Rumbelle was one of the greatest ships out there, so it's disheartening that one half of the couple is now dead. 

On Once Upon a Time Season 7 Episode 4 Emilie de Ravin appeared one last time as the long-suffering wife of Rumple. The tranquility in their relationship was astounding when you consider the sheer amount of crap they've been through as a couple over the years. 

Thinking of all the grabs for power from Rumple over the years is funny when you consider the fact that he still got to play a part in Belle's happy ending. 

With Robert Carlyle remaining a series regular after it was announced de Ravin may be exiting the show, it was obvious something terrible was going to happen to allow Rumple's story to continue. 

While I wouldn't go as far as saying this was a horrible ending Rumbelle, it was bittersweet. The best was made of a bad situation, but I would have preferred not to get any answers about the couple so soon. 

It seems like only yesterday that they were reaffirming their love for each other at the close of Once Upon a Time Season 6. Wouldn't it have been great to leave the characters with that ending?

They had to give Rumple a reason to stick around, and without having Belle mysteriously kidnapped, this was the best thing they could do. 

Belle narrating the montage of the couple's most significant moments was everything. It was perfect and proved she had fallen in love with Rumple under the most unlikely circumstances. 

What was great was that Rumple decided to give up the sword. If you watch Once Upon a Time online, you will know by now that his storyline has been governed by that darn sword, so it was some great character development that he was going to hand it over and move on with his life. 

Alice is the weak link on this new iteration of the fantasy drama series. It is a bit of a cop-out to have the pills keep her foggy about what is going on in Hyperion Heights. 

Why is she not under the same spell everyone else is? Wouldn't that have made things much easier? Shooting Rumple helped him understand who he really is, and that's something that will likely bond the characters. 

At this stage, Alice must be more integral to the narrative than we think. She and Rumple bonded over a kid on a motorcycle in the woods, so it makes me think they joined forces before ultimately being caught up in the curse. 

Victoria is going to try and find a way to destroy Weaver/Rumple now that she knows he's got it out for her. I clapped my hands when he threw "dearie" into the conversation. 

It would have been nice to follow up Once Upon a Time Season 7 Episode 3 with some more details about Victoria's plan. Surprisingly, it seems like Once Upon a Time Season 7 is all about giving answers. 

The only good part about Lucy's awful trick-or-treating storyline was that it paved the way for more of Adelaide Kane as Ivy. Ivy is so scared that her mother notices her stepping out of line. 

That's why she never spoke back to her when she was told she was looking after the kid on the big day. She definitely seems like the type of character that will become more civil as time goes on. 

The reason for her resentment to Jacinda is that her mother has poisoned her mind about her. Victoria wants to be the puppet master and to do that she has to turn people against each other. 

I don't know how to feel about the potential of Ivy and Henry becoming a thing. The closing moments of the episode heavily hinted towards that, but I liked the pair much better when they were throwing sass at each other. 

On top of that, they were far more engaging to watch together than Henry and Jacinda. 

"Beauty" was the best episode of Once Upon a Time in quite some time. It was nice to catch up with Belle once again, but at the same time, it sucked to see her die in favor of continuing Rumple's storyline. 

I wouldn't have minded having two characters from the Wish Realm if it meant we never got to witness Belle pass away. It's not often fairytales have endings like this, but it was fresh. 

Stray Thoughts:

• Can anybody point me in the right direction to get one of those travel books? It was great. 

• Will Gideon make a return? He could join forces with his father to stop Victoria's reign of terror. 

• Did anyone else LOVE getting to see Storybrooke once again?

• Rumple went a little far by putting the pills in the sandwich. 

• The scene with Regina comforting Henry was really well done. 

Over to you Once Upon a Time Fanatics! What did you think of the episode? Should Belle have survived and lived her days elsewhere? Sound off below!

Once Upon a Time continues Fridays on ABC!

Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.