Killian Jones/Captain Hook: One Handed Pirate With A Drinking Problem

[Camera One]

When Hook asked Arthur to move on with him, for a moment, it was like he was asking Arthur to move in with him.  Big step.

The adventure was fun, but the whole love thy murderer went a tad too far.

Edited May 10, 2016 by Camera One

[Rumsy4]

What do you mean? They put each other first! Stubble Sandwich is True Love!!!

[InsertWordHere]

25 minutes ago, Camera One said:

The adventure was fun, but the whole love thy murderer went a tad too far.

Well, they did save each other at great risk to their own well being. By this show's standards, it's True Love!

I'm honestly okay with the CS TL test now. I never needed the gods or a kiss to declare them True Love, Emma and Hook worked together across realms to stop a god and save the Underworld just so the other could be okay with the loss of their love and keep their promises to each other and both knew the other succeeded without needing confirmation. That's True Love.

I think it needed to be Arthur who Hook helped precisely because he was Hook's murderer (and it also was a great little bonus that he was a corrupt king and Hook has always fought against corrupt kings). Here was Hook putting aside any idea of revenge, something that his been his weakness since day one (although it's almost never been revenge for something that was done to him until his Dark One turn against Emma), something that we were recently reminded of when he went over the top Dark One and immediately did all he could to get to Rumple, and then they reminded us some more in the flashbacks that showed Hook killing his father so he could get his revenge. And it wasn't just that Arthur murdered him, Arthur tried to enslave Emma, Arthur captured the whole group and tried to kill them, he brought Merida into their lives (forget I said that), and interfered in Hook's bromance with Charming. These are things that would trigger Hook's vengeance receptors (okay, so maybe not the Charming thing) (or the Merida thing, I guess).

Gaston went after Rumple in an attempt to move on. Cruella punched Emma and was going to throw her in the River. James tried to kill Charming and kidnapped a baby. Hook, the master of vengeance himself, invited his murderer on a quest which caused him to become the Once and Future King of the Underworld. Not bad.

[YaddaYadda]

I really love this, because on many levels, it felt like the quest with Arthur was Hook's final test of worthiness, whether he was worth giving a second chance at life. So they put in front of him someone he has every reason in the world to hate.

And it happens after he expressed not feeling worthy of being saved in 5x15 because of his actions as the Dark One, because of how vengeance clouded/colored everything for him. He said he fell into head first. And it would have been so easy for him to let Arthur be dragged into the River of Lost Souls (and Arthur told him to let it happen) because he owed him nothing, and because Arthur is the one who destroyed the future Hook and Emma wanted. 

Character development I'm here for.

And Hook's character development this season has been pretty amazing. 

It's funny that Hook managed to give Arthur something Merlin was never really able to. Arthur looked so much happier after they successfully completed the quest, and it was the first time since he found the broken sword that he was truly genuine.

Hook succeeded with Arthur where Merlin failed, and that's saying something.

Edited May 10, 2016 by YaddaYadda

[Camera One]

Hook was also a realist and said the episode before that no one changes that fast (Hades).  I am glad Hook is now over revenge, but there's no need to become all buddy buddy with your murderer, especially when Arthur never directly apologized and had a lot to repent.  But hey, what else is new.

[mjgchick]

I don't think he was buddy buddy with him as more he was greatful Arthur helped him help Emma. 

[YaddaYadda]

18 minutes ago, Camera One said:

Hook was also a realist and said the episode before that no one changes that fast (Hades).  I am glad Hook is now over revenge, but there's no need to become all buddy buddy with your murderer, especially when Arthur never directly apologized and had a lot to repent.  But hey, what else is new.

I don't know if he was buddy buddy with him, but this show doesn't take into account characters that turn other people's lives into a mess. On some level though, Hook has been where Arthur was, one was guided by vengeance,  the other one by half-baked prophecies that drove him to the brink of insanity. Hook had a lot to make up for to even come to the point where he saw himself as other than a villain. And even with that, he still didn't see it. 

