Yeah, Emma just needs to go. They ruined her character seasons ago, so it just needs to be done. They don’t care about the integrity of their story and their characterization. They are just trying to keep people watching, so they can make money. That’s it. This is why a writer sometimes needs to kill a character because showing them walking away from their family is worse then them dying.
At least Neal died a hero who didn’t abandon Henry. Sheesh! All the writers care about now is the cash cow. That is why they kept all the “fan favorites” and the eye candy (aka Colin) even though his purpose was done as soon as JMo left. The showrunners are scared silly that no one will want to watch their show and then they’ll be jobless because all of their other attempts at writing a show have bombed. Without the help of their mentor, Damon Lindelof, they’ll have a tough time ever crafting another successful show again.
"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy