#rumplefire

There’s no more touching thing about Rumple than the fact that, even with the Darkness corrupting him, he was all about finding and making amends to the child he lost because of the Darkness and his own demons. The fact that he spent centuries trying to find a way to get to Bae and just say sorry is beautiful.

It was just so good to see Bae understanding that his father really was trying to help save Henry, and that hug on the ship was lovely to see.

because this was the most heart-breaking moment of the finale for me...

I mean, Emma tells him he'll find his son, but he seems to know there's something she's not telling him, and then he makes her tell him and she pleads with him to drink the potion for the good of the future and so that his son can be a hero, and he drinks it. HE DRINKS IT!

I think that one reading of him drinking it is denial - if he doesn't remember what she said, maybe it won't happen, but there's also the unselfishness of it. I mean, what he's really doing here is giving up his chance at a future with his son so that Bae can be the hero Emma spoke of. It's like what he told Zelena about not going along with her plan and finding his son in the past. His son gave up his life so he could stop Zelena, and now Rumple is giving up the chance to save him so Bae can be a hero. If that's not unselfish... if that's not a sacrifice...