Neither Here Nor There (Fringe)
Encyclopedia
"Neither Here Nor There" is the fourth season
premiere
of the Fox
science fiction
drama
television series
Fringe
. It is the season's 1st episode and the series' 66th episode overall.
It is the first episode to introduce Seth Gabel
, formerly a recurring actor, as a main cast member reprising his role as FBI agent Lincoln Lee. Joe Flanigan
guest-starred as his partner, Robert Danzig. The episode is also the first to briefly feature recurring actress Michelle Krusiec
as Nadine Park.
", Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson
) has used the Machine to create a "bridge" between the prime and parallel universe
to allow the two sides to work together to resolve the instabilities in both universes; on doing so, Peter has vanished, as according to the Observer September (Michael Cerveris
), he never existed. Despite this, the Observers are aware of changes in the original timeline, and echoes of Peter appearing. December (Eugene Lipinski) charges September with assuring the last memories of Peter are wiped out. Both universes have created a secure airlock-like system around the shared room housing the Machine within the bridge. At the start of the episode, the two Olivias (Anna Torv
), still somewhat distrusting of the other, help to share relevant Fringe files between the two universes.
FBI agent Lincoln Lee (Seth Gabel
) and his partner of five years, Robert Danzig (Joe Flanigan
), are pursuing an arms dealer; while Lee apprehends the man, his partner is killed by a second, mysterious man with translucent skin and seemingly superhuman abilities. The skin of Danzig's body also becomes translucent after he dies. When forensics comes on the scene, Olivia and Astrid (Jasika Nicole
) appear and take the agent's body without revealing their intentions. Lincoln follows Olivia to the lab, where he is introduced to the Fringe division. Despite Olivia attempting to keep Lincoln away, he continues to follow the investigation as they discover another victim killed in a similar manner. From a witness, they learn about the appearance of the killer, but are unable to identify him by name.
Olivia agrees to bring Lincoln onto the case, and shows him that there have been roughly thirty victims in the last several days, but with no obvious connection or signs of death, other than their hearts simply stopping. Lincoln reveals that Danzig suffered from Crohn's disease
and was taking iron supplements, which leads Walter (John Noble
) to realize that all of the victims were suffering from heavy metal poisoning, and their killer had extracted substances from their blood. Recognizing that several of the victims use commuter rail, Olivia initiates a manhunt at a nearby rail station. They are then informed of the suspect's location, and after a chase, in which one of the pursuing FBI agents is killed and another shot in the leg, Olivia is able to kill the suspect, who also had translucent skin and had been experimenting on himself. Lincoln kills a second man with the same condition. As the FBI cleans up the area, a woman (Michelle Krusiec
), also with translucent skin, watches from afar.
In examining the bodies, Walter discovers a bio-mechanical module similar to those they had previously seen in the shapeshifters
that Walternate used. Olivia and Lincoln take the module to the Machine room. As Lincoln is stunned by the technology, Olivia gives the module to Fauxlivia, who promises to take it to Walternate to investigate.
During the episode, Walter is shown to be agoraphobic
and unwilling to leave his lab after Olivia arranged his release from a mental asylum. He becomes panicked when he briefly sees images of a man, Peter, in the lab; Olivia attributes this to Walter lacking any foothold in reality. That evening, Walter is preparing for bed while September, outside, readies a device he has assembled to wipe Walter's memory of Peter. But at the last moment September disarms the device and walks away. Later Walter sees yet another image of Peter on his television and is terrified.
by rock band U2
. The episode's opening credits featured a new amber-tinted sequence, which listed new fringe science
terms like "Psychometry," "Gravitons," and "Existence."
Former guest actor Seth Gabel
joined the cast as a series regular for the fourth season. He believed his character Lincoln Lee
allowed the audience to see Fringe Division from a new perspective. He explained, "You need a layman’s perspective from time to time. The show has gotten so deep into this crazy, surreal scientific world that you need someone to enter every now and then to remind you this is not the common experience. You need someone to show you how far down the rabbit hole you’ve gone, so you don’t become desensitized to it. I think Lincoln serves that for a while." "Neither Here Nor There" also marked the first appearance of recurring guest actress Michelle Krusiec
. Her casting was confirmed in July 2011.
