men had the power and control and did not listen to her so yeah I can see her after trying to think the events in the kitchen out getting taken and then forced to lose her memories and only remember the aslyum, her being really pissed and lashing out. Like we can understand Rumple destroying every family in a curse or excuse him unleashing a wraith or killing, her lashing out to both is understandable. the never wanting to see you again is lashing out, the rest was very intelligent and ballsy. I really applaud how they've handled Belle. She's not blind,naive,a doormat or whining nag. She's pretty badass herself.
40 - Kelly
Rewatching the episode again, I really looked at Milah and how she talked about adventure and being brave. She may have looked kickbutt in the pirate outfit and giving instructions on the boat, but she was by no means strong or brave. Strong and brave would be able to listen to your husband being called a coward and either not caring or standing by him/standing up for him and strong and brave would be to either stay or take your son with you. She was by no means a strong women like Snow,Red,Emma and Belle have proven to be. She was a coward to. Also found the Hook/Milah chemistry to be flat and meaningless cause if he loved her he would have welcomed and took Bae on the boat too and left Rumple in the dust.
41 - Sherry
I agree with John - I want Rumple to stay the villain for a while at least. I like him the way he is - conniving, dastardly, with the little glimpses of humanity. I like that his story is about loss and redemption, but I'm not ready for him to have it yet! They can stretch that out for a while as far as I'm concerned.
I'm assuming Bae will be an adult like Emma and Pinocchio/August are. I was think of who he could be the same as has been hinted at....
I really liked this episode as well, but some of the big picture problems (show seems unfocused to me) still need some work.
42 - WML
I wonder if Wendy's great great granddaughter shows up in Storybrooke?
I think the best way to get rid of Rumples curse if for Hook to find the cursed dagger and challenge Mr. Gold to a fight. Bell watches in dismay while Gold, finally understanding how much Belle really loves the man that is inside him, fights Hook, but gets stabbed by the dagger. The curse breaks, but because Rumple was a cursed man before (before being cursed to be the Rumple we know), the two curses destroy each other and Rumple's life is saved (by the hospital, of course). Hook, as the curses explode, is thrown back to a portal to Neverland. And after this, can Belle and Rumple leave happily ever after?
One question. In all of OUAT, how many people has Rumple asked what his name is? And how many people have answered the question? Rumple asked her that question in the mines and she said his name.
One over the top prediction. Since so many different tales are interwoven in OUAT, would it surprise anyone that another backstory in the whole yarn will be about the plight of the cowardly lion, who somehow lost his courage? The produces could portray a Rumple as a noble soldier whose courage is ripped from him, as a curse. The lion reduced to being a coward. And as in Oz, it was love that restored that courage.