Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-11058666-20141228031222/@comment-5106672-20150414005211

In a way, I agree that Rumple has become much more unidimensional than he used to be. The writers have taken away from him what made him a deep character, namely his love and willingness to atone his mistakes with his son. That's what made him sympathetic and what fueled his love for Belle, but the death of Neal changed that. Without Neal, all that is left is his cowardice and the power with which he tries to cover it.

Also, I honestly don't think Rumple can get back together with Belle unless he gives up his powers. Except for Milah, losing all his dear ones has always been the price of his magic: he became the Dark One and lost Baelfire; he turned Cora into a sorceress, accessory to his masterplan of bringing Regina into existence, and lost her; bringing magic to Storybrooke set in motion a chain of events that resulted in Neal being shot and nearly dying first, and everyone getting back to the Enchanted Forest which resulted in Neal's actual death then; and finally, his greed for power made him lose Belle four times. His magic taking its toll on his heart is a physical representation of what's been constantly happening in a metaphorical way: that's a very clever writing move.