Grey Matters (Fringe)
Encyclopedia
"Grey Matters" is the 10th episode of the second season of the American science fiction
drama
television series
Fringe
. The episode was written by Ashley Edward Miller
and Zack Stentz
, and directed by Jeannot Szwarc
. It centered around three mental patients who mysteriously became sane again after shapeshifters
from the parallel universe
removed a piece of foreign tissue from each of their brains; this tissue is later revealed to have been taken from the brain of Walter Bishop
years before. The fringe team of Olivia Dunham
, Peter Bishop
, and Walter investigate and face a new enemy, Thomas Jerome Newton (guest actor Sebastian Roché
), whose purpose is to decipher the missing parts of Walter's brain and find out how to move between universes.
The episode features the first scene between Walter and his old colleague William Bell (played by guest actor Leonard Nimoy
). At the time, it fulfilled Nimoy's commitment to the show, though he later returned for the season finale
. "Grey Matters" first aired in the United States on December 10, 2009 on Fox
to mostly positive reviews. An estimated 6.33 million viewers watched the episode, and it received a 2.3 ratings share among those 18–49.
mental institution, Thomas Jerome Newton (Sebastian Roché
) performs brain surgery on a patient, Mr Slater, who keeps repeating "Heather" "flowers in her hair", and a "girl in a red dress". Newton successfully removes part of his brain, but he and his team are forced to leave before they can seal the man's head back up. The Fringe team of Olivia
(Anna Torv
), Peter
(Joshua Jackson
), and Walter
(John Noble
) arrive at the institution and learn that Slater's paranoid schizophrenia was apparently cured by the operation, and that his brain is still structurally intact.
While viewing security footage, Olivia recognizes Newton, the leader of the shapeshifters who was reanimated from a cryogenically
frozen head at the end of "Momentum Deferred
". Astrid and Walter research the patient's physician, Dr. Paris, and learn he set up an indefinite prescription fourteen years ago for Slater as well as two other patients in the same week. Peter and Olivia interview one of these other patients, who constantly thought about the number 28, but was recently cured of her obsessive compulsive disorder by Newton. She tells them she was originally sent to the hospital by Dr Paris for mild postpartum depression
, and that her obsessive compulsive disorder started soon after. Peter and Olivia also hear of a third patient who was mysteriously cured two days ago. Walter realizes that all the patients were given constant doses of organ transplant medication, and that foreign brain tissue was stored in each of their brains.
Walter undergoes a CT scan, and the team learn Walter had three pieces of his brain tissue removed from his Hippocampus
. The pieces were then apparently stored inside the brains of the cured patients fourteen years ago. Knowing only Walter could comprehend the memories concerning how to open a portal to another reality, the shapeshifters kidnap him. By the time the others find Walter, Newton has already learned what he needs to know and escapes. Olivia manages to stop them, but is forced to choose between seizing Newton and saving Walter, as he has been given a lethal dose of a neurotoxin
that will kill him unless Newton gives them the correct directions. Olivia chooses to save Walter's life, and Newton replies "Now I know how weak you are".
Broyles eases Olivia's concerns that she made an emotional choice by assuring her that her decision to save Walter was a logical one as Walter is highly valuable to the team.
As Walter undergoes a follow-up MRI, he flashes back to a past surgery, where he is being operated on by William Bell (AKA Dr Paris, played by Leonard Nimoy
), who removed Walter's brain fragments and hid them in the patients' to prevent anyone else from gaining the information.
and Zack Stentz
, and was directed by Jeannot Szwarc
. In an interview the following year, Miller noted that "Your characters will often assert themselves, and remind you who they really are. In 'Grey Matters' there's a moment where pre-madness Walter wakes up in the chair — that beat emerged on the page. We had no idea it was going to be in the script until we were writing the scene. As a writer, you live for that."
"Grey Matters" marked the first episode that featured a shared scene between actors Leonard Nimoy
and John Noble
, whose characters are old colleagues of each other. At the time, it was Nimoy's third episode and consequently last commitment as a guest actor on Fringe, and he had expressed his reluctance in interviews to return for further episodes. Nimoy however later agreed to a reappearance in the two-part season finale "Over There
". The visual effect of making Walter and Bell appear younger was produced by Zoic Studios
. Fringes visual effects supervisor, Jay Worth, explained "The guys at Zoic had to walk a fine line between too plasticky, stretched, morph effects and something that naturalistically looks younger". During filming for "Brown Betty"
, Noble described the episode in an interview, "'Grey Matters' was a very important episode for Walter because it helped to explain to some degree his apparent behavior. His eccentricity. His obsessiveness. His forgetfulness. Because we found out that he had certain memory parts of his brain removed."
