Why Captain Swan? How did this couple go from “Oh, I like them” to, “Oh, there’s enough material for an hour a week!” – and what’s your favorite thing about them?
JMo: Where do I even begin?! From that first adventure in “Tallahassee” to now, the growth and development of their relationship has been such a joy to watch. It would not have been as meaningful for myself or the viewers it wasn’t for the incredible chemistry between Jennifer Morrison and Colin O’Donoghue. And I appreciate that their relationship has taken time to grow, which allows us to have so much material to discuss and fawn over. My favorite thing about Captain Swan is that they are so patient with each other throughout their relationship. They allow each other to make their own decisions, and don’t push each other when they feel uncomfortable. They both understand loss and loneliness, and through each other, they have been able to heal those wounds.
Jenna R: That is such a hard question to answer! I’ve already mentioned in the podcast that when Hook first came onto the show I didn’t like his character. I just saw him as a bully, selfish and annoying (sacrilege I know!) It really wasn’t until “Good Form” that he started to grow on me. Having his backstory made me understand him more and ofc the kiss was hot! I think season 3b and the CS movie really sealed the deal for me. I could see the goodness in him. I could also see how he was helping Emma with her issues and they had a deep connection. I was totally sold once season 4 started. I think the fact there is enough content for us to do a weekly podcast is a testament to how amazing this couple is! They evolve more and more each episode which means there are always plenty of new things to touch on. My favorite thing about them is their realness.
I feel like they are an example of a real life fairytale couple in that their relationship has mirrored a relationship that you or I could have in reality.
Lindsay: From the moment we met Killian Jones out on the jolly, I fell in love with him. He’s so cheeky and flirty; I immediately thought that this character was going to get laid a lot! So when I saw him and Emma climb up the beanstalk I was all for it. Give me it, give me all of it! Has he got laid yet with Emma? Well… Who knows with this show!
My favorite thing about them is how realistic their reactions and understanding of each other is. They both respect that they both have pasts but refuse to let it define them and their relationship. Plus, they’re stupidly beautiful when they look at each other.
Gabrielle: It’s funny because what I loved most about the show in the first 2 seasons was that there was no couple that I shipped. And to me the show wasn’t about this couple or that couple (except for Snowing, of course) or what love triangle there’s gonna be this season versus that season. I had just come off of watching Lost and the love triangle between Jack, Kate and Sawyer drained me, so I was somewhat relieved for the first 2 seasons to just relax and enjoy it. The show was about family. It was about finding them and Emma reconnecting with her parents, Henry and her past in some ways. I, of course noticed the playful banter with Emma and Captain Hook, but I didn’t put much into it that it was more than that until the first kiss in Good Form.
Good Form changed everything for me and I can still remember watching that scene like it was yesterday and seeing that kiss and immediately feeling like, “Yeah, this is it. This is the end for me.” And I love couples that start off the way they did; their banter with a touch of sexual tension. Those are the best! So throughout season 3 I cheered for them, but towards the end I sort of got frustrated and was actually more of an Outlaw Queen shipper than a Captain Swan because Emma kept shutting him out and it was painful to see his face after being rejected time and time again. It wasn’t until the CS movie and the end where they kissed that I became obsessed. And as they progressed throughout season 4 and season 5 it was clear they’d taken over my life and I needed some other girls to talk with them about. My favorite thing about them is that they’re so relatable. I relate to Emma in having walls upon walls up and bringing them down is probably the hardest thing to do. And we all want someone that’ll be patient with us and help us bring them down like Killian. Well, at least I do! He doesn’t push or rush her. And he helps guide her and supports her. We could all use a Killian!
Kimberly: I really can’t explain it. I think the writing has a lot to do with why I feel like there’s enough material. It’s a complex relationship, with many facets. I’m very outspoken about the fact that Emma is the audience’s touchpoint, so the complexity leads itself to many of the relationships we find ourselves engaged in. I think that my favorite part about them really is about how their relationship grows, and has struggles, and is very real.
