"The Thing You Love Most" is the second episode of the first season of the American fairy tale/drama television series Once Upon a Time. The series takes place in the fictional seaside town of Storybrooke, Maine, in which the residents are actually characters from various fairy tales that were transported to the "real world" town by a powerful curse. This episode centers on Regina's (Lana Parrilla) efforts to run Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison) out of Storybrooke and reveals how the Evil Queen (Parrilla) unleashed her curse upon the Enchanted Forest.
The episode was co-written by co-creators Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis, while Greg Beeman directed. Actress Kristin Bauer van Straten was cast at the last minute and guest starred as the sorceress Maleficent, a character from Disney's 1959 animated film Sleeping Beauty. Mary Margaret's (Ginnifer Goodwin) loft as well as most of the interior shots of the episode were filmed in Vancouver, while many exterior shots were shot in nearby Steveston, British Columbia. Series regular Josh Dallas appears only in archive footage.
"The Thing You Love Most" first aired in the United States on ABC on October 30, 2011. It was watched by an estimated 11.64 million viewers, scoring a 3.9 ratings share in the 18-49 demographic. The episode received mixed to positive reviews from television critics; many were complimentary towards Emma and Regina's feud and thought the episode was superior to the pilot, but believed Bauer van Straten was underused. A novelization of the episode was published in 2013.
Plot
Opening sequence
Maleficent's unicorn is shown galloping through the forest.
In the characters' past
At the wedding of Snow White (Goodwin) and Prince Charming (Joshua Dallas), the Evil Queen (Parrilla) announces her plan to cast a terrible curse on everyone. Despite the misgivings of the Magic Mirror (Esposito) and her valet (Tony Perez), she goes to see the sorceress Maleficent (Kristin Bauer van Straten), to whom she had traded a Dark Curse. Maleficent refuses to return the curse, but the Queen defeats her in a magical battle, taking the curse's scroll. She lets Maleficent live, stating that the sorceress is the only friend she has. Later in the forest, the Queen assembles a number of dark creatures. She demands a lock of hair from each of the assembly in order to cast the curse and sacrifices the heart of her prized stallion to complete the spell. The curse, however, fails.
To find out why the curse failed, the Queen turns to Rumpelstiltskin (Carlyle), the original owner of the curse. Rumpelstiltskin offers to help the Queen if, in turn, she makes him a wealthy and respected person in the new world and promises that she will do anything he asks so long as he says "please." The Queen agrees, reminding him that in the new world, they would have no recollection of their agreement. Rumpelstiltskin then tells the Queen that she must cut out the heart of the thing she loves the most and use it to complete the spell. The Queen protests that what she loved most died because of Snow White, but Rumpelstiltskin suggests that there is something else the Queen also loves. He also tells the Queen that he has informed Snow White and Prince Charming that their unborn daughter will be able to break the Queen's curse.
On returning to her castle, the Queen is distraught over what Rumpelstiltskin told her. She confides in her valet, who is revealed to be her father. Knowing he is the thing the Queen loves the most, her father tries to dissuade her from her plan, saying that she could still find love again. Appearing to be persuaded, the Queen pulls her father in for an embrace, then kills him and removes his heart, and immediately starts crying.
Alone in the forest, the Queen uses her father's heart to complete the Dark Curse. As the curse takes shape, she lays a black rose on her father's grave. The headstone bears the inscription "Henry, Beloved Father."