Why is Hook such a divisive character within the fandom?

[PriceofMagic]

I’m not intending for this thread to turn into a shipping war, a Hook love fest or a Hook hate fest, that’s what the CS and SF threads are for. The aim of this thread hopefully is to find out why Hook is such a divisive character in the fandom. This thread welcomes insight from both sides of the argument, both Hook likers and Hook dislikers and also those whose opinion of Hook varies and is somewhere in between. Let’s please keep this thread polite and civil, everyone’s opinion is valid even if they might not agree. Other than that:

Hook is easily the most divisive character within the fandom on Once so far and the question is why? How can one character be so loved by one set of fans yet so equally be despised by another set? Generally, fans leans towards one direction or the other. Characters either prove popular with fans such as Rumple and Regina or really unpopular with fans such as Greg and Tamara. Hook has really split the fandom down the middle.

The CaptainSwanFire triangle played a part in the fandom division, there’s no doubt about that, yet did it actually create the division or only widen the gap that was already there? Shipping two characters together is a process more complex than just sticking two characters together because they look good. The cast of once is ridiculously attractive so any two characters would look good together. First you have to like the characters separately that you want to ship, then you have to weigh up their compatibility and decide whether or not that relationship could actually work if it were to happen. Hook had his fans, Emma had her fans, and Neal had his fans hence why the CS and SF ships were born. However, the problems started to arise when Hook and Neal were pitted against each other as rivals for Emma’s affections. Are both men just a victim of “love rival syndrome” where they would still be despised by the opposing ship’s fans even if they were the most saintly character on the show just because they are the “love rival”? Or do fans of Neal actually not like Hook and vice versa for more than just being the “love rival”?

Leaving the CSF scenario to one side, let’s look at Hook’s introduction onto the show, the time when fans normally decide whether or not they like a character, and his story since he’s been on the show.

Hook was first introduced in the season 2 episode “The Crocodile”. It was a Rumple/RumBelle centric episode. Hook’s main action in this episode was in flashbacks where the rivalry between him and Rumple was set up plus a scene at the end where Hook’s role in the present day action was set up. All throughout season 2, Hook played a villainous role, albeit an ineffectual one, the Flook ship actually became a thing because he spent half his time on the floor. It’s no secret I hated season 2 Hook, I didn’t like him in his first episode where he humiliated a pre-dark one Rumple, I briefly liked Hook in the episode “Tallahassee” with his cheeky persona, but after that episode I started to dislike him again. The moment I really hated Hook with an absolute passion was where he shot Belle over the town line and made her lose her memories. Since RumBelle are my OTP, it was natural that I would hate Hook when he causes them problems. Hook also switched sides many times in season 2 before finally choosing a side in the finale and sailing to Neverland as part of the JR6. Throughout Season 3, Hook worked with the good guys, didn’t switch sides, and didn’t trouble RumBelle. Consequentially, I began to like Hook in season 3 mainly 3B. We shall see how season 4 progresses, though after “The Apprentice” it’s not looking good for me liking Hook.

My point in the above paragraph (I may have rambled a bit) was that I disliked Hook when he was attacking or threatening my favourite characters but liked him or didn’t mind him so much when he wasn’t. How much does Hook’s actions towards certain characters affect how the fandom feels about him? Out of curiosity, I wonder how many Neal fans also identify themselves as Rumple fans? Also how many Hook fans consider themselves Rumple fans or non-fans? Since the Rumple/Hook rivalry came before CS or SF, is it possible that it was not the love triangle that split the fandom apart but the Rumple/Hook rivalry?

[RumplesGirl]

Broad answer: because people’s personal backgrounds, cultures, morals and life experiences shape the way we react to media.

No, seriously. That’s it. You would have to ask every single person to explain why they do like/don’t like Hook or any other character and you wouldn’t really come up with any kind of census.

Some will like Hook because of his story, his looks, his relationships, the actor, and because of about 1000 other reasons.

Some will not like Hook because of his story, his looks, his relationships, the actor, and because of about 1000 other reasons.

There’s no way to boil down all the bits and bobs and reach a “here’s why people like Hook/don’t like Hook” just like there is no way to do it for any other character.

"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"

[PriceofMagic]

It would be interesting to see if there were any particular trends though.

All magic comes with a price!

Keeper of Felix

[RumplesGirl]

It would be interesting to see if there were any particular trends though.

