Archie tells Emma about how her walls are down because she has Henry, her family, and Hook now but the bad is coming in with the good, right?
So in the scene of her vision of the future I think she’s fighting herself and they deliberately had those exact people Archie mentioned enter the scene halfway though the fight and watch the struggle – just like Archie’s speech. She’s battled herself, by herself, for so long and now she has these people who love her.
And she says “I won’t let you hurt them” because she’s talking to herself – she doesn’t want to let her fears and walls hurt them but she loses that battle (right now). This is the fight she has to win.
And this is also why in the vision her family is watching her battle the hooded figure but aren’t running to her aid, because at this time she isn’t letting them share the burden with her.
I kind of like the fact that, even though I’m 100% sure that “Oracle” is Jafar, this is exactly how Oracles operated in Greek mythology always, they showed mortals a grim vision from the future, relied on the human’s hubris to try to “correct” it which in turn led to the vision to play out exactly as it had been shown. In this case it’s taken one step further because obviously Jafar has an agenda and will want to manipulate Emma into isolating herself from everyone so her “Savior fate” can play out.
I also don’t trust Archie AT ALL and I’m sure he will only make things worse, but I really hope that it’s true what A&E said in that interview that the “secret” won’t be one for long, and that she will decide to tell everyone soon.
“When I told you I loved you back in Storybrooke, it was because I thought I was never going to see you again.” – the start of the focus on the fact that she can’t say ‘I love you’ in a quiet moment which they had her resolve in the finale.
“And the minute you take away the darkness, that future begins”
And the Promethean Flame lit up immediately which shows that she was telling the truth since that was the entire problem they were trying to fix.
It was only intense because Regina was forcing Emma with the dagger against her will because she’s a horrible person. The flame lit up after Hook talked to her with love and kindness.
I’m guessing whoever wrote this confession wanted it to be something else?
It’s also not just about Emma’s fear of settling down. It’s a fear of what the future holds, it’s a fear of the other shoe dropping, and it’s a fear of letting herself believe she can actually have a happy future because she’d had such a horrible past. Any time Emma has been in a position to believe that something good is finally happening, it gets ripped from her.
She has a family … until she’s three and they return her to the system.
She has a friend … until the friend betrays her.
She has a woman who wants to adopt her and be her family … until the woman holds her in front of a moving car.
She has a boyfriend who promises her home and family … until he doesn’t show up and she ends up in prison.
Her son finds her … and she ends up locked in a battle with a literal fairy tale villain (even if she doesn’t believe so yet).
She finds her family … and then she loses her memory of them.
So now she has home and her family and a guy she loves, and she’s petrified that if she lets herself believe that this is it, this is her happy ending, it’s going to be ripped from her like everything else has.
And you know what? It does. She stops fearing what the future holds … and Killian dies. That’s why Emma was afraid to let herself believe that everything is going to be fine from here on out. (And that’s why the Underworld story was so important in terms of the her development and the development between her and Killian. Because the little girl who lost everything put her foot down and said, “No, you can’t take this from me this time.”)
Sometimes I scroll down my dash and I see Emma gifs from Season 1 and I remember how much I loved her. This tough woman who just couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. The woman who desperately wanted to let love in but kept everyone at arms distance. I see the way she smiles at people like she’s almost sad because she feels like no matter how close she feels the relationship is … it is destined to hurt her …
And I see her determination in Season 2. She has a family, she has an explanation and she has people that need her. But this is all so foreign to her. She wants to belong but she feels like she has to emotionally guard herself. I loved her so much.
A gifset from Season 3 comes up and I see yearning. Not just for the handsome pirate that is slowly earning her trust but also yearning for home. To feel like she is a part of something. The gifs from the Season 3 finale are beautiful because she looks like she is breathing an internal sigh of relief as she realizes that she has found what she has been looking for her whole life. My heart is so happy for her.
