Reply To: Emma + Baelfire = Swanfire

[Slurpeez]

As much as I have the *grabby hands* for any scrap of a spoiler that will give away SF getting back together, part of me would actually have more hope if they kept that storyline seriously under wraps. The way the CS kiss was spoiled so completely, so far in advance, made it seem like just another plot point in the immediate story, not necessarily an advancement of a grand, over arching theme of the story that’s indicating endgame true love. So the less spoilers I hear about SF, the more hope I actually have. It’s totally backwards logic.

That’s an interesting way to look at it. You could even be onto something. Last year, many of us dismissed the idea of a full-fledged CS ship getting out of port. At the time, it seemed like introducing Neal back into the mix and keeping Hook at bay would mean no CS.  Low and behold, a year on and there was a CS kiss. Now that CS has happened (though not full-blown yet), it’s like the media attention has switched completely to Hook, and ABC is heavily marketing him as a “hero” this season. CS fans like to say that SF couldn’t be endgame because that would be too “predictable”, but from the way things are currently being promoted, Hook seems like the more predictable option. Having the media attention of CS gives Adam and Eddy room to take the audience by surprise later when Emma lets it be known she could never love anyone else as she loves Neal. Then enters room for SF moments to build until it’s revealed as endgame.

I think JMo was basically responding to all the people who were all, “Saving Neal was stupid, she’s meant to be trying to save her son, and the side mission was just a distraction.” I remember seeing even an Emma RPer on tumblr got sent a comment about it, and she responded just like JMo did: we need him to get off the island. So I can just imagine what people said to JMo directly about it. Those types of viewers won’t give credit to an interview answer where JMo talks about Emma loving Neal, but an answer that addresses just the fact that they did need him to help the mission might actually get through to them and make them shut up about it.

That’s true. Clearly, all the blind Neal-hate that has been circulating on social media platforms has reached the ears of Jennifer Morrison, which is really quite sad. I think Phee is correct in saying that Jennifer Morrison was speaking purely from a narrative perspective, not a character perspective. Neal is absolutely instrumental in saving Henry, because not only is Neal Henry’s father, but Neal is also the only one who knows how to heck to get off the island. Even Neal-haters can’t deny that Neal was essential to the plot for that reason alone, even if they fail to acknowledge Neal’s significance to Emma.

Now, we SF/Neal fans know there is always something more when it comes to Emma’s motives about Neal, and just as Snow White said, Emma owed it to herself , not just Henry, to find out if Neal were alive since happy endings always start with hope. I think Snow is a character who reads people’s true motives really well, and in 3×4, Snow compared the way Emma feels about Neal to the way Snow herself feels about Prince Charming. I think Snow is acting as Adam and Eddy’s mouthpiece about where Emma’s heart truly is –with Neal. Snow sees that Emma uses walls to hide behind, and I bet dollars to doughnuts that Snow believes Emma sees Hook as an excuse to hide behind, because it’s a heck of a lot easier to hook up with an attractive pirate than it is to confront one’s own insecurities, misconceptions, and fears from a difficult and painful past with Neal and her own parents. So far, Emma’s response to both her parents and Neal, who all love her, has been to shut down her emotions, because of her own abandonment issues.

Up until 3×7, Emma was tolerating Hook’s advances to a certain degree, because she needs his help. But Hook pushed too hard in 3×7 when he continued to mount pressure on her to choose and she responded by choosing Henry, putting Hook back in his place. His response? To sulk. As I’ve said, this is a huge red flag if a grown man can’t respect a mother putting her child’s welfare first, especially when that child’s life is at risk. I really hope that Emma starts to view Hook’s more clearly since she said the only decision she has to make is how best to save Henry. A concerned mother can’t afford to let her attention be diverted as it was in 3×5 from kissing Hook; I think 3×7 showed Emma getting her act back together by saying that none of the romantic attention she’s getting is important since what matters is getting back Henry. I was really pleased that the writers chose to make Neal’s motivation be his son, and his agenda aligns exactly with Emma’s since they both have to parent Henry together. Hook continuing to act miffed, hurt, or even indignant is a total turn-off for me, and I’m actually pleased to see where the writers take Hook versus Neal. The contrast seems clear in my mind, and I’m hopeful it’s increasingly evident to Emma, too.