Emma + Baelfire = Swanfire

Even though Bae let Emma go so she could save her family from the curse, he has always regretted doing so. Bae made up for that by self-sacrifically saving Emma and kept his son from being an orphan. Baelfire first apologized to Emma for letting her go to jail and then for not searching for her. He’d believed she never would have forgiven him, but then she did just that. Emma confessed her love to Neal and said she needed him. Bae then declared his undying love for Emma and then he sacrificed himself for her and Henry. So, they are each other’s true love and now they’re physically separated from one another. Do you think Baelfire will survive? Will Emma and Henry find their way back to Baelfire? Are Emma and Baelfire meant to be? My own thoughts are yes to all three questions.

Fan Videos:

SwanFire/Snowing Parallels:

Both couples, Emma/Neal and Snow/Charming meet while stealing from each other. Bandit Snow steals a ring from Prince Charming, which parallels how Emma stole Neal’s already stolen car. Prince Charming sarcastically says, “How dare I cast dispersions at the person who robbed me?” and Neal calls Emma a
Both couples broke up for reasons beyond their control. King George threatened to kill Prince Charming if Snow White got in his way, so she made Charming believe she didn’t love him when she really did. Likewise, August told Neal that Emma had a destiny as a savior and that Neal would get in the way of Emma breaking the curse if he didn’t leave her. So, Neal made Emma believe that he no longer loved her by taking off without a word
Both Emma and Prince Charming were devastated to think Neal and Snow, respectively, no longer cared for them. Snow White had to convince Prince Charming not to come after her, since his life would be at risk, so she had to break his heart. Likewise, Neal had to convince Emma not to come after him, because he would have prevented her from being the Savior, so he had to break her heart
Both Snow White and Neal tried their best to lose themselves after breaking up with Prince Charming and Emma, respectively. Snow White drank a vial of potion to forget Prince Charming. Neal told August that he tried to lose himself. We don’t know exactly what that means exactly, since we don’t yet know what Neal was doing in Canada. Yet, neither Snow White nor Neal were able to forget their loved ones, Charming and Emma, respectively.
Both Prince Charming and Neal were willing to die for their families. Prince Charming took an arrow so that Snow White wouldn’t lose her heart. He has repeatedly defended her from harm on the battlefield and against Regina. Prince Charming was willing to die to protect baby Emma. Likewise, Baelfire/Neal sacrificed himself for the Darlings, whom he considered to be like family. Neal also sacrificed for Emma by letting go so that she could raise their son Henry.
Both Prince Charming and Emma are excellent at finding their families. Prince Charming’s motto to Snow is that he’ll always find her and he always does. After Emma got out of jail, we know she spent two years in Tallahassee, presumably looking for Neal. A person doesn’t spend two years of her life searching for someone unless she really loves him, in my opinion. Also, Emma fulfilled her deal with Rumplestiltskin by finding his son, who happened to be Neal. I’ll also add that Henry is excellent at finding people, too, since he found his biological mom and by consequence, his dad. Henry is clearly the child of Neal and Emma.
Both Prince Charming and Neal had fake relationships that kept them from Snow and Emma, respectively. With Charming/David was engaged/married to Abigail/Kathryn due to King George’s thereat and then the curse, which kept him from being able to be with Snow White. Likewise, Neal had a fiancee who only pretended to love him while she was cheating on him and secretly plotting to destroy his family, all the while keeping Neal and Emma apart. Both of these cases, Charming/Snow and Neal/Emma were unwitting victims of the fake relationship drama.
Both Prince Charming/Snow White and Neal/Emma have been separated across worlds from one another. In season 2, Prince Charming and Snow White were separated in different worlds, he in SB and Snow in the EF. Likewise, Emma is now in NL and Neal is now in EF. But just as Snow White fought to get back to Prince Charming, so too will Neal “fight like he!!” (according to MRJ) to get back to Emma. He moves heaven and earth to get to her and Henry.
I’m going to add the fact that A&E seem to have given fate/destiny a helping hand when it comes to both Snowing and Swanfire. In the case of Snowing, Rumple was plotting for them to get together so that the curse would be cast and Emma, the savior, would be born of True Love. Even though Rumple helped Charming and Snow along the way, he didn’t make them fall in love and neither did he make Emma the product of true love. Likewise, I’m going to add that I believe Peter Pan plotted that Neal/Baelfire and Emma would meet at an appointed time to conceive Henry, the boy of prophesy whom Peter Pan has designs on. We don’t yet know for sure if Henry was born of true love like his mom was but there is a spoiler which could hint at this. In 3×1, when Emma gives birth to Henry, the lights flickered off and on, indicating he might have magic. It is a clear parallel to when Emma first arrived in SB and blew a fuse on a street lamp when she slammed the door to her car (the same car that Emma and Neal called home and in which they likely conceived Henry).
In 3×4, Emma told her parents that she never stopped loving Neal. Snow White herself drew the parallel that the way Emma feels about Neal is the same way Snow feels about David. Both Emma and Snow really love Neal and Charming, respectively. Snow said she wouldn’t be able to move on if she lost David, just as Emma wouldn’t be able to move on from losing Neal.
In 3×6, Snow told her daughter to believe that Neal could be alive because all happy endings start with hope. Snow said that Emma owed it to herself to find out the truth. Snow has always had hope that she and David would be together again after the curse ended. Likewise, in 3×6, Snow encouraged Ariel to do the hard thing and tell Eric the truth about being a mermaid because “love is so worth it.” In 3×10, Snow again encouraged her daughter to meet Neal for lunch because Emma owed it to herself to see what might come of it. Emma said she couldn’t think about herself after what Henry had just gone through, and Charming said “Now who does she remind me of?” Charming was referring to a time when Snow didn’t want to think about her own happiness or starting a family with Charming because she was worried about Regina’s revenge. Snow told Emma she used to think the same way. Likewise, Charming encouraged his daughter to meet up with Neal, because life is about looking for the good moments even amongst the bad moments. Charming encouraged Emma to meet Neal to find out if it could be a good moment.