Emma in gifs from Season 4 has grown so much but old habits die hard and she can’t help but doubt … and wonder how long before this wonderful life gets ripped away from her. Her magic scares her, so many things that she had held dear are proving to not be what they seemed. She is facing the darkness within herself and struggling to stay on the side of good. Her strength and vulnerability is such an amazing journey to witness.
The darkness that consumes her in Season 5 is both a curse and in many ways a blessing. Emma is free to know what she wants but she no longer has the same moral compass that guided her. She loves without reservation and she has moments of joy that I never saw from her before. She faces the worst parts of herself and passes the test to prove her strength and her love.
Damn, I love this character so much. She has such strength and bravery. She makes mistakes and learns from them. She chooses carefully who to share her heart with. I have loved every version of her that I’ve seen and watching her journey unfold continues to inspire me.
Oddly enough, going back to episode 5×02, and the events that followed this episode in particular sort of explains why the Dark One always asks for a price in exchange for a favor.
The person who asks for the magic is the one who has to pay the price for it, if not, the Dark One is the one who pays it.
And this is exactly what happened to Emma in season 5. Season 5 is the consequence of one action, one selfless act.
Emma decided to bend the rules and save Robin without asking for a price. She said she would pay the price for the magic that she was going to use to save him.
Everything that happened in season 5 can be traced back directly to this 30 seconds dialogue between Emma and Rumple.
I have a question, wouldn’t the price had been repaid when Killian asked Emma to run him through with Excalibur? He chose to die for other reasons too, I know, but wouldn’t that be able to undo the original price, as he gave up his life willingly? And then again in 5×20 when he decided to stay behind, he even says “you should have let me go in Camelot, Emma”, I see it as him sacrificing himself twice so that should have been enough to spare Robin, maybe?
I’m just spitballing here tho, but I have to say that this explanation on the price of magic is very reminiscent to me of several CLAMP stories (mangas and animes, mainly xxxHolic and Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles), there the price of magic is also directly tied with fate, meaning if you refuse to pay it fate will be sure to collect on it whether you want to or not… anyway, really interesting analysis! 🙂
Oddly enough, going back to episode 5×02, and the events that followed this episode in particular sort of explains why the Dark One always asks for a price in exchange for a favor.
The person who asks for the magic is the one who has to pay the price for it, if not, the Dark One is the one who pays it.
And this is exactly what happened to Emma in season 5. Season 5 is the consequence of one action, one selfless act.
Emma decided to bend the rules and save Robin without asking for a price. She said she would pay the price for the magic that she was going to use to save him.
Everything that happened in season 5 can be traced back directly to this 30 seconds dialogue between Emma and Rumple.
I have a question, wouldn’t the price had been repaid when Killian asked Emma to run him through with Excalibur? He chose to die for other reasons too, I know, but wouldn’t that be able to undo the original price, as he gave up his life willingly? And then again in 5×20 when he decided to stay behind, he even says “you should have let me go in Camelot, Emma”, I see it as him sacrificing himself twice so that should have been enough to spare Robin, maybe?
I’m just spitballing here tho, but I have to say that this explanation on the price of magic is very reminiscent to me of several CLAMP stories (mangas and animes, mainly xxxHolic and Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles), there the price of magic is also directly tied with fate, meaning if you refuse to pay it fate will be sure to collect on it whether you want to or not… anyway, really interesting analysis! 🙂
Emma Swan 1000% asked Killian if he wanted to hang out with her at Granny’s. 1000%. No one will convince me that Mr. Killian my-lips-are-curse-gotta-protect-my-Swan Jones asked Emma to chill with a cup of cocoa in Gossip Central Restaurant. Nope. Emma asked him to hang, because she likes spending time with him. And her playful mood and attempts to get him to relax and have fun are proof. #all the feels
My favorite part about this scene is how she is 100% trying to flirt with him and he’s so frustrated by it. He’s like, “Why now, Swan? Why couldn’t you have been this way when I could ENJOY it?”
