Forced Perspective (Fringe)

Last updated
"Forced Perspective"
Fringe episode
Episode no.Season 4
Episode 10
Directed by David Solomon
Written by Ethan Gross
Production code3X7010
Original air dateJanuary 27, 2012 (2012-01-27)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Enemy of My Enemy"		Next →
"Making Angels"
Fringe season 4
List of episodes

"Forced Perspective" is the tenth episode of the fourth season of the Fox science-fiction drama television series Fringe , and the series' 75th episode overall.

Contents

The episode was written by Ethan Gross and directed by David Solomon.

Plot

Olivia (Anna Torv) contemplates the warning from the bald man—known to the viewer as the Observer September (Michael Cerveris)—about how she appears destined to be killed. Broyles (Lance Reddick) cautions her about taking unnecessary risks until they learn more about this man, but Olivia agrees to continue to perform her job.

A man is killed when a girder from a nearby construction site accidentally falls and impales him. The Fringe division is called in when they find the man was given a piece of paper from a young girl (Alexis Raich) moments before the accident, a drawing of his death in perfect detail. The Fringe team uses nearby security footage to determine the identity of the girl, Emily Mallum. They approach her father, Jim (Currie Graham), who initially lies about Emily, but eventually lets them in. Jim is aware that Emily has a gift for seeing the future, and he has been moving his family across country and changing their identities, trying to stay ahead of people who he believes are agents of Massive Dynamic using black panel vans, trying to take Emily and experiment on her ability to see the future. Jim refuses to allow the Fringe team to help out any further, but Olivia leaves him her card. Later, Olivia talks to Nina Sharp (Blair Brown) about Emily, who admits that Massive Dynamic has an interest in the girl, but only to study her abilities. Olivia begins to compare Emily's case to her own as a child in the Cortexiphan experiments, but is interrupted by a call from Emily, who wants to meet privately.

At a park bench near a lake, Emily shows Olivia her latest picture that she drew after encountering a man on a bus but wasn't able to hand to him: a pile of dead bodies. She explains her "gift", that when she is near someone that will die she gets flashes of their death in her mind. These visions have never failed to come to fruition, and she worries for the apparent death toll in this latest drawing. The drawing does not give enough information to guess where it may occur, so Olivia takes Emily to Walter's (John Noble) lab, where Walter believes that Emily's brain is picking up on the vibrations of traumatic events as they flow backwards in time. After obtaining Jim's approval, they hook Emily up to Walter's equipment, to allow her to explore her own mind under hypnosis. Within her vision of the forthcoming event, Emily recognizes that it is a result of an explosion, and enough of a sign to pinpoint the location, a nearby courthouse. The team is also able to identify the man aboard the bus, Albert Duncan. They conclude Duncan is about to blow up the courthouse. The team races there to discover Duncan targeting a judge that ruled against him in a child custody case, ruining his life. With Peter's (Joshua Jackson) help, the radio-controlled bomb is disabled, but Duncan further reveals he has a bomb strapped to himself. Olivia is able to talk him out of detonating it, saving everyone's lives, and taking Duncan into custody.

As they close the case, Olivia contacts Emily to pass on thanks, but gets Jim instead. Jim finds Emily missing from her bedroom, and the Fringe team sets off to follow a black van that Jim had spotted believing Emily was kidnapped; it turns out this was only a dry cleaning delivery van. Olivia quickly realizes where Emily has gone and directs Jim to meet her at the park bench by the lake. Emily is there in the bitter cold, and Jim sits down next to her coaxing her to get help, but she refuses. Olivia spots Emily's most recent drawing, of her and her father on the bench with her watching, and realizes that Emily is dying. Jim holds onto Emily as she dies from an overload of electrical activity in her brain caused by her ability.

Meanwhile, Walter and Peter continue to bond as they work to understand the principles of the Machine to allow Peter to return to his original timeline. Peter later explains to Olivia who the Observers are and their ability to be aware of the consequences of time. That evening, Nina drops by to visit Olivia, and upon hearing that she is still suffering from migraines at night, promises to send her new medicine that may help her. At exactly the same moment, outside of her home, an Observer is watching.

Production

"Forced Perspective" was written by executive story editor Ethan Gross and Buffy the Vampire Slayer veteran David Solomon directed.

Reception

Ratings

"Forced Perspective" was first broadcast on January 27, 2012 in the United States on Fox. An estimated 3.33 million viewers watched the episode, [1] marking an increase in overall viewership from the previous episode and received its highest ratings of the season since the premiere episode.

Reviews

The A.V. Club gave the episode a B and called it "a solid case-of-the-week." [2] The Los Angeles Times found Emily’s story unengaging and called it "a textbook example of anticlimcatic." [3]

See also

Related Research Articles

<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.

