I am reading through posts quickly. Who said they think a big part of the problem is that SF folks didn’t prepare themselves for the fact that Neal was going to die?? I agree. Unless they were secretly preparing themselves, there was a lot of talk going around that Neal wasn’t dying and they were continuing to theorize about SF were True Love and minute SF details of how S3B was going to end. I admit that as far as I could see the writing was on the wall for Neal, both on the show as well as with BTS info, but I had also mentally prepared myself for the chance that we were all completely wrong and they could be killing off Hook instead. I reminded myself how I originally fell in love with Rumbelle and how OQ was starting to look pretty darn appealing. And most of all I reminded myself that I originally loved the show before I shipped anyone. So if Hook was killed off I knew I would be disappointed but I also knew that I would still be able to find things I enjoyed on the show. But I DID mentally prepare myself for the possibility that it could be Hook and do admit to breathing a bit of a sigh of relief when Neal died and it wasn’t Hook – not that I was wanting ANY character to die. But, seriously. For people’s sanity. Take a break. Netflix the heck out of some other show for awhile. Find some other couple on another show to ship like mad so it won’t be as painful to come back and watch. Then maybe you will find that you can enjoy the show all over again.
Agreed
You know something that just occurred to me? Killian is Emma’s best friend. Emma doesn’t have friends. She moved from place to place her entire life. From foster home to foster home as a child and teenager. Then she moved from city to city and lived on her own as an adult. Mary Margaret was the closest thing to a friend she ever had but then she broke the curse and MM tried going all Mommy Snow on her and ruined the close “friendly” relationship they had. Neal was never back long enough without “dying” for her to really establish any kind of relationship with him. In her “fake” year I have the impression that Emma and Henry were very close but that Emma was very busy with work and being a mom, and her left over time was dating Walsh – which didn’t feel like a “deep” relationship to me. The one person who she is consistently “with” – even if it’s a pattern of being flirty and then getting mad/annoyed/frustrated/scared/running away and coming back again – is Killian. And he has become the one person she listens too, looks to for advice, trusts her son with, shows her emotions too, etc. It might be because she doesn’t have many, but it doesn’t change the fact that Killian is Emma’s best friend. My mom once asked me when I was a just a bit older than Emma and divorced from my first husband who my best friend was, since I lived far away from all my high school and college friends. When I thought about it I realized that my best friend was this guy I worked with even though it had never really occurred to me before. We worked together a lot on projects so we knew each other really well, he knew my capabilities and believed that I was really good at things, we joked around and had fun together, we could tell when we were each having a bad day and needing to just let the other person have space. We just kind of naturally ended up together in meetings and at conferences, etc. but I had never really considered that he was my best friend. Then one day I did. Oh yeah, I ended up marrying my best friend.
I totally agree with this as well- I fully believe Emma needs a best friend in her partner/husband- because thats the only way she’ll look into romantic love again, when she’s with someone she fully knows- inside & out, good & bad etc. I just cant see Emma falling for someone & acting on it without 1st knowing EVERY ASPECT possible of that person 1st & perhaps that’s where some of Emma’s stand offish-ness is coming from- She’s missing a year of ‘what happened’ info with Hook, so there is now this unknown quantity to their relationship on her side, that wasnt there before, but she is friends & trusts him as such, so hasnt pushed for the info she really wants/needs to think about moving forward (& she really wants it- since we’ve seen her ask twice now 😉 ).
Oh yeah, I ended up marrying my best friend.
Can I just say awwww- that’s so sweet 🙂
I actually empathize with Neal’s fans. I know how I’d feel if it were Hook, who died. I’m not saying whether they are right or wrong, but for them, Neal was why they watched the show. Love it or hate it, television production is not in business for itself. Sponsors like to advertize on shows people watch (and they must love Once a lot, because boy, are there commercials Let’s flip the coin. If Hook died would kill the show? I don’t know. The show doesn’t revolve around him, but I can’t see his death being productive, given his high popularity (Hook draws a crowd), and don’t know how anybody else could ever equal or surpass the weight of “Captain Hook” (because great as Emma is, she can’t do it herself). As for me; myself; and I, Hook is why I watch. I probably wouldn’t watch if Hook were killed off. Not for any revenge against ABC , A&E, or the writers, but because for me, there’d just be nothing to see, so why would I watch? If Hook died, it’d take the wind out of my sails I’d be stinking mad if it was my favorite, and would probably be one of many who’d have lots of foaming at the mouth, and vitreol over it. Let’s not judge the Neal fans. I guess this is why I understand where Neal fans are coming from. It could have just as easily been Hook.
Nobody is judging the Neal fans. But it is so depressing to read about how all the characters should die horribly and not get happy endings because Neal died and happy endings died with him etc. No one character is the show, yeah you’d be bummed out if your favourite character died, the 311 finale was depressing because it felt like it could’ve so easily been a series finale, but that doesn’t mean just because your favourite character died that none of the characters should get a happy ending.
Again, Agreed POM 🙂
I wrote a post about this. I feel part of the problem with Neal’s death for SwanFire and Neal fans, is that they never fully prepared themselves for the possibility that the death would be him.
I think the problem is that many viewers still think that SF was TL and that if half of a TL couple died – there is no happy ending for the other. Since they cannot get past that, they will have a hard time enjoying the current story
Yes, I think thats a large part of the problem as well.