Season 1, Episode 11:
Fruit of the Poisonous Tree
Centric Characters: Magic Mirror, Evil Queen
Previous: 7:15 A.M. | Next: Skin Deep
Emma meets Henry at the playground castle which has sustained heavy damage from the storm. Henry digs up a lockbox containing the storybook, as he wanted to keep it safe from Regina and believes she doesn't know about the playground. But that suddenly changes as Regina arrives on the scene, having been looking for Henry as he's running late for his next appointment with Archie. Regina is displeased with the dangerous-looking playground and accuses Emma of prioritizing undermining her before Henry's well-being.
Emma: What's that supposed to mean?
Regina: You're the sheriff now. It's time to be responsible.
Emma vents to Mary Margaret at Granny's, and Mary Margaret suggests that Regina could just be jealous of Emma's relationship with Henry. The conversation is cut short when Mary Margaret gets a text from David asking to meet up, and before leaving Mary Margaret tells Emma that she can see the negative impact Regina is having. Emma wishes out loud that everyone else could, prompting Sidney Glass to slide in and offer her help, claiming that his partnership with her has ended due to her getting him fired from the newspaper and humiliating him with the election. Sidney tells Emma that he's already working on exposing Regina and that he's found something sensitive, but Emma thinks he's drunk and turns him down. Sidney gives her a business card before she leaves, telling her that Storybrooke deserves to know the truth.
FLASHBACK! A Genie* from Agrabah in a lamp is found by King Leopold of the Enchanted Forest. The Genie grumpily rattles off what he is and how wishing works before asking what the King's first wish will be. Leopold cannot think of anything as his only desire is for the happiness of those in his kingdom. Seeing the Genie's unhappiness, Leopold decides to use his first wish to free him. Excited by the prospect of a new life, the genie asks how Leopold will use his remaining two wishes. Leopold, now wanting for nothing else, uses his second wish to transfer the third wish back to the Genie to use for his own purposes.
The Genie tells Leopold that he wants to use his freedom to find true love, and so Leopold takes the Genie to his palace to find it there. Leopold introduces the Genie to his daughter, Princess Snow White, and his wife, Queen Regina, who sparks Love at First Sight within the Genie.
The playground castle is demolished on Regina's orders, and Henry is stunned to see the lockbox with the storybook has been removed as well. Emma gets mad at Regina, but she retorts that she's just doing what's best for the safety of Henry and other's before issuing yet another thinly veiled threat. This gives Emma the push she needs to give Sidney a call to accept his offer.
Over at the Tᵣoll Bridge, Mary Margaret meets up with David and he leads her to a romantic picnic lunch, and they kiss passionately while saying that they have to stop doing this.
Emma meets Sidney at a tunnel in the woods, and he reports his discovery that $50,000 have gone missing from the Mayoral budget, and he thinks that finding out where it went will bring Regina down. Sidney suggests several illegal methods to find out more, but Emma won't do it because she's the sheriff now, and it's time to be responsible. Sidney warns Emma to prepare for Regina's wrath when she catches onto them, and Emma asks how Sidney ended up working for Regina if he's so scared of her.
FLASHBACK! At King Leopold's birthday party, he declares that no one should give him gifts, as nothing can top the gift of his beloved daughter, Snow, and he reminisces about Snow's deceased mother. The Genie sees that the Queen is hurt by this, and he follows her as she departs the party early. The Genie compliments the Queen's apple tree, and she expresses her sorrow about not truly feeling like a part of Leopold's family since he loved his first wife more than he loves her. The Genie relates to her about being trapped, and gifts her a mirror and flattering words.
Emma and Sidney go through records at the apartment and discover some are missing from around the time the money disappeared. Sidney suggests that since they can't get a warrant to find the records due to all the local judges working for Regina, they do some of the illegal methods he suggested earlier for the greater good. Emma still refuses to do it, and she opts to directly confront Regina, who says that she must have checked out the records and they were destroyed in the fire at Town Hall. Emma seemingly accepts her response and they leave, but she later tells Sidney that she gave in and left a listening device in Regina's office.
FLASHBACK! King Leopold meets in private with the Genie and tells him that he believes the Queen to have fallen in love with another man, having read her diary. As the Genie reads it, he realizes that he is the one the Queen loves. Leopold says that he knows the Queen is unhappy with life in his palace, but he will not tolerate her cheating on him. Leopold tells the Genie that he is wise enough to find the Queen's secret lover, and tasks him with the job.
At the sheriff's office, Sidney shows Emma a recording from the listening device of Regina coordinating a secret cash dropoff with an unknown party. Later that evening they try to tail her to the dropoff but Emma soon discovers that her brakes are no longer working, forcing them to crash the police car. They examine the car and Sidney discovers that the brakes were cut, meaning that Regina likely found the bug and struck back. They go through the woods on foot to try to find Regina, and instead run into her secret correspondant: Mr. Gold, who tells them that the dropoff was simply payment for a tract of land. He warns them about letting their emotions get the best of them before departing.
