Once Upon a Time: Skin Deep

It's Once Upon a Time's take on the story of Beauty and the Beast, and it's all about a cup with a chip.

Belle's father is a nobleman who asks Rumplestiltskin to save his town from the ogres. Rumple, of course, doesn't do anything for free. He wants Belle - to be his caretaker, for the rest of her life. His real motive is never explained. He doesn't do it to try to break a curse, and I'm sure he doesn't do it to fall in love. Maybe he really does just want a housekeeper. She agrees to go to save everyone and be a hero, or to get away from Gaston, I don't know which.

So Belle goes to live with Rumple, and quicker than you can say " long stem rose," Rumple has fallen in love with Belle, and strangely enough, Belle has fallen in love with Rumple. She tells Rumple, "love is layered," but they really don't have enough time for any kind of layers to "lay." And if Belle wants him to change back into an ordinary man, how much can she really love him?

Regina realizes that she could bring Rumplestiltskin down through Belle, and when Rumple sends Belle to town for more straw, Regina runs into her on the road. Belle tells Regina that something evil has taken root in Rumple. "Sounds like a curse to me and all curses can be broken. A kiss borne of true love will do it." (My question is, if a kiss borne of true love can break a curse, why didn't Mary Margaret and David's kiss in Storybrooke break the curse the town is under?)

Belle goes back with the straw and with a plan. Rumple is so happy that she came back, but not so happy when she kisses him and he starts to lose his power (and his gold skin). He loves his power more than he loves Belle. So, he throws her in the dungeon and starts to break everything. Even the tea set (poor Mrs. Potts). But he stops at breaking a cup Belle chipped when she dropped it (so now we know what happened to Chip. *hehe*). Ah, Rumple is sentimental. He sends her away, but not before Belle tells him, "All you'll have is an empty heart and a chipped cup." They really want to make sure we understand that it's all going to be about that chipped cup in Storybrooke.

Later, Regina comes and tells him that no one would want Belle after her association with him. So her father cut her off, put her in a tower (does that mean we won't meet Repunzel?), and after sending clerics to cleanse her soul with scourges and flames, she threw herself out of the tower. Rumple's reaction is truly heart-wrenching.

Meanwhile, in Storybrooke, Mr. Gold is making sure that Mo French, who is Belle's father, suffers for what he did to Belle in Fairy Tale Land all those years ago. Mr. Gold repossesses Mo's flower delivery van, the day before his busiest day - Valentine's Day. Then Mo robs Mr. Gold, but Emma recovers everything except the most important item, the chipped cup. Mr. Gold kidnaps Mo, and beats the crap out of him, but luckily for Mo, Emma comes in time to arrest Gold for assault and battery.

Regina goes to the jail to have a little talk with Gold while he can't run away, and we find out that Regina suspects that Mr. Gold knows who he really is, and she bribes him into telling her his name, "Rumplestiltskin." And what does she bribe him with? Chip.

Oh, but that's not the end. There's the twist. We don't see the Storybrooke version of Belle through the whole episode, but it isn't because she's dead. No, that wouldn't be true to the power that Regina holds over everyone in Storybrooke. Regina goes to the hospital, and there being held in the bowels of the building is none other than Belle. Dun dun dun.

Oh yes, and there were some Storybrooke subplots as well.

Mary Margaret, Ruby (when are we going to get her Fairy Tale Story?), and Ashley (Cinderella, remember her?) go to a bar on Valentine's Day night. Ashley was complaining that she never sees Shawn anymore because he's always working. He shows up at the bar during his break with flowers, a ring, and a proposal of marriage. Now she'll be a married woman who never sees her husband because he's always working. Mary Margaret breaks it off with David - again, when he gives her the valentine card meant for Kathryn that says, "I love you."

All, in all, I liked the episode, but I feel that it tried too hard to deconstruct the story of Beauty and the Beast; well, the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast. It assumes that we all know the story so well that we'll just believe the love between Belle and Rumple. Well, the love story didn't ring true for me. I didn't believe the actress as Belle, and I didn't see any reason for the two to fall in love. They laugh over a spinning wheel joke, he catches her when she falls off the ladder, he gives her a rose. And suddenly, eternal love?

Also, the Rumple/Belle relationship was too creepy to me. He's too old for her. It was an original idea, I'll give it that, and I like how it answered some questions about Rumple/Mr. Gold and Regina, but I didn't believe the love story, and the age difference just creeped me out.

Observations:

Belle starts in her pretty yellow gown and ends up in the cute little blue peasant dress

Mr. French's flower business is called "Game of Thorns"

Mr. French has an Australian accent in Maine

Rumple's castle is in snow capped mountains, but the road and forest have no snow

Where's the library?

Rumple tells Belle that Gaston was just an old woman selling flowers

We may be seeing Ariel the mermaid's story eventually

Regina asks the nurse in the hospital if anyone has been in to visit Belle. Who does she expect would visit her?

Quotes:

Belle: No one decides my fate but me.

Rumple: Bad things happen to bad people.
Emma: Is that a threat?
Rumple: Observation.

Rumple: I like to watch the wheel, it helps me forget
Belle: Forget what?
Rumple: I guess it worked.

Shawn: Your carriage awaits.