Board Thread:Off-Topic Fun/@comment-7720627-20131008031448/@comment-4975807-20140628034346

In all honesty, I can see Belle and Lacey both having their set of flaws. Belle's weakness is truly Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold. I was actually happy when she left Mr. Gold in "Broken" when he admitted breaking his promise to her and attempting to kill Regina. But then the whole, "I will stay with you because you are a monster" thing felt like a cop-out on Belle's end. Like she was finding any reason at all to stay with him; almost like she feels he needs her in order to keep from becoming dark again. But really, how long can Belle do that for? Be his guiding light? There's a point when even the light will always be there, but Mr. Gold is the one who chooses to briefly turn away from it and do something (like promise Belle he won't kill Zelena and then he does -_-). Mr. Gold's problem is he's constantly struggling to be good. It's literally like a neverending battle. The times he makes up for it, like when he confessed to Belle his true reason for needing magic, are profound, but the moments he repeatedly makes a vow and lies is what I think will kill the relationship in the end.

Lacey was certainly more laid-back than Belle and she did things more by instinct and lived life in order to have fun. Following one's instinct can be good, but she was a bit naive when she gave Mr. Gold advice to simply get rid of whoever was standing in his way (in order to keep the prophecy from coming true). The way she indulged in Mr. Gold beating up Keith and then physically intimidating Dr. Whale was a little disturbing to me. Mr. Gold was literally pummeling Keith and could have (or may have?) killed him, and she quite enjoyed that. I guess she's the anti-Belle. Had Lacey stuck around, I would have liked to see the dynamics of what kind of relationships she would form with the other residents of Storybrooke, and if Belle's former friends would react to Lacey differently based on her personality.