Quote Originally Posted by BiblioRook View Post
I actually kinda agree with Avilan. Rumpelstiltskin already seemed the kinda person to manipulate people to his own ends, even from behind bars. After all, he was the one that made the curse to begin with, it sounds like getting someone to go through the sacrifice needed to activate the curse for him is just his style.
I agree with all that. When Avilan said, "He always was [the real villain]," I assumed he meant, "We already knew he was the real villain." Hence, my confusion, since all the trailers I saw and the pilot indicated that Regina was the bad guy, with "Mister Gold" being, at most, a hostile third faction.

Also it looks like the curse affected the Queen too, but possibly not Rumpelstiltskin himself.
I wonder about that. Stiltskin obviously managed to dodge the bad parts of the curse, but its effects on the Queen seem a bit ambiguous. On the one hand, she doesn't seem to recognize Mr. Gold for who he really is, isn't expecting Snow White's child to show up and ruin things, and (most tellingly) doesn't hold any particular vendetta against "Blanche."

On the other hand, she has clear memories of the adoption ten years ago, despite Henry's claim that Storybrooke residents' memories are hazy and vague; she still attaches some sort of emotional significance to the name "Henry," and acts strangely reticent when Gold brings it up; and Henry is worried about what will happen if Regina discovers the prophecy. Plus, we have Stiltskin's cryptic remark that she already knows who Emma is.