This episode, titled “Stowaway” (original air date: March 19, 2011) opens in the lab, with Bellivia explaining how he got into Olivia. Walter is excited and Bell is giggling, and it's really just a bit creepy. He's apparently in until Walter finds a new body for him (because he'll die for real if he gets ejected into the big nothing) and Broyles gives him 48 hours to do it or get out.
Cut to two people on a roof having a seriously emo, suicidal conversation. He jumps to the ledge and after a bit more yammering, he jumps off. She grabs him, and they both go over, but the fall doesn't kill her and she flees the scene.
Peter brings Bellivia the “reentry” file and Bellivia goes on about how Peter may not be able to avoid riding in the doomsday machine (because of destiny). Then Broyles sends over a video (thank you, Youtube) of the girl surviving the fall and Walter and Bellivia want to head over to the site to see if it's a fringe event.
Cut to a random FBI agent, spotting a pic of Miss Immortal and hauling it over to the Agent Lee of this universe. He shows up at the fringe site and tells the team about Miss Immortal (Dana Gray), who is apparently a serial suicide. He then follows the team back to the lab, where he is suitably weirded out, and they “read him in” to the Fringe division.
Ms. Gray is being held together by extra strong electromagnetic bonds and is apparently stealing life energy from suicides to stay alive (making her a soul vampire, they think).
Meanwhile, said compassionate soul vampire is at the cemetery, visiting her dead family, when she gets a suicide hotline call.
Peter and Lee are at the suicide hotline (conveniently, the one she works at) and find out she's very good at her job (having saved countless lives). They head out to her address to see what's going on.
While they're there, she's visiting the suicide caller, who has put a bomb on a train and wants her to stop it. He gives her the exact location of the bomb, and then blows his brains out.
Back at the lab, Walter and Bellivia are doing science and getting stoned (guaranteeing that Olivia will fail her next random drug test) and Peter and Lee are going through Ms. Gray's things. Walter and Bellivia are considering putting Bell into the cow, and Peter and Lee (who seem to be a pretty good team) have a theory that Miss Immortal actually wants to die and is trying to hitch a ride with someone else into the afterlife. They then get a call that's she's been seen (at the bomber's house).
Miss Immortal is at church, researching “the Ascension of Asriel” and obviously trying to figure out if a train full of souls will be enough for her to get to heaven.
The team checks out crazy bomb guy's basement while Ms. Gray is on the train, checking out the bomb and then (mostly) calmly sitting down with it.
Meanwhile, back at the bomber's house, they figure out what she's going to do, but they're having trouble figuring out where the bomb is. They call Ms. Gray to try to find her, and use her dead husband's caller ID to get her to pick up. Peter tries to convince her to come in, but fails.
The FBI guys use soundbites to figure out that she's on a train, and then Walter and Bellivia use math to determine which train and everyone heads off to stop the bomb.
She gets away and takes the bomb with her. It blows up and she dies, and Lee (who is a really square version of his other universe self) intimates that he would love to become part of the Fringe Division.
Later, Peter comes home and finds Bellivia in the house. They have a chat about Miss Immortal, physics, metaphysics and destiny, and the the church bells ring and Olivia temporarily surfaces and then Bell comes back online and is obviously concerned.
The Review, or Tell Us What You Really Think, Richard
This episode was... interesting. They dealt with some very metaphysical, non-scientific issues, and actually bordered on discussing God. I really like the fact that Bell is not necessarily an atheistic, God-hating scientist, and that Ms. Gray seemed to have been kept from dying so that she could save a lot of lives.
The story itself didn't push the main arc along much, except to foreshadow the return of William Bell (in some other body, since Leonard Nimoy has retired), but that was okay. We finally got to meet the Agent Lee of this universe (who must have been a fan favorite, since they're likely going to make him a recurring character), and I like the fact that he's a square.
The acting was top notch, and Anna Torv was incredible in her portrayal of William Bell (as played by Leonard Nimoy). In almost every scene, she was spot on with mannerism, accent and facial expression. It really must be seen to be believed.
What do I think? I think that Anna Torv deserves an Emmy, and that this show should be in no danger of cancellation (except that it's on Fox, and they're insane).
This episode's picture word was ERODE.
Check out my recap and review of Season 3 Episode 16 here.
Rick's Favorite Quote: Now I understand that this could take some time for you to get used to. Imagine how I feel. I never realized that a bra was so binding. (Bellivia)
What did you think of this episode? Leave a comment and get in on the conversation.
Richard Smith - Richard is an artist/writer/musician (and obvious scifi television enthusiast) living with his wife in Auburn, Alabama. In his free time, ...
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