The Thing You Love Most
Encyclopedia
"The Thing You Love Most" is the second episode of the American Fairy Tale
/Drama
television series
Once Upon a Time
, which aired in the United States on ABC
on October 30, 2011.
The episode centers on Regina's efforts to run Emma out of Storybrooke and Henry's life forever, as well as focusing on how the Evil Queen placed in motion her plan to unleash the curse placed upon the Enchanted Forest
, but it would come at a price. The episode, like the previous episode, received mostly positive reviews and was watched by 11.64 million viewers, scoring a 3.9 rating/10% share in the 18-49 demographic, ranking first in its timeslot.
) arrival in Storybrooke, Maine. By now, everyone in town has noticed that the clock has begun to move, especially Regina (Lana Parrilla
), who after confronting Henry (Jared S. Gilmore) over what happened to the torn pages in the fairy tale book, of which he lies and says its a old book, at her home, is stunned to see Emma's car still parked outside the inn. Believing that Emma will try to take Henry away from her, Regina stops by Emma's room to deliver a basket full of apples, followed by a threat for her to leave town. Unfortunately, Emma is unfazed by the threats. As she stopped at the cafe that is run by Ruby (Meghan Ory
), she notices her mugshot on the front page of the town's newspaper, The Daily Mirror, while Ruby gives a her a cup of hot cinnamon cocoa with whipped cream that she thought was purchased by Sheriff Graham (Jamie Dornan), who seems to have a crush on her, but it was Henry, who bought the drink for her. He also gave her the remaining pages that he tore out the book to show her, and agrees to read it as well as listening to a plan to reverse the curse, of which Emma is skeptical.
Emma, being worried about Henry's behavior, decides to find out why he believes these stories. But it appears that Regina is taking advantage of Emma at every opportunity, by setting her up to have her take Henry's files from Archie's (Raphael Sbarge
) office, impounding her car, even getting her kicked out of the inn by Granny (Beverly Elliott), though Emma suspected her doings. Regina also had no luck in finding out the details of Emma's past from The Daily Mirror editor, Mr. Sydney (actually the Magic Mirror) (Giancarlo Esposito
) nor from the Sheriff, of whom she believes has a crush on Emma. In response to Regina's schemes, Emma, who after being bailed out of jail by Henry and Mary Margaret (Ginnifer Goodwin) (who now sees Emma as a friend and seem to share the same traits), showed Regina who she was dealing with by cutting off a branch of her apple tree with a chainsaw. When Regina finally asked Emma to see her at the office, she told her that she thought that Emma was a threat and that she would lose Henry to her, but Emma doesn't want custody of Henry and that she was playing along with his fairy tale stories, which Henry overhears and runs off, leading Emma to be fooled by Regina. When Emma, with help from Mary Margaret, discovers that Henry is at Dr. Hopper's office, she stops the doctor from calling Regina and tells Henry that she read the pages that Henry gave her. Emma then says that she likes the plan to reverse the curse by making it look like they want everyone to think that the people in the town are not storybook characters by acting normal, and the only way to stop the Queen from finding out the truth is by burning the pages, of which they do by throwing it in Dr. Hopper's fireplace.
Meanwhile, back at the Enchanted Forest, and after escaping the sword that was aimed at her by Prince Charming (Joshua Dallas
), the Evil Queen (Parrilla) returns to her palace, where she explains to her magic mirror (Esposito) and her father (Tony Perez
), the valet, that she was serious about carrying out her plan. When she bought up the subject of the curse that she traded away so she could get rid of Snow White (Goodwin), the two thought she was making the biggest mistake of her life, but did not want to listen to what the consequences would be if she uses it. So she pays a surprise visit to the Forbidden Fortress to see her frenemy Maleficent
(Kristin Bauer van Straten), who kept the curse (in the form of a scroll) in her staff. When Maleficent refused to hand it over, The Evil Queen uses her power to force it out of her and defeats her in a battle, but lets Maleficent live because she is the only friend the Queen has.
At first, with the gathering of all the enemies of the Enchanted Forest (whose members include The Giant from Jack & The Beanstalk, The Blind Witch from Hansel & Gretel, The Horned King from The Book of Three, and The Red Gnome from Snow-White and Rose-Red
), The Queen tests out the curse by demanding a lock of their hair from each of them, but the spell backfires, prompting the gnome to defy her (he gets turned into a statue that now sits in Regina's garden). So the Queen turns to the person who gave her the spell in the first place, Rumpelstiltskin (Robert Carlyle
). It turns out he knows how to make the curse work, prompting the Queen to demand the one thing that will make it happen. He tells her that she must cut out the heart of the one she loves the most, which would be her father. He also told her about Snow and the Prince having visited him earlier talking about their unborn daughter that she failed to capture, but says that he can help her if she in turn makes him into a respected person in the new world, of which she reluctantly agrees, both acknowledging that they would have no recollection of their agreement. As she returns to her castle, she confronts her father, who, after hearing what she plans to do to make it happen, begged her not to. As if she was finally listening to his reasoning, the Queen pulls her father in for a seeming embrace, then stabs him.
