Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-26033121-20160211071708/@comment-25926288-20160211122257

Nope, I'd disagree. Afterall, most of the shipping wars started in 3a, just a reminder.

Family was still important in 3b and early 4a, it fell apart afterwards and the surge of romantic love grew stronger, primarily in 3b. Romantic true love isn't a bad thing and they been had romantic true love so it wasn't anything new. Now, that's about it for 3b.

Continuing on, as I stated in another thread, Snow and David toward happiness, whomever that may be with. They were hesitant from 3b and 4a with Hook, but they let her do her own thing because they aren't going to be helicopter parents. Regina re-establishing her relationship with Snow was sort of expected in a sense, but it's due to the shows definition of redemption.

The show defines redemption as  "Forgive, Forget, and something vague". It's literaly a five step process.

1. Try to change.

2. Backslide.

3. Attempt self-sacrifice.

4. Forgiven and forgotten

5. Redeemed?

That's the issue with the show. Regina tried to change, backslide, attempted to sacrifice herself, then much of her sins were forgiven by the Unicorn Brigade and now she's a "hero". Hook has tried to change, backslid, attempted to sacrifice himself (to probably have Emma undo it), then I totally expect 4 and 5 to occur. Rumple is the wonky kind as he did this a few times. He tried to change, backslid (kinda), sacrificed himself to have it undone, forgiven, hero? But then he he got caught doing evil, which Regina never gets caught doing and I bet Hook won't be caught doing. So, then Rumple went to step 2 and then was "reborn", then forgiven by Henry, then redeemed? Well, no back to step 2, he goes! And that's because he got caught!