| "The Transformation" | |||
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| Fringe episode | |||
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 13 |
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| Directed by | Brad Anderson | ||
| Written by | Zack Whedon J. R. Orci |
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| Production code | 3T7662 | ||
| Original air date | February 3, 2009 | ||
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| Episode chronology | |||
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| Fringe (season 1) List of Fringe episodes |
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"The Transformation" is the 13th episode of the first season of the American science fiction drama television series Fringe. The episode was written by Zack Whedon and J. R. Orci, and it was directed by Brad Anderson.
It first aired in the United States on February 3, 2009 on the Fox Broadcasting Company.
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On an airplane en route, scientist Marshall Bowman (Neal Huff) gets a nosebleed, and he tries to warn the crew to give him sedatives or use force against him. He transforms into a beast in the bathroom, and bursts out, causing the plane to crash in Scarsdale, New York. The Fringe team arrives on the scene and discover the beast, and Walter concludes that it started out as a human; Olivia recognizes Bowman's picture from John Scott's memories, realizing that Bowman was flying to meet another man in the memories named Daniel Hicks (Felix Solis). Back at the lab at Harvard, Walter finds a small crystalline disc implanted in the beast's hand similar to one seen inside the woman killed in "The Ghost Network," and thinks Marshall was dosed with some kind of "designer virus".
Hicks is brought in for questioning, and begins transforming into a beast, he admits that "Conrad" dosed them before Peter pauses the process by administering a sedative and placing him in an induced coma. Walter develops an antidote, while Olivia finds another small disc in Hicks' hand. Her demand to see John Scott's body leads her and Broyles to Massive Dynamic, where Nina Sharp tells her that the information gleaned from Scott's body implicates him in a bioterrorist cell with the other two.
French intelligence states that weapons manufacturer Conrad is involved in a sale, leading to Olivia returning to the sensory deprivation tank in order to find out more from Scott's memories. In a motel room they used to share, Scott talks to Olivia, scaring her into shooting him. Olivia next appears in an alleyway, where she follows Scott into a memory of him almost killing Conrad. He reveals that he, Hicks, and Marshall are all undercover government agents for the NSA, and tells Olivia to ask Hicks where the meeting is going to happen. They awake Hicks, who tells them more about the weapons sale.
Being filtered details from a secret radio by Hicks, Olivia pretends to be the weapons buyer, and is accompanied by Peter. They successfully make contact, but the sellers become suspicious after Hicks' transformation restarts, depriving Olivia of the necessary information. Conrad makes his appearance and realizes Olivia and Peter are lying; just before he orders them killed, the FBI moves in and arrests the sellers.
The episode ends with Walter telling Olivia her brain waves are going back to normal, and that Scott's memories are fading from her mind. Olivia requests to enter the tank regardless, and she makes a last encounter with Scott, where he tells her he loved her and was going to marry her. She bids farewell to his consciousness, which has finally left her own.
"The Transformation" was written by Zack Whedon and J.R. Orci.[1][2] Filmmaker Brad Anderson directed it, his latest Fringe work since directing "In Which We Meet Mr. Jones" six episodes earlier.[2]
Though the episode first aired in February 2009, "The Transformation" had an early screening at the November 2008 PaleyFest, where Fringe's producers answered questions from the audience.[3] When asked in an interview if the "giant germ" from "Bound" was the grossest thing of the season, executive producer Jeff Pinkner replied that "the huge porcupine man on the airplane [from "The Transformation"] was more shocking. It was so unexpected."[4] Up the point "The Transformation" aired, actor Joshua Jackson considered it his favorite episode.[5] The cast have referred to the episode's monster as a "Were-upine".[6]
"The Transformation" was watched by 12.78 million viewers in the United States. The episode ranked eighth for viewers aged 18–49 for that week.[7]
Andrew Hanson from the Los Angeles Times wrote the episode "hit the perfect tone for "Fringe." The right mixture of science fiction, dark comedy, crime story and melodrama".[1] Ramsey Isler of IGN gave the episode 9.0/10, as he enjoyed the "nipple" conversation and the "brilliantly written and directed" undercover sting operation, but disliked the beast special effects.[8] Josie Kafka from Open Salon.com thought there was something "off" about the episode: "What was off about this episode? The writers obviously want to make the show accessible to new or casual viewers, which I understand. But can we hope that the John Scott resolution signals a transformation in the interpersonal dynamics of the show? If this dud of an episode serves a larger purpose, then I'm all for it. But in the meantime, I'm going grumble out a rating and slink away".[9] A.V. Club's Noel Murray thought it was the best "freak-meet" of the show yet, as well as one of the best episodes so far, which he would willingly show new viewers to get them hooked on the show. He consequently graded the episode an A-, further explaining the success of the episode was due to "top-tier" writers Orci and Whedon and "skilled" director Brad Anderson. "I wouldn't say that "The Transformation" broke any new ground. If anything, it recapitulated pretty much every previous Fringe element—bio-weapons sales, telepathic communication, Massive Dynamics, airplane crashes, etc.—but did so in a way that was energetic, tense, and even a little emotional".[2]
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