Reply To: Emma + Baelfire = Swanfire

[Slurpeez]

And later he’s the one to apologize for being childish with the lighter; his taking her aside parallels Hook’s doing so, but he does it only to say that Henry’s awesome and worth being their sole focus and even that if she doesn’t choose him, it’s okay. Nealfire’s so sweet and self-sacrificing and wonderful. Oh, and, as Mulan and Charming (in this ep!) have pointed out…Love is Sacrifice.

I think the writers have purposefully set up this new dynamic: Neal allows for Emma to choose Henry, because Neal himself will always choose Henry, whereas Hook will always push Emma to make a decision, and in so doing, she’ll be less inclined than ever to choose Hook. Her focus has always been Henry ever since S1. If a man can’t be happy with that decision, then Emma has no room in her life for him. Neal is already part of Emma’s life because of Henry, whereas Hook is miffed and acting jealous that Emma chose her son. That is a glaring red flag that Hook is a man who thinks only of himself, whereas Neal will always put his son first, as we’ve already seen him nearly sacrifice his life for his kid. Now, may I ask, which man is ultimately the best choice as far as both Emma and Henry are concerned? The best man is Neal, Henry’s father, who loves his son and Emma.