Rumplestiltskin: Apparently He's Part of Every Fairy Tale Ever

[FormerMod-a1]

Your Rumplestiltskin topic.

[Camera One]

At this time last year, I remember saying that Rumple was handled much better than Regina. But after the mess that was Season 4, sadly, that is no longer the case. Any depth that there was has been siphoned away by the bwahahaha nature of his actions this past season. I felt a lot of sympathy for him with Baelfire, but I can't feel anything anymore. They hardly had him show any remorse for how he treated Belle. All the so-called emotional scenes he had this season were disingenuous, and left me cold, from the exposition fairy at Neal's grave in the season premiere, to his so-called sad speech to Robin in "Heart of Gold". Not even Robert's awesome acting could save those moments. The only one that worked slightly was with Belle at the town line, but it was pretty much erased by "Back on the Edge of Town in 60 Seconds".

Edited July 28, 2015 by Camera One

[Curio]

Thank you for creating the thread, aquarian1! Although, I was kind of hoping to see the word "dearie" somewhere in the thread title. ;)

 

At this time last year, I remember saying that Rumple was handled much better than Regina. But after the mess that was Season 4, sadly, that is no longer the case.

 

For me, they're both pretty botched at this point. But at least with Rumple, the writers own up to his past mistakes and even had Belle—his True Love™—call him out on loving power more than her. With Regina, they avoided having Robin call Regina out for torturing his last wife like the plague. (And still haven't had Emma confront her about Graham.) Even though Rumple has turned from a three-dimensional character into a mustache-twirling villain, he's still entertaining to watch for Carlyle's acting alone.

Edited July 28, 2015 by Curio

[Camera One]

I wish I could say I did, but I didn't find his mustache-twirling villainy in Season 4 all that entertaining. Both of his goals - cleaving himself from the Dagger in 4A nor bandwagoning on Regina's "happy ending" felt more like buzzword overkill than actual intriguing threats. And then there was the over-the-top OMG Rumple is going to die bit they threw in at the end of the season. Who the hell cares.

On the plus side, I do think they have managed to set up a potentially interesting situation with a de-powered Rumple. Despite practically ruining the character outright, ironically, this is actually a chance to see something deeper and new as Rumple tries to deal with life with no power after so long as the Dark One. In some ways, it's more interesting to see what he'd be like compared to evil Emma, which I'm still not used to the idea of yet.

Edited July 28, 2015 by Camera One

[Mathius]

As I said on another thread, I thought Rumple was still excellent for most of 4A, and looking at the episode threads I was not alone in this opinion. The turning point came with "Smash the Mirror". He became insufferably cocky and long-winded, and after taking Hook's heart, he began his constant repetition of his plan to cleave himself from the dagger, repetition of how it will happen when the stars in the hat align with the stars in the sky, and repetition of how Hook's days are numbered and how much he's going to enjoy killing him. In short, he became really boring, and while Belle's banishment of him was satisfying, it was marred by both predictability and by the contrivance of a never-before-seen object making it happen.

The less said about Rumple in 4B, the better. That was him at his villainous worst.

[Selina K]

I am really liking head Rumple. I can't help but feel that R Carlyle could tell how awful the material in 4B was and was on a dial it in performance run. He seems to be having fun so far in 5A which gives me hope we are getting a good season. It seems like just the right amount of Rumple, too. Enough to enjoy, but not so much as to be overwhelming.

[Camera One]

I wonder how he feels about not being able to play a de-powered Rumple (yet).  That would probably be more of a challenge than playing a gleeful imp who is basically a prop for another character.  Hopefully he will wake up in Storybrooke soon since it's kind of a waste of talent.

[KingOfHearts]

Rumple's cowardice is inconsistent, I think. Sometimes he's magic-less and he's a trembling mess. Then other times, he's confidently manipulating the field with his clever wit. During all of S1, he's totally cool having no power because he engineered the curse. In 2B, he freaks out in an airport. In 4A, when Belle kicks him out, he's terrified. But then a few weeks later, he's walking proud with a genius plan. Now he's back in Storybrooke with his shop fully stocked with magical items and he's still playing the part of the coward. I don't think his transformation into a hero in 5x06 really meant anything.