So Crash Course in Emma Swan here, though she vehemently denies it to anyone who would ask, by this point in the story, she already internally considers herself in a relationship with Killian Jones.
The thing about walls, though, is that they work in both directions. They not only keep people OUT, but they also keep her IN. It takes a lot of effort for her to allow herself to show that side and those feelings because they’re behind a wall, so it’s much easier to be a bit prickly, especially with people (like Captain TLK-I-Will-Win-Your-Heart up there) who she knows won’t be so easily shaken by it.
But earlier that night, Emma walked into Regina’s library and IMMEDIATELY zeroed in on the fact that something was wrong with Killian Jones and that it had to do with her. And from that moment on, her whole demeanor changed. She flirted, and teased, and held his hook, and glanced back to make sure he was following her out (which, bless him, he thought was her scolding him for the hand at her back, the poor darling), and asked him on a hot chocolate research date, and magically invaded his personal space, AND FUCKING GIGGLED.
She made the effort to push through the walls because she thought he might be getting discouraged about their relationship. Progress for Emma comes in bursts because she has to build up energy to get through her own barriers and habits. Kinda like this:
She gets to the same place, and she hits a lot of the same milestones along the way, but because it comes in bursts instead of steady progress, it can even seem like she is actually regressing sometimes.
I’ve kinda gone off on a bit of a tangent here, but I just really wanted to point out how big an effort Emma is actually making here and why, because I think it adds so much depth to their relationship in 3B, and really gives a nuanced perspective about why things were so rocky for so long.
It’s no coincidence that we got the backstories for the two most iconic Emma Swan items – the Yellow Bug and her Red Leather Jacket – in episodes Emma shared with Hook.
Abandonment and guardedness were two issues at the core of Emma Swan’s character when we first met her – especially when it came to romantic love. And the writers have chosen to explain the history of her most iconic imagery, and the emotional issues associated with them, during episodes in which she and Hook went on a journey alone together.
Emma Swan has been guarded with her heart for good reason but slowly we’ve witnessed her letting down her walls with Hook. It’s been a wonderful journey the two of them have experienced over the span of these past three seasons – a journey bookended by Tallahassee and Firebird.
Both episodes involve the two of them on a quest, both end with Emma and Hook parting ways; but her feelings towards him – and towards LOVE – couldn’t be more different in the two episodes:
In Tallahassee Emma left Hook behind because she couldn’t risk her heart.
“I can’t take a chance that I’m wrong about you”
And Firebird she risked her heart because she couldn’t leave Hook behind.
“I’m not sure but who could be? We have to try.”
Emma isn’t afraid any more – not of love, not of the future. That chapter in her life is over. And the change in her character was reflected with a change in her icons:
The Yellow Bug was her home when she didn’t have one – it represented the Tallahassee that never was. But now she has a home in Storybrooke and a house with Killian. And each time she ventures away from it her yellow bug brings her back to the people that love her.
The Red Leather Jacket was her armor when she felt she needed to protect her heart. But Hook told her not to put on that armor again after he was gone – not to guard her heart and fear love just because she lost him. And Emma agreed – she realized that the red leather jacket was no longer armor she would wear to keep love away – but armor she would wear to keep loved ones safe.
Emma is no longer a Lost Girl.
Who would have guessed that falling in love with Captain Hook would be such a big part of her journey?
I know I want her back as well 😦 hiatus sucks, i want her back on my screen. but thank god when ouat gets back we won’t see emotionally broken Emma who’s only wish was not to be alone anymore but instead happy Emma who finally found her place in the world and is surrounded by her loving family, friends, and boyfriend. isnt that right pal? 🙂
because she cant be happy with only her son and family, of course you cant be happy without a man, if you don’t have a man you’re alone
i have literally never said that once in my entire life lmao i said she was alone because she wouldn’t let anyone in and she wouldn’t trust anyone… i wasnt even talking about hook. at all… she made significant strides on her own without him. she literally wished to stop being alone on her birthday?? in s3 she said she still felt like she was an orphan?? youre ignoring canon to argue with me lmao.
