History Fridge / OnceUponATime

* Jefferson was a weapons-grade {{Jerkass}} back in the day, very unlike the man we were first (episodically, if not chronologically) introduced to in Hat Trick. The why of his character development struck me so suddenly that it seemed obvious afterwards: we forget because they use the same actors for Regina, Jefferson, and Rumple (especially Rumple) regardless of the 'when' in the Enchanted Forest, but the next time we see Jefferson (chronologically) in Hat Trick, enough time has passed for Snow White to have aged from Bailee Madison to Ginnifer Goodwin. The Jefferson we see in The Doctor ''[[DeliverUsFromEvil isn't a father yet]]''. No wonder he was acting so ''[[MeaningfulName Grace]]''[[IncrediblyLamePun less]]. Related: to become a father required a wife, and Jefferson flat-out says in Hat Trick that "his line of work ''cost Grace's mother her life''". If finding love and having a child together with her didn't make his HeelRealization fully sink in, '''that''' would certainly do it.

* Why did Regina lock up Belle? Belle, who is one of the few characters NOT to cross her? To make Gold miserable? That's probably a bonus. But the curse of Storybrooke can only be broken by true love's kiss, and it's pretty strongly suggested that Belle and Rumpelstiltskin would've had true love's kiss had he not rejected her. While we know that Emma's the savior who will break the curse, it's hinted that Regina doesn't know HOW it will be broken. Why not cover all the bases and make sure nobody who fits the criteria for True Love's Kiss is together in Storybrooke? It both makes them miserable AND is extra security that the curse will stay in effect. Furthermore, while it's fuzzy how the time frame falls, but it's plausible she was kept as a contingency plane. Seeing as how Rumple is both a stronger magic user than Regina by far, and has cut a deal to be able to recall his Fairy Tale life. Considering this is a man who does nothing without some manner of an agenda, not having an ace in the hole is foolishness at the very best. And on top of all that, it’s revealed much further down the line that Rumple was destined to be a savior before his mother sheared it away when he was a baby. There's a possibility he still could have broken the curse.

* Rumpelstiltskin was uncharacteristically quiet during the scene in "The Shepherd" when Shepherd and his mother are about to part, and when Cinderella offered to give up her second child in "The Price Of Gold", he looks upset, particularly when she comments 'we can always have more children'. The idea of someone offering to give up their child for material gain is clearly upsetting to him, and Robert Carlyle did a great job of showing us a subtle tortured imp. When "Desperate Souls" comes around, it's revealed that there's a reason for him to be sympathetic toward a parent losing her child. This is again shown in "True North" when Gold tells Emma the curse name of Hansel and Gretel's father with no strings attached (even pretending to read it from a card when really he just ''knew'') and in "The Stranger" when he's pushing for August to meet with his father Marco, despite the fact that August had recently deceived Gold into thinking he was his own son, Baelfire.

* Belle didn't know the battle she was actually fighting when the Queen told her that True Love would break Rumpelstiltskin's power: [[spoiler:forcing him to choose her or his son]]. That broken teacup holds more of Rumpel's sorrow than anyone knew.

** Also in season two we realize that she lived the rest of her life thinking that [[spoiler: she had won. cause in modern day EF, Philip (with Mulan's help) had ''just'' gotten to Aurora, so Maleficent had got what she wanted]]

* This goes back to A Heart of Darkness. Rumpelstiltskin giving Snow the bow and arrow telling her that it always hits it target and gets his wielder what they need seem to be just a simple exposition. But then when you realize that Charming was the one hit by the arrow, which then lead to True Love's Kiss between Snow and Charming, makes you realize that Rumple was playing [[TheMatchmaker matchmaker]] or in other words, Cupid.

* The reason August[[spoiler:/Pinnochio]] can't open his door [[spoiler: when he was changing back to wood; he was losing ''all'' his enchantment, even the amount that allowed him to move without strings.]]
* In "The Price of Gold", Rumpelstiltskin tells Cinderella that altering bargains is "not what I do". Come Season 2's "The Miller's Daughter", we learn why he has this rule: [[spoiler: He ''did'' change the terms of a deal once and it came back to bite him in the ass.]]
* Look at Cinderella's situation in Storybrooke compared to how it was in the Enchanted Forest before Rumpelstiltskin waltzed back in her life. She had a lovely life, Thomas loved her genuinely and her father-in-law accepted her despite her past. In Storybrooke she's having to support herself while 8 months pregnant and Sean's father is the one that split the couple up - and arranged for her deal with Mr Gold. Regina was ''really'' being petty when it came to taking away Cinderella's happy ending.

* Looking at all of Rumpelstiltskin's deals, you notice how almost all of them factor in to his master plan, such as getting Regina to cut her ties with King George or getting strands of hair from both Prince Charming and Snow White. [[spoiler:Even his deal with Cora was changed to something that would benefit him]]. Then you get to Cinderella and he requests a baby. Just a plain normal baby. Then you realize that his game's already set. He didn't need anything out of Cinderella, but his concept of deals meant that she ''had'' to give something in return. Not only that, but scaring someone by taking away their kids is a good way to get them to conspire with people to put you in a jail, the one place where Rumple feels is exactly where he wants to be.

* While most of the characters who embark on the quest to save Henry at the end of season two have obvious familial motivations (Emma's son, Regina's adopted son, Rumpel, Snow and Charming's grandson), Hook's motivations are not as clear-cut... until one realizes that he ''also'' has a special connection to Henry. Hook is the guy who stole Baelfire's mother, who would be Henry's grandmother. And for a brief period of time, he was like a second father to Baelfire. Assuming Hook's love for Milah was genuine, Baelfire was all Hook had left of her, and now since everyone thinks Bae is dead, Henry is all that Hook has left of ''him''. His decision to help save Henry can be chalked is keeping in line with Hook's self-serving desire to hold onto the last remnants of his lost love.

* Rumpelstiltskin cutting off Hook's hand. While yes aggravating that it wasn't Peter Pan that did so, it makes sense since Rumple tends to tinker with people as well as his association with Belle. The FridgeBrilliance increases when you realize, yes, it was not Peter Pan who took Hook's hand. [[spoiler: It was Peter Pan's son]].

* A major theme in the original Frankenstein novel is the doctor shirking his responsibility to the creature he has created, which views him as a parent. Here, it's the doctor himself with daddy issues. Also, the end of the novel implies that the monster essentially commits suicide by casting himself into the sea, something [[spoiler: the doctor attempts here.]] These parallels lend credence to the fact that this version of Frankenstein sees ''himself'' as the monster.
* In "We Are Both", Regina barges into Gold's shop and demands her spellbook. Gold tries to invoke his power over her by asking her to "Leave my shop, [[TriggerPhrase please.]]" It might seem strange to the viewer that he thinks the trigger will still work now that the curse is gone...until you remember that Gold/Rumpelstiltskin values the ExactWords of a deal over the intent of the dealmaker. The exact words of his deal with Regina were "In this '''new world''', you must heed my every request. You must do whatever I say, so long as I say 'please'." "In this new world" as opposed to "as long as the curse remains in effect." Even though the curse is gone, they're ''still in'' the world that Regina created. From Gold's perspective, he has every reason to think that he can still control her that way.

* The masquerade ball in The Miller's Daughter explains everything about the aesthetic of Wonderland: [[spoiler: Cora reshaped the place to be her playground, revising the history of the night the king humiliated her so that all those masked people are eternally bowing to her.]]

* "Welcome to Storybrooke" [[spoiler: The story in the past with Kurt and Owen has, in fact, many similarities to classic witch stories. And there are emerging elements to Owen's story in the present, with him becoming [[TheWitchHunter a Witch Hunter]].]]

* Mary Margaret's willingness to forgive Regina for framing her in Season 1 makes a lot more sense after you watch "The Evil Queen." Snow's own purity of heart aside, Regina probably put that into her cursed persona [[spoiler: in order to gain the forgiveness that Snow originally denied to her.]] Yet ironically now when it happens, it's against Regina's desires and only makes her feel shamed and humiliated.
* It might seem strange at first that [[spoiler: Baelfire]] bolts when hearing Emma's voice on his apartment intercom. But once it's revealed that he is also [[spoiler: Neal Cassidy]], it makes perfect sense. [[spoiler: Who wouldn't head for the hills upon hearing the voice of the ex-girlfriend that they broke up with and left to be taken in by the cops for several counts of theft?]] He probably figured Emma was there for payback.

