The reason I don’t think so is due the look of shock on Emma’s face when she sees the dreamcatcher. She looks amazed, dumbfounded and confused.
I agree. it takes two things to bring back memories, if you’re using the BF’s potion. We saw Hook with the potion in NYC but that alone doesn’t do the trick. You need some sort of talisman. Belle had Chip and Sneezy had his drinking glass. But for Emma, maybe it’s not only a matter of drinking the potion, but maybe she needs to be in proximity/holding the object that she values most. (this is getting shippy) and that’s the dreamcatcher, the first real symbol of home for her. The pendant is a symbol of Neal’s love, the car is a symbol of their first meeting, but the dream catcher is a symbol of the idea of HOME
My headcannon is he saw it finally, that gave him hope that he gave to Emma.
I agree. He saw the bug. But at that moment he couldn’t go, “you kept our car?” cause the world was ending.