I thought I'd start ranting about characters and why I like/dislike them...but then I started rewatching the season finale scenes with Belle and Mr. Gold. And I decided I'm not going to sleep tonight until I write this up.
Saying that you ship Rumpelstiltskin with Belle from "Beauty and the Beast" is going to grant you strange looks, and it's impossible to explain without showing the episode "Skin Deep". I think it's one half awesome writing, one half awesome acting that makes this couple so popular; I have yet to see an anti-Rumpbelle statement. I'm sure I will, but just saying.
It's the same set-up as "Beauty and the Beast", only instead of saving her father in exchange for her freedom Belle's exchanging her freedom to stop an entire war. Warning: This Belle's even more BA than Disney's version. Rumpelstiltskin spares Belle his usual power trip-ness initially, and in exchange Belle cares about him. Belle, though, will not take any of his crap, much like Baelfire. Everything goes to heck in a hand basket when they kiss and Rumpel starts to become human again. He freaks out and insists that he loves power more than her, and that no one could ever love him. He sets her free, and Belle gives the best break-up speech to a man who doesn't want to get too close that I've ever heard (granted, I haven't heard a lot). Most notably, she says that he could've had happiness if he had only let himself believe someone could want him, and that now all he'll have is an empty heart and a chipped cup.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oqXkJdYPGcE
Rumpelstiltskin goes on a smashing rampage, but cannot bring himself to smash the cup that Belle chipped. He replaces a golden goblet with it, which is more jampacked with metaphors and allegory than I can analyze. Basically all of the wealth he has means nothing in comparison to an imperfection his true love gave him.
To add angst on top of all of this, Regina stops by to tell Rumpel that his girl was not accepted because of her time with him, and killed herself due to being hated and treated like she was possessed. This is also Regina, so it's been hinted by fans that we should take it with a grain of salt. Though why Regina would risk him finding out is beyond me.
The couple is adorable just from the fairy tale land story, but it's Mr. Gold in Storybrooke that really makes this pairing shine. Mr. Gold goes batcrap crazy on a guy because a possession was stolen. Like, beating the guy with his cane crazy (using the same tactic as during his tantrum on his stuff back in fairy tale land...hmmm). Go figure, Regina has the item. What is it?
The chipped cup.
Besides making me wonder how the bad guys had time to pack before the curse set in, it hurts. We already know it's his prized possession, and most people wouldn't go that crazy over a cup. So for around twenty-eight years, Mr. Gold has kept this cup, dwelling on his lost true love. Going back to the cane beating, we have also gotten the connection between the florist in the real world and Belle's father in the fairy tale world (it's so handy that they use the same actor for each persona). As Mr. Gold continues to beat Mr. French, he shouts that it's "your fault" that Belle is gone. The first time I watched the scene, I thought that Mr. Gold was just projecting his own feelings about himself onto Mr. French. The second time, I realize that it might be a bit more literal. Evil Queen Regina said that Belle's father cast her out, so perhaps Mr. Gold blames Mr. Belle's father for her death. Either way, it's an emotional scene.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/KZOId396y9c
Meanwhile, Regina has had Belle's real world counterpart locked up in the hospital. Jefferson, in the most awesome twist I might have ever seen, sets her free and tells her to find Mr. Gold. Somehow, she does find the pawn shop, and the acting speaks for itself.
http://www.youtube.com/embed/hxfSGk5cURM
After twenty-eight years of no son, no lover, and no magic, Belle comes into his pawn shop in a shaggy coat and tells him that Regina locked her up. Much to viewer displeasure, he doesn't flip out about the whole Regina thing, instead squeezing her to make sure she's real. Then he agrees to protect her, and hugs her, while she sits there confused. He doesn't go all angsty when she asks if she knows him, just says "no, but you will".
They go for a walk in the woods while Emma's off breaking the curse and Belle stops, telling Mr. Gold to wait. Thinking she's just being a wimp, Mr. Gold insists they're close, but then she uses his fairy tale name. She states that she remembers, and then says "I love you". Not "I loved you", present tense. Mr. Gold waits a manly amount of time, before saying he loves her too, and they embrace. Most were disappointed that they didn't kiss...but after what the first kiss did, it's no wonder they're holding off.
In short, it's a complicated love. They have problems, and a love triangle with power. Rumpelstiltskin might be held back by needing to find Bae, or even residual feelings for Bae's mother. Belle hangs out with Rumpel, but she stands her ground when he goes all power mad and evil. It will be interesting to see the fall-out in their relationship from the stunt of bringing magic back to Storybrooke (though he totally did it so he can find Bae). But they love each other, in a deeper way than most couples nowadays are portrayed in books and movies. They don't run around making out and declaring their love every other sentence (looking at you, Snow and James). It's the little things, like turning her ex-fiance into a rose to give to her, that show that they love each other in their own unperfect, chipped cup way.
P.S. Almost all the clips are available on Youtube, if you search hard enough.
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