Will Hook Tell Emma?

[Slurpeez]

I agree with Stelio, that Hook will tell. This is exactly the mistake Hook made with Bae. He didn’t tell Bae that he knew who he was, that his mother Milah CHOSE to run away with him, and that he had at first sworn vengeance on the Dark One for her death, until he met Bae. So then it blew up in his face when Bae found the drawing (and I still think Smee put it there! I’ll keep suggesting seaky mutineer Smee, the dirty rat! It is traditional for Smee to mutiny, and I still wonder where Hook’s crew went….but I digress). Point is, Hook will have no character growth if he doesn’t do the honorable thing and tell, and really, even that aside, why shouldn’t he? He’s a man who likes to fight for what he wants, thinks highly enough of his appeal so would he even consider it a risk? I don’t think so.

I totally agree that it’s in Hook’s interests to be the one to tell Emma. Yet, the writers have to draw out this inner conflict raging in Hook for at least one more episode before Emma finds out. Hook obviously struggles to fully reveal himself to Emma. He never told her about Milha being Bae’s mother, for example, or about letting young Bae go in NL. Hook hasn’t been forthcoming about David’s struggles (I blame David for that though), and neither has Hook revealed anything about how he was previously an employee of Peter Pan! How much does Hook know about PP and the island that he’s held back on (like the fountain of youth up until five episodes in)? But Hook being the one to help save Neal would be fully poetic in the sense that he let Bae go the first time. I hope he continues to have real character growth.

[Phee]

I agree with Stelio, that Hook will tell. This is exactly the mistake Hook made with Bae. He didn’t tell Bae that he knew who he was, that his mother Milah CHOSE to run away with him, and that he had at first sworn vengeance on the Dark One for her death, until he met Bae. So then it blew up in his face when Bae found the drawing (and I still think Smee put it there! I’ll keep suggesting seaky mutineer Smee, the dirty rat! It is traditional for Smee to mutiny, and I still wonder where Hook’s crew went….but I digress). Point is, Hook will have no character growth if he doesn’t do the honorable thing and tell, and really, even that aside, why shouldn’t he? He’s a man who likes to fight for what he wants, thinks highly enough of his appeal so would he even consider it a risk? I don’t think so.

I think he may consider it a risk, because he knows that Emma does actually love Neal, and they have a history together. Hook’s own relationship with Emma isn’t that deep and lasting yet. Emma told him the kiss was a one time thing. So if she suddenly knows that Neal is alive, I think Hook is smart enough to know that there’s a real chance she’d go back to him.

I do think he’ll tell though, at least I hope he does, because like you said, character development, and he’s been in a similar situation before, that also involved Neal and the keeping of secrets, so as a Hooker, I wanna see him not repeat that same mistake again.

All in all, I loved how this ep showed the different aspects of Hook’s character overlapping each other. He lied to Charming…so he could save his life…partly because of his own experience of losing his brother…but also partly to get in Emma’s good graces. Doing the right thing, but for selfish reasons. And it ended with him being presented with this information, and now he’s in a situation where he has to choose if he wants to do the right thing, or the selfish thing.

[thelonebamf]

I agree that this is going to drawn out for maximum drama, but if I was writing I would create a situation that satisfied both sides. Hook will decide to tell- after struggling with it for a long time (thereby satisfying the need to have him be, at his core, an honorable man) but Emma will not find out from him. Before he is able to reach her (in my theoretical scenario they are split up while he comes to this decision) and talk to her, she’ll find out on her own, possibly from Pan or someone else. This still allows her to be angry and keep more internal drama running.

"Nothing is easier than to denounce the evildoer; nothing is more difficult than to understand him."

[Hook’s Girl]

It’s also possible that Hook does tell Emma sooner rather then later, but when he tells her that the information comes from Pan, she may not believe him. Thinking that it’s another trick.

Nothing is impossible on OUAT. Everything has a way of repeating itself. Keeper of the Keeper tread: https://oncepodcast.com/forums/topic/official-keeper-thread-3/#post-217924

[kfchimera]

Oh Diabolical, thelonebamf! Have you been studying with Pan? I could totally see Pan doing that, he is one sneaky glorious villain.