** Rumpelstiltskin, the cowardly lion

* [[spoiler: Pan]] telling Henry that lots of captives believe that their families are coming back isn't just to keep up his ruse. It actually served dual purposes: First, it allowed him to test the strength of Henry's belief. Second, and this is where the FridgeBrilliance comes in, he was probably hoping to discourage Henry from believing that. After all, this is Neverland, where belief and imagination have power. If Henry, the truest believer, remains convinced that his family will come and save him, then they will. [[spoiler: It also fits in with Pan's entire plan - to make Henry truly believe in him enough so that he may willingly give him his heart.]]
* While the specifics of how they were obtained have yet to be revealed, it's now obvious what the deal was with Greg and Tamara's WeirdScience. [[spoiler: It wasn't science at all. It was a bunch of toys enchanted with magic...Neverland's magic, which is run on the power of ''belief.'' Peter and the Lost Boys (the "Home Office") lied to Greg and Tamara to make them ''believe'' it was magic-destroying science, and because they believed in it, it became magic-destroying science. But when Greg and Tamara came to Neverland, their super-scientific gadgets back into the toys they were all along because, as is later confirmed, the belief-powered magic of Neverland doesn't work for adults when they're actually in Neverland. So in Neverland, Greg and Tamara's belief is useless since they're adults.]]
** [[spoiler: It's now been revealed that their "science" was given to them by John and Michael Darling, who Pan uses as the "go-betweens" for Neverland and Earth. They've traveled back and forth through the century, presumably via the Shadow, and formed the organization to "destroy magic" as a front for Pan's plan to get the Heart of the Truest Believer.]]
* "Think Lovely Thoughts" explains ''so much'' about Rumpelstiltskin.
** His shortcomings as Bae's father can easily be attributed to the poor excuse for a role model that he had growing up. He loves to spin because his father left him in the company of seamstresses while he went to gamble his money away. He hates Pan so much because [[spoiler: he feels that, in a sense, Pan took away the father he had loved and believe in]].
** In "Nasty Habbits", Rumple mentions to Bae how he and Pan were close when Rumple "was growing up." How they found Neverland and Pan betrayed him there. He then adds "He fooled me for a long time before I finally saw his true nature, and it's as dark and repulsive as anything you should ever be exposed to." [[spoiler: "Think Lovely Thoughts" explains everything before that last part. The backstory ends with Rumple seemingly still loving and missing his dad. In "Nasty Habits" flashback, we see Rumple and Pan's first meeting in ages and Rumple already knows that his father is going by what Rumple named his old doll. It's also established that children can come to Neverland in their dreams but never stay. So it's entirely conceivable that child Rumple had seen Neverland and his father again in his dreams, and that's when it became clear to him that his father had absolutely zero remorse for the choice he made to abandon Rumple in order to regain his youth. That is what Rumple meant by "finally seeing his true dark, repulsive nature." It's the moment he [[BrokenPedestal lost all faith in his old man.]]]]
** Also compare Rumpel's behavior as the Dark One after losing Bae to that of his father [[spoiler: before he became Pan]]. They are remarkably similar to each other. Most likely since he abandoned Bae for his own power, he subconsciously acted that way because he reminded himself of his own father. This explains why he thought Bae would kill him if they met back in The Return, because that's what he would do to his own father if/when they met again. Since his father was an AdultChild, it's also possible that this could represent Rumple regressing to a child-like state to fill the void of missing his own child, though keeping enough awareness of it to play it up for all it's worth.
** Moreover, Rumple and his father are parallels yet also complete opposites. When Rumpel's father received the powers of Neverland, he abandoned Rumple immediately and didn't regret it. But when Rumple received the powers of the Dark One, he almost seemed to obsess over Bae, killing anyone who so much as looked at the boy the wrong way. Rumple was deliberately trying not to be like his father, but he went too far in the other direction and ended up being just as destructive anyway. But a key difference, as Rumple points out in the episode, is that when he ends up abandoning his child in favor of keeping his power, he ''immediately'' regrets the decision and dedicates his life to finding his son and making amends. Malcolm showed no such regret after abandoning Rumple because he felt his son was better off without him as a father and, more importantly, he was better off without a son to weigh him down.
** Rumpel's fear of Bae using a magic bean to take them to a new world where they could "start over" also gains significance, for it exactly mirrors young Rumpel's proposition with a magic bean to his own father. Instead of finding a new life and happiness together, Rumple ended up betrayed, abandoned, and emotionally scarred by his father. So Rumpel's true fear was not that he'd lose his magic: it was that if he and Bae went through that hole, he'd end up doing the same thing to Bae that his father did to him! When he shouted "It will tear us apart!", he was referring to his and his son's relationship. And in the ultimate DramaticIrony, his effort to avoid this outcome and cling to what he saw as "strength", his magic power, he ends up abandoning his son anyway!
** To add to this almost all of Rumpel's actions are influenced by his father's abandonment. Before Milah left Rumple for Hook she tried to get Rumple to move to another village that didn't know his reputation and so they could start over. Rumple refused to do so. At first it appeared to be because of his cowardice, but he and his dad went to Neverland in first place to start over in a new place. In that new place his father chose to abandon him. Given Milah's treatment of Rumple it makes perfect sense for him not to want to go to a new place out of fear Milah would leave him as well. Rumpel's belief that he is impossible to love stems back to his father's abandonment of him. He probably subconsciously believed he was the reason Malcolm left. Milah and Cora leaving him added more fuel to the belief, which explain why he didn't believe Belle really loved him when she first kissed him.
** Adding on to this, it is also revealed that Rumpel's mother had also abandoned him and his father, also for power.
* Another one from the same episode. Yes, Henry was an idiot for [[spoiler: sacrificing himself]]. However, Pan had a point; ''all'' of his relatives have been very selfish jerks to each other for the last couple seasons. [[spoiler: Emma lied about Neal being his dad, Neil abandoned Emma and let her rot in jail to give birth to him alone without so much as checking up on her. The Charmings and Emma openly talked about killing Regina. Snow White ''tricked'' Regina into murdering Cora. Regina has a laundry list of nasty things she's pulled against Emma, the Charmings, and the ''entire town'' in addition to {{Gaslighting}} him for years and then pulling a mind-whammy on him with the magic.]] They all want him, but have been willing to do nasty things to one another in order to have him all to themselves. Meanwhile, Pan has had ''centuries'' of practice in manipulating people, especially vulnerable young boys. Pan played both Henry's desire to be a hero and his doubts about his family's motivations in order to get exactly what he wanted.
* ''Save Henry'' episode actually has a DoubleMeaningTitle: apart from the obvious "it's about saving Henry" meaning, it can be also read [[spoiler: with "save" meaning "except", as in "[everyone] save Henry [comes back]"]].
* [[spoiler: Rumpel's murder-suicide on himself and his father has SO MUCH of this. The reason he had kept saying that "the only way Pan can die is if I die with him" is because he had this planned from the start - he'd bury his dagger and detach his shadow to keep watch over it, and then once he was close enough to Pan, he could lock him in an embrace, call back his shadow with the dagger, and use it to skewer them both. But two aspects of this action become especially brilliant:]]
** [[spoiler: One is that initially the only reason he thought of doing this was because he believed his son had died and that he had failed at being the father he wanted to be. So with nothing left to live for (except Belle, but he wanted to be selfless and let her go, hoping she'd be better off without him), sacrificing his life to save his grandson would be both his way of making up for that and a way to die a brave hero rather than a cowardly villain. He had fully accepted that Henry would be his undoing because he was going to willingly make what he had to do to rescue him his undoing. And he also really wanted to kill his father for closure. So he was TheAtoner in every sense. However, when he learned that his son was still alive, it threw everything about his plan into question. Now he had a son and a grandson AND Belle to live for, why should he still see his self-sacrifice plan through? Answer: because not doing so would be the selfish coward's way. So instead, he still pulls the HeroicSacrifice while knowing full well that his loved ones are alive and that he could have lived a life with them. Rather than living for them, he DIES for them: he puts their lives above his own as his final actions. It's true sacrificial love and a selfless, brave thing of him to do. He finally proved himself to not be a selfish coward like his father.]]
** [[spoiler: Two is that the way in which he arranges the death makes it not only his undoing, but the undoing of the entire Dark One cycle. How does one become the Dark One? By killing the current Dark One with the dark dagger. Killing Zoso with the dagger made Rumple the Dark One after all. So by locking him and his father in a tight embrace and then skewering Pan in the back so the dagger could come out of Pan's chest and go through Rumpel, Rumple was having Pan kill him with the dagger, transferring the Dark One's power to Pan. This is why darkness engulfs them and turns Pan back into adult Malcolm: Malcolm became the Dark One! Not dead yet, Malcolm pleads for his son to remove the dagger, which would no doubt have Malcolm's name on it now. Instead, Rumple twists the blade and drives it deep into his father, killing him and himself. So Malcolm killed the current Dark One and became the new Dark One only to be killed by the dying former Dark One. With both dead, the cycle of the Dark One is cancelled out: there's no Dark One left to kill for anyone to become the new Dark One. This was the undoing that the seer foretold.]]

*** Except [[spoiler:the twisting of the blade that killed Malcolm was caused by Rumpel, thus making Rumple the Dark One again]].

* The Thinking Tree attacks the regret inside of people. While it may seem like just a plot point used to give Regina the upper hand (Villains aren't meant to feel regret, after all), there's actually a logical reason behind it. Pan says that the Thinking Tree is where he [[spoiler:abandoned Rumpel]] which means these are the same trees that contain pixie dust. When the lost boys begin regretting their decision of coming to Neverland, they'd try to get some pixie dust to fly off the island only for the tree to capture them.

* The whole plot of [[spoiler: Snow White and Charming causing Maleficent to lose her child]] seems very out of character for the heroes they are supposed to be ... until we find out [[spoiler: that the Author was meddling with stories, changing them and making people act like he wanted to make a "better" story.]]
* While it does cross with Fridge Horror. The revelation that [[spoiler: Marian is really Zelena in disguise]] does gives a good explanation to why [[spoiler:Robin's kiss to cure "Marian" of the Snow Queen's freezing spell]] didn't work: [[spoiler:It wasn't the real Marian.]]

