1x07: In Which We Meet Mr. Jones

[wendelah1]

Just as the title says, this is the episode where we meet the Big Bad Wolf, one David Robert Jones. We're also introduced to ZFT, a cabal of mad scientists who enjoy experimenting on humanity and bragging about it, too! We find out that Olivia speaks fluent German, and has an old boyfriend who thinks about her but never calls. We also discover to our horror that our resident mad scientist Walter Bishop used to experiment on Peter when he was a child.


Writer: J.J. Abrams, Jeff Pinkner
Director: Brad Anderson
Originally aired: 11 Nov 2008

Synopsis: When a nightmare-inducing bio-engineered parasitic life-form is found literally squeezing the life out of Broyle's old friend Agent Loeb, the Fringe team is quickly assembled to save his life.

Most Memorable Quote:
Peter Bishop: "I’ve never had a conversation with a dead guy before. Forgive me if I don’t know the rules."

Links:
Transcript
A.V. Club Recap
Polite Dissent
Sarah Stegall
And last but not least, Scientists Say Fringe Parasites are Far From Realistic: Hollywood Fact vs. Fiction.

Tell me something I don't already know...

Fanfiction:
Nope, but I found a great one for "The Arrival": Help Wanted by Rheanna.
Leave your recs, including self-recs, in the comments and I'll edit them in. Or write us a post-ep for this episode!

Comments

[kerithwyn]

(Ugh, running behind. And I forgot to take notes, so going off the transcript.)

I like a lot about this episode, putting aside the convoluted plot entirely. Although the parasite is cool.

Always enjoy Broyles & Walter moments, even if they usually end with Broyles looking befuddled and/or annoyed.

OLIVIA: Do you know what that is? Your work or your old experiments, does that look... look familiar? -- VALID QUESTION.

Astrid recognizing the Caesar Shift is great, but I'd be happier about it if this felt less like a random throwaway. /constant bitterness

BROYLES: You got super-powers you aren’t telling me about? -- FAVORITE QUOTE. Soooooon.

I am fascinated by the interaction by Lucas and Olivia. Deserving of much, much more analysis. It sounds like she was involved with him when they were in the military--(past) Olivia has a thing for quasi-forbidden relationships and older men. I would love to know what he "looked into" that made her laugh. :) I think about you so often. The one he let get away because Olivia was so serious, so committed. Too much for him. Whereas Olivia...probably never thinks of him at all. Despite her moment of weakness, Olivia is genuinely grateful for Peter's cock-blocking phone call.

Jones' face when he sees Olivia...so, so telling. What a pleasure this is. He's been waiting for her a long time, she's the avatar of all his hopes. And she is perfect in his eyes...or will be, when he's done with her.

Broyles' speech to Olivia at the end is the best. BEST. And Olivia gets to relay it, albeit in shortened form, to Lincoln in s4. Savor the small victories, because sometimes that's all we get.

And Olivia and Peter go off for a drink at the end, cue fanfic. ;)

[seekingferret]

Yeah, one thing I loved about the parasite was how excited Walter got about seeing it.

"I'm simply admiring the design. At least partially organic. Looks like the hybrid result of genetic manipulation. Symmetrical, its central body mass. If indeed it is an organism at all, It's designed, it seems, to envelope the entire human heart. Look, look. A series of tendrils. A root system. Don't you see it? How beautiful this is?"

I love that Walter can appreciate the beauty of even monstrous science, can appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into defying nature so brazenly.

[kerithwyn]

That is a great moment. Tells you so much about Walter, both good and bad: that he admires the technical aspects of the science so much that he allows himself to be blind to its consequences.