so the short version of all this: I’m mad that Hook chose to hide his secret, I’m mad that this feels like a setup to inevitably sweep it all under the rug, I’m mad that he (and the show?) are placing Emma’s feelings about this above Charmings, I’m mad that people are making this about the CS proposal and not about the state of their relationship in general, I’m mad that we all just know this going to end with Hook doing something good to make up for what he did, I’m mad that A&E once again had an opportunity to show Hook as a good guy and didn’t, but will expect us to see him as such anyway.
This is a pretty fair assessment. Also this…
A mistake is something you do accidently. Hook made a choice and was only stopped by being caught in the act.
This is an incredibly fair point. For example, @thedarkonedearie brought up that if everyone has forgiven Regina and preaches forgiveness then it should extend to Hook as well because it’s the idea that they are changed people. Okay, but it also works the other way. We don’t call it a mistake when Rumple took back the Dark One’s powers. We don’t call it a mistake when Regina cast the Dark Curse or conspired with Cora. They were choices.
The difference, I think, between and Regina and Hook this episode was a study in contrasts: Regina chose not to do the wrong thing–killing the Evil Queen with a heart crush. Regina stopped herself, knowing that killing the Evil Queen was not the right path. Hook chose to do the wrong thing–erase his memories so Emma and Charming never learned of it. And the only reason that didn’t come to pass was because of Emma’s timely entrance and her totally random understanding that she was seeing her grandfather….
So is he really a changed person if the baseline for one is not continuously doing bad things? Why does no one say that Rumple has been redeemed? Because he keeps making bad choices.