Bloodline (Fringe)
Encyclopedia
"Bloodline" is the 18th episode of the third season
of the American science fiction
drama
television series
Fringe
, and the 61st episode overall.
, Fauxlivia is returned home by her mother Marilyn (Amy Madigan
) after undergoing a pre-natal test to see if she has viral propagated eclampsia
, a virus that killed her sister and sister's baby during childbirth. She believes she is being followed, and contacts Lincoln at the Fringe division, who sends over a security detail. By the time they arrive, Fauxlivia has been kidnapped; though they try to follow a secret tracker each agent carries, her abductors have extracted it to throw Fringe off their tracks. Walternate and Lincoln believe the abduction to be an inside job due to this. Astrid identifies a vehicle that has passed by Fauxlivia's home at a high frequency, that being the taxi that belongs to Henry (Andre Royo
). Lincoln and Charlie track down Henry, who explains he has been keeping an eye on Fauxlivia, surprised to have seen her return and seeming like a different person than his previously encounters with her; Henry is unaware that he had actually helped the prime universe's Olivia to escape ("Olivia
" and "The Abducted
"). Lincoln, suspicious of these events, forces Walternate to admit that Fauxlivia was switched with Olivia, and that the child Fauxlivia carries is his grandchild. Meanwhile, Marilyn learns that Fauxlivia's test for the virus is positive and warns Charlie that she will die if she has the child.
During Fringe's search, Fauxlivia finds herself being put under a treatment to accelerate her pregnancy, bringing her child near term. She is able to escape from her captors and contact Fringe division to identify her location, but struggles from labor pains as the child is about to be born. Henry drives Lincoln to her location, and they are able to help Fauxlivia to deliver her child, a son, before medical help arrives. Fauxlivia and her child recover under tight security ordered by Walternate, fearing for their safety. The doctors determine the accelerated pregnancy outpaced the virus, thus allowing both Fauxlivia and her child to survive.
In the epilogue, as September the Observer watches, a blood sample from the child is drawn discreetly by one of Fauxlivia's captors posing as an orderly, who transfers it to Brandon, who is revealed to have developed the accelerated pregnancy procedure under Walternate's orders. Meanwhile, Lincoln and Charlie become somewhat distrustful of Walternate after learning what he hid from them. They consider that Colonel Broyles disappeared around the same time that Fauxlivia returned, and wonder what else Walternate is hiding from them.
's Michael Ausiello reported actor Andre Royo
was returning for one episode later in the third season. Royo made his third guest appearance of the season in "Bloodline", as cab driver Henry Higgins from the parallel universe. Amy Madigan
, who plays Olivia's mother Marilyn, also returned in a guest appearance.
As with other Fringe episodes, Fox released a science lesson plan in collaboration with Science Olympiad
for grade school children, focusing on the science seen in "Bloodline", with the intention of having "students learn about gestation and how it is different from species to species."
". While eclampsia
is a real medical condition that can interfere with childbirth, the "viral-propagated eclampsia" presented in this episode is fictional. When Henry is located by the Fringe division, he is seen reading an "Opus the Peahen" comic, the parallel universe's counterpart to the "Opus
" comic strip drawn by Berkeley Breathed
. Also within the parallel universe, the movie Taxi Driver
is shown to have been directed by Francis Ford Coppola
rather than Martin Scorsese
(though Robert DeNiro was still able to improvise the "You talkin' to me?" scene), while the television series, The West Wing, is shown to be entering its twelfth season.
's 1.3-1.4 rating. It was a 15% rise from the last episode.
", "Entrada
", Marionette
", and "The Day We Died
", for consideration in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series category at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards
. She failed to receive a nomination.
Fringe (season 3)
The third season of the American science fiction television series Fringe premiered on Fox on September 23, 2010, and concluded on May 6, 2011, consisting of 22 episodes. The series is produced by Bad Robot Productions in association with Warner Bros...
of the American science fiction
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...
, and the 61st episode overall.
Plot
In the parallel universeParallel 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...
, Fauxlivia is returned home by her mother Marilyn (Amy Madigan
Amy Madigan
Amy Marie Madigan is an American actress who is known for her role as Annie Kinsella in the 1989 film Field of Dreams and Iris Crowe in the HBO television series Carnivale...