I think the way they parted with the hand shake was nice because Hook wouldn't have succeeded without Arthur's help especially when they got to the River of Souls. That was clearly a 2 people job. In the end, I think what mattered to Hook was that Hades be defeated, and everyone be safe, and Arthur was there.

I actually liked seeing Arthur evolve, and have this new found respect towards both Hook and Emma. The end the writers gave him certainly beats the original one in 5x11 where he was leaving Storybrooke in shackles (and it certainly beats what Robin got).

[KAOS Agent]

I think the point of Hook being okay trusting Arthur so quickly is because Hades was part of Arthur's unfinished business. Unlike other characters where Hook questions their actions/motives, he knew that Arthur wanted to get out of the Underworld too and he wouldn't have any motivation to screw Hook over. By helping Hook, Arthur was taking down his own murderer and perhaps finding a way to move on. That Arthur seemed to have a core of honor to him (a bit like Villain!Hook) helped with the two getting along and working together. I never saw them as buddies so much as reluctant allies who gained some respect for each other during their quest.

[Rumsy4]

David Hoflin (Zeus), or potentially having a scene with Hook (before the episode aired) (X).

Quote

There was talk of it, but #colinodonoghue was so damn charming I passed out.

Too funny, as that was his only scene. hehe

[Rumsy4]

I felt really bad that Killian had ask Emma if she was still feeling guilty that he was alive. Because that was how she was behaving. She was cringing and acting like a reprimanded child. After a whole season of separation and angst, we get Emma behaving like her early S4 self. Wonderful. 

[OnceUponAJen]

At least she didn't tell Hook she wished he was dead. /Neal

[RadioGirl27]

After the step backwards CS took last night, I guess the poor guy is back living at Granny's or the Jolly Roger.

[Souris]

Frozen reunion! Colin hanging out with Scott Michael Foster & Georgina Haig's hubby.

[ABitOFluff]

Looks like they had a lot of fun. Whatever they were doing.

[Souris]

Colin's movie has wrapped.

[legaleagle53]

There's a new Hook action figure out -- complete with attachments!  http://iconheroes.com/products/once-upon-a-time-hook-6-scale-action-figure-available-december-2016?variant=19852619585

[legaleagle53]

So, does anyone picture the wrath of Hook while reading about Tropical Storm Colin?

[Shanna Marie]

21 minutes ago, legaleagle53 said:

So, does anyone picture the wrath of Hook while reading about Tropical Storm Colin?

Since the storm is Colin and not Killian, I've been picturing the arrival of a guy who's shy but still charming and who'll have made lifelong friends with everyone he encounters.

[Dianthus]

He really enjoys sporting events, too, especially footie.

[Rumsy4]

Could you guys link me any of Colin's videos where he sings solo? Fic-research. :-p 

ETA: Nm, I went with this song. :-)

Edited June 9, 2016 by Rumsy4

[Shanna Marie]

I can't believe it took me this long to make this connection, but could Hook's tendency to use loaded dice to make sure he doesn't lose stem from that big loss to Captain Silver? If he'd ever lost in a big way that was almost catastrophic, especially if there was a chance the other person was cheating, then he'd have reason to make sure he never lost again.

[Curio]

1 hour ago, Shanna Marie said:

I can't believe it took me this long to make this connection, but could Hook's tendency to use loaded dice to make sure he doesn't lose stem from that big loss to Captain Silver? If he'd ever lost in a big way that was almost catastrophic, especially if there was a chance the other person was cheating, then he'd have reason to make sure he never lost again.

I mentioned the connection in the episode thread when it first aired, but it didn't really catch on in the conversation. I absolutely agree that's why he has the loaded dice, and it also goes along with his comment about getting other people (i.e. sailors) drunk. I think it's also significant that he was teaching Henry—a young boy much like Hook was supposed to be in the flashback—that dice trick in Season 3. It's almost like he wanted to teach Henry that lesson at a young age so he wouldn't be naïve and fall into the same trap young Killian did back with Captain Silver.

