As far as clever use of existing characters goes, this episode went a long way in ensuring that the writers are in this for the long haul. The elaboration of Rumpelstiltskin’s inner fears of actually being loved for who he is, and getting him to truly opening up allowed this story to reach an emotional and heart breaking conclusion.
In ‘Skin Deep’, a deal between Rumpelstiltskin’s and Belle leads to unexpected results. Mr Gold asks for Emma’s help when he discovers that someone has taken one of his most prized possessions.
Like I’ve discussed in ‘Desperate Souls’, central villains should always have an equally interesting story about what made them the scheming fiends they are in the present so their major role in the series can be justified. I found a certain amount of the romance in this episode to be more than a tad bit off putting, but the idea of a real man hiding underneath all that ghastly appearance sold it in an interesting and engrossing way.
Emilie de Ravin’s Aussie accent is something that she’s always going to struggle with hiding, and that was a lesson I came to learn during her time on Roswell, but in this instance it didn’t impede on her performance all that much. All of the female characters and Damsels in distress have been the right mix of classic ideas and 21st century independence. Like Snow, Belle knew what was right and she had the guts to turn back let Rumpie know exactly what he was losing. Here’s hoping Princess Aurora and Ariel (was I mistaken, or did I hear Regina mention something about a mermaid) exhibit some equally classy traits.
Mary’s admission of the moral implications of her and David’s hidden romance annoyed me. I know this show is all about characters’ happy endings being not so easy, but hadn’t they already agreed that there was no way of denying what was between them? Although, she did say that they needed to find another way of doing things the right way, I just wish we could enjoy some form of happiness that lasted for more than 2 episodes, call me sentimental.
I like that the traditional story is followed in a way that stayed true to such a popular story, but also found a loophole for an already established character to play such a pivotal role in it. Things continued to advance further as Regina asked Gold straight out about his knowledge of his former life. Both actors played their parts here brilliantly; I honestly wasn’t sure who knew what.
‘Skin Deep’ took the show to an even darker place than it had previously, further cementing it as a unique and thrilling fantasy for the ages.
8.5/10
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