At first, especially during the first arc of season 5, I was certain that this show had lost its mind at last (or, at least, that now the world-wide fan base would have to acknowledge the fact that the writing didn't make sense and was getting worse). But then, as so often happens with Once Upon a Time, thinking back over the show as a whole I slowly started to realize that there was actually a great deal of potential in what had happened to the core cast of characters this season. In fact, dare I write it, I think that season 5 does make sense.
And I'm really surprised that I'm writing that. This was the season that coined phrases like "Your questions are pointless" and "Rumple's Regression," and implied that darkness (once again) is something you can actually get rid of, like literally take out of a person, somehow.
Of course there were things that didn't make sense. Of course there were! It's OUAT. There is still a superabundance of plot contrivance and deus ex machina (or, maybe I should say machina de deus -- thanks to that little god-killing crystal that came out of nowhere).
But the emotional progression of the villains (by "villains" I mean, of course, the characters who wear black, with the exception of Hook) works if you think about it as a whole. There were many questions that were answered this season, but one stands out as the most important because of how it affects the theme of the show, whether the writers know that or not.
Q: What does Rumpelstiltskin (and by extension Regina or Zelena) really want?
The preceding seasons were all kinds of confusing to us as far as Rumpelstiltskin was concerned, especially up to season 4 when Rumple suddenly decided he wanted to conquer New York, or something. Made no sense. Looking back through the lens of season 5, everything finally fits into place.
The question of season 1 was also what does Rumpelstiltskin really want (why was he helping Emma and Regina, and also backstabbing them)? The answer was magic, and when Belle asked in the season finale: Why magic? Rumple replied: "Because magic is power." Of course, the next question we pursued for two seasons was which thing does Rumple love more: Belle (family) or power (himself)? Which will he choose? Consistently he chose power, up to lying to Belle about the dagger and ruining his own marriage, and then trying to destroy the town, until all the power was sucked out of him.
Would he ever choose love over power? To the horror (but secret resignation) of many Rumbellers, the answer was inevitably "no." And accordingly Belle left him, and we were upset and also relieved, and very, very confused about what point exactly the writers were trying to make.
But was it really "no"? Because focusing on that question set up a false dichotomy that has been echoed by the last few seasons: that there is good and evil, hero and villain, light side vs. dark side. Fairy tales, if you take them literally, seem to be made of this kind of stuff. But if you take them psychologically, where the good and bad are really projections from the same mind (the witch and the princess are the same person), then you get to the kind of complexity that we have always hoped for in OUAT and that it sometimes delivers.
Focusing on whether Rumpelstiltskin (or Regina, or Zelena, or Emma) will be good or bad has left a much more interesting question unanswered: Why does Rumple want the dark power? (Why does Regina, Zelena, or Emma want dark power?) This is where season 5 really came through for us because Rumpelstiltskin finally admitted (and through him the show admitted) that he wants power because power is safety for himself and those he loves.
How did I arrive at that? Because of his explanation to Belle in 5x18. He tries to explain to her that sometimes people do "bad" things because of "good" motivations, and that you never know what you will do until you're tested. This was the first time the show admitted that love can be the motivation for evil. I mean, they'd played with it up to this point, but they hadn't committed to it in a complex way. And boy was I happy to see Belle experience this first hand. I'm not worried about her reaction, the "I just darkened my soul to save you!" nonsense. These are growing pains, and it will be especially difficult for her because she has such an idealistic view of the world. She is still trying to play by the rules of the fairy tale land they left (which were never the real rules at all) -- always do right, no matter how much it hurts you or those you love. And that is something I also believe in, by the way, but at the same time, I know that if anyone tried to harm my child, I wouldn't be responsible for my actions. This is adult knowledge -- the real knowledge of good and evil -- that we are all walking contradictions.
And this wonderfully complex contradiction finally reveals one of the core themes for most of the villains on this series. The fairy tale world, just like our world, is unfair and sometimes terrifying. Some get lucky, persevere, and get their "happy ending" (remember the words of Beagle on this topic!), and some get their only children sent off to war, are forced into arranged marriages, are abandoned as children, or fall victim to the real "monsters" -- the sociopaths. The only way to be safe in the world of OUAT is to be the scariest, most powerful monster there is. If you don't care about safety, and are willing to possibly die a horrible death, or watch your loved ones suffer, then you can be pure good. Most of the characters aren't that pure, not even Snow White. That's why we can identify with them.
So, for almost five years we've been thinking that Rumplestiltskin has been choosing power (himself) over Belle/family (love), when in reality this season revealed that by choosing power, he was choosing love. I'm not concerned with him (or anyone else) being bad or good on their own merit. Let them be "good" and bad-tempered, let them make the difficult choices, but the preoccupation with a sliding account of good and evil actions that can lighten or darken our hearts and souls is pure nonsense. There are consequences, but the idea that any of us could actually settle that account ourselves is silly.
So, I was actually pleased with the end of season 5 as far as Rumple, Regina, and Zelena were concerned. I'm not saying there aren't inconsistencies throughout, but being mature enough to admit that good vs. bad is not so simple (something that this show has always teased, sometimes even weirdly fetishized [season 4B -- yuck], but never actually committed to) was a very good move on the part of the writers. Also finally exploring the real motivations behind Rumple's quest for power in the context of his rocky marriage was good. I was, frankly, tired of seeing Rumple "going dark" because he "wants power." What does that even mean at this point, right? The only responsible reaction Belle can have to that scenario is to tell him off and leave. But that's frustrating to watch because it forces her to constantly criticize him. No one wants to watch that. At last we will see Belle's idealism get tested by reality, and I look forward to that in season 6. It's exactly what her character needs.
My wish: We've had so many cameos from the dead. It would be nice to see Belle's mother counsel either Belle or Rumpelstiltskin about the immaturity of their worldviews, and how their generation gap is affecting their marriage (idealism vs. cynicism). Maybe she could be the voice of wisdom for Belle and of hope for Rumple. Also, I like Frances O'Conner. Overall, I'd really like to see the show commit completely to the idea that there is no such thing as the dark/light side, or that these things are inextricably part of us. That motivations are complex. Keep going in this direction, writers! And stop it with the magical MacGuffins already.
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