" by vocal group The Mamas & the Papas
. Walter later quotes a line from the 1963 John le Carre
novel The Spy Who Came In From The Cold
.
s A.V. Club, Noel Murray gave the episode a "B"; he "enjoyed the episode overall—largely because it’s just such a treat to have be back in this world with these people—I’m not sure it was wholly successful in its attempt to play by the old rules. After an opening exchange between Olivia and Fauxlivia where they exchange boxes of files, bicker about 'trust,' and accuse each other’s Earths of causing all the trouble between them, 'Neither Here Nor There' settles in to a fairly typical Fringe COTW-er, complete with Freak-Meet." Andrew Hanson of the Los Angeles Times
praised Anna Torv's two performances and believed "the containment built around 'the Machine'" may "have been my favorite part of the episode."
Fringe (season 4)
The fourth season of the American science fiction television series Fringe premiered on Fox on September 23, 2011, and will consist of 22 episodes. The series is produced by Bad Robot Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television...
premiere
Season premiere
In North America, a season premiere is the first episode of a new season of a given television show. It often airs in September or October, after several months of reruns.-Evaluating the changes:...
of the Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
television series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
Fringe
Fringe (TV series)
Fringe is an American science fiction television series created by J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. The series follows a Federal Bureau of Investigation "Fringe Division" team based in Boston, Massachusetts under the supervision of Homeland Security...
. It is the season's 1st episode and the series' 66th episode overall.
It is the first episode to introduce Seth Gabel
Seth Gabel
Seth Gabel is an American actor. Gabel plays the role of agent Lincoln Lee on Fox's television series Fringe.-Career:...
, formerly a recurring actor, as a main cast member reprising his role as FBI agent Lincoln Lee. Joe Flanigan
Joe Flanigan
Joe Flanigan is an American television actor best known for his portrayal of the character Major/Lt. Colonel John Sheppard in Stargate Atlantis.-Early life:Flanigan was born Joseph Dunnigan III in Los Angeles, California...
guest-starred as his partner, Robert Danzig. The episode is also the first to briefly feature recurring actress Michelle Krusiec
Michelle Krusiec
Michelle J. Krusiec born October 2, 1974 in Fallon, Nevada, is an American actress of Taiwanese ancestry.Krusiec was recruited to be one of six globe-trotting travel reporters for the Discovery Channel new series called Travelers...
as Nadine Park.
Plot
In the aftermath of "The Day We DiedThe Day We Died
"The Day We Died" is the third season finale of the Fox science fiction drama television series Fringe. It is the season's 22nd episode and the series' 65th episode overall. The finale follows the aftermath of Peter entering and activating the doomsday device...
", Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson
Joshua Jackson
Joshua Carter Jackson is a Canadian American actor. He has appeared in primetime television and in over 32 film roles. He is best known for playing Charlie Conway in The Mighty Ducks film series, Pacey Witter in the television series Dawson's Creek and Peter Bishop in the television series...
) has used the Machine to create a "bridge" between the prime and parallel universe
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
to allow the two sides to work together to resolve the instabilities in both universes; on doing so, Peter has vanished, as according to the Observer September (Michael Cerveris
Michael Cerveris
Michael Cerveris is an American singer, guitarist and actor. He has performed in many stage musicals and plays, including in several Stephen Sondheim musicals: Assassins, Sweeney Todd, Road Show, and Passion...
), he never existed. Despite this, the Observers are aware of changes in the original timeline, and echoes of Peter appearing. December (Eugene Lipinski) charges September with assuring the last memories of Peter are wiped out. Both universes have created a secure airlock-like system around the shared room housing the Machine within the bridge. At the start of the episode, the two Olivias (Anna Torv
Anna Torv
Anna Torv is an Australian actress known for her role as FBI agent Olivia Dunham on the Fox television series Fringe.-Early life:...
), still somewhat distrusting of the other, help to share relevant Fringe files between the two universes.
