Neal Cassidy, a true hero
I’m sorry, but this is another Once Upon A Time post. I promise I will write about more. This is just on my mind. And I tend to ramble in chronological order so some of this is slight recap.
Given that it has been a year since a wonderful character was killed off of a show for no justifiable reason, I decided I would write a post…or two…about why Neal Cassidy aka Baelfire was one of the best, most awesome and significant characters in the show. His character had so much depth and his story had so much potential, his having connections with most main characters. The show pretty much fell apart when he was killed off, and it hasn’t made it up since. So here is my way of honoring a beautifully written character and the Once that was. Why do I love Neal Cassidy? Starting when he went by Baelfire, he was the only light in Rumplestiltskin’s lonely and sad life. His story gave Rumplestiltskin depth that I never expected. Episode 1x08: Desperate Souls changed his character completely from an evil imp with a twisted plan to a desperate soul just trying to gain back the only light in his life and a father who just wanted a second chance to make it up to his son. Baelfire, though young, was brave and he defended his papa against a cruel soldier. Later, after his papa had succumbed to the power of the dagger and dark one, he selflessly stood by his papa and believed he was still a good man deep down. Even when Rumple sends him home after dancing among Pan and a group of boys, Baelfire tells him that despite everything, he still would have chosen Rumple. His sole desire was to be with his papa again that he would do anything, even travel to a new realm, to be with him once more. He trusts so much that Rumple would go with him that he goes first and is met with the worst betrayal of all: that he doesn’t mean more that magic and power. This is the second time a parent had abandoned him. Upon arriving in London, he tries to get by on the streets and is soon lovingly accepted into a family–the Darlings. Bae finally, after a few years with the Dark One for his father, feels at home again. And what does he do when danger threatens this family? He gives himself to the darkness so that their family can stay safely together. This time, he has to leave them. He is brought to Neverland and is smart enough to light a fire to escape the Shadow. Captain Hook rescues him from drowning and becomes a sort of father figure to him. After maybe a year or so of sailing (I don’t know if time is different in Neverland), he finds out this new father figure was the reason his mother abandoned him. Once again, another relationship corrupted. Hook, in response, sells him out to Pan. Neal really shouldn’t have had any reason to hope after all these traumatic events in his life, but he did. Despite everything, he remained hopeful. Neal, after Neverland, arrives in America as a teenager with absolutely nothing… There could have been so many awesome flashbacks of this time… So, out of necessity, he turns to stealing for survival. He finds a car that will be his only home not expecting this car to change his life, when he meets Emma Swan. He asks her if she’ll let him buy her a drink. Later, we find out that this drink actually meant coffee in the rain on an abandoned carousel. (How did young Baelfire learn to be so romantic?) In this scene, it is clear that Neal still loves his papa despite everything and he hopes to one day find a home. This clearly resonates with Emma who only really wanted a home. After this moment of connection, these kindred spirits work together. I’m not condoning their thievery. It’s just part of their story. They like keep sakes. Neal, seeing a swan keychain, thinks immediately of Emma and he is so excited to give her a gift (even if he did steal it–he has no money). This is probably the first gift he’s given and it was probably the first thoughtful gift Emma had received. It is so small, but she accepts it so graciously. They soon after admit that they want to try to get real jobs so they can find a real home. And they remain hopeful in their ideal of Tallahassee, that is until the watches… and Mr. Booth comes to town. (There also could be some more awesome flashbacks in this part of the timeline). This was not a shining moment for him and I never said this character was perfect. But in seeing the wanted poster, Neal’s immediate thought is of Emma. The last thing he wants is for her to be on the run with a fugitive. He may not have done the right thing with the watches but he clearly cares for Emma. It isn’t until Emma convinces him that they she can succeed in obtaining the watches. He trusts her. She’s the first person in a long time who he can actually trust. And she trusts him. Neal never ever planned on leaving her... until August. August shows up as Neal is going to fence the watches (again, I know this isn’t right. He did plan on going clean after this) and he tells Neal that he knows he is Baelfire (I would still REALLY like to know how in the world he knew this) and about a magical town from the Enchanted Forest. So Neal at point would be terrified to know that magic is still following him and worst of all there was a curse that Emma, the love of his life, was destined to break. . August also puts him down by responding to his ”We promised to take care of each other with “You love her? Good… That means you have to do right by her?” “That’s all I’m trying to do.” "Then leave her.” If you put this into perspective, he had never been truly loved because anyone he ever had a relationship abandoned or betrayed him, beside the time when it was he who left the Darlings so that they could remain a family. When August points out all the ways that Neal is not doing right by Emma, what else could he do? He knows that he is not giving Emma the best life and that she deserves more. At the end of August’s little speech about the curse and Emma’s destiny, he asks him, “Will you do the right thing?” Neal knows the price of magic and August has him backed into a corner. Leaving her wasn’t right but this man who knew far more about a powerful curse–which most likely brought back nightmarish memories for Neal– seemed to think so. We will never know who called the cops, because it was never shown. But given the way the scene plays out. It is likely that it was August. This honestly is the worst thing Neal did, and he still was doing it for selfless reasons. Neal wanted more than anything to be with Emma because with her he finally found home, but in leaving her, he’d never get to Tallahassee. People could blame for actually selling Emma out for money. But the scene when he meets August changes everything. He is pained when he hears that Emma has eleven months and is angry that it’s her instead of him. This to me makes it seem that he didn’t call, but that’s just what I think. What does follow, however, is part of the show and an important moment. Neal tells August to be there for Emma if he can’t be, and then proceeds to give up all the money from the watches. He clearly didn’t let her take the fall for his wrongdoing to get money–he gives it all to her, and the car, his only home. Well, this is turning out to be way longer than intended. I will continue this post later... Too much awesomeness to write about Neal