Subject 13
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| Subject 13 | |||
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| Season: | 3 | Episode: | 15 |
| Air Date: | 25 February 2011 | ||
| Written by: | Akiva Goldsman Joel Wyman Jeff Pinkner | ||
| Directed by: | Fred Toye | ||
| Starring: | John Noble as Doctor Walter and Walter Bishop (alt) Orla Brady as Elizabeth Bishop and Elizabeth Bishop (alt) Karley Collins as Olivia Dunham Chandler Canterbury as Peter Bishop | ||
| Guest Cast: | Sarah-Jane Redmond as Miss Ashley Chris Bradford as Olivia’s Father Liam Mackie as Nick Lane Chris Pearce as Soldier Mike Russell as Policeman Peter Kawasaki as Lab Tech Sophie Lui as Newscaster Jay Jackson as Boy#1 | ||
| Next: | Os | ||
| Previously: | 6B | ||
| Transcript — Additional Images | |||
- Introduction
Subject 13 is the fifteenth episode of the third season of FRINGE. It first aired on February 25, 2011. A complete accounting of the pivotal points for both Bishop families, shortly after Peter's disappearance, and the traumatic childhood events that led to Olivia's awareness of the abilities she possesses.
Synopsis
On a cold snowy day in the Spring of 1986, a young boy walks onto a thawing Reiden Lake. Inside the warm house, Elizabeth Bishop finishes up her cleaning chore and calls for Peter. Hearing no response, Elizabeth goes up to the boy's room and looks out the window. A note - I am going home - in the bed catches her attention, and after reading it, she quickly runs off to catch Peter who is walking slowly on the frozen lake carrying a concrete block. Young Peter Bishop ties the rope around his waist. Elizabeth continues shouting out Peter's name. Upon hearing his mother's yell, Peter slams the concrete onto the frozen lake and picks it up. His worried mother catches her breath after arriving at the scene and begs her son to stop. Elizabeth chases after Peter in the middle of the lake. Determined on his mission, young Peter lifts up the concrete block while facing his pseudo- mother and once again slams the frozen lake. The ice cover gives in and the weight of the block pulls down the boy to the lake. Elizabeth quickly dives in to the lake. She attempts to untie the knot while the boy fights back. Elizabeth and young Peter resurfaces. The boy continuously fights back and claims that she is not his mother and he wants to go home.
ACT I
Walter arrives home and tells young Peter that the Dodgers play in Los Angeles but the boy insists that they play in Brooklyn. Young Peter also insists that the Green Lantern should be red and he never owned a baseball mitt. Walter calmly explains to the boy that he was very sick and it must have confused and mixed up his memories. After hearing Walter calling him son, young Peter is agitated and claims that Walter and Elizabeth are not his parents and insists that he wants to go home. Elizabeth quickly embraces the kid and calms him down.
Elizabeth joins Walter at the dining table after she puts Peter in bed. She frets that Peter's going crazy, but Walter insists they can't tell him the truth, even though sending him home is not proving so easy. It's already been six months. Walter cannot make a device like the one he used to bring Peter over, because the universe cannot withstand any more damage. Neither can Peter, Elizabeth says. Walter just needs more time. The children should be able to cross over and take Peter.
At her home, young Olivia is reading a book entitled Winter's Tale. Olivia's stepfather grabs the book and angrily tells her that she needs to go to bed and not to run away from him. Young Olivia continues to run and suddenly stops as she realizes that she is standing in a grass field with a zeppelin passing overhead. She turns around and hears her abusive stepfather's voice... he grabs her by the head.
ACT II
The next morning, over at the breakfast table, young Peter continues to insist that Elizabeth is not his mother. They had been doing the same routine for two months. Elizabeth got some of the facts wrong but she argues that it is because young Peter is confused because of his illness. Peter tells Elizabeth that Walter stole him from the other world at the bottom of the lake. He admits that he sounds crazy but he is not.
As Walter enters the office of Jacksonville Daycare Center, Ashley notices that Walter hasn't had much sleep. She volunteers to organize the subgroup data for Walter but he has something different in mind... he wants to do an independent testing on the children. Walter finds young Olivia in the other room. Likewise, she did not have a good night. Walter gently asks Olivia about her bruised eye. She insists that she were running in the house and fell.
Elizabeth and young Peter drive past by a field of white tulips. Elizabeth explains that tulips don't usually grow around that area but a professor missed tulips and so, using his imagination, he invented them to grow in this climate. When asked how young Peter would change the world, he answers, he won't make stupid flowers grow... he would want to go home.
At the toy store, young Peter scouts around to find his perfect toy... he dismisses the Battlestar Galactica gameboard, Rubiks cube and an arcade game called Joust. A model DC-3 airplane catches the attention of young Peter and the two smile to each other. →
At the daycare center, Walter suspects that Olivia's crossover was triggered by an extreme emotional response. Elizabeth and young Peter pay Walter a visit. Young Peter and young Olivia see each other through the office's observation window. As young Peter and Ashley leave the room to find some snacks, Walter breaks the news to his wife... Olivia might be able to bring Peter back to his universe. Walter just needs to know how precisely she crossed over.
ACT III
Walter conducts a series of experiments on Subject 13, young Olivia, videotaping them for William Bell, in the hope that Bell finds something that he missed. Olivia is attached to wires which makes a record of her test result. Walter deduces that the Olivia's ability is not triggered by joy, exhilaration, anger, loneliness and not even fear alone.
In the final experiment, Walter and Ashley leave young Olivia inside the testing room. The light suddenly goes off. Young Olivia starts to panic and bangs the door. As the light switches back on, young Olivia sees her friend Nick covered in blood. She screams, which results into computer interferences and fire originating from her.