FLASHBACK! The Genie arranges to meet the Queen at her apple tree, but is shocked to see her father there instead, who tells him that the Queen has been locked up in her chambers and gives him a box to deliver to her as the King doesn't trust his father-in-law. The man tells the Genie that the box contains the only thing that can free the Queen from her miserable life and that if the Genie truly loves her he must be willing to do anything for her.
Emma and Sidney arrive at Town Hall to find documents with the details surrounding Regina's purpose in purchasing the land from Gold. Emma breaks a window to get in, knowing that since she's the only police officer in town that no one will come to catch them until Regina comes to respond to the alarm. Entering the Mayoral office, they employ some Hollywood Hacking to get everything they need out of Regina's computer in ten seconds, before Emma digs through the office to find Henry's storybook and finding a ring of strange keys with skull motifs along the way. Regina shows up and Emma claims to be investigating the break-in, blaming it on some kids and excusing Sidney as being a witness. Regina is suspicious and dismisses them.
FLASHBACK! The Genie goes to the Queen and she laments that she can't escape the King, but the Genie shows her the box from her father and gives her the key, which has a skull motif. The Queen opens the box to reveal an Agrabahn viper, a snake with a head at both ends that can kill with a single bite. The Queen tells the Genie that she plans to use it to commit suicide and bids a tearful goodbye as she reaches towards the viper, but the Genie stops her and proposes that he use the viper to kill Leopold instead.
At Granny's diner, Henry tries to write down everything he remembers from the storybook when the stranger stops to talk to him. Neither of them divulge any details about their doings, and so the stranger departs.
Emma and Sidney go over the documents from Regina's computer and discover that she's planning to build something big on the land she bought. Sidney is ecstatic that they can prove she used Mayoral funds for personal use, but Emma feels remorse for playing dirty to do it since she promised Henry that she wouldn't, not to mention that they can't even use the evidence in court since it was obtained illegally. Sidney protests, saying that they're not trying to get Regina arrested, just trying to expose her wrongdoings to the people of Storybrooke. He reveals that Regina had been making him follow Emma and Henry around for weeks and document everything, and she could have destroyed the playground anytime but waited until it would hurt most. Sidney tells Emma if she doesn't go through with exposing Regina, he will.
The two of them attend the next Town Council where they come forward with their evidence that Regina stole town funds to build herself a second home and accuses Regina of bullying and blackmailing the whole town into submission. Regina responds by revealing that she actually planned to build a new, safe playground for the children of Storybrooke, and was completely within the law to do so, leaving the Council unimpressed with Emma and Sidney.
FLASHBACK! The Genie enters the King's chamber as he sleeps and quietly asks for forgiveness before releasing the Agrabahn viper. Leopold awakens to see the Genie standing over him just before the viper bites his neck. As the poison spreads, the Genie explains himself to the King.
As the Genie tries to leave, Leopold grabs his hand and speaks his last words:
Outside the courtroom, Mr. Gold tells Emma she was brave but needs a strong ally, like himself, to bring Regina down. Regina comes to tell Emma that it was a good try, and Emma confronts her about the cut brakes. Regina denies responsibility and forbids Emma from coming near her or Henry again.
Some time later, Emma watches Henry at the new playground and they talk through their radios. Emma explains that she has to obey Regina on staying apart, but she promises to find the storybook for him.
Meanwhile, in his room at the inn, the stranger breaks open the lockbox and takes out the storybook.
Emma meets Sidney at Granny's to drink.
FLASHBACK! The Genie goes to the Queen to inform her of his deed, but she tells him that the guards found the Agrabahn viper and took it as proof that the Genie murdered the King. She tries to give him safe passage out of the kingdom, but he realizes that she set up him to kill the King and take the fall for it. The Queen tells the Genie that she never truly loved him and that he should take the escape she offers while he still can. The Genie is still in love with her though, and he decides to use his wish to be with her forever. The Genie vanishes, and the Queen follows his muffled cries to find that he is now imprisoned within the mirror he gifted her, to her amusement.
Sidney and Regina meet in the Mayoral office where they discuss his deception to Emma, and he reveals that he cut the brakes on the police car. Now that Emma trusts Sidney, it will be easier for him to continue his surveillance for Regina.
Tropes
- Adaptational Villainy: The Genie from Aladdin works with the Evil Queen to kill her husband as opposed to being an unambiguous Big Good.
- Also, no iteration of the Mirror in any media ever had anything to do with the King's death.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: King Leopold learns that even wishing for a Genie's freedom can have terrible consequences...and the Genie himself learns the same regarding his wish to be with Regina (even though he had previously warned the King about wishes and swore never to use his). As Leopold himself says, people do foolish things for love.
- Composite Character: The Genie from Aladdin is combined with the Magic Mirror from Snow White.
- Cool Old Guy: The King is probably one of the coolest guys in the show, temperament wise.
- Couch Gag: The title card features the Genie.