Swanfire/Rumbelle parallels:

The first parallel is the one RG pointed out about the significance of talismans across worlds: the chipped cup for Rumbelle and the swan pendant/yellow bug/dream catcher/sword for Swanfire .
Both Rumple and Neal had to live with the regret on a daily basis regarding the fate of the women they loved, Belle and Emma, respectively, for years. Where they differ is that Rumple drove away Belle for the sake of keeping his power while Neal let Emma go so she could reverse the curse his father had created.
Both Belle and Emma saved their people by being brave and doing the brave thing. Both went up against “monsters” to win the fight: Belle tamed a beast and Emma slew a dragon
Both Neal and Rumple realize that love is a like a flicker of light amidst an ocean of darkness. Neal has experienced nothing but loss and sorrow ever since his mother left him and his father let him go. For the first time since Bae left the Darlings, Emma represented the home in that yellow bug which stood out against all the pain he’d lived with for over a century in NL. Rumple lives an even darker and lonelier existence than anyone, because his dark one curse keeps his heart ensnared. Belle is the one person whose love and patience was able to momentarily allow Rumple to overcome his despair and gloom. The beast allowed himself to be undone by this beautiful and kindhearted woman.
Both Rumbelle and Swanfire loved each other despite the odds against them. Rumple’s dark curse stood in the way of true love, or so he believed, until their mutual love overpowered his hideous dark one curse that enslaved him. Even if it was just a brief flicker of hope, it showed that their love would set him free, if only he allows it. With Emma and Neal, they found each other in a world that wasn’t their own in a most unexpected way. Emma, the savior of the curse, fell in love with Baelfire, the reason for the curse. The thing that stood in their way was the curse itself, which could only be broken by a sacrifice of love. Nevertheless, Emma found Neal again to learn that after all the hurt, their mutual love continued on.
Both Rumple and Neal have experienced a fear of rejection, largely because of how their own relationship as father and son deteriorated when Rumple let go of Bae. Rumple knows his cowardice is to blame to letting go of his son, but he also might have thought Bae wanting to go meant that Rumple was unloveable. Both before and after the curse, Rumple saw his wife and then his son leave. By the time Belle came along, Rumple really felt that no one could ever love him, which is the root of his rejecting Belle’s freely given love. With Neal, his father letting him go and choosing power over him is that root of Neal’s abandonment issues. Neal has daily lived with the reoccurring nightmare of going through that portal. After Neal had to let Emma go to fulfill her destiny as the savior, Neal’s own issues of fear of rejection hindered him from seeking out Emma. Neal had so much anger towards his own father for letting go of him that he believed Emma would carry nothing but anger towards him for letting her go.
Belle and Emma both have an enormous ability to forgive the men they love, Rumple and Neal, respectively. Even after spending 30+ years as Regina’s prisoner, Belle doesn’t hold a grudge against Rumple for driving her away because of his fear of rejection. What does she do? She tries even harder and tells him that once you find something worth fighting for you never give up. With Emma, she loved Neal enough to search for him for two years in Tallahassee, even though at the time she believed he’d set her up just to take the fall for the watches he’d stolen. Emma searched for the man who’d broken her heart. While Emma did become hardened after her hopes were dashed and she buried her feeling of hurt in order to survive, Emma never lost that love for Neal. And when Neal explained he did it so she could fulfill her destiny and that he regretted it every day of his life, what happened? Emma’s walls came crashing down when she realized she was losing the love of her life again and she declared her love for him again. Emma never stopped loving him, and that love could be enough to overcome past hurt. Now Neal won’t stop fighting to get back Emma, the woman he loves.
Belle (222) “The future isn’t always what it seems. I will see you again.” Neal (311) “This isn’t over. I’ll see both of you again.”
Right when Rumple/Emma thought they’d never ever see their loved ones again, it was Belle/Neal who gave them hope. And all happy endings start with hope.

Eriel/Swanfire parallels:

In 3×6, Ariel was afraid to tell Eric the truth that she’s a mermaid because she was afraid he’d reject her. This parallels Neal’s fear of rejection and Emma’s fear of getting hurt again.</li>
<li>Both Ariel and Emma confided in Snow White that they’ve never stopped loving their respective men, Eric and Neal. Snow White is a confidant and a friend to both women. Also, if there is one thing Snow White is basically an expert in, it’s intuitively understanding other people’s feelings and also True Love. Snow has a lifetime of losing and finding Charming to know what it’s like.
In 3×6, Snow told Ariel to “do the hard thing” about opening oneself up to love, because “it’s so worth the risk.” Likewise, Snow challenged Emma that she owes it to herself to have hope Neal could still be alive, because “happy endings start with hope” and Emma “deserves a happy ending.” Later in 3×10, Snow and Charming again challenged Emma to meet Neal for lunch, again because Emma owes it to herself to see if doing so would be a happy moment for her.
Ariel chose to save her friend, Snow White, ahead of her own desire for a happy ending with Eric, just as Emma chose to put Henry first ahead of her own desire for a happy ending, which could possibly be with Neal.
Ariel and Eric spent 30+ years alone thinking they’d never get a second chance to be together. They were separated across worlds, Ariel in NL, and Eric in SB. Likewise, Emma and Neal spent 11 years alone thinking  they’d never get a second chance with one another. Later, Emma and Neal were separated across worlds when he fell through a portal to EF and she was in NL. Now they’re serrated again with Emma being in NYC and Neal being in the EF.
Ariel finally got a second chance to tell Eric the truth, to do the hard thing, and her patience was rewarded with the kiss from Eric she’d been waiting for for 3 decades. Emma confronted Neal with the hard truth that she she’s always loved and probably always will, but right now, she’s afraid of losing him again. Emma and Neal’s story is still on hold, but she was about to do the hard thing of having lunch with him, of seeing what future possibly could exist for them, up until the dark curse separated them again.