ACT IV
Outside of the daycare center, Elizabeth and young Peter learn from Ashley that young Olivia is missing. The two go in and Elizabeth leaves her son at the cubbies. Young Peter is curious about Olivia's items and he picks up her drawing book and finds a drawing of an angry man... and a field of white tulips.
At the office, Elizabeth reads Walter's note on Olivia... Walter summises that it is necessary for Olivia to go back home, to experience the unique combination of love and terror, which is hard to recreate artificially. He argues that they have to do this sooner rather than later, because the Other Side will eventually come after Peter. He wouldn't sacrifice Olivia for Peter, but for thousands, maybe millions, of others... it would have to be considered. Ashley interrupts them, she is looking for Peter. Elizabeth goes out to look for her young boy... Peter is missing too.
In the parallel universe, Secretary Bishop is not handling the loss of Peter very well. Elizabeth informs him that he cannot continue his excessive alcohol drinking. But what is the alternative for him? To give up his son?
ACT V
While Elizabeth prepares for dinner, Secretary Bishop insists on getting information out of Elizabeth, asking her to remember the abduction details. They have consider all possible theories... a plastic surgery, a shapeshifting alien... but none of which will bring their son back. What's worse is that it is consuming Elizabeth and Secretary Bishop's marriage. It is becoming a routine.
Elizabeth wakes up in the morning, alone in bed. Secretary Bishop flies back to Florida and goes back to work at Bishop Dynamic. At his office, he takes a sip from his alcohol stash. From his window, the Shuttle Launch Facility can be seen nearby.
At Jacksonville daycare center, Ashley gives Walter Olivia's drawing of an angry man. Olivia and Peter are still missing.
ACT VI
Peter finds Olivia in the tulip field. The young boy explains to Olivia that her drawing of the white tulip field led him to find her... tulips do not normally grow around the area and it's the only drawing that looks happy. The two introduce themselves. Peter approaches the young girl but she stops him, the tulips around Olivia are burned and dead. Peter is not scared and sit beside Olivia. The young girl confides in Peter that her stepfather hits her and she thinks that telling Walter will not do any good. Peter tells Olivia what Elizabeth said to him... you use your imagination to change things you want to be. She should tell Walter... she has to try something. The two kids hold hands, and snow starts falling... or did Olivia imagine that? →
The two kids go back to the daycare center. Elizabeth is delighted to see her son back. Ashley tells Olivia that her stepfather is on his way and that they were all worried. Olivia insists on seeing Walter... the terrified girl dashes into Walter's office. Olivia confesses that her stepfather hits her and that's when she crossed over... where she saw the blimps in the sky. She gives him the drawing book and pleads with him to ask her stepfather to stop hitting her. At the door, Walter calls out her name. Walter is confused to see the young girl crying. Olivia looks around and is confused too.
Walter warns Olivia's stepfather not to harm the child. She is very special to Walter... and if he does do anything to make her the least uncomfortable, Walter will not hesitate to inform social services and his government friends about his maltreatment and ensure that he will dealt with accordingly.
Peter apologizes to Elizabeth
At Bishop Dynamic, Secretary Bishop calls his wife. He now knows where Peter is. He has the drawing of Peter and Olivia together, holding hands.
Quotes
Trivia
- General
- The Observer is inside of Bishop Dynamic lab in Florida and stops and looks at Secretary Bishop as he enters and is greeted by one of the staff there.
- The third glyph (daisy - "I") leading into the commercial break appears normally, then distorts from the electromagnetic interference from young Olivia in the previous scene.
- Star Wars. Properly known as the Strategic Defense Initiative, the program never was fleshed-out in this universe, though Secretary Bishop seems to have successfully deployed it in his universe.
- Seahorse. A drawing of two colorful seahorses is posted on the Bishop's refrigerator.
- An early, generic, network press release indicated the title of the episode would be "Six Months Later". The official press release, three weeks prior to the original airing, announced the actual title - Subject 13.
- A periodic table displayed in Walter's office as he walks in has elements listed and named that place its production between November 2004 (The naming of Roentgenium and its addition to the periodic table) and February 2010 (The naming of Copernicium and its adding to the periodic table). If it had actually been produced in 1986, it would have listed more than 10 elements fewer.
- During the series of tests Olivia is put through, she is set to try to put together a 3-dimensional puzzle; that puzzle is the same one used in J.J. Abrams' other series, Alias.
- Production Notes
- This is the first episode that has been produced entirely as a period piece. Contemporary main characters were wholely excluded without recollections, remembrances or flash-back.
- This is the first episode that Anna Torv has failed to appear in.
- The opening splash title sequence reflected 1986 fringe science from this universe.
- Recurring Themes
- Tulips. The divine sign (White Tulip) is replicated here with the imagery, and relationship established in a field of the flowers.
Previously
 | The signage over the "Tulip Food Store" (6B) foreshadowed the importance the Tulip field had in feeding the new friendship developed between Olivia and Peter during the most distressing time of their young lives. |
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| — Plot Relevant Questions — | Address theories about questions on Subject 13/Theories Ask minor questions on the Talk Page |
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1) Do not answer the questions here. |
- Was the purpose of the continued testing in Jacksonville solely to find a method to return Peter to the parallel universe?
- Why have Peter and Olivia forgotten their childhood friendship?
- Why did Walter have to communicate with William Bell using videotape?
- Why was Marilyn Dunham unavailable to retrieve Olivia after she returned from running-off?
- Why are Peter's memories of his childhood in the alternate universe so sketchy?
- Is Bishop Dynamic still in existence in the alternate universe?
- If not, what became of it?
- Did Olive's pyrokinetic outburst cause damages to the laboratories in Bishop Dynamic in the parallel universe? (The Road Not Taken)