As the curse prepares to take shape, she lays a black rose on the graveside of her father... whose name is Henry. That name would later come up in a subject in the present day, when Regina gets a visit from Mr. Gold (Carlyle), who as it turns out, was the one responsible for bringing Henry to Storybrooke and filling out the adoption paperwork for Regina. When Regina, who learns that Emma is still in town, inquires to know why he brought Henry to her in the first place and why this involves Emma, Mr. Gold tells Regina to think back to the deal they had, and that he knows about Regina's past, as it appears that Mr. Gold is aware of his previous life.
is featured.
Near the beginning of the episode, Regina comes to Emma's room at the inn with a basket of apples. She informs Emma that they come from a Honeycrisp apple tree that she had tended since childhood. This is a rather glaring gaff on the part of the writers, as the apples in the basket, on the tree and everywhere else that apples are used in the set dressing are Red Delicious
, which have a totally different shape and color from Honeycrisp apples.
Another notable scene involves the building that features the town's clock. In the previous episode, the building had closed windows and a green plaque that read "Storybrooke Free Public Library" in gold lettering. But in this one, white signs cover the windows and the plaque is replaced.
and Adam Horowitz and was directed by Greg Beeman
.
In a interview with TV Overmind, actress Lana Parrilla explained that viewers will see another side of Regina/The Evil Queen in this episode. Says Parrilla, "We will see a vulnerable side to the Queen and how people relate to her on a human level. What I’ve been trying to show is not the hatred for Snow White, but where it derives from. It’s not so surfaced. That brings a vulnerability to the character. You’ll see into her history and that exposes her in a very vulnerable way as well.” As for Regina's troubled relationship with Henry, Parrilla noted that “She may have a cold heart, but I think she really, genuinely loves her son. She doesn’t think of him as an adopted son, she thinks of him as her son.”
In Canada, the episode received 1.44 million viewers, down from the premiere but held on to 14th place for the week once again.
), I am well and truly satisfied, thus far."
Fairy tale
A fairy tale is a type of short story that typically features such folkloric characters, such as fairies, goblins, elves, trolls, dwarves, giants or gnomes, and usually magic or enchantments. However, only a small number of the stories refer to fairies...
/Drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
television series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
Once Upon a Time
Once Upon a Time (TV series)
Once Upon a Time is an American fairy tale drama television series that premiered on Sunday October 23, 2011, on ABC. New episodes air Sunday nights at 8:00 pm ET/7:00 pm CT....
, which aired in the United States on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
on October 30, 2011.
The episode centers on Regina's efforts to run Emma out of Storybrooke and Henry's life forever, as well as focusing on how the Evil Queen placed in motion her plan to unleash the curse placed upon the Enchanted Forest
Enchanted Forest
An enchanted forest is a forest under or containing magical enchantments.Enchanted Forest may refer to:*Enchanted Forest , defunct theme park in Chesterton*Enchanted Forest , defunct theme park in Ellicott City...
, but it would come at a price. The episode, like the previous episode, received mostly positive reviews and was watched by 11.64 million viewers, scoring a 3.9 rating/10% share in the 18-49 demographic, ranking first in its timeslot.
Plot
Its the day after Emma's (Jennifer MorrisonJennifer Morrison
Jennifer Marie Morrison is an American actress, model and film producer. She is best known for her role as Dr. Allison Cameron in House, whom she played for five-and-a-half years, and also as Zoey Pierson in the sixth season of How I Met Your Mother...
) arrival in Storybrooke, Maine. By now, everyone in town has noticed that the clock has begun to move, especially Regina (Lana Parrilla
Lana Parrilla
Lana Parrilla is a Puerto Rican-American actress, best known for her roles on Spin City, 24, Boomtown and Miami Medical...
), who after confronting Henry (Jared S. Gilmore) over what happened to the torn pages in the fairy tale book, of which he lies and says its a old book, at her home, is stunned to see Emma's car still parked outside the inn. Believing that Emma will try to take Henry away from her, Regina stops by Emma's room to deliver a basket full of apples, followed by a threat for her to leave town. Unfortunately, Emma is unfazed by the threats. As she stopped at the cafe that is run by Ruby (Meghan Ory
Meghan Ory
-Life and career:Ory was born in Victoria, British Columbia and attended Royal Oak Middle School and then Claremont Secondary School. After receiving the Fine Arts Award for Acting from Royal Oak in 1996, she began pursuing a career in acting...