* The revelation that [[spoiler: Walt Disney was once an Author]] explains why so many characters seem to be based on the Disney versions. He just used the characters he saw while performing his writing duties.
* After seeing Isaac's actions and motivations it is likely that the Author before him [[spoiler: Walt Disney]] was a GoodCounterpart. [[spoiler: Walt]] did much the same as Isaac in using his position as an Author to create his own stories and benefit himself from doing so. Unlike Isaac however [[spoiler: Walt Disney]] didn't abuse his position by interfering with people's free will, and the fame and fortune were not his main focus, just writing stories.

* In Season 3 (''Lost Girl''), Rumpelstiltskin pretends to have Excalibur, but later reveals it was always in Camelot. However, that creates the problem of why he didn't go and get Excalibur; even if he didn't want to actually give Snow the real Sword, it's exactly the kind of thing he'd be interested in. With the reveal that [[spoiler:Merlin is the Sorcerer]], it all makes sense: even if Rumple wanted Excalibur, Camelot is the one place it's not safe for him to break into.

* The reveal that August knew everything he did about the storybook, the Author, and the Apprentice because he had gotten it from the Dragon's research explains something else which had puzzled fans since season 2: how he knew Neal was Baelfire. People had theorized that the Blue Fairy told him before he went through the magic tree with Emma, but it's just as likely that Baelfire's story (being Rumpel's son, going through the portal to a world without magic, even how he ended up with the Darlings and then in Neverland) was in the storybook and thus among the Dragon's research. If he had been able to track down Neal and find out he was Baelfire, that information could have been among what August discovered; even without that, August was smart enough to put two and two together and conclude that the missing boy who went through a portal could be Neal, especially with the "coincidence" of him encountering Emma, the only one who could break the curse Rumple got cast solely so he could find his son.

* The Chernabog chooses Maleficent as the most evil of the three. Yes she's the Mistress of All Evil, but think about it. Ursula is never shown doing anything villainous and the episode "Ariel" implies she's benevolent to her own people. [[spoiler: Plus she's the first to get redeemed]]. Likewise while Cruella is rotten [[spoiler: she cannot actually kill anyone]]. So Maleficent is the most evil by default.
** The Chernabog doesn't choose the most evil, it chooses the one with the greatest ''potential'' for evil. Although Cruella is likely more evil than Maleficent, her powers aren't very extensive and [[spoiler: she can't kill anyone,]] so she has very limited potential for evil compared to Maleficent, despite being more evil.

* Ever wonder how Snow transformed from a sweet innocent princess to the rough and tough rougue we see her as later? It finally makes sense when we learn [[spoiler: She was trained by Hercules.]]
* Arthur chooses to hide a magical item that could allow the heroes to speak with Merlin in "Siege Perilous". "The Broken Kingdom" gives a motivation in that [[spoiler: he plans to kill Merlin. Given that the wizard is prophetic Arthur is likely trying to avoid having his plans revealed before he is ready.]]

* The reason why [[TrueLovesKiss True Love's Kiss]] didn't work for Hook when he kissed Dark Emma, like it did when Belle first kissed Rumpelstiltskin? It was because [[spoiler: he didn't know that he had been cursed as a Dark One as well.]]
** Alternative explanation: [[spoiler: Emma did not believe that TrueLovesKiss would work due to her trust issues and wanted to carry on with her own plan to get rid of the Darkness within Hook and herself. In order to do that, she needs the powers of The Dark One.]]

* Rumplestiltskin [[spoiler: promising the healer his secondborn child]] in exchange for the potion was actually a very good deal on his part. Not only he had all the reasons to believe [[spoiler: Milah wouldn't have wanted another child with him]], but also [[spoiler: if ''he'' didn't want another child, as his words seem to imply, they wouldn't have had another one anyway]].
* The captain of the ship [[spoiler: Liam and Killian originally worked on]] is the only member of the crew not ending up in the "better place". This makes sense: even though [[spoiler: Liam's deal with Hades]] is what sealed their fate, it only happened because he led the ship in a suicide course into a storm. Unlike [[spoiler: Liam]], however, he never realizes he did anything wrong nor does he seek redemption for it.
* It makes sense that Hades had some sort of relationship with [[spoiler: Zelena]]. It nicely explains [[spoiler: how she came back to life with her powers intact (or at all). Hades is the God of the Underworld after all.]]

* Rumpel's power lies not in his magical abilities (he rarely seems to rely upon them in any sort of direct confrontation) but rather in his deal making. He's seen everyone's dark sides and knows their secrets and desires and weaknesses. This is how he's able to predict and control them without so much as lifting a finger. This is how he can wield so much influence even within a jail cell. And this is why he became the town landlord/loan shark in Storybrooke as opposed to simply a wealthy businessman or some such.
* Why Rumpelstiltskin and Belle are the OneTruePairing. Their true love has yet to overcome their external faults and conflicts, (Rumpel's a coward, and Belle will not love him while he's inflicted with a curse), which leads to a romance that audiences can identify with as something more real and raw because despite our best intentions our personal demons and flaws can ruin our chances of romantic happiness and familial success. Belle is also quite relatable to Rumpel's fangirls. Rumple is not "attractive" by Hollywood standards; but many female viewers are drawn to him. Which ones? Probably the oddballs, quiet bookish eccentrics, who are drawn to "dark" and unusual guys; girls who most easily identify with Belle. In short, the "Belles" out there are the ones who like Rumpel, and the writers probably figured that out.

* Combination of brilliance and horror, with the revelation of [[spoiler:Regina's one true love having his heart ripped out by her mother before her eyes]], the Evil Queen's [[AndShowItToYou fixation on taking hearts]] becomes not only (what she sees as) karmic (with her intent to take Snow's heart being a sick form of retribution), but a sign of psychological trauma and an inability to escape the cycle of abuse. Pretty much outright stated in "The Doctor". When she takes Whale/[[spoiler:Frankenstein]] into her mother's vault Whale/[[spoiler:Frankenstein]] marvels at how many there are. Regina says her mother was a monster. Later after mentioning her own heart vault to David/Charming, he asks whose it is. Regina says, "I don't know. I took so many I couldn't keep track."

* Debatable whether the writers had this in mind or not: Everything is Medieval Europe is because that they are eternally suspended in the Dark Ages because of "magic". There hasn't been scientific revolution nor an Age of Enlightenment because their hasn't been a need for it. Living in an enchanted land means they can rely on fairies and Rumpelstiltskin to solve their problems. People aren't being "pushed" towards building a better civilization for themselves as a result. That's why everything is so crappy. But since only a few humans have magic, this creates a system of haves and have-nots. Notice people with magical power (Midas, Evil Queen, and Rumpelstiltskin) do economically and socially better than those who don't.
* Mr. Gold is BoredWithInsanity. We have no clue how long ago Rumpelstiltskin came into being, though it looks like it happened several centuries if not a millennium before Snow and Regina came around. And through that time, he only acted loopy to keep people unnerved when in truth, he had been done with his insanity not too long (a few decades) after Bae left him. This is why as Mr. Gold, he can be so normal and Jefferson ... isn't. He simply doesn't care about his various memories. A flashback in Episode 55 seems to support this. On his son's birthday, Rumple is sitting alone in his estate and talking to himself in his normal voice. When Belle comes in, he pitches his voice up a bit. His way of covering his pain, weakness, and cowardice is essentially to take on a demeanor that is, ironically enough, similar to his father's.

* Belle and Rumpel. They seem so different at times. But remember this: Belle went with Rumple initially to be a hero and to be brave. Rumple is also characterized by his desire to prove his bravery. Even more striking when you examine this alongside Milah's character. Milah and Belle both wanted to see the world and go to far-off lands. Milah disappears, leaving Rumple and Bae behind for her own happiness. Belle willingly gives up the same chance to save her family and village, sticks to her promise, and is able to see the good in Rumple and her situation despite everything. That went a long way in earning Rumpel's respect for her. Also, Milah is wearing blue and white just like Belle in "Manhattan", during the time when she and Rumple still had a happy marriage. Belle reminds Rumple of Milah back when there was love between them, so that's another reason he's so attracted to her.
* Jefferson was a weapons-grade {{Jerkass}} back in the day, very unlike the man we were first (episodically, if not chronologically) introduced to in Hat Trick. The why of his character development struck me so suddenly that it seemed obvious afterwards: we forget because they use the same actors for Regina, Jefferson, and Rumple (especially Rumpel) regardless of the 'when' in the Enchanted Forest, but the next time we see Jefferson (chronologically) in Hat Trick, enough time has passed for Snow White to have aged from Bailee Madison to Ginnifer Goodwin. The Jefferson we see in The Doctor ''[[DeliverUsFromEvil isn't a father yet]]''. No wonder he was acting so ''[[MeaningfulName Grace]]''[[IncrediblyLamePun less]]. Related: to become a father required a wife, and Jefferson flat-out says in Hat Trick that "his line of work ''cost Grace's mother her life''". If finding love and having a child together with her didn't make his HeelRealization fully sink in, '''that''' would certainly do it.

* In the original story, Peter Pan sliced off Hook's hand and fed it to the crocodile, who then chased Hook to get the rest of him. Here, the crocodile (Rumpelstiltskin) took off Hook's hand, so now Hook chases the crocodile to get revenge for both his hand and Milah. Does a captain pursuing the beast that dismembered him sound familiar? Captain Hook is also [[Literature/MobyDick Captain Ahab!]] Which is even more fitting since [[WordOfGod J.M. Barrie stated]] that he originally based Captain Hook ''on'' Ahab.

