I’m just gonna rant for second here but like, the writers really let me down when it came to Emma character development as the show went on, like it’s easily the most aggravating thing to me (and that’s saying a lot). Emma is one of favorite characters of all time and half of that is based of her potential, Emma after season 4 feels so hollow compared to what she once was, and I hate to say it but like once I took off the captainswan rose colored glasses I realized after 4A Emma starts to really revolve around hook and their relationship. 

Emma Swan’s entire journey starts as this fiercely independent woman who had to survive on her own, who never let herself depend on anyone because every time she did, she got hurt. Her story was about learning to trust, to believe, to belong. Instead of adding Hook to Emma’s story, they absorbed Emma into hook’s(both suffer really, storytelling wise). But like most of her emotional beats become him and so sad because she like one of the most interesting characters in the show. 

And what makes it so much worse is The show thinks that’s progress. It presents her final arc settling down with Hook, getting married, having that fairy tale ending as if it’s the culmination of her growth. But it’s not growth if it means erasing the complexity that made her who she was.

You can really feel that loss of identity in her body language and dialogue too she’s quieter, less fiery, less sure of herself. The Emma who used to stand her ground and question everything becomes passive and symbolic.

So in conclusion, yes Emma does learn to open herself up more, and let people in that’s definitely growth. But the direction of that growth feels wrong, or at least incomplete. It’s like she started the story trying to find herself and ended it by being defined by someone else, which is the opposite of what her whole arc was supposed to be about.

(Side note before anyone tries to come at me in the comments this most certainly not a dog at Hook, I do believe he loved Emma very much, I just HATE what their relationship did to both of their characters) 

ALSO PSA: For the young (or older) people who need to read this, you should not let yourself drown in a relationship settling DOES NOT equal HAPPY 

Season 5/6 Emma rant