Becoming "the Dark One"
BECOMING "THE DARK ONE"
I have a confession to make. I am a little disappointed at how Emma Swan became the new "Dark One". She did so by committing a noble act. And I find that . . . unsatisfying.
The Season One episode, (1.08) "Desperate Soul" revealed that Rumpelstiltskin had originally become "the Dark One" when he was recruited by the title's previous holder, Zoso, to find the dagger that would either allow the former to control him or acquire magical power by killing him. Zoso goaded Rumpelstiltskin into anger by questioning the paternity of latter's son, Baelfire/Neal Cassidy, and the latter killed him. Rumpelstiltskin became the new "Dark One" and remained so for several centuries.
But nothing similar happened to Emma. Instead, she recently became "the Dark One" in the series' Season Four finale, (4.23) "Operation Mongoose, Part II" by saving Regina Mills from an entity that would allow the latter to assume that title. She did so by allowing herself to become possessed by said entity. Before coming possessed, Emma told Regina that she wanted prevent Regina's moral progress from being disrupted. Well, I am glad that Regina was prevented from becoming "the Dark One". But . . . pardon me for saying this, but Emma's reasoning struck me as a bit patronizing. And it seemed that Horowitz and Kitsis may have taken the whole "savior complex" a bit too far. At least to me.
Emma was worried about the regression of Regina's moral compass? She should have been worried about her own. Despite the Sorcerer Apprentice's spell that had allegedly transferred Emma's inner evil to the daughter of Maleficent, Lily Page in a (4.17) "Best Laid Plans" flashback, I personally suspect that his spell went no where. After all, Emma's moral compass was already questionable by the she first had arrived in Storybrooke. She had spent most of her adolescent as a thief. Both she and former boyfriend, Neal, had stolen a yellow Volkswagen . . . which was never returned by Neal or Emma. When she told Regina that her car was stolen in (4.13) "Darkness on the Edge of Town", she seemed to be lacking in any remorse over her crime. She had also committed a series of petty crimes - including destruction of private property, and breaking and entering - that should have landed her behind bars in Storybrooke or fired as the town's sheriff back in Season One. Her rescue of son Henry Mills from the clutches of Cruella de Vil in (4.19) "Sympathy for the De Vil" nearly endangered his life. Yet . . . very few people have commented on this. Her decision to save Maid Marian from being executed by Regina in (3.22) "There's No Place Like Home", literally ended in disaster. And if viewers are really to believe that the Apprentice had removed all signs of Emma's inner evil before she was born; why did the Chernabog demon, which allegedly only sought out one with the heart with the greatest potential for evil in order to devour said heart, went after Emma, instead of the former Evil Queen in "Darkness on the Edge of Town"? What did that say about Emma's true nature - spell or no spell?
Unfortunately, the series' reluctance to openly acknowledge Emma's unpleasant side has not done her character any credit. Sometimes, I get the feeling that Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis are afraid of really exploring how low Emma can sink on her own. Or when they are willing to do so, they are very vague about it. Why, I do not know. To this day, no one seems willing to criticize Emma for keeping a stolen vehicle. No one bothered to point out that her decision to act as Marian's savior had led to disaster. No one. Not a single character on the show (aside from an angry Regina in early Season Four) or any of the series' viewers. No one had questioned Emma's method of killing Cruella de Vil in "Sympathy for the De Vil" . . . especially since she could have saved Henry without ending Cruella's life and nearly endangering his. Well, I take that back. Horowitz and Kitsis claimed that Emma had "stepped over the line" by killing Cruella. The problem is that they never made the effort to clarify their comment - not to the fans or on the show. I have noticed in the past that the only times Emma's actions were really criticized happened during late Season Three when she was determined to upset the Charming family dynamics by returning to New York City with Henry.
And now, Emma has become "the Dark One". Through an act of noble sacrifice. UGH! Kitsis and Horowitz spent most of Season Four building up to how unpleasant Emma could be . . . and ended it all in a nice bow tie with forgiveness toward her parents' perfidy. And what did they do next? Allowed Emma to become "the Dark One" through an act of sacrifice. This whole story arc would have been more interesting if Emma's Season Four descent into evil could have ended with her falling under "the Dark One" curse. But noooooo! Once again, the possibility in revealing how low Emma can sink winds up being pushed aside or in this case, sugar coated.
When will "ONCE UPON A TIME" be willing to expose Emma's true potential for evil without resorting to vague or evasive storytelling, or possession by magical entity? They managed to do so with her parents, Snow White and David, Prince Charming. I think Emma could become a more interesting character if Horowitz and Kitsis would allow this to eventually happen. But I have a deep suspicion that the series will end before the two showrunners would be willing to do so.