* Lots of characters like to wear [[HellBentForLeather leather]] in the series. It makes a lot of sense in that they would have worn boiled leather armor in the Enchanted Forest (or in Emma's case, that clothing preference in the Enchanted Forest is probably InTheBlood). August/[[spoiler:Pinnochio]] is no fighter but also wears leather even though he drives a motorcycle. This could also represent [[spoiler: him wearing skin as opposed to wood.]] His hairstyle, leather jacket, and motorcycle also cast him as a "bad boy." It's because, as he tells Henry later, he failed to be a good boy.

* It's VERY possible that the Seer and Rumple mixed Henry up with [[spoiler: Peter Pan. Rumple and Bae officially reconcile during their fight against Pan when Pan had kidnapped Henry, and the Dark One cycle is broken when Rumple and Pan die together, thus Pan caused the Dark One's undoing. Where was Pan right before his and Rumpel's last moments? In Henry's body]].
* Regina intentionally killed her father by pulling out his heart. [[spoiler: She accidentally killed her mother by putting back in her heart.]]

* Gold's distaste for nuns in the Season 1 episode "Dreamy" makes a lot more sense after "The Return": [[spoiler: The leader of the nuns is the Blue Fairy and Rumple blames her for separating him from his son.]]

* The writers all but literally beat the audience over the head with the fact that Bae and Belle bring out Rumpel's lost humanity and while he does have a number of sympathetic and heart breaking moments with them, episodes involving them are also the ones where he acts the most violent, unstable and downright scary. FridgeBrilliance: who ever said human nature was all butterflies and rainbows? Becoming more human would naturally bring out his worst side as well as his best.

* When Emma told (actually lied to) Henry about his father, she said that he was a ''fire''man. The next season we find out that Henry's father is actually [[spoiler: Bael''fire'']], which she didn't even know at the time herself. Not the biggest bit of brilliance, but I thought it was pretty neat, and now I'm wondering if the writers made him a fireman in her lie on purpose as a subtle, sneaky hint...
* We know what's Rumpelstiltskin's name in the Fairy Tale World, but we have yet to know Gold's first name in the Land Without Magic. Why? He never tells anyone, because, when you know someone's name, you have power over them.

* Tragic as it is, Rumpelstiltskin slipping back into evil despite his love for Belle and Henry actually makes a twisted kind of sense. Yes, Rumple loves Belle and he loves Henry, but his relationship with Baelfire went much deeper than any of that. All the evil stuff he did: Corrupting Regina, The Dark Curse, even his manipulation of Cinderella, it was all part of the plan to make up for abandoning his son. For ''three centuries'' (according to Robert Carlyle), he worked to find his son again and in the end, he lost him again...and in a way that reversed Rumpel's own HeroicSacrifice (i.e. the final proof of his redemption). He tried to be good, to make amends for not being a good father, and it amounted to nothing, at least from his perspective. It's no surprise that he decided "Well, screw it. If being good isn't going to work out, ThenLetMeBeEvil."
* [[spoiler: The reveal that Marian is actually Zelena in disguise]] came as a surprise to fans, but if you look back on Season 4, it actually explains a lot: For one thing, anyone who's ever watched a time-travel movie can tell you that meddling in history tends to be problematic, especially when you save someone who was supposed to die. Emma bringing back Marian should have had some serious consequences, but the initial outcome didn't turn out that badly. Why? [[spoiler: Because the real Marian died, just as history dictated. Emma didn't really change anything.]] It also explains why Robin couldn't use TrueLovesKiss to cure Marian of her frozen heart. [[spoiler: That quite literally wasn't the woman he fell in love with.]]
* The fact that Marian was Zelena in disguise also might explain why of all people Ingrid chose to freeze her. It seems a tad coincidental that out of everyone she could have frozen to frame Elsa it would be her. However if Ingrid knew who Zelena was and what she was capable of, there would definitely be good reason to freeze her. Not only is Zelena a loose cannon but she's the strongest magic user in town after Rumpel. Ingrid is about to cast a spell that will cause everyone in town to turn on each other. Elsa and Emma are immune to the effects of the spell itself but they are not immune to being attacked during it.

* The Author [[spoiler: wrote that Cruella can't take another life, right? If Lily had died as a baby, Cruella and Ursula would be responsible for her death because they abandoned her, but Lily survived. Cruella can't kill another person even through passive means!]]

* Cruella is the only one of the witches who isn't shown as even having the option of a HeelFaceTurn. The reveal that [[spoiler: the Author stopped her acting on her evil desires]] actually fits in quite nicely with that and the way OUAT presents redemption. If an external force is preventing her from doing evil, she can never be in a position where she ''decides'' not to.
* Asspull and creator's pet aside, there is a subtle reason for Rumple's revolving HeelFaceTurn and Regina's seemingly permanent change from villain to hero. Rumplestiltskin's reason for becoming the Dark One was for his son and his own feeling of being useless meanwhile Regina became the Evil Queen for revenge on Snow. Snow and Regina have gotten beyond their past and become friends(ish). Meanwhile Rumple has lost his son due to events that he couldn't control and Emma forces him to become a hero and when he's not the Dark One, he's being used by both of his successors.
* Another 'OK, Rumple's increased villainy makes sense' point. Rumple's sudden descent into full-on evil comes after he's freed from Zelena's control. He spent over a year as a slave, tormented constantly, his mind being broken, [[spoiler: watched his son ''die'' in his arms and wasn't even able to attend the funeral]], and forced to hurt people he didn't want to hurt. And this was ''after'' what he went through in Neverland and dealing with his father. Rumple's likely dealing with some pretty bad PTSD and he's not had ''anyone'' who can really help him with it, so of course he's going to be in a really dark place. It becomes more obvious when you remember that the thing he was trying to do was separate himself from the Dark One Dagger, which after everything with Zelena would be a constant reminder of what he went through, and how horrible it is when someone has such control over him.

* An application of [[ArcWords "Magic always comes with a price"]] often seems to only show up when a plot requires it but it shows up in many subtle ways. It is mentioned that Henry eating the apple turnover with the Sleeping Curse is the price for using that curse in the first place; Rumple also mentions that giving up Henry could be a price for making sure the Dark Curse stays unbroken. Several of the villains have magic and, for many of them, learning how to use magic or getting exposed to magic is the first step into villainy. Season 4's Frozen arc shows that magic is feared and people with magic fear their own powers as well. Even the destruction of magic in Season 5 comes with a price; the Charmings are separated across two realms. Restoring it undoes this price but it comes with a new price, [[spoiler: Mr. Hyde and the Evil Queen.]]
* Moments before Nimue gained immortality, she told Merlin how great it'd be to use his powers to help others seek revenge. Now look at all the people that Rumpelstiltskin taught his magic to. They have strong desires to seek revenge. In short, the Dark One is doing what Nimue was thinking of what Merlin should do: teach others how to seek revenge.

* While the show loves it's CompositeCharacter's, Mr. Gold is considered the most significant example because while his official fairy tale counterpart is Rumpelstiltskin. He's played so many roles in so many stories people say it's easier to name what fairy tale characters he isn't. In other words:

* The title of 6.09 -- Changelings. A changeling is the child of a fairy that's secretly swapped with a human child, [[TheFairFolk often for malicious reasons]]. [[spoiler: Rumple is the son of the Black Fairy and she abandoned him, making him the eponymous changeling. And at the end of the episode the Blue Fairy takes Belle's son at her request to protect him and let him live a normal life, an inverse of the usual legend]].
** It also makes a lot of sense given how [[spoiler:a Changeling and Rumpelstiltskin are so similar in stories: both are baby snatchers.]]

* The last line about how the final battle is won is definitely a confuser, especially with "evil" doing what's "right". However, think about the Dark Fairy's clever trap: She can get darkness by the murder of the Savior or force the Savior to kill an innocent. A double-cross situation. Therefore, it only makes sense to counter-back the final battle with light double-crossing as well. While Emma is good by fulfilling the role of the Savior, Rumpelstiltskin was crucial the success of the light by ultimately choosing love over power. That is the light's version of a double-cross that darkness cannot win against, because Rumpelstiltskin has no reason to be a villain when he loves his son over choosing power.

* [[spoiler: Of ''course'' there's more than one Enchanted Forest. In real life, stories are retold in varying ways by different authors, with changes ranging from mild to drastic. It would make sense for the Fairy Tale Land to reflect this.]]

* In Season 1, episode 12, Rumpelstiltskin turns Gaston into a rose. In the following scene, Rumple gives Belle the Gaston-rose (unknown to Belle that the rose is her ex-fiance) that she proceeds to cut off the stem. '''The lower anatomy of the rose.'''

** Even worse in Season 2 once [[spoiler: we meet her mother. Knowing how Anita is, it's likely she killed him for not going along with her plans]].

* In universe horror for Emma during the season finale: Regina tells her that Mr. Gold is Rumpelstiltskin. Emma has read Henry's book enough to know who Rumple is as far as fairy tales go, and she's made a deal with Gold in the past.

