Unleashed



Season 1, Episode 16
Aired: April 14th, 2009
Written By: Zack Whedon, J. R. Orci
Directed By: Brad Anderson

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Resources: IMDb | Wikipedia | Transcript
Listen: The Fringe Podcast | TFP Rewatch
Unleashed

The Glyphs



This episode's glyphs spell: P-E-T-E-R

In this episode Peter finally recognized Walter's bravery through all of his mania.

Glyph symbol PGlyph symbol EGlyph symbol TGlyph symbol EGlyph symbol R
Glyph symbol P
Glyph symbol E
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The Observer



The Observer can be seen behind the news reporter on television as Charlie and his wife watch the news.

Observer

Timestamp: 22:49

Episode Clues



Previous Episode Clue

The first victim in 'Inner Child', Samantha Gilmore, has a tattoo of a griffin on her upper arm. This is a reference to the creature in 'Unleashed' which is made up of attributes from multiple animals.

Previous episode clue

Timestamp: 09:10


Next Episode Clue

A keg outside the frat house in 'Unleashed' is labelled "Red Balloon Lager," a reference to the the red balloon found at the first crime scene in 'Bad Dreams'

Next episode clue

Timestamp: 08:55

Items of Interest



  • Charlie's wife is played by Kirk Acevedo's wife.

Fringe Division Case File




U.S. Department of Justice
Federal Bureau of Investigation
121 105th Street • Washington, DC 20735
Phone: (202) 555-2100 • Fax: (202) 555-2101
E-mail: washington.fbi@fbi.com

FRINGE DIVISION CASE FILE #116-41409


FRINGE EVENT: Transgenic species

CLASSIFIED CASE CONNECTION(S): Dr. Bishop and Dr. Bell's failed Kelvin Genetics testing from 20 years prior

AGENTS ASSIGNED: Dunham, Francis

SUPERVISING AGENT: Broyles

FILE ARCHIVED BY: Jenn Kehl

WITNESSES/CONTACTS: Carl Bussler, Dr. Robert Swift (in custody)

LOCATION: Swift Research, Cambridge, MA

VICTIM(S): Cameron Deglmann, Jonathan Swift, Chris Hawkins, Jane Doe, John Doe, 2 Newton animal control officers, Special Agent Francis


CASE REPORT SUMMARY:

Four rogue animal-rights activists from "Animals First" breached the Swift Research facility and released its testing animals. Three activists escaped but were attacked off-site by a creature with enormous claws and fangs similar to some type of viper. Dr. Bishop determined in autopsy that it was an animal creation made up of the genes of multiple species, a process he termed accelerated Darwinism. Larvae from the creature are transferred from the stinger to a suitable incubator.
 Animal control received a call from a woman in Newton, Massachusetts, who claimed that she nearly hit a monster on Route 30. Agent Francis investigated and was attacked with a stinger and injected with its embryos. Dr. Bishop poisoned the larvae, but it also poisoned Agent Francis's blood, resulting in reduced blood pressure and kidney failure. Dr. Bishop discovered that the larvae act like a parasite, feeding on their host for nutrients, and that Agent Francis would need to be transfused with the creature's blood to kill the larvae.
 Dr. Robert Swift admitted collaborating with a geneticist named Cameron Deglmann, a pioneer in hybridization. The Bishops and Agent Dunham tracked the creature to storm drains, and Dr. Bishop swallowed Trichlorimide and used himself as a bait to lure it. The creature was killed and the antidote administered to Dr. Bishop and Agent Francis.
 The creature was parts Heloderma suspectum (Gila monster), Megarhyssa macrurus (parasitic wasp), and Desmodus rotundus (bat).

Walter's Food



Walter grew an ear in an omelette and ate a victim's burrito.
Connection: Omelette ear
Omelette ear
Timestamp: 05:41
Connection: Burrito
Burrito
Timestamp: 07:39

Walter's Lab Notes



- Project 709 - Exploration 16 -

I read my old notes, and I see myself through a glass darkly. Another self, myopic and full of hubris, standing at the gates of knowledge and prying them open with a crowbar --

PLEADING IGNORANCE? YOU KNEW EXACTLY WHAT YOU WERE DOING.

Nietzsche had a point. "Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster, and if you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." But I've already gazed so deeply into that abyss, I wonder if I'll ever climb out. How my explorations could have been so misused --

POINTLESS SELF-PITY. IT WASN'T YOU WHO RELEASED A MONSTER ON THE WORLD.

Didn't I? I released the means for doing so. I knew what I wanted. To turn Greek myth into modern reality. To create life like no one had seen before. To play at God.

AS THOUGH THAT WERE A CRIME. GOD CREATED MORE THAN A FEW MONSTERS HIMSELF. WITHOUT MEN PLAYING AT GOD, WE WOULD STILL BE HUDDLED IN CAVES WITH ONLY SKINS TO COVER US. WE HAVE ALWAYS BRED BEASTS TO MAKE THEM USEFUL TO US -- WILD DOGS INTO LOYAL PETS, NOMADIC UNGULATES INTO DAIRY COWS. MODERN TRANSGENICS DIFFERS ONLY IN DEGREE, NOT IN KIND, AND

And in purpose? I didn't seek medical cures or better food or safer energy. I sought only to prove that I could, to find the limits of the possible --

TO GAIN KNOWLEDGE. THE PURSUIT OF TRUTH, AS NOBLE A GOAL AS ANY. AND NOW THAT SOMEONE HAS PUSHED YOUR RESEARCH TO ITS LIMITS,

I must stop it. If I can tempt the beast to ingest the poison --

DON'T BE RIDICU

Walter's Lab Notes

Notable Quotes



ASTRID: "So this thing had the claws of a lion and the fangs of a snake?"
WALTER: "Reminds me of a woman I once knew in Cleveland."

Connection Chart


A visualization of all the ways this episode connects to other episodes. Scroll down to see the actual connections.

Episode Connections





Spoilers for future episodes below!




S3E07 - The Abducted

  • Olivia noticed the book "Burlap Bear Goes To The Woods" in Max's room in 'The Abducted'. This is the same book Rachel read to Ella in 'Unleashed'.
Connection: Burlap Bear
Burlap Bear
S1E16 - Unleashed
Timestamp: 48:42
Connection: Burlap Bear
Burlap Bear
S3E07 - The Abducted
Timestamp: 07:39
Divider


S4E16 - Nothing As It Seems

  • The ship at the end of 'Nothing as it Seems' shows creatures from 'Unleashed' in cages.
Connection: Creature
Creature
S1E16 - Unleashed
Timestamp: 15:22
Connection: Creature
Creature
S4E16 - Nothing As It Seems
Timestamp: 42:44