Characters We Love: The Appeal of Neal - Once Upon a Time

THE APPEAL OF NEAL.

In Season Two of Once Upon a Time, fans got to take a look into Emma Swan's past and included in her past, was her first true love, Neal Cassidy. The show brought in Michael Raymond-James to play Emma's love interest, but not only did fans discover Emma once was in love, but he was also the son of Rumplestiltskin.

The writers of Once have a natural talent for creating a universe that is absolutely enticing and exciting. Somewhere along the line, the twists and turns become more and more intense and with each season, they still dazzle the fans. Once is separated by their fresh take on fairy tale characters, but also how well they add in their own character such as Neal and Emma, who aren't naturally part of the fairy tale world. Kitsis and Horowitz combine fairy tales and real life in for what would seem like to some, complex forms, but to fans, a real treat to watch. Once is also uniquely divided up in what they call Season 4A and Season 4B. Instead of running with the whole season of one storyline, Once mixes it up and involves different villains through the first part of the season then the second half of the season. The only season that appeared to have a straight structure was Season One, which the whole basis was for Emma to find out the truth about Storybrooke and break the curse.

Season Two was a great background season for Emma. After Emma returned from the Enchanted Forest, Mr. Gold asked Emma to go with him to New York City to track down his son, Baelfire. In the Enchanted Forest, Rumplestiltskin wouldn't give up his power for Baelfire, so his son fell through a portal to a land with no magic. In an effort to find his son, Rumple spent years trying to find the witch that would cast a dark curse on the Enchanted Forest and then made certain that Prince Charming and Snow White would end up together so they could conceive the product of true love who would break the curse in Storybrooke, making it possible for Rumple to find his son finally. To think, a father went through all that effort to find his son is an impressive feat.

When Emma discovers that the son Rumple was looking for happens to be her love interest, Neal, from her past, Emma is terrified that Neal knew she was the savior and the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming the whole time they were together. Neal wasn't aware that Emma was the savior, but he knew he spent most of his life trying to run from his father. Neal also discovers that Emma had a secret of her own and was pregnant with Henry after he left her in jail for stealing some watches when August/Pinocchio asked him to leave her so she could fulfill her destiny and break the curse. Neal and Henry reunite as father and son, and instead of running from his past, Neal takes it upon himself to be there for Henry and try to make it up to Emma and returns to Storybrooke.

Neal and Emma join forces when Neal finds out his fiance, Tamara, is working for Peter Pan. Henry is captured and taken to Neverland in Season Three, but by then, Neal has fallen through a portal again but this time back to the Enchanted Forest. If you didn't see some kind of irony in that, then that is your fault. Think about it momentarily. Neal fell through a portal into a land without magic when Rumple lost him and then he falls back into another portal that lands him back into the Enchanted Forest with Mulan and Aurora. Neal also got to meet Robin Hood for the first time. The Neverland story was part of Season 3A, in which case, pinning Neal up against his father and grandfather, which was a neat exploration. The relationship between Neal and Rumple is a unique one, when fans know that Belle is a weakness for Rumple as well as the dagger that controls him, but in all honesty, Neal is probably one of Rumple's biggest weaknesses.

There isn't anything in the world Rumple wouldn't do for Neal or to have his son back. Fans could clearly see that more than ever in Neverland when Neal was able to ask Rumple to not harm anyone using magic. In the long run, it was Rumple's sacrifice that surprised fans when he killed Pan, losing his life in the process.

Before fans could assume that Neal wanted Rumple back when a second curse came and took all the characters back to the Enchanted Forest except for Emma and Henry, Neal wasn't looking for Rumple to resurrect the Dark One so he could be reunited with his father. It would've been nice to think that Neal wanted his father back, and maybe some part of him did in the long run, but Neal wasn't aware of the price it would've cost him to do so. Neal's motivation was to get back to Emma and Henry. In order to do that, it cost Neal his life.

Now, in the end of season four, Henry was blessed with the gift of being the author. The author is the one person that writes all the happy endings for everyone and sort of can dictate where the story goes as long as what he writes about is the truth. It was a nice destiny for Henry since he was the one with the heart of the truest believer and from episode one, Henry was always a believer. After all of the adventures that Henry went on, to finally be given the opportunity to somehow be a part of that world was a nice twist. Not to mention, Henry is the son of the Savior and Baelfire, who is the son of the Darkest Magic. Henry is a bloodline of good, light magic as well as dark magic. It's tempting to write his own version of the stories because what he asked to the apprentice was whether or not he could bring back Neal. The apprentice assured him that there was no way since Neal died in the real world and not in the Enchanted Forest. It was a part of the present and not the past, so Henry couldn't alter anything. Henry mentioning the possibility of bringing back his father could mean nothing, but in TV world, sometimes the littlest mention can make a fanbase curious. Could Henry bring Neal back? Could Neal come back in any way?

When asked, fans mention some of their favorite characters that they miss and would love to see come back. The characters range from Mulan to Ruby to Cruella even, but out of popularity, Neal Cassidy is one character that fans would like to see again. It's not just the shippers that love Neal and Emma together, but the fans of Neal in general. However, the real question becomes what would happen to Hook & Emma if Neal were to return? The relationship between Neal and Emma is undeniable, but Hook & Neal have a friendship as well. Hook was willing to honor Neal by standing aside so he could try to work things out with Emma, but now that Emma has chosen Hook, would Neal have that same honor and respect for Hook?

If Neal were to return somehow or some way to Storybrooke, Neal would more than likely still make an effort to be a part of Henry's life. In every way, Neal would care for Emma and love her, but also respect her wishes that she has found happiness and true love with Killian. Neal wouldn't just do that for Emma, but he would do it for Killian too. That isn't to stop Neal from having a relationship with Henry because he would be a part of that world and still continue to live his life. Even if he wasn't with Emma, Neal was a fabulous addition to the team. Neal was the one who got everyone off the island in Neverland because Neal's knowledge of that world was in surplus amounts. So what is the appeal of Neal? Why would he be worth bringing back?

Neal is smart. Neal is equipped to handle both the magic world and the real world because he is just as crafty as Emma. He might not be the Savior, he might not have magic, but he is certainly strong and capable. If Neverland wasn't proof of how clever and efficient he was, then I don't what it is. He outsmarted his powerful grandfather and certainly has a way with words with his father. However, it would be interesting to see a different bond between Rumple and Neal now that Rumple is no longer that Dark One and Emma is. Neal adds a great flare to the crew and had great chemistry with Henry. Once has proved that there is never too little room for extra members to the gang. Even though Robin Hood, Killian, and Charming fit out the bill of men in Storybrooke, heroic, fun, and strong, another addition to the crew wouldn't hurt. The women of Storybrooke are certainly in abundance and can definitely take care of themselves.

For fans who worry about whether bringing back Neal would mess up the Captain Swan relationship, fear not. There will be undeniable history and chemistry between Neal & Emma, but all Neal wanted was for Emma to be happy. If Neal were to return, his love for her would surpass any reason to try and ruin what Killian and Emma have. Fans just love Neal Cassidy/Baelfire and bringing him back wouldn't hurt the Storybrooke universe. Having his familiar face and great energy is just the exact reason, Neal should return.

Who knows? It's Once Upon a Time. In Storybrooke, anything could happen.