Cylice/SF parallels

Both couples are symbolized by a necklace
Both couples consider each other “home” and “family”
Alice and Emma both thought their male counterparts were dead at one point.
Alice and Emma never felt like they had a family until they met Cyrus/Neal
Emma broke into Neals’ “home” (the car) and Alice broke into Cyrus’s “home” (the bottle)
Both Cyrus and Neal were encouraged to leave Alice/Emma “for her own good.” But Cyrus stayed with Alice because Alice had no family or home outside of him; Neal helped Emma find her home and family by letting her go to break the dark curse.
Both Neal and Cyrus were kept from their respective loves by being kept in a cage.

Alice kept the necklace that Cyrus gave her to feel connected to him just as Emma kept the necklace that Neal gave her as a reminder of him.
Both Emma and Alice longed for the time when they can settle down away from the crazy and just have their happily ever after
Both Alice and Neal refuse to have their happy ending at the expense of others. Neal let Emma go in order to break the curse and save SB; Alice refuses to leave WL to Jafar and his plan.</li>

Swanfire and ScarletQueen parallels:

Both Emma and Will were in love with Neal and Ana when Emma/Will felt betrayed by Neal/Ana, respectively
Both Neal and Ana were manipulated by other people, August and Cora, respectively, not to contact their beloveds, Emma and Will, respectively
Both Neal and Ana spent years regretting ever hurting the ones they loved.
Both Neal and Ana tried to make it up to Emma and Will, respectively, by fighting for the ones they loved.
<Both Neal and Ana told Emma and Will, respectively, that they wanted them to be happy, even if it weren’t with them
Neal said to Emma, “almost home.” Will said to Ana, “almost there.”
Both Neal and Anastasia died trying to protect the ones they loves, Emma and Will, respectively.
Anastasia was resurrected because “it wasn’t her time” according to the guardian of fate. Neal, however, remains dead in the preset day
It’s like Poetry

The Pro SwanFire Master Post

I’ve seen a lot of people feeling down about Emma/Neal lately and what’s to come this season, so I decided to compile a list of quotes from the writers as well as Jen and Michael that will hopefully bring back some faith. Stay positive guys! 🙂 Special thanks to Aria and Ali for all of their help!

Feelings For Each Other

“I think what we love so much about Emma and Bae,is that they’re two people who grew up in similar ways without a family and with walls around their hearts and soI think they were each other’s loves and for us what’s interesting is why did they move on? What happened? And what happens nowand tomorrow’s definitely going to be a part of all that.”- Eddy

“We also see what Neal saw in August’s box, it was very simple and very elegant. So was it really fate that Emma and Neal met?” – Estelle
“Yeah.” – Adam
“Seems like it.” – Eddy
“Yeah, it is you know as kind of hinted that in the episode, there is an element to fate and destiny and that that is what we’re seeing transpired in these stories and we’ve seen characters who are fighting against and then coming to terms with those very issues.” – Adam (from the Manhattan podcast)

“Neal is always going to have feelings for Emma, no matter what. Those feelings can’t be put in a jar and set aside, you’re always carrying them with you. Neal is, anyway. As far as reconciliation between the two of them, there’s work that obviously needs to be done. In this week’s episode, you’re going to see them begin to scratch the surface of the unfinished business they have. Some of the things that haven’t yet been said we start to dance around.” – Michael

“It’s obvious she still holds a torch for Neal; it’s obvious that he still has feelings for her.” – Eddy

“Emma really doesn’t care about Neal’s fiancee or is she just hiding her jealousy behind that wall.”
”She looked to me like she cared a lot.” – Jane Espenson

“Even though Emma’s saying she doesn’t care for him, you see that glimpse of, ‘Oh, I really don’t want to hear about this guy having someone he’s in love with.’” – Jennifer

”In the short-term, as glimpsed in these pics? A bit of side-by-side sword-brandishing. But as for them reconnecting in more intimate ways, “It’s hard for Emma,” says cocreator Eddy Kitsis. “Their dream was Tallahassee, to just go and get regular jobs — and now he’s doing that with [fiancée Tamara]. And since Emma’s the kind of character who has a wall up around her heart, I’m not sure she wants to admit it hurts her, but we’re definitely going to see that it does. And it affects him because we know that he didn’t want to leave her. He’s in love with her. What happened [in “Manhattan”] is a situation that neither of them ever thought would happen, so now what do you do? That’s what a lot of the rest of the season’s about.”- Ausiello

(about Rumbelle being the only couple to always be separated/other couples need to be separated too) “We’ve separated snow and charming multiple times. And Neal and Emma multiple times.” – Adam