[HoodlumSheep]

^ and in 5x08 he was a cool cucumber talking to Hook. He was pretty much his Mr. gold persona. I guess him performing one heroic act got rid of his cowardice. *rolls eyes*

Edited November 23, 2015 by HoodlumSheep

[Camera One]

Maybe he felt comforted by the crossbow Belle got from Toys R Us.

[Jul 68]

This may have been asked before, but what is Rumple's kill count? And by that I mean people he has personally killed. I don't believe that it's very many.

[Lieutenant]

Well let's see. There was the "kiss my boot" guy and possibly his crew right after Rumple turned dark one. Which leads us to Zoso's death. There's his mute maid he whacked, along with the pedestrian that dared to bump into Bae. Turned him into a snail and smashed him. David made mention of some butcher's father in season 2 who Rumple couldn't remember. He stabbed Pan, and crushed Milah and Tamara's hearts. Anyone else? Oh! He mummified Archie's folks indirectly too...I also can't help but feel that the Apprentice's death is ultimately on his roster as well. Poor old guy just hit the wall trying to clean up Rumple's hat cluster fuck and resulting darkness run amuck.

Edited November 30, 2015 by Lieutenant

[Rumsy4]

Off the top of my head: Gaston, Zoso, the mute little girl, Milah, Tamara, Zelena, Pan, Ashley's fairy, and the soldier from the Ogre war who taunted him. He seems to have casually killed people here and there over the centuries, in addition to inciting other people to kill.

[KAOS Agent]

I think there were five bodies on the ground after the Hordor massacre.

[Jul 68]

Thank you all for the assist. I remembered boot guy and Milah, but blanked on the others. I really need to rewatch the older seasons on Netflix.

Did he really kill Zelina or just 'release' her?

[Faemonic]

Did he really kill Zelina or just 'release' her?

Of course he didn't kill Zelena. But he meant to, that first time, and he really really really tried to. And we thought he did, until Zarian.

 

My count from the comments here is nine.

Edited November 30, 2015 by Faemonic

[Mari]

My count from the comments here is nine.

That sounds right for what we've seen on-screen.  

 

It's most likely quite a bit higher, though.  The reactions of people around him when he was doing the casual killing, combined with how very terrified people were in season 1 to bring themselves to his attention, implies that there were several bodies that happened in Offscreenville.

[Rumsy4]

The Rumple we all know and love (to hate) us back.

I have a feeling some people will blame Rumple's reversion on Belle breaking up with him, and Dark Hook taunting him.

[Katherine]

The Rumple we all know and love (to hate) us back.

I have a feeling some people will blame Rumple's reversion on Belle breaking up with him, and Dark Hook taunting him.

Sigh. Since some people blame Milah's murder on Milah, I guess I shouldn't be surprised :/. This show brings out some very interesting perspectives!

[Rumsy4]

I'm actually relieved that the writers didn't use this arc to whitewash Rumple's actions by blaming it all on the Dark Curse. Both Hook and Emma were able to fight it and let it go. Rumple took it back AFTER he was given a clean slate. The Insta!Hero arc did nothing but prove that no matter what, Rumple would always choose power.

[HoodlumSheep]

At this point I'm gunning for Rumple being the Big Bad now. So basically, a repeat of 4a, where he's the true villain behind the scenes.

[Mari]

Hey, I'm fine with that as long as we don't have to hear about his desire to be cleaved, and as long as his evil plans involve actual decent planning and villaining, instead of whatever was the yuck of 4b.

 

Oh, and the Belle droning on about his good heart is completely absent.

Edited December 7, 2015 by Mari

[HoodlumSheep]

And I think he needs to die rather than get banished. At this point, the writers need to make a choice. Either commit to redeeming him (bleh) with no more backsliding, or let him go out with a bang as a big bad.

