I mentioned that we got a shot of Graham’s bootlace and how it felt like baiting. I actually love that Emma wears Graham’s bootlace, I think it’s a really sweet gesture, and I love it because it’s a consistent thing for her character that’s just always there. But its placement in this particular episode just felt like fanservice, given the way this ep as a whole felt like throwing bones to Emma’s various ships.
And I know Jo mentioned this elsewhere but the ring Hook pulled out of the box looks exactly like the one Rumple used to wear. And I can recall quite a vocal GoldenSwan ship back in ye olden days, which Adam and Eddy may or may not be aware of, but it’s all there for us to get.
So yes, it did feel like they were placing symbols or writing heavy subtext to drive all of Emma’s ships which have been numerous.