Since the premiere of episode twelve of season one of Once Upon a Time, many have been calling down curses on the heads of the writers for introducing a story and a relationship that generally garners a passionate reaction (and following) from viewers: Rumbelle. Supporters of the relationship claim that it demonstrates True Love, an overarching theme of the show (not so subtly reinforced throughout). Detractors decry the relationship as abusive and manipulative, and usually, though not always, pull out the Stockholm reference, citing the relationship as a "perfect tale" or example of the mental disorder ("Once Upon a Time: Stockholm Syndrome Alert" ColorTV). Though the relationship between one of the show's most notorious villains and one of its heroes is not, of course, ideal or devoid of imponderables, some of the more serious allegations of Stockholm's Syndrome and the like seem misplaced at best. The more honest accusers admit that Once is not unique in inventing a tale that is an example of Stockholm (ColorTV), but that the source material (assumed in most cases to be de Villeneuve's or de Beaumont's version of Beauty and the Beast) is the real source of the problem. More about that in a later post; first, let's examine the allegations of Once's version of Beauty and the Beast being an example of Stockholm Syndrome.
