#good form

I see so many opinions on this ranging from “At the end of s3” to “At the end of s6” and i’ve always wanted to actually evaluate when and where David’s hate for Hook actually disappeared.

After due thought, I can’t bring myself to believe that it’s any later than good form (3x05). Keep in mind that by his “hatred disappearing” I don’t mean any issues the two have being wiped away, I simply mean when David stopped having an intense disliking for him that got in the way of them having a civil relationship.

More specifically, this exact scene is where I think the turning point lies, with David behaving distinctly differently before and after this exchange happens.

But let’s back up a bit before we can start talking about this scene and analyse exactly why David hates Hook.

From the start of their relationship, David has let Hook’s reputation (both as Captain Hook and the reputation being a pirate alone garners you) cloud his judgement of him as a person. It’s shown time and time again that David despises thieves and pirates and criminals. He seems to view these types of people as absolute scum and is very stubborn about that assumption. That’s why I think the main problem with their relationship is that David is completely incapable of empathising with Hook on any level.

We can see through scenes like this one at the start of good form that David’s main issue is being unable to see Hook as an actual human beyond his villainy, practically viewing it as impossible for him to have real thoughts, feelings and emotions.

He calls him “nothing but a pirate” because that’s all he sees him as, not being able to be a complex person in David’s eyes. All David sees is a pirate and the connotations of that position, nothing more. That’s why it’s so easy for him to hurt his feelings and have no regret because he doesn’t recognise there are feelings to be hurt.

That’s why, when we look back to this scene, it becomes clear why David’s attitude changes.

He picks up the military insignia and hears Hook’s story about his brother, and this is what i believe causes the change. It’s proof that Killian is a real person and he is more complex than just being a cutthroat pirate.

Killian had a family, he experienced loss, he was once in the navy (something I think is especially eye-opening for David, who struggles to see the noble people of the navy in the same vein as corrupt pirates) and David is seeing all of this for the first time. Suddenly, the illusion is shattered.

Hook is no longer this blank slate for him to project all of his hatred for immorality onto. He’s a real person with a real family and real thoughts and real feelings. Suddenly he isn’t “nothing but a pirate.”

David now empathises with him, not just in his own mind, but actually when speaking to him. He somewhat tries to keep up the hostile attitude, but it fades away quite quickly, turning to a kind of friendly interest.

David actively choses to engage in conversation with Hook about his brother, sharing his experience with losing his own. He takes active interest in his past, genuinely engaging.

And while this does get overshadowed slightly by the banter the two start to share, this only further proves that David’s hatred isn’t as strong as before. Their jokes are now more light hearted, they’re not actually making each other angry nor are they being violent. Their conversation is much more friendly and you can see that in David’s demeanour especially. He’s smiling now, despite it all.

This is such a stark contrast to where they started. Hell, even a stark contrast to their dynamic at the start of the episode. Something’s changed between them, and it’s because of that small thing flipping a switch in David’s mind.

Though there’s still the issue of Hook pursuing Emma, I 1. don’t think that’s at the forefront of his mind right now. With everything going on, I’d say David’s mostly forgotten that gripe for the time being, and 2. David’s aversion to the idea of Hook and Emma together was mostly because he viewed Hook as pirate scum, which has now mostly gone away. (this is why David is less strongly against their relationship after this episode).

But then, why does he threaten Hook at Deadman’s peak??

If I think that David hasn’t hated Hook since that scene, then why do I think the two became hostile again later on?

Well, I think this is mostly to do with the deal David overhears between Hook and Pan.

David has spent all day learning new things about Hook and having his bias challenged, he’s finally beginning to come around and see him in a more positive light. AND then he overhears Hook and Pan, and it all comes crashing down.

I think after this he immediately goes backwards, probably thinking himself foolish for even considering a possibility Killian could be anything but pure evil. Now he thinks anything good he’s even so much as considered about Hook is wrong, all being a facade to have David gone.

He probably doesn’t actually hear that much of the conversation, just assuming Hook was always planning to kill him. Was any of it real? Their conversations in 3x03 and 3x04 are probably being seen so differently in his mind now - and his hatred for Hook is stronger than ever.

That’s why he goes back to being insulting in the deleted scene, why he refuses to take his hook, why he’s so ready to pull a sword on him.

It’s all been not only reversed, but strengthened by tenfold. It’s one thing to know a man’s reputation of being a murderer, but it’s another to know you’ve been manipulated into being his next target.

But then he calms down, and he realises Hook was on his side the entire time. His anger once again subsides and he sees Killian in a more positive light than ever. He lies once again just to give him credit, he willingly drinks the rum he previously spat out and he doesn’t insult him for a very long while.

If you can't do 5 reps with good form

Just decrease the weight