“And he does of course love her.” – Eddy (from the Manhattan podcast)

“I think it is really sad, because we understand that Emma loves Neal, but she’s never going to let her guard down again. And what’s sad is that Neal clearly really loves Emma, but gave up on getting her back and that’s what’s the tragedy of their relationship, you know. They’re two people who were going to grow up without parents, that were trying to find their home together and what was so sad is that Emma realized that he did find it, but just not with her.” – Eddy (from The Queen Is Dead podcast)

(about not buying that Emma is in love with Neal) “Love is complicated and doesn’t just disappear. But, yes, they have issues.” – Adam

“There’s just numerous layers to Neal and Emma’s relationship.” – Jennifer

“And, I love the Emma/Neal relationship. The reason for the curse falling for the one who broke it is poetry, sir.”
“Thanks. That’s what we were going for.” – Adam

“I can say, from Neal’s perspective, that he feels Emma is his one true love.” – Michael

Second Star To The Right

(about Emma saying “I love you” to Neal before he falls through the portal) “I wasn’t expecting it but I thought it was perfect. When the stakes are so high the truth tends to come out.” – Jennifer

“Bae really is a hero to me. He asked the blue fairy to help him save his dad, saved Wendy’s brothers from the shadow, left Emma for her destiny even when he loved her, and then he fought his fiance only to be sucked into another portal.” – Estelle
“And the more she tells Neal ‘It was ten years ago, I’ve moved on,’ we know she hasn’t, we know it’s hard for her to live Tallahassee with someone else. Neal has always regretted that day as he actually says out loud. So for us it’s how do two people who love each other come together when there’s so much hurt?” – Eddy (from the Second Star To The Right podcast)

“I think there’s no question that Emma is the absolutely love of Neal’s life. Whether or not that means anything is not for me to say. But when Neal lets her hand go, he knows he’s letting go of the woman he loves.” – Michael

“What was so heartbreaking about Tamara, he felt it was real, he thought he had found it, he had moved on, and I think secretly he’s always wanted to be with Emma, but never thought that was an option. I think he knew Emma well enough that it would be really hard to get her to forgive him. So he moved on, and then to find out that was wrong.” – Eddy (from the Second Star To The Right podcast)

“I am really secretly glad they finally admitted their love, even if it was like right before the moment he was ripped away.” – Estelle
“Seeing Emma say I love you to somebody is very powerful and to see that connection between the two of them was very powerful.” Eddy
“Even if it had to come at the most tragic moment in his life.” – Adam (from the Second Star To The Right podcast)

“So what’s your favorite scene from this episode?” – Estelle
“For me, it was watching Emma lose Neal. As heartbreaking as it is, it was so emotional, and so gut-wrenching, and they both played it so great, but to be at that moment that you can admit those feelings are still there, but then to lose the person you love, I mean there’s nothing that’s more heartbreaking than that.” – Adam (from the Second Star To The Right podcast)

Neal Isn’t Such A Bad Guy

(about Emma being underage when she and Neal were together/it being rape) “Your math is a bit off.” – Adam

(about Neal setting Emma up for jail) “He didn’t set her up for jail. That’s Not what happened” – Adam

“Neal never sent her to jail. Not what happened. And MRJ understands his character better than anyone.” – Adam

“We haven’t shown that yet, but he didn’t call the cops. He just did what august said — leave her to be savior.” – Adam

“Does Neal’s optimism play into his reluctance to see Tamara for who she really is?”
“Absolutely. It absolutely has to do with that. It also has to do with the eye sees what it wants to see. In this case, Neal is absolutely — he believes that there’s no way a second betrayal on the level of what happened with his dad could be on deck. He has been so completely fooled by — he can’t wrap his brain around that being a possibility. I think that sort of the eternal optimist, a street-wise optimist, but at the same time deeply wounded in things like love that he can’t — there’s no way it’s possible. It couldn’t happen again. That’s where Neal is coming from.” – Michael

“For us we loved that Neal came back for Emma. It showed his love for her.” – Eddy (from the Manhattan commentary)

“Whether he was protecting Emma’s destiny or not, do you think that Neal still harbors some guilt about what happened all those years ago?”
“I am glad you asked that. Yes. I think he does, but Neal feels that he really didn’t have a choice in the mater. It was a matter of her fulfilling her destiny and for the greater good. I mean, we’re talking about her saving a town full of people that I grew up with, people from Fairytale Land, so these aren’t total strangers where I can be like, “Screw them. This is about me and my love.”So, in Neal’s mind he was sort of jumping on the grenade for the greater good. But of course there’s guilt. Of course there’s pain for having inflicted pain on someone you care about. I don’t know how you get beyond that.” – Michael

“When you really love somebody, you just want to be with them. And to have to deny that is hard to yourself, and it’s also hard because he knew he was going to break her heart. So the fact that he would add to the pain that he was trying to take away is really hard to live with. He understands that this destiny is important for her, and he can’t be in the way, and that is, that is really a self sacrifice that I think he regrets everyday.” – Adam and Eddy

(about Neal leaving Emma and not searching for her) “First of all he DID search for her. We explored why he stopped.” – Adam

(about how Neal could’ve stayed with Emma and fought with her) “If he did, terrible things would’ve happened.” – Adam

“I knew something terrible was coming. I didn’t know what, but I knew something terrible was coming. I was actually more surprised that his decision was justified. I kept waiting for him to be a bad guy, and then I was sort of pleasantly surprised that his decision was actually made with good intentions, even though it ended up being very painful for Emma.” – Jennifer

