Hook’s actions at the end of 311 can quite easily be classified as assault. He didn’t consider it that way, (and I get why he kissed her and it was in character for him), but from Emma’s point of view, her reaction was totally justified, especially considering that he could have posed a threat to Henry for all she knew.
One of the things that makes Hook’s actions here particularly inappropriate IMO is that they weren’t in a relationship previously. This is where I differentiate this scene to the scenes with Snowing and Rumbelle. Those kisses could have technically been classed as assault in those instances too, but in both cases, there were a pre-existing relationship, there had been mutual love established, each party was on the same level when it came to understanding that they were in love with each other. So had the kisses worked, the one who was cured of amnesia wouldn’t have been creeped out or felt violated by being kissed.
Emma has kissed Hook one time, in circumstances that involved persuasion, (not saying he took away her free will, I’m just saying, the kiss hadn’t been her idea and if not for him persisting, it wouldn’t have even happened), she said it was a one time thing, and she later told him it had been just a kiss. It didn’t hold any deep meaning for her, and as such, they didn’t end up involved in a relationship. There has not been a mutual love established between these two. So him forcing the kiss on her in 311 isn’t necessarily something that non-amnesiac Emma would have wanted to happen, and that’s what makes it a true violation.
Like I said before though, it was in character for Hook. Dude was in love with Milah for a couple 100 years after she’d died, and he’s only been apart from Emma for one year, so of course he hasn’t forgotten about her. And he’s had a successful career of womanising, which you can’t achieve without being forthright if there’s a woman who’s caught your eye, so of course he was gonna go for it and kiss her when he saw her. Doesn’t make it right or romantic. It was a selfish and poorly considered thing for him to do, but, well, pirate, so acting in his own self interest makes sense.
He’s obviously made some strides in curbing his selfishness if he’s there to bring Emma back to help everyone, (which could be traced back to him taking her advice from the end of S2 to be a part of something), but it’s not like he’s not hoping to get something out of this on a personal level as well. My hope is that they’ll use it as an opportunity to grow his character when he doesn’t end up getting that personal payoff, and he just will have helped everyone else, and actually, will have helped Emma get back to Neal. So he’ll have done the right thing, and been on the losing end, and then we’d get to see how he deals with that, (similar to how Regina defused the well so Snow and Emma could get through, but she didn’t get a big, positive payoff for it, and she ended up backsliding). You need these sorts of challenges if you’re gonna give a character a convincing redemption arc, which is what I’d like to see for him in the long run. Changing over the course of a week, like we’ve seen from him in S3, does not a real redemption arc make.
This is the point I was trying to make. You worded it much better than I 🙂
All magic comes with a price!
Keeper of Felix