Fringe - "The Dreamscape" (1.09)

Before I begin discussion of this incredibly intense episode, I would like to warn those who have not seen Fringe but would like to see it because this entry does contain spoilers. "The Dreamscape" is one of my favorite episodes because, as I just said, it is really intense. I love the scene near the end of the episode involving the conversation between Olivia and Nina (a very strong and memorable scene), and I also love how, just like the pilot episode and "The Transformation" do, this episode reminds me a lot of Alias, my first J.J. experience, an experience that is responsible for my love for Fringe and for LOST (speaking of LOST, there is a rather blunt shout-out in this episode when Olivia finds an Oceanic Air ticket that belonged to Mark Young). Olivia's going back into the tank to explore John Scott's memories is very Alias-like, as a very similar situation recurs frequently during the course of the series (if you like Fringe but have never seen Alias, then I highly, highly recommend that you do). As I said, this is definitely one of my favorite episodes and receives nine killer butterflies from me.

The Observer is rather difficult to miss in this episode; in fact, I'm pretty sure that I spotted him myself the very first time that I watched this episode. When Mark Young and his colleague walk into a hallway during the very first scene of the episode, the Observer is seen very clearly mysteriously standing in the background, and it makes me wonder whether or not anyone sees him and wonders who the heck he is. The first scene involving Mark Young does really annoy me, though, because most likely, in actuality, it wouldn't happen, but it follows the classic "horror-movie" style so that there can be a story, and I am, of course, referring to how even after being cut a couple of times by the butterfly, instead of getting the heck out of the room, Mark looks down through the vent after seeing it fly down into the vent, which is just stupid. I don't think that this scene would actually happen in reality because most people would have gotten out of that room as soon as the butterfly cut them, not stick around to find out what's going to happen next. Perhaps, though, the drug that was used doesn't just literally scare you to death but also makes you incredibly stupid.

Speaking of the butterflies, a butterfly with sharp edges, as you probably already know, is one of the glyphs, as is a frog, both featured in this episode, and, of course, it is intentional. In other episodes, too, the glyphs have been used within the episode, such as the seahorse in episode 2.13, "The Bishop Revival" and the hand, flower and butterfly on the outside of the Jacksonville Daycare Center in episode 2.14, "Jacksonville." Anyway, why does Olivia see the butterflies on Young's wall moving? Does this have something to do with Cortexiphan? I still don't understand that. I recall my reaction, anyway, to the first scene when I first saw this episode, and my jaw dropped (even though, at the same time, I was not surprised at all) when the scene reveals that Young worked at Massive Dynamic. Up until “The Dreamscape,” we are led to believe that Massive Dynamic is a shadowy corporation that possibly has sinister motives, and, at least in part, I don't think that that has really changed. Will it ever be explained, I wonder, why Massive Dynamic's logo is on the plane in the pilot episode or why it is on the crane in "The Arrival" (1.04)?

Even if for only a very small period of time, it is nice to see Olivia dressed nice, to see her life outside of the FBI. Notice, however, that she is still wearing black. In this episode, Walter's food obsession seems to be coffee yogurt, and I love the scene during which he tells Astrid that “in case you haven't noticed, I can be quite obsessive,” to which she sarcastically replies, “Really?” as if she has noticed no such thing, but obviously, she has; we all have. This episode also really makes me miss Charlie even more than I realized I do because I miss the relationship between Olivia and Charlie. She really trusts him, realizing that she can tell him about her visions of John Scott and therefore indeed telling him, and it's not common for Olivia to let someone in like that, especially since her problem is certainly not trivial; something has to be seriously wrong if Olivia wants to take a personal leave. It's a shame that Charlie is now gone, but I think that he was killed off so that Olivia would have to turn to Peter more than she had before so that their relationship could progress, which it definitely has.

