Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-11058666-20141228031222/@comment-26033121-20150331214338

Hmcooper4 wrote: Also, it wasn't JUST making a bad choice. it was a whole series of bad choices. He lied to her about giving her the Dagger, He lied about the Hat, He chose NOT to include her in his desire to be free of the Dagger. I think, had he at any point chosen to come clean, admit his problem, Belle would not have kicked him out.

As I recall, even when Belle was kicking him out, Rumple never really confessed or repented of what he had done. He tried to justify it. Belle gave him a chance (in fact, multiple chances), and Rumple chose his own selfish addiction.

I think Belle was, and still is, willing to work with Rumple to see him through everything. She would probably like to see the Dagger removed from Rumple's life just as much as He would. But, just as with any addiction, the addict is the person that has to choose to receive the help. Until he does choose to really reach out and receive the help, Belle has to take steps to protect herself, which is what she did by banishing him. I don't disagree. Belle did what she had to do to protect the town, and herself. I would have done the same thing in her position. When I said "change for the better" I didn't mean it in the sense that Belle should just let Rumple make bad choices and walk all over her. I meant it in the sense that Rumple should start learning to open up and be honest with Belle, and Belle should help him to find a better way, rather than just expect him to be always make the right choice. People say that the curse being removed would automatically solve everything concerning Rumple's darkness, but I don't think that it would. It would definitley remove a lot of his violent tendencies, but he's been under the influence of the curse far longer than he's been just a regular man. I think the darkness, inclination to be selfish, and the desire to be in control behind the scenes would still be there. Plus, removing the curse wouldn't necessarily fix his trust issues and his refusal to open up and reach out for help. That's something Rumple just has to work on himself. He kind of made an effort to be open with Baelfire and Belle back in seasons 2 and the beginning of 3, but even then it was a struggle, and now he's completely closed off. I don't think almost killing the whole town and almost crushing Hook's heart was what drove Belle away from Rumple. I think it was the fact that he lied and went behind her back the whole time, and then still didn't really even tell the whole truth when she found out. I also think that gauntlet and finding the dagger helped her make her decision to banish him, but I still think she was wrong when she believed that Rumple loved power and the dagger more than her. I think power is an addiction, and Belle and Baelfire were the strength that helped him to not completely fall victim to it. Then Zelena trapped Rumple and got Baelfire killed, and he relapsed.