@Mickstemp @RumplesGirl – I see where you’re going with this, and I hope you’re right. The promo is leading a lot of people into thinking Zelena is going to crush Neal’s heart the way Regina crushed Graham’s heart right in front of Emma. Despite that seeming parallel, I’m holding onto hope this is another giant misdirection and that Zelena needs something which represents Neal’s heart, like the swan pendant, or even his actual heart. I’m just not a fan of this promo, but that’s to be expected in light of the spoiler of doom. Yet, I’m still holding on, since it’d be unthinkable that Neal’s arc could be resolved in a single episode, not when Emma still loves him but has unresolved fears that the price of her being the savior mean not getting a happy ending with him. Not when Henry doesn’t even remember his dad. Not when Rumple is half deranged and under the thumb of the Zelena. He is so central to so many of our characters, and he is also a standout character in my book. To end his story so abruptly would just absolutely send the wrong message, in my estimation, that life is one cruel slog and then it’s over. Nope. Not buying it. That’s the opposite of hope. And as Snow told Emma, it’s important to believe Neal could be alive, because all happy endings start with hope. And right now, all I have is hope and a prayer to go on.
"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