In the episode, Sheriff Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison) helps two children (Karley Scott Collins and Quinn Lord) track down their father before they are placed in a foster care system, in a parallel with the story of Hansel and Gretel.

Co-creators Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz chose the story of Hansel and Gretel to help reveal Emma's difficult backstory, as the character lacked a fairytale counterpart.

In a Storybrooke drugstore, Henry (Jared S. Gilmore) meets a young girl named Ava (Karley Scott Collins).

In the Enchanted Forest, Hansel (Lord) and Gretel (Collins), are searching for kindling while their father (Lea) chops firewood.

She tells the two that she can help find their father, on the condition that they retrieve an item belonging to her from The Blind Witch (Emma Caulfield).

They must enter her gingerbread house when The Blind Witch is asleep and fetch The Evil Queen's leather satchel, but they must not eat a thing.

"True North" was co-written by co-executive producers David H. Goodman and Liz Tigelaar, while being directed by The Shield veteran Dean White.

[1] In an interview with Comic Book Resources, co-creator Edward Kitsis noted that it was difficult to pick iconic stories such as Cinderella and Hansel and Gretel because "the challenge becomes revealing a piece you never knew before or putting a fun twist on it.

"[3] For the Blind Witch, Kitsis and co-creator Adam Horowitz cast actress Emma Caulfield, as they had been "huge fans" of hers since she had co-starred on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

"[4] Caulfield had previously worked with series writer Jane Espenson and producer Liz Tigelaar on Buffy and Life Unexpected.

The two always enjoyed adding in small details for careful viewers to notice, so in "True North" they used the cookies Hansel and Gretel baked in Storybrooke as part of the house's interior design.

"[6] In October 2011, TV Guide reported that Eion Bailey would be joining the series in a multi-episode arc; "True North" featured his first appearance as the Stranger.

[7][8] Other guest stars included Quinn Lord as Nicholas/Hansel, Karley Scott Collins as Ava/Gretel, Nicholas Lea as Michael Tillman/Woodcutter, Gabe Khouth as Mr. Clark/Sneezy, and David Bloom as Mr. "K" Krzyszkowski.

[1] Lord[9] and Collins[10] had previously guest starred in two Fringe episodes, as younger versions of Peter Bishop and Olivia Dunham.

[14] Other comic books seen on the convenience store rack include various issues of Dazzler, Power Pack, West Coast Avengers, and Ka-Zar.

Entertainment Weekly writer Hilary Busis wished the episode "had done more to move the show's master plot forward, especially since watching it meant missing the first hour of the Golden Globes.

"[12] IGN columnist Amy Ratcliffe rated the episode 6.5/10, explaining that the tone was "over-the-top" and Emma's actions to hide the children, rather than report them, "out of character.

"[19] Cassandra Scrimgeour of The Huffington Post found "Parrilla's emotional reaction to the children's rejection [to be] so effective that despite her evil ways, I actually felt sorry for her.

Club was more critical of the episode, and gave it a D. He called the visual effects "hilariously bad," likening the CGI to "a '90s computer game.

[13] Writing for The Wall Street Journal, Gwen Orel opined that the Hansel and Gretel "parallel is clear and rather sweet, with touches of the ongoing story of Emma and Snow White, too.