Sarah: Captain Swan really is my dream pairing that I never knew I needed: the pirate and the princess. Again, this goes back to my childhood where I spent a lot of time at Disney World pretending to be a pirate while riding Pirates of the Caribbean and then immediately throwing on my tiara and going to meet Belle or Cinderella. When Emma finds Killian in the Enchanted Forest I don’t think anyone could deny the immediate chemistry there. I wasn’t sold on them as a pairing, however, until the Neverland arc because I was still unsure of Hook’s intentions and which side of the heroes and villains card he was playing. The moments that sold me on CS was Killian’s confession in the Echo Cave and his “When I win your heart” speech. That really proved to me that he had changed and had honorable intentions towards Emma. The season 3 finale (specifically the dance scene) sealed the deal for me being absolutely obsessed with this couple and I then joined the ranks of the CS social media community. This relationship has been the best slow build that I’ve ever seen done for a pairing. My favorite thing about them is that we can see that Emma and Killian balance each other out in the best ways, always striving to break down each other’s walls and heal the wounds from their pasts. Watching their relationship grow every week has been an absolute pleasure!
Raechel: Honestly, I had seen the promo photos from “Good Form” with Hook and Emma’s first kiss before I had gotten to the episode. I’m complete trash for the handsome scoundrel and sassy princess trope, so it’s easy to say I’ve been in love with these two since the very beginning. I think my favorite thing about them is that they are both so flawed and damaged. They aren’t like the rest of the fairy tale characters. They never had the castles and riches; they both grew up with the hardest lives possible, a constant string of people letting them down and abandoning them, or being taken away whether it be by death or other means. They both built up their walls so high; Emma hiding behind the armor of her red leather jacket, and Killian’s being Captain Hook. Yet these two happened to meet, and slowly but surely began breaking down those walls that protected them from the world that let them down far too many times. They let each other in and it’s become the beautiful slow burn of such amazing character growth from the both of them. With both of them realizing that they are good enough and they do matter. We are so lucky to Colin and Jen portray this love story as I can’t imagine anyone else having the chemistry and acting abilities that these two have.
Justine: It’s the way that they just compliment each other, in ways that you really don’t see a lot on television these days. Also Colin and Jennifer’s chemistry is off the charts. When he tied the scarf around her hand and they shared that look, I was sold. I would anxiously wait until they had a scene together again, because they just play off each other so well. Those few episodes where Colin was gone because he broke his leg were torturous. Then along came season 3 and they grew from favorite ship to my OTP to end all OTPs. He was just so constantly supportive of her and never pressured her and that was something that was so refreshing to see. So many other shows will have the male character be super pushy about being in a relationship to the point where it’s both annoying and creepy
How did the idea first come to do the podcast? What’s been your favorite episode to record? What are you looking forward to the most with regards to the topics still left to be broached?
JMo: It was actually Sarah’s (our host) idea! We are all a part of a Facebook group, and one day, she had this idea to start one. She asked if any of us would be interested in joining her, and in my head, I was thinking, “So what you’re saying is that you want to record us fangirling about our favorite ship for an extended period of time? I’m in!” My favorite episode that we have recorded so far has been the Underrated Moments episode. Just prior to that, we did Top 10 CS moments, and there were SO MANY left out, so we had to continue. It turned in to basically recapping Captain Swan’s entire relationship. We have discussed doing episodes of Emma and Killian and their interactions with certain characters (Captain Charming anyone?) and also bringing on fan artists, fan fiction writers, etc for guest interviews as well.
Jenna R: Sarah was the initial driving force behind the Podcast. It was her idea to start it and I am so grateful she did. It has become one of the highlights of my week and I always look forward to Sunday recording time! My favorite episode to record so far was the first episode because I was still really excited after returning from the FT4 convention and it was great to catchup with Gabrielle and Sarah as well as meet everyone else. I really enjoy each week and I love the fact we’ve become such good friends. We don’t just do this podcast once a week. We message each other daily and it’s amazing to do this with all the other girls! I am looking forward to having a Jen and Colin focused episode and a Captain Charming episode in the future! I feel like there is so much to talk about and can’t wait to sink my teeth into it!
