Board Thread:Spoilers!/@comment-26385535-20160920083926/@comment-5106672-20161116003656

IF (and I say IF) that were true, I'd point to either Rumbelle, especially Rumple who, as noted above, really has exhausted its character span. Honestly, I think the only reasons they kept him after S3 are because a) Robert is a wonderful actor and adds a lot to the cast, and b) Rumple pulled threads for 300 years, how do you make OUAT work without him in some flashbacks? I guess if everyone parted ways amicably, they could still bring him back as a special guest for flashbacks on occasions, but they have made such a GREAT job at handling returning actors and characters, haven't they? (cough!Ruby, cough!Tinkerbell, cough!Mulan)

Belle was always the fandom's first pick when we smelled a death, but she's become a surprisingly substantial character this season and she's doing well walking on (mostly) her own legs. She has a purpose other than "Rumple's voice of reason", I'd dare to say even an arc of her own. And woth the baby on its way, she would have a reason to go on even without Rumple. So I'd say she looks safe for now.

Also, as good as S6 seems so far, I still don't trust that the writers won't turn the Disney back to 11 to boost the ratings, and with the Beauty and the Beast live action coming up next year… well, keeping Rumbelle is an investment.

Then we have Bex. Bex LOVES the role, but after half a season in which she really shone, Zelena as a character has become kind of a passive accessory to the Regina vs Evil Queen storyline. And to Belle. I mean, can you even be an accessory to Belle? Luckily, we have a full-season arc this time and we're still halfway through the set up, so things may evolve and she can get back to being a player on the board, especially since Bex is so committed to the role.

So yeah. No one is an absolute deadweight like Robin, Will or (sorry, fans!) Neal used to be, and the only character that kinda just sticks around is actually a fully loaded gun this time, so I hope we're safe.