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Previously on Once Upon a Time: Selfless, Brave, and True.

This week on Once Upon a Time, Belle gets her memory back, but it’s not what Rumpelstiltskin was hoping for. In Storybrooke, Regina restores Belle’s false memories, convincing her she is a barfly named Lacey, which prompts Rumple to woo her all over again. Meanwhile, Emma must decide if she wishes to return to the Enchanted Forest, while Tamara and Greg set their plan in motion. In the pre-Curse Enchanted Forest, we learn Belle’s and Rumpelstiltskin’s romance was sparked when he spared a thief named Robin Hood.

In the Enchanted Forest, Rumpelstiltskin and Belle are in the days before the “chipped cup” incident. Rumpelstiltskin thwarts a thief (Tom Ellis) attempting to make off with one of his wands, and proceeds to viciously torture him, much to Belle’s dismay. The moment he leaves, Belle frees the thief from the dungeon. Rumpelstiltskin returns to find the thief – and the wand – are gone, and forces Belle to accompany him on his quest to track him down and kill him. They encounter Nottingham (played by Red Widow’s Wil Traval), who tries to trade the thief’s location for some time alone with Belle, but Rumpelstiltskin is not in the mood. He uses magic and tongue-stealing to get the information he needs, and the thief’s name – Robin Hood. They come across the thief using the wand to heal the deathly-ill (and pregnant) Marian. Due to Belle’s pleading, Rumpelstiltskin spares Robin Hood at the last moment. Back at his castle, Rumpelstiltskin shows Belle a room full of books for her to clean, and she’s intrigued by his new kindness.

In Storybrooke, Rumple has nightmares about killing Henry due to the Seer’s prophecy. He lets the bombshell drop that Neal is Henry’s father, but Regina warns him that his new family will never accept him. Needing reassurance of his good side, Rumple offers to get Belle released from the hospital. Naturally, Regina thwarts this by restoring Belle’s curse memories. Rumple discovers “Lacey” at a dive bar called The Rabbit Hole, where she is a scantily-clad, hustling, hard-drinking barfly. His only option to bring Belle back is True Love’s Kiss, but she must reciprocate his feelings first – prompting him to ask her for a date. Meanwhile, Snow and Charming reveal the magic beans and their intention to return to the Enchanted Forest to Emma. As she ponders her decision, Emma lets slip to Regina that she might lose Henry “for good.” On their date, Lacey confesses to Rumple that she doesn’t understand why people are scared of him, and he accidentally spills wine on her dress in his surprise. She disappears into the bathroom for quite some time, and Rumple goes outside to discover her macking on the Storybrooke equivalent of Nottingham. She admits she went on the date out of pity, and that he is not the man for her. Nottingham later apologizes to Rumple, but he’s had it with being good and proceeds to viciously beat the idiot. Lacey discovers him mid-attack and is intrigued by the dark Mr. Gold that everyone’s warned her about. Elsewhere, Regina traces the dwarves’ tracks back to the magic bean field, while Tamara and Greg bring a package into Storybrooke to aid them on their mission – Hook.

Thoughts/Theories
• Rumpelstiltskin’s perspective on magic – “those who steal it have evil intentions” – and his desire to prevent Robin Hood from using it for wrongdoing were really interesting to me, especially considering he uses magic for such evil himself. Maybe he’s trying to spare people his fate?
• Ok, so the curse is broken, and all of these men who are suddenly very into Lacey/Belle fully know who she really is, right? It makes Storybrooke Nottingham’s interest in her really creepy. The whole situation is just a little uncomfortable.
• What are the circumstances of Henry’s adoption? There are too many coincidences involved – maybe we’ll get more of the story in season 3?

Nicole N. decided to justify the countless hours she spends watching television by writing about it here. She is currently terrified of Stanley’s oddly-shaped head on Project Runway. For more tv-centric musings, check out her tumblr.