Well I’m going to come to Michael’s defense a little here. I don’t agree with everything but there are certain things that bug me that I’m going to try and pick out.
Hook and Charming aren’t friends.
Have you seen this season? Or last half season? I think it’s clear as day that they have moved past the whole “you’re a pirate and you’re not good enough for my daughter” phase. Either you aren’t watching closely, or you aren’t watching. I don’t even feel this is up for interpretation.
They interact with Hook because he is always with Emma, so if they want to spend time with Emma, then they by default spend time with Hook.
This also is just not always true. Many times, yes. But just this season, Henry and Hook bonded a lot in Dark Waters and Hook was willing to sacrifice his life for Henry, and then Henry in turn, came back and saved Hook. Their relationship has been growing with each passing season. So again, not sure if you missed this episode…Also Hook and Belle hung out without Emma.
Also, Hook and Belle are not friends. They interact because they are side characters who serve no purpose, so they have them interact to not waste the main characters screen time.
So I’m going to ask it again….Did you miss the episode Strange Case? Where he saved her life and killed Jekyll which oh by the way, killed Hyde thus saving Belle, Rumple, and Rumple’s baby? What about in the beginning of the season where she turned to Hook for a safe place to hide from Rumple? And he let her stay on his ship and what not. Like this isn’t even an opinion. These are facts. And you could say he’s not friends with Belle and that he’s only doing this bc anyone would have done the same thing or that he’s actually doing it for selfish reasons and doesn’t actually care about Belle but that is pretty thick.
He is not friends with the Charming family. When they actually talk about him, it isn’t good. They do spend time with him, but as i said, it is mostly in service to saving their family members and not because they are friends or somehow enjoy spending time together. People constantly talk about there being some big friendship between Hook and Charming, but it does not exist. It is all down to people who rewatch Hook scenes over and over again and then take the entire show out of context.
I’m sorry, but again, this is so incredibly wrong. I really should go back and cite specific scenes where they talk fondly of him, but I won’t. To say only Hook fans see it because they are delusional and take things out of context is incredibly rude, presumptuous, and ignorant. So just bc you hate Hook means people who like Hook are seeing the show wrong and making up stuff? Maybe they pay more attention to his scenes bc they care more about him? Who knows? But to dismiss an entire fandom bc they disagree with you is ridiculous. And I’m sorry, but I would love to know the last time anyone in the Charming family said something bad about Hook. Certainly hasn’t been this season.
As far as Hook’s role on the show, it’s to be Emma’s kindred spirit. A lost boy much like her looking for a family and a place to call home which is basically what ALL of our characters storyline on the show is. Hook suffers and owns up to his mistake and knows that redemption is a long winding road and it takes lots of work. Hence why he wears the rings on his finger as a reminder to himself about the things he’s done in the past and to be a better man. He still to this day even though he does view himself as a hero he still has a hard time forgiving himself for his past deeds even if the people around him have already forgiven him. That is how you do a correct redemption arc and I’m not sure how he’s never payed for the things he’s done. He’s literally died for it. You don’t see that with Regina and Rumple. With Regina you have her crimes literally being whitewashed. Oh the curse it was a good thing. Graham…who was that…rape nonsense. Oh she murdered and ruined countless lives….oh that wasn’t her that was The Evil Queen. It’s that kind of ridiculous crap that has her being a character a rarely can stand anymore. The fact that she blames this entity within her as the reason why she’s where she’s at is just a rehash of 4B albeit more poorly contructed and going nowhere. With Rumple…I mean it’s just disgusting what he’s done this past half. From the disgusting GQ, to the literal mental and verbal abuse of Belle. Oh but Hook killed Merlin, and the show has never brought that up again. Same way it has never been brought back up that Regina murdered and raped Graham, the death of Johanna, etc. I’m just saying just within your words alone the double standard is shining through. And sorry to say this but Hook’s role on this show is not to be Emma’s boyfriend. It’s to be her true love and kindred spirit. He’s not simply a boyfriend and anybody that says as such is just bitter.
