One Big Dysfunctional Family

When Cora kissed Rumple in "In the Name of the Brother", I started thinking that maybe all the characters are more connected to each other than we realized.  There are three important families on this show - Rumple's, Regina's, and the Charmings, though there is some overlap, such as Regina being Snow's stepmother.  I have created a graphic of the family tree of these families showing the relationships that we know and some that are just speculation.  Enjoy!

Well, there you have it.  It took me forever to make and I'm still not sure it is right.  As you may have noticed, I left off some of the parents who aren't essential for the diagram - Snow and Charming's moms and Belle's dad.  Some dating relationships were also left off, such as Regina and Daniel.

I don't know for certain, but I would probably bet money that Neal and Baelfire are the same person.  We aren't sure the nature of Cora's and Rumple's relationship back in Fairy Tale Land before she became all evil.  There is a small possibility that Rumple is really Regina's father.  Ew.  We probably won't know for sure until "The Miller's Daughter" or maybe even another season.

Some interesting info:  Henry Mills is the adopted son of Regina Mills, but Regina is also Henry's step-great-grandmother.  And she doesn't look a day over 30!  That would make Cora Henry's grandmother.  If Baelfire and Neal really are one and the same, that would make Rumple Henry's grandfather.  If Rumple and Belle get married, she will be Henry's step-grandmother!  Ha! And if Milah were still alive, Hook could have been Henry's step-grandpa.  See, every relationship on this show centers on Henry.  Potential Henry grandparents: Snow and Charming (maternal), Rumpelstiltskin (paternal), and Cora (maternal).  Yikes!

Another other interesting relationships you noticed?

Really, Rumple?

"In the Name of the Brother" was full-on crazy.  Dr. Whale and Ruby bonded (cute!) and a dangerous new stranger came to town.  We also got to see what happened after Hook shot Belle and she fell over the town line.

Sure enough, Belle lost her memory and now seems to be terrified of Rumple.  She spent most of the episode in the hospital, even after Rumple fixed her bullet wound.  Rumple seemed very sad during this episode, which is understandable considering Belle doesn't remember him and even seems scared of him.  Rumple doesn't give up though, and visits Belle twice in the hospital.  The first visit, Rumple tries to give a sleeping Belle true-love's kiss.  She smiles for second and then screams bloody murder.  Poor Rumple, he really does love her and he must have been so upset.

The second time, Belle was awake and Rumple brought her a present - the chipped cup and Rumple's most precious possession, which he says was charmed to help her remember.  Belle, being scared of this man she doesn't remember, does what probably made most of the viewing audience gasp - she threw the cup across the room and it shattered.  Rumple was heartbroken.  All he could do was walk away and apologize.  The only good this about this situation is that now Rumple can concentrate on finding his son.  But what will happen to Belle now that Rumple is on his way to find Bae?  Will she have to stay in the hospital until she regains her memory or will she stay with Ruby?

Just before Belle threw Chip, something horrifying happened.  Cora showed up at Gold's shop, looking for her daughter Regina.  As a peace offering, she gave Rumple a globe that would show the location of Baelfire.  Then, she called him "master" and suggested they have a truce and seal it the way they used to.  Uh oh.  That is when the old broad kissed Rumple.  He looked surprised, she looked pleased, I looked for a trash can to vomit in.  So, what was that all about?  We know that episode 16 is called "The Miller's Daughter" and is about Cora (played by Rose McGowen!) before she had Regina, so will probably learn about her association with Rumple.

We know that Rumple is the one who trained both Cora and Regina in dark magic, but it made me wonder if Cora and Rumple were in love at one time or if they even, heaven forbid, had Regina together.  Geez, I hope that is not the case.  Cora is evil - even more evil than Rumple.  While Rumple is able to love both Bae and Belle, Cora does not seem to have the capability.  But I will say right now, from now on, Cora better keep her mitts off Rumple!  Rumbelle forever!!!

Who is the Biggest Villain of Them All?

Who is Storybrooke's biggest villain?  Just when I think I have it figured out, a new episode completely changes my mind.  One of the cool things about "Once Upon a Time" is that even the bad guys have a little bit of good in them and the good guys sometimes do bad things.  So, who is bad and who is good?  The good guys are fairly obvious - Snow, Charming, Henry, Ruby, Belle, Emma, Gepetto, the dwarfs, Blue Fairy, and Archie.  Dr. Whale, Jefferson, and August are a little more complicated - neutral characters.  The bad guys would be Rumpelstiltskin, Hook, Regina, and Cora.  That brings me to the question - who is the biggest villain of them all?

