Wallflower (Fringe)
Encyclopedia
"Wallflower" is the seventh episode of the fourth season
of the Fox
science-fiction drama
television series
Fringe
, and the series' 72nd episode overall. "Wallflower' served as the season's autumn finale, as it is the last to air in 2011; the following episode will be broadcast on January 13, 2012.
), suffering from a late night migraine, runs across her fellow agent Lincoln Lee (Seth Gabel
) at an all-night diner, and despite Lincoln's attempts to make romantic advances toward her, she feels unable to show feelings in return. Meanwhile, Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson
), having been allowed to live on his own under guard, attempts to figure out how to use the Machine to return him to his original timeline.
The Fringe team is alerted to the death of a man whose skin and hair have turned white. Walter determines that the pigment
from the man's skin has been extracted, and identifies traces of animal DNA along with human ones. The human DNA leads back to a child who reportedly died within a week after his birth in 1989, suffering from a rare skin condition that made him suffer from exposure to any form of light. However, Fringe learns that the baby, possibly still alive, was moved to a pharmaceutical company that was a subsidiary of Massive Dynamic. Olivia and Lincoln approach Nina Sharp, who affirms that the child had not died, but instead tested on; his condition allowed the researchers to implant animal genes in his skin, allowing him to survive in light while giving him the ability to perfectly camouflage with his surroundings and an instinct for survival. Kept in the lab for years, the child, named Eugene (short for "unidentified genetic makeup") eventually escaped during a fire at the facility, and has remained undetected for years.
As other incidents and deaths occur at a condominium high-rise, Walter Bishop (John Noble
) deduces that Eugene is trying to extract the pigment from his victims to make himself visible, a treatment that will likely kill him if he continues the practice. After Walter identifies that Eugene can be seen using ultraviolet light, Fringe and the FBI seal off the building and conduct a manhunt. Olivia discovers Eugene first, but he takes her gun and holds her at gunpoint while he explains his desire to become visible to others once again. He refuses to heed Olivia's warning about the fatality of the treatment, and runs off, escaping in the general chaos of the search. The teams close down the hunt and discover his makeshift lab in the building's basement. From the numerous valuables in the lab, the Fringe team determines that Eugene had been silently watching the residents, getting to know them affectionately over time. The next day, Eugene, having completed another treatment and now visible to others, is elated that one of the residents he became infatuated with, Julie, introduced herself to him; after she leaves the elevator, he succumbs to the treatment and dies. As Olivia reports Eugene's death to Nina, she wonders if she herself, as a Cortexiphan nootropic
drug trial subject, is unable to feel for others.
In the episode's conclusion, Peter buys a pair of glasses for Lincoln that Olivia will appreciate more than his current pair. Lincoln offers to meet Olivia at the late-night diner. As she is getting ready to leave for the meeting, she is gassed, and agents working for Nina Sharp inject her with an unknown formula that, once she wakes up, will have erased the last two hours from her memory and left her with a bad migraine.
and Justin Doble, and was directed by Anthony Hemingway
, a newcomer to the series.
can be heard. Also, the Mazzy Star
song "Fade into You
" plays on a jukebox
in the diner. Walter names his two lab mice John
and Yoko
, a reference to The Beatles
, and he also points out that octopuses "really do make gardens
".
Raymond Green or the second episode’s
John McClennan, or at least a little more excitement in the procedural elements of 'Wallflower,' because there were moments in this episode that were really beautiful and touching, and I was disappointed that they were so isolated." Writing for Entertainment Weekly
, columnist Jeff Jensen was more positive towards the episode. He loved Walter's experiment with the mice and the maze, and believed the death of Eugene Bryant was "one of the most poignant moments Fringe has ever produced." As the episode was the last to air for 2011, Jensen continued that the fourth season is "starting to find its narrative and emotional groove... As much as I’ve enjoyed the season so far, these first seven episodes have felt like an elaborate opening act for a main attraction still to come."
