‘Shiptober: Should ‘Once Upon a Time’ season 6 offer up Hook – Emma engagement?

Mrs. Carter: Hook and Emma on “Once Upon a Time” absolutely have made some progress over the years.

It was a couple of seasons ago where we started to get the sense that these characters could be committed to one another. Since that time, both of their lives have been on the line, and to go along with that, we’ve also seen Hook come back from the dead. Now, Emma is nursing a secret regarding her future that is eventually going to come out, and that does threaten to undermine some of the progress that the two have made. They’re now living together as the next evolution of their relationship, and of course following this up often means engagement.

So could that happen this season? Then take a look now at the latest chapter in our ‘Shiptober series.

The case for the engagement – Well, the narrative certainly seems to suggest that it’s coming, and we absolutely cannot imagine the show ending for this couple without some sort of sweeping romantic gesture. It’s just in the show’s nature to give us this! Having it be later this season would feel like the perfect next step in a long road, and it doesn’t mean that the wedding has to come this season. You could save that for season 7, and create a whole story around how it is okay for Emma and Hook to embrace the romance of it all — something that they are not always so inclined to do.

The case against the engagement – Maybe you ‘ship Emma with someone else, maybe you don’t want this show to end like every other fairy-tale, or maybe you think that all of this could be saved for season 7. While ABC has yet to issue that renewal, we do think that it will most likely happen unless the ratings crash. If none of these statements are indicative of how you feel about the couple, maybe you just think that they don’t need to be married to show their love, and that would be an interesting modern sensibility for this series.

Interested in getting some other news when it comes to “Once Upon a Time”? Then head over here for some more details regarding Sunday night’s installment. (Photo: ABC.)

This column is written by Jessica Carter and you can follow her on Twitter here or Facebook here.