A Better Human Being

Last updated • 7 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
"A Better Human Being"
Fringe episode
Episode no.Season 4
Episode 13
Directed by Joe Chappelle
Story by Glen Whitman
Robert Chiappetta
Teleplay by Alison Schapker
Monica Owusu-Breen
Production code3X7013
Original air dateFebruary 17, 2012 (2012-02-17)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
 Previous
"Welcome to Westfield"
Next 
"The End of All Things"
Fringe season 4
List of episodes

"A Better Human Being" is the thirteenth episode of the fourth season of the Fox science-fiction drama television series Fringe , and the series' 78th episode overall.

Contents

The episode was co-written by Robert Chiappetta, Alison Schapker, Monica Owusu-Breen, and Glen Whitman. Joe Chappelle directed the episode.

Plot

When Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson) realizes that Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) is experiencing memories from the Olivia of his original timeline, he convinces her to allow his father Walter (John Noble) to examine her. They find nothing immediately wrong with her brain, but Walter takes some hair samples for testing. With Olivia out of earshot, Walter scolds Peter in the belief that Peter is—perhaps unintentionally—empathizing his memories onto Olivia, who as a child was highly emotionally attuned to others.

The Fringe division learns of a case of a teenager, Sean Martin (Harrison Thomas), in a mental institution who, while in a nighttime trance, reportedly related in perfect detail the distant murder of a reporter by three teenagers. Sean explains that he hears voices from "outside" his head, leading Walter to believe that some type of telepathy is involved. Sean's transcription of the voices he heard during the murder leads the team to a subway bathroom, where they discover blood from an assailant injured in the attack. Astrid (Jasika Nicole) stays with the boy as he is purposely taken off his medications, hoping to identify the voices that he hears.

Analysis of the assailant's blood does not produce an identity, but Walter realizes that the sample shares a similar genetic anomaly with Sean's DNA, a trait that can only be shared by common ancestry. Olivia and Lincoln (Seth Gabel) learn from Sean's mother that Sean was conceived by in vitro fertilisation, and that the deceased reporter had called her a few days before, looking into the process. Walter concludes that Sean is reading the thoughts of other in vitro children that share the same genetic trait and are protecting themselves like animals in a hive. The team locates the doctor that performed the process, Dr. Owen Frank (John Aylward). Dr. Frank admits that he modified and donated samples of his own DNA to re-introduce instinctive traits into humans, attempting to build "a better human being". Walter recognizes that the children who share this trait are likely killing to prevent their genetically modified nature from becoming public. Dr. Frank provides Olivia and Peter with the location of his files, unaware that several of his progeny have already arrived there and are lying in wait. As Olivia and Peter discover the destroyed files, Olivia mentions information from the original timeline that Peter was not privy to, which means he can't be projecting his own memories on to her. Meanwhile, Sean hears voices plotting to ambush the duo, and Astrid is able to alert Olivia in time for her and Peter to defend themselves and capture their attackers. However, a second pair of teenagers suffocates Dr. Frank. With the doctor dead, Sean is no longer able to hear any voices, a situation he both welcomes and fears.

Walter discovers from Olivia's hair samples that she has recently been given doses of Cortexiphan. He and Lincoln confront Nina Sharp (Blair Brown) and demand an inspection of Walter and William Bell's Cortexiphan samples, which were stored in Massive Dynamic's headquarters under biometric security measures. Nina shows them the vials, but Walter recognizes that the Cortexiphan inside has been replaced with food coloring, implicating Nina.

After completing the case, Olivia and Peter stop at a gas station on their way home. Olivia discusses the lifestyle they had in Peter's timeline and he confesses that he can tell from her eyes that Olivia is the same as from his original timeline. After a brief kiss, Olivia leaves the car to use the restroom, but Peter discovers that she has disappeared. Elsewhere, Olivia regains consciousness tied up in a tiled room, along with a fatigued Nina tied to a chair opposite her, telling her that everything is all right.

Production

The teleplay for this episode was co-written by co-executive producers Monica Owusu-Breen and Alison Schapker, based on a story by executive story editors Glen Whitman and Robert Chiappetta. It was directed by executive producer Joe Chappelle. [1]

Actress Blair Brown was unaware of the surprise surrounding her character Nina Sharp, whom she had played for a number of fourth season episodes, until she received the episode's script. She noted that it was a "great thrill" to read the script, and added "The way we work is the writers always have something in mind, and it’s always more fun to just wait and see what shows up." [2]

Cultural references

In the lab, when Dr. Walter Bishop is testing Olivia Dunham's DNA, the song being played in the background is Karen Elson's "The Ghost Who Walks" from the album of the same name.

