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I’m on cloud nine! I know I may be reading way too much into this but….First we have the title “Going Home” as the title for episode 11 (a possible reference to Neal’s line “almost home” in the episode “Tallahassee”) and now we have another NYC title (again a possible reference to “Manhattan”)! 😀
[adrotate group="5"]"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy
I just saw after my long post the questions about whether Neal is a flat character or not. People say that about Belle too, so ultimately a huge part of it is taste. Belle is not given as much screen time as Neal has been so far, nor as heavily involved in the main action of the plot, to this point.
Stories vacillate between points of view and the importance of various characters. Last season, Hook was barely on screen for some parts. The media campaign talked about Neal/Tamara/Emma, there was a whole preview on Bae (ET special). This season Hook is being promoted heavily, but at the same time, we are in NL and the other theme is #SaveHenry. Neal was included in the “men of Storeybrooke” thing too along with August and Hook all 3 in scenes with Emma. The media /fans fixated on August and Graham in S1, and on Jefferson. Who gets the limelight changes, but I think the writers downplayed Neal on purpose to hide his importance to the story, and they are still doing that to some extent, but at the same time “Neal” isn’t a draw like a legend or costumed character and he is not replacing Emma as a main character. He is a support character, but I do think that is like Henry and Belle.
Belle is a romantic love interest. Henry is a familial parent/child love interest and I think that Neal is both.
These fairytale characters could come and go, but Neal is an original creation. MRJ and Dylan work to portay someone we do not already know or think we know but for the new spin. He is out of whole cloth, just like Henry. The writers have created a long suffering character who keeps on trying despite getting kicked in teeth. He is no fairytale prince, but a street smart survivor who just wants to have a home. He is not out to be a hero but he has a core of goodness that colors how he treats others. We are seeing new sides and in general while there is some debate about what it means, he is developing as a character.
CSF should have been a thread to discuss these different views but I realize, not everyone has the same appetite for discussion and civil disagreement. I love that stuff. I am not an emotional shipper type. I don’t dream of their kisses for feels, but for me it is analysis of their characters that interest me. So I enjoy the contrast in thought with those who see Neal in a harsher light than I do, but I think those who write him off as “flat” and one dimensional, may not realize how much time the show is spending on developing him. As a matter of emotion they may not WANT to see him as anything other than an unimportant blip in the epic love story they want to see. I think there is a lot the writers have yet to reveal that they have in mind for this character but who knows.
“If I had a world of my own, everything would be nonsense. Nothing would be what it is, because everything would be what it isn't. And contrary wise, what is, it wouldn't be. And what it wouldn't be, it would. You see?” -- Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland & Through the Looking-Glass
I’m on cloud nine! I know I may be reading way too much into this but….First we have the title “Going Home” as the title for episode 11 (a possible reference to Neal’s line “almost home” in the episode “Tallahassee”) and now we have another NYC title (again a possible reference to “Manhattan”)!
I may have done a jig when I saw the title.
CSF should have been a thread to discuss these different views but I realize, not everyone has the same appetite for discussion and civil disagreement. I love that stuff.
The problem, I think, ultimately with our CSF thread was that it came down to people who aren’t going to budge from their opinions. It turned into about 5 or 6 people (Obisgirl, Eala, Phee, Slurpeez, you and myself mostly) who were the only ones doing the talking. It wasn’t the casual shippers or those with questions; it was the ones who are on their ship comes heck or high water. And I am more than happy to let that thread stay buried in the depths of this forum for all of time. (can you tell that the thread and I had some issues toward the end?)
As a matter of emotion they may not WANT to see him as anything other than an unimportant blip in the epic love story they want to see. I think there is a lot the writers have yet to reveal that they have in mind for this character but who knows.
I agree.
And now: holy moly 312 title!!!!!! OMG. Nealcentirc. I may die
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"The writers have created a long suffering character who keeps on trying despite getting kicked in teeth. He is no fairytale prince, but a street smart survivor who just wants to have a home. He is not out to be a hero but he has a core of goodness that colors how he treats others. We are seeing new sides and in general while there is some debate about what it means, he is developing as a character.
This is one of the biggest reasons I’m rooting for Neal. He makes me want to believe that nice boys don’t always come in last. Neal’s the boy-next-door to Emma’s girl-next-door character, your atypical princess who is a survivor and who fell in love with a sheep farmer, same as Snow fell in love with a shepherd.
"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy
This is one of the biggest reasons I’m rooting for Neal and while I find him so appareling. He makes me want to believe that nice boys don’t always come in last. He’s the boy-next-boy to Emma’s girl-next-door character, your atypical princess who is a survivor and who fell in love with a sheep farmer, same as Snow fell in love with a shepherd.