* Rumpelstiltskin spent at least thirty years ''creating'' an abused child because he needed someone very powerful but damaged and broken enough to be willing to enact his curse. He gave Cora the power, allowing her to abuse Regina, gave Regina power and corrupted her as much as he could, then gave her the curse and explained exactly how to use it. In other words, Regina's ''entire life'', just like Emma's, has been completely controlled by Rumpelstiltskin's plan - both of their lives were carefully shaped by him so they would fit what he needed them to do in his plan to get his son back. There's just something extremely disturbing and dark about someone deliberately setting up a child to be abused and damaged, especially considering he's a parent himself.

* HarsherInHindsight: Dr. Whale wanted to help save lives in saving Greg. [[spoiler: It almost does the opposite.]]

* "Do you remember turning a butcher into a pig ... It was his father." Given the family trade, it's likely the son then proceeded to unknowingly cook and eat his own father. No wonder the poor chap's so mad at Rumpel.
* Whenever Rumpel's spinning gold, he's imagining ripping out the throat of the man who made him kiss his boot. Now think about how much this guy spins - that's a ''lot'' of bottled up anger.
* Rumpel's immediate accusation of Cora never loving him is harsh enough on its own, but then you remember that Milah told him the same thing. He probably immediately thought of that when Cora told him she wasn't going with him. Both these experiences explain his FreakOut when Belle first kisses him, and his insistence that "no-one could EVER love me!" It runs even deeper than romance when you learn [[spoiler: his father never truly loved him. Due to this and all the self loathing issues that piled on, Rumple considers himself unfit for ANY love.]]

* Tamara is in a world-class ball of hurt once word gets to Rumpel. This is a guy that makes most [[KnightTemplarParent Knight Templar Parents]] look reasonable and well-mannered. Tamara cost him his boy ''again.'' Tamara lied about loving his son from day one to try and destroy magic. And Rumple got burned by both Milah and Cora, so having a faithless woman pull one over on his boy? That's not going to go over too well. Worse, Regina decided to MindRape and twist Rumpel's last remaining MoralityChain. And unlike Regina, Rumple is ''patient'' and might not even ''need'' magic, considering how good he is with the XanatosSpeedChess. Tamara might as well have a will made out and spare herself the trouble. And then she went beyond messing with Bae/Neal's heart and [[spoiler:shot him before letting him go through a portal. Now that everyone thinks he's dead]], there is nowhere that Tamara can hide and nothing that she can do to keep Rumple from making her suffer.
** As of the first episode of S3, [[spoiler: Rumple tore out her heart and crushed it. It really makes you think when you realize that was most likely him showing restraint due to being mellowed by [[MoralityPet Belle.]] Otherwise, he would have killed her in a more more painful manner. That it's the same fate he gave to someone he used to ''love'' (Milah) indicates it's the ''mildest'' way he could possibly kill her.]]

* Rumpelstiltskin's joke: "Congratulations on your little war," (where the last word sounds very much like the one meaning "a woman who sells herself") comes back to haunt him when Regina makes him believe the lie that Belle's father tried to purify her by tormenting her, and ended up killing her.
* This is kind of Fridge Sadness, but what must have happened in between turning pirate and meeting Milah that turned wide-eyed young Lieutenant Jones into the man who would taunt Rumpelstiltskin about his wife being a 'companion' for a shipful of pirates? Turning pirate alone wouldn't do it, not with Killian's reasons for doing so, which suggests there was something deeper and nastier at work there that blackened his heart. In "Good Form", Pan mentions Jones having had worked for him before. Also, at the end of the backstory, Jones vows he'll never go back to Neverland. Yet he's perfectly eager to go there in the backstory shown in "The Crocodile." It's possible that before meeting Milah, he ''did'' go back, and that corrupted him.
* So... [[spoiler: that moment when Ursula warns Regina about pretending to be her ever again? Where her tentacles come through the mirror and wrap around her? It looks a lot like what Cora used to do with the tree branches. And, by the look on Regina's face, she's thinking just that. The chances of Ursula not doing that intentionally, to intentionally flash her back? Yeah...]]
* After learning [[spoiler: how much Malcolm, the man who became Pan, resented his child since the day said child was born]], it becomes easy to imagine what his "lovely thoughts" would be when he thought them before going to Neverland with his son - [[spoiler: A life without the son, free from the responsibilities of adulthood and parenthood.]]

* When re-casting the Dark Curse requires Peter Pan to sacrifice the heart of the thing he loves most, Felix suggests it might be [[spoiler: Pan's son, Rumpelstiltskin. Pan casually responds with "Nah. I never loved Rumpel." This is of course a simplification of how he really feels about his son, which is actually MUCH nastier and more twisted. Then he proceeds to tell Felix that there are different kinds of love beyond romantic or familial love. Love born of loyalty is one of them, indicating that he loves how Felix is such an unconditionally loyal follower of him. So he kills Felix, throws his heart into the well...and it ''works.'' The curse is cast. If Felix truly was the thing he loved most, that means he loved and cherished a loyal minion more than he ever did his own son. That's how little he values Rumpel.]]
* Three episodes ago, Pan told Rumple [[spoiler:he DID care for him and made him the offer to join him rather than seal him in Pandora's box. At the time, people wondered if he was sincere or if it was another con like with Henry. In "Going Home", it is proven to be the latter. Pan was running out of time back then and his power was weakening, he needed to distract Rumple long enough to make the box switch. His line of "put down that box and you'll see (just how much I care)" and his smirk after trapping Rumple while saying "the choice was your's" hint that he would have sealed Rumple in anyway had he accepted his offer. But '''now''', Pan is on the cusp of victory: he's cast the curse already and he sees that he's been slapped with an anti-magic cuff he ''knows'' can't work on him. Unlike last time, Pan has ''nothing'' to lose...which means that what he tells Rumple ''now'' is his actual sincere feelings: he always resented his son and just wants to be rid of him.]]

* The show has a series of childhood abandonments that have escalated the plot - [[spoiler: Peter Pan abandoned Rumpel, who grew up to be a sad, dejected man who leaned on magic so heavily and the power it gave him that he ended up abandoning his son Baelfire - and through the need for a curse to return to the Bae's land, he lead Regina into casting her curse, which made the Charmings send Emma away, which led to her having an unstable childhood and giving up Henry...]] that's four cases in that one family, alone.
* Rumpelstiltskin's [[spoiler:resurrection was only made possible because his son Neal sacrificed his life to bring him back. Rumple died in the first place to save his family from Peter Pan. A father died so that his son could live and get a happy ending in the form of Emma and Henry. Now that was horribly undone because said son was tricked into sacrificing his life to bring said father back from the dead. Rumple has to live the rest of his life knowing he owes every breath to his son's sacrifice. His efforts to give his son a happy ending were in vain and worse yet it was the catalyst for Neal's tragic demise. Even when Rumple tries to make a selfless deed it goes horribly wrong.]]

* Though it's presented in-universe, Rumpelstiltskin could have escaped at anytime [[spoiler:by using the Squid Ink to destroy the bars]]. If being in jail wasn't "where he needed to be", imagine just how easily he'd escape.

* If you think about it... Tiger Lily is indirectly responsible for every single atrocity committed by The Black Fairy, Peter Pan and Rumpelstiltskin.

** Then Pan wouldn't have spent all Rumpel's childhood bitter over the loss of his wife and resenting his son for indirectly causing it. Which lead him to abandon his son and became Pan so he could have power and stay young

* In Episode 3, we learn that Rumple is trapped in his cell without his powers; Series Six confirms this is a lie, with Rumple stating that he's "exactly where I want to be". However, this reveal is hinted as ''much'' earlier; in Episode 1, Rumplestiltskin ''uses his powers in his cell to see the future'' to tell Snow and David when their child will come to save them. It was literally staring everyone in the face and we didn't see it for ''six whole seasons.''

* Why did Regina lock up Belle? Belle, who is one of the few characters NOT to cross her? To make Gold miserable? That's probably a bonus. But the curse of Storybrooke can only be broken by true love's kiss, and it's pretty strongly suggested that Belle and Rumpelstiltskin would've had true love's kiss had he not rejected her. While we know that Emma's the savior who will break the curse, it's hinted that Regina doesn't know HOW it will be broken. Why not cover all the bases and make sure nobody who fits the criteria for True Love's Kiss is together in Storybrooke? It both makes them miserable AND is extra security that the curse will stay in effect. Furthermore, while it's fuzzy how the time frame falls, but it's plausible she was kept as a contingency plane. Seeing as how Rumple is both a stronger magic user than Regina by far, and has cut a deal to be able to recall his Fairy Tale life. Considering this is a man who does nothing without some manner of an agenda, not having an ace in the hole is foolishness at the very best. And on top of all that, it’s revealed much further down the line that Rumple was destined to be a saviour before his mother sheared it away when he was a baby.

** In Episode 3, we learn that Rumple is trapped in his cell without his powers; Series Six confirms this is a lie, with Rumple stating that he's "exactly where I want to be". However, this reveal is hinted as ''much'' earlier; in Episode 1, Rumplestiltskin ''uses his powers in his cell to see the future'' to tell Snow and David when their child will come to save them. It was literally staring everyone in the face and we didn't see it for ''six whole seasons.''

* Though this one is a bit of a stretch: The Ogre Wars. Why Ogres? They could've chosen any mythical beast. Well, what [[Creator/DreamWorks company]] is Disney constantly in competition with? (besides Warner Bros., their rivalry is kind of dead) And what [[WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}} movie]] of said rival company is constantly taking [[TakeThat jabs]] at Disney? Perhaps the writers thought it was time to take a jab back?

