Once Upon A Time, S02E11
Rumpelstiltskin had finally found a way to cross the line without losing his memories, but his plan to start searching for his son was stopped when Hook finally made a move on Belle. After securing her safety, he found that the shawl he needed to cross the town line was stolen by Hook, and Belle went to retrieve it for him, despite Rumpelstiltskin asked her to stay out of it. In the past, Belle joined a group of men to find a beast, but found herself doing the adventure alone until she finally teamed up with Mulan.
I was thrilled that this episode started off with Rump dragging Smee out to the town line and him slightly roughing him up with his cane as he tested out his potion. I mean, it was great to see that he had found a way around that curse-lifting side effect, but I just loved seeing him smack around someone who may or may not deserved it. I was actually hoping he had brought Smee out there to attack him for something he had done to upset him, but it turned out to be less about intimidation and more about discovery. Boo.
Things started to pick up when Hook decided to show up at Belle's library and try to grab her. I was so excited that he was finally making a move and that Belle might tell Rump about Hook before Hook could get the jump on Rump. It actually started to look like some kind of horror movie when Belle was hiding in that elevator and Hook kept banging on the doors. With Belle's phone not working and Rump being unable to get the message that Hook was after her, I was scared that when the doors did open it was going to be Hook. Thank goodness it was Rump and she was safe.
I thought it was crazy that Rump gave Belle a gun and told her to hide in the library (because Hook couldn't possibly get her there again) until I realized that Belle is no coward and doesn't seem to shy away from danger. I was sort of terrified when she found Hook's ship (which was impressive, but seemed rash on her own) and just walked on in as if there couldn't possibly be someone waiting on board to kidnap her ass. It was commendable that she managed to save Archie, let Archie get away so that he could get Rump to come help her, and temporarily escaped from Hook with the stolen shawl in hand. Wow. Just when I thought Belle was just big-hearted girl with a pretty face, she showed that she is just as badass as the rest of the women on the show.
My favorite part was when Belle looked like she was way over her head with Hook and Rump showed up to save the day. I was expecting more of a real fight between them, but it was pretty one-sided. Still, watching Rump beat the hell out of Hook with his cane was so amazing. I mean, it was horrible that Hook couldn't even return a blow, but I was laughing so hard at Rump letting out all of his fury upon Hook without using any magic. That was what was so cool about it. Rump could destroy Hook in a second, but he chose to fight him like a person and beat him with just his cane. After a while, though, I was glad that Belle stepped in to stop it. I wasn't ready to see Hook die just yet. I mean, I at least wanted to see a more dramatic fight between the two of them first.
Belle's commitment to Rump is so endearing. He straight up lied about killing his ex-wife and why Hook wants to get revenge on him so bad, and she still stood by his side. I think any other woman would have jumped off that ship, especially when he was beating a man nearly to death and five seconds away from ripping his heart out of his chest. I was really worried that the ugly side that Hook brought out in the usually calm and collected Rump would send Belle away, but she really showed that she's in this for the long run. And you gotta love that sweet moment when she put the shawl around him and they held each other on opposite sides of the line. It would have been even better if they had gotten that kiss, but alas Hook had just begun with his revenge.
I can't even begin to wonder who busted into town and took out Hook before Rump could turn him into ash because Belle not only got shot, but lost her memory as well! No! I figured that Hook wouldn't be swayed by Rump's threats or faux mercy, but I never would have imagined him shooting Belle in the back! That was a good twist, even if it was sort of heartbreaking. I wonder what Rump is going to do next? Is he just gonna leave Belle there and hope he can get her memory back later or will he stay in Storybrooke and try to use some new magic to fix her (even though he said it couldn't be undone).
In the past, I was sort of confused why Belle would randomly go beast hunting, but I suppose she's always had a thirst for adventure and never thought to quench it until Dreamy encouraged her. I liked that she was able to read like Chinese and find the Yoaguai on her own. I didn't care too much for Mulan popping up and being as about as friendly as a rattlesnake poked with a hot stick. She redeemed herself by acknowledging how smart Belle was to find the beast faster than anyone else, but I was still annoyed that she is always so abrasive with new people. In the end, I loved that Belle managed to subdue the beast and find out that it wasn't really attacking people but was Prince Phillip just cursed. It established Belle better as a character and explained how Phillip and Mulan met. Check check.
With Regina not even being in the story really, I was happy to see her at the end of Belle's past story even if she was just throwing Belle into a cage. I sort of missed her and yet I forgot about her because I was too busy delighting in seeing Rump get to use his cane as an ass-kicking tool so much. I am really curious as to where she is and if she's bumped into her evil mother yet. With Archie being alive and Emma knowing that Regina is innocent, I wonder if it's too late to apologize to her and pull her away from the dark side.
Lastly, it was interesting to see Snow and Charming discuss getting a home for themselves. I liked how she was ready to settle down and be with her family, while the non-stop hero Charming wanted to go back home like the others and fight. I have to side with Snow that they have been fighting for a damn long time. It's about time that they freaking stopped and grabbed onto some freaking happiness and peace. I mean, it sucks for those left back home like Mulan and Aurora, but it's not like Snow and the others were brought to the non-magic world by choice. I do see where Charming's coming from, but I think he's a little addicted to fighting and saving people. As for the other townspeople, they might just be homesick and worried about the rest of the world finding out about their magical and abnormal lives. If Charming was arguing that angle, I might feel like siding with him. I'm not sure that either of them, especially because they're stubborn, will come to agreement about that soon. That's a bit of a shame because I'd love to see what their house might look like.
Fantastic episode. There was finally some fighting going on between Hook and Rump, but it wasn't as intense as I was hoping, but with Rump dishing out so many cane lashings, I couldn't complain too much about that. Rump had me worried that he was going to lose Belle with all the violence and deceit, but Belle proved that her love for him runs deep and her faith for him is unshakable. However, that doesn't matter too much now that Hook has made her fall across the line of memory loss and she doesn't even know who Rump is anymore. It's frustrating now that they've gotten so close again, but it does add some good drama to the mix. There's also some good tension brewing between Snow and Charming concerning whether they should stay or go. I can't tell who's going to give in that argument. More than their issues, I have to know what's going on with Regina. Cora was absent in this episode as was Regina (at least in Storybrooke). It seems like a pretty bad sign that next time we see the Queen, she might be a lot like her old self and beyond returning to her new and improved self.
