Reply To: Emma + Baelfire = Swanfire

[Slurpeez]

I was so thrilled to read a new interview with Robert Carlyle and MRJ. Bless those two, they’re fantastic and really get inside of their characters’ headspace.

Even though Neal is still wary to about trusting that Rumple has Henry’s (Jared Gilmore) best interests at heart, the realization that Rumple went through a similar childhood may actually bring father and son closer. “Neal is somewhat of an internal optimist,” Raymond-James says. “He was willing to forgive his father before and the stakes have been raised now. Now he feels his son’s life is in danger as a direct result of his father and that’s hard to take. The audience realizes that Rumple’s intentions are pure, but Neal doesn’t. Neal is also somebody who’s looking for a second chance himself with Emma [Jennifer Morrison], the woman he loves, and he’s willing to give his father the 35th chance if conditions eventually work out.”

It’s so true that in order to move forward we must make peace with our pasts. Neal and Rumple learning to understand each other better, and working on their relationship, will bring so much personal growth for Neal. Neal so wants his father to be a good man again, and I think something major will happen in 3×8 to help start Neal and Rumple on the path to forgiveness. If Neal can learn to forgive his dad for what he did to him, then he’s probably dreaming of making it up to Henry for not being there the first 11 years of his son’s life (though he would’ve been had he known about Henry). Also, I love that MRJ brought up Neal’s love for Emma; Neal inwardly longs for Emma to be able to forgive him, just as Rumple longs for Neal to forgive him. Forgiveness of the father leads the hero on his journey to achieving his goals. If we see Neal start to believe in second chances with his dad, he may be all the more inspired to try for a second chance with Emma and Henry.

*Believe in second chances*

*Hoping ABC will make it official, even though Adam already said it was*