Safe (Fringe)
Encyclopedia
"Safe" is the 10th episode of the first season of the American science fiction
drama
television series
Fringe
. The episode was written by David H. Goodman and Jason Cahill
, and directed by Michael Zinberg
. It begins when a group use technology to walk through a bank's wall and steal a safe deposit box
. Its contents contain special equipment meant to ultimately break David Robert Jones (Jared Harris
) out of his Frankfurt
jail.
The episode first aired in the United States on December 2, 2008 on Fox
. It premiered to mostly positive reviews, with some believing it improved the entire season by providing more meaning to previous episode mysteries.
Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv
), Agent Broyles (Lance Reddick
), Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson
), and Walter Bishop (John Noble
) arrive to investigate, and Broyles says this is the third robbery where a large safe deposit box has been taken. Olivia says she recognizes the victim as Raul Lugo from their time in the Marines
together. Peter and Walter go to a local hardware store and buy an electric saw to cut the man out of the wall.
Meanwhile in Frankfurt, imprisoned biochemist David Robert Jones is visited by his lawyer Mr. Kohl (James Frain
), who tells Jones the job in Philadelphia was successful. Jones tells Kohl to wire Loeb another million dollars and makes a list of items he needs Kohl to bring on his next visit. Olivia visits Raul's wife Susan Lugo (Rosa Arredondo) and claims to have met her before as well, but Susan does not remember their meeting. She says the only people at a meeting Olivia describes were Raul, Susan, and John Scott (Mark Valley
). Olivia realizes that she apparently still has his memories inside her head, and is mixing them up with her own. Over at Massive Dynamic, Nina Sharp's (Blair Brown
) attempts to delve into Scott's memories for information hit a dead end when they find crucial piece of his memories are missing; they soon discover that the memories they need are in Olivia's mind.
The boxes are found to have been bought with bogus names and cash 23 years ago. Raul's amputated forearm is examined and discovered to be radioactive, leading Walter to conclude these are effects using the technology to pass through walls. Olivia and Peter go to a bar to find out information about Raul from one of his old friends, who says Raul has spent much of his time at the VA
. While there, Peter realizes the numbers of the stolen safe deposit boxes match numbers Walter continually spouts off at night. When they confront him, Walter says it is the Fibonacci sequence
, and then realizes that the safe deposit boxes are his. Walter tries to remember what he put in the boxes and where the next two are. Meanwhile Broyles discovers the VA Raul went to was in Washington D.C., leading Olivia to find out Raul and three other patients were in a chess
club together. The FBI discovers these men bought a plane ticket to Providence
, and Walter remembers which bank he would have used to store something. But when Olivia and Charlie arrive at the bank, the safe deposit box has already been stolen. When they are fleeing, Olivia is able to wound and capture one of the men.
Kohl arrives with Jones' requested items and is told to come the following morning with some paperwork. Jones also asks Kohl for one more thing: Olivia. Peter insists on interrogating the wounded man himself and tells him he has radiation poisoning
. The man breaks down and says he was hired freelance but does not know his boss's name. He says all he knows is that his crew is going to a field in Westford
, and Olivia figures out it is Little Hill, a word given to Jones in the episode "In Which We Meet Mr. Jones
". Walter remembers the machine he built that is hidden in the safe deposit boxes is able to "retrieve anyone from anywhere". Loeb and his remaining team begin setting up at Little Hill, while in Frankfurt Jones kills Kohl. Jones puts on Kohl's suit and is seen preparing for something by putting on suntan lotion and eye drops. While the FBI converge on Little Hill, Olivia is attacked and captured en route by Loeb's forces. Jones is successfully teleported from Frankfurt to Little Hill.
, while Michael Zinberg
served as the episode's director.
