The Poisoned Apple is a magical item important to the central plot of ABC's Once Upon a Time. It first appears in the ninth episode of the first season.
History
Before the Curse
Maleficent creates the Sleeping Curse to use on her enemy Sleeping Beauty, and Regina obtains the Dark Curse from Rumplestiltskin; the two trade their respective curses. ("The Thing You Love Most")
The apple has the Sleeping Curse placed upon it so that if someone willingly bites into it, they will fall into a deep sleep while their body is their tomb and they are tormented by their regrets, all the while appearing to be dead. However, the Evil Queen is unaware that, as with all curses, it can be broken by true love's kiss.
At some point, the apple comes into the possession of the Blind Witch and the Evil Queen sends Hansel and Gretel to retrieve it in exchange for the whereabouts of their father, the Woodcutter. ("True North")
The Evil Queen later offers the cursed apple to Snow White, who willingly bites into it, fully aware of the consequences in order to save the life of Prince Charming. Moments after Snow White bites the apple, she collapses and drops the apple. As it rolls away, it falls into a portal Jefferson has created in Storybrooke. It is later Prince Charming who breaks the Sleeping Curse and awakens Snow White. ("An Apple Red as Blood")("Pilot") ("A Land Without Magic")
During the Curse
Regina contracts Jefferson to fetch the apple with his hat in exchange for forgetting his true identity. After retrieving the apple, the apple is made into an apple turnover by Regina Mills who offers it to Emma Swan, who willingly accepts it unaware of the turnover's true nature. The turnover is later tasted byHenry Mills, sacrificing himself in order to save Emma while proving to her that there is indeed a curse hanging over Storybrooke. Once again, the sleeping curse is broken by true love's kiss—in this case Emma's maternal love for Henry. It is currently unknown what happens to the remains of the turnover following Emma taking it to Storybrooke General Hospital believing it to be the cause of Henry's condition. ("An Apple Red as Blood")("A Land Without Magic")
Appearances
| Once Upon a Time: Season One | ||||||||||
| "Pilot": | "The Thing You Love Most": | "Snow Falls": | "The Price of Gold": | "That Still Small Voice": | "The Shepherd": | "The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter": | "Desperate Souls": | "True North": | "7:15 A.M.": | "Fruit of the Poisonous Tree": |
| Mentioned | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Appears | Absent | Absent |
| "Skin Deep": | "What Happened to Frederick": | "Dreamy": | "Red-Handed": | "Heart of Darkness": | "Hat Trick": | "The Stable Boy": | "The Return": | "The Stranger": | "An Apple Red as Blood": | "A Land Without Magic": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Appears | Appears |
| Once Upon a Time: Season Two | ||||||||||
| "Broken": | "We Are Both": | "Lady of the Lake": | "The Crocodile": | "The Doctor": | "Tallahassee": | "Child of the Moon": | "Into the Deep": | "Queen of Hearts": | "The Cricket Game": | "The Outsider": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Mentioned | Absent | Mentioned | Absent |
| "In the Name of the Brother": | "Tiny": | "Manhattan": | "The Queen Is Dead": | "The Miller's Daughter": | "Welcome to Storybrooke": | "Selfless, Brave and True": | "Lacey": | "The Evil Queen": | "Second Star to the Right": | "And Straight On 'Til Morning": |
| Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent | Absent |