PoM~ I embrace your vent wholeheartedly! No Hope and lives destined for misery IS a depressing message. But it is not the message of OUAT. It is the message that some of the viewers choose to create because, in essence, the story tellers did not tell the story they wanted to see. It is their message. They are more than entitled to it. For whatever their reason. They must own it. The rest can just sidestep and follow a different path. Any one of us could lose a beloved character at the whim of *the story.* It is not our story to tell. Hope though, is not lost. Not with these creators! and rumplegoldfan~ your comment about “EF version of tavern alley phone sex” had me, truly, laughing out loud! Thanks for the moment
And again, if Oncers are so incredibly unhappy with the show right now, then please, stop watching. No one forces you to watch something you’re not happy with. Take a break from the show if you need too. Being miserable and spreading hate isn’t going to make anyone feel better, only make the situation worse.
I wrote a post about this. I feel part of the problem with Neal’s death for SwanFire and Neal fans, is that they never fully prepared themselves for the possibility that the death would be him.