Reply To: Emma + Baelfire = Swanfire

The fact that Henry confessed he never liked Hook and that he is not okay with Emma dating the “dirty pirate” seems to suggest that to me. In the end, Emma just cannot end up with someone whom Henry is unhappy about including in their family.

I agree. That’s not to say that Henry should be able to dictate Emma’s love life but his opinion does need to be taken into consideration if Emma is thinking of commitment with a guy. Emma and Henry come as a package, it’s together or not at all, the guy can’t pick and choose which is what Hook is trying to do. He wants Emma but not Henry and there is no way Emma would give up Henry for Hook.

If Emma and Hook do end up together, then the writers have to show Hook have genuine concern and love for the boy, and show Henry return Hook’s fatherly feelings. However, that just isn’t what’s been happening. Instead, Hook was only shown as being interested in whether Emma claimed they were “together.” Hook isn’t at all motivated by love for Henry the way Neal was shown obviously to be concerned with his son. As Will Scarlet said, Hook was just spending time with Henry to get in with the mother. “No one will see through that,” Will remarked sardonically. Since this story is supposed to be just as much Henry’s fairytale as it is Emma’s, I fail to see how Henry gaining a step-father he despises is supposed to be Henry’s idea of a happy ending. No! Clearly, the best case scenario for Henry would be to have his father back in his life–the father who loved his son and twice gave his life to save him.

I agree. Hook hasn’t made any real attempt to bond with Henry for Henry’s sake, it’s all been for Emma’s benefit. I would love to see flashbacks of Emma and Henry in New York and Walsh’s courtship of Emma. Henry was pretty accepting of Walsh into the family so it would be interesting to see how Walsh’s method of bonding with Henry compare to Hook’s.