Episode Report Card Cindy McLennan: B- | 3 USERS: B+ YOU GRADE IT Beauty And The Fruity
By Cindy McLennan | Season 1 | Episode 12 | Aired on 02.12.2012
Rumpy: Belle.
Regina: I had nothing to do with that tragedy. After Belle got home, her fiancé had gone missing. Since she had been shacking up with you, no one wanted her. Her father shunned her, cut her off and shut her off.
Rumpy: I'll totally take her in!
Regina: Muahahahahaha. Her father locked her in a tower and had clerics cleanse her soul with scourges and flaying. After a while, she jumped to her doom. She died.
Rumpy: You're lying.
Regina: Am I?
Rumpy: Well done.
Recapper: C'mon Rumpy, why are you taking Queenie at her word?
Regina taunts Rumpy about getting a new girl and finally leaves him. Once he's alone, Rumpy goes to the china cabinet, and takes out Chip. He sets it in a place of honor, where an elaborate goblet (the Holy Grail?) once sat.
Back in Storybrooke, Regina visits the hospital. She walks right past Moe French and enters a security code to gain access to a locked door. When she descends the stairs, she hands a Nurse Ratched look-alike a long stemmed rose, compliments her work and then asks, "Has anyone been to see her?" The nurse says no one ever has. Regina smiles and starts down the hall. She rounds a corner and passes a maintenance worker who is Chief's doppelganger. Finally, she reaches her destination. She flips open a little window on the door. Inside is Belle. Fade to black.
Well, that was a thing. While I think I would have preferred a Beast who was someone else in the town, I think the cast and crew sold me on this spin. Carlyle (along with Parrilla) has great chops. I accused him of scenery chewing (in the Rumpy role) early on in this episode, but that's the kind of character Rumpy is -- at least here. I would still like to know how he went from hobbled deserter to Dark One and then to this fey, psycho being. I'm sure we'll get there. I just hope I don't tire of him before we do. Bravo for Emilie de Ravin in her turn as Belle. I hope we get more of her, but I'm not sure how we could, until the series is almost over. She must be some sort of magical trump card for Regina.
I know Henry and Emma grate on some people, but their relationship is one of my favorite parts of the show. It's the Storybrooke reality that continues to resonate with me. This week, most of our Storybrooke action revolved around Gold, so while I appreciate the character, I didn't latch on to the emotions quite as easily. I find I don't want to get emotionally attached to his character, because while I think there's some good in there, it's not enough to assure me he's worth my time.