Emma Swan: 1000% done with your infuriating optimism

[Rumsy4]

It's not just SQers who feel Emma is weaker now. The above bloggers is a Rumbeller. Some others who I have seen express this kind of opinion have never been great fans Emma to begin with. If you don't like a character all that much, anything they do is going to look bad. 

[Mathius]

The biggest issues I have with these people, SQers or not, are:

 

1. They completely miss the "love isn't weakness, it's strength" concept of the show since their constant claims that Emma is weak are always, ALWAYS about her acting emotional, concerned, and loving toward someone (mainly Hook) and saying that's such a far cry from what a "strong female character" she was in Season 1, in which while still certainly empathetic and caring she refused to open up and show it that much, and preferred keeping people to a distant and her main emotional state was being a Frowny McGrumpypants (they also pretend that her not being particularly bright and good at planning is something new....they need to rewatch Season 1, she was just as dim and bad at planning there too.)

 

2. Here's the big one...I said "mainly Hook", but it's more like ONLY Hook.  If Emma is this soft toward Henry, they wouldn't care.  If Emma is soft toward her parents, they wouldn't care.  And if Emma is this soft toward Regina, they flail and gush and shriek "SQ IS ENDGAME!".  But when it's toward Hook, THAT is when the claims of weakness come up.  Always under the claim that it's "wrong" for her to do so toward "her boyfriend", and not "her family", or that she's risking "her family" for "her boyfriend" (read: Henry, Snowing, and Regina).  It's a hypocritical double standard that drives me crazy. What is it exactly that excludes Hook from being counted among "the family"?  And why was there no condemnation toward "the family" during 5A when they were doing a sucky job at being there for Emma, yet Emma gets repeatedly shamed for inconveniencing them out of her love for Hook?  Just why are Emma and Hook held to these different standards?

Edited April 13, 2016 by Mathius

[KingOfHearts]

If there's too much Hook focus when it comes to Emma, it's the writing's fault, not her's. I realize he's her love interest and a very important person in her life, but the writers consistently forgo exploring her relationships with others in favor of him. We see a lot more interaction between her and Hook than we do with her parents or Henry. He definitely should be prominent, but some elephants in the room have been getting left behind in the process. Then you've got BFF Regina as a sideshow, which doesn't help.

 

It's not about her strength - it's about how she's perceived through the lenses of the script. I don't find any fault in her actions at all. I agree with everyone else - she has become stronger over time.

Edited April 13, 2016 by KingOfHearts

[KAOS Agent]

 

Why is it different if it's a woman who loves a man enough to go into the Underworld to save him?

 

It isn't. And it's a stupid argument to make it about Hook when Emma explicitly said in the 5B premiere that she would have gone to save Neal if she had known she could have done it. Yes, she's absolutely in it for Hook because he's the guy she loves and wants a future with, but she would also have gone and saved anyone if she'd known it was possible. Some think that that cheapens what her actions mean about her feelings for Hook, but I think it's just a part of her character. She's the Saviour. That's what she does and she feels terrible when she isn't able to do so. 

 

There are other reasons for going after Hook beyond her love for him as well. It's her fault that he's dead in the first place. He was the Dark One because of her. Emma completely blames that on herself even if Hook is over it, so love is not her only motivation.

 

S1 Emma had no love in her life and was an angry, unhappy woman. She spent that season learning how to love, first with her son and second with her friend Mary Margaret. These relationships were shown to improve her life. 5A was spent showing that being lonely and unloved is a miserable existence. It was shown that being isolated means failure. Dark Swan was a lot closer to S1 Emma than 5B Emma. That's what people want for Emma? They must really hate her.

[Mathius]

If there's too much Hook focus when it comes to Emma, it's the writing's fault, not her's. I realize he's her love interest and a very important person in her life, but the writers consistently forgo exploring her relationships with others in favor of him. We see a lot more interaction between her and Hook than we do with her parents or Henry. He definitely should be prominent, but some elephants in the room have been getting left behind in the process. Then you've got BFF Regina as a sideshow, which doesn't help.

 

It's not about her strength - it's about how she's perceived through the lenses of the script. I don't find any fault in her actions at all. I agree with everyone else - she has become stronger over time.