One of the many questions that this episode asks but doesn't answer is who the woman with whom Peter meets up is. Based on the way that they act around each other, I am guessing that they used to date, and although we know that her name is Tess, we don't know much else, really. We know that she has some sort of knowledge of Peter's past (before joining Fringe Division, that is, but not necessarily his childhood), since she says to him, “If I can find you, they can find you. They'll hurt you.” Who is they? I mean, near the end of the episode, we see the “they” that Tess refers to, but the very short scene does not tell us who “they” are. During the scene, a man (whose name, according to Fringepedia, is Gregory Worth) is seen talking on his cell phone speaking to an unnamed person about a man whose legs he intends to break, also an unnamed person, when Michael (Tess's apparent boyfriend that Peter assaults due to evidence that he is physically harming her) approaches the man and tells him that “he's back in town, Peter Bishop.” The first thought that crosses my mind as a result of this scene is that obviously, Peter has been to Boston before, so first of all, why, and second of all, why does he keep this secret? Whoever “they” are, will they end up hurting Peter? Will his decision to stay in Boston end up doing him a lot more harm than good?

 

As I previously mentioned very briefly, Olivia is still seeing John Scott in this episode, and I recall this being something that annoyed some people (the situation is resolved in episode 1.13, “The Transformation”), but I really like it. Clint from The Fringe Podcast frequently complains that season 2 allows the story involving Peter being from the other universe to drag on too long, and the reason that I bring this up is that I disagree with that for the same reason that I disagree with this. The longer a story is drawn out, the more epic it will be when it explodes. “The Transformation” is one of my favorite episodes, because after Olivia has to deal with seeing John Scott and having his memories recalling themselves from time to time for such a long period of time, the problem is finally resolved. First of all, it makes Fringe much more of a serialized show (which I like and want), and it also makes the closure, when you finally do get it, that much more satisfying. Anyway, because Olivia is still seeing John Scott, she urges Walter to allow her to go back into the tank, to which he reluctantly agrees.

I love how after Olivia asks Walter how long the process in the tank will take, he says to her that “what you have asked me to do is pushing the boundaries of all that is real and possible, not roasting a turkey.” I just find it funny because he sure is one to talk. After all, it's not like he built a machine to travel to a parallel universe to cure an alternate version of his deceased son, but Walter really is especially out of control during this episode. Before Olivia goes into the tank, he tells her to listen to his voice, because his voice is her guide and her tether to reality, and then, he says, “Uh-oh. I just got an erection. Oh, fear not; it's nothing to do with your state of undress. I simply need to urinate,” and Olivia replies, “That's good to know.” You have to love Walter; he seems to like announcing, or at least seems to feel a need to announce, when he has to urinate, even if it means telling a nearly naked, beautiful woman that he has an erection. There is a lot of good dialogue in this episode, mostly involving Walter, as usual. When Olivia asks him what the Bible is for (the second time, that is, since he does not answer her the first time), he says to her, “Among other things, I thought it appropriate to pray you don't get electrocuted,” and she replies by saying, “Praise the Lord.”

There is a very adorable scene in this episode that I am sure Polivia shippers love. Peter tells Olivia that “if you need me, I'm here,” and she says, “Yeah, I know,” which results in the two of them exchanging smiles. It is such a memorable Polivia scene. Returning to Massive Dynamic, though, since this episode really is such an MD-Centric episode, I find it interesting that George Morales tells Olivia that “Massive Dynamic is hell, and its founder, William Bell, is the Devil,” yet, we haven't really seen this comment come into play at all. We still are not totally and completely sure of Massive Dynamic's intentions. I think that it is building soldiers to help this reality win the war, but did Morales know that? If so, why would he say something like that? Did Massive Dynamic kill him? If not, then who? As I previously mentioned, I absolutely love the scene between Olivia and Nina near the end of the episode. Nina tells Olivia that she doesn't remember having penciled her into her schedule, and Olivia tells her that she doesn't need an appointment. They are both independent and ambitious women, and putting them in the same room together has intense results. I do think that Nina is well-aware of whatever drug was used to kill Mark Young and Morales because she tells Olivia that “I seriously doubt that your witness will be able to provide any actionable evidence to implicate Massive Dynamic or William Bell of any wrongdoing.” To me, this is a discreet way of her saying that she knows Morales will end up dead.