Edited June 19, 2016 by Curio

[Shanna Marie]

I suspect that it's mostly a happy accident, as they didn't think of that portion of Hook's backstory until they needed it for the plot of the later episode, and given their track record on continuity, I doubt they thought back to Hook's loaded dice in writing it. But we can read it that way and it all fits together. It's the usual idiot savant writing.

[KingOfHearts]

It's funny how much the Captain Silver episode told us about Killian's life, yet it really wasn't about him at all.

Edited June 19, 2016 by KingOfHearts

[Curio]

Which is why it still upsets me they spent so much time on Liam in that episode. Granted, it was good to see more of Killian interacting with his brother, but I've been waiting years for a flashback to this point in Killian's life. I guess we still have time to see Killian training in the Royal Navy and learning fencing and taking navigation classes, but they would probably deem that "too boring" unless some random villain du jour was the main focus of the flashback instead.

Edited June 19, 2016 by Curio

[YaddaYadda]

I posted this is in the All Seasons Thread, I think.

I think the best thing that would have happened would have been to do the Liam flashback with Killian in 5x11. They could have kept most of the story but removed Hades. The Jones Brothers are still enslaved on the ship, Liam wants them to join the navy because there is honor in that, but Killian has been at this for a while, and he has no hope that things will change, Liam should have been the one to ask Killian "what kind of man do you want to be?", not someone who sold him to be used and abused by a bunch of adult males.

As viewers, we could have assumed that the reason Liam and Killian were in that situation was because the ship they were on was boarded, and everyone on it taken as hostage/slave. 

5x15 should have been the episode with his father where we would have found out the real story, and they can keep the whole patricide in it if they wanted to. Hook needed more closure with his father than he needed with his brother.

And those episodes would have truly been about Hook as opposed to shoving in the Evil Queen in one flashback even though she didn't belong in it, and Liam in 5x15, and destroying a character that was just fine (although I really just can't with Liam and have been hoping for a long time that those two are not blood related).

[Camera One]

I like Liam, but I think what you suggested would have been so much better.  Too bad all A&E care about are the surprise twists, since no one could have predicted Brennan had a TLK from his nurse and remained alive for centuries, or Liam would turn out to be a mass murderer.

Edited June 19, 2016 by Camera One

[YaddaYadda]

Quote

I like Liam

I don't even think it's Liam, I think it's the actor I don't like. He was okay in Good Form, but I thought he was pretty terrible in 5x15. 

Quote

since no one could have predicted Brennan had a TLK from his nurse and remained alive for centuries

Seasn 5 completely cheapened the TLK. Between him and his nurse falling in love while he was essentially in a very deep coma, Zelena/Hades, and Ruby/Dorothy. I'll be happy to never hear of it, see it again.

[YaddaYadda]

23 minutes ago, Rumsy4 said:

I think the "good" was Emma finally voicing what she had realized for some time--that Hook was the one she had chosen. In a way, this was like any other of Emma's about-to-die I Love Yous. I also can't help thinking that, on some level, Emma was hoping to motivate Hook to do the impossible and find her and Henry and reunite them all. Hook took that and ran with it. 

This is from the episode thread, 3x11, Going Home.

Emma sort of receives a lot of flack for this, where she says she loves someone when she's about to lose them. She called Snow and David "mom" and "dad" when she thought they were all going to die back in season 2, and she told Neal she loved him when he was falling through the portal, and she did the same with Hook multiple times.

But Hook is really just as bad as she is. I know he goes to her own pace with the relationship, but he finally told Emma he loved her in 5x07 when he was scared something would happen to her. And even then, it wasn't a straight I love you (just like 4x15). The first time he says those words ILY, it's when he is the Dark One, and even then, it was after she told him that she loved him. 

It's kind of an interesting dynamic.

