Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-24589671-20141222210529/@comment-24674051-20141224145201

Ok, here's the deal with Rumple and the LWM. It's not that he didn't try hard to get there. His whole goal was to get there with his magic intact. If you recall his one trip to NYC, he was a bloomin' mess without his magic. His magic is his emotional cane, so to speak. And we've seen this season that he loves power, even more than he loves Belle. (and I have to believe A & E when they say that his wedding vows were genuine).

Now, Neal got there, but he did not have magic to begin with, so no big deal. We've seen Ingrid there, and she was powerless, and I suspect that Ursula is powerless as well. So yes, the other ways would have gotten him there, but he would be without Magic (which is exactly what Neal wanted, and exactly what Rumple does not want). The Dark Curse is the only way to get there with and have any chance of having magic as a part of the bargain.