The Many Loves of Rumpelstiltskin

You can open your eyes now.  The super icky love fest between Cora and Rumple is over.  That had to be one of the most uncomfortable episodes for me to watch.  Any time two characters get turned on by talking about killing people, you know that is not a match made in heaven.  I am a big fan of Rumple, but I prefer Rumple when he is not gold and doesn't have bad teeth and claws.  So, what did young, hot Cora see in him?  Just the power?  Cuz, she seemed pretty game for making out with him and having his baby.  Ew.

It wasn't just lust though.  Cora actually fell in love with Rumple.  He loved her too, but it wasn't enough to break the curse like Belle was able to do.  Cora even decided to rip out her own heart, so she would stop loving him.  That is commitment.  What does this tell us?  Cora was even more evil and ambitious than we thought.  Rumple as the Dark One is not a good guy, but he can love.  He loved his wife at one point, and he still deeply loves his son and Belle.  Cora doesn't need and doesn't want love.  She was even willing to kill the only man she ever loved (Rumple) and become the Dark One herself, even at the expense of her own daughter.

This was an emotional episode for Rumple, both in the past and the present.  In the present, the ship they borrowed from Hook arrived in Storybrooke and the Charmings prepared for battle.  Gold lay dying in the back room of his shop while Emma, Bae, and Charming tried to fight off Cora and Regina.  Rumple felt the need to make one last phone call to Belle, even though she still doesn't remember him.  Belle still got pretty choked up when Rumple said he was dying.  Bae seemed horrified that his father even had a girlfriend, let along that he had to be in the same room while had made the very private call.  It did however let father and son bond for a moment and hold hands though Bae was still hurt and angry.

Snow has been struggling with her feelings.  In the last episode, she found out that Cora was responsible for killing her mother when Snow was a child.  Naturally, Snow wants to get some revenge.  Rumple reminds her that he still has the candle that can take life from one and give life to another.  HINT!  Kill Cora, save Gold.  Snow struggles with what to do, but ultimately she needs to protect her family and Cora wants them all dead.  The really tricky part of the candle trick is that Cora's heart, long since removed, needs to be put back in her body. That's where Regina comes in.  Playing with Regina's emotions, Snow gets her to do the dirty work.  Regina gets a moment of happiness with her mother, then mommy falls over dead.  Right before that happens though, Rumple and Cora have a heart to heart and we learn that Cora really did love Rumple, which is something that Rumple has been wondering about for years.  Why should he care anymore if Cora ever loved him?  Doesn't he supposedly love Belle now?  Isn't Belle his true love?  Well, Cora dies and Rumple lives and gets his dagger back.  Regina is out for blood now.  No more Miss Nice Queen.

Next week, we get to see the first week of the curse in Storybrooke and have a Regina-centric episode where we may learn why she wanted to adopt a child.  And I could not care less.  Bring on "Lacey"!