Neal Cassidy/Baelfire: He Catches Shadows with Coconuts?

[KingOfHearts]

8 hours ago, Curio said:

I didn't read spoilers in Seasons 1 or 2 and I thought it was pretty obvious that Neal was Bae.

First time I saw it I was spoiled. Watching it again, I thought it was obvious too. Even though the "everybody's related" twist was your classic hokey A&E move, they did set it up correctly. It didn't feel entirely contrived, as it did fit the narrative. All the emotion that came out of it made it worth it. But, the writers had to keep repeating it over and over again with all the blood ties. All of a sudden, you have Pan, Zelena, Black Fairy, Gideon, etc. Incest might be a problem in Storybrooke.

I really don't mind that Neal is a douche. I just hate the whitewashing that came later and the disconnect between him and Bae. I find August to be much, much more grating than Neal was. I don't think Neal was ever that high-and-mighty.

Edited March 12, 2017 by KingOfHearts

[Camera One]

The problem is they clearly go for the disconnect since their main goal is to surprise the viewer.  They probably patted themselves on the back with how August looked nothing like Pinocchio so they tricked people into thinking he was Adult Bae.  Then, they casted Adult Bae with someone who was the polar opposite of the idealistic, strong young man, and again, what a coup, no one would ever guess Adult Baelfire was this cowardly low-life.... we're such geniuses.  Yeah, A&E, you're all about the "characters".

[Souris]

Since this thread is back to life, let me reiterate: Neal was a douchenozzle. August is also a douchnozzle.

That is all.

[KAOS Agent]

Henry's dad = Bae was a pretty widely known theory in S1 when we learned that Bae fell through a portal that sent him here (long before Neal got a name). I think there are even interviews with Adam and Eddy where they talked about how they'd considered changing it because most fans had already guessed it. 

[Curio]

9 minutes ago, KAOS Agent said:

I think there are even interviews with Adam and Eddy where they talked about how they'd considered changing it because most fans had already guessed it. 

 

Wow, of course they would consider changing it. Even though it was obvious Neal was Bae, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing that it was obvious. This is what trips A&E up—they think if the audience automatically guesses the correct outcome that the story won't be as exciting, but more often than not, the story is actually more riveting when the audience can put the puzzle pieces together and guess what's going to come next. Even though I correctly guessed Neal was Bae, it didn't detract from my viewing experience. In fact, it was nice to have my assumption proved correct. It's like A&E totally freaked out about the audience correctly guessing Neal was Bae and they decided to never drop hints along the way ever again...thus the random deus ex machina reveals during the finale episodes.

[InsertWordHere]

Most fans had at least thought of the possibility by the end of Season One, IIRC. Some (like myself) were hoping he wouldn't be Baelfire, especially once it became clear Henry's father was not so good to Emma. There was a very funny post on Tumblr right before Manhattan aired "predicting" that Baelfire was the guy Emma captured in her introductory scene from the Pilot when most knew at that point it would be Neal.