I know that most people within the fandom like to joke about how Rumple was with the mother and both daughters, Zelena and Regina's evil clone, but it's a fantasy soap opera after all.

Regardless, the episode that showed Rumple's history with Young Cora from season 2 is one of my favorite episodes.

The origin of Cora being a miller and the connection with Rumple have humanized Cora in a way that you almost feel bad for her at the beginning of the flashback.

And then Cora stabs Rumple in the back and reminds the audience why she is a character that audiences love to hate. She's just that ruthless.

And both characters come from a tragic background and are equally evil. Which is probably why the origin story of The Queen of Hearts works.

There is also this intense chemistry between Robert Carlyle and Rose McGowan's character that's just undeniable.