Board Thread:Spoilers!/@comment-1916997-20151016201626/@comment-25926288-20151018121312

I doubt the writers want to ignore it but they have an issue of too much plot and campy fun-fun that they don't usually have too much time for character development.

I think I saw somewhere that the episode writers get pretty much a boatload of information and stuff that needs to happen to turn into a decent script. IF it's a pair of writers, they usually split it. Having 4 main characters and then another six secondary main characters takes a certain chunk of time out for each character.

You have to give Emma a large chunk because she should come first. Then you have to balance Regina, Snow, and Rumple (which fortunately they switch off and on with Regina and Snow, but Regina is more popular than Snow, so Snow tends to get the shaft, and Rumple was mostly comatose). Then you have the second tier: Arthur needs some as the villain and recurring star, You drop Gwen and Lance, You put a litle Zelena and Robin in because you don't pay these people to not work, You make sure Hook's manpain is emphasized since Emma is not in some emotional struggle. David gets a little hero action in. Belle gets tossed some time because she's doing something related to Rumple. Henry gets the scraps because he was important. But fear not, each character will get a little more focus in their centric.

So, it's a tricky balance. You can't write Belle as ripping into Regina's storyline of trying to be a Savior (yet) because we need her to remind the audience that Rumple is still around and relevant.

So, so far, The first episode was mostly Emma(centric), then Regina and Hook angst as the more leading popular characters, followed by a little of everyone else.

The second episode was mostly Regina(centric), followed by Emma, then a little of everyone else.

The third episode was mostly David(centric), followed by Emma, then by Hook's angst, then a little of everyone else.

Until we get Belle's centric we can't hope much for her and her character development because this is jiust the formula.