 

And this is when the actual Emma fans and pseudo-Emma fans can be told apart.  If someone's saying "I'm perfectly fine with her being in love with Hook and wanting to save Hook, but can we also dial back on the Hook stuff and get some more stuff with Henry and/or Snowing?", then that's an Emma fan who wants more of her relationships explored.  If someone says "kill off Hook or have her dump Hook, and then we'll finally have lots of interaction with her family again!", that's a pseudo-Emma fan, because Hook is not the problem, the writers are, and if he's gotten rid of, then we'd very likely have more Emma-Regina interactions or interactions with a new love interest before we ever got more interactions with her parents and son. There is no reason but the writers that we can't have Emma/Hook AND interactions with her family. Basically, if anyone is saying the second thing, they are almost 100% certain to be a SQ shipper, not a real Emma fan.

Edited April 13, 2016 by Mathius

[Curio]

Emma's relationship combinations also vary arc-to-arc, and fans have short-term memories when it comes to how the show is written. In Season 1, the writers focused mainly on Emma's relationships with Henry and Mary Margaret and her antagonistic relationships with Rumple and Regina. (Hook wasn't even in Season 1.) In Season 2A, we had Emma primarily bonding with her mother and 2B was kind of a mess of Neal/Henry/Charmings. Season 3 was when Emma's relationship with Hook started to increase, but this was probably the one season where Emma's relationships with her immediate family (Hook, Snow, Charming, Henry, and Regina) were the most equal. Season 4A, the writers primarily explored Emma's friendship with Elsa. Season 4B, the writers primarily explored her "friendship" with Regina. Season 5 is really the only season where it's glaringly obvious the main relationship that the writers are focusing on is Emma and Hook, but since this is a fairy tale show about True Love™ and Emma is the main lead, it's kind of a no-brainer that the writers would eventually have to focus on Emma and her True Love at some point. Moving forward into Season 6 and beyond, the writers will probably shuffle the relationship deck again and have Emma focus on one character more than the others because that's just how these writers roll—it's hard for them to show equal balance with all the different character combinations, with Season 3 being the main exception.

Edited April 13, 2016 by Curio

[Mathius]

Her relationship with Hook was also given a backseat in 4B (sometimes to its disadvantage, like the whole "I never told him I loved him" issue in the finale coming out of nowhere as a result), and actually gave her relationship with her parents more focus (it was the eggnapper plot so it wasn't particularly GOOD focus, mind you, but it was focus all the same.)

Edited April 14, 2016 by Mathius

[Camera One]

On the surface and on paper, that would seem to be the case.  But her overall significant heart-to-heart screentime with Hook would still have been more and meatier, even in 4B.  The eggnapping was not really about her and her parents.   It was about a lie.  It wasn't like Emma got much time with Snowing in dealing with that, beyond Snow hitting her head on a rock.  Whereas the relationship focus with Hook in all other arcs is actually about their relationship and their personal character struggles.  The only person Emma gets to discuss that with aside from Hook is her BFF Regina.

Edited April 14, 2016 by Camera One

[YaddaYadda]

I'd like to point out the sore subject of Emma shoving Hook's heart back in his chest before kicking back and having drinks with Regina.

 

They also cut some of that scene, where Emma literally sees Regina, and Hook tells her she should go to her buddy.

Edited April 14, 2016 by YaddaYadda

[Curio]

That doesn't make the scene any better, honestly. I still hate that episode so, so much.

Edited April 14, 2016 by Curio

[YaddaYadda]

Nope, it doesn't. If anything, I think it sort of makes it worst. Because at least with what we got, I can go in that head space where I imagine that she was with him for a while before leaving, and bumping into Regina.

 

That cut bit is, here's your heart, oh I feel bad for Regina, her boyfriend left town. Yes, and yours almost died.

 

This is like the whole bit that was cut from 4x14 where MM tells Emma she didn't call her about a missing Regina because she was spending the night at Hook's, and she didn't wanna disturb her. Adam's explanation for cutting that was that it was inappropriate. Meanwhile, Regina is getting phone call after phone call in 4x08 because Emma's magic went wonky, because Henry's been injured, but she's too busy sexing up Robin in her crypt to even be bothered. Or how she and Snow are taking a stroll talking about how adultery is not adultery while Emma is in danger of getting sucked into a hat.

 

I think that's inappropriate.

