Making Angels

Fringe Making Angels
Season 4, Episode 11
Air date	February 3, 2012
Written by	Akiva Goldsman & J.H. Wyman & Jeff Pinkner
Directed by	Charles Beeson
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Cast | Transcript

"Making Angels" is the eleventh episode of the fourth season of Fringe.

Synopsis

Our Astrid gets an unexpected visit from her Alternate, while Peter and Olivia track a killer using a toxin that has yet to be invented. Both universes collide in a case that pushes the boundaries of what is possible.

Plot

The parallel universe's Astrid Farnsworth (Jasika Nicole) recently had her father pass away; as she suffers from Asperger syndrome, she concludes the only person she can talk to is herself, and discretely crosses over through the Machine Room bridge to meet with the prime universe's version of Astrid (Nicole). After a bit of initial surprise and discovery, the parallel version of Astrid explains that her father was aloof and distant to her special needs, and the prime Astrid admits the same, but implies she found a way to deal with them. When parallel Astrid's disappearance is discovered in the parallel universe, Colonel Broyles (Lance Reddick) sends Fauxlivia (Anna Torv) across to escort her back. When she arrives, Walter (John Noble) is initially bitter about her arrival, recalling her

Two Astrid's.

deceitful tactics she used to earn his trust when she was sent to take the prime Olivia's (Torv) place, but he soon warms up to her, and they share a number of questionably pleasant memories during that time.

Meanwhile, the prime universe's Fringe team learns of the death of a man who had just learned that he only had a short time to live due to cancer; his death was not natural, however, instead caused by a toxic aerosol spray that leaves him with bloody tears, giving him the appearance of the "Tears of Ra". Walter identifies the poison as something that is highly unlikely to have been discovered scientifically, in either universe. They are alerted to another man, Jared (G. Michael Grey), who had just survived a car accident but leaving him paraplegic. Jared explains about a man that claimed he could see past, present, and future, and wanted to save Jared from suffering as a paraplegic by killing him before the accident; instead Jared ran, scared, into the accident himself. With information from Jared and help from the parallel version of Astrid, they recognize their man as a TSA agent at the airport who had cleared all his victims prior. When Peter and Olivia approach him, he eludes their capture.

Olivia and Peter (Joshua Jackson) learn their murderer is Neil (Chin Han), a former professor from MIT. A colleague there explains that, after spending a period at his lake house, Neil became fascinated by a series of high-level equations, ignoring work duties to study them and eventually abandoning his position. The two become concerned when they learn the lake house was on Reiden Lake, where, in this timeline, Walter had unsuccessfully tried to bring the parallel universe's version of Peter back over, and where Peter had reappeared within this timeline. At the lake house, they learn that Neil survived a car accident as a child that took his father and brother. Realizing Neil's mother is still alive, the two descend on her home, and find Neil there. Neil explains to his mother that, shortly after the accident, he had overheard her claiming that God took the wrong son, and has been trying to act as a savior to prove her wrong. As the Fringe team bursts into the home, Neil recounts that angels don't belong on earth, and fires a gunshot towards Olivia, upon which she returns fire and kills him. As the scene is cleared up, Olivia realizes that Neil had purposely missed her to get her to kill him, since he would not have become an angel if he took his own life.

The parallel versions of Astrid and Olivia soon return to their universe after warm goodbyes; the prime universe's Astrid is shown returning home into the welcoming arms of her father (Blu Mankuma), despite what she had told her doppelganger. At Neil's mother's home, two Observers, including December (but not September), locate Neil's safe and find a glowing blue tube. They recognize the tube as belonging to September, apparently lost when he had unsuccessfully tried to save Peter at Reiden Lake in 1985. The other Observer tells December that Peter has reappeared in this timeline.

Notable Quotes

Astrid sees Farnsworth for the first time and cries out loudly.
Olivia: I've always wondered why nobody does that!

Astrid: Olivia told me about you. But it's nice to meet you personally in the flesh.
Farnsworth: All personal meetings are in the flesh.
Astrid: Yes, I--suppose they are.

Walter: Stage One. That has a survival rate of 95%. And that's without introducing even one frog rectally to slow cell division.
Astrid: What?
Olivia: What?
Astrid: Nothing.

Walter: Check his crotch. Come on don't be a prude.

Walter: Odd.
Peter: Always makes me nervous when he says that.

Fauxlivia: You're still mad at me.
Walter: Yes, And now you're breaking my concentration as well.
Fauxlivia:Oh, I'm sorry. Were you solving world hunger or perfecting the perfect peanut butter shake?

Fauxlivia: You're giving me a sendoff? 
Walter: You may possess positive qualities that I previously overlooked.
Fauxlivia: Are you flirting with me?
Walter: In your dreams.

Notes

• The Observer is not seen, but many other Observers are seen covering his territory. One is seen in a parking garage when Jared gets in the accident. More discover the device September lost at Reiden Lake, that was recovered by Neil Chung.
• Although credited, Blair Brown (Nina Sharp) does not appear in this episode.
• This is the first episode where September the Observer is identified by name. Four years before, Fox issued a press release stating his name, which was followed by a second one denying this claim. Despite this, "September" was identified as the character's name by fans since then.

Cypher

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