Yes I agree. I see as much of myself in Neal as I do Rumple and my whole fandom thesis is that we like who we like because it’s a move from sympathy to empathy. Once you’ve aligned yourself with a character as more than just “oh I feel sorry for them” but rather “I understand them because in a way I am them” then their struggles becomes your struggles and if they can’t get a happy ending then there is no hope for you. I *need* Neal to get his happily ever after with the woman he has loved for 11 years because it means that just maybe I get one too. Same with my Imp. I need him to realize that someone loves him and will never leave him because I have the exact same problem. MRJ has said that Neal has never/will never love anyone so much as he loves Emma. I said this a few pages ago but Tamara was very much his “forget” memory potion like Snow took in S1 when the pain of living without Charming was too much. Neal was so scared over what might happen with Emma once the cures broke and then literally seconds after realizing that he could have Emma again (just like Snow knew that she could run off with Charming) there is a lovely solution put in front of him. He had a moment of weakness, just like Snow. He “drank the potion” as it were. Neal is the champion and Emma is the savior. Together they produced the child with the heart of the truest believer. They are of this world and of the other world. Like Adam said, poetry…it’s what they were aiming for.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"Over at the CS ship we have mentioned the lack of backstory for Neal. I mean we keep learning about Bae but we really haven’t learned about the point that he became Neal yet so that is kind of a giant blank aside from Tallahassee so we don’t know why he seems so different. I think a lot of us wonder, are we going to get that information or not? Because the long I go without it the harder time I have bonding with Neal.
But this was in large part to Neal being the mystery man of S2. They couldn’t give the backstory of Neal because they were building the mystery of just “who the heck is this guy?” and then when it was revealed that he was Baelfire it became all about Tamara working against our guys.
Maybe it is that they are purposely trying to make him very different from all the other characters (as you pointed out with his dress, accent, etc) to make the point that he has spent so much time in the real world?? Maybe that’s why I feel like he doesn’t fit in with the rest of the characters?? Because he DOESN’T fit in with them and isn’t really supposed to fit in with them??
He is very tied to our world. Thus his constant use of “It’s NEAL!” and not Bae. His old life was way to painful. He is a creature of this world but (sorry, but you ARE in the SF thread) just like Emma he can never sever his ties to the other life fully. The exist in both realms. They alone are the original stories being told.
I can see that. I forgot about him always wanting to be called Neal.
I guess that’s why it bugs me so much that I can’t bond with him (and there are MANY CS shippers who feel exactly the same way). We know that he and Emma are basically the core reasons for the curse and the show so we are puzzled as to why we don’t really feel much for Neal when we love Emma (and we love Bae).
I’m hoping that once they have #SavedHenry they can focus more on healing Neal’s relationships, maybe if the show can actually put the focus of the show on him it will help me bond with him.
Ship on, SF friends!
Yes I agree. I see as much of myself in Neal as I do Rumple and my whole fandom thesis is that we like who we like because it’s a move from sympathy to empathy. Once you’ve aligned yourself with a character as more than just “oh I feel sorry for them” but rather “I understand them because in a way I am them” then their struggles becomes your struggles and if they can’t get a happy ending then there is no hope for you. I *need* Neal to get his happily ever after with the woman he has loved for 11 years because it means that just maybe I get one too. Same with my Imp. I need him to realize that someone loves him and will never leave him because I have the exact same problem.
Thanks for sharing. I think that’s true that we as viewers relate most to characters with whom we most can identify. Even though I thankfully grew up with a loving family, I can still relate to Emma, who said in ‘The Price of Gold’:
People are gonna tell you who you are your whole life. You just gotta punch back and say, ‘No, this is who I am.’ You want people to look at you differently? Make them! You want to change things, you’re gonna have to go out there and change them yourself, because there are no fairy godmothers in this world.
I’ve always wanted to be an overcomer and both Emma and Neal represent that story that it is possible to do so. Both characters have had to overcome monumental challenges, and still do, but at least they’re both trying to hold onto hope that maybe they can get a second chance in life. And just maybe, if they persist long enough, they might get a second chance at love. I know people can work through trials and even even be the stronger for it, but first they have to be willing to put in the hard work. I want to see Emma and Neal do the hard thing of seeing if they can work it out, because if so, then they can reap the rewards that come after. Like Snow said, Emma owes it to herself, not just Henry, to see if Neal was alive, because happy endings start with hope.
"That’s how you know you’ve really got a home. When you leave it, there’s this feeling that you can’t shake. You just miss it." Neal Cassidy
I’ve always wanted to be an overcomer and both Emma and Neal represent that story that it is possible to do so. Both characters have had to overcome monumental challenges, and still do, but at least they’re both trying to hold onto hope that maybe they can get a second chance in life. And just maybe, if they persist long enough, they might get a second chance at love. I know people can work through trials and even even be the stronger for it, but first they have to be willing to put in the hard work. I want to see Emma and Neal do the hard thing of seeing if they can work it out, because if so, then they can reap the rewards that come after. Like Snow said, Emma owes it to herself, not just Henry, to see if Neal was alive, because happy endings start with hope.
And thank you for sharing.
SF hugs all around!
Tomorrow is Friday! And then it’s Saturday! And then it’s Sunday! AHHH. 308 is going to be full of the feels
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"That’s how I kind of see it. Neal would be the hard road but produce the greatest harvest, Hook would be the easy way out. With Hook she can run, like Milha did.
"I will be kind but I will speak my mind."
That’s how I kind of see it. Neal would be the hard road but produce the greatest harvest, Hook would be the easy way out. With Hook she can run, like Milha did.
This is something even Pan recognizes when in “Good Form” he tells Hook, “she left him (Henry) once before. And you can be there to pick up the pieces.” Hook is escapism. It’s running from her past and her feelings into something that, as Emma says, feels good. And feeling good is great, but eventually you gotta stop running and face the music. And the music is that she has always loved Neal.
"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"
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