 

The relationship was so shortchanged in season 4, especially 4B for the Regina-Emma "friendship" because these writers can't write several relationships all at once. 

 

I'm getting what I want this season, and I will damn well enjoy it!

 

(Also, if they can develop Emma/parents into more than what it is, that'd be great, thanks! But I get the impression that this is how they're trying to do it in 5B, by just being generally supportive)

[Altair Aquila]

From Screwballninja's post:

 

 

if she doesn’t start actually acting like a hero and thinking about other people she’s going to lose her hero status.

 

What? 

 

Emma has spent much of her time on the show helping people. I thought the point of her family accompanying her on this trip was that they recognised this and it was their turn to help her.

 

I think we will see Emma continue to help people anyway, because it's who she is, but I would argue that there are one or two others who should have more helping to do given they are in the Underworld facing their victims. 

 

 

 

 

[Rumsy4]

I've seen similar commercial from a couple of different podcasters too. I'm wondering if A&E succeeded in brainwashing a bunch of people into believing Emma needs to be sacrificing herself all the time.

[Curio]

How does Emma not act like a hero? Even when she was the freaking Dark One, at her core, she was trying to help save Hook from the Dark Curse (even if she went about it horribly). It's just Emma's personality to always want to help the people and the world around her, and I refuse to believe that has anything to do with the stupid egg baby nonsense. And how can someone's "hero status" be revoked? There aren't any hero stickers they hand out to the heroes on this show. This is why I don't like the show being so black and white with the terms "hero" and "villain" because it makes people think narrower. The fact that Emma went through so much shit in her childhood and young adulthood and still remained a relatively sane and kind person as an adult is truly heroic. The fact that she trekked through The Underworld to save a man she loves from eternal torture in the river is heroic. The fact that Emma feels guilt about everyone who willingly followed her to The Underworld (which, you know, requires thinking about other people) is heroic. 

[YaddaYadda]

Well it's like Mathius said. The problem isn't that Emma went to the Underworld. The problem is that Emma went to the Underworld with the purpose of saving Hook.

 

Whatever...I love it. Emma is willing to fight for what she wants, and for the life she's chosen, and that's more than enough for me. 

 

If it makes several heads explode along the way, all the more fun.

[Rumsy4]

Until now, some people have been claiming that Emma doesn't really love Hook, and that he "forced" her into a relationship. Now that that argument is no longer valid, they shifted to the other extreme. Emma loves Hook "too much". When will it ever be the perfect amount? Have to roll my eyes at that.

They don't see Hook as someone worth saving because they're tuned to be dismissive of his importance to Emma. They're offended that Emma thinks he is.

Edited April 14, 2016 by Rumsy4

[tri4335]

I normally like ScrewballNinja's essays but she is way off base with this one. And quite frankly, I believe she wrote it because she wanted to deflect from the shit storm that Rumbelle now is. I've been chuckling all week reading the excuses for Belle's killing Gaston from the same fans who crucify Hook for his behavior.

[Mari]

Emma for some reason is always judged more harshly for her actions. 

I think part--not all--of the reason Emma is judged more harshly is because she's the real-world character.

 

It's easier to disregard insane troll logic, behavior, and morals from characters who are fairy tale characters, and expected to have the extreme stories some of them do.

 

(Also, there are those fans who adore other characters and relationships, and have problems with Emma interfering with their headcanon.)

[mjgchick]

http://www.buddytv.com/articles/once-upon-a-time/once-upon-a-time-4-reasons-why-59575.aspx

This article about Emma is the most asinine thing I've ever read. Did this person really blame Emma for Grahams death? Then said Emma has ruined peoples lives for saving Hook. Are we going to forget that all of these adults are the reason why she grew up homeless? This fandom really does judge Emma do harshly. They also clearly watch a different show.

[HoodlumSheep]

http://www.buddytv.com/articles/once-upon-a-time/once-upon-a-time-4-reasons-why-59575.aspx

This article about Emma is the most asinine thing I've ever read. Did this person really blame Emma for Grahams death? Then said Emma has ruined peoples lives for saving Hook. Are we going to forget that all of these adults are the reason why she grew up homeless? This fandom really does judge Emma do harshly. They also clearly watch a different show.

