Ok, I think I’ll start with the EF debate. It’s a fun one.
I think POM & RG both have good points. I don’t look at Hook in the EF as ‘saving Emma’ or reducing her to a ‘damsel in distress’ because Emma shows she can get herself out of dire situations on her own (‘no one saves me but me’!) Emma does essentially know how to navigate the EF, and had she been sent back alone, she maybe could’ve done what she needed to do by herself. It would’ve been a lot rockier though, because like POM said, when Emma was in the EF in S2, it didn’t matter that Emma didn’t blend. And – she had Snow, Mulan and Aurora. Hook was essentially providing Emma with the same need-to-know pieces that the girls assisted Emma with in S2. And remember, Emma was a huge fish out of water, even by the time they left. One of my favorite S2 EF scenes is a simple one – they were eating/drinking and Emma’s sniffing everything and picking at everything like a child introduced to a new food. It was subtle, but it showed Emma very out of her element (and it was hilarious). When Hook & Emma are in the EF, the major difference is that it is of utmost importance that they do not call attention to themselves unless given no other option (ex: they encounter Charming/Snow, etc but disguised as Prince Charles and Princess Leia). The ball scene – I’m going to agree, it’s mostly fluff. But it was a good way to see Emma actually enjoying the life she would’ve had if the original curse hadn’t been cast and she had grown up as a princess. It also allowed Emma to let down her walls a little, feel a little more comfortable, and by extension feel the near-death of her mother even more.
Savior/Mother/Product of True Love: Emma
This was brought up on the last page, I believe, that S1 introduced Emma as the Savoir/Henry’s mother and these were her defining characteristics. With this, I agree.
Savior: And I preface this with I cannot STAND the Savior stuff – Emma and Henry and their true love between mother and son was the only thing that would have broken the original curse that created Storybrooke. However, I’m not sure why Emma continues to need to be the Savior. I don’t know why exactly the other characters need to see Emma as a Savior. Yes, Emma’s a natural leader, and the necessary leader in 3A, but I think the other characters use the ‘Savior’ as a crutch to force Emma to continue to be the leader and makes us as viewers expect Emma to be the one to constantly save the day. My question – why? Why can’t Regina emerge as the ‘Savior’ against Zelena? Why can’t Rumple emerge as the ‘Savior’ for whatever’s going to happen in S4? Or Snow, or Charming? What I saw in 3B is Regina growing to become a leader and the only one who could really beat Zelena, her sister. But perhaps Emma got a little lost because of that. She wasn’t really sure what her role was if she wasn’t saving the day. And that fear is what ignited the downward spiral that led to Emma declaring she was going back to NY and taking Henry, being selfish and putting her own fears ahead of anyone else’s thoughts or needs, and getting almost downright mean to most of her loved ones.
Mother: As a mother, I do agree that Emma was selfish in declaring she was taking Henry and returning to NY when Zelena was defeated. However, becoming a mother doesn’t make someone perfect. It certainly doesn’t mean that a woman isn’t going to act for selfish reasons. In a perfect world, maybe – but not reality. If you want reality, then Emma is a ‘real’ mother. She’s scared out of her ever loving mind and acting/reacting due to that fear. Being a mother is scary and hard and it changes you profoundly. But it definitely does not mean every decision you make – even in the name of your child – is going to be the right decision.
That said, it also doesn’t mean your child isn’t constantly on your mind. Yes, in truth, Emma’s statement that moving to NY was for Henry was really about Emma and her fears, as a mother, it did ring true – you can convince yourself that you’re doing something for your child even if it has more to do with you – and you can convince yourself that the decision is best for both of you. Which is what I think Emma was doing. And in the EF, maybe Emma didn’t mention Henry, but that doesn’t mean Emma wasn’t thinking about him the entire time. I think about my child constantly, but I don’t necessarily mention him every 30 seconds. Emma had so much going on – bringing up Henry would have seemed odd to me, not realistic. She had a mission – to get home – to her entire family, including her child. And she achieved that goal. And in the end, she faced her fears, realized and acknowledged what she was doing, and made the right decision for herself, and for Henry.
Product of True Love: I think this is one pickle A&E really need to define. Why is being the product of true love so special when it comes to Emma? If we’re looking at that classic, fairy tale, 1st love = true love = 1 true love, then doesn’t that mean Cinderella and what’s his face’s baby is the product of true love? And Philora’s? And even Charming himself? If you want to broaden the term, and consider two people can have True Love but that love can change or even end or the people be ripped apart, (for whatever reason), then wasn’t Bae the product of true love? And Henry himself the product of true love? And of course, Emma’s brother Neal – if Emma is the product of true love, isn’t Neal? So…what’s the big deal with Emma being the Product of True Love? Emma even mentioned this to Rumple in the finale. I don’t know that this has been addressed by the writers, within the context of the show, to my satisfaction at this point.
Emma & Snow
One thing I would really love to see is Emma and Snow’s relationship be focused on and dealt with. I think now that Emma has finally truly accepted Snow and Charming as her parents, and finally consciously realizes they constitute part of their home, this may (should) be addressed. I think, though, that Emma wouldn’t really be able to do this with Snow until this point. Sometimes, it’s just easier for daughters (even adult ones) to talk to their fathers – and with Charming having the personality he does, and the ability to read people a little better than Snow – I can see why it was easier for Emma, with walls still up, to connect with Charming. But Emma really needed to do some healing and some self reflection before she and Snow are going to be able to address their relationship. A mother/daughter relationship is complex – add in the fact that you only recently found out (again) why your mother abandoned you, and that she’s magically the same age as you – and you’re going to have difficulty to really bond with her. An adult woman and her mother can be friends, but it’s a very different friendship that you have with your other female friends. And Emma knew MM as her adult girlfriend – to have that person now be her mother – that’s a lot to process. But now that Emma has grown and finally found the ability to let her family in, and accept them all, I think Emma and Snow, and by extension, the show, to really address their problems and get their characters to a place where they can work on their relationship.
Overall, I think I’m forgiving of the flaws OUAT has (and I’m not saying the show doesn’t have a lot of flaws; like every show, it definitely has it’s problems) because it’s trying to tackle so much. They have a lot of characters to address, multiple arcs within a season, and the showrunners are boys who get excited with their new toys, so sometimes character development does get lost in the shuffle. And of course, that’s a lot to try to include in, essentially 22, hours over the course of the year (less, actually, because almost 1/3 of that is commercials). So I think that’s why I tend to accept the problems we see creep up – yes, I love to theorize and analyze ad nauseum (don’t we all – it’s why we’re here!! 🙂 ) and say ‘hey wait a minute’ – but for an hour a week, I do sit in front of the tv and have a fun ride for an hour while I’m watching.