FRINGE: Earthling

Can I just say that I was really creeped out by the opening scene of this episode? Maybe it struck a chord because today is my own wedding anniversary and the thought of my husband planning a nice surprise for me and then turning to dust in front of my very eyes is beyond horrific. Or maybe it is because my television inexplicably turned itself off in the middle of the day yesterday (probably should have been doing something more productive anyway)…either way, the first few minutes were pretty darn scary for a TV show!

Russian Fringe Science
The body of the husband that turned to dust opens up a case that rings a bell with Agent Broyles. Broyles had seen a similar phenomenon four years ago in DC. Multiple people, linked to a particular hospital, had turned to dust. At that time, Agent Broyles had received a call from an Eastern European man who said that the murders would end if Broyles could find someone to solve a particular formula. Broyles was unsuccessful in obtaining a solution, but the murders inexplicably stopped and he thought it was over…until now.

The team learns that the murdered husband had been at Latchmere General Hospital, visiting his mother, the day of his murder. They begin their investigation there, looking specifically for an Eastern European employee who had previously worked at the DC hospital where the previous murders had occurred. They find a suspect named Thomas Koslov, who is a night nurse in the coma ward.

Thomas Koslov is an alias for a man who is wanted by the Russian government for stealing the body of his brother, a Russian cosmonaut, who had returned from a space trip in a coma. Koslov fled with his brother’s body to the US, where he hid it in various hospitals while he searched for a “cure”. The cure is related to the formula that has remained unsolved until Walter tackles it, or “her” (as Walter calls it).

While in outer space, the cosmonaut brought back an organism. The organism is a “shadow man” and it can project itself without ever actually leaving his body. It seeks radiation and is basically passing through the victims, taking all of their radiation and turning them into dust in the process. Walter deducts that the cosmonaut and the “shadow man” are linked at a molecular level and it is not possible to separate the two.

The team is ultimately able to trace Koslov to a local motel where he has moved his brother, but it is too late because Koslov is already dead. Broyles shoots the brother, but does not kill him, so the shadow man is either (a) back in the cosmonaut who, presumably, has been shipped back to outer space by the CIA or (b) occupying the body of a little girl who had the unfortunate luck of being in the same motel.

The Softer Side of Broyles
You probably know by now that I prefer Pattern related episodes to the stand alone case episodes, but I did enjoy this one quite a bit. I liked the character development of Broyles. He has always seemed like such a hard man and I was never quite sure if he was entirely playing on the side of good. I think the back-story of his obsession with this particular case and how it ultimately ruined his marriage helps to explain why he comes off the way that he does. His words to Olivia (taking the job to make the world a safer place for his family even though it made him lose them) and his actions (defying the CIA) show that he is a man on a mission and I’m interested to see where his character goes.

A Few Random Thoughts….

• Could Josh Jackson’s facial expressions be any more priceless? I love the way you can see Peter’s growing fondness for Walter, mixed in with a healthy dose of exasperation in every scene.

• Is Latchmere General Hospital the most poorly lit hospital on the planet??…real hospital patients would be so lucky if hospitals actually did turn off the lights at night!!!

• Why is Broyles storing old case files in an off-site storage unit?

So looking forward to an episode that will get me speculating again. These ones that leave me with little else to do other than recap are just not as fun!

For all you code crackers – tonight’s word was DEJA VU.

Gretchen is a stay-at-home mom of two awesome little girls who has the good fortune of being married to a husband who is completely cool with her slightly out of control television addiction. During her precious few sleeping hours, Gretchen frequently finds herself ridding the world of pesky vampires and demons, as well as taking down fake secret branches of the CIA.