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

[corwinofamber]

I love this episode for the Walter-Peter interactions, and Olivia showing her fire, and the introduction of Jones. However, the plot at the center of the episode is so convoluted that it makes no sense to me at all. I always wonder why they didn't just ask Smith "Where the Gentleman lives" before he committed suicide by cop, and then send a lackey to Germany to tell Jones the answer.

[seekingferret]

The last time I rewatched this episode, I observed that it seems like a better, souped up version of the pilot- someone that someone on the team is close with is threatened with a mysterious disease. They are racing against the clock to find the person who has knowledge of creating the disease, in order to get the information they'll need to cure the mystery disease. Unfortunately, one of the people they need to talk to is dead/dying, so they need a member of the team to risk their life with uncertain fringe science to speak to the dead. (It bothers me that Peter seems shocked that Walter can talk to dead people, given that Walter said as much in the actual pilot)

There are a lot of deep similarities to the pilot, but at half the length, with firmer grasp on the characters, and without the John Scott nonsense, it seems to me a much better version of the story. Jones is a fantastic bad guy, seeming sinister and mysterious while at the same time seeming completely in control of the situation, like he has a plan and sees the whole field better than anyone else. And this episode kickstarts the movement of the show's first arc: We learn about ZFT, we learn that there are reasons why Broyles calls these events The Pattern, because there are people and events that keep coming up again and again within it. People he has thus far not seen fit to mention to Olivia, but which Olivia has discovered on her own.

The way they keep mentioning that the person who created Loeb's codesheet had high clearance at the FBI made me wonder again about our Broyles as the traitor theory. Broyles seems a much better suspect than Loeb at this point, except for the fact that obviously we know that it was in fact Loeb. He has the clearance and he has a much better position to run the plan than Loeb, who after all spends the whole episode on a gurney.

[seekingferret]

I think you missed the point, if my read of the episode is right. Jones isn't lying when he says "What if someone wanted information from the both of us? You see? Perhaps they’ve orchestrated all of this." The answer isn't for Jones, it's for Loeb.

Remember, at the start of the episode Loeb was going to Germany to meet with Jones, but he couldn't get access. Jones needed to communicate some information to Loeb, but the Germans wouldn't let him in. So Loeb and his wife orchestrated this convoluted plan to force Broyles to be desperate enough to get access to Jones. And Jones used Smith as his agent to deliver the message to Loeb.

[corwinofamber]

Ok...that starts to approach making sense, but it stills seems there were an unnecessary step or two there :)

[wendelah1]

However, the plot at the center of the episode is so convoluted that it makes no sense to me at all.

I concur. I had a terrible time following the plot of this, and nailing the plot is what I'm supposed to be good at.

[seekingferret]

Yeah, when I was trying to explain it to you I realized there are parts of this explanation I'm lacking... I don't know exactly what relationship Smith has to Jones, but for my theory to work there has to be a reason why Smith will tell Jones "Little Hill" but he won't tell Loeb, and I don't have a good one other than Loeb trying to protect his FBI cover. Perhaps there's a terrorist cell structure to ZFT and Smith only knows Jones and not Loeb. Perhaps Loeb knows that if he captures Smith on his own with the FBI backup, he won't be able to do the unobserved interrogation he'll need to get the information- he needs Broyles/Olivia/Walter to be the one to ask the question so nobody is asking why Loeb needs to know "Little Hill".

[estella_c]

You guys have a much better handle on the story than I could fake. I'll focus on secondary matters.

The guy playing Loeb is such a villainous type that I picked him for villainy before he got out of the boat. Superficial but accurate. His wife, OTOH, was convincingly innocent. (Wasn't that actress in Little Women?) It's fun to look forward to her body-bruising encounter with Olivia. (Scully never got to do that stuff.)

Yes, Olivia's wonderful old boyfriend. Who apparently, as one sentence alerts us, dumped her. That's two traumatic relationships in a row. Then, just as she's re-arranging her hairstyle for Peter, the "shining!" It's not fair.

She can speak German. Like Scully. Well, Scully *took* German.

I wasn't too impressed by Mr. Jones, except when he offed his lawyer. Some homely actors you enjoy looking at; some you don't.

Another comment on Torv. Her style of voice is very nonthreatening, almost whispery. She is unfailingly courteous and kind when those modes are appropriate. But her latent anger comes out at bad times. I'm thinking gun. That discussion will arise later.

I have to go to a big wedding now. Pity, please. You'll hear from me after I sober up days from now.

[casually_cruel]

I like this episode. The science doesn't interest me as much, but Olivia's interactions do. She's kind to Loeb's wife, she's sympathetic but then unyielding with Broyles. She's charming with the prison director, watchful with Jones, and a little bit awkward with Lucas. We get to see all sorts of sides of Olivia here.

We also see that she has a bit of a type, and that she wasn't lying when she told John Scott that she 'was sort of bad at this.' We're also reminded that she was happy with John! I wonder how things would have played out if he had lived and it was him by her side throughout all the Pattern stuff instead of, or maybe in addition to, Peter.

Astrid's quiet competence is always welcome. She really is a remarkable young agent; this is the second time one of her skills has helped move a case forward. I like to think she's getting the credit she deserves behind the scenes.

[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. ;)

[kerithwyn]

We're also reminded that she was happy with John! I wonder how things would have played out if he had lived and it was him by her side throughout all the Pattern stuff instead of, or maybe in addition to, Peter.

Olivia, re John: he was straight-forward, decisive, charming, and it was wonderful. I want that AU fic so bad--like, at the end of the Pilot he secretly confesses to Olivia that he's NSA and investigating the Pattern, so now they have to hide on multiple levels while working with Walter and Peter. Yesssss.

[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.