The scene near the end of the episode during which Olivia, as usual, finds herself dissatisfied and therefore tells Walter that she needs to go back into the tank always cracks me up because the scene takes place in the hallway outside of Walter and Peter's residence, and Walter asks, “In our room?” He always seems to make incorrect assumptions, such as when he assumes that when Olivia says, “How about a cup of tea?” she is offering one to him (in episode 2.13, “The Bishop Revival”), and I always crack up when that happens, because it's like he's completely clueless. Olivia goes on, however, to insist that John did see her, to which Walter replies that he did not because it is impossible (once again, however, not being in much of a position to tell someone what is impossible). We, of course, know, however, that John did in fact see her, something that we learn in episode 1.13, “The Transformation.” As I said, this is definitely one of my favorite episodes of Fringe, mostly because of how intense it is (especially that scene near the end between Olivia and Nina) but also because it is, by no means, “stand-alone,” leaving us with so many unanswered questions. Until next time, stay on the fringe.

Fringe - "The Equation" (1.08)

Before I begin, I would like to warn those who have not seen Fringe not to read any further, since this blog entry does contain spoilers. I recall the Fringe Podcast referring to this episode, before it even aired, as “elegant,” and I definitely agree with that, ultimately having to give it eight red castles. It's incredibly creepy, but at the same time, there is indeed something “elegant” about it, especially with the beautiful piano piece that Ben can't finish. I love how until the very ending of the episode, the episode appears to be a “stand-alone,” but the ending, in its very short few minutes, makes the episode a mytharc episode, and I love episodes like that, episodes that seem to be “stand-alone” until the ending, when an epic revelation makes the episode a mytharc episode. I also love the green-green-green-red sequencing of the lights, something that seems to have a connection with the Observers, even though I can't see how this story has anything to do with the Observers, minus the fact that September obviously observes it. I love how an idea is introduced to which is later alluded, referring to the way that Ben sits in the corner of the room, obviously confused and full of fear, just like Olivia sits in the corner of the room inside of the Jacksonville Daycare Center after starting a fire. At the time, that obviously was not on our minds since we were not aware of that until later in the season, not until episode “Bad Dreams” (1.17), when Walter reviews the videotape, but I still definitely think that it is an intentional tie-in.

During a scene in this episode, Peter asks Walter, “The U.S. Government had you working on mind control?” to which Walter says, “Not the U.S. Government,” another clue that Walter was involved with the U.S. Army, something that is confirmed in “Peter” (2.15), and speaking of Walter, I love how he, throughout the first part of the episode, is frequently seen reciting Christmas Carols in an effort to help him remember where he first heard mention of the green and red lights. This is something that we see frequently throughout the show, Walter trying to use music to jumpstart his memory, and speaking of that, Walter walks through the lab singing “Jingle Bells” when Olivia walks in and says, “Hey, what the hell is he doing?” which is classic comic relief, something that, on Fringe, almost always, if not always, involves Walter, such as another scene in this episode when Walter says of Dashiell Kim, “I tried to help him solve [the equation], and he came at me with a plastic spork!” something that he finds vehemently funny. Also something that makes me laugh every time is the scene during which Walter wants to test the lights on Peter, and Peter asks him, “What do you want me to do?” and Walter says, “Just stare at the lights.” After doing just that for a few seconds, Peter suddenly realizes that he has a pair of scissors in his hand and that the sleeves of his shirt have been cut off. Peter, of course, immediately looks at Walter and says, “Did you do this to me?” and Walter responds, “You did.” I always laugh so hard at this scene. I love the look of utter confusion on Peter's face when he awakens from the hypnosis.