That's ridiculous, how has saving Hook ruined people's lives? except for maybe puppet master Merlin? Because I think the trip to the Underworld has actually helped a lot of them, emotionally. Edited April 15, 2016 by HoodlumSheep

[mjgchick]

Seriously, Regina has had closure with not one but two people she once loved and will most likely have one with Cora. Snow had closure with Hercules, Hook had closure with his brother and feels he is worthy of being saved. Multiple people has comforted Emma into not feeling guilty for everyone being stuck in the Underworld because they all came to support her and Hook. You know who did ended up ruining peoples lives? Rumple and his dear old wife.

[Souris]

http://www.buddytv.com/articles/once-upon-a-time/once-upon-a-time-4-reasons-why-59575.aspx

This article about Emma is the most asinine thing I've ever read. 

 

The first section of that article made me want to drop-kick a puppy. I couldn't read any further after they blamed Emma for Graham & Neal's death. Biggest load of bollocks I've ever had the misfortune to read.

[Camera One]

I just read the article and it is so ridiculous.  Though it's no surprise since this piece was coming from the author of the article "Why Robin/Regina are the only couple meant to be".

 

His complaints about how they have no plan, etc. is nothing new.  If that were an adequate reason for not going, why bother trying to save Henry in Neverland, or Dark Emma in Camelot?  Yes, it's a tad contrived that so many people died for unfair reasons, but Hook is the one that prompts a visit to the Underworld.  But I personally wouldn't have minded if Emma had gone down to save Graham, or Neal, or Marian, or Johanna, etc.  

 

I think Emma is such an interesting character and still has room to grow.  I know the Writers would have been afraid to do this, for fear of a segment of single-minded fans proclaiming they would quit watching, but I would also have been fine if Emma had gone to the Underworld and then learned that Hook was ready to move on, with Milah or Liam or both.  

 

For Emma, I think that route would also have been very interesting to explore and would have provided meaty material for seasons to come.  At the same time, I have liked what little of Emma we have seen so far in 5B.  It would be natural for her to feel guilty about everyone going.  Her sneaking off would NOT have worked because the whole "lesson" in 5A is Emma supposedly realizing that she doesn't have to do everything alone.  Everyone going HAS helped in weakening Hades.  Henry's author powers might still be needed.  

 

Of course the author has a right to write whatever, but his reasons were pathetic.  Emma loaded the gun that got Graham killed?  That's just victim blaming, and how does it support his argument that going to the Underworld was a bad idea?

Edited April 16, 2016 by Camera One

[tri4335]

ScrewballNinja took down her Emma essay as she read some criticism and didn't feel like she could defend her post.

[Rumsy4]

Wow. Good on her.

[mjgchick]

Maybe the author realized how stupid their article sounded blaming Emma for Regina raping Graham. If you can't defend your views on something then in the back of your head you must think you're wrong on some level. Not only did she say Emma is to blame for something Regina did but how her plan going to the Underworld was unplanned as if all their other adventures weren't unplanned.

The only person who plans things on this show is Rumple and old Regina and both are just as stupid as the heroes especially Rumple since everyone can make portals now.

[daxx]

Hook has been known to plan things as well. Now the plans don't always go as planned but he does plan. :)

[KingOfHearts]

Probably unpopular opinion, but I haven't really cared for Emma in 5B. She's gotten a scene here or there (and she did contribute a little to the plot in 5x15), but most of the time she's been in the background stressed out. Hopefully the upcoming episode will make up for it. Even though this arc started out as her going to the Underworld to save her boyfriend, she's yet to get the same focus as the other characters have. We'll see what Sunday brings.

[Camera One]

This is the Writers' way of equalization.  They probably think since Emma got more scenes in the A arc, now she can be pushed to the background for the B arc.  

[KAOS Agent]

Emma's role in 5B has been punching bag. Sometimes literally. She's been slut shamed, guilted for her parents' poor decisions, sleepless except for brief moments of disturbing dreams and put down by Liam. Basically, she shows up to have something bad happen to her and then disappears because both Emma & Hook were simply devices to get everyone else to the Underworld and they have no story for her. What little story she's gotten has been very depressing in an already depressing arc.

[Camera One]

What else is new.  They only have a story for Regina, Zelena, Hades and Rumple.  That's the main thrust of the narrative now.

[KingOfHearts]

Quote

What little story she's gotten has been very depressing in an already depressing arc.