) after undergoing a pre-natal test to see if she has viral propagated eclampsia
Eclampsia
Eclampsia , an acute and life-threatening complication of pregnancy, is characterized by the appearance of tonic-clonic seizures, usually in a patient who had developed pre-eclampsia...
, a virus that killed her sister and sister's baby during childbirth. She believes she is being followed, and contacts Lincoln at the Fringe division, who sends over a security detail. By the time they arrive, Fauxlivia has been kidnapped; though they try to follow a secret tracker each agent carries, her abductors have extracted it to throw Fringe off their tracks. Walternate and Lincoln believe the abduction to be an inside job due to this. Astrid identifies a vehicle that has passed by Fauxlivia's home at a high frequency, that being the taxi that belongs to Henry (Andre Royo
Andre Royo
Andre Royo is an American actor. He is best known for his role as "Bubbles" in The Wire , and has had guest starring appearances in Fringe, Party Down, and How To Make It In America.-Career:...
). Lincoln and Charlie track down Henry, who explains he has been keeping an eye on Fauxlivia, surprised to have seen her return and seeming like a different person than his previously encounters with her; Henry is unaware that he had actually helped the prime universe's Olivia to escape ("Olivia
Olivia (Fringe)
"Olivia" is the first episode of the third season of the American science fiction drama television series Fringe. The episode was written by executive producers J. H. Wyman and Jeff Pinkner, and was directed by Joe Chappelle. The third season spent its time alternating between the prime and...
" and "The Abducted
The Abducted
"The Abducted" is the seventh episode of the third season of the American science fiction drama television series Fringe. The third season spent much of its time alternating between the prime and parallel universes, and "The Abducted" was set in the latter...
"). Lincoln, suspicious of these events, forces Walternate to admit that Fauxlivia was switched with Olivia, and that the child Fauxlivia carries is his grandchild. Meanwhile, Marilyn learns that Fauxlivia's test for the virus is positive and warns Charlie that she will die if she has the child.
During Fringe's search, Fauxlivia finds herself being put under a treatment to accelerate her pregnancy, bringing her child near term. She is able to escape from her captors and contact Fringe division to identify her location, but struggles from labor pains as the child is about to be born. Henry drives Lincoln to her location, and they are able to help Fauxlivia to deliver her child, a son, before medical help arrives. Fauxlivia and her child recover under tight security ordered by Walternate, fearing for their safety. The doctors determine the accelerated pregnancy outpaced the virus, thus allowing both Fauxlivia and her child to survive.
In the epilogue, as September the Observer watches, a blood sample from the child is drawn discreetly by one of Fauxlivia's captors posing as an orderly, who transfers it to Brandon, who is revealed to have developed the accelerated pregnancy procedure under Walternate's orders. Meanwhile, Lincoln and Charlie become somewhat distrustful of Walternate after learning what he hid from them. They consider that Colonel Broyles disappeared around the same time that Fauxlivia returned, and wonder what else Walternate is hiding from them.
Production
In late January 2011, TVlineTVLine
TVLine is a website devoted to information, news and spoilers of television programs.-History:In late 2010, Entertainment Weekly's Michael Ausiello announced that he would be leaving EW after nearly two years in their employ to establish a TV-centered website with MMC, the media company founded by...
's Michael Ausiello reported actor Andre Royo
Andre Royo
Andre Royo is an American actor. He is best known for his role as "Bubbles" in The Wire , and has had guest starring appearances in Fringe, Party Down, and How To Make It In America.-Career:...
was returning for one episode later in the third season. Royo made his third guest appearance of the season in "Bloodline", as cab driver Henry Higgins from the parallel universe. Amy Madigan
Amy Madigan
Amy Marie Madigan is an American actress who is known for her role as Annie Kinsella in the 1989 film Field of Dreams and Iris Crowe in the HBO television series Carnivale...
, who plays Olivia's mother Marilyn, also returned in a guest appearance.