In a deleted scene set after the end of the episode, Walter talks with the first patient Joseph Slater, who wonders why he was chosen to have a piece of Walter's brain. Walter responds it was a matter of circumstance, as Slater shared his blood type and had a young resilient brain. Walter also says he himself cannot be cured, as his madness had nothing to do with the missing parts of his brain.
, whose character was also named Dr. Simon Paris. Thomas Jerome Newton is named after David Bowie
's character in The Man Who Fell to Earth
.
. The episode earned a 2.3 ratings among people 18–49, slightly above the season average of 2.2; it was down 0.2 ratings points from the previous week.
gave it 9.6/10, and thought it was "one of the most balanced and well-executed episodes of the series, Fringe fans get action, suspense, emotion, and best of all, some revelations!... This episode is nearly everything a Fringe fan could have asked for... Besides the awesomeness with the Bishops, Olivia finally returns to taking an active role in an episode... But the most important thing is that the overarching Fringe plot finally progressed, and it's going in a pretty damn good direction". Jane Boursaw from TV Squad enjoyed the episode because it had a "few reveals and a nice cliffhanger
." She liked the interactions between Walter and Peter, and also praised the scene between Olivia and Newton. Josh Wigler of MTV
was pleased that the "mystery of the week" also tied into the ongoing plot, and that answers were provided to certain mysteries, such as why Walter's behavior and personality is "a little...off. Pretty interesting stuff. It's nice to finally have a reason to point at for Walter's craziness". Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly
thought it "was one of the best Fringes yet for the way it wove its sci-fi with its emotional subplots with such tight, artful braiding". Television Without Pity rated it an A, while A.V. Club's Noel Murray gave the episode an A-, explaining "This was, I think, the best Fringe of the season, and I’m only docking it a notch because it was less about themes and character than it was about plot. But man, what a plot". Various critics lauded Noble's performance. Website blogger io9
listed "Grey Matters" as one of the few "crucial" episodes new viewers must watch to get into the show.
category at the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards
.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
television series
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
Fringe
Fringe (TV series)
Fringe is an American science fiction television series created by J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. The series follows a Federal Bureau of Investigation "Fringe Division" team based in Boston, Massachusetts under the supervision of Homeland Security...
. The episode was written by Ashley Edward Miller
Ashley Edward Miller
Ashley Edward Miller is an American Screenwriter and Producer best known for his work on the TV shows Andromeda, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and Fringe. As well as for his work on the films Thor and X-Men: First Class...
and Zack Stentz
Zack Stentz
Zack Stentz is an American Screenwriter and Producer. He often collaborates with Screenwriter/Producer Ashley Edward Miller.-Filmography:Writer* Andromeda * The Twilight Zone...
, and directed by Jeannot Szwarc
Jeannot Szwarc
Jeannot Szwarc is a French Film/TV Director.Szwarc was born in Paris. He began working as a director in American television during the 1960s, in particular on Ironside...
. It centered around three mental patients who mysteriously became sane again after shapeshifters
Shapeshifting
Shapeshifting is a common theme in mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. It is also found in epic poems, science fiction literature, fantasy literature, children's literature, Shakespearean comedy, ballet, film, television, comics, and video games...
from the parallel universe
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
removed a piece of foreign tissue from each of their brains; this tissue is later revealed to have been taken from the brain of Walter Bishop
Walter Bishop (Fringe)
Walter Bishop, Ph.D. is a fictional character on the Fox television series Fringe. He is portrayed by John Noble. Noble also plays Walter's counterpart in the show's parallel universe, who is referred to in the show as Walternate.-Arc:...
years before. The fringe team of Olivia Dunham
Olivia Dunham
FBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham is a fictional character and protagonist on the Fox television series Fringe . Olivia first appeared in the pilot episode on September 9, 2008. She is portrayed by actress Anna Torv....
, Peter Bishop
Peter Bishop
Peter Bishop is a fictional character on the Fox television series Fringe. He is portrayed by Joshua Jackson.-Fictional character biography:...
