Board Thread:Spoilers!/@comment-2153169-20150428063638/@comment-25926288-20150507202345

CoolDudeAl wrote: You guys, every show (and almost every story regardless of medium for that matter) has relationships. Love/lust/baby-making/romance/etc. is one of the core themes that run through anything featuring human interaction (or really any species real or fictional that has binary reproduction). The ships are not ruining the show, they are just a byproduct of it being a human story featuring humans. Wonderful post as always, but romance doesn;t have to run forefront in the show. Not saying it does, but looking at the main characters, you see their character growth which used to be individual now be together in a ship. This is not saying you don't grow together with your partner, it's just you can also grow without your partner always being the leech to your arm.

David is a non-entity to Snow (All the focus was put on Snow)

Hook is vaguely a non-entity (He has some moments, but most a glorified pep coach)

Robin (Regina's whole focus in order for her to come to the character growing moment and cheerleader)

Belle is still somehow the conscience for Rumple and (poor Rumple, loving Belle, non-existent Will)

Ruining is subjective, I take it. So, it can be. If we had a way to prove it besides ratings and media buzz (which pretty much speak to the ship runing stuff, somehwat)