Honestly, I have to agree with everything here. I too have always believed there was a double standard, especially in this forum. Regina and Rumple’s misdeeds often go brushed aside (slaying a village, stealing babies, raping Graham, etc etc etc etc etc) and Hook’s get put in the spotlight. I’ll use a recent example. We saw a flashback where Rumple stole an innocent family’s child and was willing to let Black Fairy take it away. Did ANYONE dwell on the fact that Rumple is a horrible person for doing that? He stole a child! Nope, instead most talked about how it made sense bc that’s what Rumpelstiltskin does, he takes children. Now, can you imagine if it was a Hook flashback and it showed him taking a child like that in an attempt to find his mother? HE WOULD BE RIDICULED! People would say his redemption arc this season is utter bull and his head would be on a pike. People are just quick to jump on his behavior, even though it is plain to see the man is trying to change and is doing very similar things Regina has done over the past couple years to redeem herself as well. But people view them very differently.
That being said, I love Regina and I have zero problem with the EQ’s story this season. What are the biggest things the EQ ever wanted to accomplish before Regina started redeeming herself? 1. Revenge on Snowing, specifically Snow for not keeping secret. She did that. 2. Create chaos as she always loved to do and I think she has done plenty of that. 3. Get rid of the Savior from her son, which she just did. So I will defend this season and defend Regina as a character. But there is no doubt she gets more of a pass than Hook does. It seems like people who do not like Hook are putting the character on egg shells, just waiting for him to say or do something they disagree with. And because they don’t like him and are looking for slip ups, they don’t really give him credit when he helps Emma.
Which brings me to my next point I agree with Matt on. I don’t view him as just a boyfriend either. Emma is the center of the show. And Emma is going through some tough times right now. Yes, maybe Hook has been someone who just makes her feel better but that is IMPORTANT bc she is important to the show. He is the Robin to her Batman. Is he a central part of the show? Ehh. Don’t forget Dark Waters where his brother Liam came back and was seeking revenge on Henry and Hook. But if you took him away from Batman, it wouldn’t be the same. Emma is going through a crisis as a Savior and with all the Savior Mythology coming up that they have been teasing, and with her death sentence future dream with Gideon, Hook’s part has become important. Emma needs to believe she is the Savior and that she can do anything bc she is the product of true love! Regina has helped her realize this in the Wish Realm and Hook did it in Storybrooke as well. I don’t remember anyone complaining when Robin was Regina’s moral compass and helpful boyfriend. No one said he was a bad character.
It just seems like Hooks character exists solely because of CS, his entire function on this show is to be Emma’s boyfriend, and anyone saying he needs to be written better is taken as being a CS hater.
Well I said Robin needed to be written better. I never said I didn’t like OQ. And Hook’s character exists bc when he came on the show, he was different and gave the show someone we hadn’t seen before. He still exists bc he’s dating the main character of the show but it’s not why he exists in the first place.
And let us not forget what Henry’s true feelings of Hook are, as revealed through the shattered mirror curse.
And again, that was in season 4A. We are halfway through season 6. People change. Hook has changed and people around him have noticed, including Henry. People are becoming more accepting of him. Should I pull quotes from season 2 when everyone said Regina was a bad person? Nope, let me pull one from Dark Waters this season which you conveniently seemed to have ignored to better suit your argument.
Killian: You understand why I need those shears, right?<br style=”box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;” />Henry: You love her too.
Killian: I thought I told you to leave.<br style=”box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;” />Henry: And if I listened, you’d be dead.<br style=”box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;” />Killian: Well I’m glad you didn’t. What made you come back?<br style=”box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;” />Henry: You said you couldn’t ruin one more family, neither could I.<br style=”box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;” />Killian: Are you saying you think of me as part of?<br style=”box-sizing: border-box; font-family: Raleway, sans-serif; font-size: 20px;” />Henry: Don’t push it.
Man that really sounds like someone who hates Hook right? Henry has come a long way. And if you’re going to cite something a little boy said years ago when he recently lost his actual father and now was watching this new guy date his mom, and not chalk up a lot of it to him not being ready to see his mom date someone new, then you are being very thick.
And I’ll end on this. As RG said, clearly Hook is a very divisive character. Look at the difference of opinions! But bc he is divisive, it’s what makes him interesting, for me at least. When half the fandom loves him and half hates him, it’s hard to say he’s boring. Those are the types of characters that spawn debate and interesting conversation. I don’t view EQ/Regina as divisive as Hook at all. Everyone loves her. But because she has done horrible things, like Hook, and has been trying to redeem herself, like Hook, the fact that Hook is way more divisive than EQ/Regina only further highlights the double standard that is going on here.