I’m not ready to throw in the towel or anything. I’m still anticipating the Emma-Neal reunion coming up. I expect Emma to be more receptive this time around than she was in 3×6, because having Henry in her life has made her a little softer around the edges. Plus, she understands now that she had to leave the people she loved for Henry’s sake, just as Neal had to leave the woman he loved to get Emma home. I’m expecting some excellent scenes between Emma and Neal.
Going back to 3×14 for now though for a bit. For those of you who watch Wonderland, did you catch the parallel between Hook in this episode and Jafar in “The Heart of the Matter”?
Hook and Emma were in the woods talking. She accused him of lying. He asked her about Walsh. Notice what he said:
Emma: “You’re glad to hear I got my heart broken?”
Hook: “If it can be broken, it means it still works”
Spoiler for those who haven’t seen Wonderland yet: In “The Heart of the Matter” Jafar replaced Will Scarlett’s heart back in his chest in order to enact the spell to change the laws of magic. Will regaining his heart meant that his love for Ana was rekindled and he kissed Ana. Yet, they were interrupted by Jafar who said:
Jafar: “Let’s make sure that heart of yours is still working, shall we?”
And then Jafar murdered Ana right in front of Will.
It’s just an uncanny parallel between Jafar and Hook. I’m not saying that Hook wants to kill Neal the way Jafar did, but what if there’s some reason beyond romance that Hook wants to make sure Emma’s heart is still working? What if Hook is unwittingly playing into a trap set by Zelena for Emma?
"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