For one of the first times during the season, Peter shows a great deal of vehement concern for Walter. He strongly protests when Olivia suggests allowing Walter to return to St. Claire's so that he can get answers from Dashiell Kim, and this is clearly because he is concerned. He says, “You want to send my already mentally unstable father back to the institution that made him that way,” and he says it more as a statement than he does a question, as if to demonstrate the sheer ridiculousness of what she is suggesting. This not only shows that he really cares for Walter but also shows that he blames the institution for Walter's problems,not Walter. When Walter stands up for himself by saying that despite the fact that he'd “rather not,” he will go back to St. Claire's since Ben's life is on the line, the look on his face during the car ride there clearly shows that he is scared and nervous, and I feel so sorry for him when I watch this. What I find really odd about the scene when Walter, Peter and Olivia arrive at the institution is that a shot is shown of the pilot episode, the shot of which Walter is first seen after shaving. I don't really understand why this is done; perhaps, it is just a cheap tactic so that a new shot didn't need to be taken, or maybe, probably more likely, the shot is just shown to mirror a return, that the institution is a familiar place for Walter. I love how Peter calmly tells him that “when you get out, we'll be right here,” once again demonstrating that he cares about Walter.

The scene at the institution in which Walter first attempts to talk to Kim about where he was taken after being hypnotized by the green-green-green-red sequence, which was presented to him via a Christmas Tree, totally reminds me of the scene in LOST when Hurley visits Leonard Simms to try to get him to remember the significance of the numbers. When I first saw the episode on television, that is immediately what crossed my mind. I love how Kim is eating butterscotch pudding, which is a direct tie-in to the pilot episode, when Walter thinks that it's Monday and therefore complains, because the institution serves a “dreadful” butterscotch pudding on Mondays. Indeed, the butterscotch pudding that Kim is eating during this scene looks incredibly “dreadful,” definitely not something that I would want to eat. Anyway, Peter comes to Walter's defense once again when he tells Sumner, the director, that “after some of the things I've seen in the last three months, Walter strikes me as being one of the sanest people I know,” and I love this line. It's like he is telling Sumner that Sumner has no idea what kind of activity in which Walter has taken part, that Walter has been a functioning citizen involved in incredibly important matters, matters that have exposed Peter to crazy people and crazy situations that have caused Peter to reevaluate what he once thought of Walter.

Now, what is probably the most pressing question of this episode is who or what it is that Walter sees in his room at the institution. I mean, obviously, he sees himself, but is this merely a hallucination, or does he see Walternate? This scene, with the music and Walter singing “Row, Row, Row Your Boat,” is very creepy (as is the scene during which Ben's mother begins to fall apart in front of his eyes, something that is both incredibly creepy and incredibly disturbing), and I think that it is a prime example of how when Fringe aims to convey a particular emotion to you, it hits the target dead-on, one of the show's most prominent strengths. Anyway, though, I think that what Walter sees is more likely Walternate, because he sees himself again before once again urging Kim to tell him where he was taken, and when he does urge Kim, he says, “There's a little boy out there. He's in trouble. We're his only hope.” After having seen “Peter” (2.15) I am sure that seeing Walternate reminded him of Peter, and this motivated him to do what he could to save Ben, just like he did for Peter. Of course, this could go the other way around, too. Perhaps, Ben reminded him of Peter, which made him feel guilty about what he did, therefore causing hallucinations, hallucinations that reminded him that on the Other Side, there is a Walter that is suffering from the loss of his son, and just as a side note, Joseph Slater from episode “Grey Matters” (2.10) reminds me of Kim. Slator had a story to tell, but no one believed him because of his mental instability, and the same is true of Kim; no one believed his ridiculous story of a dungeon in a red castle, even though, more or less, it was true.