Fearnet
's Alyse Wax noted "Wallflower" was "an intriguing one-off, but that is all. I'm ready for them to get back to the crazy mythology stuff. We haven't seen the alternates in awhile. I miss them. We did have a nice little cliffhanger that seems to allude to a return to the insanity. In this third "reality," this alternate time stream, it is beginning to feel like maybe it is an entirely new universe."
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...
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 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...
, and the series' 72nd episode overall. "Wallflower' served as the season's autumn finale, as it is the last to air in 2011; the following episode will be broadcast on January 13, 2012.
Plot
Olivia Dunham (Anna TorvAnna Torv
Anna Torv is an Australian actress known for her role as FBI agent Olivia Dunham on the Fox television series Fringe.-Early life:...
), suffering from a late night migraine, runs across her fellow 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:...
) at an all-night diner, and despite Lincoln's attempts to make romantic advances toward her, she feels unable to show feelings in return. Meanwhile, 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...
), having been allowed to live on his own under guard, attempts to figure out how to use the Machine to return him to his original timeline.
The Fringe team is alerted to the death of a man whose skin and hair have turned white. Walter determines that the pigment
Pigment
A pigment is a material that changes the color of reflected or transmitted light as the result of wavelength-selective absorption. This physical process differs from fluorescence, phosphorescence, and other forms of luminescence, in which a material emits light.Many materials selectively absorb...
from the man's skin has been extracted, and identifies traces of animal DNA along with human ones. The human DNA leads back to a child who reportedly died within a week after his birth in 1989, suffering from a rare skin condition that made him suffer from exposure to any form of light. However, Fringe learns that the baby, possibly still alive, was moved to a pharmaceutical company that was a subsidiary of Massive Dynamic. Olivia and Lincoln approach Nina Sharp, who affirms that the child had not died, but instead tested on; his condition allowed the researchers to implant animal genes in his skin, allowing him to survive in light while giving him the ability to perfectly camouflage with his surroundings and an instinct for survival. Kept in the lab for years, the child, named Eugene (short for "unidentified genetic makeup") eventually escaped during a fire at the facility, and has remained undetected for years.
As other incidents and deaths occur at a condominium high-rise, Walter Bishop (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...
) deduces that Eugene is trying to extract the pigment from his victims to make himself visible, a treatment that will likely kill him if he continues the practice. After Walter identifies that Eugene can be seen using ultraviolet light, Fringe and the FBI seal off the building and conduct a manhunt. Olivia discovers Eugene first, but he takes her gun and holds her at gunpoint while he explains his desire to become visible to others once again. He refuses to heed Olivia's warning about the fatality of the treatment, and runs off, escaping in the general chaos of the search. The teams close down the hunt and discover his makeshift lab in the building's basement. From the numerous valuables in the lab, the Fringe team determines that Eugene had been silently watching the residents, getting to know them affectionately over time. The next day, Eugene, having completed another treatment and now visible to others, is elated that one of the residents he became infatuated with, Julie, introduced herself to him; after she leaves the elevator, he succumbs to the treatment and dies. As Olivia reports Eugene's death to Nina, she wonders if she herself, as a Cortexiphan nootropic
Nootropic
Nootropics , also referred to as smart drugs, brain steroids, memory enhancers, cognitive enhancers, and intelligence enhancers, are drugs, supplements, nutraceuticals, and functional foods that improve mental functions such as cognition, memory, intelligence, motivation, attention, and concentration...
drug trial subject, is unable to feel for others.
In the episode's conclusion, Peter buys a pair of glasses for Lincoln that Olivia will appreciate more than his current pair. Lincoln offers to meet Olivia at the late-night diner. As she is getting ready to leave for the meeting, she is gassed, and agents working for Nina Sharp inject her with an unknown formula that, once she wakes up, will have erased the last two hours from her memory and left her with a bad migraine.
Production
"Wallflower" was written by Matthew PittsMatthew Pitts
Matthew Pitts is an American television writer. He is best known for his work on the FOX science-fiction series Fringe.- Career :Pitts began his career working as J. J...
and Justin Doble, and was directed by Anthony Hemingway
Anthony Hemingway
Anthony Hemingway is an American film and television director. He has directed episodes of The Wire, CSI: NY, and Treme. Before becoming a director he worked extensively as an assistant director in television and film....
