Episode 2.01 A New Day in the Old TownThis is a featured page

"A New Day in the Old Town"

Fringe Cast Guide - FringeVITALS
Episode #: 2.01 Season: 2
Original Air Date:September 17, 2009
Writer: JJ Abrams & Akiva Goldsman Director: Akiva Goldsman
Special guest(s):Luke Goss (Lloyd Parr), Ari Graynor (Rachel Dunham), Simone Kessel (Nurse), Meghan Markle (Junior Agent Amy Jessup), Tegan Moss (Rebecca), Adrian Holmes (Forensic Chief), Ken Camroux-Taylor (Senator Kenneth Taylor), Douglas Chapman (Agent), Stefan Arngrim (Store Owner), Neil Schell (Senator Neil Schell), Chris Shields (Special Agent Fisher), Jeremy Jones (Paramedic), Christian Vincent (Surgeon), Elizabeth Thai (ER Doctor), Trevor Carroll (Morgue Attendant), Allison Riley (Receptionist), Michael Mitchell (George)
Featured song(s):

Synopsis: In the stunning first season finale, Olivia traveled to an intriguing parallel universe to meet Massive Dynamic founder William Bell.
Season two opens with her shocking return to this perplexing alternate reality, while Peter unknowingly in a race against time with an ominous mobile force pursues information about Olivia's visit.


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Fringe Episode Case Files FIND THE PATTERN. FOLLOW THE CLUES.

THE FRINGE EPISODE CASE FILES

2.01 A New Day in the Old Town
Hey Dude weren't you on my table last season ?

Date:
Location:
Paranormal occurrence(s):
 Shape-Shifting soldiers from another universe (has fast self-heal ability)
Parties involved: Nina Sharp, the U.S. Government, a shapeshifter from the other dimension and at least one undercover aide helping him
Death(s):
 George Reed, Luke Parr, Nurse, Charlie Francis.
Method(s) used to solve:
 Walter's old experiment to enhance senses of young lady reveals possibility of shape-shifting soldiers from different universe.
Technology used:
 Shape-shifting black box device; multi-universe communication typewriter; device and drugs to stimulate chakras and give certain gifted individuals clairaudience, clairvoyance, and precognition
New clues/patterns: Something is hidden that Olivia need to find to save everyone. Pattern events ties in with Bible verse.
Possible suspects/tie-ins:
 The shapeshifter, the store owner
Conclusion(s):
See the bigger picture: Fringe Conspiracy ››


UNANSWERED QUESTIONS & PLOT DANGLERS

  • Who does the shapeshifting soldier work for?

  • Who gave Junior Agent Amy Jessup the password to access Classified Fringe case files?

  • What was Olivia told to find that is hidden, and who hid it? (since the shapeshifter's faction doesn't know where it is either)?

  • Is the fact that Peter didn't remember that he liked custard as a child significant?

  • What is the store owner waiting for?

  • How deeply are Broyles and Nina involved with each other?

  • Why does Olivia have amnesia? Was it inflicted on her deliberately or part of the transition process? If the former, then why?

  • When she comes out of her coma, why does Olivia say the phrase from Peter's mother? And who told it to her?

  • Who or what healed Olivia's irreversible brain damage?

  • How would Broyles have "saved the day" like he always does, if Peter hadn't turned over the shapeshifter's device?

  • What happened to Rebecca, Walter and Bell's test subject?

  • Now that Olivia and the others have reason to believe there are an unknown number of shapeshifters hidden among the general populace that are dedicated to destroying them, will they take any efforts whatsoever (establish passwords and countersigns, increased surveillance, blood tests, etc.) to establish that people are who they really claim to be?
PLOT HOLES, INCONSISTENCIES OR JUST PLAIN IMPOSSIBLE?
Add unbelievable incidents or sci-fi faux pas to this list!
  • The senator referred to the "old x designation," implying that this universe is the same as the X Files one, but earlier in the episode they have The X Files on the television set in the first victim's apartment.
  • It is shown earlier in the episode that the shapeshifter takes several minutes to transform. In the final scene, the shapeshifter ambushes its final victim, kills the victim, breaks the bones of its face, uses its device to duplicate their body, dons the final victim's clothing and hides the body, hauls out the body of the nurse it killed earlier (and hid in advance), and fires four bullets into it without making a noise. All in a period of approximately 30 seconds between when Peter heard Charlie fire the shots and he and Jessup got to the scene.
  • Peter and Jessup don't notice that there is an unaccounted-for body in the final climactic scene. Either they never find the dead nurse and have no explanation for where her body went (even if it was incinerated there'd be traces). Or they assume the body they find is the nurse and then the body of the shapeshifter is unaccounted for. And yet they assume the shapeshifter is dead despite one or the other of the bodies being missing. For them to believe the shapeshifter is dead, they would have to have found two bodies but they never do.
  • The shapeshifter somehow knows who the one person is that will be allowed to see Olivia (the nurse) and easily finds her.
  • Between various recovered pieces of Fringe technology and Walter's innovative devices and chemical research, including the gate-opening device recovered when Mr. Jones was killed, there seems to be plenty of advanced technology that Fringe Division can demonstrate as benefits of their work. Yet here they seem to have nothing to show until Peter turns over the shapeshifter's device.