The Arrival (<i>Fringe</i>) 4th episode of the 1st season of Fringe

"The Arrival" is the fourth episode of the first season of the American science fiction drama television series Fringe. The episode was written by the series co-creator and executive producer J. J. Abrams and executive producer and show runner Jeff Pinkner. Paul A. Edwards directed it.

The Box (<i>Fringe</i>) 2nd episode of the 3rd season of Fringe

"The Box" is the second episode of the third season of the American science fiction drama television series Fringe. The episode was co-written by Josh Singer and Graham Roland, and directed by Jeffrey Hunt. The third season spent its time alternating between the prime and parallel universes, and "The Box" was set in the former. It followed a mysterious box that when opened, killed whoever heard it. The fringe team of Fauxlivia, Peter, and Walter investigate, with unknown consequences to the creation of a doomsday device.

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.

Fringe is an American science fiction drama television series originally broadcast from 2008 to 2013. The show, created by J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci, revolves around the fictional Fringe Division, a congressionally funded federal law enforcement task force, staffed primarily by Federal Bureau of Investigation and Homeland Security personnel. The task force is responsible for investigating crimes and phenomena related to fringe science and the individuals and conspiratorial organizations that perpetrate those acts. During the five-season series, the mythology and backstory of the show expanded across a broad spectrum of recurring themes, locations, and characters to serialize story arcs and intricately link early episodes with later ones.

<i>Fringe</i> season 4 Season of television series

The fourth season of the American science fiction television series Fringe premiered on Fox on September 23, 2011, and concluded on May 11, 2012, consisting of 22 episodes. The series is produced by Bad Robot in association with Warner Bros. Television, and its showrunners were Jeff Pinkner and J. H. Wyman. The show was officially renewed for a fourth season on March 24, 2011. Lead actors Anna Torv, John Noble, and Joshua Jackson reprised their roles as FBI agent Olivia Dunham and the father-son duo Walter and Peter Bishop. Previous series regulars Lance Reddick, Jasika Nicole, and Blair Brown also returned. Previous recurring guest star Seth Gabel was promoted to series regular. Prominent guest star Leonard Nimoy and first season guest star Jared Harris reprised their roles in the alternate timeline storyline. Former main cast member and previous recurring guest star Kirk Acevedo, however, did not reprise his role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Back to Where You've Never Been</span> 8th episode of the 4th season of Fringe

"Back to Where You've Never Been" is the eighth episode of the fourth season of the Fox science-fiction drama television series Fringe, and the series' 73rd episode overall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Making Angels</span> 11th episode of the 4th season of Fringe

"Making Angels" is the eleventh episode of the fourth season of the Fox science-fiction drama television series Fringe, and the series' 76th episode overall. The alternate Agent Farnsworth grants herself permission to cross over to the prime universe in order to visit Astrid and learn about her past after her father's death. In the investigation, a former MIT professor uses his talents, along with borrowed technology, to intercede in the lives of those destined for a life of suffering. Meanwhile, the Observers monitor the entire affair and learn of the failed intervention of one of their own.

"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.

"In Absentia" is the second episode of the fifth and final season of the American Fox science fiction/drama television series Fringe, and the show's 89th episode overall. The episode aired in the United States on October 5, 2012.

"The Recordist" is the third episode of the fifth and final season of the American Fox science fiction/drama television series Fringe, and the show's 90th episode overall. The episode aired in the United States on October 12, 2012.

"The Bullet That Saved the World" is the fourth episode of the fifth season of the Fox science fiction/drama television series Fringe, and the 91st episode overall.

"An Origin Story" is the fifth episode of the fifth season of the Fox science-fiction/drama television series Fringe, and the 92nd episode overall.

"Five-Twenty-Ten" is the seventh episode of the fifth season of the American Fox science-fiction/drama television series Fringe, and the show's 94th episode overall. The episode premiered in the United States on November 16, 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">An Enemy of Fate</span> 13th episode of the 5th season of Fringe

"An Enemy of Fate" is the series finale of the American Fox science fiction/drama television series Fringe. It is episode 13 of season 5 and the 100th episode overall. It aired, along with the penultimate episode, "Liberty", in the United States on January 18, 2013. The final two episodes were simulcast in the UK and Ireland on Sky1 and in Spain in Canal+.

"The Human Kind" is the eighth episode of the fifth season of the Fox science-fiction/drama television series Fringe, and the show's 95th episode overall.

"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.

References

  1. ↑ Gorman, Bill (January 30, 2012). "Friday Final TV Ratings: 'Dateline' Adjusted Up; 'Shark Tank' Adjusted Down; No Adjustments for 'Chuck' Finale or 'Fringe'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 31, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  2. ↑ Murray, Noel (2012-01-27). "Forced Perspective". The A.V. Club . Retrieved 2012-01-30.
  3. ↑ Hanson, Andrew (2012-01-28). "'Fringe' recap: The Black Dry-Cleaning Van". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved 2012-02-01.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.