Edited December 7, 2015 by HoodlumSheep

[Curio]

I would love for Rumple to be the show's ultimate Big Bad, but I'm nervous the writers would give him a last second redemption heel face turn, much like Killian's last night. If they're going to commit to it, they need to a) accept that Belle/Rumple will never be a real thing, and b) have him always choose power no matter what, and that's his ultimate downfall. Yes, this is a show about hope, but part of having hope is also the hope that evil will be rightfully punished.

[YaddaYadda]

I don't think they want the character redeemed. I'm okay with that, I've always enjoyed Rumple, and RC is pretty awesome, and he sort of gets to me when his eyes fill with tears.

 

Rumple isn't a character that needs to be redeemed, he's been at this for a very long time. But let's not pretend he's some good guy, because he's not. Rumple is terrible. He is a horrible person, and he revels in it.

 

At this point, I just want Belle to stop spewing platitudes. In 5x01, they had Belle and Hook sit together, Belle told him it was hard to love a Dark One. Well Belle, ball is in your court, because hubster is back to his old shenanigans. I'm not entirely sure he ever stopped shenaniganing.

[KingOfHearts]

In my honest opinion, they've gone as far as they can go with Rumple. I don't want to see him evil or good... just dead.

[YaddaYadda]

In my honest opinion, they've gone as far as they can go with Rumple. I don't want to see him evil or good... just dead.

Works for me.

 

There was this moment in the episode, when Emma changed from Dark Swan, to basically Emma, and for me, it was such a huge moment. My friend who never cries about anything was sniffling. And then we find out what Rumple did, and I wanted to throw the glass on the table at my television.

[Rumsy4]

At this point, I just want Belle to stop spewing platitudes. 

 

You know what, I realized last night that the Rumbelle relationship revolves on platitudes. It's almost entirely based on Belle's belief in Rumple's goodness, and Rumple's belief in holding on to both love and power. 

Edited December 7, 2015 by Rumsy4

[Sarcastica]

In my honest opinion, they've gone as far as they can go with Rumple. I don't want to see him evil or good... just dead.

 

This.

In the last episode (after a Captain swan wedding), I want everyone to walk over to the cemetery and dance on his grave. Or would he just poof away? Whatever. I want him dead and people dancing. 

[YaddaYadda]

Well, putting aside much of the fuckery, I think they are going to make good on their promise from season 1 about the final battle, which please, bring it on.

 

I think the show should end on that, the destruction of the darkness, and Rumple, once and for all. These people can't go on like this forever, where they are shocked Rumple betrayed them every other 5 minutes.

 

The only reason he's helping is because he is being blackmailed, and if he was all that powerful, he would've snapped Emma like a twig. He doesn't need her to go to the UW, if he had the idea of retrieving his son.

 

I've always thought he was scared of Emma. Now I'm even more convinced that he truly is.

[KAOS Agent]

I was wondering how far Rumpel's manipulations went in "Swan Song". He gave a really long description about just how horrific the Underworld was knowing that Henry had been marked. I don't think the Underworld is this hellish torture of the damned (mostly because that would be really, really dark and would make for a very not fun 100th episode), so was Rumpel subtly manipulating Emma into sacrificing herself so that he could regain the Darkness? He knows Emma will do almost anything for Henry, so was he planting the seeds in his little speech to the marked ones? 

[Shanna Marie]

I've been wondering how much of this Rumple set up from the beginning. It's not all necessarily a true long con in that he envisioned this exact scenario playing out (then again, he is supposed to have those seer powers). But possibly as a long-shot plan B. I've always found it odd that he was so sure of finding his mortal son alive after more than a century, so did he build the Hellmouth portal into Storybrooke as part of his curse design, adding a backdoor of sorts in case his son was dead before he got to him? Since he has the Dark One brain trust, he must have known about it and how it works and might have counted on finding a way to use Nimue and her buds to somehow get his son back if he was stuck in a worst-case scenario. Otherwise, it seems odd that a portal is conveniently located in Storybrooke. When Neal did die, and Rumple himself met the qualifications for being able to open the portal, he got distracted by the hat before he could do anything about it, and we know power always comes first, so he may have planned to get his ultimate power before finding a way to get to his son. Now this new opportunity has dropped into his lap, and he can play along with being blackmailed on the journey to get Hook, when we know he'd far rather let Hook burn in hell for all eternity.