Hey, look at that! It’s Emma Swan in “An Untold Story” giving words of wisdom to her son and being so proud of him.
The Emma from Season 1 is still very much the same woman that we see in each and every season. The difference now is that she has a boyfriend that she is madly in love with.
In Season 1 Emma pushed people away. The scene that the OP posted (with gorgeous gifs) is Emma being a good friend when her friend needed someone… the same way she was a good friend to Regina in the S5 finale.
Here she is listening to Regina talk about the way she feels. She’s listening, not judging … just being there for her. I must be missing something because I don’t see the difference in the kind of friend and good person that Emma Swan is over the last few years.
The difference I do see is that now she has someone that she can love without being afraid that he will hurt her or leave her. That they can face any obstacle that is thrown their way and they will overcome it … individually and together.
I’m getting really fed up with this fandom attitude that loving a man makes you weak. That fighting for love makes you weak. It concerns me that so many women seem determined to hate any female character that dares to show emotion, make mistakes, be vulnerable.
Imagine you have a friend who is a single mother, who has had a shitty life and had a shitty ex and a strained relationship with her parents and has had to fight through mile-high walls in letting people in and being vulnerable and open to love in all its forms. Imagine she starts by mending her relationship with her parents, and she starts having friends too and is more open but still guarded about romantic love.
Now imagine she has not only an amazing relationship with her son and her parents, but also healthy friendships, and she is happier than she was at the start but then she finds a man that helps her remove that last wall, that always encourages her, helps her, is by her side when she needs him and is also honest enough to tell her when she’s making mistakes, and she does the same for him; in other words they have a truly equal relationship. And slowly she falls in love with him and then you see her genuinely smile more often, bright, wide, genuine smiles, and it is in huge part because of him but also, you can tell, she is happy because she finally has so many meaningful relationships now, starting with her son, her parents and friends, and now a romantic partner.
Tell me: would you actually dare to tell her, to her face, that she shouldn’t “need” to have her boyfriend in her life? That her son and parents and friends should be enough for her? Would you call her weak and tell her you wish she would go back to be the guarded person she was 5 years ago just because you don’t like her boyfriend? If your answer is yes, well I’m sorry to tell you but you’re a crappy (and quite frankly abusive) friend.
This is just really not a difficult concept: just because you personally feel that you don’t need a boyfriend/romantic relationship to be happy doesn’t mean you get to dictate what other people’s happiness should look like, just because for you “friends and family should be enough” doesn’t mean every other woman in the planet should feel the same. What happened with one of the top feminist tenets of letting women live their lives the way they choose to do it? What gives you the right to judge anyone for wanting to have romantic love in their lives and a partner that makes their happiness complete? What gives you the right to call a woman weak for feeling strong emotions, for embracing those emotions and for fighting for what they want?
If Emma was involved romantically with your fave instead of with Killian and you were presented by this same argument from people who hate your fave you would understandably get angry and jump to Emma’s defense, so again: just admit you hate Killian’s guts and you hate CS because it’s the canon instead of your favored pairing that will only remain in fanon (or in the canon’s past), I assure you life would be so much easier for all of us in fandom that way.
Picking up from the end of “The Dark Swan”, we have a very strong sense of continuity with this episode. Killian remains focused once they enter Camelot. Everyone else appears a little starstruck at meeting Arthur and Guinevere. Emma has gotten over her initial panic at being the Dark One and has perhaps fallen into a false sense of security as a result; she assures Killian that there is no danger right now. Killian seems to be the only member of the visitor group who is on task, and who inquires about the subject of their quest: Merlin.