Actor Lance Reddick
, who portrays Agent Broyles, later explained in an interview how important "Safe" was to the evolution of the series, "We found who we were in episode 10, the episode where Olivia got kidnapped... We were trying to hedge our bets and trying to be too many kinds of shows at once. I'm not saying we got rid of the procedural element because each episode still is on a case – a case in terms of the quote-unquote police work — but it's not formulaic, not like the early episodes. What keeps the show most watchable is the fact that it is character-based".
gave the episode 9.5/10, writing "This wasn't just a good episode – it was great. It capitalized on absolutely every scrap of promise the show has had in its first nine episodes. Tell your friends and neighbors, they're probably going to want to tune in when this returns after the break. Not only that, but this episode heightens and improves every episode that has come before – as now all the pieces are important". Total Sci-Fi Online rated the episode 7/10, and expressed the wish that "Safe" could have been used as the series' pilot. "The central premise has more pull, it draws together various plot strands going back to the pilot, meaningfully involves several seemingly incidental characters and events from the past, and zips along at a better pace. It’s a shame it took this long to reach this part of the puzzle, where a few of the pieces at last click satisfyingly into place". Erin Dougherty of Cinema Blend thought the episode "was actually well thought out, well written, and not confusing at all. Plus, the characters seemed to be complete. Now, all the brains behind this could-be great show have to do is keep it up".
A.V. Club's Zach Handlen graded the episode with an A-, praising the opening as "quite good" and believing the tie between Walter and his past research "changes the game" ("Having Walter be, in a way, the source of the current disturbance suddenly made everything that much more important"). Jane Boursaw of TV Squad liked the revelation about Walter's safe deposit boxes, but questioned Olivia's logic to get out of her SUV when fleeing her kidnappers. SFScope
's Sarah Stegall exclaimed, "Now this is science fiction! I was absolutely thrilled by this week's episode". She elaborated by praising Olivia's "B story" about her and John Scott's memories, the series' use of "cold-blooded" villains, and believed "the elements of the show are finally achieving some balance." Writing for the Los Angeles Times
, critic Andrew Hanson noted "Wow. Fringe brings its first chapter to a close, and it really does feel like the end of a chapter. What started as the 'wacky science project of the week' builds to an episode that feels like a mini season finale." Television Without Pity gave the episode an A, while website blogger io9
highlighted "Safe" as one of the "crucial" episodes new viewers must watch to get into the show.
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 David H. Goodman and Jason Cahill
Jason Cahill
Jason Cahill is an American television writer and producer, who is best known for his work on the acclaimed HBO series The Sopranos and on the FOX science-fiction series Fringe.- Career :...
, and directed by Michael Zinberg
Michael Zinberg
Michael A. Zinberg is an American television director, producer and writer.He has directed episodes of several American television series such as Everybody Loves Raymond Monk, The Bob Newhart Show, WKRP in Cincinnati, L.A...
. It begins when a group use technology to walk through a bank's wall and steal a safe deposit box
Safe deposit box
A safe deposit box or wrongly referred to as a safety deposit box is an individually-secured container, usually held within a larger safe or bank vault. Safe deposit boxes are generally located in banks, post offices or other institutions...
. Its contents contain special equipment meant to ultimately break David Robert Jones (Jared Harris
Jared Harris
Jared Francis Harris is a British character actor, well known for playing the obnoxious Mac McGrath in the Adam Sandler film Mr. Deeds, and for his portrayal of Lane Pryce on the AMC series Mad Men.- Personal life :...
) out of his Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
jail.
The episode first aired in the United States on December 2, 2008 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...
. It premiered to mostly positive reviews, with some believing it improved the entire season by providing more meaning to previous episode mysteries.
Plot
At Philadelphia Mutual Savings Bank, a group of men led by Agent Mitchell Loeb break in and use a machine to make the bank vault wall possible to move through. He obtained this technology two episodes ago, in "The Equation". Several men pass through the wall and steal a safe deposit box numbered 610. One of the men is unable to make it back through however before the wall solidifies again, and he is left stuck inside the wall; Loeb shoots him in the head and they leave.Olivia Dunham (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:...
), Agent Broyles (Lance Reddick
Lance Reddick
Lance Reddick is an American theater, film and TV actor and musician born in Baltimore, Maryland. He starred in The Wire as Cedric Daniels, appeared in Oz as Detective Johnny Basil and appeared in the fourth and fifth seasons of Lost. He now has a prominent role in Fringe...