The instance of a fertility doctor using his own sperm to impregnate several of his patients is highly reminiscent of the case of Dr. Cecil Jacobson, who was accused of such practices and later convicted of perjury and had his medical license revoked.

Reception

Ratings

"A Better Human Being" was first broadcast on February 17, 2012, in the United States on Fox. An estimated 3 million viewers watched the episode, [3] marking a slight decrease in viewers from the previous episode.

Reviews

[4] [5]

Entertainment Weekly columnist Jeff Jensen called the episode "a significant, clever, and on the whole compelling hour of season 4 Fringe." He did complain however that "as the episode progressed, I felt the case-of-the-week was no longer complementing the Olivia storyline but distracting from it. More, it just didn’t seem plausible that Olivia would continue/would be permitted to continue working after being diagnosed with what a psychologist would call 'a psychotic episode.'... Yet again: I was entertained and engaged. I thought Allegedly Crazy Sean was a clever twist on the magical nutjob archetype, and I was intellectually and emotionally activated by Olivia’s life changing internal event, which begged various meaningful questions about the nature of identity and whatnot. And I thought the performances by Anna Torv and Joshua Jackson were just great. After a slow, slightly frustrating install, Fringe 4.0's reboot-oriented operating system is beginning to yield stories that are stimulating for being unique products of that premise." [6]

Noel Murray from Avclub says "As a fervent Fringe fan, I couldn’t help but be moved by Olivia’s gradual return, as she has flashes of memory and begins talking about how comfortable it feels just to be with Peter. I’m still a little confused as to whether this is Amberlivia adding Ourlivia’s memories to her own, or just Ourlivia fully re-emergent, but whatever the case, it does feel right when she’s talking with Peter about how she’s waiting to see “that look in your eye” and is urging him just to do what comes naturally. The chemistry between these two characters (and actors) is so strong that it overpowered a lot of my plot nitpicks.

 

I also liked how on-point Walter is in this episode, whether he’s chastising Peter for what he assumes to be Peter’s conscious (and thus unconscionable) reshaping of Olivia, or whether he’s investigating the levels of Cortexiphan he finds in Olivia’s body. Though Sean’s storyline trails off, “A Better Human Being” still ends powerfully, jumping between the Olivia/Peter love connection and Walter’s confrontation with Nina, in which he discovers that her locked-away Cortexiphan supply has been replaced by some phony red-colored solution. There’s real tension in that cross-cutting, which makes the Olivia and Peter scenes come off as more nerve-wracking than they’d otherwise be. Even if those two didn’t already have a history of obstacles being thrown between them, it’d still be fairly obvious that their night wasn’t going to end well.And I’m afraid it’s about to get even worse. After next week’s episode, there’s a short three-week break before Fringe comes back on March 23 for the final eight episodes of the season (and perhaps the series). Given how the Fringe team often likes to gut-punch their audience before a hiatus, I have sense of deep foreboding, friends. I’m worried that Ourlivia isn’t going to survive to see March." [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monica Owusu-Breen</span> American television producer

Monica Owusu-Breen is an American television producer and screenwriter.

Alison Schapker is an American television writer and producer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Olivia Dunham</span> Fictional character

Olivia Dunham is a fictional character and the main protagonist from the science fiction television series Fringe, which aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company in the United States from 2008 to 2013. The character was created by series' co-creator J. J. Abrams, and is portrayed by actress Anna Torv. Olivia is the series' protagonist, and was introduced as an FBI Special Agent, working for a multi-agency task force of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security called the Fringe Division, dealing with supernatural events that are linked to experimental occurrences. Having grown up with an abusive stepfather, Olivia struggles with the unexpected changes in her life, following her encounter with mentally unstable scientist Walter Bishop, and his son and an eventual love interest for her, Peter Bishop.

Walter Bishop (<i>Fringe</i>) Fictional character

Walter Harold Bishop, Ph.D. is a fictional character on the Fox television series Fringe. He is portrayed by John Noble. Noble also plays Walter's counterpart in the show's parallel universe, who is referred to in the show as Walternate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Bishop</span> Fictional character

Peter Bishop is a fictional character of the Fox television series Fringe. He is portrayed by Joshua Jackson.

"Of Human Action" is the seventh episode of the second season of the science fiction/crime series Fringe, and the 27th episode overall. The episode followed a case involving the apparent kidnapping of the son of a scientist working for biotechnology corporation Massive Dynamic, leading the Fringe team to deal with the repercussions of mind control.

Robert Chiappetta is an American television writer and lawyer.

