Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-33624935-20171112011107/@comment-28162607-20171125213950

DatNuttyKid wrote:

Aine1989 wrote: Yes Emma admitted she loved Neal. She then said "I was you were dead because it would be easier for me to put you behind me than face all the pain we went through all over again". Which is very strong evidence that she would not have been able to move on from Neal while he was around. Y'know, because she said she would not be able to move on from Neal while he was around.

I highly doubt Emma would have ever gotten back together with Neal. I agree that Neal's death was connected to Rumple's arc. However, it also was so that Emma could move on from him -- to Hook. Neal's death and Captain Swan starting were, what, five episodes apart? Tops? The episode where Neal died also had him reconciling with Hook. And, again, Emma explicitly said that with Neal alive, she was not going to be able to (at least easily) put all the pain he put her through behind her. I think Emma would have got with Hook while Neal was still around it just would have taken her longer.

But the idea that he died for CS to happen is poppycock since CS was clearly full steam ahead even when he was alive.