Fruit of the Poisonous Tree

"Fruit of the Poisonous Tree" is the eleventh episode of Season One of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It was written by Ian Goldberg & Andrew Chambliss and directed by Bryan Spicer. It is the eleventh episode of the series overall, and premiered on January 29, 2012.

Synopsis
A dejected Sidney enlists the aid of Emma to help uncover evidence that could expose Mayor Regina as the corrupt person she really is to the townspeople of Storybrooke; and Mary Margaret and David continue their secret rendezvous while trying to figure out a way to unleash their unrequited love. Meanwhile, back in the fairytale land that was, King Leopold, who is the father of Snow White and married to the Evil Queen, stumbles upon a magic lamp and is granted three wishes by a Genie - who warns the king to be careful what he wishes for.

Recap
In the Enchanted Forest, King Leopold finds a golden lamp washed up on the shore of the sea. He cleans the lamp and frees the Genie of Agrabah who grants him 3 wishes. However, the King says that he has everything he could possibly want and needs nothing more. He uses his first wish to free the Genie, then his second wish to give away his third wish to the Genie. He then brings the Genie back to his castle and introduces him to the Queen Regina and Snow White.

In Storybrooke, Henry Mills' "castle" is being torn down by Regina. Henry is distraught, because he had hidden the fairy tale book there, but the storm had washed it away. Regina's unilateral decisions about town matters upset Emma and she calls Sidney Glass to set up a meeting to find out a secret that will help bring her down. Sidney tells her that 50,000 dollars are missing from the town's budget. Mary Margaret Blanchard and David have a picnic out in the woods.

Back at the palace it is the King's birthday. He tells Snow White that she truly is the fairest of them all. This upsets the Queen who leaves. The Genie follows her out, and he gives her a mirror and tells her she is the "Fairest in all the land".

Sidney and Emma are digging up dirt on Regina. They go to visit Regina in her office, where they ask her about the missing money. After they leave, Emma reveals that she has planted a bug under Regina's desk.

The Genie is summoned to see the king. King Leopold has read her diary reveling that she thinks of herself as being trapped. He tells the Genie that he thinks the queen is in love with someone else and is unhappy. He asks the Genie to find the man who gave her the mirror, a task which he accepts.

Sidney and Emma find out about a secret meeting in the woods. While driving out there the brakes on Emma's car fail resulting in a crash. Sidney realizes someone tampered with the brakes. Mr. Gold comes out and tells them that Regina was meeting with him and that she has bought the land on which they are standing. Sidney and Emma break into Regina's office. Regina arrives and they claim some kids broke in. Regina sends them away.

Regina's father shows up and gives the Genie a box to take up to her. She opens the box to reveal a snake. The snake can kill anything with a single bite. Regina tells the Genie that she is so unhappy that she is going to kill herself. He stops her from using the snake on herself and gives her the idea of using the snake on the king. He offers to be the one to commit the murder.

Henry is sitting at Granny's when the Stranger comes up to him. Henry questions him on why he has come to Storybrooke, but he declines to give an answer. Sidney and Emma find out that she is planning on building something. Sidney shows her photo's that he has taken of her and Henry together. While at the city council Sidney brings up the files they found. They accuse her of building a home in the woods. Emma calls her on her true self and outs her to the people of Storybrooke. Regina however reveals that she is building a play house for the children of the town.

The Genie sneaks into King Leopold's room where he releases the snakes into the bed. The king is bitten, and the Genie reveals that he is in love with Regina. Before dying, the king declares his regret for freeing the Genie, acknowledging the previous warning that every wish has a price.

Mr. Gold congratulates Emma on her courage. Emma accuses Regina of messing with her brakes, but Regina appears to be ignorant of this. Regina tells Emma that she is no longer allowed to see Henry, unless she has Regina's permission or else she will take Emma to court and put a restraining order out against her. Emma tells Henry this news, and she promises him that she will try and find the book. It is revealed that the stranger is the one who has Henry's book. Sidney and Emma meet, and Sidney tells her that they are allies.

The Genie goes to tell Regina that they can be together. Regina tells him that the guards know that he killed the king, and she tells him that they can never be together. The Genie realizes that Regina set him up and that the murder would be traced back to him. He tells her that he can't live without her. Regina says that she will never love him, and he will never see her again. The Genie then uses the wish that the King had given him. He wishes to be with her forever, and never leave her side which turns him into the mirror. She tells him that he will be with her forever.

