Immortality



Season 3, Episode 13
Aired: February 11th, 2011
Written By: David Wilcox, Ethan Gross
Directed By: Brad Anderson

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Resources: IMDb | Wikipedia | Transcript
Listen: The Fringe Podcast
Immortality

The Glyphs



This episode's glyphs spell: R-O-M-A-D

Glyph symbol RGlyph symbol OGlyph symbol MGlyph symbol AGlyph 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

Timestamp: 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

Timestamp: 19:29


Next Episode Clue

The license plate of one of the victims in 'Immortality' is "APT6B", foreshadowing the apartment under investigation in '6B'.

Next episode clue

Timestamp: 20:11

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.

Fringe Division Case File



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.
  • They use zeppelins for transportation.
  • They have a zeppelin airline called Gotham Air.
Redverse: Zeppelin used for transportation
Zeppelin used for transportation
Timestamp: 01:04

Connection Chart


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

Episode Connections



S2E17 - White Tulip

  • 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'.
Connection: White tulip
White tulip
S3E13 - Immortality
Timestamp: 21:46
Divider


S3E08 - Entrada

  • In 'Immortality' Secretary Bishop received the piece of the Machine stolen by Fauxlivia in 'Entrada'.

Spoilers for future episodes below!



S5E01 - Transilience Thought Unifier Model-11

  • WALTER in 'Transilience Thought Unifier Model-11': "I fell in love in Japan once. I almost married her."
      In 'Immortality' Walternate had a Japanese mistress named Reiko.
Connection: Reiko
Reiko
S3E13 - Immortality
Timestamp: 23:15
Episode Information
The Glyphs
The Observer
Episode Clues
Items of Interest
JJ Abrams Easter Eggs
Fringe Division Case File
Glyph Sightings
The Redverse
Walter's Food
Names for Astrid
Walter's Lab Notes
Notable Quotes
Connection Chart
Episode Connections