I love Peter's line, “I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, because you may think you know what he's [Walter] capable of, but you have no idea what I'm capable of,” which is directed toward Sumner. Like I keep reiterating, Peter really comes to Walter's defense in this episode, displaying an incredible amount of care and concern for him, which is the start of the close relationship that we see between them during season two. There is a very touching moment between them in this episode when Walter is still under the impression that Kim was spewing off nonsense when he was talking about a dungeon in a red castle, and he therefore says to Peter, “Son, is that what it's like to talk to me?” It's pretty heartbreaking, because it only goes to show that Walter still has a great deal of civilization remaining inside of him, because he can see insanity outside of himself, and that scares him. He can't stand seeing it and realizing that he may have behaved that way at one point, something that is also seen in “Grey Matters” when he sees Slater and voices the exact same concern, which is that he can only imagine how he must have presented himself while at St. Claire's. It's really sad, and that is part of the reason why Walter is my favorite character. Out of all of the Fringe characters, I think that he conveys the most emotion to the viewer.

I also love the fight scene between Olivia and Joanne Ostler. It's epic, as most fight scenes involving Olivia are. I have noticed, though, that for some reason, it seems like Olivia puts on an even better show when she is up against men than she does when she is up against women, which doesn't make much to sense to me. It may be something that I have discussed before, but I just find it worth mentioning, because there has to be a reason for it, even though I don't have one to offer. I also love the conversation that Peter and Walter have near the end of the episode. First, Walter says to Peter, “This place is filthy. Did you have a party while I was gone?” and I have to laugh at this, mainly at the image of Peter throwing a party at their residence during season one. Then, though, Peter says to Walter, “What you did by going back into that place was very, very brave Walter,” and all that I have to say about that is that it really reminds me of how Peter tells Walter that it was brave to stand up for the people of Edina, New York at the end of “Johari Window” (2.11). What I don't understand about this episode, though, is why Ben suddenly had the equation in his head after the accident. Was it planted in his head, and if so, how? Also, why does Loeb kill Ostler? Does he perhaps feel that she knows too much, or maybe that she has used up all of her indispensability? These are all questions that, for me, remain unanswered. Anyway, until next time, stay on the fringe.

Fringe - "In Which We Meet Mr. Jones" (1.07)

“In Which We Meet Mr. Jones” is definitely one of the better season one episodes and therefore receives eight and a half euphoric Peters from me, a solid rating. This is the episode that got me really hooked onto the show. This is the episode, as I have mentioned before, that really kick-starts the mythology and the pace of season one. It is the first time that characters other than the main characters (Olivia, Peter, Walter, Astrid, Broyles, Charlie, Nina) are introduced that are not just episodic characters but return throughout the season (Loeb is seen in a total of five season one episodes and Jones is, likewise, seen in a total of five season one episodes, including the season finale), and it is also the first time that ZFT is mentioned, giving something to think about as far as the previous six episodes are concerned. There are plenty of Walterisms throughout the episode, some of the best, in fact, and there is also a great deal of character development of Olivia, since we are shown a much lighter side to her that we don't really see beforehand save the second scene of the pilot episode when she is seen in bed with John Scott. Before I say any more, however, I want to warn you that if you have never seen Fringe but would like to see it, then please, don't read any further, because this blog entry does contain spoilers.

At the beginning of the episode, Loeb tells Broyles to look at page forty-seven of a document that he gives him regarding Joseph Smith, either a shout-out to Alias or just something that J.J. likes to randomly insert, since it is also seen and heard on LOST, as well. The beginning of the episode is, as a lot of Fringe episodes are, really nasty. I mean, there really isn't too much that can beat a really large, slimy, worm-like parasite with teeth wrapped around someone's heart. We see the first of Walter's many Walterisms in this episode when Broyles tells him that it is very important to him that Walter do anything and everything that he can to help since Loeb is a friend of his, and Walter responds by saying, “I see. Do you have any mints?” As usual, Walter is not focused, even when a gruesome crime is at hand, and has food on his mind. It happens again when Walter tells Peter that he had two things go through his mind, the first of which is related to the case, but seeming to forget the second, Peter questions him in regards to the second thing on his mind, and Walter says, “I would still really like some gum or some mints.” I love how Olivia talks about him when she implicitly mentions him to Samantha Loeb, saying that “I can tell you that there's a doctor here who is uniquely qualified to save your husband's life,” seeming to hesitate before she says “uniquely qualified,” as if she has to think about what she has to say that would be putting him in good light but would also be true.

