I really enjoyed his characterization in canon all the way up to 3x11. Then, they brought him back, killed off Nealfire, and completely eviscerated Rumple’s and Belle’s original characterizations and everyone else’s in the remaining main cast in favor of OOC cheaply shocking melodrama, Hook/CS propping, and character rerailment via character derailing Aesop Amnesia, magical ass pulls, demonization, the Chris Carter effect, aborted arcs, demonization, moral dissonance, designated heroism, designated villainy, flanderdization, yo-yo plot points, heel-face turn revolving doors, motive/moral decay, villain decay, the hero ball, the villain ball, wimpification, chickification, Faux Action Girl, dull surprise, the idiot ball, and bizarre OOC shocking swerves in behaviors and characterizations driven by the PLOT.

It wasn’t just an issue with Rumple and Belle after Neal’s death, but Emma, Hook, Regina, Snow, David, and even Henry too. The writers completely destroyed their characters for cheap shock value, mutually toxic soap opera melodrama, ship wars, and repetitive arcs in their laziness to write any sort of organic, consistent, realistic, or slow-burn character development or regression, thus turning the show into a vapid soap opera with remaining main characters who all felt incredibly hollow due to all the credibility/reputation destroying bad writing by the end of season six in canon. It really is a shame because these actors were all so talented, and these characters all started out with so much amazing potential that A&E and these writers wasted, especially with the entire Goldstiltskin family. But these writers cared more about plot than character, and refused to allow their characters to grow or regress consistently and organically with their love of cheap shock value.

I finally got tired of it, and quit watching after S5. I’m still in the fandom because the OUAT fans are such amazingly creative writers, but I kind of cherry pick through canon after 3A by accepting what makes sense, and rejecting what doesn’t.