[YaddaYadda]

There are two things that sort of intrigued me, I guess.

 

The first thing, after Hook dies, and the camera pans on Rumple, I thought he might've looked ashamed, or shocked, or whatever. We now know that the magic was funneled back into him, and maybe it was a moment of "Holy shit! I did it, it worked, I'm magical, and not going to the UW to boot!" I don't know, I'd like to think that he felt a little bit bad about what he had just witnessed, or felt some kind of remorse.

 

The second thing was when he was sitting on his own in his shop, drinking. I don't remember Rumple drinking, ever. And that was in the aftermath of what had just gone down. He looked very pensive.

 

Sometimes, I wish I knew what was going on in his mind. 

Edited December 9, 2015 by YaddaYadda

[Mathius]

In my honest opinion, they've gone as far as they can go with Rumple. I don't want to see him evil or good... just dead.

 

Several sources have said in the past that Robert Carlyle has a 5-year contract with the show.

 

So I think you're right: 5B is going to be Rumple's last stand.  Now that he's the Darkest Dark One, he's reached his peak, and there is just so much about 5B already that hints at him remaining in the Underworld for good at the end of it.

Edited December 9, 2015 by Mathius

[Shanna Marie]

If they keep him around any longer after his latest stunt, they have to make him a full-on villain and stop the flip-flopping or the wishy-washy reaction to him by the good guys. This was such a massive betrayal and a choice he made while he was 100 percent normal human with a magically pure hero heart that they can't continue to act surprised when he betrays them and they can't keep trusting him at all. They can't give him more passes on the "he's family" grounds, and Belle will lose what integrity she has if she sticks with him after this and claims that he has a good heart. He's absolutely proven that he does not have a good heart and that he will stoop to anything to hang onto and gain power. He can no longer in any way be a complicated, grey, ambiguous character. He's evil, period.

[KAOS Agent]

 

 

The second thing was when he was sitting on his own in his shop, drinking. I don't remember Rumple drinking, ever. And that was in the aftermath of what had just gone down. He looked very pensive.

Sometimes, I wish I knew what was going on in his mind.

 

I was wondering if maybe he's not thinking he miscalculated. He wasn't counting on Hook sacrificing himself, leaving Emma the Saviour behind. He was planning on there being no more Saviour. I think he is scared of Emma. He plays like he thinks he's unbeatable, but we know Emma has magic that works in the real world and his doesn't. That implies Emma is much more powerful than him. Now Emma is super pissed and unwilling to give him a pass for his evil deeds. She wants Hook back, but what happens once they're successful with that? Does he think Emma will just be okay with what he did? This wasn't Rumpel the Dark One, this was Rumpel the regular man who cold bloodedly planned to let Emma die for nothing while he gained immeasurable power. That's really messed up. 

[YaddaYadda]

I was wondering if maybe he's not thinking he miscalculated. He wasn't counting on Hook sacrificing himself, leaving Emma the Saviour behind. He was planning on there being no more Saviour. I think he is scared of Emma. He plays like he thinks he's unbeatable, but we know Emma has magic that works in the real world and his doesn't. That implies Emma is much more powerful than him. Now Emma is super pissed and unwilling to give him a pass for his evil deeds. She wants Hook back, but what happens once they're successful with that? Does he think Emma will just be okay with what he did? This wasn't Rumpel the Dark One, this was Rumpel the regular man who cold bloodedly planned to let Emma die for nothing while he gained immeasurable power. That's really messed up. 

 

Taking this to the speculation thread.