[Kktjones]

I just saw a really interesting post from someone that was in the Meet & Greet with Colin this weekend. He spoke about the elevator scene in 5x20 where he and Emma say goodbye. I loved hearing about his thought process and how they made the scene come to life. It sounds like he was left to decide how to approach the character in terms of staying strong/stoic and shedding tears. It shows that the writers/directors trust the actors to understand their characters and make these types of decisions. I thought he played this perfectly and the fact that its the only time we've seen Hook cry really added to the emotional intensity.

[Curio]

See, that's the kind of convention anecdote I want to read about...not, "If you could switch places with any character who would it be and what's your favorite color?"

[YaddaYadda]

5 minutes ago, Curio said:

See, that's the kind of convention anecdote I want to read about...not, "If you could switch places with any character who would it be and what's your favorite color?"

Or what socks are you wearing today, which doesn't border on creepy at all. 

[Rumsy4]

16 minutes ago, Kktjones said:

I just saw a really interesting post from someone that was in the Meet & Greet with Colin this weekend. He spoke about the elevator scene in 5x20 where he and Emma say goodbye. I loved hearing about his thought process and how they made the scene come to life. It sounds like he was left to decide how to approach the character in terms of staying strong/stoic and shedding tears. It shows that the writers/directors trust the actors to understand their characters and make these types of decisions. I thought he played this perfectly and the fact that its the only time we've seen Hook cry really added to the emotional intensity.

This is the kind of insight into the acting craft that fascinates me. I really wish more people would ask such questions about whether CS had coffee together or how it was like kissing Jen (yes--both were asked at the con). I also like his answer about the eye-contact thing that Hook does. 

[Shanna Marie]

The eye contact thing (can you imagine being in that person's shoes when he demonstrated it?) makes me think of something that was brought up in the fandom thread about whether people would still like Hook and not think of him as a villain if he looked like the Dustin Hoffman Hook (trust me, I'll get to the connection eventually). I think that's basically a weak argument because you can't swap out an entirely different person and expect people not to react differently. For one thing, Hoffman was mid-50s at that time, as opposed to Colin's early-mid 30s, and you have different expectations for people of those ages. Neverland isn't exactly a place where you gain maturity, but if Hook had been growing and aging for 20 additional years, you'd expect him to behave differently. Would the character of Once Hook, who prefers sleek black leather, wear the long, curly wig and lacy shirt? He'd have to be a different person to change his wardrobe that drastically, and being that different a person would certainly change fans' reactions to him.

But as for whether our Hook would be appealing if he weren't so good-looking, if we'd hold him more accountable for his actions, I suppose it depends on the viewer. There's a speech that Amy makes in an episode of Doctor Who in which she talks about meeting someone at a party and thinking he's good-looking, but after you talk to him you don't find him attractive, but then there are also people you meet and think "eh, not bad," but then after you get to know them, you see them as beautiful, and that can work. That long eye-contact thing Hook does that makes the person he's talking to seem like the most important person in the world could still work from a less attractive man and make him seem more attractive. He has the snarky lines that speak the truth. There's the self-awareness, where he's the first one to admit what an awful person he's been, and his earnest desire to be better, no matter what that costs him. I think that would make him come across as attractive.

