Austenphile

Isn't that the big question? And if it's a clone, why would Emma and Hook be ok with creating a clone to help Henry while they went on their merry way with their lives? None of it would make any sense and the audience would think it was stupid. I have this slight hope that Colin really means a cursed version not a real "Alternate Version". Hook and Emma can still be "together" with a happy ending while he's off helping Henry and cursed for a few months. Military families do it all the time. Or people who travel on temporary assignment for business who don't want to move their families.

fox24

I also think it means different version of the same person

scififan2009

Maybe he’s a time remnant.

sherry02

I found this quote from the article yesterday interesting.

I know it's already been speculated that Alice is awake. I'm calling it that Rumple is awake as well, but we won't know that right away. Rumple always finds a way around curses. He woke up early from the original dark curse, he was immune to Ingrid's curse, and was awake during the Black Fairy's curse.

scififan2009

Actually he didn’t. The only thing that woke him during the first curse was Emma’s name.

sherry02

Yes, but he set that up ahead of time by finding out her name from Snow while she was pregnant so that when Emma arrived in town, he would wake up. He didn't have to wait for the curse to be broken like the others did.

lianamed

I wonder if this iteration of Alice is a *dark one* as well. I mean, they are sure paralleling both her and Rumple a *lot* and they also mentioned something about *dark ones* in the interview.

Radames

Because an off screen or implied reunion, is not worth 20 + episodes of angst. There is no pay off in that. They said it's a satisfying end. Emma Swan separated from the people she loves is not satisfying whatsoever.

Austenphile

There is no angst if he can't remember and she knows he's off helping Henry for a few months. If it were Snowing, I would rather them be separated temporarily with no onscreen reunion than something as stupid as a cloned version.

scififan2009

She’s still separated from Henry.

Austenphile

Yes. And she would still be with her parents and brother, whom she also loves. As well as the hypothetical CS child. A cloned version of Hook made to help Henry so that CS can go off into the sunset and be happy with no sacrifice makes them look like awful characters and is incredibly OOC. I'm still waiting for an explanation of why Emma, Snow and Charming are not there that preserves the integrity of the characters. Clone Hook isn't it.

Maris

Henry is an adult now., It's normal that adult children start their own families and lead separate lives, perhaps far away from their family of origin, and it's normal that parents accept that and don't try to cling to their children and hold them back.

scififan2009

He’s an adult in a perilous situation. And Emma has no idea if he’ll be okay or not.

Austenphile

That's true unless they specifically ask their families for help. We have been told repeatedly that Henry and his wife and child are in trouble so he asked his family for help. We need a reasonable explanation why Emma, especially, but also Snow and Charming weren't there. Snow's about to give birth and Charming has a broken leg. Emma gets pushed down a portal. Or Snowing are visiting Disneyland when the message comes through and Emma breaks her arm so they send her home (presuming her magic doesn't work in EF2). Lots of explanations that preserve the integrity of the characters. Everyone of the Charmings living happily leaving Henry to his own devices sending only a cloned version of Hook does not.

Maris

Adults typically cope with things themselves, And as a fallback, Henry's mother is there with him in Seattle, even if they initially don't recognize each other.

Emma has been written out of the show. It makes no sense to set up stories that depend on a departed character or dwell on her absence. That will get old very quickly. How they write Emma out may not be satisfying for some fans but it is a necessity for the show to move forward.