Emma, the orphan, the woman who thought she’d been abandoned by everyone she ever loved, filled with the darkest of darkness, fell victim to its selfishness. She didn’t want to lose another man she loved. She didn’t want to be abandoned again. Thus, Dark Hook was born.
Let’s review:
Emma loved Neal, but Neal left her.
Then, when he finally came back into her life, and she found it within her to forgive him, he was taken from her.
She thought he had died, only to find that he somehow survived. As she was coming to terms with her love for him, and weighing that with her interest in Hook, he died for real. For good. Forever...unless we see him in the underworld, but that’s an idea for another time. Right now, we’re focusing on Emma.
As if losing Neal three times wasn’t bad enough, she lost others in between.
When she first decided to stay in Storybrooke, she decided to try romance again with Graham, Regina’s love slave. Of course, Regina (still evil at that point in time) got jealous and killed him before a solid relationship could develop.
Some argue that August was a love interest, but it could also be argued that Emma only thought of him as a friend. Regardless, he played an important role in her life. In the beginning, he abandoned her to wander through the foster care system alone.
Then, as an adult, whether romantic or platonic, she lost him when he turned to wood.
In a way, she lost him again when he was returned to a child.
While Emma and Henry were living in New York with fake memories, she fell in love with a man (or flying monkey to be precise) named Walsh. When he showed his monstrous side, she was put in a kill or be killed situation. Hence, another love bit the dust.
She told Hook she lost every man she’s ever loved, and that she doesn’t want to lose him too. He convinced her to trust his ability to survive, and was true to his word, until Camelot.
As he lay dying, she decided to take fate into her own hands and save his life by damning his soul. Just as he predicted, though, he was weak. Angry for what she had done to him, he abandoned her for his revenge.
He gave into the darkness, until he had to watch Emma physically suffer in Nimue’s Vader-style death grip. I guess love does conquer all. He turned on the Dark Ones, and sucked them up into Excalibur. He made himself the vessel in Emma’s plan to destroy the darkness. In a nasty bit of irony, Emma had to be the one to kill Hook. Not just let him die, but be the one to drive the sword through his body.
If you feel like the show just can’t go on, don’t fret. Emma’s about to go to hell and back to rescue him from a fate for which she feels at fault. With her family in tow, she sailed off after him quipping Snow and Charming’s iconic phrase, “I will always find you!” The plan? She can bring him back to the world of the living if they share a heart like her mom and dad.
Oh, and Rumple is the Dark One again. Did you flail a “What the...” at your television? Don't worry, you weren't alone. Indeed, he somehow transferred the darkness back to the dagger, which I guess materialized for him when Excalibur as a whole disintegrated from Emma’s grip. So, does that mean Hook died for naught? Does this mean we’re back to ground zero with Rumple and Belle? Why can’t we just let Rumbelle be? Ugh!
What do you think should happen to Rumbelle? Has CaptainSwan gone too far? Did you find it disappointing that Dark Swan wasn’t a little more evil? Do you think Neal will be in the underworld? What about Graham and Walsh for that matter? Will Hook get to see Milah? Share your thoughts and feelings in the comment section below.