TV Romance
‘Once Upon a Time’: 5 Reasons Why Rumplestiltskin & Belle Are the Show’s Best Couple
Situated in Storybrooke, Maine, ABC‘s Once Upon a Time is a timeless series that captured viewers’ hearts with its magical storylines and unforgettable couples — and it still does today!
The love for the fairy tale series has prompted fans to create rewatch podcasts, generating discourse on social media about which ship or character is the best… and which is not. One of the most complicated, beloved (yet misunderstood) relationships in the series was the one between the antagonistic Rumplestiltskin (Robert Carlyle) and the wise and fair Belle (Emilie de Ravin).
While Snow (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Charming (Josh Dallas) and Emma (Jennifer Morrison) and Hook (Colin O’Donoghue) are often listed as the show’s greatest couples, we think more people should give Rumpelstiltskin and Belle, affectionately named Rumbelle by fans, a chance.
Here are five reasons why this ship is one of the best couples in the series.
1. Rumple and Belle make each other better.
Rumplestiltskin, known as Mr. Gold during the curse in Season 1, meets Belle in Season 1 Episode 12, “Skin Deep,” as he makes a deal with her dad to protect her kingdom. As part of the deal, Belle ends up living in his castle and working as his maid. Sparks fly between the pair, and his dark self fades whenever he is around Belle. She is the light to his darkness. Rumple also makes Belle better, specifically more courageous and determined throughout the seasons.
Throughout the series, Rumple often can’t fight the darkness inside of him and goes back to embracing his evil side (which got repetitive), losing Belle in the process. But the pair always find their way back to each other, one way or another. Rumplestiltskin’s flaws make him more relatable, and Belle brings out his human side. As for Belle, she can’t deny her love for the man. She feels more alive whenever he’s around. Rumple sees all sides of Belle and loves her fully, making her feel accepted after a lifetime of feeling like an outcast. That acceptance emboldens her.
2. Rumple and Belle are always protecting each other.
Rumple and Belle are there for each other in the worst moments and go to great lengths to keep each other safe. Viewers first notice that in the Season 1 finale, when Rumple reunites with Belle after 25 years of being separated by Regina’s (Lana Parrilla) curse.
At the beginning of Season 2, Rumple sentences Regina (Lana Parrilla) to a slow death because he promised Belle he wouldn’t unleash his dark side anymore (he most definitely breaks that promise). Belle is also capable of protecting Rumple, as seen in Season 5 Episode 17, “Her Handsome Hero,” where she saves Rumple by pushing Gaston into the water by instinct. More great examples of the pair protecting one another can be found in Season 2 Episode 11, “The Outsider,” Season 4 Episode 11, “Shattered Sight,” and Season 5 Episode 6, “The Bear and the Bow.”
3. Rumple and Belle challenge each other intellectually.
As shown in various flashbacks throughout the show, both Rumple and Belle are determined and intelligent characters who challenge each other. Belle constantly strengthens her knowledge through extensive reading. Rumple is more of a calculative intelligence, often deceiving others and bending situations to his favor.
However, Belle can be just as calculated as Rumple, and sometimes points that deception his way. In Season 5 Episode 17, “Her Handsome Hero,” Rumple tries to harm Gaston out of jealousy, and Belle hoodwinks him to save Gaston (who didn’t deserve to be saved). Their intelligence keeps each other on their toes throughout their relationship. Belle and Rumple need that type of intelligent stimulation.
4. Their relationship is inspired by the Beauty and the Beast storyline.
Making Rumpelstiltskin the “beast” of this Beauty and the Beast adaptation was a fantastic choice. Once Upon a Time does a lot of work giving its villains redemption arcs, and this pair fits so well with the original fairy tale.
In Season 1 Episode 12, “Skin Deep,” Belle is the maid in his castle, and they have deep conversations that make Rumple believe there is some humanity left in him. In Season 4 Episode 1, “A Tale of Two Sisters,” and Season 6 Episode 1, “The Savior,” the pair share two dances based on the titular song from the Disney movie, with the same outfits and setting (the Season 6 one is a flashback). The show always did such a fantastic job of paying homage to the stories in the Disney vault, and Rumple and Belle’s love story was Once Upon a Time’s greatest showcase of that.
5. They are devoted to each other — in life and death.
Rumple and Belle are two characters who are truly different from one another, but that’s why their romance is so profound. Rumple’s love for Belle is pure. His feelings don’t have a price tag. Belle loves Rumple despite his many misdeeds not because of them. Everything they do is to ultimately protect or get back to one another and their family.
These two are soulmates, and OUAT fans always knew they’d find a way to be together in the end. In the series finale, Rumple dies and enters the afterlife after Belle has passed away at the end of her human years. When he gets there, he sees his beloved Belle dressed in that beautiful yellow dress from long ago, and she tells him, “I knew you’d make it home.” She’s been waiting for him to join her so they can finally enjoy their happily ever after. Their love is a tale as old as time, and Belle and Rumple’s romance is proof that love doesn’t have to be perfect — it just has to be true.
Once Upon a Time, Streaming Now, Hulu
