Hook’s Redemption.

I want to hug him AND I want to hug Rumbelle back to health and I love the Charmings and sometimes I even want to cuddle Regina but not very often. But yes, Hook needs hugs (and to stop trying to hurt Rumbelle). I’m hoping Bae is the bridge between them–that his link to Milah will persuade Hook to give up on killing Hook the same way Belle’s insistence on Rumple’s goodness will continue to persuade Rumple to not kill Hook.

I can’t imagine them ever being buddies, but a truce? Possibly.

I think he’s going to make a choice not to kill Gold for some reason or another. Maybe Gold is no longer the man he swore revenge against? He could see Rumple give up his magic or make some sort of sacrifice for Henry (or someone else, but probably Henry) and decide that the man he swore revenge against is already dead.

"Nothing is easier than to denounce the evildoer; nothing is more difficult than to understand him."

As someone who has never believed Hook to be one dimensional, I loved what they did with him in this ep, and love that some other viewers are finally starting to see some more depth to him. 🙂

@lilysmom wrote:

It happened when he had that conversation with Regina under the library.

It sounds like he is starting to realize that a life bent on revenge is not the life he is going to want to live. He sounds lonely and now that he thought he won just to find out he didn’t. He can see it clearer than ever.

I think that during that time he was tied up, believing he’d accomplished his life’s task, he realised that he now had no life left. Not a single person or desire to inspire him to get up in the morning. “It’s an end, not a beginning.” And that’s sad. Maybe a small part of him was actually a little bit relieved that Rumple was still alive, because it meant that he himself wasn’t done yet.

What he said to Regina shows that his future is still very much on his mind, even though the Rumple situation is different to what he’d believed it to be. He’s dealing with the current situation because he’s completely entrenched in the vengeance thing, but he’s still being mindful of the consequences if he succeeds. He’s gained more self awareness in a week of being tied up than Regina has in almost 30 years of being stuck in SB.

Also he did not seem to care too much about the way Greg and Tamara were talking to Regina. Almost like he regretted betraying her.

I think at that point he was in pirate mode and calculating his next move. He just stepped back to observe, to make sure there was one clear side with the upper hand, because whoever that was, that was who he’d continue to work with. I do think he’ll likely have a crisis of conscience the further GOAT progress in their treatment of Regina though.

So maybe this will be one of the big twists. Hook, not only will betray GOAT but he will help the Charmings. His story arc for season 3 may be about finding love and happiness (not with Emma).

I do think he’ll end up on TeamCharmings by season’s end, and hopefully it will be a genuine alliance and will be a good starting point for him to move forward. I’m already really looking forward to seeing what they do with him next season and seeing how he grows as a person.

@Keb wrote:

I’m hoping Bae is the bridge between them–that his link to Milah will persuade Hook to give up on killing Hook the same way Belle’s insistence on Rumple’s goodness will continue to persuade Rumple to not kill Hook.

Yes, I’m really thinking that Nealfire will have to play a role in this. It’s sort of ironic that the Hook/Rumple rivalry is all about Milah, and yet the connection they both have to her through Bae may be the only thing that could lead to them calling a truce. The ultimate reason may well extend beyond Nealfire, all the way to Henry. But however it plays out exactly, Bae is the one stuck in the middle who Rumple and Hook both have relationships with, (though we don’t know yet what Hook and Bae’s relationship was exactly, but they knew each other well enough that Bae knows how to drive Hook’s ship).