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Redeeming The Beast

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Happy Monday Everyone,

How many of you all follow ABC's Once Upon A Time? I rarely miss an episode. Sunday's episode, Skin Deep, we see another side of Rumpelstiltskin.

The show re imagines fairy tales through taking what we know and adding in other details. More than one fairy tale might be mashed together to come up with another story.

The Evil Queen (also the mayor, Regina, of Storybrooke) has put a curse on all the peoples of the Enchanted Forest...brought into our world and our time they don't know who they were as fairy tale creatures. They end up in Storybrooke...living lives with false memories and no idea who they really are.

Emma Swan, who becomes the sheriff in later episodes, is the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming (but she doesn't know that). All Emma knows is that she was given up as a baby and was passed from one foster home to another. Her son was adopted out, and it's that son that finds her and brings her to Storybrooke. Henry (Emma's son) is convinced that Emma is the only one who can break the curse.

However, Regina will stop at nothing for her plans to go as she wants them and nobody but Regina knows what those are.

Mr. Gold (Rumpelstiltskin) is feared for his "deals" and ruthlessness, but was he always such a scary being? At one point he was a father, a man who was afraid to fight in a war and left the army. But when he grabs power for himself and is changed by it, he loses what's left of his humanity...or did he?

The episode was a fascinating re-telling of Beauty & The Beast told in a fashion I totally didn't expect. However, not all fairy tales in Once Upon A Time have happy endings and the Beast (or in this case, Rumpelstiltskin) might never know the truth.

So what do you think? Do you think a creature like Rumpelstiltskin could have redeeming qualities like the Beast in Beauty & The Beast, or do you think someone that ruthless will never change?

There's all kinds of books out there dealing with this kind of redemption. Love conquering all...and in a lot of ways, that's what the Romance genre is. In fact, that's what some of my own stories have in them...a sense of redemption...someone might not start out as a hero, but in the end, love changes him or her.

What books have you read with that kind of a story line and what do you think about love redeeming a character?

Have A Magical Monday!
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Comments

Ryan Vukmanovic said…
Anyone can be redeemed. "There are no evil people, just people with evil intentions."--St. Joan of Arc
Monday, 13 February, 2012
Bethany said…
Ryan,

You're right.

Aside from BEAUTY & THE BEAST, though, what other novels have you read with characters that were redeemed?

Thank you for dropping by :-)
Monday, 13 February, 2012
Anonymous said…
Great post...Redemption is the theme of lots of books...If I had to pick one, it would be Lisa Kleypas's Worth Any Price...but Nick's redemption starts in the book prior of the series. He's a lord of something, but at young age his parents die and he's forced to live on the streets. He gets with the wrong crowd and they're found guilty of stealing...he's too young to hang so they put him on the prison boat...NOT a good place to be...his friend defends him in a fight with an older meaner man, then that boy dies...Nick takes his place since that boy was going to be released soon and gets out of jail and takes on that boy's identity...He's ruthless, heartless, and becomes a thief taker. But when his past catches up with him, his brother-in-law saves him from death, but he as to go to work for him as a Bow Street Runner. Nick becomes a hero and risks his life to save others...and of course he meets the girl who melts his heart. Truly a story of redemption.
Monday, 13 February, 2012
Susan M said…
Wow, Bethany. That's a deep subject for so early in the morning. Was King Kong redeemed? He refused to harm the woman.

In most romance novels there is redemption for the hero. In fact, that is the basis for a good romance--love saves the tortured hero.

I have never watched Once Upon A Time, but after your description, I think I'll start.
Monday, 13 February, 2012
Bethany said…
Tess,

Sounds good!

I probably could've come up with a bunch of novels with the redemption theme, but at midnight when I posted this post my brain was beginning to think in terms of bed! LOL

I was also thinking of my own novel...how Monroe goes through a type of redemption (although not in the strictest sense).

Thank you so much for dropping by
:-)
Monday, 13 February, 2012
Bethany said…
Susan M.,

You can check out previous epsiodes by clicking on the words at the top of the page (the blue words in the post will take you directly to ABC's ONCE UPON A TIME site).

There's a great cast and you can see most of the episodes there. I think there's some being released onto DVD, too.

Thank you for dropping by :-)
Monday, 13 February, 2012
Marsha Sigman said…
I am obsessed with that show!!!!! It's so good.

I think every villain has redeeming qualities just like every hero has flaws. That's what makes us so facinating.ha
Monday, 13 February, 2012
Bethany said…
Marsha,

Sometimes they're hard to find, though, right?

Thank you for dropping by :-)
Monday, 13 February, 2012
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