There is also the scene during which Broyles tells Walter that he appreciates everything that he does, which makes me laugh every time that I watch it. Broyles tells Walter that he appreciates all of the work that he puts into Fringe Division, and Walter says something to the effect of Broyles being quite welcome. Walter then says, however, “You know, I had a fruit cocktail once in Atlantic City. Mind you, I'm not the fruit cocktail sort of guy,” and that is his story. Of course, Broyles is not amused by this (even though I definitely would have been) and approaches Peter, telling him that Walter needs to be controlled so that he can focus, which, of course, causes Peter to rant about that responsibility is now suddenly his even though it is impossible. There is also the scene during which Walter wants to speak to Peter on the phone, and when Astrid hands the phone to Walter, Walter greets Peter by saying, “Hello, Peter. This is me, your father, Walter Bishop.” I just love how he, for some reason, finds it necessary to afford all of that information, as if Peter wouldn't know who it is to whom he is talking. Then, of course, as usual, Walter gets Astrid's name wrong and calls her Asteroid, which is especially great, because everyone is too flustered to say anything; they probably don't even notice, in fact.

There is definitely a lot to say about Olivia in regards to this episode, too. For starters, Lucas tells her that “there is something that has shifted in you. Something's different,” and I think that this directly relates to my theory that she has not always been the hard-headed and rather stoic woman as which we know her. John Scott's betrayal, however, hardened her and caused her to hide her emotions. Lucas sees it in this single scene, and we have sort of had the opportunity to see it, too. As I previously mentioned, we see her in the pilot episode laughing with John Scott while she is in bed with him. This is, in fact, the first that we see Olivia in the entire series. We certainly don't see her laughing too often anymore. Between John Scott's betrayal and being brought into this task force known as Fringe Division where the fate of the world is (literally) her responsibly, she was hardened, and it's unfortunate, because boy, that girl's smile is beautiful when she shows it. Most of the time, though, in film, television and literature, happy people aren't as interesting. Walter is an exception, but I think that even he fits the bill in some senses, because his frequent euphoria is due to his mental instability, which is problematic and calls for an interesting, complex character. As I say time and time again, I don't know of many TV shows in which the characters are as complex as they are on Fringe, with the possible exception of Alias.

I mean, as I said, we definitely see some character development out of Olivia in this episode. I love how Broyles tells her that she might as well not waste her time going to Germany since she won't be granted access to speak to Jones, and she says, “You don't know me well enough to say something like that to me,” and similarly, she tells the warden in Germany that she has “reason to believe he will talk to me,” after being told that even if the prison did allow her to speak to him, Jones would most likely not talk, anyway. I just love her, because she is very focused and intent on reaching a goal, regardless of what she has to say or do. When she and Lucas are at his place and she tells him a brief story of John Scott (the Observer, by the way, is clearly seen at the airport, merely seconds before Olivia and Lucas meet up), I would have thought that Olivia killed Scott if I had been Lucas, just because of the tone of her voice and the look on her face when she tells him that “he died.” At the same time, though, she loosens up with Lucas, allowing us to see a new side of her, a side of which we haven't seen much prior to this episode. I am not really sure what the purpose of Lucas is in this episode, though. He has not recurred yet, and he just seems so random. Is it just to do exactly what I just mentioned, to show a lighter side of Olivia? Also, when Olivia and Lucas are kissing and Olivia's phone rings, Lucas says, “I hate whoever that is,” and of course, it's none other than Peter on the line, which I think is foreshadowing at its best.

