Reply To: Emma + Baelfire = Swanfire

[Slurpeez]

I think over the last year of separation, Hook has allowed himself to think he’s really in love with Emma Swan, and maybe his feelings are indeed genuine. Yet, what remains to be seen is whether his love is unrequited or not. If Hook’s feelings are unrequited, are they strong enough to let Emma be with the man she truly loves, who, according to Edward Kitsis, is Neal? Remember Cyrus’ words that the “measure of true love is sacrifice.” Real love does not make demands and cannot be forced. Does Hook have what it takes to be willing to sacrifice his own happiness for the sake of Emma and Neal’s potential happy ending? We know that Emma and Neal left their relationship with a big question mark around it, yet Emma was on her way to have lunch with Neal, which means she had resolved to hear Neal out and to do the hard thing of having a real conversation about their past, about co-parenting their son together, and about their future. Neal and Emma’s story is not over; they haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of their present-day relationship.

Deep down, Hook knows Emma and Neal love each other, and according to Colin O’Donoghue, Hook loves Neal as a son figure. So, the question remains whether Hook can truly do the self-sacrifical thing for Neal and Emma, as Adam and Eddy have confirmed Neal did for Emma when he let her go to get her home. As someone who has been on both ends of the spectrum of unrequited love and requited love, I know that it doesn’t necessarily have to be mutual for love to be true. A person can have earnest feelings for another person, and wish that person happiness, even if he or she doesn’t ultimately choose you in the end. I hope Hook can learn to have that kind of selfless love, without any expectation of self-gain, so that if/when Emma lets it be known she chooses Neal, Hook could look his so-called step-son in the eye and wish him and Emma all the happiness in the world. Now that would be a heroic thing to do, and it would mirror Regina giving Emma happy memories of believing she’d never given up Henry. Regina was finally willing to atone for her sins to Snow’s family by giving up her claim on Henry by putting his and Emma’s needs first. Likewise, Rumple was finally willing to sacrifice himself so that Baelfire could have a happy ending, even though Rumple believes it wouldn’t be with him. We’ve yet to see Hook make that kind of sacrifice, and until he atones to Baelfire for seducing away his mother by helping Neal now be reunited with his family, Henry and Emma, I’ll consider Hook’s redemption arc incomplete.