As with other Fringe episodes, Fox released a science lesson plan in collaboration with Science Olympiad
Science Olympiad
Science Olympiad is an American elementary, middle, or high school team competition which tests knowledge of various science topics and engineering ability. Over 6,200 teams from 49 U.S. states compete each year. Most teams compete in three levels of competition: regionals, states, and nationals...
for grade school children, focusing on the science seen in "Bloodline", with the intention of having "students learn about gestation and how it is different from species to species."
Cultural references
Accelerated growth of yet-unborn children was a major plot element of the second episode of the first season episode, "The Same Old StoryThe Same Old Story
Josh Jackson of Paste Magazine disliked the "deus ex machina" aspects that "neatly solved the puzzles of the first two episodes", and also criticized perceived "plot contrivances" like how the serial murderer immediately began aging once interrupted from killing his last victim...
". While eclampsia
Eclampsia
Eclampsia , an acute and life-threatening complication of pregnancy, is characterized by the appearance of tonic-clonic seizures, usually in a patient who had developed pre-eclampsia...
is a real medical condition that can interfere with childbirth, the "viral-propagated eclampsia" presented in this episode is fictional. When Henry is located by the Fringe division, he is seen reading an "Opus the Peahen" comic, the parallel universe's counterpart to the "Opus
Opus (comic strip)
Opus was a Sunday strip drawn by Berkeley Breathed for a period of five years, 2003 to 2008. It was Breathed's fourth comic strip, following The Academia Waltz, Bloom County and Outland....
" comic strip drawn by Berkeley Breathed
Berkeley Breathed
Guy Berkeley "Berke" Breathed is an American cartoonist, children's book author/illustrator, director and screenwriter, best known for Bloom County, a 1980s cartoon-comic strip that dealt with sociopolitical issues as understood by fanciful characters and through humorous analogies...
. Also within the parallel universe, the movie Taxi Driver
Taxi Driver
Taxi Driver is a 1976 American drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Paul Schrader. The film is set in New York City, soon after the Vietnam War. The film stars Robert De Niro and features Jodie Foster, Harvey Keitel, and Cybill Shepherd. The film was nominated for four Academy...
is shown to have been directed by Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
rather than Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
(though Robert DeNiro was still able to improvise the "You talkin' to me?" scene), while the television series, The West Wing, is shown to be entering its twelfth season.
Ratings
"Bloodline" aired the day after Fringes fourth season renewal was announced by Fox Entertainment. It was watched by 3.9 million viewers on its first broadcast, earning a 1.5/5 ratings share, up from the previous episodeStowaway (Fringe)
"Stowaway" is the 17th episode of the third season of the American science fiction drama television series Fringe, and the 60th episode overall. It followed the Fringe team's investigation into a woman, Dana Gray , who repeatedly tries to commit suicide only to meet with little success...
's 1.3-1.4 rating. It was a 15% rise from the last episode.
Awards and nomination
Anna Torv submitted "Bloodline", along with the season three episodes "OliviaOlivia (Fringe)
"Olivia" is the first episode of the third season of the American science fiction drama television series Fringe. The episode was written by executive producers J. H. Wyman and Jeff Pinkner, and was directed by Joe Chappelle. The third season spent its time alternating between the prime and...
", "Entrada
Entrada (Fringe)
"Entrada" is the eighth episode of the third season of the American science fiction drama television series Fringe, and the 51st episode overall. The third season spent much of its time alternating between the prime and parallel universes, and "Entrada" was the first of the season to have time...
", Marionette
Marionette (Fringe)
"Marionette" is the ninth episode of the third season of the American science fiction drama television series Fringe. The episode was written by Monica Owusu-Breen and Alison Schapker, and directed by Joe Chappelle...
", and "The Day We Died
The Day We Died
"The Day We Died" is the third season finale of the Fox science fiction drama television series Fringe. It is the season's 22nd episode and the series' 65th episode overall. The finale follows the aftermath of Peter entering and activating the doomsday device...
", for consideration in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series category at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards
63rd Primetime Emmy Awards
The 63rd Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, honoring the best in primetime television programming from June 1, 2010 until May 31, 2011, was held on September 18, 2011, at the Nokia Theatre in Downtown Los Angeles, California. Fox televised the ceremony within the United States. Actress Jane Lynch hosted...
. She failed to receive a nomination.
External links
- "Bloodline" at Fox.com