), she notices her mugshot on the front page of the town's newspaper, The Daily Mirror, while Ruby gives a her a cup of hot cinnamon cocoa with whipped cream that she thought was purchased by Sheriff Graham (Jamie Dornan), who seems to have a crush on her, but it was Henry, who bought the drink for her. He also gave her the remaining pages that he tore out the book to show her, and agrees to read it as well as listening to a plan to reverse the curse, of which Emma is skeptical.
Emma, being worried about Henry's behavior, decides to find out why he believes these stories. But it appears that Regina is taking advantage of Emma at every opportunity, by setting her up to have her take Henry's files from Archie's (Raphael Sbarge
Raphael Sbarge
Raphael Sbarge is an American actor and voice actor.-Early life:Sbarge was born into a theatre-oriented family in New York City. His mother, Jeanne Button, was a costume designer, and his father, Stephen A. Sbarge, was an artist, writer and stage director who named his son after the Renaissance...
) office, impounding her car, even getting her kicked out of the inn by Granny (Beverly Elliott), though Emma suspected her doings. Regina also had no luck in finding out the details of Emma's past from The Daily Mirror editor, Mr. Sydney (actually the Magic Mirror) (Giancarlo Esposito
Giancarlo Esposito
Giancarlo Giuseppe Alessandro Esposito is a Danish-born American film and television actor and director.-Early life:Esposito was born in Copenhagen, Denmark to an Italian father and African-American mother. His mother was an opera and nightclub singer from Alabama, who once appeared on the same...
) nor from the Sheriff, of whom she believes has a crush on Emma. In response to Regina's schemes, Emma, who after being bailed out of jail by Henry and Mary Margaret (Ginnifer Goodwin) (who now sees Emma as a friend and seem to share the same traits), showed Regina who she was dealing with by cutting off a branch of her apple tree with a chainsaw. When Regina finally asked Emma to see her at the office, she told her that she thought that Emma was a threat and that she would lose Henry to her, but Emma doesn't want custody of Henry and that she was playing along with his fairy tale stories, which Henry overhears and runs off, leading Emma to be fooled by Regina. When Emma, with help from Mary Margaret, discovers that Henry is at Dr. Hopper's office, she stops the doctor from calling Regina and tells Henry that she read the pages that Henry gave her. Emma then says that she likes the plan to reverse the curse by making it look like they want everyone to think that the people in the town are not storybook characters by acting normal, and the only way to stop the Queen from finding out the truth is by burning the pages, of which they do by throwing it in Dr. Hopper's fireplace.
Meanwhile, back at the Enchanted Forest, and after escaping the sword that was aimed at her by Prince Charming (Joshua Dallas
Joshua Dallas
Joshua Dallas is an American actor who played Fandral in Thor, a film adaptation based on the Marvel Comics character. He is currently starring in the ABC television series Once Upon a Time.-Early life:...
), the Evil Queen (Parrilla) returns to her palace, where she explains to her magic mirror (Esposito) and her father (Tony Perez
Tony Perez (actor)
Tony Perez is a film and television actor. Perez was born in Portsmouth, Virginia. He is best known for portraying Officer Mike Perez on Hill Street Blues from 1981 to 1985....
), the valet, that she was serious about carrying out her plan. When she bought up the subject of the curse that she traded away so she could get rid of Snow White (Goodwin), the two thought she was making the biggest mistake of her life, but did not want to listen to what the consequences would be if she uses it. So she pays a surprise visit to the Forbidden Fortress to see her frenemy Maleficent
Maleficent
Maleficent is a fictional character and the main antagonist in Walt Disney's 1959 adaptation of Sleeping Beauty. She is the self-proclaimed "Mistress of All Evil" who, after not being invited to the baby's christening, curses the infant Princess Aurora to "prick her finger on the spindle of a...
(Kristin Bauer van Straten), who kept the curse (in the form of a scroll) in her staff. When Maleficent refused to hand it over, The Evil Queen uses her power to force it out of her and defeats her in a battle, but lets Maleficent live because she is the only friend the Queen has.
At first, with the gathering of all the enemies of the Enchanted Forest (whose members include The Giant from Jack & The Beanstalk, The Blind Witch from Hansel & Gretel, The Horned King from The Book of Three, and The Red Gnome from Snow-White and Rose-Red
Snow-White and Rose-Red
Snow-White and Rose-Red is a German fairy tale. In the seventeenth century Charles Perrault was the first to write it down, but the best-known version is the one collected by the Brothers Grimm as tale number 161....