There is: it’s CSF. And more specifically it’s CSF post 315.

I didn’t mind Hook in S2 and parts of early S3, really. He was an interesting villain and I really wanted him to be a player to go up against Rumple because I liked the idea of the “Crocodile” being Rumple; my headcanon was that Rumple and he would come to some sort of understanding because of Nealfire and then Hook would join the police force and be Emma’s second in command and they’d be gritty cop buddies who drank after work but that was it.

But as the season 3 progressed and it became clear that THAT particular storyline was going to pushed to the side and that they were going to be hitting “romancing the Swan” on all angles–not just Hook but Neal and then Walsh–as well, things went south for me and Hook because I have some very big personal reasons for I can’t like him as much as others. He uncomfortably reminds me of someone who messed me up pretty bad and that’s my cross to bear, but I can’t turn off my reactions to him.

"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"

[MatthewPaul]

Honestly, the same question can apply to Neal. Opposing sides of the same coin, if you will. It really goes back to the whole CSF fandom war. With Emma being seen as the main character with a more ambiguous relationship endgame, she is going to have the most shipping related debates. And yes, there are people who have had personal reasons for disliking Neal that have nothing to do with Hook, just as there are people who have reasons for disliking Hook that have nothing to do with Neal.

I would say it’s really CSF throughout all of Season 3 that really fueled the flames, not just post 315. You had the CS flirting in 301 and 302, the CS kiss in 305, the Hook and Neal fighting in 307, and then there was some more tension between Hook and Neal in 310. In Season 2 CS was more so hinted and teased about, particularly in “Tallahassee”, but Hook was more so focused on his revenge against Rumple. Once Hook abandoned his seek for revenge at the end of Season 2, seeing potential in Emma as another light in his life became his new main priority in Season 3. Neal’s death in 315 just put the fandom feud to a boiling point, which the spoiler of doom looming for most of the hiatus only helped build up.

[obisgirl]

I’ve seen this point made on tumblr, where if you love this character on Once, you must hate the other guy. While that might be true for some, I think you can like two opposing characters even though there’s reasons to dislike one over the other.

At one point, I loved Rumple and Hook. Rumple was my first favorite on this show, but I also sympathized with Hook when he first appeared. I still love Hook (especially his current story arc), but I can’t find any sympathy for Rumple this season. His actions frustrate me to no end. His attitude in general is just down right disturbing.

I do think, ultimately whether you love Hook or hate him, comes down to a couple of things: his actions (where the character started), who he’s with currently (Emma) and fan’s personal preference.

Personal preference is very important. Not everyone has the same background and feels the same way about the same character. Some people will naturally gravitate towards certain characters, feel for what they’re going through and not feel something else for a different character.

[surayya]

I dont normally come out into the main threads (because of reasons), but I think POM, you’ve already hit the nail on the head for “most” of the Hook hate within the “fandom”- It requires investment to hate a fictional character for starters (Unless like RG you have outside reasons, which have nothing to do with the character on the show)- I’d wager regular watchers dont have many if any problems with enjoying Hook, Rumple, Regina or whomever each week. Those invested in Rumple, Rumbelle & therefore Neal (because lets face it two thirds of the fandom guessed who Neal was as soon as we saw him & had guessed in S1/201 that Emma & Bae/random dude/Neal = Henry)- through Bae, were already well established fan bases- so ‘many’ (& I DIDNT say ‘All’) of those fans hated Hook straight up no matter what his character, because he was in direct opposition to both. ie. He could have been a Prince/Knight from some far off land, but still going after Rumple- even if it had been for murdering his princess (who wasnt connected to Rumple) & people would still hate him by default, because he’s after their favorite character/s.
I neither loved or hated Rumple (or Neal) tbh (If anything I found his story line & the Rumbelle story line a little repetitive), But I do think most people who tend to ‘love’ Hook, dont tend to see Rumple as a victim of his circumstance.
Other than hate by default because he’s on an opposing ship- which was/is true for many of his haters, I agree with RG- it’s like asking why someones favorite or least favorite colour, painting or music is whatever it is- it comes down to a million different life experiences.
Also I’m pretty sure something like this thread has been done before & the outcome was ridiculously varied, showing by rights everyone should have loved everyone, because there was no rhyme or reason for the preferences when looking generally at basic backgrounds, ages & relationship status lol 😉

[surayya]

Honestly, the same question can apply to Neal. Opposing sides of the same coin, if you will. It really goes back to the whole CSF fandom war. With Emma being seen as the main character with a more ambiguous relationship endgame, she is going to have the most shipping related debates. And yes, there are people who have had personal reasons for disliking Neal that have nothing to do with Hook, just as there are people who have reasons for disliking Hook that have nothing to do with Neal.

