Belle has always been and will always be my favorite princess, so seeing her brought to life in “Skin Deep,” this week’s Once Upon a Time, was something of a personal joy. That being said, the revelations in this particular episode almost overshadowed her appearance.
For the first time ever, Regina acknowledged the fantasy of the “real” world she created, by forcing Mr. Gold to admit that he is completely aware that he is Rumpelstiltskin. It was a brilliant scene; two opposing forces, chaotic neutral and lawful evil, clashing. But there could only be one victor, and for the time being it would appear that Regina has the upper hand.
Because she has the Storybrooke version of Belle locked in a secret mental ward.
To back track, in Fairy Tale Land, Belle (Emilie de Ravin) agreed to spend the rest of her life as a slave to the Beast (Rumpelstiltskin) in exchange for him using his magic to save her father’s kingdom. Somehow, despite the ten pounds of silver makeup and the occasional creepy giggle of glee, Belle started to fall in love with her Beast. Even more surprising, the feeling was mutual.
On a trip to the village (Rumpel’s test to see if Belle would return to him), she was accosted by the Queen and told that she could break the spell cast over Rumpel by kissing him. True love’s kiss, after all, breaks all spells. Eager to free her Beast, Belle ran back to him and kissed him.
But Rumpel’s spell is what gives him power. Enraged at the thought that Belle was working with the Queen to strip him of his magic, Rumpel locked her in his tower, before sending her away, heartbroken. After the Queen falsely informed him of Belle’s death upon returning to her kingdom, all Rumpel had to remember her by was a chipped cup.
In Storybrooke, the cup is Mr. Gold’s prized possession, and when Regina arranges to have it stolen, the loss of it cause him to kidnap the thief and nearly beat him to death. He only agrees to reveal his knowledge of his true name when Regina gives the cup back to him.
I have to say, I loved this twisted take on Beauty and the Beast. It was written by one of my favorite writers, Jane Espenson, and I think she did a fantastic job. My only complaint was that I would have liked to have seen more of Gaston, and perhaps more of what prompted Belle to fall for Rumpel, but since she is in Storybrooke, locked away and possibly crazy, we will most likely see more of her in the future. Good thing, too. She has the power to make Mr. Gold give up his secrets; no one else so far has been able to really rattle him.
As for the rest of the characters, it was Valentine’s Day, so naturally Snow White and Red Riding Hood took Cinderella out for drinks! Although Cinderella’s prince showed up and proposed marriage, a nice continuation of their story from many episodes ago, Mary Margaret’s prince messed up royally by accidentally giving her the Valentine’s card that was meant for his wife. Sigh. Remind me again why David is staying with his wife? Is it really just the power of Regina’s evilness? I gather that next week will be a big stepping stone in this fractured love story, and I think we need one. Any more of this back and forth and we’ll stop being on Prince Charming’s side.
Interesting, random note, but did anyone else catch the reference to the Little Mermaid? Yet another episode to which I am already looking forward!
What did you think of the episode? Let me know below!
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