Board Thread:Spoilers!/@comment-30258394-20161018024847/@comment-25926288-20161020141000

The doormouse wrote:

Eskaver wrote:

The doormouse wrote:

Eskaver wrote:

Now, besides that, Rumple has been a controlling person with everyone he's loved. He did so with Bae, Milah, and now, Belle. None of that is out of character. Maybe they side-step a dimension, went loopy on his character progression, but it hits majority of his character.

We can break it down, if you'd like. List instances that were out of character and we can all have a discussion. I can't recall him ever being controlling with Milah - unless you count him going to the pub where she was drunkenly cavorting with a pirate, and begging her to come home for the sake of her small son? Rather the other way around - Milah mercilessly bullied and brutalised Rumple, eventually abandoning him and Bae. And I can't blame him at all for throwing her into the river in Underbrooke - her actions towards him - and especially Bae - during her lifetime were despicable. Rumple chose not to move and attempted to manipulate Milah by confronting her with their son. Good intentions, but ambiguously received, just like "protecting Belle".

Wow. I never thought I'd find ANYONE defending Milah's actions.

To drink away what little money they had (and thereby deprive her child of food and warm clothing) so that she could canoodle with a worthless pirate night after night, then to callously abandon that child to a life of poverty just because she wanted to turn her back on her responsibilities? What a wonderful example of motherhood. There are always two sides of every story and Milah wasn't some irrational person.

Milah was upset at the societal problem Rumple put them in. She would likely have to pull a greater load in the household. Milah suggested that they move. Rumple didn't want to. Milah has no societal power in that relationship because it's patriachal, so if Rumple doesn't want to move, she can't do anything about it. Milah still was terrible.

This topic is nonetheless about Rumple. Rumple held power in that relationship (in that that's the only part he held power in). Rumple and Belle always had the odd power dynamic as Rumple was always holding more power than Belle, not unlike Milah.