EPISODE'S BEST QUOTES

  • "You know, there's something you don't know about me, son."
    "What's that? That once you enter a grocery store, you never leave again? Ever?" - Walter, Peter

  • "We need to celebrate and make sure that Agent Dunham can attend. I want to see her face when she eats my pudding."
    "That's disturbing." - Walter, Peter

  • "Peter! Peter! They said I can ride in the back with the body. Can I?"
    "Sure. Of course you can. Stay out of the medications, though. Please." - Walter, Peter

  • "Is this you?"
    "Yeah.. My father recently took a little trip down memory lane, and for no reason has become wildly obsessed with my childhood. He also likes to check and make sure that I'm still breathing when I'm asleep, which is a little creepy."
    "Focus, please." - Jessup, Peter, Walter

  • "So who was she?"
    "Walter thinks that she was a shape-changing soldier from another universe. He thinks that might be where you went. Hmm. Do you think it's a bad sign that I can say that out loud and neither one of us thinks I'm crazy." - Olivia, Peter
  • "Are you okay?"
    "Go get that b**ch." - Peter, Olivia

  • "You surprise me, Mr. Bishop."
    "Thanks." - Broyles, Peter

OMG! MOMENTS

  • They ate Charlie?

  • X Designation...they can consult Mulder and Scully in the future!

  • Olivia bursting out from the windshield.

  • Nina kissing Broyles!
EPISODE TRIVIA

  • The Observer can be seen walking across the bottom of the screen in the first scene after George flees the crash site.

  • The glyphs at each commercial break spell out the word: TOWER

  • Ken Camroux-Taylor and Tegan Moss both played recurring characters on The X-Files: Special Agent #2 and Young Dana Scully.

  • The X-Files clip playing at the beginning is from the episode "Dreamland," where Mulder and another FBI agent switch bodies, and each is believed to be someone they're not.

PHOTOS


2.01 A New Day in the Old Town2.01 A New Day in the Old Town
Get in there and take good photos
2.01 A New Day in the Old Town 2.01 A New Day in the Old Town
There will be a quiz after class

2.01 A New Day in the Old Town 2.01 A New Day in the Old Town
So where did you want me to pick you up at?
2.01 A New Day in the Old Town 2.01 A New Day in the Old Town
I don't remember last season son




Threads for this page

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J-Pod Episode 2.01, Biblical references 1 Oct 6 2009, 5:15 PM EDT by gil_cdn
Thread started: Oct 6 2009, 1:02 AM EDT  Watch
Did anyone notice the new agent siting Biblical verses from Revelation at the end of the episode?

Probably old news, but I just signed on.
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gorjzk Episode 2.01 - the ShapeShifter Hospital sequence 13 Sep 29 2009, 2:42 PM EDT by SEfanA
Thread started: Sep 18 2009, 7:28 AM EDT  Watch
Folks were debating this in the main thread, I thought it deserved its own..

Here's the explanation of the ShapeShifer chronolgy at the hospital with what had to happen offf camera. It's possible but not plausible. Based on the first morph in act one, t is shown the morph does NOT copy clothing! The SS is still wearing the same green jacket after the morph! The SS Bald Guy has all black clothes in later scenes. How he acquired them is not indicated

1) SS Bald Guy encounters Real Nurse
2) OFF CAMERA -SS morphs into SS Nurse + kills Reals Nurse, dons Real Nurse's clothes, stashes Real Nurse's naked body near incinerator, discards the black clothes
3) SS Nurse interrogates Olivia, gets shot by new annoying agent, flees out the window towards basement
4) Real Charlie encounters SS Nurse in basement and fires two shots at SS Nurse
5) +++ cut to Peter who hears two additional shots about 1 second later - REMEMBER THIS FOR LATER! +++
6) OFF CAMERA - SS Nurse morphs into SS Charlie/kills Real Charlie, drags out stashed Real Nurse's dead body, takes Real Nurse's clothes off itself and places them back on Real Nurse's dead body, dons Real Charlie's clothing, stashes Real Charlie's naked body out of sight
7) 13.5 seconds later...Peter and annoying new girl arrive to find SS Charlie standing over Real Nurse's body

<continued below...>

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Wild-Kat Episode 2.01 A New Day in the Old Town, After the Show Chatter! (page: 1 2 3 4 5 ... last page) 201 Sep 24 2009, 4:53 PM EDT by 61ache
Thread started: Sep 17 2009, 12:04 PM EDT  Watch
A New Day in the Old Town kicks off season 2 on 9.17.09 @ 9/8c on FOX! After the show, this is the place to review, analyze and discuss away! Season 2, away we go!!!
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