), Peter Bishop (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 Bishop (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 to investigate, and Broyles says this is the third robbery where a large safe deposit box has been taken. Olivia says she recognizes the victim as Raul Lugo from their time in the Marines
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
together. Peter and Walter go to a local hardware store and buy an electric saw to cut the man out of the wall.
Meanwhile in Frankfurt, imprisoned biochemist David Robert Jones is visited by his lawyer Mr. Kohl (James Frain
James Frain
James Dominic Frain is an English stage and screen actor. He is possibly best known for his role in the Showtime series The Tudors in which he appeared as Thomas Cromwell from 2007 to 2009, and for his role as vampire Franklin Mott in season three of the HBO drama True Blood, as well as his role...
), who tells Jones the job in Philadelphia was successful. Jones tells Kohl to wire Loeb another million dollars and makes a list of items he needs Kohl to bring on his next visit. Olivia visits Raul's wife Susan Lugo (Rosa Arredondo) and claims to have met her before as well, but Susan does not remember their meeting. She says the only people at a meeting Olivia describes were Raul, Susan, and John Scott (Mark Valley
Mark Valley
Mark Thomas Valley is an American film and television actor, known for his role as Brad Chase on the TV drama Boston Legal and Christopher Chance in Fox's action/drama Human Target.-Personal life:...
). Olivia realizes that she apparently still has his memories inside her head, and is mixing them up with her own. Over at Massive Dynamic, Nina Sharp's (Blair Brown
Blair Brown
Bonnie Blair Brown is an American theater, film, and television actress. She has had a number of high profile roles, including a Tony Award-winning turn in the play Copenhagen on Broadway, as well as a run as the title character in the television comedy-drama The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd,...
) attempts to delve into Scott's memories for information hit a dead end when they find crucial piece of his memories are missing; they soon discover that the memories they need are in Olivia's mind.
The boxes are found to have been bought with bogus names and cash 23 years ago. Raul's amputated forearm is examined and discovered to be radioactive, leading Walter to conclude these are effects using the technology to pass through walls. Olivia and Peter go to a bar to find out information about Raul from one of his old friends, who says Raul has spent much of his time at the VA
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...
. While there, Peter realizes the numbers of the stolen safe deposit boxes match numbers Walter continually spouts off at night. When they confront him, Walter says it is the Fibonacci sequence
Fibonacci number
In mathematics, the Fibonacci numbers are the numbers in the following integer sequence:0,\;1,\;1,\;2,\;3,\;5,\;8,\;13,\;21,\;34,\;55,\;89,\;144,\; \ldots\; ....
, and then realizes that the safe deposit boxes are his. Walter tries to remember what he put in the boxes and where the next two are. Meanwhile Broyles discovers the VA Raul went to was in Washington D.C., leading Olivia to find out Raul and three other patients were in a chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
club together. The FBI discovers these men bought a plane ticket to Providence
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
, and Walter remembers which bank he would have used to store something. But when Olivia and Charlie arrive at the bank, the safe deposit box has already been stolen. When they are fleeing, Olivia is able to wound and capture one of the men.
Kohl arrives with Jones' requested items and is told to come the following morning with some paperwork. Jones also asks Kohl for one more thing: Olivia. Peter insists on interrogating the wounded man himself and tells him he has radiation poisoning
Radiation poisoning
Acute radiation syndrome also known as radiation poisoning, radiation sickness or radiation toxicity, is a constellation of health effects which occur within several months of exposure to high amounts of ionizing radiation...
. The man breaks down and says he was hired freelance but does not know his boss's name. He says all he knows is that his crew is going to a field in Westford
Westford, Massachusetts
Westford is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 21,951 at the 2010 census.-History:Originally a part of neighboring Chelmsford, West Chelmsford soon grew large enough to sustain its own governance, and was officially incorporated as Westford on September 23,...
, and Olivia figures out it is Little Hill, a word given to Jones in the episode "In Which We Meet Mr. Jones
In Which We Meet Mr. Jones
"In Which We Meet Mr. Jones" is the seventh episode of the first season of the American science fiction drama television series Fringe. The episode was written by J. J. Abrams and Jeff Pinkner, and directed by Brad Anderson...