I would say it’s really CSF throughout all of Season 3 that really fueled the flames, not just post 315. You had the CS flirting in 301 and 302, the CS kiss in 305, the Hook and Neal fighting in 307, and then there was some more tension between Hook and Neal in 310. In Season 2 CS was more so hinted and teased about, particularly in “Tallahassee”, but Hook was more so focused on his revenge against Rumple. Once Hook abandoned his seek for revenge at the end of Season 2, seeing potential in Emma as another light in his life became his new main priority in Season 3. Neal’s death in 315 just put the fandom feud to a boiling point, which the spoiler of doom looming for most of the hiatus only helped build up.

Yes agreed, very much so.

[Josephine]

I was going to totally ignore this thread.  I see nothing but trouble ahead.  I even typed up my own reasons for disliking Hook that have nothing to do with shipping, and then deleted them because …. well, you all know why I’m reluctant to admit my true feelings.

One thing I would like to say is Hook suffers from the “Blaine Effect”.  Glee fans will know what I’m talking about.  The character Blaine joined Glee in season two and it split the fandom.  Some loved him, others despised him.  He came in and got more songs and more airtime than the original characters who fans had been waiting patiently, or impatiently, to get a front-burner story.  This interloper comes in an steals time and attention.  It really had a striking impact on the fandom.  Ratings eventually dropped off and while it leveled off to a respectable number it never rebounded from it’s previous high ratings.  I see Hook having the same reaction with the Once fandom.  And I’m not the only one  who had made the parallel.  This has been touched on many times in forums and tumblr.

I did save my reasoning that I typed out so maybe I’ll post it at some point, but right now I’ll keep it to myself.

Keeper of Rumplestiltskin's and Neal's spears and war paint and crystal ball.

[RumplesGirl]

I’d wager regular watchers dont have many if any problems with enjoying Hook, Rumple, Regina or whomever each week.

I think this is a broad generalization that we might need to avoid because it suggests that regular viewers are just sponges who will take anything and our numbers don’t lie: viewers are leaving meaning they aren’t okay with everything.

I’ll give some examples as someone who reads every word of this forum. I’ve seen people in CS who mention that their friend/family who is GA doesn’t like Neal (for whatever reason) and they use it as a way to say “see GA’s are rooting for Hook too!” And I’ve seen people in SF do the exact same : “GA friend of mine still believes Neal is coming back and will be with Emma!” The GA do have opinions. My mom and aunt, both who are VERY GA, hate Hook and my mother HATES HATES HATES Regina. But if you were to ask her why she couldn’t really explain her reasoning’s with story, just that she does.

Every character has their mega supporters and their mega detractors. Neal, Rumple, Belle, Henry…all of them. I’m not quite sure I agree that Hook is the most divisive. I actually think that if you were to poll the fandom (online fandom) and ask them to rank their favorite characters, Hook would be near the top. CS is one of the most popular ships in the fleet, I’ve always known that, whether you’re an Emma-Stan or a Hook-stan. It’s that opinions about him, positive or negative, are just really strong. People may not like Belle, for instance, but you don’t have the same kind of vitriol thrown at her (and her supporters).

I agree with Jo that there are more issues here than shipping. There is a recent graph out (to heck if I can find it right now…) that shows screen time for all the characters in terms of mins on screen and yes, Hook is in the “lead” (bad word!! bad word!! sorry). Numbers may be just numbers but it is something people use against not only Hook but A and E. Especially when Belle has 4 mins of screen time and Snow has like 13 (ok, that’s probably due to GG….but you guys get my point). Fans of Hook (and CS) won’t care but for those of us who are not, it does get…weary.

I see nothing but trouble ahead

I won’t lie. My gut reaction was “OMG CLOSE CLOSE CLOSE!!!!” and then a long message to POM asking why she hates my existence. But….this is okay. Just…steady as she goes.

"He was a lot of things to me" "The only conclusion was love"

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