Lindsay: We were discussing on Facebook about how it would be a lot of fun to start a podcast. I didn’t actually know the girls well at this point but I thought this would be a great opportunity to get more involved in the fandom and make some friends along the way! We get along really well and I hope this shows on the podcast. My favorite episode so far is the CS top ten moments. This was the point where I realized what a great thing we’re doing and it was just so much fun! I want to explore Emma’s development more and maybe have some discussions about that.
Gabrielle: Sarah, our fearless leader first brought it up. Never would I have thought to do a podcast ever! I don’t find myself very interesting to talk to, but I was definitely willing to help her out. Then I decided sure why not be on it, never imagining that we’d get any listeners besides our group of friends, much less people that enjoyed it this much! It amazes me the wonderful feedback we’ve been getting! Touched that fellow shipmates are so happy with it. My favorite episode to record was probably the first episode. Just because I personally felt more at ease and we all had so much excitement. Myself and Raechel are known by the girls as the captains of the angst club or angst queens because we find the episodes or scenes that are the most hard to watch the best ones, so I’d have to say I am looking forward to doing more re-watches. We are going to do a re-watch of Birth and Firebird and I’m super excited to get my angst talking on!
Kimberly: Sarah somehow came up with the idea. I somehow worked my way in. It’s kind of natural if you think about it. We find ourselves discussing it a lot, now we just record it and let other people listen to it. Favorite episode so far? Probably “Boom”. There was something really special about recording on International Friendship Day. But, having everyone together on Episode 7 was amazing. Sadly we had technical difficulties recording episode 8, because I think it was amazing. Asking me for my favorite episode is like asking about my favorite child. Too tough. Obviously, I’m excited for the Captain Charming episode!!! Apart from that, I would say we’re all excited about what is to come with season 6!
Sarah: I’ve been in the Once fandom for a while now but I hadn’t found my niche. Or a way that I could contribute to the fandom. I’m not an artist or a writer but I still wanted to bring something positive to the fandom. I had always been interested in doing a podcast because I have some friends that have worked on others throughout the years. I knew there were already quite a few OUAT podcasts but I was hoping to find a group of fans that could help me make this something special. The great thing about podcasts is that everyone has their own opinions/experiences/theories/etc and each person can bring something new to the table. I really wanted a group of fans that could promote positivity in the fandom and make this podcast a safe space for CS fans to escape to. I’m lucky that I found an amazing group of 7 ladies to help me do this show every week. They all have a great sense of humor and are so intelligent when it comes to theories and ideas about the Once universe. I think my favorite episode so far has been our top 10 CS moments. That episode was just one giant CS love fest and it just warmed my heart to be able to talk about these amazing moments between Killian and Emma with such an incredible group of ladies that I’m now so pleased to call my friends. We have a never ending list of ideas for future episodes but I think I’m most looking forward to our rewatch of the season 3 finale. I’m also looking forward to the Vancouver convention episode coming in the spring of 2017 because 6 of us will be in attendance at the con and it will be my first time meeting some of my co-hosts in person!
Raechel: I didn’t join the podcast until the second episode. I knew Sarah thanks to a mutual cosplay group and we instantly clicked. When she told me about his I asked if I could join and thankfully she said yes and I was able to meet all the other wonderful ladies that have become like family. I don’t know if I can really pick a favorite! Truthfully, my favorite will probably be the Killian episode, because I have so many feelings over this beautiful flawed man and his past. But if I had to pick one now, I’d probably say episode two, the Tallahassee re-watch, because it was my first episode and it was basically the first episode of Captain Swan, so I feel like that’s fitting? And it was the start of a beautiful friendship with the other awesome ladies!
Justine: We are all in the Once Upon a Captain Swan Facebook group and I can’t remember who it was but someone suggested having a weekly podcast. I thought it sounded like a really fun idea and I was on board. My favorite episode to record was the Top Emma Swan Moments, Emma Swan is possibly one of my favorite episodes of all time and I could honestly talk about her for hours if given the chance.