In addition to all the depressing, traumatizing story she had in 5A. It's getting to the point where I can't get invested in her character because she's stressed out 100% of the time. Her only positive moments are brief scenes of sucking face with Killian. After the Underworld, I hope she has a victory, time to chill out, and new plots that aren't about her boyfriend being in peril. 

Edited May 1, 2016 by KingOfHearts

[Camera One]

Depressing is right.  Emma sacrificed by absorbing the Darkness, which didn't end up destroyed.  She was able to free Merlin, but he died.  The only person who benefited was Rumple, who would have died, but now is the Dark One again except with a brand new shiny heart.  

[YaddaYadda]

Emma is the character on this show that never catches a break. She's either the hamster on the wheel, or she's on the rollercoaster, going down at frightening speed. 

Season 1 was probably the more "relaxed". There was crisis, but it was not at the level that it is now. shit hit the fan spectacularly after she broke the curse.

Season 2, she falls through the portal to the Enchanted Forest. She finds out she has magic, she finds out Rumple's son is her baby daddy, Cora follows her from the EF with the goal of becoming the Dark One. Captain Hook is being a pain in the ass. She thinks her baby daddy died. Henry gets kidnapped.

Season 3, she's in Neverland where she gets chased by Lost Boys with poisoned arrows. Pan is being a little shit, her father almost dies, her mother basically tells her she's not enough for her, and wants a replacement baby. Her son is too stupid to live with the heart shenanigans, but they manage to save him anyway, but Pan takes over his body. They get back, and everyone and their mother is telling her to date Neal, and to ignore that there's something wrong with her son. Which bitches, surprise! Pan casts the curse, she gets separated from her parents. She has a seemingly good life in NYC, but it's just an illusion, the guy she's been dating for 8 months is a flying monkey. She's pulled out of that life to save everyone, but really, she wasn't even needed for that. She falls through a time portal, fucks up her parents first meeting, watches her mother die in a ball of fire, returns home only to find out that the woman she rescued is her frenemie's boyfriend's wife who should have died in the timeline.

Season 4, she gets yelled at for bringing in Elsa, she gets shade thrown at her at every turn because all Emma does is fuck up people's lives. Her former foster mother is stalking her because she put it in her head that Emma can be her sister, her boyfriend's heart is taken (though she doesn't know because she's not even allowed to resolve that) she gets chewed out because she's such a life ruiner! Her magic goes to the shits, her mother gives her the side eye because you know, Mary Margaret is kind of a terrible mother, Emma comes a hair away from dying because she tries to get rid of her magic, everyone in town is supposed to fight to destroy themselves and each other because worst curse EVER has been cast, but she'll survive! She watches as her boyfriend's heart nearly gets crushed. She has to deal with ineffective villains, she finds out her parents lied to her about stuff, she gets written as a prisoner with her memories in the finale without her magic, where she knows everything but is powerless to do anything at all. When she's released, she watches her father kill the man she loves. When they come back, the darkness is threatening to take over the town. 

Instead of driving to the town line and dumping Rumple on the other side where he can die of a heart attack like a normal person, they have the brilliant idea of taking the darkness out of him instead, and it falls to her to save everyone. 

Season 5, Emma is the Dark One, she fights like hell, but loses the man she loves. She makes mistakes, and he dies for realsies this time.

If I were Emma, I wouldn't be just depressed. 

She never catches a break, and even when she's happy, she's expecting the other shoe to drop. The show is very heavy emotionally, and the fact that it also moves at a snail's pace gives a character like Emma zero chance to recover. 

And the sacrifices that she made are rendered moot by other characters which is not okay. 

[Camera One]

Emma rarely gets a chance to be happy, but it does usually keep her in the spotlight and provide emotional material which still keeps her likeable and allows the actress to show her talent.  Out of all the characters, Emma has gotten more organic material to respond to and deal with, with the exception of Dark Swan.  

Emma is one of my favorite characters, and I'd rather see Emma's struggles than to see her appearing once an episode to say one line, or having her integrity and base character destroyed with continuous retcons or flip-flops.  

