'OUAT' Needs To Keep Will & Belle Together

Storybrooke may no longer be frozen, but that doesn't stop big changes from coming to town. The second half of Once Upon A Time Season 4 introduced us to some brand new ideas about the characters we thought we knew so well. We just learned that Snow White and Prince Charming may not have always been the heroes we know them as, and that Emma might have some potential for darkness, but the biggest jaw-dropping moment of the season didn't have anything to do with the Charming family. It was during last week's episode of OUAT when Belle and Will Scarlet kissed, and the only person it may have shocked more than the audience was Rumple, who secretly witnessed his ex smooching the Knave. It looks like Rumbelle might be done for good, and all I have to say is: it's about time.

I have never supported Belle and Rumple's relationship, even though they stood in for a fairytale we all know and love: Beauty and the Beast. Anyone raised on Disney movies knows that Belle and the beast are endgame, but anyone who watched the film as an adult knows why that's not exactly a great thing. The beast is a terrible guy — he's verbally abusive, possessive, and violent. Belle eventually helps "change" the beast (both physically and emotionally), but real life doesn't work that way, which Once Upon a Time all but proved when Rumple traded Belle's trust for his dark magic.

Love and forgiveness can make you do incredible things, but that doesn't mean that it can change someone who is downright evil. I was proud of Belle for standing up for herself and forcing Rumple out of town, as short-lived as his exile proved to be. When I saw her kissing Will at the end of "Unforgiven," I basically applauded. Not necessarily because I thought that Belle was a perfect match for Will (though they do look great together), but because it meant that she had moved on.

Unfortunately, I'm not optimistic about this new relationship, if only because I know that Rumple will eventually get his chance at redemption in the end. That's how Once Upon a Time has always operated, and if they truly allowed Rumple to embrace his villainous nature, I'd be shocked. But until Once Upon a Time decides it's time to reunite Rumbelle, I'm more than happy to watch her mack on Will.

Images: Jack Rowand/ABC; Giphy (2)