“Everybody can make mistakes…. As David said ‘We are both. The good and the bad.’” – Josh

Kindred Spirits

“They were definitely kindred spirits. There was a reason that she was so drawn to him and him to her. They had to survive to make life OK. There’s an interesting parallel for them that they both are on their own in this world and have had to find inventive ways to make life OK.” – Jennifer

“She’s actually met a kindred spirit because he’s also stealing the car. What they knew at a young age, was the simple things were the important things. Being with each other, being in love, and finding a place to be together. They just wanted to love their lives and find a family, and wanted to be together.” – Adam (from The Price Of Magic special)

“He meets Emma, and here’s this kindred spirit, looking for the same sort of things. We fall deeply in love, and I start to scratch that itch again for the first time in a hundred years, at least.” – Michael

How The Cast Feels About Emma and Neal

“Emma has to end up with Henry’s real dad.” – Jared

“Snow likes her with Bae because snow’s experiences with Hook have not thus far instilled trust.” – Ginny

(about which couple she likes besides Rumbelle) “Emma and Neal” – Emilie

“Well my sister ships #SwanThief but I am good with however it works out, although I do think my dad is pretty cool.” – Jared

(about who he ships Emma with) “Maybe #swanthief he likes Neal” – Josh

“I love Emma and Bae.” – Ginny

“I can’t help it, but I love Emma/Neal.” – Keegan

Going Into Season 3

“I did not promote a triangle at CC. I can’t control questions asked. But I didn’t spoil anything.” – Adam

(about promoting Hook/Emma) “When? Not true. We have spoiled nothing about hook and Emma or Emma and anyone.” – Adam

(about promoting Hook/Emma and not giving hope to Emma/Neal fans) “Not what we said! Emma may be w/hook on boat but that has no reflection on possibility of ending up with Neal or someone else!” – Adam

(about Adam only being concerned about Hook/Emma fans and not other fans) “I want swanfire fans happy too!” – Adam

“Emma is not on the Jolly Roger thinking about romance. She’s not. She’s there to save her son.” – Jennifer (SDCC 2013)

(about a possible Mulan/Neal pairing) “Watch it! That’s my baby’s daddy your’e talking about!” – Jennifer

“It’s fun for us to have Emma on that ship with someone as handsome as Hook thinking the person she truly loves is dead, while he’s trying to get back to her.” – Eddy

“The last thing I saw Neal do was look up at the woman he’s loved for ten years and say ‘I love you too’, and right now, I mean, I can’t imagine he doesn’t want to get back to her and his son.” – Adam

“Neal’s gonna attempt at least to move heaven and **** and if there’s a captain in the way as well, so be it.” – Michael

(about romance for the season being heavily promoted) “We love the network, but promotion is their job, making the show is ours. Two different things.” – Adam

“Neal, recovering from his wounds, travels through the Enchanted Forest with Mulan in an attempt to learn the fates of Emma and Henry.” – The Heart Of The Truest Believer Synopsis

(about how it “seems the show will only be on Hook and Emma”) “wrong” – Adam

(about the Hook and Emma promo pics as headliner and being disappointed) “Just one scene. More to come.” – Adam

“We pick up with Neal right where we left him, which is with Aurora, Mulan and Phillip. And he’s got a big problem, which is he is as far away from his family as he’s ever been.” – Adam

(about Hook and Emma being promoted in an article by Eddy) “All he said was he had his sights on her. Which we already saw last year. The rest is YOUR conjecture.” – Adam

“Emma and Neal have scenes together.” – Adam

(about what he was spoiling saying they have scenes together, someone assuming Neal gets to Neverland) “Or a flashback… or dream… or illusion… or 2nd half of season… there are oh so many options. Not a spoiler.” – Adam

“Why did Neal end up at the Enchanted Forest? He tells us.” – hypable

“Emma goes on a journey of self-discovery.” – hypable

“The whole ‘ship thing is an awesome thing fans bring to the experience of watching a show, but the story we’re telling encompasses the relationships between all the characters — and the bigger emotional story as well.” Although Kitsis adds, “They think Neal’s dead, and Hook is a man who obviously likes ladies. And as we saw last year when they climbed the beanstalk, Emma has captured his heart a little bit, but Neal is fighting like **** to get a second chance with her … although Emma is focused on Henry [and] her heart has been broken too many times to worry about dating right now. But we’ll see, she’s got two handsome guys!” – Eddy

“Speaking of Neal… Someone calls him out for taking the “easy way” rather than facing his feelings for Emma. He ends up in a few locations we’ve seen before on the show, including a potentially surprising one.” – ksitetv

“The season premiere opens with a flashback to 11 years ago, during which Emma faces an emotionally conflicting moment that showcases some of Jennifer Morrison’s best work on the series.” – tvline

(about if there’s hope for Neal and Emma) “There’s always hope! Especially because Neal is willing to do absolutely anything to get back to the woman he loves. And by anything, we mean embracing the one thing in his life that he has always tried to stay away from. Bonus Scoop: Hearing Neal explain to Mulan (Jamie Chung) how much he cares about Emma will tug on your SwanFire-loving heartstrings.” – eonline

“Neal’s initial mission is clear: he wants to travel to his father’s castle in order to find a magical item to contact Emma. Mulan will accompany him and they’ll stumble across Robin Hood. Will he be able to reach Emma? Let’s just say that some blood magic might help him along.” – screenfad