One of the things I feel this season did very well was to complicate the heroes’ situation beyond any hope of a good solution. In many of these situations, there was no “right” choice. Easy for Merlin to give his warning, but was Emma truly supposed to let Robin die? How were they supposed to get anywhere if Emma wasn’t allowed to use magic at all?
5a is a tragedy, and already in this episode’s flashback I feel like the train is in motion, the conclusion inevitable. Too many things are already wrong; there are too many poisons at work. The visitors have started their mission with a lie (thanks Regina) that will require additional lies as they proceed. The only way forward (magic) is the way they are not allowed to take because of the curse. Justice miscarries into pointless death. Zelena is ever-present, the silent serpent nursing her resentment.
In the moment of crisis, Emma can be persuaded to overlook her own danger. She’s scared, but Clippy knows how to work her – pride, the need to not give in to fear, the need to help others, the lure of power when she has so often been powerless. So her kiss does not quite nothing, but not enough, and she knows it.
Of course, we know from the present time that everything is already lost. Killian is still determined, throwing himself at the problem with the attempt to kiss-break Emma’s curse. Which of course doesn’t work any better than hers did. He’s already running out of options and using forward momentum in place of actual hope.
When I look at events in this season from Emma’s perspective, the S5-finale kiss and ILU does feel more appropriately momentous. It has, at the point of this episode, been two days since she last Killian die, since they came back from Isaac’s world, since everything seemed to be all right. That only lasted a few hours before the Darkness ™ broke free and she was cursed. The curse stands between her and Killian for the entire half season, even before Emma succumbs completely. She knows that; she spends the whole time fighting it, trying to get their connection back, and she is finally in sight of that when she lights the flame – only to lose him almost immediately.
Little wonder that she did what she did, or that a quiet affirmation of their feelings for one another was the note they chose to end on after this season of pain.
EXACTLY. And I was fine with Regina pursuing her Happy Ending, even if I did question her methods. If she wanted her happy ending then more power to her. GET IT GURL.
According to the greater fandom, it’s only Emma who’s not allowed to chase her Happy Ending. Because her True Love must only be Henry. And her time must only be spent securing OTHER people their Happy Endings. If Emma spends one moment concentrating on her own personal happiness than she’s automatically labeled a selfish bitch.
Certain fans accuse the writers of being misogynists and anti-feminist because they say Emma’s storylines only focus on Killian (untrue). According to them, most of her time should be spent with her family and saving Storybrooke. But isn’t pigeonholing Emma into this narrow definition of femininity just as anti-feminist? Having Emma become a slave to Storybrooke and derive her only happiness from family, while ignoring her romantic desires seems just as backward to me.
Not to mention that the whole idea of a woman being there for other people, and always holding herself back and putting everyone else first, is really common and it’s not good. There are far too many women who feel guilty any time they so much as consider their own wants and needs, instead of other people’s. Equal rights are great, but it’s also important that girls learn to claim those rights. Part of being empowered and confident is knowing that you deserve good things, that you can claim them, that you’re not selfish and you don’t have to feel guilty for thinking of your own happiness.
Killian is one of the few characters who consistently gives something back to Emma. He’s not a black hole that she pours attention into. He backs her up, he helps her, he encourages her, etc. He makes her stronger. And yet, wanting him around and fighting for him as he has for her is selfish and terrible. Go back to pouring your attention into people who’ll take it for granted, woman, you have a child to take care of and that should be enough, how dare you want anything more, how dare you want anything for yourself.
That is not femininity. That’s good old patriarchy rearing
its head and guilt-tripping women into staying in their place, and a good woman’s place is as caretaker for everyone else.
Nonsense.
THIS
But the thing here is that when people are only using feminism as an excuse to hate freely with their BUTTHURT SHIPPER goggles on, it’s just inevitable they end up making actual misogynistic statements such as these; which is why I truly wish people would just start feeling free in admitting they hate something on a TV show for no other reason than because they just don’t like it, I promise it would make fandom life easier.
cshappybeginning 