), The Queen tests out the curse by demanding a lock of their hair from each of them, but the spell backfires, prompting the gnome to defy her (he gets turned into a statue that now sits in Regina's garden). So the Queen turns to the person who gave her the spell in the first place, Rumpelstiltskin (Robert Carlyle
Robert Carlyle
Robert Carlyle, OBE is a Scottish film and television actor. He is known for a variety of roles including those in Trainspotting, Hamish Macbeth, The Full Monty, The World Is Not Enough, Angela's Ashes, The 51st State, and 28 Weeks Later...
). It turns out he knows how to make the curse work, prompting the Queen to demand the one thing that will make it happen. He tells her that she must cut out the heart of the one she loves the most, which would be her father. He also told her about Snow and the Prince having visited him earlier talking about their unborn daughter that she failed to capture, but says that he can help her if she in turn makes him into a respected person in the new world, of which she reluctantly agrees, both acknowledging that they would have no recollection of their agreement. As she returns to her castle, she confronts her father, who, after hearing what she plans to do to make it happen, begged her not to. As if she was finally listening to his reasoning, the Queen pulls her father in for a seeming embrace, then stabs him.
As the curse prepares to take shape, she lays a black rose on the graveside of her father... whose name is Henry. That name would later come up in a subject in the present day, when Regina gets a visit from Mr. Gold (Carlyle), who as it turns out, was the one responsible for bringing Henry to Storybrooke and filling out the adoption paperwork for Regina. When Regina, who learns that Emma is still in town, inquires to know why he brought Henry to her in the first place and why this involves Emma, Mr. Gold tells Regina to think back to the deal they had, and that he knows about Regina's past, as it appears that Mr. Gold is aware of his previous life.
Trivia
This marked the first episode to introduce a opening sequence in which a mythical creature or item is tied in with the episode. For this one, a unicornUnicorn
The unicorn is a legendary animal from European folklore that resembles a white horse with a large, pointed, spiraling horn projecting from its forehead, and sometimes a goat's beard...
is featured.
Near the beginning of the episode, Regina comes to Emma's room at the inn with a basket of apples. She informs Emma that they come from a Honeycrisp apple tree that she had tended since childhood. This is a rather glaring gaff on the part of the writers, as the apples in the basket, on the tree and everywhere else that apples are used in the set dressing are Red Delicious
Red Delicious
The Red Delicious is a clone of apple cultigen, now comprising more than 50 cultivars, that was recognized in Madison County, Iowa, United States, in 1880...
, which have a totally different shape and color from Honeycrisp apples.
Another notable scene involves the building that features the town's clock. In the previous episode, the building had closed windows and a green plaque that read "Storybrooke Free Public Library" in gold lettering. But in this one, white signs cover the windows and the plaque is replaced.
Production
The episode was written by series co-creators Edward KitsisEdward Kitsis
Edward Lawrence Kitsis, also sometimes credited as Eddy Kitsis, is an American screenwriter and producer, best known for his work on the popular American television series, Lost and Once Upon a Time.-Life and career:...
and Adam Horowitz and was directed by Greg Beeman
Greg Beeman
Greg Beeman is an American director and producer best known for his work on television series Smallville, JAG, and Heroes. As well as numerous comedy films.- Career :...
.
In a interview with TV Overmind, actress Lana Parrilla explained that viewers will see another side of Regina/The Evil Queen in this episode. Says Parrilla, "We will see a vulnerable side to the Queen and how people relate to her on a human level. What I’ve been trying to show is not the hatred for Snow White, but where it derives from. It’s not so surfaced. That brings a vulnerability to the character. You’ll see into her history and that exposes her in a very vulnerable way as well.” As for Regina's troubled relationship with Henry, Parrilla noted that “She may have a cold heart, but I think she really, genuinely loves her son. She doesn’t think of him as an adopted son, she thinks of him as her son.”
Ratings
The episode was viewed by an estimated 11.64 million viewers and received a 3.9 rating/10% share among adults between the ages of 18 and 49, and even though it was down a tenth from its debut, it retained its lead in its timeslot and was the only ABC show to have the most viewers tuned in that evening.In Canada, the episode received 1.44 million viewers, down from the premiere but held on to 14th place for the week once again.
Reviews
Television Without Pity gave the episode a Grade A-, and cited Kristin Bauer van Straten's guest starring turn in this outing: "If I forget about what was done to my darling Maleficent, and just think of this show's "Maleficent" as another Fairy Tale villain who is well played by Kristin Bauer (Pam, True BloodTrue Blood
True Blood is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on The Southern Vampire Mysteries series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana...
), I am well and truly satisfied, thus far."