I don't really excuse some of his behavior, especially after he came to Storybrooke, because of his looks so much as I do because I can kind of relate. What he ran into at first makes me think of dealing with girl bullies at school. Girls don't do the obvious physical intimidation. They do power and isolation. They get people to want to be friends with them, and they present a Little Miss Perfect face to adults, so that their targets have no recourse. The people they thought were their friends won't stand up for them, either out of fear or a desire to be favored by the bullies, and adults won't believe what's going on. In a way, Hook's experiences in Storybrooke made me think of that, where he was the victim. He was wronged by Rumple. And yet all of these people who are supposedly heroes and good guys were siding with Rumple, even when they knew what Rumple had done to him. Belle learned about Milah and then watched Rumple nearly beat Hook to death, but she stood by Rumple. Emma knew what Rumple had done, but Hook was the one handcuffed to a hospital bed while Rumple was free. There was no justice. It reminded me so much of the frustration from being tormented and not being able to do anything about it while the people I thought would take my side and stand up for me supported my tormentor. Understanding him doesn't make me excuse the things he did, but it makes me understand the impulse behind it. Then not only could I relate, but I had to be impressed when he let it go because I understand how hard that can be. He was able to realize that he couldn't change things, and all he was doing was making himself miserable and making people hate him, so he made his peace with the situation, and that's when I started finding Hook to be truly attractive. He stopped going after vengeance of his own accord, not because he was forced to or guilted into it. People still didn't like him, and he still didn't have anyone pulling for him. And he moved forward with his life rather than being stuck in the past. That's what allows me to move past his bad deeds and look at who he is now.

[daxx]

Slow clap for this whole post @Shanna Marie.

[Faemonic]

6 hours ago, Shanna Marie said:

I don't really excuse some of his behavior, especially after he came to Storybrooke, because of his looks so much as I do because I can kind of relate.

There was no justice. It reminded me so much of the frustration from being tormented and not being able to do anything about it while the people I thought would take my side and stand up for me supported my tormentor. Understanding him doesn't make me excuse the things he did, but it makes me understand the impulse behind it. Then not only could I relate, but I had to be impressed when he let it go because I understand how hard that can be. (H)e made his peace with the situation, and that's when I started finding Hook to be truly attractive.  

Back at the TWoP forums, one of the more vocal Hook haters noped out because ey couldn't convince the rest of us that airy theoreticals about moral nobility meant that Rumple's motive was Right and more sympathetic across the board and Hook's was Wrong and bad. It took me a lot of self-control to not snap back that this person had obviously never really suffered real injustice and consequently the real wrath, "your feelings are just your feelings and a choice" dismissal of lived experience aside. What I would have said would have been unfair, since we can't stop people relating to what they'll relate to...But, can't stop people relating to what they'll relate to. And shouldn't. 

When fandom fractures into factions, it may seem as though what or who a group of people fan over are the most important reason, but actually I think it's the why. And that's not so much a group zeitgeist, though it can be, but individual. I personally was more interested in the villain side of Hook, too, back then, to a point that might have creeped out another Hook fan who loved the gentleman puppy aspect more.

 

Thank you Shannah for sharing.

Edited June 22, 2016 by Faemonic

[tri4335]

On 6/20/2016 at 4:24 PM, Kktjones said:

I just saw a really interesting post from someone that was in the Meet & Greet with Colin this weekend. He spoke about the elevator scene in 5x20 where he and Emma say goodbye. I loved hearing about his thought process and how they made the scene come to life. It sounds like he was left to decide how to approach the character in terms of staying strong/stoic and shedding tears. It shows that the writers/directors trust the actors to understand their characters and make these types of decisions. I thought he played this perfectly and the fact that its the only time we've seen Hook cry really added to the emotional intensity.

Replying in the Writer's thread

[Shanna Marie]

Thinking more on the topic of justice, villainy, etc. ... I tend to roll my eyes when people say that the only difference between a hero and a villain is the point of view because there are some actions that are just plain bad, and the motive or perspective don't change that. For instance, Rumple may have had a good motive in wanting to reach his son, but his casual cruelty along the way was what made him villainous (to me). He didn't have to be such a horrible person to achieve that goal, and in some cases, his cruelty got in the way of achieving his goal, like with Milah and Hook. If he hadn't murdered her, he'd have got the magic bean, since the deal was their lives and freedom for the bean. But to a large extent, Hook's villain phase is the kind of thing that could be turned heroic if seen from his perspective rather than from that of the other characters and without the baggage of his storybook counterpart. The wronged man taking justice into his own hands when the system/society fails him is a staple of storytelling, and usually he's shown as the hero righting wrongs. Turn lover into parents and throw in a cape and mask, and you've got Batman.

