The Price of Gold

"The Price of Gold" is the fourth episode 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 Emma Swan (Jennifer Morrison) coming to the aid of a young pregnant woman named Ashley Boyd (Jessy Schram) who is trying to escape from Storybrooke and Mr. Gold (Robert Carlyle), which parallels with Cinderella's (Schram) regrettable deal she made with Rumpelstiltskin (Carlyle).

The episode was written by co-executive producer David H. Goodman, while being directed by David Solomon. Goodman used the newly introduced character of Cinderella to reveal more of Emma's backstory, as she had no flashbacks to draw upon. Schram's casting was confirmed in August 2011, when it was revealed that Cinderella's storyline would differ from the traditional fairytale. Goodman wrote the character as a naive though sweet woman who makes bad decisions that places her in even more "unfortunate circumstances." Series regular Raphael Sbarge does not appear in the episode.

"The Price of Gold" first aired in the United States on ABC on November 13, 2011. An estimated 11.327 million viewers watched the episode, placing second in its timeslot and seventeenth overall for the week. Television critics have viewed the episode positively, with many believing it was an improvement over previous installments. Carlyle's performance was also cited as a highlight, as was the episode's deviation from Cinderella's traditional story.