[KingOfHearts]

Quote

Emma is one of my favorite characters, and I'd rather see Emma's struggles than to see her appearing once an episode to say one line

I like Emma too. I don't know what it is about 5B that makes her feel passive or in the background. She has done some active things, such as going with Milah to save Hook from Hades' torture, attempting to erase the names with magic, and trying to expose Liam for Hook's sake. Capitally, this whole arc is her going on a rescue mission. Perhaps it's just the lack of focus. Since she is the main character of the show, I feel like she should be involved in most of the plots. The majority of the centrics have taken certain characters aside while putting the other ones in the Filler Waiting Room. They stand in contrast with the one-offs in S1, where Emma was helping fairy tale characters get their happy endings back.

Quote

Out of all the characters, Emma has gotten more organic material to respond to and deal with, with the exception of Dark Swan.  

This. She's the anchor of the show and the audience's insert. When she loses, it makes viewers depressed because she is supposed to be proof that real people can have hope. The show is starting to say that you need magical shenanigans like pixie dust or True Love to be happy. 

Edited May 1, 2016 by KingOfHearts

[Camera One]

Just in 5A, she has gone through this huge trauma of becoming The Dark One, and doing "dark" things, yet they haven't given her an episode to deal what happened (outside of Hook).  A viewer could have skipped 5A and they wouldn't even know Emma had been the Dark One.  That makes it seem like the whole Dark Swan arc was irrelevant and filler.

Edited May 1, 2016 by Camera One

[Rumsy4]

There have been viewrs who disliked Emma right from the start of the series. I think it's because the Show has tended to put her down a lot in comparison with other characters for the sake of drama and/or making villains sympathetic. I'm still not over Henry roasting Emma over lying about Neal, while he got to strut in and excuse himself because "he didn't know" he had a son.

S4 was so heavyhanded in condemning Emma over the Marian thing. Do you remember how much Regina fans were berating her over that? And I'm not talking about the Twitter nutjobs. And this half-season, there have been Rumbelle fans and Hook-haters calling her selfish and unheroic for "forcing" everyone to go to the Underworld with her. It's the writing that provokes these kinds of reactions from some segments of the audience. Half the time the writers just want to create drama. They're not looking at the bigger picture. I think their obsession with Regina was responsible for a lot of this unbalanced writing between Season 3B to 4. 

I'm glad 5A brought the focus back on Emma, but she's been sort of relegated to the background in 5B with the focus on the Mills sisters and Hades. It is to be expected with the pattern of story-telling for the Show. They have so many main characters and guest characters, something's got to go. Plus their obsession with pressing the reset button on characters causes a lot of story arcs to become pointless.

Edited May 1, 2016 by Rumsy4

[Camera One]

Quote

. I'm still not over Henry roasting Emma over lying about Neal, while he got to strut in and excuse himself because "he didn't know" he had a son.

 

I think the telling line for that was Henry's "I thought you were different, but you’re just like her. Regina. She always lied to me, too."  It's less about Neal, who the writers had no interest in developing after "Manhattan".  Snow et al later got the same treatment, when Henry proclaimed that "You used to be heroes".  Season 2-4 has been all about slowly but surely dragging Emma, Snow, etc. to Regina's, and to a lesser extent, Rumple's level (see, now even Emma has been The Dark One, she's also a killer of Cruella, just like Snow also enacted the Dark Curse, separated a baby from her mother for 28 years, lied to her child, etc).

Edited May 1, 2016 by Camera One

[Mari]

Quote

“There have been fans at times who have said things like, ‘Oh, well, she’s not tougher anymore. She’s not strong anymore.’ Do you know how strong you have to be to be vulnerable? I think you have to be even stronger to be vulnerable than to be defensive. And so I see it as an evolution of her strength for her to feel that she has it in her to be this vulnerable, to be this open, to risk getting hurt. I think that takes an incredible amount of strength.”

Jennifer Morrison interview

The original link was posted by Souris in the media thread, and the article is spoilery.  Click at own risk.

I just thought this quote was worth posting--because, well, yes.  Especially if you grew up like Emma did, with no attachments and no stable people in her life.  Being vulnerable is probably the most frightening thing possible for Emma.  Being vulnerable is incredibly brave and strong for her.

[KingOfHearts]

Emma has been a punching bag since the beginning of the series, but she always had some sort of hope to bring her through it. In the Pilot, her birthday alone was interrupted by the family she didn't know she had. In S2 she got to knew her parents and heritage a bit better. After the curse reset, she had hope in her idealistic life in New York., then later in finding love with Hook. In 4A, she met new friends and started believing in herself more. 