Remove the fairy tale/storybook/Disney identities and look at what happens from his point of view: His lover is murdered in front of him and he's maimed, and there's no justice for the murderer because he's so powerful that he's above the law. After a century away (during which time he seems to have learned even more about the Dark One's evil from Bae, since he knew Bae didn't want to be found), he comes back and is ready to rescue one of the Dark One's victims, with hopes that she'll have some insight into him that will help defeat him, but instead she defends the Dark One and claims that he's good. We don't know the details of exactly what he did while working with Cora, but it is interesting that Regina required him to murder while all we know that Cora asked him to do was lie. He meets Team Princess, and they tie him up and talk about leaving him for the ogres. He offers his knowledge and tools to help them if they team up, and they double cross him so that he gets stuck with Cora again. Even so, he ends up giving them what they need (Aurora's heart and the compass -- since he's got to have thrown that fight, given that he's an expert swordsman and Emma had hardly touched a sword). He gets to Storybrooke and people still aren't willing to help him do anything about the Dark One. Rumple nearly beats him to death, and Belle sticks with him. Emma handcuffs Hook to a hospital bed and lets Rumple go free, and she even knows what Rumple did to him. They're all heading out to find Bae, which Hook knows Bae doesn't want. He manages to strike a fatal blow to the Dark One, but then all these people work frantically to save him, even killing Hook's friend and ally to save the Dark One (not that I have a problem with killing Cora, but when you think about it, it's crazy how frantic they were to save Rumple, given what he's done).

The only difference between this and most of the vigilante justice heroic stories is that he fails, and he ends up being okay with that, deciding that his desire for justice isn't helping and is hurting him more than it hurts Rumple. It may not be the bloodiest thing we've seen him do, but I kind of think that stealing Ursula's voice is perhaps the most evil thing we've seen him do (while not the Dark One), since she wasn't opposing him or defending Rumple, he owed her because she'd helped him, and stealing her voice got him nothing. It was just something he did in a fit of anger that didn't give him any progress toward his goal. It was pointless, casual cruelty. Otherwise, in most cases he was wronged or it was something to do with his quest, not just him being mean for grins. Now, he seems to truly regret his bad actions. I'm not sure I'd have liked him as much if he'd kept on trying to kill Rumple or if he hadn't shown so much remorse, but that plus the fact that he wasn't entirely in the wrong makes him a sympathetic character to me.

[KingOfHearts]

Found this little teaser of Hook from S2. If you skip the cheesy Henry intro, it's actually a really cool preview. It's intriguing how differently they ended up going with him.

[daxx]

I've seen this. Part of why I'm convinced that a different actor would have given us a significantly different Killian Jones. I keep seeing people wishing he'd been in season one but I'm happy they did things the way they did. Colin wouldn't have been on their radar then most likely and we'd have a very different Hook.

[Shanna Marie]

I don't remember that promo, but I have a vague impression of a promo involving a ship, showing various angles of Hook without showing his face, and the voiceover talking about the worst villain ever coming. Did I imagine that?

[Curio]

1 hour ago, Shanna Marie said:

I don't remember that promo, but I have a vague impression of a promo involving a ship, showing various angles of Hook without showing his face, and the voiceover talking about the worst villain ever coming. Did I imagine that?

Nope, you didn't imagine that. A lot of fans were upset that Hook came off looking better than Rumple in "The Crocodile" because the promo made it seem like he'd be the biggest villain the show had ever seen. 

[KingOfHearts]

32 minutes ago, Curio said:

Nope, you didn't imagine that. A lot of fans were upset that Hook came off looking better than Rumple in "The Crocodile" because the promo made it seem like he'd be the biggest villain the show had ever seen. 

"Who's worse than a mass-murdering psychopath? Captain Hook, of course!"

