Well, that certainly explains a lot.
Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.
Tonight’s Once Upon a Time was a two-hour special, but since the episodes are only connected by a thread, we’re reviewing them separately [You can find our review of the second half, “The Bear King” by clicking here]. The first hour, “Birth,” took place in Storybrooke and Camelot and tackled the all-important subject of why Emma became Dark Swan. After all this time waiting without any hints, so much happened so quickly that it felt rushed. Still, they took what could have been a mundane motivation and made it more impactful.
The unsurprising part of the equation is Hook was involved. After we saw what happened with Merlin and Nimue, it was the obvious guess a threat to Hook would somehow be involved in making Emma decide to embrace darkness. And he was part of her transformation. They decided to closely parallel the Nimue plot by turning Hook into another Dark One, and since we didn’t know that was technically possible, it was a shock. It’s cruel to turn Hook into the thing he has fought against for decades, first with Rumplestiltskin and then with Emma. This brings all sorts of potential to the table for Hook’s development and if they stick with it, gives Colin O’Donoghue the opportunity to stretch his legs as a different kind of villain.
O’Donoghue gave a strong display of some of his acting chops tonight. He was compelling and sort of scary as angry Hook and also incredibly adorable in scenes with Emma (pre-Dark Swan Emma, obviously). Their relationship is believable, and given how Emma has affected his path, it’s easy to see why Hook would want things to work out between them and want to help her. After he went on about his own past at length and promised forgiveness for anything Emma had done, he not only turned his back on Emma but made a move to team up with Zelena against her. Huh?
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photo Gallery:
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
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Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
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Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
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Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
Once Upon a Time: “Birth/The Bear King” Photos
Sure, Emma turned Hook into something he hates. How did he not know he was a Dark One? Erasing his memory shouldn’t have erased the darkness inside him. Weren’t other Dark Ones trying to talk to Hook in the same way they were talking to Emma? Hopefully we’ll learn more about those details in the future. Logistics aside, Hook overreacted to what Emma did. Yes, her decision to save him by making him the Dark One wasn’t ideal, but how can he not recognize he’d do the same if he were in her shoes? It didn’t ring true.
Regina, however, acted in character in regards to her response to Emma. She took a tough love approach that fits right in with what we know about her and continued on her heroic path by saving Zelena despite the fact she probably didn’t truly want to. Bonus: Regina got to crack the best joke by asking Dr. Whale about his dye job.
Emma’s needs with Zelena were a switch, too. She happily didn’t want the baby, and it was a nice balance for her to use dark magic to save an innocent life. As far as what she wanted to do with Zelena, you have to admit it was at least well thought out. How awful would her plan be, really? Zelena does nothing but try to cause pain and harm others, and while it’s not Emma’s job to be judge and jury, you can certainly see where she’s coming from — which is an interesting angle to explore.
The first installment of tonight’s two-part yet separate Once Upon a Time episodes addressed nearly all the questions about the whys and hows of Emma’s decision. Hook was an obvious choice, but the part about him also becoming a Dark One was an unexpected move and a smart way to twist the story. It was weird to follow the big reveal with a barely related adventure starring Merida though.