Edited December 9, 2015 by YaddaYadda

[Rumsy4]

The first thing, after Hook dies, and the camera pans on Rumple, I thought he might've looked ashamed, or shocked, or whatever. We now know that the magic was funneled back into him, and maybe it was a moment of "Holy shit! I did it, it worked, I'm magical, and not going to the UW to boot!" I don't know, I'd like to think that he felt a little bit bad about what he had just witnessed, or felt some kind of remorse.

That's what I felt too. It turns out he was mentally saying, "Take that, sucker!!!"

This wasn't Rumpel the Dark One, this was Rumpel the regular man who cold bloodedly planned to let Emma die for nothing while he gained immeasurable power. That's really messed up.

Yeah. He is straight-up assh*le. Remember when he told Dark Swan that he would stop her because he was better than the other heroes? In a twisted way, Rumple and Emma are going to be the ultimate adversaries of the Show.

ETA: Remember when Belle said Dark Emma was no better than Rumple? I've got to hand it to the writers. They weren't whitewashing Rumple with this arc. All this arc has done is to reiterate that Rumple always chooses Power and he is evil to the core.

Did anyone other than Belle and Henry buy his "hero" act? Hook sure didn't. He never did. Even when he had no Camelot memories, he still implied that this supposed change was all an act on Gold's part. And of course, he straight up taunted him about the loss of his power as Dark Hook.

Edited December 10, 2015 by Rumsy4

[KingOfHearts]

I hate Rumple now, and not in a "love to hate" kind of way. His deception was tolerable in S4 because the audience was clued in most of the time, or least knew he was up to no good. It was mildly entertaining to watch how he did it and following along. But in 5A, we were hit over the head that he was a hero now. (Even more than Regina.) So when the revelation does come that he betrayed everyone, it's as if the writers were like, "Oh, you thought Rumple went full-on hero? How naive! We tricked you!" The dumbness of the twist is setup to look clever by making the audience feel stupid. Besides that painful misdirect, was there really any other build-up? Was Belle leaving suddenly supposed to count as an organic catalyst?

 

Before, I could see Rumple had some humanity inside. He had the positive goal of getting to Bae, which used as rationale for his evil deeds. That was fine. Then later, he wanted to get back with Belle - also comprehensible. While his quest for power fits his character, it's generic and lacks any interesting reasoning besides "he's just a power-hungry coward". That motive works for a Big Bad, but not for someone you're trying to pull off as human or capable of love. It's portrayed as very two-dimensional and inconsistent, which I don't like.

 

It's funny - right now I find Pan as a better person than Rumple. Sure he murdered and kidnapped teenagers, abandoned his son, and tormented people. But I prefer pure selfishness over flip-flopping. He doesn't wake up asking, "Should I be a hero or a villain today?" He knows what he wants and sticks with it. Is he deceptive? Quite, but the characters don't pretend he isn't, even though technically he's "family". He and his son are both evil, however I have more respect for the one who actually picks a side.

Edited December 15, 2015 by KingOfHearts

[Rumsy4]

Rumple's "hero" stint didn't really come across as convincing though. He was far to cocky about being a changed man and a hero after he put in the barest minimum of effort into it. I was expecting a last minute grab for power from him. But I was ready to be okay with it if Rumple had a change of heart and if he had willingly gone along with the Nevengers to save Hook, even if it was only to convince Belle that the "redemption" stuck. But the writers love having Rumple as the Dark One. 

Edited December 15, 2015 by Rumsy4

[KingOfHearts]

Rumple's "hero" stint didn't really come across as convincing though. He was far to cocky about being a changed man and a hero after he put in the barest minimum of effort into it. I was expecting a last minute grab for power from him.

 

Yes, but A&E wanted us to get sucked into it so their "twist" would be more shocking. I don't really give them credit for thinking we wouldn't buy it. I wasn't shocked Rumple betrayed everyone again, but again it's the writers treating the audience like they're stupid.

