Moe French

**Moe French** is a character on ABC's *Once Upon a Time*. He débuts in the twelfth episode of the first season. He is portrayed by co-star Eric Keenleyside, and is the Storybrooke counterpart of **Sir Maurice**.

## History

*For events occurring before the casting of the first curse, see Maurice.*

### During First Curse

After the casting of the Dark Curse, Sir Maurice becomes a florist named Moe French who runs a flowery business at Game of Thorns. On the day prior to Valentine's Day, he is unloading flowers from his truck when his landlord, Mr. Gold, asks him to pay up for the rent. Since he doesn't have the requested money, Mr. Gold takes his truck for time being. Moe attempts to stop the man's henchman from possessing the vehicle, but is forced to jump out of the way as the truck is driven away. This heartless act angers Moe greatly, and Regina, having witnessed the entire spectacle, subtly suggests robbing Mr. Gold in revenge. He follows through with the scheme and steals various valuables from Mr. Gold's home. Unknown to Moe, Regina is setting him up to take the fall when she herself snatches a precious belonging from Mr. Gold. Sheriff Emma is able to retrieve all the stolen items except one;, leading Mr. Gold to take matters into his own hands by kidnapping Moe to an abandoned cabin in the woods for interrogate. While gagged and bound, Moe is continuously questioned about where the missing item is, but when given the chance to speak, he protests that it wasn't his fault. This one sentence drives Mr. Gold into a rage as he starts beating Moe with a cane while blaming him for causing pain towards someone referred to as "she". Moe has no idea what he is going on about, and is swiftly rescued as Emma bursts into the room to send him to the hospital while arresting Mr. Gold for physical battery charges. Later, Moe receives a full-body cast for his injuries. *("Skin Deep")*

### After First Curse

Upon remembering his true identity after the Dark Curse is broken, Moe searches for his daughter Belle. He has no success until Mr. Gold comes to his flower shop saying he is looking for Belle, who has just gone missing, and just wants to know she is okay. Moe rebukes Mr. Gold, and at some point, hires William Smee to find his missing daughter. Smee succeeds in doing so, to which daughter and father are tearfully reunited. When Moe demands that his daughter to leave Mr. Gold permanently, Belle refuses, saying that she is her own person and her father cannot tell her what to do. However, Moe believes he knows what is best for her. Sadly, he orders Smee to take Belle underground to the mines and across the town line so she will lost her Enchanted Forest memories. Later, David and Mr. Gold return to question him about Belle's disappearance after Ruby tracks the girl's scent to the flower shop. When pushed by Mr. Gold, Moe confesses he had Smee take Belle across the town boundary. With Moe in tow, everyone runs to the mines, where Mr. Gold uses magic to pull Belle back to safety. In addition to being angry with Mr. Gold, Belle tells Moe that she never wants to see him again for what he attempted to do to her. *("The Crocodile")*

### After Second Curse

Moe finally reconciles with his daughter, Belle, when she informs him of her plans to marry Mr. Gold after he proposed. Letting go his past feud with Mr. Gold, he agrees to give his blessing to the union. During an evening ceremony, Moe walks alongside Belle and leads her to a waiting Mr. Gold. With Archie acting as pastor, the couple exchange heartfelt vows and seal the marriage with a kiss as Moe looks on. *("There's No Place Like Home")*

## Trivia

* The name "Moe" is of English origin derived from the name "Maurice" and itself derived from the Latin name "Marus" that means "dark-skinned".
* The surname "French" is of French origin derived from the surname "de Freynes" and itself derived from the word "fraxinus" that means "ash-tree".
* His flower company is called "Game of Thorns", a reference to the television series *Game of Thrones*, which Jane Espenson wrote one episode for.

## Appearances

Note: "Archive" denotes archive footage.

* Moe is featured in *Once Upon a Time'*s Season One novelization, *Reawakened: A Once Upon a Time Tale*.

## References

1. ↑ http://www.behindthename.com/name/maurice
2. ↑ http://www.houseofnames.com/french-family-crest