Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-11464223-20131118032545/@comment-5834856-20131120103444

A strange thought crossed my mind yesterday. The creators said the show's theme is basically hope. And there's a long history of abandonment in this family.

Before changing back in the young boy he wants to be Malcolm confessed to young Rumple that he was never meant to be a father. Elsewise he couldn't be young again. When Henry was born Emma said as much about herself. She can't be a mother. (S3EP01) Malcolm and Emma didn't believe themselves fit to take care of someone. They hoped to get rid of responsibility. They're a bit alike in that.

Snow and Charming and even Neal in someways decided to abandon Emma because they hoped that way there's a chance to break a curse. With the curse broken Neal hoped to get a chance to win Emma back.

Rumple left Bae because he was afraid to loose his powers. Bae prevented him to develope his full power.

The reason why they all left their children behind is hope. A selfish kind of hope but it's hope. And now all of them are hoping again. Hoping that their kids desperately hoping for love they never got (foster homes and step mothers who said you're lying might forgive them and redeem them.

One other thing I'm confussed about is that Mr. Gold told Emma in The Heart of the truest believer as much as

"Neverland is a place where imagination runs wild"

lets go of his crane and disappears. I know, Neverland has magic so Rumple has a way to cover his disability but then if he can do that by just believing in,  why is it, there's only one Pandora's Box? His father believed he had it so he gets it. Rumple believed that he had it, too, didn't he? Elsewise he wouldn't have gone to the Skull Rock. If you just have to believe in something to accomplish it Rumple should have been able to open it. Where's the difference here?

By the way, where do you exactly think is Rumple now? The box is black and  had a red button which glowed when Rumple was absorbed. Is the box similiar to the wraith who transferred the ones he absorbed to the Netherworld? Or is it somewhere else he goes? I don't think Rumple is dead in a way of never coming back again.