I've been seeing a lot of tumblr hate about Once Upon a Time lately. I will write another post about why I don't agree with other aspects of it, but this post is dedicated solely to the villains and defending Hook/Captain Swan (to an extent).
Let me begin with saying that I loved Swanfire as well, but I agree with the way they ended it. Neal needed that ending. It almost felt like closure to me, in a very sad but still somewhat satisfying way. I cried during the scene, the first one I really wept in. But to me, it made sense. Now, onto the Villains.
In this show, I see 3 types of villains. First, the "Simple" villains. (Not the best word for it. I can't think of what exactly I'm looking for, but I will explain.)
These are the villains the ones we don't know much about. Maleficent, for example. We know her role in the story she comes from, we have a few interactions with her, but her back-story has not (yet?) been revealed. The siren, the wraith, and even King George can go here. Perhaps we get a glimpse into what they were and why, but we don't really know them. In this catagory, I also put the henchmen. The huntsman, for example, The mad hatter (though I don't really see him as villainous), Greg and Tamara. Felix, Sydney Glass, Jack and Smee. They all work for someone, and are not truly "evil" on their own. Also, none of them have an extensive back-story. A few glimpses, an episode to themselves, but nothing truly horrible.
Next, on the opposite end of the spectrum, are the Selfish villians. I have three main villains in this catagory: Cora, Pan, and Zelena. (A few others could possibly find their way into this catagory, but since we don't know much of their stories, I'm focusing mostly on these three. Jiminy's parents, perhaps, or the former Dark One.)
Why are they the Selfish Villains, you ask? Because that is where their Villainy started. From a selfish standpoint.
Cora wanted to be better, more important than she was. She wanted to prove (to the king and royals of her time) that she was Special and worth noticing. That she was not just the millers daughter. That, in and of itself is not bad, but perhaps she went about it the wrong way. Instead of just proving something, she got a lust for power, personal power. She wanted to be powerful for herself.
Pan wanted freedom from responsibility. He had a very important responsibility, a son, but he didn't want it. He wanted to be as a child himself where he didn't have to do anything for anyone but himself. He wanted independence.
Zelena also wanted to prove her worth. She wanted to be better than Regina. She wanted to be the best. To gain a personal power that would give her control, over Regina, her mother, even Rumpelstiltskin.
These villains could also be know as the most dangerous villains. because of their selfishness that takes root beneath all else, they cannot truly love others. Zelena couldn't cast the second curse because of that, she had nothing to take a heart from. Cora loved Regina, but only as a means to gain power for herself. Pan loved Felix, perhaps, but he loved him most when he was able to be sacrificed so Pan could gain more power.
And our Third set of villains, the "popular" villains. The "sacrificial" villains. The "victimized" villains. I don't know, something like that. There are thee in this category as well: Regina, Rumpelstiltskin, and Hook. (I know, I know. Don't yell at me yet, let me explain.)
Regina's villainy came from a need to avenge the death of her true love. Daniel's death can be seen as the start for her turning to evil. She wanted him back, wanted to inflict pain on those who had inflicted pain on her. Eventually, in Storybrooke, the main focus of her Evil was to protect Henry. To protect the one she loved. Regina's villainous acts came out of a selfless need to love and protect.
Rumple, as well, did not start from an inherently selfish place. Yes, he was cowardly, yes he did selfish acts. But he became the Dark One, he took on power so that he could save his son. He loved Baelfire so much that he wanted to do anything to protect him. Again, his power and evilness started from a selfless place.
So we look at Hook. We look at all the horrid things he's done, all the crimes he's committed. The selfish way he manipulated them in Season 2. The "code of ethics" he holds that seems kind of messed up and geared only toward protecting himself. Good form, and all that.
But if you go back to the beginning, Killian Jones was a truly honorable man. He, like Regina, wanted to avenge someone he loved: his brother's death. The start of his villainy was not selfish, even if it became that way. Later, he wanted to avenge Milah's death. The death of those he loved turned him for the worse perhaps, but puts him in the best category of villains.
They say the "evil isn't born, it's made." that seems to be true for all these villains. But if you look at them objectively, where they came from shows a lot about the character underneath the villain. The "man behind the monster", so to speak. Perhaps they are more dangerous "because they have [hearts]" and love, but perhaps that can be their saving grace as well.
I know they are still messing up. Rumple is lying to Belle, even after all this time, and it hurts to watch. Hook made a lot of bad decisions, but he seems to be trying to redeem himself as well. Regina just keeps getting her heart broken, can you blame her for wanting to hurt people?
They all have a ways to go, but then so do the "good" characters. We don't know what this next season will hold for any of them.
Sorry this post was a little longer than I expected, but I had to say some things. I don't agree with Hook and some of what he did, but neither do I agree with Regina and Rumple for some of the things they did. That doesn't make me love and care for them as characters any less though, and it shouldn't for Hook either. Maybe he doesn't deserve Emma, but that also doesn't mean he shouldn't get happiness.
[disclaimer: i do not own these characters or the pictures of them. I got the pictures off google images :)]