Hook:  Has Hook always been bad?  We don't really know his back story yet, but judging by how he has behaved so far, I would have to say yes.  He is a pirate after all - he steals money, ships, and other men's wives.  Not cool.  His real troubles started when he fell for Milah, Rumple's wife.  While Rumple the spinner was a wimp, Rumple the Dark One would cut your hand off and kill his own wife, which is just what he did.  Now that Hook is in Storybrooke, he wants revenge on Rumple in the worst way.  Is it warranted?  He stole Milah and lost his hand.  Does Rumple deserve payback for that?  Another point against Hook - he broke in to Belle's prison and knocked her out when she wouldn't help him find Rumple.  Any man that would hit a woman (especially a teeny tiny one like Belle) is a Grade-A a-hole.  Then there is also the little matter of Hook trying to kill Belle in the library, holding a gun to her head, and later shooting her over the town line.  He got hit by a car and totally deserved it.

On the non-villain side, Hook did give Aurora back her heart before going to Storybrooke.  That was nice, but the captain is still firmly in the villain category.  Villain score: 2 1/2 out of 4 poison apples.

Regina:  Regina used to be a good girl.  She loved her father, riding horses, and the stable boy Daniel.  Her mom Cora, however, was rotten to the core.  After she killed Daniel, Cora taught her daughter how to be ambitious and arranged for her to the marry the king, Snow's father.  Regina was very frustrated with her mother but didn't start to become evil until she met Rumpelstiltskin.  He taught her dark magic and how to get rid of her mother, by pushing her through a looking glass into another land.  She became queen and tricked a man (Sydney Glass/Genie) in to killing her husband so she could become the supreme ruler of the land.  Regina tried to kill Snow, the girl she believed caused all her misery, but always failed.  It was her hatred of Snow that caused her to enact the curse that sent everyone to Storybrooke.  That was bad enough, but she had to kill her own beloved father to get the curse to work.  She kidnapped Belle and kept her prisoner in her castle and then in the Storybrooke Hospital, to use her later as a bargaining chip against Rumple.  There was also the little matter of keeping the Huntsman/Sheriff Graham as her sex-slave after she stole his heart.  Creepy.

However, Regina is not all bad.  She is capable of love - first with her father, then Daniel, and finally Henry, the boy she adopted and raised.  Regina struggles with getting her son to love her and trying to be a better person by not using magic.  Henry tries to run away from Regina several times and goes to his birth mother Emma, which pains her greatly.  Regina has no friends in town, no love interests, is openly feared, and seems very lonely.  Villain Score: 3 out of 4 poison apples.

Rumpelstiltskin:  Rumple is the most complicated character of all.  He is the very oldest character, being hundreds of years old.  He started as a poor spinner who was made a cuckold by his wife Milah and raised his son Baelfire alone.  He killed a man, becoming the Dark One.  Dark One Rumple was a whole different animal.  His appearance changed and he became obsessed with making deals.  Rumple always knows what his happening before anyone else and always has a plan.  Because of Rumple's ambition, his son Baelfire left him, a mistake Rumple has spent hundreds of years trying to fix.

So what did Rumple do that was so bad?  Well, for reasons unknown to us, he trained Cora and Regina in dark magic.  And, it was his curse that was used to destroy Fairy Tale Land and brought everyone to Maine, even if it was Regina who cast it.  He took Hook's hand and killed his wife for abandoning their son.  He bargained to get Belle as his indentured servant then kicked her out when she fell in love with him.  He beat up Hook, Smee, Belle's dad, etc.  The list could go on and on.  The point is, Rumple behind most of the bad things that happen on this show.

Like the others though, he is not all bad.  He is trying desperately to get back to his son, which is the reason he created the curse.  His love for Bae is very strong and he would do anything to get his son back.  He also reunited with Belle, his true love and is trying to deserve her affection.  For the most part, Rumple is very kind and loving toward Belle, except for the little matter of hiding his past from her and telling half-truths.  They make a pretty cute couple.  Though now that Belle has lost her memory, Rumple will be devastated   I'm pretty sure Rumple would kill anyone who stood in the way of getting back his son or who tried to hurt Belle (something we have seen many times). Villain Score: 3 1/2 out of 4 poison apples.