“You’ve got Emma grieving Bae, though of course we know that he’s alive.” – Eddy

“We pick up Neal right where we left him in the finale, which is with Aurora, Mulan and Philip, and he’s got a big problem, which is he is as far away from his family as he’s ever been. How is he going to get back? He doesn’t know what’s happened. Last thing he knows, Tamara was shooting him in a boiler room!” – Adam

“Besides the whole Emma thinks he’s dead, do Neal and Emma still have things to work out?”
“Yes. Plenty.” – Michael

“Do you think Neal will ever fall in love with someone else the same way he fell for Emma?”
“Doubt it.” – Michael

“Any chance to a relationship happens between Neal and Mulan?”
“Right now Neal pretty focused on getting Henry/Emma back.” – Michael

“How do you think Emma and Neal’s reunion will go?”
“Tough to say. She still thinks I’m dead. So there’s that little obstacle.” – Michael

“Come **** or high water, Neal is going to get back to Neverland.” – Eddy

“There’s a bit more of a wrinkle to their story that we’ll delve into in Episode 3.” – Adam

“Is Emma even thinking about romance? Captain Hook may be flirty and rather charming to some, but fresh off Neal’s “death” and with son Henry missing, Emma’s not looking for a Hook-up. Just yet. “Right now, Emma is focused on getting Henry,” says Kitsis. Besides, “She’s not someone who lets her walls down – her heart’s been broken too many times to be worried about ‘dating’ right now.” – Yahoo

“Logically she believes that Neal is dead, for good reason. But also emotionally she has to believe he’s dead because she’s already been through so much loss with him that I don’t think her heart could take hoping that he was still alive and in that situation. She’s pushed to the limit already so she has to believe that he’s dead for emotional and logical reasons.” – Jennifer

“Neal is under no illusions that things between he and the woman that he loves are perfect. I think, now more than ever, he realizes that there’s work to be done and is prepared to do whatever work is necessary, because I’ve had an opportunity to sort of touch what Neal feels could be his happy ending, but I haven’t been able to grasp it yet. It was a fleeting sort of instant. So he’s trying to get back there and whatever he needs to do in order to have that I think he’s willing to do.” -Michael

Regardless of Hook’s pull towards Emma, Neal’s presence is never far from their minds. “I think the relationship that they have is sort of complicated, because they both care deeply for Baelfire/Neal. Emma loves him, you know, and Hook was willing to give up everything to become his stepfather.” – Colin

“Neal obviouslyhas some experience in Neverland and it’s not a great neighborhood, but he knows how to operate there. Should he find himself in Neverland, those skills could be useful in terms of fighting the good fight, finding the solution.” – Michael

“I have a really complicated and messy history with magic. That being said, if it can help me achieve the goals… This is 300 years in the making, to finally have a place where I feel like I belong, a sense of family that I haven’t had since I was 13. That’s the paramount thing. And if I have to utilize some magic along the way, that may have to be done.” – Michael

(on if we’ll see the swan necklace again) “Depends on if Neal finds his way to Emma again or not.” – Jennifer

(about if Neal kept the swan necklace) “I am guessing he did.” – Jennifer

(about if Emma would want to slap or kiss Neal if she finds him) “funny! probably secretly both.” – Jennifer

(on what Emma feels for Hook) “It’s complicated because hook reminds her of Neal.” – Jennifer

“If and when Neal and Emma find each other again, it’s not as simple as running into each other’s arms. There is a very complicated history between those two.”

“There are the things you say to somebody as they are about to die and fall through a portal, and there are the things you say when things have calmed down and you actually have a chance to talk.”
“And you have to realize what really came before in that relationship, and all that stuff will have to be dealt with.”
“Yeah it doesn’t eliminate 10 years of her being heartbroken over him, and feeling like he rejected her. Not just reject her, but left her to be, or set her up to be, arrested. All the things that she thought happened are deeply, deeply wounding. And so even though she now knows that they’re not true, she spent ten years believing them, so she has to sort of re-understand her own history a little bit.”
“Neverland, because it’s a place where you don’t grow old, it kind of forces you to confront your past and I think you’re going to see in these episodes in Neverland that all the characters are going to have to confront your past.” – NYCC Panel

(to Emma/Neal fans) “Hope!” – Adam

(about Neal and Emma) “They have big scenes coming up.” – Adam

“I think so. I hope so. I mean we’re already at episode 10 and there’s not been another flashback of Emma. So, ya know, I don’t know when or how. I know pieces of information come out in conversations with Neal because he has spent time with her. But he’s really the only person that any kind of information about her can come out because he’s the only person that’s spent time with her in the past. So we’ll see. I hope so.” – Jennifer

“[Neal was] willing to move heaven and **** to get back to Storybrooke where I thought they were, and now I discover that the stakes are even higher; that they’re in this really tough neighborhood. And I also have some experience there. I know how to operate a little bit in Neverland. It’s my son. And it’s the woman that I love. And I can’t sit idly by. I need to get there. One of the things about this show, is that once one problem is solved, it leads to seven more problems that you weren’t even aware of. So, there’s no shortage of obstacles.” – Michael

“Look. I don’t think Neal is under any kind of illusions that there isn’t work to be done between he and Emma, and that he doesn’t have a lot of work to do to get to where he wants to be, in terms of their relationship. He’s not expecting her to just be waiting around, pining.” -Michael