, a newcomer to the series.
Music and cultural references
During a scene of the episode, the song "Me Oh My" by Bryan FerryBryan Ferry
Bryan Ferry, CBE is an English singer, musician, and songwriter. Ferry came to public prominence in the early 1970s as lead vocalist and principal songwriter with the band Roxy Music, who enjoyed a highly successful career with three number one albums and ten singles entering the top ten charts in...
can be heard. Also, the Mazzy Star
Mazzy Star
Mazzy Star is an American alternative rock band formed in Santa Monica, California, in 1989 from the group Opal, a collaboration of guitarist David Roback and bassist Kendra Smith...
song "Fade into You
Fade into You
"Fade Into You" was the highest charting song from alternative rock/dream pop group Mazzy Star. The song was written by lyricist Hope Sandoval and composer David Roback, who also served as producer. The song made the Top 5 of Billboard's Modern Rock chart in 1994, peaking at number three, and is...
" plays on a jukebox
Jukebox
A jukebox is a partially automated music-playing device, usually a coin-operated machine, that will play a patron's selection from self-contained media...
in the diner. Walter names his two lab mice John
John Lennon
John Winston Lennon, MBE was an English musician and singer-songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as one of the founding members of The Beatles, one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music...
and Yoko
Yoko Ono
is a Japanese artist, musician, author and peace activist, known for her work in avant-garde art, music and filmmaking as well as her marriage to John Lennon...
, a reference to The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, and he also points out that octopuses "really do make gardens
Octopus's Garden
"Octopus's Garden" is a song by The Beatles written by Ringo Starr from their 1969 album Abbey Road....
".
Ratings
"Wallflower" first broadcast on November 18, 2011 in the United States. An estimated 2.87 million viewers watched the episode, with a 1.1 ratings share for adults 18-49. This was similar to the previous week, as they both earned the same ratings share. The episode was the season's fall finale and last to air in 2011, as the following episode will air on January 13, 2012.Reviews
A.V. Club writer Noel Murray graded the episode with a B, explaining "my major beef with “Wallflower” is that too much of the episode travels in a straight line, at least in regards to the main case. There are very few complications when it comes to finding Eugene... I wish there’d been a little more dimension to Eugene as a character (so to speak), a la last week’sAnd Those We've Left Behind
"And Those We've Left Behind" is the sixth episode of the fourth season of the Fox science-fiction drama television series Fringe, and the series' 71st episode overall...
Raymond Green or the second episode’s
One Night in October
"One Night in October" is the second episode of the fourth season of the Fox science fiction drama television series Fringe, and the series' 67th episode overall.-Plot:...
John McClennan, or at least a little more excitement in the procedural elements of 'Wallflower,' because there were moments in this episode that were really beautiful and touching, and I was disappointed that they were so isolated." Writing for Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
, columnist Jeff Jensen was more positive towards the episode. He loved Walter's experiment with the mice and the maze, and believed the death of Eugene Bryant was "one of the most poignant moments Fringe has ever produced." As the episode was the last to air for 2011, Jensen continued that the fourth season is "starting to find its narrative and emotional groove... As much as I’ve enjoyed the season so far, these first seven episodes have felt like an elaborate opening act for a main attraction still to come."
Fearnet
FEARnet
Fearnet is a cable channel, website and Video on Demand television service owned by Horror Entertainment LLC, a joint venture between Comcast, Lions Gate Entertainment, and Sony Pictures Entertainment...
's Alyse Wax noted "Wallflower" was "an intriguing one-off, but that is all. I'm ready for them to get back to the crazy mythology stuff. We haven't seen the alternates in awhile. I miss them. We did have a nice little cliffhanger that seems to allude to a return to the insanity. In this third "reality," this alternate time stream, it is beginning to feel like maybe it is an entirely new universe."
External links
- "Wallflower" 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...