It's 4B when she starts lacking any positive drive. She was betrayed by her parents, she was labeled as vulnerable to darkness, and later she had to sacrifice herself. When she did that, she had faith her family would save her, despite all things. But they didn't. She worked hard to resist the darkness and she was forced to give in for plot reasons. And after she tried to save her boyfriend she placed her hope in, he died anyway. Now she's imprisoned in the Underworld, the most hopeless place imaginable.

She still has hope, but it's because the plot needs her to, not because there's a distinguishable source at work. Her family is not as supportive as some might be lead to believe.

Edited May 1, 2016 by KingOfHearts

[Camera One]

The Writers bonked us over the head that Emma's lesson to learn in 5A was that she cannot do things alone.  Yet, they continually refuse to follow through and allow Emma's family and friends (outside of Hook and Regina) to save the day, so that her hope was not misplaced.  So Emma brings her entire family to the Underworld, and they have helped by doing what?  Buying groceries for Robin Hood's baby?  Getting rid of a guard-dog so they could use some other entrance, not that Hades would notice anyway?  Writing heartwarming stories that have nothing to do with their escape? The Writers' idiotic lessons for Emma don't even pan out, since all their hopes are now pinned on Zelena/Hades being true loves and Zelena managing to convince Hades to change his mind about banishing them all.  So Emma's supposed to be all zen and just let stuff happen, I guess.

Edited May 1, 2016 by Camera One

[KAOS Agent]

14 minutes ago, KingOfHearts said:

Emma has been a punching bag since the beginning of the series, but she always had some sort of hope to bring her through it.

Emma has been the punching bag since her birth. It's been bothering me more and more through this season that everyone's happiness has been built on the sacrifice of an innocent newborn. It's pretty sick that Regina is the one who has most benefited by this sacrifice. She even got to accept the accolades of being the Saviour (something Emma has never gotten) with a ball in her honor. It's really hard to watch this reality be brushed off with a "But you found her" because while Snowing, Regina and the rest of Storybrooke all picked up right where they left off with the added ability to start over, Emma did not get that same opportunity. Everyone seems to be receiving good things and happiness while the reason for all of that is sinking deeper and deeper into a hopeless, depressing existence. It's not a particularly uplifting story.

[Souris]

2 hours ago, KAOS Agent said:

Emma has been the punching bag since her birth. It's been bothering me more and more through this season that everyone's happiness has been built on the sacrifice of an innocent newborn. It's pretty sick that Regina is the one who has most benefited by this sacrifice. She even got to accept the accolades of being the Saviour (something Emma has never gotten) with a ball in her honor. It's really hard to watch this reality be brushed off with a "But you found her" because while Snowing, Regina and the rest of Storybrooke all picked up right where they left off with the added ability to start over, Emma did not get that same opportunity. Everyone seems to be receiving good things and happiness while the reason for all of that is sinking deeper and deeper into a hopeless, depressing existence. It's not a particularly uplifting story.

I am 100% with you. It disgusts me how Emma is continuously getting crapped on and having happiness taken away from her, when she has done nothing to deserve it. She even gets called a murderer and punched in the face for protecting her son from being killed.

[Rumsy4]

How many freaking times does Emma have to say goodbye to Hook now?? This is just torture now. Poor Emma. 

[profdanglais]

I'm kind of annoyed that Emma's trick of disabling the car before confronting the person she's bail-bonds-ing turned out to be not her trick after all. She really doesn't get to have nice things, does she?

[Rumsy4]

I saw a gifset about this on tumblr and I was thinking of the same thing! It's so stupid when the Show does literal callbacks like this.

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Don't forget she supposedly learned her thief skills from Neal even though she was already thief when she met him.

[KingOfHearts]

So Emma got kicked in the teeth again. She went to the Underworld and came back with Hades. Even though Hook will probably get saved somehow, she still suffered for having hope. Again.

[PixiePaws1]

3 hours ago, KingOfHearts said:

So Emma got kicketcterthe teeth again. She went to the  Underworld and came back with Hades. Even though Hook will probably get saved somehow, she still suffered for having hope. Again.

I  have never wished more that i could reach into my tv and just hug a character to try and mske them feel better than i did watching  Emma walking off that lift without her Boo.