“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

[Phee]

Hook hasn’t been forthcoming about David’s struggles (I blame David for that though),

When Charming was telling them all the bogus story of how he nearly died, I wondered if he had an ulterior motive. On the one hand, he was covering his own arse because he didn’t want Snow and Emma to know he’d been keeping a secret from them. But as an added bonus, Hook is now forced to not be completely honest with Emma, which could eat away at him and come between him and Emma, and Charming doesn’t want Hook getting with Emma. Will be interesting to see if the truth about Charming’s poisoning comes out, too, and if so, will Hook be the one to reveal it.

[Killian Jones]

I think he may consider it a risk, because he knows that Emma does actually love Neal, and they have a history together. Hook’s own relationship with Emma isn’t that deep and lasting yet. Emma told him the kiss was a one time thing. So if she suddenly knows that Neal is alive, I think Hook is smart enough to know that there’s a real chance she’d go back to him. I do think he’ll tell though, at least I hope he does, because like you said, character development, and he’s been in a similar situation before, that also involved Neal and the keeping of secrets, so as a Hooker, I wanna see him not repeat that same mistake again. All in all, I loved how this ep showed the different aspects of Hook’s character overlapping each other. He lied to Charming…so he could save his life…partly because of his own experience of losing his brother…but also partly to get in Emma’s good graces. Doing the right thing, but for selfish reasons. And it ended with him being presented with this information, and now he’s in a situation where he has to choose if he wants to do the right thing, or the selfish thing.

He’s in between a rock and a hard place, if he tells her she could just fall right back into Neal’s arms. If he doesn’t it will get back to her and she’ll end up back with Neal and looking worse for not telling. Neal’s alive he has to deal with that if he wants to be with Emma the only way is to win her over despite Neal’s presence which is a long shot but really short of  taking Pan’s deal or rather a derivative of it it’s his only shot.

 

 

 

[Slurpeez]

This dilemma is not purely about Hook and his affection for Emma; it’s also about Hook regarding Baelfire as Milha’s boy who was almost like a son to him at one point. Hook owes it not just to Emma, but to Bae, and to himself to do the right thing. The last time Hook was in NL with Bae, he let him leave his ship (though it was Bae’s decision), so it’d be fitting for Hook to also help rescue Neal this time around. That would show real  character growth.  Hook said in 2×22, “The things we do for our children” and Neal is the closet Hook has ever come to having a son  of his own (that we know of anyway).

"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

[Killian Jones]

This dilemma is not purely about Hook and his affection for Emma; it’s also about Hook regarding Baelfire as Milha’s boy who was almost like a son to him at one point. Hook owes it not just to Emma, but to Bae, and to himself to do the right thing. The last time Hook was in NL with Bae, he let him leave his ship (though it was Bae’s decision), so it’d be fitting for Hook to also help rescue Neal this time around. That would show real, lasting character growth. Neal said in 2×22, “The things we do for our children” and Neal is the closet Hook has ever come to having a son of his own (that we know of anyway).

 

That’s also true the guy is just conflicted from all sides lol

[thelonebamf]

You’re absolutely right slurpeez. I think that this episode set up Hook’s personal crisis. Just like Pan started toying with Emma and baiting her in regards to being an orphan, he has begun to wreak havoc on Hook’s self image. This story sets up the idea that even in becoming a pirate, Hook has a moral code and a sense of honor (even if it is honor among thieves).

I think Pan’s offer of letting Hook… swan off, was practically a bluff. I mean, Pan knows there’s no way Emma would leave without Henry, and killing Charming wasn’t really beneficial to Hook at all. I think Pan made the offer just to set Hook up to “succeed”, so that he would be at the top of the world just so Pan could knock him down with the knowledge of Bael’s survival. This is yet another seed of distrust he’s planting in the group.

But back to the original topic, I think that Bael/Hook’s relationship will definitely come in to play, as will the history between Hook and Mila. Something along the lines of, “I once separated a woman from her family, and it nearly destroyed her, I’ll not do the same again.” This could just as easily couple with the sentiment of not wanting to do to Bael what he did to his father. There’s also something to be said for the fallout of having done so- and what it did to Hook by setting him on a path of revenge.

"Nothing is easier than to denounce the evildoer; nothing is more difficult than to understand him."

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