* At first glance, it may seem that Hook is way too EasilyForgiven by Charming after it turns out that [[spoiler:Hook killed Charming's father Robert]], especially considering Charming [[spoiler:nearly killed George upon learning he had ordered Robert's murder]]. However, upon closer examination, there are actually a number of reasons why it makes perfect sense. Even putting aside Hook's relationship with Emma, Charming has seen first hand that Hook has changed (Neverland, Hook sacrificing himself as the Dark One, being willing to remain in the Underworld to save Emma and her family, [[spoiler:convincing Charming not to kill George]], etc.). In contrast, [[spoiler:George]] has basically been Charming's main enemy his entire life (at least before Regina came into the picture). So Charming has every right to explode; learning that [[spoiler:his father's death was actually murder]] is the last straw. Furthermore, Hook's reasons behind the deed were NothingPersonal and he is truly remorseful when he puts everything together. [[spoiler:George]], on the other hand, is more or less a complete sociopath, and it becomes [[FridgeHorror even more disturbing]] when you realize he always knew David and [[spoiler:Robert]] were related and has essentially been tormenting an entire family for years for the most astoundingly petty reasons.

** [[RewatchBonus Doubly so if you watch it again and pay attention to small details]]. To pinpoint the earliest example, while [[spoiler:Marian calling Regina a monster is perfectly in the norm for a person who had been sentenced to death by her, keep in mind that ''Zelena'' also has that same vitriol, though [[{{Envy}} for another reason]].]]

* It would make sense for the SeriesFauxale to be in an arc heavily based around the last film that the entire team of Creator/DisneysNineOldMen made.

* Episode 4x03 "Rocky Road", Elsa assumed that the reason Emma was so distant to Hook was because of her responsibility: "When you have the weight of the world on your shoulders, it's hard to fully trust someone, even when they want what's best for you". Her assumption was revealed by the end of the episode to be wrong. Emma's reason is a lot more personal and emotional. This was entirely in character with Elsa's personality from the movie, she may become a HighQueen by the end, but she still have zero experience with love and only speak from experience, it wouldn't make sense for Elsa to suddenly become a love Guru without any justification. This also further prove the creators' claim that Elsa is a {{Celibate Hero}}ine earlier in the season.

* So when Regina cast the dark curse, it wrecked most of the enchanted forest, and only Cora's defensive spell prevented its total destruction. She also said that she "brought who she wanted", hence how Jefferson and Whale were in storybrooke. So if that's the case, what happened to their worlds? The world without color hasn't been seen at all, and while OnceUponATimeInWonderland seems to take place after the dark curse, you still have to wonder how Regina's vengeance might have ruined not just one, but three worlds.

* [[spoiler:Rumple and Hook attacked an Old Man who once was the Sorcerer's Apprentice whom Rumple had turned into a [[HomageShot Mouse]] in the enchanted forest and sucked him into the void within the Sorceror's hat. Given that the creators like to use the Disneyfied versions of characters, (Ariel instead of the Little Mermaid, Maleficent instead of the Evil Godmother, Belle instead of Beauty) and that the Sorceror's Apprentice in ''WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}}'' was played by a [[MickeyMouse beloved childhood icon]] then does that mean that they just killed off...!?!]]

* Couples as a FridgeTearjerker. It's shown in this series that Gerda, Elsa and Anna's mother, came to accept Elsa as she was just before she died. Her final letter she left for them showed that. What if they were on their way home to let Elsa know that and that she doesn't have to conceal her powers?

* "Operation Mongoose" vs "Operation Cobra". Clever name, Ms Ex-Mayor! Mongoose vs Cobra was a well-known case of nature rivalry, even Wiki/ThisVeryWiki has examples of it. It makes perfect sense for Regina to name her own secret mission with Henry as the opposite of her "rival" Emma's own mission with him.

** The Chernabog doesn't choose the most evil, it chooses the one with the greatest ''potential'' for evil. Although Cruella is likely more evil than Maleficent, her powers aren't very extensive and she can't kill anyone, so she has very limited potential for evil compared to Maleficent, despite being more evil.

* Why did Regina lock up Belle? Belle, who is one of the few characters NOT to cross her? To make Gold miserable? That's probably a bonus. But the curse of Storybrooke can only be broken by true love's kiss, and it's pretty strongly suggested that Belle and Rumpelstiltskin would've had true love's kiss had he not rejected her. While we know that Emma's the savior who will break the curse, it's hinted that Regina doesn't know HOW it will be broken. Why not cover all the bases and make sure nobody who fits the criteria for True Love's Kiss is together in Storybrooke? It both makes them miserable AND is extra security that the curse will stay in effect. Furthermore, while it's fuzzy how the time frame falls, but it's plausible she was kept as a contingency plane. Seeing as how Rumpel is both a stronger magic user than Regina by far, and has cut a deal to be able to recall his Fairy Tale life. Considering this is a man who does nothing without some manner of an agenda, not having an ace in the hole is foolishness at the very best. And on top of all that, it’s revealed much further down the line that Rumple was destined to be a saviour before his mother sheared it away when he was a baby.

** It makes even more sense when you remember who it was she ended up killing. Rumpel would have no doubt known who the person was who Regina loved most. There was only one person who Regina went out of her way to rescue and only one person who stuck by Regina. Henry Sr. The same person who Cora left him to marry.

* More of a meta one but the scene where Rumpel and Baelfire get separated. What does Rump use to prevent being sucked into the portal? The knife. It's a symbolic gesture that he's clinging to the power of The Dark One and that it has control of him - it wants him to be miserable and evil.

* This goes back to A Heart of Darkness. Rumpelstiltskin giving Snow the bow and arrow telling her that it always hits it target and gets his wielder what they need seem to be just a simple exposition. But then when you realize that Charming was the one hit by the arrow, which then lead to True Love's Kiss between Snow and Charming, makes you realize that Rumpel was playing [[TheMatchmaker matchmaker]] or in other words, Cupid.
* Also from Heart of Darkness was the little chat between Rumpel and Charming. The Dealer seems to give Charming a TheReasonYouSuckSpeech, but if you remember the events of "Skin Deep", you see that he obviously sees some similarities between himself and Charming and he is most likely projecting his own anger at himself onto Charming. Then comes "The Crocodile" where Gold asks David for advice. It's obvious he knows he can trust him for advice, given their similarities.

* Early one from Season 1: Why "please" for Regina's TriggerPhrase? Well, how many times did your parents tell you to "say the magic word" to get something you wanted when you were a kid? Rumpel just turned it into a literal magic word.

* For all the NightmareFuel Rumpel [[spoiler:ripping Milah's heart]] out is, it actually makes a lot of sense. When [[spoiler:you marry someone, you kinda do offer your heart to them. She broke his heart, so he broke hers]]. Just, in a more literal sense.

* Rumpelstiltskin cutting off Hook's hand. While yes aggravating that it wasn't Peter Pan that did so, it makes sense since Rumpel tends to tinker with people as well as his association with Belle. The FridgeBrilliance increases when you realize, yes, it was not Peter Pan who took Hook's hand. [[spoiler: It was Peter Pan's son]].

* When Cora tells Rumpel that he's the only man she ever loved, it's not a declaration of love. It's a declaration of truth since, without her heart, she couldn't love anyone she met afterwards.
* Why did Cora listen to King Xavier over Rumpel and take her own heart out? Because Xavier, in his [[ManipulativeBastard manipulative words]] and blatant NotSoDifferentRemark overtones, just went from someone she hated to ''a father figure''. Cora had to live with a drunken, neglectful father all her life, and so she always had a void left from a lack of fatherly guidance. She'd been without a proper father far longer than she'd been without romantic love, so of course she chose the former over the latter when given the option. Xavier even calls her "daughter" when she's naming Regina, again showing just what the relationship between these two is.

