jelach

I know this episode aired 13 years ago, and its writing was of its time. But this whole 'Emma is disinterested so she must be playing hard to get' arc is deeply uncomfortable to me.

To start with, we get no justification for why hook is chasing Emma in the first place (apart from maybe she's hot and fiery, but like they don't actually talk to each other much and when they do it's Emma repeatedly saying I'm not interested or all of them trying to work out a plan rather than them having actual personal conversations or getting to know each other).

And we're meant to believe, with no actual friendship or relationship hook is willing to go back to Neverland (which he knows better than anyone is hard to escape and difficult to live on) just to impress Emma and eventually sleep with her?

And then, in the episode itself, we watch hook going on a super dangerous Side Quest when there's not really enough time to save David (a man who is openly hostile to him) to impress Emma and gain a bargaining chip to get her to kiss him?????

And it works????

Bc of course it does bc Emma is a Grade A 'i need people to love me bc I'm deeply afraid I'm broken and no one ever will' bc of her Childhood. Of course it does bc she already spent 28 years having lost her parents so she's genuinely grateful that he stopped her losing one of them again. Of course it does bc he is very pushy and they need to Move On for Henry's sake and it's easier this way.

I'm so mad. This is what women are told over and over again. That persistence from that man = interest, love. That men are entitled to attention and affection from whoever they are interested in.

Actually this episode for me did a great job of selling persistence = assault.

Emma deserved better.

Women deserve better.