Fruit of the Poisonous Tree (Once Upon a Time)

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Fruit of the Poisonous Tree is the 11th episode of the first season of Once Upon a Time, which aired on January 29, 2012. It was directed by Bryan Spicer and written by Ian B. Goldberg and Andrew Chambliss.

In the Enchanted Forest:
- King Leopold finds a magic lamp and releases a Genie who grants three wishes.
- The King uses his first wish to free the Genie, then gives away his second wish for the Genie’s third.
- The Genie falls in love with Leopold’s queen, and a complicated plot begins. The Queen’s father, Henry, helps the Genie by giving him a box.
- The Queen and the Genie plot to kill Leopold using deadly snakes. The Genie confesses his love and asks the Queen for forgiveness as the King dies.
- The Queen reveals the plan; the Genie, betrayed, uses his final wish to stay with the Queen and is trapped in the lamp, becoming the Magic Mirror.

In Storybrooke:
- Henry’s castle was destroyed by a storm, and he hides his book with Emma while Regina tries to remove the castle.
- Sidney Glass tells Emma Regina fired him and stole town money, so Emma helps Henry investigate Regina.
- Emma and Sidney break into Regina’s house and uncover a plan for a new building. Sidney also finds photos that suggest Regina has been spying on Henry.
- At a town council meeting, Emma exposes Regina’s scheme to buy land, but Regina unveils plans for a new playground and warns Emma to stay away from Henry.
- Regina is pleased with Sidney’s help, while Henry writes down stories at Granny’s, and the mysterious Stranger continues to question him about the book—Henry doesn’t realize the Stranger is connected to his tale.

Reception:
- The episode drew about 10.9 million viewers and high ratings for 18–49s, becoming the most-watched episode in weeks.
- Critics were mixed: some praised Giancarlo Esposito’s performance and Regina’s emotional depth, while others felt the backstory didn’t advance the overall plot and criticized the episode’s pacing.