It is shown that Sidney is actually working with Regina. Sidney tells her that he will give her any information he can find. Regina replies that she doesn't know what she would do without him.

Starring

 * Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White/Mary Margaret Blanchard
 * Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan
 * Lana Parrilla as Evil Queen/Regina Mills
 * Josh Dallas as David Nolan
 * Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills
 * Raphael Sbarge (Credit only)
 * Robert Carlyle as Mr. Gold

Guest Starring

 * Eion Bailey as Stranger
 * Giancarlo Esposito as Magic Mirror/Sidney Glass
 * Tony Perez as Valet
 * Richard Schiff as King Leopold

Quotes
Emma: Your mom doesn't know about this place? Henry: No, this is our secret.

Sidney Glass: I can grant your wish.

Genie: Making a wish comes with a price.

Trivia
Production Notes=

Production Notes

 * The opening title card features the genie appearing from his lamp.
 * This episode reveals that the Evil Queen's given name is Regina.
 * Canadian-based fine headwear maker Kelly Dunlap created a hat for Regina to wear in the Enchanted Forest flashback, but due to unforeseen rain, Lana Parrilla's wardrobe had to be changed to fit the weather, so the hat was not used for this episode.
 * As Regina tells Emma and Sidney, the present events in Storybrooke take place three weeks after "Desperate Souls".
 * The word "magister" (Latin for "master" or "teacher") is written above the door frame of the Mayor's office. Magister was a title of the Middle Ages, given to a person in authority, or to someone having a license from a university to teach philosophy and the liberal arts. It was also a title given to several positions of authority in Ancient Rome, such as Magister officiorum, which literally means "master of offices".
 * In "A Tale of Two Sisters", the word "civitas" is engraved over main the entrance to the Mayor's office. In Ancient Rome, this word referred to the whole body of members of any given state. It was frequently used by the Roman writers to express the condition of a Roman citizen as distinguished from those who were not Roman citizens.
 * The new playground is located at 2536 Old Yale Road.
 * Storybrooke's coat of arms is an apple tree.
 * A scene involving Prince Charming was cut.
 * The design of the new playground castle is similar to the Evil Queen's palace.


 * -|Episode Connections=

Event Chronolgy

 * The Enchanted Forest events of this episode occur years after "Quite a Common Fairy" and immediately before "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter".
 * The Storybrooke events of this episode take place after "7:15 A.M." and before "Skin Deep". The events happen three weeks after "Desperate Souls".

Episode Connections

 * How Regina came to marry King Leopold is revealed in "The Stable Boy".
 * Other pictures that Sidney took of Emma and Henry, are seen in "Breaking Glass".
 * The photo of Emma and Henry leaving Archie's office was taken in "The Thing You Love Most". Emma shows Elsa the same photo in "Breaking Glass".
 * The photos of Emma and Henry at playground castle were taken in "Desperate Souls" (they are holding the walkie-talkies).
 * The photo of Emma and Henry walking by the Storybrooke Post Office was taken in "The Price of Gold".
 * A photograph from David and Mary Margaret's date by the Toll Bridge, also taken by Sidney, appears in "What Happened to Frederick".
 * The Genie's infatuation with Regina lasts until he's had enough and betrays her in "Breaking Glass".


 * -|Cultural References=

Disney

 * King Leopold accidentally releases the Genie by rubbing the lamp while cleaning it.
 * King Leopold is an allusion to Aladdin from the Disney film since, similarly to the character of Aladdin, he rubs a magic lamp and later uses a wish to free a genie.

Lost

 * Emma crashes her police cruiser into a street sign where the roads are numbered 4 and 23, two of the Lost numbers.

Fairytales and Folklore

 * This episode is a rendition of the Aladdin tale, focusing on the Genie of the lamp.
 * The line, "In my time I have granted a thousand and one wishes and I have seen them end poorly a thousand and one times..." is a reference to "One Thousand and One Nights".
 * This episode features Snow White, the King, the Magic Mirror and Evil Queen from the Snow White fairytale and the Genie from the Aladdin fairytale.
 * King Leopold calls Snow White "the fairiest of them all", which is a line derived from the original fairytale.