[Camera One]

The "hero" arc was not convincing, but I don't think that was intentional on the part of the writers.  They spent multiple episodes telling the audience Rumple could be molded into a hero, and even "validated" it by having Rumple pull out Excalibur and making "noble" deals with Dark Swan like "all I want is for you to let Merida go" instead of asking for his and Belle's own protection.  Eddy even said in an interview that Rumple was sincere when he sent Belle away to see the world.  Now look back at the heartfelt BS he told Robin in "Heart of Gold", and it just makes his words even more meaningless. 

[Rumsy4]

Rumple always sounds sincere when he tells Belle that he can change or that he has changed. But in his mind he is already planning on how to pull the wool over her eyes again. The writers think Rumple's fleeting good intentions to please Belle prove he is worthy of redemption. But it only makes him look worse. 

 

Some people were arguing that Dark Hook was the worst because Rumple never hurt Belle the way Hook hurt Emma. That is the danger of abusive spouses/partners. Their mouth drips with honey and self-recriminations, but it's all manipulation. What is the point of Rumple saying sorry to Belle when every time he turns around and takes advantage of her trust? Like when he returned her heart in 4B , and the next minute was complicit in writing her into a relationship with him in the AU. He treats Belle like a plaything. It's sickening! I really don't care if Rumple is an unredeemable villain or dead or whatever. It's his sham of a relationship with Belle that bothers me the most because the writers present it in such a sympathetic light.  

[KAOS Agent]

It's stuff like this from "The Bear and the Bow" that turns my stomach.

 

"Belle, just in case this doesn't work, I want you to know that I am sorry for everything. If I had to do it all again, I would make sure I was the man you deserved right from the very start and I would change everything for you."

 

They have Rumpel say this stuff all the time and then he repeatedly proves that he won't/can't change. He had his chance to be that man and chose power and deception yet again. I just can't deal with the show treating these speeches as romantic. Or this show continuing to have Rumpel turn on a dime and then pretending like it's all good when he does one decent thing. I don't ever want to hear the words hero and Rumpel in the same sentence ever again. I liked Machiavellian Rumpel, but the flip flopping moustache twirling villain from the past few seasons is boring and needs to end. 

[YaddaYadda]

Maybe that's the idea behind the whole thing, that he can't changed because he's lived like that for far too long. Plus Rumple is very much used to being alone. He was alone for centuries, until he took/stole/coerced/traded/whatever Belle as his prisoner. 

 

At this point, I don't believe Belle has ever had anything to do with any kind of goodness/humanity he managed to hold on to. That had to do with Bae, and the idea of Bae. I think that even if Neal was alive right now, Rumple would've still gone down this path just because he dissociated Bae and Neal. I think all bets were off though last season when he was making his speech at Neal's grave. 

 

Belle is just the annoying voice that keeps chirping at him. I think he loves her as much as he is capable of loving her, or able to love her, which you know, he loves her in his own way. For me though, that's no longer enough. This is so far removed from Skin Deep. 

 

I think we all saw Rumple going back to being the Dark One weeks before it even happened, or even before the first episode of the season aired. The writers have boxed Rumple in. It's the way things went down...

 

I know the writers wanted to go with the Dark Swan arc, but at this point, I think it would've been much better if they had Rumple go full on Dark One. The gang could've still gone to Camelot to get Excalibur, could still have freed Merlin from his tree, could still have brought in Nimue since she's the original Dark One. They could've done all of that, except that instead of trying to save someone, they would've been looking to destroy him.

[Rumsy4]

Maybe that's the idea behind the whole thing, that he can't changed because he's lived like that for far too long. Plus Rumple is very much used to being alone. He was alone for centuries, until he took/stole/coerced/traded/whatever Belle as his prisoner.

So, basically, Rumple is Gollum, and the Dagger is his Precious.

Those nasty heroeses. I hates them. I hates them forever!!

[Camera One]

Frodo is evil and Gandalf is stupid.  

[Rumsy4]

The Fellowship spends all its time questing for Sauron's Happy Ending.

