Concentrate and Ask Again
Encyclopedia
"Concentrate and Ask Again" is the 12th episode of the third season
of the American science fiction
drama
television series
Fringe
, and the 55th episode overall.
Cortexiphan patients, Simon Phillips, (Omid Abtahi
). Simon, who is unable to control his telepathic
abilities, has isolated himself from the general population for two decades, but finds some comfort in not being able to read Olivia's mind as a fellow Cortexiphan patient. Olivia convinces Simon to help them with the ongoing investigation despite the mental anguish he will suffer in a large crowded city like Boston. During their time together, Olivia explains her concerns over Peter, wondering if he still feels any attraction to her alternate self, Fauxlivia, in the parallel universe. Meanwhile, three military contractor executives are killed by the release of the compound in an elevator, confirming Broyles' fears.
With Simon's ability and Nina Sharp's help, they learn of a "Project Jellyfish", a secret military bioweapons
project that the comatose man and two others were involved with that was aimed at developing a chemical agent that destroys skeletons. Though they were given inoculations to negate the effects of the chemical agent, their exposure was passed to their stillborn children who had developed without skeletons. Realizing that the men are seeking revenge on those involved with Project Jellyfish, the Fringe team determines the identity of the last intended victim, a former military general running for public office. With Simon's help, Olivia is able to neutralize the two targets before they release the powder at a dinner gala for the general. As Olivia returns Simon to his home, he hands her an envelope that contains Peter's thoughts that he had read.
In side plots, Nina has recovered different translations of the tomes about the First People, including one from William Bell's personal safe, and realizes that they all say the same thing in different languages. She identifies the name of the author of each book as an anagram
of the name "Sam Weiss", the bowling alley owner that she had directed Olivia to after her initial return from the parallel universe. She approaches Sam, who does not deny he wrote the books, and who explains that the doomsday device
being constructed can either create or destroy a universe; how that will work will depend on Peter, who is biologically tuned to the device. Sam posits that Peter will most likely save the universe from which the Olivia whom he loves originates. The episode ends with Olivia reading the note from Simon, which states that Peter still has feelings for Fauxlivia.
The episode featured guest stars Jody Thompson
and Paul Jarrett as the new characters Sara Downey and Warren Blake, respectively. Thompson called the part "the kind of role that actors dream of", and described the episode, "The material was so compelling and perfectly written it was a matter of not getting in the way of what the creators had created. I’m anxious about how it will come off. Truthfully, I’ve been torturing myself, wondering if I have somehow ruined the beauty of what I read in the script".
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 "Concentrate and Ask Again", with the intention of having "students learn about bones and the nature of their chemical and physical composition."
" and "The Firefly
". With 7-day out time shifted viewings, over 6.0 million viewers had watched the show, including a 56% increase in the 18–49 age group, the largest percent gains of any other show of that week.
'..."
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 55th episode overall.
Plot
A lead scientist for a pharmaceutical company is killed by a blue powder that turns his bones into dust. The Fringe division traces the source of the package which contained the powder to a former Marine; when they search his home, Peter finds the man nearby and gives chase, but the man is hit by a car and knocked into a coma. Broyles fears that there may be others involved in targeted attacks. Walter suggests they read the man's mind to learn of any such plot using the ability of one of his undocumented nootropicNootropic
Nootropics , also referred to as smart drugs, brain steroids, memory enhancers, cognitive enhancers, and intelligence enhancers, are drugs, supplements, nutraceuticals, and functional foods that improve mental functions such as cognition, memory, intelligence, motivation, attention, and concentration...
Cortexiphan patients, Simon Phillips, (Omid Abtahi
Omid Abtahi
Omid Abtahi is an American actor of Iranian origin.- Biography :Before moving to the United States, Abtahi and his family lived in Europe and the Middle East.He grew up in Orange County, California, and graduated from University High School in Irvine....
). Simon, who is unable to control his telepathic
Telepathy
Telepathy , is the induction of mental states from one mind to another. The term was coined in 1882 by the classical scholar Fredric W. H. Myers, a founder of the Society for Psychical Research, and has remained more popular than the more-correct expression thought-transference...
abilities, has isolated himself from the general population for two decades, but finds some comfort in not being able to read Olivia's mind as a fellow Cortexiphan patient. Olivia convinces Simon to help them with the ongoing investigation despite the mental anguish he will suffer in a large crowded city like Boston. During their time together, Olivia explains her concerns over Peter, wondering if he still feels any attraction to her alternate self, Fauxlivia, in the parallel universe. Meanwhile, three military contractor executives are killed by the release of the compound in an elevator, confirming Broyles' fears.