". Walter remembers the machine he built that is hidden in the safe deposit boxes is able to "retrieve anyone from anywhere". Loeb and his remaining team begin setting up at Little Hill, while in Frankfurt Jones kills Kohl. Jones puts on Kohl's suit and is seen preparing for something by putting on suntan lotion and eye drops. While the FBI converge on Little Hill, Olivia is attacked and captured en route by Loeb's forces. Jones is successfully teleported from Frankfurt to Little Hill.
Production
"Safe" was written by co-executive producer David H. Goodman and consulting producer Jason CahillJason Cahill
Jason Cahill is an American television writer and producer, who is best known for his work on the acclaimed HBO series The Sopranos and on the FOX science-fiction series Fringe.- Career :...
, while Michael Zinberg
Michael Zinberg
Michael A. Zinberg is an American television director, producer and writer.He has directed episodes of several American television series such as Everybody Loves Raymond Monk, The Bob Newhart Show, WKRP in Cincinnati, L.A...
served as the episode's director.
Actor Lance Reddick
Lance Reddick
Lance Reddick is an American theater, film and TV actor and musician born in Baltimore, Maryland. He starred in The Wire as Cedric Daniels, appeared in Oz as Detective Johnny Basil and appeared in the fourth and fifth seasons of Lost. He now has a prominent role in Fringe...
, who portrays Agent Broyles, later explained in an interview how important "Safe" was to the evolution of the series, "We found who we were in episode 10, the episode where Olivia got kidnapped... We were trying to hedge our bets and trying to be too many kinds of shows at once. I'm not saying we got rid of the procedural element because each episode still is on a case – a case in terms of the quote-unquote police work — but it's not formulaic, not like the early episodes. What keeps the show most watchable is the fact that it is character-based".
Ratings
The first broadcast of "Safe" in the United States was watched by an estimated 8.54 million viewers. It garnered a 5.3/8 household ratings share.Reviews
Travis Fickett 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 the episode 9.5/10, writing "This wasn't just a good episode – it was great. It capitalized on absolutely every scrap of promise the show has had in its first nine episodes. Tell your friends and neighbors, they're probably going to want to tune in when this returns after the break. Not only that, but this episode heightens and improves every episode that has come before – as now all the pieces are important". Total Sci-Fi Online rated the episode 7/10, and expressed the wish that "Safe" could have been used as the series' pilot. "The central premise has more pull, it draws together various plot strands going back to the pilot, meaningfully involves several seemingly incidental characters and events from the past, and zips along at a better pace. It’s a shame it took this long to reach this part of the puzzle, where a few of the pieces at last click satisfyingly into place". Erin Dougherty of Cinema Blend thought the episode "was actually well thought out, well written, and not confusing at all. Plus, the characters seemed to be complete. Now, all the brains behind this could-be great show have to do is keep it up".
A.V. Club's Zach Handlen graded the episode with an A-, praising the opening as "quite good" and believing the tie between Walter and his past research "changes the game" ("Having Walter be, in a way, the source of the current disturbance suddenly made everything that much more important"). Jane Boursaw of TV Squad liked the revelation about Walter's safe deposit boxes, but questioned Olivia's logic to get out of her SUV when fleeing her kidnappers. SFScope
SFScope
SFScope is an online trade journal devoted to entertainment news concerning speculative fiction, science fiction, fantasy, and horror. It was founded by Ian Randal Strock in early 2007....
's Sarah Stegall exclaimed, "Now this is science fiction! I was absolutely thrilled by this week's episode". She elaborated by praising Olivia's "B story" about her and John Scott's memories, the series' use of "cold-blooded" villains, and believed "the elements of the show are finally achieving some balance." Writing for the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, critic Andrew Hanson noted "Wow. Fringe brings its first chapter to a close, and it really does feel like the end of a chapter. What started as the 'wacky science project of the week' builds to an episode that feels like a mini season finale." Television Without Pity gave the episode an A, while 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....
highlighted "Safe" as one of the "crucial" episodes new viewers must watch to get into the show.
External links
- "Safe" 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...