episode An episode is a narrative unit within a larger dramatic work or documentary production, such as a series intended for radio, television or streaming consumption. The noun ''episode'' is derived from the Greek term ''epeisodion'' (), meaning th ...

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

Fringe Fringe may refer to: Arts * Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest arts festival, known as "the Fringe" * Adelaide Fringe, the world's second-largest annual arts festival * Fringe theatre, a name for alternative theatre * The Fringe, the ...

Olivia Dunham Olivia Dunham is a fictional character and the main protagonist from the science fiction television series ''Fringe'', which aired on the Fox Broadcasting Company in the United States from 2008 to 2013. The character was created by series' co-cre ...

Anna Torv Anna Torv (born 7 June 1979) is an Australian actress. She is best known for her role as FBI agent Olivia Dunham on the Fox science-fiction series ''Fringe'' (2008–2013), for which she was nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award ...

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

Joshua Jackson Joshua Carter Jackson (born June 11, 1978) is a Canadian-American actor. He is known for his starring role as Charlie Conway in '' Mighty Ducks'', as Pacey Witter in The WB teen drama series ''Dawson's Creek'' (1998–2003), Peter Bishop in t ...

Jeff Pinkner Jeff Pinkner (born November 16, 1964) is an American television and movie writer and producer. Life and career Born to a Jewish family,Josh Singer. Its teleplay was written by Pinkner, Wyman, and Singer.

David Straiton David Straiton is a Canadian television director. Career His directorial debut was a special of the Nickelodeon series '' Weinerville''. Some of his other television credits include: ''The Secret World of Alex Mack'', '' Dark Angel'', '' Fastlan ...

directed the episode. It was guest star Orla Brady's first appearance as Walter's wife

Elizabeth Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to: People * Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name) * Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist Ships * HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships * ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...

. "Peter" first aired in the United States on April 1, 2010. An estimated 5.8 million viewers watched the episode, giving it a 2.2 rating share among those 18–49. The episode received almost overwhelmingly positive reviews, with numerous critics considering it to be the best ''Fringe'' episode to date. Actor John Noble was lauded for his performance, and "Peter" topped many "best of television" lists for the year. It was ranked the best episode of the entire series by IGN and

Den of Geek ''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture. The website also issues a bi-annual magazine. History ''Den of Geek'' was founded in 2007 by Simon Brew in London. In 2012, DoG Tech LLC licensed ...

and the second best by ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...

''.

Plot

The introduction scene follows from "

Jacksonville Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the List of United States cities by area, largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the co ...

", where Olivia (

Anna Torv Anna Torv (born 7 June 1979) is an Australian actress. She is best known for her role as FBI agent Olivia Dunham on the Fox science-fiction series ''Fringe'' (2008–2013), for which she was nominated for the Critics' Choice Television Award ...

) has discovered, through her Cortexiphan-induced abilities, that

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a sur ...

(

Joshua Jackson Joshua Carter Jackson (born June 11, 1978) is a Canadian-American actor. He is known for his starring role as Charlie Conway in '' Mighty Ducks'', as Pacey Witter in The WB teen drama series ''Dawson's Creek'' (1998–2003), Peter Bishop in t ...

) is from the parallel universe, and Walter ( John Noble) takes her aside to tell her how this came to pass, shown to the viewer in an extended flashback. In 1985, Walter and William Bell had theorized the existence of a parallel universe, and created a window-like device to observe it. Though they use their observations for military benefits, Walter has a more personal interest in the parallel universe, to seek a cure for a genetic disease crippling his son Peter ( Quinn Lord). "Walternate", Walter's doppelganger in the other universe, is also seeking a similar cure, his Peter suffering from the same disease. The prime universe's Peter succumbs to his illness and dies, and Walter and his wife Elizabeth ( Orla Brady) mourn their loss, supported by Walter and William's friend, Nina Sharp (

Blair Brown Bonnie Blair Brown (born April 23, 1946) is an American theater, film and television actress. She has had a number of high-profile roles, including in the play '' Copenhagen'' on Broadway, the leading actress in the films ''Altered States'' ...

) and Walter's lab assistant, Carla Warren (

Jenni Blong Jenni Blong, sometimes credited as Jeni Blong or Jenny Blong, is an actress who has worked in American film, television, and theater. She has guest starred in a variety of television series, including ''Big Love'', '' True Blood'', ''Lost'', '' ...