With Simon's ability and Nina Sharp's help, they learn of a "Project Jellyfish", a secret military bioweapons
Biological warfare
Biological warfare is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi with intent to kill or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war...
project that the comatose man and two others were involved with that was aimed at developing a chemical agent that destroys skeletons. Though they were given inoculations to negate the effects of the chemical agent, their exposure was passed to their stillborn children who had developed without skeletons. Realizing that the men are seeking revenge on those involved with Project Jellyfish, the Fringe team determines the identity of the last intended victim, a former military general running for public office. With Simon's help, Olivia is able to neutralize the two targets before they release the powder at a dinner gala for the general. As Olivia returns Simon to his home, he hands her an envelope that contains Peter's thoughts that he had read.
In side plots, Nina has recovered different translations of the tomes about the First People, including one from William Bell's personal safe, and realizes that they all say the same thing in different languages. She identifies the name of the author of each book as an anagram
Anagram
An anagram is a type of word play, the result of rearranging the letters of a word or phrase to produce a new word or phrase, using all the original letters exactly once; e.g., orchestra = carthorse, A decimal point = I'm a dot in place, Tom Marvolo Riddle = I am Lord Voldemort. Someone who...
of the name "Sam Weiss", the bowling alley owner that she had directed Olivia to after her initial return from the parallel universe. She approaches Sam, who does not deny he wrote the books, and who explains that the doomsday device
Doomsday device
A doomsday device is a hypothetical construction — usually a weapon, or collection of weapons — which could destroy all life on a planet, particularly the Earth, or destroy the planet itself, bringing "doomsday", a term used for the end of planet Earth...
being constructed can either create or destroy a universe; how that will work will depend on Peter, who is biologically tuned to the device. Sam posits that Peter will most likely save the universe from which the Olivia whom he loves originates. The episode ends with Olivia reading the note from Simon, which states that Peter still has feelings for Fauxlivia.
Production
"Concentrate and Ask Again" was written by Graham Roland and Matthew Pitts. Dennis Smith directed the episode.The episode featured guest stars Jody Thompson
Jody Thompson
Jody Rae Thompson is a Canadian actress working in film and television.-Personal life:Thompson was born in Vancouver, British Columbia to an English father, Ray Thompson, the lead singer of the garage rock band The Wiggy Symphony, and a German mother...
and Paul Jarrett as the new characters Sara Downey and Warren Blake, respectively. Thompson called the part "the kind of role that actors dream of", and described the episode, "The material was so compelling and perfectly written it was a matter of not getting in the way of what the creators had created. I’m anxious about how it will come off. Truthfully, I’ve been torturing myself, wondering if I have somehow ruined the beauty of what I read in the script".
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 "Concentrate and Ask Again", with the intention of having "students learn about bones and the nature of their chemical and physical composition."
Ratings
"Concentrate and Ask Again" was watched by 4.3 million viewers in the United States on its initial broadcast, earning a 1.6 rating. It was a 16% drop in viewership from the previous two Friday episodes, "ReciprocityReciprocity (Fringe)
"Reciprocity" is the 11th episode of the third season of the American science fiction drama television series Fringe, and the 54th episode overall. The episode has the Fringe division following a chain of shapeshifter murders as the assembly of the doomsday device nears completion.Josh Singer wrote...
" and "The Firefly
The Firefly (Fringe)
"The Firefly" is the 10th episode of the third season of the American science fiction drama television series Fringe, and the 53rd episode overall. The episode centers on a chain of events created by Walter crossing over into the parallel universe in 1985 that has had subtle but significant effects...
". With 7-day out time shifted viewings, over 6.0 million viewers had watched the show, including a 56% increase in the 18–49 age group, the largest percent gains of any other show of that week.
Reviews
The episode received fairly positive to mixed reviews. Jose Deamons from Deamon's TV commented: "For the first time this season, I was a little disappointed with the Fringe case this week. It was definitely “fringe-y” enough, but normally this kind of case would leave us with a few more Walter scenes in the lab or running around chasing leads before we settle on the suspects... it seemed like we missed a chance to go through a great case with lots of twists and turns and instead got the details spoon fed to us." "'Concentrate and Ask Again'" did little to drive the overriding story forward," says Carissa Pavlica from TVFanatic, "but it did a brilliant job of making me question everything." Nonetheless, she commented that it "... was nowhere near as intense as 'ReciprocityReciprocity (Fringe)
"Reciprocity" is the 11th episode of the third season of the American science fiction drama television series Fringe, and the 54th episode overall. The episode has the Fringe division following a chain of shapeshifter murders as the assembly of the doomsday device nears completion.Josh Singer wrote...
'..."
External links
- "Concentrate and Ask Again" 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...