Immortality
Season 3, Episode 13

Immortality

Aired February 11th, 2011 · Written by David Wilcox, Ethan Gross · Directed by Brad Anderson

SYNOPSIS

In this episode, the absence of Colonel Broyles shifts the dynamic of the Fringe Team as they investigate a bioterrorist armed with an insect that has a taste for human flesh. Meanwhile, Fauxlivia is reunited with her beau and Walternate remains determined to save his world but discovers there are certain lines he will not cross.

Synopsis provided by the Fandom Wiki, Fringepedia, and Wikipedia.

THE GLYPHS

This episode's glyphs spell:

R-O-M-A-D

Glyph symbol R Glyph symbol O Glyph symbol M Glyph symbol A Glyph symbol D
Glyph symbol R
Glyph symbol O
Glyph symbol M
Glyph symbol A
Glyph symbol D


THE OBSERVER

The Observer can be seen at the airship docking station when Frank comes to pick up Fauxlivia.

Observer 01:21

EPISODE CLUES

Previous Episode Clue

The passing VW Beetle and Walter's focus on it in 'Concentrate And Ask Again' foreshadows Dr. Armand Silva's use of beetles in 'Immortality'.

Previous episode clue 19:29

Next Episode Clue

ITEMS OF INTEREST

  • Fauxlivia is pregnant.
  • The species Mansonium Bugliosus (the skelter beetle, a fictional animal) is word play on "Manson" and "Bugliosi", referring to Vincent Bugliosi who helped prosecute Charles Manson. Bugliosi wrote the book Helter Skelter about the Manson murders, which took its name from the Beatles song. Manson had been particularly fascinated by the Beatles' White Album, from which the song came. The Beatles/beetles wordplay ties it together to the plot of the episode.

VIDEOS

Featurettes
Commentary
Humor

FRINGE DIVISION CASE FILE

Fringe Division
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE
FRINGE DIVISION


FRINGE DIVISION CASE FILE #313-21111

FRINGE EVENT: Skelter Beetle eruptions

AGENTS ASSIGNED: Dunham, Francis

SUPERVISING AGENT: Captain Lee

FILE ARCHIVED BY: Juan Pablo Zapata

WITNESSES/CONTACTS: Mona Foster, Frank Stanton (CDC liaison), Dr. Armand Silva

LOCATION: Empire Docking Station; Brooklyn

VICTIM(S): Harry Millman, Jerry Bissell, and 7 others

CASE REPORT SUMMARY:

Harry Millman was found dead in the bathroom of the Empire Docking Station. It appeared that internal beetles had eaten their way out of his body. Fringe Division entomologist Mona Foster identified the bug as a Skelter Beetle, a parasitic insect exclusive to sheep (extinct since 2001). Agent Farnsworth determined statistically that the eruption was not an epidemic, and CDC liaison Frank Stanton determined that contrary to Skelters inside sheep, these bugs were not symbiotic with their host. Fringe Division put out a public alert for tips identifying the beetles, and Dr. Ned Dolan called in and referred Dr. Armand Silva, a former virologist colleague who worked with the Skelters.
 Stanton discovered that in 1997 Dr. Silva applied for a CDC grant for an avian flu vaccine based on Skelter Beetle enzymes. However, the beetle extinction decimated his work, so Stanton theorized that Dr. Silva was trying to bring the beetles back from extinction using human hosts, but they weren't producing bugs large enough to make the enzyme. A purchase order for a plasmid array by Dr. Silva led agents to his Brooklyn warehouse, where he had infected himself with a Skelter queen and then died. In the end, it was discovered that Silva had spiked the food or drinks of eight people with the bug larvae, and after a twenty-minute gestation period collected the live specimens.

THE REDVERSE

  • All the sheep died out 10 years ago.
  • Redverse: They use zeppelins for transportation. 01:04
    They use zeppelins for transportation.
  • They have a zeppelin airline called Gotham Air.

EPISODE CONNECTIONS

S2E17 — 1 connection (callback) S3E08 — 1 connection (callback) S3E15 — 1 connection (setup) S5E01 — 1 connection (setup) ◀ EARLIER · CALLBACKS SETUPS · LATER ▶
Callbacks (2 earlier episodes)

S2E17 - White Tulip

  • Connection: White tulip S3E13 21:46
    There was a white tulip in Walternate's bedroom in "Immortality" when he was struggling with what he had to do to save his world, suggesting that the symbol has meaning for him just like it did for Walter in "White Tulip".

S3E08 - Entrada

  • In "Immortality" Secretary Bishop received the piece of the Machine stolen by Fauxlivia in "Entrada".
Setups & payoffs (2 later episodes)

Spoilers for future episodes below

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S3E15 - Subject 13

S5E01 - Transilience Thought Unifier Model-11