). Walter, through his window, shows Elizabeth the other Peter, and asserts they should be happy knowing another Peter exists. Later, Walter watches Walternate explore other cures. Walternate is distracted by the arrival of an Observer, September ( Michael Cerveris), and fails to see the telltale color change indicating a cure. Walter is able to recreate and stabilize Walternate's cure, and then decides to use untested equipment to cross over to give the cure to Peter. Carla tries to stop Walter, knowing the technology could damage the fabric of space-time, and contacts Nina for help. Separately, September informs his fellow Observers that he may have made a mistake and assures them he will correct it. Walter sets up his equipment on the frozen ice of Reiden Lake, near a cabin where Elizabeth and Peter are staying; Walter theorizes the frozen waters will buffer the effects of the crossing. Carla arrives with Nina, and both try to talk him out of it. When Walter realizes William is not with them, he takes this as an implicit sign of William's consent to his plan, and activates the portal. Nina attempts to tackle Walter as he steps through, but instead part of her arm disappears in the portal as it closes; Carla rushes her to the hospital. In the parallel universe, Walter finds the cure vial shattered when Nina tackled him and he devises a new plan: to bring Peter back, administer a new batch of the cure, and return him. Meeting the parallel universe's Elizabeth, he explains he is taking Peter back to the lab for some tests. As Walter walks Peter back across the lake to the portal, Peter realizes that Walter is not his real father. They cross through the portal safely, but the ice has weakened and both fall through, losing consciousness. Walter wakes to find September driving him and Peter back to Walter's lab. September warns that "the boy must live", and leaves Walter to drive the rest of the way. At the lab, as Peter receives the cure, Carla informs him that William will see to replacing Nina's arm. Elizabeth arrives unannounced, and is overjoyed to see Peter, even though it is not her child. At that point, Walter realizes he will never be able to make himself return Peter to his proper universe—the pain of losing their child for the second time would be too great. In the show's conclusion in the present day, Walter tells Olivia that his crossing is what caused the crack between the two universes, including the Pattern on their side, and leading to the oncoming "storm" that William warned Olivia about.

Production

The episode's teleplay was co-written by supervising producer Josh Singer and co-showrunners

Jeff Pinkner Jeff Pinkner (born November 16, 1964) is an American television and movie writer and producer. Life and career Born to a Jewish family,J. H. Wyman, based on a story by Singer, Wyman, Pinkner, and consulting producer Akiva Goldsman. '' House M.D.'' veteran

David Straiton David Straiton is a Canadian television director. Career His directorial debut was a special of the Nickelodeon series '' Weinerville''. Some of his other television credits include: ''The Secret World of Alex Mack'', '' Dark Angel'', '' Fastlan ...

served as episode director. ''Fringe'' began casting for an actress to play Walter's wife Elizabeth in November 2009. In their report, they were looking for a woman roughly forty years old who was described as being "strong (yet broken), intelligent, attractive, likable, lovely and extremely versatile". In December 2009, ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...

'' announced Irish actress Orla Brady had been cast as Elizabeth Bishop, a possible recurring character. Some critics questioned the casting, as they considered Brady to be too young and were unsure if she would appear in the present or a flashback sequence. "Peter" was set in 1985, with a much younger Walter and Peter Bishop, and also features an appearance by Walter's wife Elizabeth. Actor John Noble used material he had created since the airing of the pilot, which he explained was his sense of "what was this man like before he deteriorated." The production crew tried different methods with the actor to create a younger Walter, such as changes to his hair, make-up, and wardrobe; they ultimately decided on using "tabs" to keep the wrinkles in his face back. He did not wear a wig, but the crew did add parts to the front and back. When asked what preparation went into playing a younger Walter, Noble explained:

"Quite a lot, but in the sense in my preparation to find the Walter that we all know now, I had to go back to him right at the beginning to see where he came from. So that process was started before the pilot really, what was this man like before he deteriorated, so I was able to revisit that. Physically, of course, what I had to do was capture the energy, to capture the physicality of the man, the vocal physicality of the man, this was my task. I was aided enormously by my hair and makeup and special effects people here in terms of getting the overall, and indeed wardrobe helped a lot as well. And then we, the shot up through these beautiful lenses that we got a different feel to the episode than we would now. All of those elements work together... to create this version that you see in the episode."

The episode was shot through special lenses to make it more reminiscent of the decade. At Peter's funeral, actress

Blair Brown Bonnie Blair Brown (born April 23, 1946) is an American theater, film and television actress. She has had a number of high-profile roles, including in the play '' Copenhagen'' on Broadway, the leading actress in the films ''Altered States'' ...

wanted her character Nina Sharp to wear sunglasses, because she thought Nina would not share her emotions at the funeral. Unlike Noble, Brown wore a wig. The scenes at Reiden Lake were actually shot on a parking lot, and the crew placed a covering over it to simulate the cracks normally on a lake. To reflect the episode's setting in 1985, the typical title credit sequence was redone using different music, the Asimov font for early computer type for the show's logo, and terms that were "fringe science" at the time, such as "

virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), e ...

," " genetic engineering," and "personal computing". Pinkner later recalled, "One of our writers said off-handedly that if we’re doing a show from 1985, shouldn’t we do a credit sequence from 1985, and literally, we pounced on it". He and Wyman asked J. J. Abrams, who wrote the original credit sequence melody, to write a 1980s version; Abrams was "very, very happy to do that," according to Wyman. As with other ''Fringe'' episodes, Fox and

Science Olympiad Science Olympiad is an American team competition in which students compete in 23 events pertaining to various fields of science, including earth science, biology, chemistry, physics, and engineering. Over 7,800 middle school and high school team ...

released a lesson plan for grade school children based upon the science depicted in "Peter"; the lesson's intention was for "students olearn about the challenges of effectively communicating scientific principles and concepts, especially via non-verbal methods."