Peter is so funny when Walter drugs him, and it's all a reflection of Josh Jackson's fantastic acting ability (I just love what Broyles says when he sees this, too; he says, “This can't possibly be scientific”). He learns in this episode that Walter conducted dangerous experiments on him when he was a child, and Peter seems to remember this. I am writing this blog entry during the season two run (less than a week before the airing of episode 2.15, “Peter,” in fact, so this subject matter is appropriate), so we now know that the Peter that we know is not the Peter from this reality. When he was seven years old, he somehow died, and Walter consequently stole the Peter from the reality and brought him here, and since Peter, as I said, does seem to suddenly remember these dangerous experiments, I think that they were experiments conducted on this Peter. Looking ahead to episode 2.05, “Dream Logic,” Peter tells Olivia that between the ages of eight and nineteen, Peter never remembered a single nightmare, because Walter conditioned him to forget his nightmares. This is merely an example of how Walter conditioned Peter to function in society with the hope that Peter would never learn the truth, so I think that these dangerous experiments with car batteries are yet another example. Who knows what it was, exactly, that he was doing if this is the case? Perhaps, it was all an effort to get him to forget about the night that he was taken. As I said, this is such timely subject matter since “Peter” airs in less than a week at this point in time, an episode that is going to be, in a word, epic.

Speaking of Peter, though, when he finally does see the answer to the question “Where does the gentleman live?” he only sees vertical lines, as I'm sure that you know, and I'm more than okay with Walter's conclusion that the brain damage done to Joseph Smith's brain when he was shot is what caused the lack of horizontal lines, but what I don't like is the Deus ex Machina when Peter conveniently and very quickly, I might add, puts all of the horizontal lines where they belong on the vertical lines in order to write “Little Hill." Even for a man with an IQ of 190, this seems a little far-fetched to me. Speaking of Little Hill, though, what does Jones mean when he says to Olivia that it is possible that the both of them are just pawns on a chessboard and are being manipulated as they speak? That is never explained. Does he mean anything by it, or are his Hannibal-like tendencies merely trying to manipulate Olivia and the situation? The latter would not surprise me, because he really does remind me so much of Hannibal. His first line in the episode and therefore the series is, “What a pleasure this is,” and he sounds, both vocally and tonally, like Hannibal. The whole situation kind of reminds me of theSilence of the Lambs, really, because the FBI needs assistance with a case and therefore turns to an imprisoned convict, who later escapes (although not until “Safe”). I wonder if inspiration was intentionally drawn or if I'm just seeing comparisons that weren't actually intended. The situation is somewhat similar, though, and Jones really does remind me so much of Hannibal, something that I will talk more about in my blog entry for episode “Ability” (1.14) probably my favorite episode to date.

Jones tells Olivia that the people that he works with are loyal to no end, which is something that is evident throughout the entire season. Time and time again, we see criminals who are possibly tied to ZFT kill themselves when they are in a situation where they might have to reveal ZFT's agenda to the FBI. The only exception of which I can think is Nicholas Boone, who in episode 1.18, “Midnight,” rebels in order to save the life of his wife. Jumping topics a bit, though, I love the speech that Broyles gives to Olivia near the end of the episode. He tells her that she is never satisfied with what she does accomplish but instead focuses on what shedoesn't accomplish, but then he tells her that “your dissatisfaction is what makes you so damn good, someone I'm proud to say I work with. This is probably the turning point of the relationship between Olivia and Broyles, the point at which it starts to become what it is now, which, to me, is very paternal. As far as Loeb's deception and betrayal, of which his wife Samantha was a part, as well, I don't really have anything to say without spilling into later episodes, which I don't want to do. All I will say is that I remember first seeing this episode back in 2008 and loving it, and this closing scene shocked me. Even knowing that there was a mole inside the FBI, I never expected that it would be Loeb, even though I'm sure that there are people who did. It probably wasn't too hard to surmise, but I'm not always good at piecing puzzle pieces together so quickly like that. I mean, in the same episode that he is introduced, it is also revealed that he is a mole. Perhaps, if we didn't learn that he was a mole until later, I would have figured it out. Anyway, stay on the fringe. Thanks to Fringepedia for the photos, by the way.