“I think that’s his journey. Since he was a little boy at age 13 and his father let him go down the portal, he’s been kind of a loner, and had to make himself a life in these strange worlds, but he never fit in to any place. So that’s always been his thing; to try to cobble together a sense of family, a sense of belonging, a sense of ‘this is where I’m supposed to be in the world.’ Ever since then. And as such, following one’s heart in that way, there’s gonna be missteps along the way, but I think at this moment, he’s never had the kind of clarity that he has right now. Being a father is the most important thing to him, and just having been able to admit these feelings to the woman that I love, and have them reciprocated… it gives a laser sense of clarity. For the first time, he really knows exactly where he needs to go and what he needs to do to get there. He hasn’t had that before. He’s always been drifting, trying to make a life.” – Michael

“There is a point at which Emma’s truth about both Neal and Hook have to be made public .. You can imagine a million ways in which it will happen, and you will not imagine the way it will happen.” – Jennifer

“It just heightens the dynamic of everything going on that Hook is the one that’s helping her right now, and Hook is the one that’s present, and he’s the one who’s surprising her by following through with what he promises to do, and seems to be doing this very selflessly instead of selfishly. She’s definitely taken aback by how different he is than what she expected and definitely still thinks that Neal’s dead, but in her mind, all of its irrelevant because she’s just trying to get to Henry.” – Jennifer

“I think she relates to Hook and is devastated that Neal is dead and is mostly concerned about Henry.” – Jennifer

“Neal still has Emma’s swan necklace and he’ll give it to her soon, right? I need this.”
“We’ll see.” – Michael

“With David healed, Regina attempts to track down a mermaid that could tell them Pan’s weakness. Emma realizes that Neal is alive. Back in fairytale land that was, the Evil Queen tries to locate Ariel who could tell her how to kill Snow White.” – Wiki “Ariel” Episode Description

(about rumple/belle and neal/emma being separated again) “But they all have hope.” – Adam

“In the very next episode (2×06, Ariel), airing this Sunday, you’ll get a surprising development on the Emma/Neal front. Whether it’s a “good” development… well, you’ll have to wait and see.” -TVLine

“I love what [executive producers] Adam [Horowitz] and Eddy [Kitsis] did with her for that because I think it’s a very human reaction to him being back. You can fantasize that someone will say, ‘Oh, I love you, it’s great, it’s wonderful, it’s all fine now.’ But in reality, she spent 10 years thinking that he not only abandoned her in some way, but it seemed like he maliciously set her up. Ten years is a long time to suffer through that belief. Also, he found out that the curse was broken and could have come after her and still didn’t, so that’s the second betrayal she’s aware of. There’s so much for them to work through and so much that hasn’t been dealt with. There’s a tremendous amount of baggage there.” – Jennifer

“We’re both aware that there’s work to be done. But there’s also the mission that needs to be accomplished. That supersedes everything.” – Michael

“But there could be jealousy in store once Neal does find out about Hook’s true feelings for Emma.”
“No one wants to hear that. But listen, I don’t own Emma, and she doesn’t owe me anything. There’s not really time to process all of it because there’s so much happening.” – Michael

“Neal is also somebody who’s looking for a second chance himself with Emma, the woman he loves.” – Michael

With Henry’s life now on the line more than ever, Emma will be squarely focused on the dire present, with no thought given to her romantic future. Hook and Neal, meanwhile — sharing as they do a quite complicated past of their own – will arrive at some sort of agreement in the Dec. 8 episode. “You’ll see how they’re going to deal with each other and with Emma in, I think, a surprising way.” – Eddy

(about Neal and Emma possibly beng separated again) “#notwhatyouthink” – Adam

(about spoiler pictures of Emma/Hook hugging) “That is REALLY not what you think.” – Adam

(about the pictures of Emma/Hook hugging) “yes! No context for that! You have no idea what that means. If anything!” – Adam

(about Neal and Emma/Neal for the second half of the season) “Hope!” – Adam

“Neal sending Emma to jail comes up again and is dealt with.” – Adam

”She’s still on guard and doesn’t feel like she has the luxury of letting her guard down to be thinking about Neal or anyone beyond that.” – Jennifer

“Because it is such a welcome return to Storybrooke, that’s what allows the next set of events to kick off. We are back and we are elated and feel the job is done and it’s time to celebrate. We didn’t see things that we could’ve seen. We may have let our guard down a little bit because we feel we’ve won.” – Michael

“”[When] all these terrible things start to happen in town, we realize that something’s off, that we must not have captured Pan or somehow he’s controlling things from the box.” – Jennifer

Going into the second half of season 3

“Me and @jenmorrisonlive are huddled around a space heater at work like a couple of hobo’s around a campfire.” – Michael

The midseason finale closed with Emma and Henry — one year after being sapped of their Storybrooke memories — being visited in New York City by a strange man wearing guyliner and way too much leather. And when he went in for True Love’s Kiss, Emma was having none of it. “Emma’s not easily charmed by him in the real world. I’ll just say that!” – Eddy
Though Regina gifted Emma and Henry with new, “good” memories in which the incarcerated beauty had never given her boy up for adoption, Henry’s paternity remains intact. That said, any eventual reunion won’t necessarily be a joyful one.
“In Emma’s current mind. the last time she saw Neal, that guy f—-ing let her go to jail. She doesn’t have the benefit of re-meeting him in New York.” – Eddy

Why did Hook, and not Neal, come for Emma in New York City?
“There’s a very good reason why Neal didn’t come.” – Eddy

“Perhaps Henry’s pop is counted among the “family” Hook arrived to report was “in trouble”?” – tvline

