A couple thoughts: on the one hand I don’t want Ariel to know Hook before we meet her because unrequited love + having to sit through a love triangle, feels cruel to Ariel, which is what I think PoM was getting at.
On the other hand, I really like the idea of Eric being someone from her past who hurt Ariel so that she is as damaged as Hook. They can help each other heal (Ariel from Eric, Hook from Milah) and thus Hook does not = Eric.
As to Wesley, a la Princess Bride, I can see them taking some sort of spin on that.
[adrotate group="5"]
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"