FBI agent Lincoln Lee (Seth Gabel
Seth Gabel
Seth Gabel is an American actor. Gabel plays the role of agent Lincoln Lee on Fox's television series Fringe.-Career:...
) and his partner of five years, Robert Danzig (Joe Flanigan
Joe Flanigan
Joe Flanigan is an American television actor best known for his portrayal of the character Major/Lt. Colonel John Sheppard in Stargate Atlantis.-Early life:Flanigan was born Joseph Dunnigan III in Los Angeles, California...
), are pursuing an arms dealer; while Lee apprehends the man, his partner is killed by a second, mysterious man with translucent skin and seemingly superhuman abilities. The skin of Danzig's body also becomes translucent after he dies. When forensics comes on the scene, Olivia and Astrid (Jasika Nicole
Jasika Nicole
Jasika Nicole is an American actress and illustrator from Birmingham, Alabama. She is most famous for portraying the character of Astrid Farnsworth in the TV series Fringe....
) appear and take the agent's body without revealing their intentions. Lincoln follows Olivia to the lab, where he is introduced to the Fringe division. Despite Olivia attempting to keep Lincoln away, he continues to follow the investigation as they discover another victim killed in a similar manner. From a witness, they learn about the appearance of the killer, but are unable to identify him by name.
Olivia agrees to bring Lincoln onto the case, and shows him that there have been roughly thirty victims in the last several days, but with no obvious connection or signs of death, other than their hearts simply stopping. Lincoln reveals that Danzig suffered from Crohn's disease
Crohn's disease
Crohn's disease, also known as regional enteritis, is a type of inflammatory bowel disease that may affect any part of the gastrointestinal tract from mouth to anus, causing a wide variety of symptoms...
and was taking iron supplements, which leads Walter (John Noble
John Noble
John Noble is an Australian film and television actor, and theater director of more than 80 plays. He was born in Port Pirie, South Australia, Australia and is currently starring as scientist Walter Bishop in the J. J. Abrams television series Fringe.He made occasional appearances on the...
) to realize that all of the victims were suffering from heavy metal poisoning, and their killer had extracted substances from their blood. Recognizing that several of the victims use commuter rail, Olivia initiates a manhunt at a nearby rail station. They are then informed of the suspect's location, and after a chase, in which one of the pursuing FBI agents is killed and another shot in the leg, Olivia is able to kill the suspect, who also had translucent skin and had been experimenting on himself. Lincoln kills a second man with the same condition. As the FBI cleans up the area, a woman (Michelle Krusiec
Michelle Krusiec
Michelle J. Krusiec born October 2, 1974 in Fallon, Nevada, is an American actress of Taiwanese ancestry.Krusiec was recruited to be one of six globe-trotting travel reporters for the Discovery Channel new series called Travelers...
), also with translucent skin, watches from afar.
In examining the bodies, Walter discovers a bio-mechanical module similar to those they had previously seen in the shapeshifters
Shapeshifting
Shapeshifting is a common theme in mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. It is also found in epic poems, science fiction literature, fantasy literature, children's literature, Shakespearean comedy, ballet, film, television, comics, and video games...
that Walternate used. Olivia and Lincoln take the module to the Machine room. As Lincoln is stunned by the technology, Olivia gives the module to Fauxlivia, who promises to take it to Walternate to investigate.
During the episode, Walter is shown to be agoraphobic
Agoraphobia
Agoraphobia is an anxiety disorder defined as a morbid fear of having a panic attack or panic-like symptoms in a situation from which it is perceived to be difficult to escape. These situations can include, but are not limited to, wide-open spaces, crowds, or uncontrolled social conditions...
and unwilling to leave his lab after Olivia arranged his release from a mental asylum. He becomes panicked when he briefly sees images of a man, Peter, in the lab; Olivia attributes this to Walter lacking any foothold in reality. That evening, Walter is preparing for bed while September, outside, readies a device he has assembled to wipe Walter's memory of Peter. But at the last moment September disarms the device and walks away. Later Walter sees yet another image of Peter on his television and is terrified.
