But we still have Jane Espenson in the writers’ room offering a non-traditional POV. I also go back to what Adam tweeted once in S3 about some people being right for you, some people being wrong for you, and others people you just choose. At the time, it seemed like he was talking about Emma choosing to go with Henry over Hook or Neal at the end of S3a, but now I’m wondering if there’s more to it.
Sure. But I’m not so convinced that Jane is doing all that much to offer perspective given that her episodes do have CS heavy moments (she wrote Firebird in which they were, granted oddly, declared TL, something reiterated at SDCC and other interviews).
If Regina is the person Emma chooses, I’m also not convinced it’s in a romantic way. She does keep choosing Regina (she saves Regina, she protects Regina, she defends Regina) but she also keeps lip locking and declaring love for the pirate.
The writers want to have and eat their cake; they want the push CS (probably per the mandate of ABC) but they want to push SQ as well because 1) vocal fanbase 2) both Emma and Regina are two of the more complex individuals on the show. So they bait the living daylights out of SQ (show) but tell speak only of CS/OQ (tell).
Show, don’t tell. And I think that’s as much SQ as we’re likely to get.