Cultural references

In viewing the parallel universe through the window, Walter and others witness a

zeppelin A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp ...

docking at the Empire State Building, which was originally part of the building's purpose until it was shown to be impractical. In a scene that takes place in the parallel universe, the Observers are seen leaving a theater having watched ''

Back to the Future ''Back to the Future'' is a 1985 American science fiction film directed by Robert Zemeckis, and written by Zemeckis and Bob Gale. It stars Michael J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson. Set in 1985, ...

'' starring Eric Stoltz; in reality, Eric Stoltz was originally cast in the role of Marty after Michael J. Fox was unavailable, but after filming for several weeks, Stoltz was replaced by Fox.

Reception

Ratings

On its first broadcast, "Peter" was watched an estimated 5.8 million viewers, achieving a 3.6 share in all households and 2.2 share of viewers between 18 and 49. In a Thursday night that had rating slumps from all the network shows, "Peter" was down 15 percent from the previous episode "Jacksonville".

Reviews

"Peter" received widespread critical acclaim. As described by Andrew Hanson of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

'', "'Peter' is exactly what ''Fringe'' needs to be" for the show to distinguish itself from others like ''

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction drama television series created by Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agents Fox Mulder (David Duchovny) and Dana Scully (Gillian Anderson), who ...

'', in that it teased hints of the episode's reveal in earlier shows, and followed through by revealing the truth, leaving the viewer wanting to know even more. Ramsey Isler of IGN considered "Peter" "the most masterfully crafted episode ''Fringe'' has ever had", praising the performance of Noble and Brady in delivering the emotion needed for the episode. Tim Grierson of ''

New York Magazine ''New York'' is an American biweekly magazine concerned with life, culture, politics, and style generally, and with a particular emphasis on New York City. Founded by Milton Glaser and Clay Felker in 1968 as a competitor to ''The New Yorker' ...

'' also praised the emotional performance of John Noble, calling it his "showcase" and one where "he didn’t disappoint".

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...

's Noel Murray considered the episode one of the best of 2010 up to that point, and that "the show came back with a sense of purpose and surety it’s rarely had, even at its best". Since its airing and continuation into Season 3, "Peter" has been considered a keystone episode for the series. Jeff Jensen of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...

'' called "Peter" the episode "when ''Fringe'' crossed over from fitfully great to just plain great", and continues to maintain that quality throughout 2010. ''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, ...

''s James Poniewozik ranked "Peter" as the 5th best television episode of 2010, stating that it both "fleshed out its mythology" and "deepened the emotional backstory", and further praised Noble's acting in the episode. ''The A.V. Club'' ranked ''Fringe'' the 15th best show of 2010, highlighting "Peter" as an episode that "finally dramatized the moment that changed eter'slife, giving the series’ overarching storyline a devastating emotional core, based in a father’s love instead of in theoretical concept". The Futon Critic ranked "Peter" as the 9th best episode of 2010, calling it a "series defining episode that not only rationalized what appeared to be the unforgivable but also raised the stakes on everything we had come to expect from the show thus far". Similarly,

BuddyTV BuddyTV is an entertainment-based website, which generates content about television programs and sporting events. The website publishes information about celebrity and related entertainment news through a series of articles, entertainment profile ...

rated it the seventh best episode of 2010, praising it for "open ngthe door to the show’s brilliant use of the alternate universe," and calling Noble's acting "one of the best performances on TV". '' SFX'' ranked "Peter" among the twenty things they love about the series, calling it "the lynchpin episode on which all of ''Fringe'' rests." Executive producers Jeff Pinkner and J.H. Wyman, and co-creator J. J. Abrams later said that "Peter" was one of their favorite episodes. In a 2013 list,

Den of Geek ''Den of Geek'' is a US and UK-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture. The website also issues a bi-annual magazine. History ''Den of Geek'' was founded in 2007 by Simon Brew in London. In 2012, DoG Tech LLC licensed ...

ranked the episode as the best of the entire series. As one result of the high praise and fan appreciation for "Peter", a future episode, " Subject 13" (originally named "6 Months Later") in ''Fringe''s third season aired on February 25, 2011. It returned to the events within "Peter" but told from the perspective of the parallel universe, including the impact of Peter's abduction on both Walter and Elizabeth. Jeff Jensen of ''Entertainment Weekly'' named "Peter" the second best episode of the series, explaining that it "stands as a model for mythological storytelling that any sci-fi/fantasy series would be wise to emulate." In January 2013, IGN ranked the episode as the best of the series:

Awards and nominations

Writers J.H. Wyman, Jeff Pinkner, Josh Singer, and Akiva Goldsman submitted "Peter" for consideration in the Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series category at the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards. At the 2011 Young Artist Awards, Quinn Lord received a nomination for Best Performance in a TV Series under the category "Guest Starring Young Actor Ten and Under".

References

External links

"Peter"
at Fox * {{good article 2010 American television episodes Fringe (season 2) episodes Television episodes directed by David Straiton Television episodes written by Akiva Goldsman