The original idea for this episode's flashback events were those of The Stable Boy (2012), but the show creators realized that it was too soon and that they needed to build up the Evil Queen's character first.
This episode reveals that the name of the Evil Queen's father is Henry, after whom she would name her son. However, in an early concept art sketch by show production designer Michael Joy, Prince Henry's gravestone marks his name as "Harry," not "Henry."
In the past, the bad girls (the queen and Maleficent) wear low-cut outfits while in the present the good girl (Emma) does so.