Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-1333438-20150514015210

After watching season 4 I have no clue where the character's story is going? I thought the writers were closing the door on him reforming in the first half of season 4. They even made his goal be world domination and unlike Hook and Regina he fell back into villainy and enjoyed it. To top it off Belle the character the writers always used to insist and bring out some of that goodness banished him and even said she sees no good in him. I figured they were going to make him the main villain of the series and take him to the point of no return. The second half of season 4 plays (or tries to play) him as sympathetic again. While he still a villain and as manipulative and sadistic as ever they seemed (or from what I perceived) tried to show he had some goodness left or make us think he can still change. The desire to rule the world is gone as fast as it appeared. Suddenly all he wants is to be with Belle again. They play the Gold is dying card (which after season where he did die seemed way too soon to replay that card) and suddenly it feel like they were trying to pin him doing all this evil stuff as desperate attempt to save his life. The finale had him say he returned to villainy because he was afraid he would lose Belle (which again ignores the whole he wanted to take over the world plot). All the characters rally around him to save his life instead of throwing his ass out of town so when he dies the Dark One dies with him with Belle by his side.

So I have to ask do they want him irredeemable villain who wants world domination or wanted him to go bad just to have him redo his redemption story over again or are they planning something else? I'm lost here as to what he's role is anymore. 