- Double-Meaning Title: As Emma explains when giving the Title Drop it refers to the concept that any evidence found illegally is inadmissible in court. But it's also obviously a reference to Regina's apple tree, as well as the poisonous viper she gets the Genie to use to kill Leopold.
- Exact Words: As usual when it comes to a Literal Genie (even when he is using his wish on himself): he certainly does get to "look upon Regina and stay with her forever." Also, both Regina and her father had spoken of the Genie helping "set her free" which he took to mean releasing her from being a prisoner in her room, when actually it meant her (supposedly) wishing to commit suicide to escape her loveless marriage.
- Forgot About His Powers: For some reason, Emma's lie detecting skills completely fail where Sidney is concerned. Probably because (as the creators later stated) she was getting too emotionally invested in protecting Henry and bringing Regina down.
- Framing the Guilty Party: Inverted—via a carefully-arranged phone call overheard through bugging, money missing from the city treasury (records for which were conveniently burned in the fire at City Hall), a clandestine meeting in the woods with Gold, cut brake lines, and blueprints stolen from her computer, Regina is framed to look like she's embezzling from the town for personal use...except it's all a set-up to draw Emma into an accusation so the truth can be revealed of her building a new playground for the children.
- Hired to Hunt Yourself: The King, after reading Regina's diary, wants the Genie to find the man she has fallen in love with...not knowing it is the Genie himself.*
- Ironic Echo: "I don't know what I'd do without you." Made even more ironic in that not only was the first time it was spoken it was a lie, but thanks to the curse Sidney doesn't remember this and so is fooled by it again the second time.
- Ironic Hell: It wouldn't be a genie story if this didn't happen to somebody. Doubly ironic in that the victim is the genie himself. It also involves him being trapped in his own mirror that he had given Regina himself.
- Love Makes You Stupid: The only thing that can explain why the Genie not only wants to spend his life with someone who coerced him into killing her husband, but why even after she reveals she did not love him, only used, framed, and betrayed him, he still wishes to be with her forever.
- Make It Look Like an Accident: By way of Vehicular Sabotage (cutting the brake lines), this happens to Emma's sheriff car to keep her from witnessing Regina's supposed illegal payoff. Done by Sidney of course, which just proves how crazy his love for and loyalty to Regina is since he was in the car in question and could easily have died from it.
- The Mole: In both past and present, in different manners. After falling in love with Regina, the Genie becomes this by working against the King and eventually betraying him to his death so that he and Regina can be together. In Storybrooke, Sidney claims to wish to help Emma expose Regina as a villain, after she used him in the Sheriff's electoral campaign and then supposedly fired and abandoned him, but it turns out the whole thing was a lie to get Emma to fall for a set-up that makes her look like a fool and leaves Regina smelling like a rose.
- Mythology Gag: After the previous episode (but chronologically earlier), it's Leopold who next calls Snow White "the fairest of them all" while comparing her to her mother Eva.
- Nice Guy: The King, again. Makes it all the worse that his last words were ones of cynicism and regret.
- Pet the Dog: Despite using the Genie to kill Leopold, it seems Regina genuinely intended to help him escape the kingdom and execution, proving that at this point she is not so fully lost to evil and willing to hurt anyone who gets in her way (or dispose of anyone who is no longer of use to her) as she is later. The smirk she gives after his wish traps him in her mirror is rather malicious, but then again she had seemed genuinely afraid he might use the wish on her, to force them to be together.
- Punny Name: Sid is revealed to be the face in the magic mirror(s), because he's "Sidney Glass" or he i(s in de glass).
- Reptiles Are Abhorrent: Agrabahn vipers are some nasty snakes.
- The Reveal:
- Sidney is The Mole, pretending to be allied with Emma to help her bring down Regina, while actually working to let Regina know everything Emma does.
- The storybook, missing from the torn-down "castle", wasn't destroyed or taken by Regina—August has it.
- Rule of Symbolism: Just as the wooden "castle" Henry had claimed for his own resembles Snow and Charming's, the new playground built in the woods to replace it resembles portions of Regina's castle.
- This Is Gonna Suck: The Genie's rather hilarious reaction to Leopold not only being giddy over finding a genie, but claiming he has everything he could ever want and thus doesn't know what to wish for.
- Values Dissonance: While everything said above about Leopold's good-heartedness is true, it can't be denied that when he told the Genie he had nothing to wish for because he and everyone in his land was happy, he said this with full knowledge Regina was not happy, trapped in her loveless marriage to him. This can be chalked up, however, to the medieval milieu of the Enchanted Forest, since in the Middle Ages a good lord owed it to his people to treat them fairly and make sure they were content if he expected them to aid him in times of war (or not rise up against him), but his fellow nobles were often less kindly treated, particularly women and his own wife, so to an extent he might not care about their/her happiness. And by the rules of their class and society, she would be bound to obey him and not stray to another man regardless her unhappiness, so that while he might regret her suffering, he could feel it was a sad example of "the way things are" and not a thing a wish could fix.*