, and Walter investigate and face a new enemy, Thomas Jerome Newton (guest actor Sebastian Roché
Sebastian Roché
- Early life :Roché was born in Paris, France, on August 4, 1964; he is of Scottish and French ancestry. He is also fluent in four languages: English, French, Spanish and Italian. On General Hospital, he spoke in Russian, Spanish and French, and on the pilot episode of Odyssey 5, he spoke in French...
), whose purpose is to decipher the missing parts of Walter's brain and find out how to move between universes.
The episode features the first scene between Walter and his old colleague William Bell (played by guest actor Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Simon Nimoy is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. Nimoy's most famous role is that of Spock in the original Star Trek series , multiple films, television and video game sequels....
). At the time, it fulfilled Nimoy's commitment to the show, though he later returned for the season finale
Over There (Fringe)
"Over There" is the two-part second-season finale of the Fox science fiction drama series Fringe. They are the 22nd and 23rd episodes of the season, and the 42nd and 43rd episodes of the series overall. Both parts were written by Academy Award-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, together with...
. "Grey Matters" first aired in the United States on December 10, 2009 on Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
to mostly positive reviews. An estimated 6.33 million viewers watched the episode, and it received a 2.3 ratings share among those 18–49.
Plot
In a BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
mental institution, Thomas Jerome Newton (Sebastian Roché
Sebastian Roché
- Early life :Roché was born in Paris, France, on August 4, 1964; he is of Scottish and French ancestry. He is also fluent in four languages: English, French, Spanish and Italian. On General Hospital, he spoke in Russian, Spanish and French, and on the pilot episode of Odyssey 5, he spoke in French...
) performs brain surgery on a patient, Mr Slater, who keeps repeating "Heather" "flowers in her hair", and a "girl in a red dress". Newton successfully removes part of his brain, but he and his team are forced to leave before they can seal the man's head back up. The Fringe team of Olivia
Olivia Dunham
FBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham is a fictional character and protagonist on the Fox television series Fringe . Olivia first appeared in the pilot episode on September 9, 2008. She is portrayed by actress Anna Torv....
(Anna Torv
Anna Torv
Anna Torv is an Australian actress known for her role as FBI agent Olivia Dunham on the Fox television series Fringe.-Early life:...
), Peter
Peter Bishop
Peter Bishop is a fictional character on the Fox television series Fringe. He is portrayed by Joshua Jackson.-Fictional character biography:...
(Joshua Jackson
Joshua Jackson
Joshua Carter Jackson is a Canadian American actor. He has appeared in primetime television and in over 32 film roles. He is best known for playing Charlie Conway in The Mighty Ducks film series, Pacey Witter in the television series Dawson's Creek and Peter Bishop in the television series...
), and Walter
Walter Bishop (Fringe)
Walter Bishop, Ph.D. is a fictional character on the Fox television series Fringe. He is portrayed by John Noble. Noble also plays Walter's counterpart in the show's parallel universe, who is referred to in the show as Walternate.-Arc:...
(John Noble
John Noble
John Noble is an Australian film and television actor, and theater director of more than 80 plays. He was born in Port Pirie, South Australia, Australia and is currently starring as scientist Walter Bishop in the J. J. Abrams television series Fringe.He made occasional appearances on the...
) arrive at the institution and learn that Slater's paranoid schizophrenia was apparently cured by the operation, and that his brain is still structurally intact.
While viewing security footage, Olivia recognizes Newton, the leader of the shapeshifters who was reanimated from a cryogenically
Cryonics
Cryonics is the low-temperature preservation of humans and animals who can no longer be sustained by contemporary medicine, with the hope that healing and resuscitation may be possible in the future. Cryopreservation of people or large animals is not reversible with current technology...
frozen head at the end of "Momentum Deferred
Momentum Deferred
"Momentum Deferred" is the fourth episode of the second season of the American science fiction drama television series Fringe. Screenwriters Zack Stentz and Ashley Edward Miller wrote the episode, and co-executive producer Joe Chappelle directed it...
". Astrid and Walter research the patient's physician, Dr. Paris, and learn he set up an indefinite prescription fourteen years ago for Slater as well as two other patients in the same week. Peter and Olivia interview one of these other patients, who constantly thought about the number 28, but was recently cured of her obsessive compulsive disorder by Newton. She tells them she was originally sent to the hospital by Dr Paris for mild postpartum depression
Postpartum depression
Postpartum depression , also called postnatal depression, is a form of clinical depression which can affect women, and less frequently men, typically after childbirth. Studies report prevalence rates among women from 5% to 25%, but methodological differences among the studies make the actual...
