Board Thread:Character Discussion/@comment-4467206-20161126101444/@comment-24386552-20161127162131

Emma's grey decisions drive me nuts. It also took me maybe at least three months to understand the need to save Hook. No matter how much she was doing it for him, it all came back to her. I couldn't look past that until I wrote this one story where the protagonist (Jacob Kaufenberg) saved his best friend from suicide. Of course because he didn't want him to die and wanted to save him. However it's tied back to him (Jacob) not being able to live without his best friend. Just like Emma couldn't live without Hook.

I also still feel like the Dark Swan theme should've been a full season where she did lose herself (we only got a glimpse at the end of the S4 finale's first part) but it never went there. Instead we got a muddled arc that managed to fit Merida into the story in a completely random fashion. I still enjoy the battle scene from that side story episode, but otherwise felt that season could've gone without the entire storyline.

Getting back to the main point, Rumple truly was empathetic the first three years. Now the fourth, had it been replaced with the first, and slowly made him more humane... Maybe could've worked out. I mean it worked with Pennsatucky from Orange is the New Black. Completely unsympathetic the first year and by the third/fourth, she is much more loved than the actual protagonist. But in S4, the writers failed to emphasize enough on the true heartache Rumple had endured. Then had him nearly suction Emma into that hat. The mother of his grandson. He didn't even care. She's not even my favorite, but that was crossing a line. It also didn't help his character how he could've had a full redemption arc in S5, but after Belle rejected him (only to sleep with him the next episode) and obviously wasn't cared for by the heroes, and no child to fight for, it does make sense why he reverted back to his old ways.

Even though Season 3 is my favorite or up there in my favorites, I think it was the true end to a great character. Rumple died to stop Pan, only to be revived and lose his son. Though Neal did cause his own death, his desperation was understandable and it was really heartless of Zelena to relish in his death.

God I still miss Neal. Not necessarily for Emma (Though I did ship them together), but from a storytelling point of view, he/Bae were much more interesting and beneficial to Rumple's character than Hook has ever been.