[Shanna Marie]

I guess he could have still been a horrible villain in spite of a somewhat sympathetic "origin" story. After all, look at Regina in her first chronological adult appearance. However, if they were already planning for Hook to become a love interest for Emma (and it was clear that they were at least testing the waters/considering that in the beanstalk climb in "Tallahassee," where he was being paralleled with her previous love and shown to be better in comparison), then promoting him as the worst villain ever was kind of silly. It doesn't sound like they ever intended for Hook to be a full-on Big Bad kind of villain, so I'm not sure why they promoted him that way. Was that "worst villain ever" promo the teaser for "The Crocodile"? That's my vague memory of it, that this was the episode teaser, in which they hinted that Captain Hook would be coming next week but never showed his face, so we didn't know that the Killian Jones we met early in the episode would become Captain Hook.

[daxx]

I believe it was either and end of season one teaser or comicon teaser and Colin hadn't even been cast yet. Think the dark swan teaser when she crushed the heart.

[Shanna Marie]

3 hours ago, daxx said:

I believe it was either and end of season one teaser

Yeah, now that I think of it, it was probably end of season one. I doubt it was Comicon, or else wasn't just Comicon because I wasn't following spoilers for this show then. I think it was sort of the "tune in next season" thing at the end of season one. So maybe they hadn't already decided that Hook was going to be a love interest, as they wouldn't have written any of his stuff yet. I wonder when that decision was made -- when they cast Colin? Or were they casting for a potential love interest?

[Dianthus]

It was the same thing with Spike. We only liked him 'cuz he was pretty. They even wrote a scene about in an ep of Angel (AtS), after BtVS ended and the character had joined the other show, called Hellbound. Yes, he's pretty, but also worth saving. Fred was basically speaking for all us ladies. We're not all a bunch of hormonal tweens or frustrated hausfraus. We're capable of seeing beyond that.

Also, I'm sure there are some people out there who consider Dustin Hoffman attractive, just as there are those who consider RC attractive.

[KingOfHearts]

This poll makes me want to see Hook with glasses and a book at Granny's sipping coffee. He'd be such a great teacher/librarian type. I hope S6 explores his place in Storybrooke outside of Emma. Maybe he can try to make new friends or get back in touch with his Jolly Roger crew. Meeting up with Smee might be productive for his redemption arc.

Edited June 28, 2016 by KingOfHearts

[Curio]

I voted for the tour boat captain, but only because it's the job I could see Killian the character having the most fun doing.

But in terms of character growth and fun story opportunities, it would be awesome to see him take over as librarian while Belle is gone. The show has always been a lot more subtle with Hook's redemption arc (thank goodness, I can only handle so many falling anvils), and taking over Belle's position as Storybrooke Librarian while she's stuck under a sleeping curse would be a small way of showing that he's putting forth some effort into mending his relationship with her. I don't consider them truly friend-friends at this point, but I do think it's good to show them trying to be cordial with each other. So Belle coming back and seeing that Hook helped keep up the library in her absence (and maybe even updated it to a better organization system, or started a children's read-aloud hour) would be some great character development. I could easily see a story about how some of the Untold Story Characters want to take over the library and turn it into something else because no one is running it anymore, and Hook "saving" the library would be a B-Plot to an episode, and an ongoing C-Plot for the rest of the season.

Wait, did I just say character development? That means it'll never happen.

[Shanna Marie]

I was torn between teacher and librarian. Maybe librarian in the short term, then teacher when Belle comes back. Mostly, I just love that there's something a little unexpected about both. I know that navigation requires math skills. He'd practically have to be able to do trig in his head to navigate by star positions in an era before computers. He's said he was good at research and was able to read Greek, and he was sort of on Team Library early in 4B before they forgot about that. But you don't really expect the black-leather wearing pirate to be either a math teacher or librarian, and that's what makes it fun. But yeah, that would be character development and might require showing him doing something that isn't directly related to the immediate plot, so I doubt we'll ever find out what his job is or if he even has a job, just as they haven't shown us where he's been living all this time.