** In "Nasty Habbits", Rumpel mentions to Bae how he and Pan were close when Rumpel "was growing up." How they found Neverland and Pan betrayed him there. He then adds "He fooled me for a long time before I finally saw his true nature, and it's as dark and repulsive as anything you should ever be exposed to." [[spoiler: "Think Lovely Thoughts" explains everything before that last part. The backstory ends with Rumpel seemingly still loving and missing his dad. In "Nasty Habits" flashback, we see Rumpel and Pan's first meeting in ages and Rumpel already knows that his father is going by what Rumpel named his old doll. It's also established that children can come to Neverland in their dreams but never stay. So it's entirely conceivable that child Rumpel had seen Neverland and his father again in his dreams, and that's when it became clear to him that his father had absolutely zero remorse for the choice he made to abandon Rumpel in order to regain his youth. That is what Rumpel meant by "finally seeing his true dark, repulsive nature." It's the moment he [[BrokenPedestal lost all faith in his old man.]]]]
** Also compare Rumpel's behavior as the Dark One after losing Bae to that of his father [[spoiler: before he became Pan]]. They are remarkably similar to each other. Most likely since he abandoned Bae for his own power, he subconsciously acted that way because he reminded himself of his own father. This explains why he thought Bae would kill him if they met back in The Return, because that's what he would do to his own father if/when they met again. Since his father was an AdultChild, it's also possible that this could represent Rumpel regressing to a child-like state to fill the void of missing his own child, though keeping enough awareness of it to play it up for all it's worth.
** Moreover, Rumpel and his father are parallels yet also complete opposites. When Rumpel's father received the powers of Neverland, he abandoned Rumpel immediately and didn't regret it. But when Rumpel received the powers of the Dark One, he almost seemed to obsess over Bae, killing anyone who so much as looked at the boy the wrong way. Rumpel was deliberately trying not to be like his father, but he went too far in the other direction and ended up being just as destructive anyway. But a key difference, as Rumpel points out in the episode, is that when he ends up abandoning his child in favor of keeping his power, he ''immediately'' regrets the decision and dedicates his life to finding his son and making amends. Malcolm showed no such regret after abandoning Rumpel because he felt his son was better off without him as a father and, more importantly, he was better off without a son to weigh him down.
** Rumpel's fear of Bae using a magic bean to take them to a new world where they could "start over" also gains significance, for it exactly mirrors young Rumpel's proposition with a magic bean to his own father. Instead of finding a new life and happiness together, Rumpel ended up betrayed, abandoned, and emotionally scarred by his father. So Rumpel's true fear was not that he'd lose his magic: it was that if he and Bae went through that hole, he'd end up doing the same thing to Bae that his father did to him! When he shouted "It will tear us apart!", he was referring to his and his son's relationship. And in the ultimate DramaticIrony, his effort to avoid this outcome and cling to what he saw as "strength", his magic power, he ends up abandoning his son anyway!
** To add to this almost all of Rumpel's actions are influenced by his father's abandonment. Before Milah left Rumpel for Hook she tried to get Rumpel to move to another village that didn't know his reputation and so they could start over. Rumpel refused to do so. At first it appeared to be because of his cowardice, but he and his dad went to Neverland in first place to start over in a new place. In that new place his father chose to abandon him. Given Milah's treatment of Rumpel it makes perfect sense for him not to want to go to a new place out of fear Milah would leave him as well. Rumpel's belief that he is impossible to love stems back to his father's abandonment of him. He probably subconsciously believed he was the reason Malcolm left. Milah and Cora leaving him added more fuel to the belief, which explain why he didn't believe Belle really loved him when she first kissed him.

** [[spoiler: Two is that the way in which he arranges the death makes it not only his undoing, but the undoing of the entire Dark One cycle. How does one become the Dark One? By killing the current Dark One with the dark dagger. Killing Zoso with the dagger made Rumpel the Dark One after all. So by locking him and his father in a tight embrace and then skewering Pan in the back so the dagger could come out of Pan's chest and go through Rumpel, Rumpel was having Pan kill him with the dagger, transferring the Dark One's power to Pan. This is why darkness engulfs them and turns Pan back into adult Malcolm: Malcolm became the Dark One! Not dead yet, Malcolm pleads for his son to remove the dagger, which would no doubt have Malcolm's name on it now. Instead, Rumpel twists the blade and drives it deep into his father, killing him and himself. So Malcolm killed the current Dark One and became the new Dark One only to be killed by the dying former Dark One. With both dead, the cycle of the Dark One is cancelled out: there's no Dark One left to kill for anyone to become the new Dark One. This was the undoing that the seer foretold.]]

*** Except [[spoiler:the twisting of the blade that killed Malcolm was caused by Rumpel, thus making Rumpel the Dark One again]].

* In Season 3 (''Lost Girl''), Rumpelstiltskin pretends to have Excalibur, but later reveals it was always in Camelot. However, that creates the problem of why he didn't go and get Excalibur; even if he didn't want to actually give Snow the real Sword, it's exactly the kind of thing he'd be interested in. With the reveal that [[spoiler:Merlin is the Sorcerer]], it all makes sense: even if Rumpel wanted Excalibur, Camelot is the one place it's not safe for him to break into.

* The reveal that August knew everything he did about the storybook, the Author, and the Apprentice because he had gotten it from the Dragon's research explains something else which had puzzled fans since season 2: how he knew Neal was Baelfire. People had theorized that the Blue Fairy told him before he went through the magic tree with Emma, but it's just as likely that Baelfire's story (being Rumpel's son, going through the portal to a world without magic, even how he ended up with the Darlings and then in Neverland) was in the storybook and thus among the Dragon's research. If he had been able to track down Neal and find out he was Baelfire, that information could have been among what August discovered; even without that, August was smart enough to put two and two together and conclude that the missing boy who went through a portal could be Neal, especially with the "coincidence" of him encountering Emma, the only one who could break the curse Rumpel got cast solely so he could find his son.

* Why Rumpelstiltskin and Belle are the OneTruePairing. Their true love has yet to overcome their external faults and conflicts, (Rumpel's a coward, and Belle will not love him while he's inflicted with a curse), which leads to a romance that audiences can identify with as something more real and raw because despite our best intentions our personal demons and flaws can ruin our chances of romantic happiness and familial success. Belle is also quite relatable to Rumpel's fangirls. Rumpel is not "attractive" by Hollywood standards; but many female viewers are drawn to him. Which ones? Probably the oddballs, quiet bookish eccentrics, who are drawn to "dark" and unusual guys; girls who most easily identify with Belle. In short, the "Belles" out there are the ones who like Rumpel, and the writers probably figured that out.

* Mr. Gold is BoredWithInsanity. We have no clue how long ago Rumpelstiltskin came into being, though it looks like it happened several centuries if not a millennium before Snow and Regina came around. And through that time, he only acted loopy to keep people unnerved when in truth, he had been done with his insanity not too long (a few decades) after Bae left him. This is why as Mr. Gold, he can be so normal and Jefferson ... isn't. He simply doesn't care about his various memories. A flashback in Episode 55 seems to support this. On his son's birthday, Rumpel is sitting alone in his estate and talking to himself in his normal voice. When Belle comes in, he pitches his voice up a bit. His way of covering his pain, weakness, and cowardice is essentially to take on a demeanor that is, ironically enough, similar to his father's.

* Belle and Rumpel. They seem so different at times. But remember this: Belle went with Rumpel initially to be a hero and to be brave. Rumpel is also characterized by his desire to prove his bravery. Even more striking when you examine this alongside Milah's character. Milah and Belle both wanted to see the world and go to far-off lands. Milah disappears, leaving Rumpel and Bae behind for her own happiness. Belle willingly gives up the same chance to save her family and village, sticks to her promise, and is able to see the good in Rumpel and her situation despite everything. That went a long way in earning Rumpel's respect for her. Also, Milah is wearing blue and white just like Belle in "Manhattan", during the time when she and Rumpel still had a happy marriage. Belle reminds Rumpel of Milah back when there was love between them, so that's another reason he's so attracted to her.
* Jefferson was a weapons-grade {{Jerkass}} back in the day, very unlike the man we were first (episodically, if not chronologically) introduced to in Hat Trick. The why of his character development struck me so suddenly that it seemed obvious afterwards: we forget because they use the same actors for Regina, Jefferson, and Rumpel (especially Rumpel) regardless of the 'when' in the Enchanted Forest, but the next time we see Jefferson (chronologically) in Hat Trick, enough time has passed for Snow White to have aged from Bailee Madison to Ginnifer Goodwin. The Jefferson we see in The Doctor ''[[DeliverUsFromEvil isn't a father yet]]''. No wonder he was acting so ''[[MeaningfulName Grace]]''[[IncrediblyLamePun less]]. Related: to become a father required a wife, and Jefferson flat-out says in Hat Trick that "his line of work ''cost Grace's mother her life''". If finding love and having a child together with her didn't make his HeelRealization fully sink in, '''that''' would certainly do it.
* Another Jefferson one: His actions in the Doctor explain why Regina is so... poisonous to him. And her distrust in anyone being an agent of Rumpel (and vice versa). And her distrust of everyone, Emma included. Jefferson betrayed her to Rumpel for little more than gold. Snow (seemingly) betrayed her to Cora. Everyone at this point was an agent for someone else, using her to get what they want. Of course, she'd naturally just start assuming everyone had an agenda and that whatever they were doing was just a way to get HER to do what they want.

* When Rumpel told Regina that she looked/didn't look like Cora at various times, he wasn't talking about appearance. He was talking about their innocence/goodness.

* It's VERY possible that the Seer and Rumpel mixed Henry up with [[spoiler: Peter Pan. Rumpel and Bae officially reconcile during their fight against Pan when Pan had kidnapped Henry, and the Dark One cycle is broken when Rumpel and Pan die together, thus Pan caused the Dark One's undoing. Where was Pan right before his and Rumpel's last moments? In Henry's body]].

* Gold's distaste for nuns in the Season 1 episode "Dreamy" makes a lot more sense after "The Return": [[spoiler: The leader of the nuns is the Blue Fairy and Rumpel blames her for separating him from his son.]]

* Tragic as it is, Rumpelstiltskin slipping back into evil despite his love for Belle and Henry actually makes a twisted kind of sense. Yes, Rumpel loves Belle and he loves Henry, but his relationship with Baelfire went much deeper than any of that. All the evil stuff he did: Corrupting Regina, The Dark Curse, even his manipulation of Cinderella, it was all part of the plan to make up for abandoning his son. For ''three centuries'' (according to Robert Carlyle), he worked to find his son again and in the end, he lost him again...and in a way that reversed Rumpel's own HeroicSacrifice (i.e. the final proof of his redemption). He tried to be good, to make amends for not being a good father, and it amounted to nothing, at least from his perspective. It's no surprise that he decided "Well, screw it. If being good isn't going to work out, ThenLetMeBeEvil."