Cora:  This chick is a piece of work.  She has no redeeming qualities and cares only about her own agenda and power.  Her own daughter Regina was terrified of her and Cora ruled her with an iron fist and restraint by dark magic.  How she ever managed to find a husband, I'll never know.  Cora killed her daughter's boyfriend Daniel and arraigned for Snow to be taken by runaway horse to serve her own purposes - to have Regina be queen.  We don't know her reasoning yet, but she has an episode coming up - "The Miller's Daughter" and we will probably learn more.

Cora is the reason Regina became so dark.  In retaliation, Regina sent Mommy Dearest to Neverland, where she took over and become the Queen of Hearts.  Many people were beheaded during her reign.  Now, Cora has made her way to Storybrooke.  Will it be a happy reunion between mother and daughter?  Heck no!  Cora will be only too happy to toy with her daughter's affections, manipulate Henry, and take over the town.  You thought Regina was bad?  She's got nothing on the ultimate bad seed - Cora.  That is why she is "Once Upon A Time's" biggest villain.  4 out of 4 poison apples.

Amnesia

Oh my gosh, last night's episode of "Once Upon a Time" was so good!  It was intense, surprising, and it was full of delicious Rumbelle!  My favorite part?  It was all about Belle!

Belle's hair has gotten straighter, right?  I preferred the curls, but she looks more modern this way.  Either way, Belle and Rumple seem happier than ever.  They had a picnic in his store last week (rudely interrupted by the Charmings) and they spent a lot of time together this week.  Granted, a lot of their together time centered around violence, but the love was still there.

Hook is seriously my least favorite character right now (after the horrible Cora of course).  The Jack-Sparrow-wannabe broke in to the library with the intent of killing Belle.  Girlfriend is probably 5'2" 110 pounds and he is trying to fight her?  Seriously?  Hook had already knocked Belle out in her cell in Fairy Tale Land and now he is pointing guns at her and threatening to kill her?  Hate you, Guyliner!

Hook breaks in to the library and Belle knocks a shelf of books on his ugly mug.  She runs for the elevator and locks herself inside.  If I remember correctly, Regina used that elevator to reach Maleficent the dragon last season.  Miss Belle calls her beloved on their matchy-matchy cell phones but Storybrooke has pretty crappy cell reception.  The doors are finally pried open and Belle backs up in the corner, thinking this is probably the end.  But, no, it is her own Prince Charming - Rumpelstiltskin to the rescue!  Hugs all around!  This would probably be a romantic moment, but Rumbelle discovers Hook's attack was just a diversion to get Gold out of his store so Smee could rob it.  What was he after?  Baelfire's shawl, Gold's treasured item, and his only way of leaving town.

So, Gold gets all violent on his shop and smashes everything in sight before Belle stops him.  Gold yells at her.  I yell at the screen for him to stop yelling at her.  It's all very healthy!  Gold gives Belle, the most non-violent person on the planet, a gun to use on Hook.  Belle has a better idea, she is going after Hook herself.  She finds his invisible boat and boards.  Archie is on this boat!  Belle frees him and tells him to bring Gold, which is kindof funny because Archie is the one who told Hook about her.  Irony!  Gold gets on the boat, beats the heck out of Hook (again, funny because Gold is short and old and Hook is tall and young) before Belle stops him.  That Gold can be pretty scary sometimes.

Having the shawl back, Gold and Belle take a trip to the Storybrooke town line.  Gold will be going alone but Belle will be waiting when he gets back.  Gold leans in to kiss Belle, and bang!  Hook is there with a gun and Belle crumples to the ground, falling over the town line in the process.  All of her memories are gone.  Gasp!  Belle was the only one who believed in Rumple, that he was a good man, and now he has no one.  She has no idea who he is!  In a preview for next week's episode, Gold tries to give Belle true-love's kiss and she screams and backs away from him in fear.  Belle getting shot and losing her memory has really bummed me out.  I was sad when they broke up in "The Crocodile", but this is so much worse.  There is a glimmer of hope though.  Belle can get to know Gold/Rumple all over again.  They can fall in love again.  They can have their happily ever after.  And if Belle somehow does get her memory back, I hope she lets Gold kills Hook this time.  I really do.