, and that her obsessive compulsive disorder started soon after. Peter and Olivia also hear of a third patient who was mysteriously cured two days ago. Walter realizes that all the patients were given constant doses of organ transplant medication, and that foreign brain tissue was stored in each of their brains.
Walter undergoes a CT scan, and the team learn Walter had three pieces of his brain tissue removed from his Hippocampus
Hippocampus
The hippocampus is a major component of the brains of humans and other vertebrates. It belongs to the limbic system and plays important roles in the consolidation of information from short-term memory to long-term memory and spatial navigation. Humans and other mammals have two hippocampi, one in...
. The pieces were then apparently stored inside the brains of the cured patients fourteen years ago. Knowing only Walter could comprehend the memories concerning how to open a portal to another reality, the shapeshifters kidnap him. By the time the others find Walter, Newton has already learned what he needs to know and escapes. Olivia manages to stop them, but is forced to choose between seizing Newton and saving Walter, as he has been given a lethal dose of a neurotoxin
Neurotoxin
A neurotoxin is a toxin that acts specifically on nerve cells , usually by interacting with membrane proteins such as ion channels. Some sources are more general, and define the effect of neurotoxins as occurring at nerve tissue...
that will kill him unless Newton gives them the correct directions. Olivia chooses to save Walter's life, and Newton replies "Now I know how weak you are".
Broyles eases Olivia's concerns that she made an emotional choice by assuring her that her decision to save Walter was a logical one as Walter is highly valuable to the team.
As Walter undergoes a follow-up MRI, he flashes back to a past surgery, where he is being operated on by William Bell (AKA Dr Paris, played by Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Simon Nimoy is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. Nimoy's most famous role is that of Spock in the original Star Trek series , multiple films, television and video game sequels....
), who removed Walter's brain fragments and hid them in the patients' to prevent anyone else from gaining the information.
Production
"Grey Matters" was written by screenwriters Ashley Edward MillerAshley Edward Miller
Ashley Edward Miller is an American Screenwriter and Producer best known for his work on the TV shows Andromeda, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and Fringe. As well as for his work on the films Thor and X-Men: First Class...
and Zack Stentz
Zack Stentz
Zack Stentz is an American Screenwriter and Producer. He often collaborates with Screenwriter/Producer Ashley Edward Miller.-Filmography:Writer* Andromeda * The Twilight Zone...
, and was directed by Jeannot Szwarc
Jeannot Szwarc
Jeannot Szwarc is a French Film/TV Director.Szwarc was born in Paris. He began working as a director in American television during the 1960s, in particular on Ironside...
. In an interview the following year, Miller noted that "Your characters will often assert themselves, and remind you who they really are. In 'Grey Matters' there's a moment where pre-madness Walter wakes up in the chair — that beat emerged on the page. We had no idea it was going to be in the script until we were writing the scene. As a writer, you live for that."
"Grey Matters" marked the first episode that featured a shared scene between actors Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Simon Nimoy is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. Nimoy's most famous role is that of Spock in the original Star Trek series , multiple films, television and video game sequels....
and John Noble
John Noble
John Noble is an Australian film and television actor, and theater director of more than 80 plays. He was born in Port Pirie, South Australia, Australia and is currently starring as scientist Walter Bishop in the J. J. Abrams television series Fringe.He made occasional appearances on the...
, whose characters are old colleagues of each other. At the time, it was Nimoy's third episode and consequently last commitment as a guest actor on Fringe, and he had expressed his reluctance in interviews to return for further episodes. Nimoy however later agreed to a reappearance in the two-part season finale "Over There
Over There (Fringe)
"Over There" is the two-part second-season finale of the Fox science fiction drama series Fringe. They are the 22nd and 23rd episodes of the season, and the 42nd and 43rd episodes of the series overall. Both parts were written by Academy Award-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, together with...
". The visual effect of making Walter and Bell appear younger was produced by Zoic Studios
Zoic Studios
Zoic Studios is a visual effects company based in Culver City, California. They specialize in visual effects for feature films, episodic television, commercials, video games, advertising design, and interactive online media...