** If Zelena had not been out of action she would have no doubt revealed herself and immediately gone after Regina. Which would put Elsa and Emma in the crossfire, especially as Regina is Emma's friend and she would do her best to protect her. With Zelena in an icy coma and Rumpel being immune due to virtue of being the Dark One... the only powerful magic user left is Regina herself. Ingrid must have been fairly confident the blonde duo could handle Regina if she got out. Freezing her eliminates a wild card that could have derailed Ingrid's plan.

* Apart from all the usual horrors that come with being immortal, we learn that Dark Ones cannot sleep, hear constant whispers from the dagger, and are plagued by invisible spirits of the past Dark Ones urging them to do the bidding of the Original Dark One, Nimue. While this would extremely bothersome for awhile, Rumpel has had to deal with this for CENTURIES. Suddenly, his compulsive desire to spin straw into gold makes sense. Its how he tries to quite the voices.

* In Season 1, episode 12, Rumpelstiltskin turns Gaston into a rose. In the following scene, Rumpel gives Belle the Gaston-rose (unknown to Belle that the rose is her ex-fiance) that she proceeds to cut off the stem. '''The lower anatomy of the rose.'''

* In universe horror for Emma during the season finale: Regina tells her that Mr. Gold is Rumpelstiltskin. Emma has read Henry's book enough to know who Rumpel is as far as fairy tales go, and she's made a deal with Gold in the past.

* Consider the ramifications of Moe's plan to mind-wipe Belle. Her Storybrooke persona is virtually non-existent, consisting of nothing more than being a shy, mentally ill girl locked in a cell for twenty-eight years. If the plan had worked, she would have woken up handcuffed in a mine cart, totally amnesiac and with a complete lack of functional twenty-first century skills. Only the fact that Rumpel would take care of her regardless lessens that potential fate. Though there'd be very little stopping him from making Moe... suffer.

* Rumpel's immediate accusation of Cora never loving him is harsh enough on its own, but then you remember that Milah told him the same thing. He probably immediately thought of that when Cora told him she wasn't going with him. Both these experiences explain his FreakOut when Belle first kisses him, and his insistence that "no-one could EVER love me!" It runs even deeper than romance when you learn [[spoiler: his father never truly loved him. Due to this and all the self loathing issues that piled on, Rumpel considers himself unfit for ANY love.]]
* Cora didn't originally want to become the Dark One, she only decided to kill Rumpel because he was dying anyway. If she'd gotten her way she would have forced him to kill Snow, Emma aka the mother of his grandson, Charming aka the closest thing he has to a friend and in all probability given Henry's parentage he would probably have been forced to kill his own child who he just spent 300 years looking for. Not to mention the rest of the town. Then, given that he was 'the only man she ever loved', it's possible she would have ended up doing to him what Regina did to Graham.

* Tamara is in a world-class ball of hurt once word gets to Rumpel. This is a guy that makes most [[KnightTemplarParent Knight Templar Parents]] look reasonable and well-mannered. Tamara cost him his boy ''again.'' Tamara lied about loving his son from day one to try and destroy magic. And Rumpel got burned by both Milah and Cora, so having a faithless woman pull one over on his boy? That's not going to go over too well. Worse, Regina decided to MindRape and twist Rumpel's last remaining MoralityChain. And unlike Regina, Rumpel is ''patient'' and might not even ''need'' magic, considering how good he is with the XanatosSpeedChess. Tamara might as well have a will made out and spare herself the trouble. And then she went beyond messing with Bae/Neal's heart and [[spoiler:shot him before letting him go through a portal. Now that everyone thinks he's dead]], there is nowhere that Tamara can hide and nothing that she can do to keep Rumpel from making her suffer.
** As of the first episode of S3, [[spoiler: Rumpel tore out her heart and crushed it. It really makes you think when you realize that was most likely him showing restraint due to being mellowed by [[MoralityPet Belle.]] Otherwise, he would have killed her in a more more painful manner. That it's the same fate he gave to someone he used to ''love'' (Milah) indicates it's the ''mildest'' way he could possibly kill her.]]

* Three episodes ago, Pan told Rumpel [[spoiler:he DID care for him and made him the offer to join him rather than seal him in Pandora's box. At the time, people wondered if he was sincere or if it was another con like with Henry. In "Going Home", it is proven to be the latter. Pan was running out of time back then and his power was weakening, he needed to distract Rumpel long enough to make the box switch. His line of "put down that box and you'll see (just how much I care)" and his smirk after trapping Rumpel while saying "the choice was your's" hint that he would have sealed Rumpel in anyway had he accepted his offer. But '''now''', Pan is on the cusp of victory: he's cast the curse already and he sees that he's been slapped with an anti-magic cuff he ''knows'' can't work on him. Unlike last time, Pan has ''nothing'' to lose...which means that what he tells Rumpel ''now'' is his actual sincere feelings: he always resented his son and just wants to be rid of him.]]

* Many tropers/fans think Rumpel tricked Regina into killing her father for the curse as revenge for his own rejection by her mother (and Cora's breaking of the deal to have a child with him) - he looked ''very'' pleased when he mocked Regina after she'd done the deed PLUS he's been personally training her for years and we've seen him manipulate/play her countless times, he's obviously got a good handle on how she operates to the point where he's been manipulating her pre and post-curse rather easily.

* Rumpelstiltskin's [[spoiler:resurrection was only made possible because his son Neal sacrificed his life to bring him back. Rumpel died in the first place to save his family from Peter Pan. A father died so that his son could live and get a happy ending in the form of Emma and Henry. Now that was horribly undone because said son was tricked into sacrificing his life to bring said father back from the dead. Rumpel has to live the rest of his life knowing he owes every breath to his son's sacrifice. His efforts to give his son a happy ending were in vain and worse yet it was the catalyst for Neal's tragic demise. Even when Rumpel tries to make a selfless deed it goes horribly wrong.]]

** And of course if Rumpel hadn't been abandoned by both his parents after growing up with a father who resented him he wouldn't have so fiercely protective of Bae to the point where he was willing to become the Dark One to save him
** Hell you can probably add Cora, Zelena and Regina to the list of villains indirectly created by Tiger Lily's actions as Rumpel taught them all, rejected Zelena... and molded Regina into the woman he needed to cast the curse

* Looking at all of Rumpelstiltskin's deals, you notice how almost all of them factor in to his master plan, such as getting Regina to cut her ties with King George or getting strands of hair from both Prince Charming and Snow White. [[spoiler:Even his deal with Cora was changed to something that would benefit him]]. Then you get to Cinderella and he requests a baby. Just a plain normal baby. Then you realize that his game's already set. He didn't need anything out of Cinderella, but his concept of deals meant that she ''had'' to give something in return. Not only that, but scaring someone by [[AdultFear taking away their kids]] is a good way to get them to conspire with people to put you in a jail, the one place where Rumple feels is exactly where he wants to be.

** Ruby Lucas - the girl associated with red who had her world rocked and has more in common with the wizard than it first seems

* "Welcome to Storybrooke" [[spoiler: The story in the past with Kurt and Owen has, in fact, many similarities to classic witch stories. And there are emerging elements to Owen's story in the present, with him becoming a WitchHunter.]]

* Emma's reaction to finding out that Snow and Charming really are her parents. Sure, yeah, in her situation (adopted kid meeting birth parents), some confusion and surprise and such is expected. But remember also that Snow and Charming are to Emma, fairy tale characters as well as a prince and princess. How many children imagine that their real parents are such things? Now imagine that something you grow up learning is basically a silly foolish idea is ''actually'' true! This carries on into S2, when Emma gets to see Mary Margaret's Snow White side in action [[spoiler:when they're trapped in the Enchanted Forest]] and spends much of her time staring in amazement that the woman she knew as a more-than-slightly neurotic ShrinkingViolet schoolteacher has turned into such a BadassMom.

* In the pilot, Snow tells Charming the Evil Queen poisoned her with an apple because she was "prettier" than her. Of course viewers learn later in the season that the actual reason is a lot less shallow than that. This might just be a continuity error or a total RetCon by the creators, but it may be because in the pilot they first show the scenes in Enchanted Forest being first read from the book by Henry. The book probably contains more simplified versions of actual events than what happened in the Enchanted Forest and doesn't mention Daniel or Cora at all. It also explains why Henry is so hard on Regina because it seems that she is evil for such petty reasons. It might also be that at the time Snow says that, she does not feel comfortable going into the real reasons, which would involve owning up to the greatest mistake she ever made in her life--a mistake that still haunts her even in the present (as she demonstrates in S2 when she remonstrates with Emma over her guilt for not believing Henry).

* In the pilot, Snow tells Charming the Evil Queen poisoned her with an apple because she was "prettier" than her. Of course viewers learn later in the season that the actual reason is a lot less shallow than that. This might just be a continuity error or a total RetCon by the creators, but it maybe because in the pilot they first show the scenes in Enchanted Forest being first read from the book by Henry. The book probably contains more simplified versions of actual events than what happened in the Enchanted Forest and doesn't mention Daniel or Cora at all. It also explains why Henry is so hard on Regina because it seems that she is evil for such petty reasons. It might also be that at the time Snow says that, she does not feel comfortable going into the real reasons, which would involve owning up to the greatest mistake she ever made in her life--a mistake that still haunts her even in the present (as she demonstrates in S2 when she remonstrates with Emma over her guilt for not believing Henry).