Production
The fourth season premiere was initially called "A Sort of Homecoming", the same name of a songA Sort of Homecoming (song)
"A Sort of Homecoming" is the first track of U2's 1984 album, The Unforgettable Fire. A live version of the track is found on 1985's four-track EP, Wide Awake in America.-Composition:...
by rock band U2
U2
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group consists of Bono , The Edge , Adam Clayton , and Larry Mullen, Jr. . U2's early sound was rooted in post-punk but eventually grew to incorporate influences from many genres of popular music...
. The episode's opening credits featured a new amber-tinted sequence, which listed new fringe science
Fringe science
Fringe science is scientific inquiry in an established field of study that departs significantly from mainstream or orthodox theories, and is classified in the "fringes" of a credible mainstream academic discipline....
terms like "Psychometry," "Gravitons," and "Existence."
Former guest actor Seth Gabel
Seth Gabel
Seth Gabel is an American actor. Gabel plays the role of agent Lincoln Lee on Fox's television series Fringe.-Career:...
joined the cast as a series regular for the fourth season. He believed his character Lincoln Lee
Lincoln Lee
Captain Lincoln Lee is a fictional character on the Fox television series Fringe . Lincoln first appeared in the season two finale on May 13, 2010. He is portrayed by actor Seth Gabel....
allowed the audience to see Fringe Division from a new perspective. He explained, "You need a layman’s perspective from time to time. The show has gotten so deep into this crazy, surreal scientific world that you need someone to enter every now and then to remind you this is not the common experience. You need someone to show you how far down the rabbit hole you’ve gone, so you don’t become desensitized to it. I think Lincoln serves that for a while." "Neither Here Nor There" also marked the first appearance of recurring guest actress Michelle Krusiec
Michelle Krusiec
Michelle J. Krusiec born October 2, 1974 in Fallon, Nevada, is an American actress of Taiwanese ancestry.Krusiec was recruited to be one of six globe-trotting travel reporters for the Discovery Channel new series called Travelers...
. Her casting was confirmed in July 2011.
Cultural references
The scene in the diner where the Observers discuss Peter's existence featured "California Dreamin'California Dreamin'
"California Dreamin is a popular song by The Mamas & the Papas, first released in 1965. The song is #89 in Rolling Stones list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time...
" by vocal group The Mamas & the Papas
The Mamas & the Papas
The Mamas & the Papas were a Canadian/American vocal group of the 1960s . The group recorded and performed from 1965 to 1968 with a short reunion in 1971, releasing five albums and 11 Top 40 hit singles...
. Walter later quotes a line from the 1963 John le Carre
John le Carré
David John Moore Cornwell , who writes under the name John le Carré, is an author of espionage novels. During the 1950s and the 1960s, Cornwell worked for MI5 and MI6, and began writing novels under the pseudonym "John le Carré"...
novel The Spy Who Came In From The Cold
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold , by John le Carré, is a British Cold War spy novel that became famous for its portrayal of Western espionage methods as being morally inconsistent with Western democracy and values. The novel received critical acclaim at the time of its publication and became an...
.
Ratings
The original American broadcast on September 23, 2011 was watched by an estimated 3.5 millions viewers. It scored a 1.5/5 ratings share among viewers 18-49, up 25% from the previous spring's season finale.Reviews
Writing for The OnionThe Onion
The Onion is an American news satire organization. It is an entertainment newspaper and a website featuring satirical articles reporting on international, national, and local news, in addition to a non-satirical entertainment section known as The A.V. Club...
s A.V. Club, Noel Murray gave the episode a "B"; he "enjoyed the episode overall—largely because it’s just such a treat to have be back in this world with these people—I’m not sure it was wholly successful in its attempt to play by the old rules. After an opening exchange between Olivia and Fauxlivia where they exchange boxes of files, bicker about 'trust,' and accuse each other’s Earths of causing all the trouble between them, 'Neither Here Nor There' settles in to a fairly typical Fringe COTW-er, complete with Freak-Meet." Andrew Hanson of the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
praised Anna Torv's two performances and believed "the containment built around 'the Machine'" may "have been my favorite part of the episode."
External links
- "Neither Here Nor There" at Fox.comFox Broadcasting CompanyFox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...