. Fringes visual effects supervisor, Jay Worth, explained "The guys at Zoic had to walk a fine line between too plasticky, stretched, morph effects and something that naturalistically looks younger". During filming for "Brown Betty"
Brown Betty (Fringe)
"Brown Betty" is the 20th episode of the second season of the American science fiction drama television series Fringe, and is the only one of the series performed as a musical. The episode was written by co-showrunners Jeff Pinkner and J. H. Wyman, and consulting producer Akiva Goldsman. It was...
, Noble described the episode in an interview, "'Grey Matters' was a very important episode for Walter because it helped to explain to some degree his apparent behavior. His eccentricity. His obsessiveness. His forgetfulness. Because we found out that he had certain memory parts of his brain removed."
In a deleted scene set after the end of the episode, Walter talks with the first patient Joseph Slater, who wonders why he was chosen to have a piece of Walter's brain. Walter responds it was a matter of circumstance, as Slater shared his blood type and had a young resilient brain. Walter also says he himself cannot be cured, as his madness had nothing to do with the missing parts of his brain.
Cultural references
William Bell's secret alias was a reference to Leonard Nimoy's character in the television series Mission: ImpossibleMission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible is an American television series which was created and initially produced by Bruce Geller. It chronicled the missions of a team of secret American government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force . The leader of the team was Jim Phelps, played by Peter Graves, except in...
, whose character was also named Dr. Simon Paris. Thomas Jerome Newton is named after David Bowie
David Bowie
David Bowie is an English musician, actor, record producer and arranger. A major figure for over four decades in the world of popular music, Bowie is widely regarded as an innovator, particularly for his work in the 1970s...
's character in The Man Who Fell to Earth
The Man Who Fell to Earth (film)
The Man Who Fell to Earth is a 1976 British science fiction film directed by Nicolas Roeg.The film is based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Walter Tevis, about an extraterrestrial who crash lands on Earth seeking a way to ship water to his planet, which is suffering from a severe drought...
.
Ratings
In its original American broadcast on December 10, 2009, "Grey Matters" was watched by an estimated 6.33 million viewers according to Nielsen Media ResearchNielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre films and newspapers...
. The episode earned a 2.3 ratings among people 18–49, slightly above the season average of 2.2; it was down 0.2 ratings points from the previous week.
Reviews
The episode premiered to near universal critical acclaim. Ramsey Isler of IGNIGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
gave it 9.6/10, and thought it was "one of the most balanced and well-executed episodes of the series, Fringe fans get action, suspense, emotion, and best of all, some revelations!... This episode is nearly everything a Fringe fan could have asked for... Besides the awesomeness with the Bishops, Olivia finally returns to taking an active role in an episode... But the most important thing is that the overarching Fringe plot finally progressed, and it's going in a pretty damn good direction". Jane Boursaw from TV Squad enjoyed the episode because it had a "few reveals and a nice cliffhanger
Cliffhanger
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction...
." She liked the interactions between Walter and Peter, and also praised the scene between Olivia and Newton. Josh Wigler of MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
was pleased that the "mystery of the week" also tied into the ongoing plot, and that answers were provided to certain mysteries, such as why Walter's behavior and personality is "a little...off. Pretty interesting stuff. It's nice to finally have a reason to point at for Walter's craziness". Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
thought it "was one of the best Fringes yet for the way it wove its sci-fi with its emotional subplots with such tight, artful braiding". Television Without Pity rated it an A, while A.V. Club's Noel Murray gave the episode an A-, explaining "This was, I think, the best Fringe of the season, and I’m only docking it a notch because it was less about themes and character than it was about plot. But man, what a plot". Various critics lauded Noble's performance. Website blogger io9
Io9
io9 is a blog launched in 2008 by Gawker Media. The blog focuses on the subjects of science fiction, futurism, and advancements in the fields of science and technology....
listed "Grey Matters" as one of the few "crucial" episodes new viewers must watch to get into the show.
Awards and nominations
Director Jeannot Szwarc submitted "Grey Matters" for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama SeriesPrimetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
The Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series is an Emmy presented to the best directing of a television drama series.-Best Direction of a Single Program of a Drama Series:*1959: Jack Smight – Alcoa-Goodyear Theatre ...
category at the 62nd Primetime Emmy Awards
62nd Primetime Emmy Awards
The 62nd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, took place on August 29, 2010, at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California beginning at 5:00 p.m. PDT...
.
External links
- "Grey Matters" at FoxFox Broadcasting CompanyFox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...