The Plateau (<i>Fringe</i>) 3rd episode of the 3rd season of Fringe

"The Plateau" is the third episode of the third season of the American science fiction drama television series Fringe, and the 46th episode overall. As one of the early Season 3 episodes that take place entirely in the parallel universe, the episode centers on Olivia, conditioned to believe she is a member of the alternate Fringe team, trying to track down a mentally unstable man that can predict the team's every move.

Marionette (<i>Fringe</i>) 9th episode of the 3rd season of Fringe

"Marionette" is the ninth episode of the third season of the American science fiction drama television series Fringe. The episode was co-written by Monica Owusu-Breen and Alison Schapker, and directed by Joe Chappelle. It followed a series of organ recipients being tracked down and having their donated organs removed, all in a scientist's attempt to resurrect his deceased love interest, whose organs were donated to the victims. Meanwhile, Olivia copes with the consequences of being back in the prime universe.

"6955 kHz" is the sixth episode of the third season of the American science fiction drama television series Fringe. It first aired on November 11, 2010 in the United States. The third season spent much of its time alternating between the prime and parallel universes, and "6955 kHz" was set in the former. The storyline followed the Fringe team's investigation into a numbers station that mysteriously gave its listeners amnesia, a case that ultimately ties to a doomsday device.

"Ability" is the fourteenth episode of the first season of the American science fiction drama television series Fringe. The plot follows the Fringe team's investigation into ZFT and David Robert Jones, who claims that Olivia is a soldier equipped with abilities to fight in an upcoming war between two parallel universes. A skeptical Olivia must discover a way to avoid unleashing an attack that causes fatal accelerated cellular growth in its victims.

Bloodline (<i>Fringe</i>) 18th episode of the 3rd season of Fringe

"Bloodline" is the eighteenth episode of the third season of the American science fiction drama television series Fringe, and the 61st episode overall. The storyline follows the pregnant Olivia Dunham of the parallel universe ("Fauxlivia") as she experiences a kidnapping and acceleration of her pregnancy; meanwhile, her fellow Fringe agents Lincoln Lee and Charlie Francis attempt to locate her.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Night in October</span> 2nd episode of the 4th season of Fringe

"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. The episode was co-written by Monica Owusu-Breen and Alison Schapker, while Brad Anderson served as director.

"Subject 9" is the fourth episode of the fourth season of the Fox science fiction drama television series Fringe, and the series' 69th episode overall.

"Enemy of My Enemy" is the ninth episode of the fourth season of the Fox science-fiction drama television series Fringe, and the series' 74th episode overall.

"The End of All Things" is the fourteenth episode of the fourth season of the American science-fiction drama television series Fringe, and the series' 79th episode overall. In the episode, the fringe team investigates Olivia's disappearance, ultimately tracing back to David Robert Jones.

"Brave New World" is the two-part finale of the fourth season of the Fox science-fiction drama television series Fringe, and the series' 86th and 87th episodes overall. The episode, at the time of its writing and production, was created to be a possible series finale if the show was not renewed for a final season. As such, the episode not only resolves many of the plot lines introduced for the fourth season, but also several long-running plots throughout the show's run. In the episode, the Fringe division learns that Walter Bishop's old colleague, William Bell, has been in control of David Robert Jones' actions to collapse both universes in an attempt to create a new universe under his own control, and the Fringe team must make sacrifices to put an end to Bell's plans.

"Anomaly XB-6783746" is the tenth episode of the fifth season of the Fox science-fiction/drama television series Fringe, and the show's 97th episode overall.

"Liberty" is the twelfth episode of the fifth season of the Fox science-fiction/drama television series Fringe, and the show's 99th and penultimate episode. It aired on January 18, 2013, with the series finale, "An Enemy of Fate", in the United States on Fox and in the UK and Ireland on Sky1.

References

  1. Joe Chappelle (director), Monica Owusu-Breen (writer), Alison Schapker (writer), Glen Whitman (writer), Robert Chiappetta (writer) (2012-02-24). "A Better Human Being". Fringe. Season 4. Episode 13. Fox.
  2. Roffman, Marisa (2012-02-24). "FRINGE: Blair Brown Teases 'The End of All Things' and Finally Meeting Nina's Double". Give Me My Remote. Retrieved 2013-05-16.
  3. Seidman, Robert (February 21, 2012). "Friday Final TV Ratings: 'Nikita' Adjusted Down, 'Supernatural' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 25, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
  4. 1 2 Murray, Noel (2012-02-17). "A Better Human Being". The A.V. Club . Retrieved 2012-02-17.
  5. Hanson, Andrew (2012-02-18). "'Fringe' recap: In your head". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on 2020-06-29. Retrieved 2012-02-21.
  6. Jensen, Jeff (2012-02-18). "'Fringe' recap: A Psychotic Episode". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on 2020-06-29. Retrieved 2012-02-19.