A New Day in the Old Town

The Glyphs

This episode's glyphs spell: T-O-W-E-R

Olivia was sent back to our universe in this episode after meeting with William Bell in one of the Twin Towers in the Redverse in the previous episode.

The Observer

The Observer crosses the street near the car crash.

Episode Clues

Previous Episode Clue

A pirate flag (skull and crossbones) appears on a TV monitor in 'There's More Than One of Everything', a reference to the Shapeshifter ability to remodel his skull and bones in 'A New Day in the Old Town' (which was filmed directly after this episode).

Next Episode Clue

The car crash in 'A New Day in the Old Town' happens in front of a business called "Gruno & Dunder", an anagram for "underground", foreshadowing the killer's location in 'Night of Desirable Objects'.

Items of Interest

The shapeshifter from the car crash is the one who (almost) hit Olivia in 'There's More Than One of Everything'.
The murder victim at the beginning was watching the X-Files, a show Fringe is often compared to.
Olivia said "Na einai kalytero anthropo apo ton patera tou" as she woke.
The shapeshifter wanted a Selectric 251 typewriter.
Walter called Astrid 'Asterix.'
The Senator referenced the 'X' designation, putting Fringe in the same universe as the X-Files. He is played by Ken Camroux-Taylor who played the assistant to Section Chief Scott Blevins in the pilot episode of The X-Files.
Charlie is dead.

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 #201-91709

FRINGE EVENT: Shapeshifters

CLASSIFIED CASE CONNECTION(S): N/A

AGENTS ASSIGNED: Dunham, Francis, Jessup

SUPERVISING AGENT: Broyles

FILE ARCHIVED BY: Thomas Ticknor

WITNESSES/CONTACTS: N/A

LOCATION: Boston, MA; NYC

VICTIM(S): Agent Dunham, George Reed, Lloyd Parr, nurse [redacted], Agent Francis (deceased)

CASE REPORT SUMMARY:

Official outcome: A random traffic accident involving a federal agent. No extenuating circumstances.
Classified details: Agent Dunham launched out of her vehicle, causing a dislocated right hip and possible brain herniation. Her blood pressure spiked at 180 over 20 with nonreactive pupils. Doctors were unable to restore any brain function, and her sister, Rachel, was preparing to follow her living-will directive when Agent Dunham awoke and bolted upright in her bed, saying, "Einai kalytero anthropo apo ton patera toy." She was monitored afterward, and aside from memory issues and physical trauma, Agent Dunham will make a full recovery.
*Extremely classified* Fringe Division found the bodies of Lloyd Parr and George Reed (of 524 Littlefield Road in Lexington) two blocks from Agent Dunham's accident site. Both men's personas were acquired by Shapeshifters from the other side. Dunham's case is connected.

Walter's Food

Walter said he was the sous-chef at the Bakersfield Food Lab, bought ingredients to make a custard (his specialty) for Peter's birthday, got a snack from a vending machine, ate a Red Vine while doing an autopsy, remarked that he loves custard but hates flan, and mentioned his near-obsession with moules à la crème Normande.

Connection: Buying custard ingredients — Buying custard ingredients
Timestamp: 03:20

Connection: Vending machine snack — Vending machine snack
Timestamp: 06:53

Connection: Red Vine — Red Vine
Timestamp: 26:00

Names for Astrid

Walter called Astrid 'Asterix'.

Notable Quotes

SENATOR: "Unsubstantiated claims of invasion. Reports of technology run amok. The old 'X' designation and your Fringe investigations have been indulgences in the federal budget for over half a century."

PETER: "Na einai kalytero anthropo apo ton patera tou. You said that to me just after you woke up. Do you remember it?"
OLIVIA: "No. Latin?"
PETER: "Mm-mm. Greek. My mother used to say that to me every night before I went to bed."
OLIVIA: "There really isn't a point where things just can't get weirder, is there? What does it mean?"
PETER: "It means 'be a better man than your father'. Walter was already gone. It was like a code between my mother and me. It meant keep your people close. Take care of the people you care about."

Connection Chart

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

Episode Connections

S1E20 - There's More Than One of Everything

Olivia got pulled to the other side in 'There's More Than One of Everything' just before getting into a car accident. That's why she was returned to the car, with the momentum of the impact, in 'A New Day in the Old Town.' The elevator transported her between buildings once she was already in the Redverse.

Spoilers for future episodes below!

S2E04 - Momentum Deferred

OLIVIA in 'A New Day in the Old Town': "Something's hidden."
SHAPESHIFTER NURSE: "Where is it hidden?"
OLIVIA: "I can't remember."
Olivia was told details about the location of Newton's head and she remembered those details in 'Momentum Deferred'.

S2E15 - Peter

PETER in 'A New Day in the Old Town': "I don't like custard! In fact, I've never liked custard."
WALTER: "As a boy you loved it; you've just forgotten."
Walter's real son, who died in 'Peter', was the one who loved custard.

S3E08 - Entrada

Olivia said "Na einai kalytero anthropo apo ton patera tou" to Peter when she woke from the car crash in 'A New Day in the Old Town'. Peter said this phrase back to Fauxlivia in 'Entrada', who did not recognize it, which confirmed to Peter that she was an impostor.

S3E21 - The Last Sam Weiss

Olivia needed to use her mental powers to stop The Machine in 'The Last Sam Weiss' and she used the quantum-entangled typewriter from 'A New Day in the Old Town' to practice with.
Olivia's test message for the typewriter in 'The Last Sam Weiss' was "Be a better man than your father," the English translation of the Greek phrase "Na einai kalytero anthropo apo ton patera tou" that she said in 'A New Day in the Old Town'.

S4E15 - A Short Story About Love

WALTER to Peter in 'A Short Story About Love': "It's a particularly obtuse way to admit that you're a better man than I am."
The Greek phrase "Na einai kalytero anthropo apo ton patera tou" that Olivia uttered in 'A New Day in the Old Town', which was something Elizabeth used to say to Peter, translates to "Be a better man than your father."

S4E16 - Nothing As It Seems

Agent Jessup was relating season 1 Fringe cases to Bible verses in 'A New Day in the Old Town'. In 'Nothing as it Seems', Jones and Bell are effectively creating their own Noah's Ark.

Connection: Fringe cases to Bible verses — Fringe cases to Bible verses
S2E01 - A New Day in the Old Town
Timestamp: 41:55

Connection: A new Noah's Ark — A new Noah's Ark
S4E16 - Nothing As It Seems
Timestamp: 41:55