“The good news is that Neal is resolved to reunite with Emma, some way, somehow. The bad news is that his baby momma’s parents don’t immediately agree with his agenda, since they know that Emma is now living in NYC, partially oblivious yet unarguably happy with son Henry. As Josh Dallas explained to MM on the set, “When we get back to fairytale land, Neal is determined to go find Emma, but Charming and Snow just want their daughter to be happy. So they try to say, ‘Look, this is where we live now. This is what we have and that [other realm] is where she and Henry are. We have to let them go.’” But will Neal listen?” – tvline

“Belle and Neal have an important exchange about Rumple. Snow, Charming, and Neal also share a moment over losing Emma and Henry.” – give me my remote

“With Hook in NYC with Emma and Neal, well, not, don’t be surprised if the self-professed ‘scoundrel’ doesn’t take this opportunity as a way to worm his way into Miss Swan’s good graces. But, knowing Neal, I wouldn’t count him out just yet.” – tvfanatic

At the end of Once Upon a Time’s midseason finale, why did Emma end up in New York City, Neal’s recent home, rather than Boston, her most recent place of residence outside of Storybrooke?
“Hook happens to raise that very issue in the March 9 midseason premiere – and Emma does have an explanation.” -tvline

Emma finds the dreamcatcher again – New York City Serenade Promo

Does Hook give Neal’s address to Emma? – x[/quote]

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Here is that special short from A&E:

Once Upon a Time – Who is Baelfire?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9KzRHkVP-c

Also, I recommend the official ABC podcasts for “Broken,” “Tallahassee,” “Manhattan,” and “Second Start to the Right” to get Adam and Eddy’s take on Neal.

Plus, MRJ has given several excellent interviews about Neal/Baelfire.

Once Upon a Fan – A Drifter’s Dream (interview with MRJ) (April 2013)

Entertainment Tonight – Interview with MRJ (May 2013)

TV Line – Interview with MRJ (May 2013)

Buddy TV – Interview with MRJ (May 2013)

Hollywood Reporter – Interview with MRJ (May 2013)

Entertainment Weekly – Interview with MRJ (May 2013)

Hit-Fix – Interview with MRJ (May 2013)

Examiner – Interview with MRJ (Oct. 2013)

KSiteTV – Interview with MRJ (Oct. 2013)

TV Guide – Interview with MRJ and Robert Carlyle (Nov. 2013)

 

Neal + Emma…

The Lost boy and The lost girl

The “car thief” and “pervert”

Her person and His I don’t know

The Savior and the Reason

The son of the Spinner and The daughter of a Shepard.

Son of the Dark One and Daughter of True Love

The Thief and the Princess

The Swan and the Fire

 

here’s the thing about swanfire and character development.

for emma, neal (in her life in any capacity) is the hard choice. because hard choices and nuanced, complex, emotionally difficult relationships don’t always come wrapped in leather and soaked in a hero/villian dichotomy. sometimes it’s knowing that if you’re capable of love and being loved so much, you’re capable of the opposite as well. sometimes it’s knowing that love doesn’t protect you from crappy things happening, that sometimes love can take away pain, but sometimes love and pain coexist.

emma puts up walls to keep herself from getting hurt. it’s one of the first things we learn about emma swan. she’s been so hurt by not having people there— her parents, neal, having to give up henry— that it’s easier to just not let them in anymore. emma’s season 1 arc culminated in her fully accepting her role in henry’s life— going from barely being able to call him by name in the pilot to an i love you, and i think her overall emotional arc is similar— it’s Emma Swan Learns to Deal With Her Crap.

Emma loves Neal. Emma will probably always love Neal. Emma was scared by the fact that not only did she never stop loving him, but he never stopped loving her, and they still went through all this crap. That hurts and it’s scary and him being back in her life means she can’t shut down as the past. For Emma, being able to reconcile the relationship they had, the hurt they went through, and any current relationship— friendship, romantic, even strictly co-parenting— means taking down those walls and dealing with things. That’s not a thing that’s easy, but it’s something I think is the cornerstone of Emma’s development in every major relationship in her life.

for neal, emma’s a gamechanger. emma’s the thing in his life that makes him want to tear down the lesson we saw him learn as baelfire: you can create all the connections you want, but ultimately, you’re going to be alone.

neal is very, very, very resilient. his father becomes this monster, he finds a way out of it. his father abandons him and he’s left alone on the streets, he’s taken in by the darlings and is able to consider them family. he leaves the darlings to protect their family, is taken in by Hook and is eventually able to trust him as a father figure. He’s turned over to the lost boys by Hook, and he manages to hold on to enough hope to find a way out of Neverland. He finds Emma and plans to make a home with her, and surprise, she’s got to break a curse that’ll lead her to the family she’s always been looking for—her real home.

and this is what breaks him. the next time he attempts to move on, with tamara, it’s not the same type of moving on— he hurt emma, he lost that connection, he doesn’t get it back, it’s stupid to think he could want it back. i do think he thought he could have some kind of a good life with her, but i think it was a result of a much more jaded form of resilience.

3A broke that down. Neal opened s3 with the determination to get back to the family he should have had. and he closed it losing them again. But this time he says it’s not over. I’ll see you both again. And I think ultimately, that’s what his arc is about—learning to be 14 year old Baelfire fighting to stay with his family again.

tl;dr, but for me this is why it works narratively— because they’re ultimately built into each other’s arcs and their relationship is based on actual, mutual, simultaneous character development.

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(edited for language issues)