Edited December 16, 2015 by Rumsy4

[KingOfHearts]

I don't blame Rumple all that much for ditching the war to stay alive for Bae, nor did I find it all that cowardly. Actually, in some respects, it was brave because he was sacrificing honor for his cause to not repeat the mistakes of his own father. It's a little difficult to side with Milah because we hardly see her having anything but negative emotions (much like a certain red-haired princess), but I'm sure there are a plethora of reasons for her actions within her culture. So putting that aside, up until becoming the Dark One, I really don't see Rumple as that bad of a person.

 

In my opinion, his love for Bae did a marvelous job of humanizing the character. His issues sprout up after he reunites with him. For a long time, Rumple has been a character without a solid long-term goal. Keeping power is really not interesting or sympathetic. It's just douchey.

Edited February 7, 2016 by KingOfHearts

[KAOS Agent]

 

I don't blame Rumple all that much for ditching the war to stay alive for Bae, nor did I find it all that cowardly. Actually, in some respects, it was brave because he was sacrificing honor for his cause to not repeat the mistakes of his own father. It's a little difficult to side with Milah because we hardly see her having anything but negative emotions

 

That's not entirely accurate. Let's go to the transcript, shall we?

 

Rumpelstiltskin: Oh, Milah… I-I know, I know. I… I can’t say that I… I won’t be frightened. But… But this is the chance I’ve been waiting for all my life. You know, I’ve lived under the shadow of my father’s actions for too long now.

Milah: Just because your father was a coward, it doesn’t mean you are.

Rumpelstiltskin: Oh, I know that. As do you. But to the world? Fighting in this war finally gives me the chance to prove that to everyone else.

Milah: Go. Be brave. Fight honourably.

Rumpelstiltskin: Oh, God, I love you.

Milah: I love you, too.

 

Now they later decided to make Pan Rumpel's father and retconned everything, but this conversation between Rumpel and Milah is the definitive canon reason of what Rumpel was looking for by fighting (I believe they actually filmed a scene with Rumpel's father cowardly fleeing in the middle of the night for this episode). Having a young child at home is not a reason to flee the fight. Many, many of those soldiers also had families at home. Should they all flee the fight? Aren't they fighting the ogres to protect their families? If they all fled the field because they would be leaving their children fatherless, wouldn't the ogres come through and kill them all anyway? It's massively shitty to ditch the people you've promised to fight with because your child is apparently more important than anyone else's. Oh and all those other people need to stay and fight because well, obviously they need to protect your cowardly ass and that of your family. Nope, this doesn't fly with me. And apparently, it wasn't the real reason he left anyway because he straight up told Belle that he did it because he was a coward in 5.06.

 

Now let's take an actual real world example for this situation. Karl Timmerman was a soldier in WWII. He'd spent his entire childhood living under the shadow of his father's desertion in WWI. He joined the army to redeem the family name (his exact words). His wife was expecting his first child while he was battling his way into Germany in the winter of 1945. So here we have a guy who is almost an exact match in situation for Rumpelstiltskin. When Karl was told to lead his company across the Ludendorff Bridge under heavy enemy fire and one which was almost certain to be blown up while he was on it, he didn't run off because his baby would be fatherless or because he was scared. He took the bridge knowing that doing so would save the lives of countless Allied soldiers even at the cost of his own. That's true courage. If he'd run off, would people have sympathy for him? Would we think it's okay because his newborn daughter would know her daddy? (His kid had been born a few days before the battle, but he didn't know it) Or would we realize that everyone else in A Company also had families waiting for them to return and having their leader desert them in their hour of need would massively screw them over? 

 

Rumpelstiltskin was a massive coward. It's understandable that he was scared. And if he'd frozen in battle and hidden in the woods watching his fellow soldiers be slaughtered, I'd get it. If he'd fled or rejected joining up with the army at all, I'd be more sympathetic. However, he joined up, promised to fight and then he ran off and abandoned everyone before the fight began because of his own cowardice and selfishness. That's not acceptable. In wartime, that's actually a capital offense.

Edited February 7, 2016 by KAOS Agent