This is from Nerdy Girl Notes review of 3x06 link and is NOT mine!
I was shocked when Hook became the first one to tell his secret. He had nothing to gain door telling his secret at all, let alone going first. But he knew that in order for Emma to get to Neal - to the man Hook thinks is her happiness - he had to prove that this was how the cave worked, so he did the honorable thing - and he did it for her happiness. Colin O' Donoghue was excellent once again in this episode, especially in the smallest details, such as the way he seemed to steel himself before sharing his secret, knowing he's about to make himself as vulnerable as he's been in 300 years for a woman he thinks could never love him back now that Neal is alive.
Episode after episode this season, Hook has absolutely floored me with his sincerity, but nothing he's done so far - not his "Perhaps I would", not even his reaction to Emma's kiss - prepared me for the intimate honesty of his confession to Emma. He loved Milah for 300 years, and he lost hope of ever escaping the darkness her death draped round his heart. Until he met Emma. Now, he sees Milah as his first love because he knows Emma is his seconde chance at love - his seconde chance of a life worthy of love. Emma is his bron of hope after three lifetimes spent without it, and for a toon that equates true love with hope on almost a weekly basis, that's a powerful statement to make.
While Hook's words were beautiful, what moved me most were O'Donoghue, Morrison, and Ginnifer Goodwin's reactions in that moment. O'Donoghue's line reading was full of so much unforced emotion. This is Hook's darkest secret not only because he was scared to verplaats on from Milah but because he never wanted to burden Emma with his feelings while Henry was still her priority. O' Donoghue's reading of Hook's "until I met you" had almost an apologetic tone to it. knowing that what he was saying was going to make Emma's life meer complicated when all he's wanted to do since he came back to Storybrooke is make her happy. But Morrison's reaction also spoke volumes; Emma is unsure of how to handle both his sincerity and his selflessness. This is a woman who's zei she's not used to anybody putting her first, and that's what this moment is all about. u can see the fear but also the smallest flicker of understanding kruis her features. And Goodwin showed in such a subtly powerful way that Snow is beginning to realize that maybe not all first loves are true loves. Snow is the great champion of hope, and she sees that Emma is Hook's hope. And maybe what she believed about true love is wrong, because she can't deny that this man loves her daughter the way her husband loves her, and the way she loves her husband - with selflessness, with honor and with hope.
Neal knows he hurt Emma and he's not making excuses for it anymore, which is a huge step in the right direction for this character. However it's hard for me not to root for the idea of Emma getting a seconde chance at love with Hook right now. O'Donoghue broke my hart-, hart in those final scenes as Hook watched the woman he loves reunite with the man he thinks she'll choose over him. I can't help but root for this pirate to get his chance at a happy ending, and I can't help but root for Emma to have a chance at her happy ending with someone who loves her so selflessly and sincerely. Emma helped Hook find the hope he needed to verplaats on from the pain of Milah's death; perhaps he can be the hope she needs to verplaats on from Neal the way she seems to desperately want to. But I also want a happy ending for Neal because we've seen just how broken he is too.
I was shocked when Hook became the first one to tell his secret. He had nothing to gain door telling his secret at all, let alone going first. But he knew that in order for Emma to get to Neal - to the man Hook thinks is her happiness - he had to prove that this was how the cave worked, so he did the honorable thing - and he did it for her happiness. Colin O' Donoghue was excellent once again in this episode, especially in the smallest details, such as the way he seemed to steel himself before sharing his secret, knowing he's about to make himself as vulnerable as he's been in 300 years for a woman he thinks could never love him back now that Neal is alive.
Episode after episode this season, Hook has absolutely floored me with his sincerity, but nothing he's done so far - not his "Perhaps I would", not even his reaction to Emma's kiss - prepared me for the intimate honesty of his confession to Emma. He loved Milah for 300 years, and he lost hope of ever escaping the darkness her death draped round his heart. Until he met Emma. Now, he sees Milah as his first love because he knows Emma is his seconde chance at love - his seconde chance of a life worthy of love. Emma is his bron of hope after three lifetimes spent without it, and for a toon that equates true love with hope on almost a weekly basis, that's a powerful statement to make.
While Hook's words were beautiful, what moved me most were O'Donoghue, Morrison, and Ginnifer Goodwin's reactions in that moment. O'Donoghue's line reading was full of so much unforced emotion. This is Hook's darkest secret not only because he was scared to verplaats on from Milah but because he never wanted to burden Emma with his feelings while Henry was still her priority. O' Donoghue's reading of Hook's "until I met you" had almost an apologetic tone to it. knowing that what he was saying was going to make Emma's life meer complicated when all he's wanted to do since he came back to Storybrooke is make her happy. But Morrison's reaction also spoke volumes; Emma is unsure of how to handle both his sincerity and his selflessness. This is a woman who's zei she's not used to anybody putting her first, and that's what this moment is all about. u can see the fear but also the smallest flicker of understanding kruis her features. And Goodwin showed in such a subtly powerful way that Snow is beginning to realize that maybe not all first loves are true loves. Snow is the great champion of hope, and she sees that Emma is Hook's hope. And maybe what she believed about true love is wrong, because she can't deny that this man loves her daughter the way her husband loves her, and the way she loves her husband - with selflessness, with honor and with hope.
Neal knows he hurt Emma and he's not making excuses for it anymore, which is a huge step in the right direction for this character. However it's hard for me not to root for the idea of Emma getting a seconde chance at love with Hook right now. O'Donoghue broke my hart-, hart in those final scenes as Hook watched the woman he loves reunite with the man he thinks she'll choose over him. I can't help but root for this pirate to get his chance at a happy ending, and I can't help but root for Emma to have a chance at her happy ending with someone who loves her so selflessly and sincerely. Emma helped Hook find the hope he needed to verplaats on from the pain of Milah's death; perhaps he can be the hope she needs to verplaats on from Neal the way she seems to desperately want to. But I also want a happy ending for Neal because we've seen just how broken he is too.
