Changes: Grey Matters

Revision as of 00:25, 17 April 2011

Fringe Grey Matters
Season 2, Episode 10

Air date	December 10, 2009
Written by	Zack Stentz Ashley Miller
Directed by	Jeannot Szwarc
← previous Snakehead	next → Unearthed
Cast \| Transcript

Synopsis

Introduction

The Shape Shifters are back, and they are going after someone from the team.

Story

In a Boston mental institution, Thomas Jerome Newton (Sebastian Roché) performs brain surgery on a patient, Mr Slater, who keeps repeating "Heather" "flowers in her hair", and a "girl in a red dress". Newton successfully removes part of his brain, but he and his team are forced to leave before they can seal the man's head back up. The fringe team of Olivia, Peter, and Walter arrive at the institution and learn that Slater's paranoid schizophrenia was apparently cured by the operation, and that his brain is still structurally intact.

While viewing security footage, Olivia recognizes Newton, the leader of the shapeshifters who was reanimated from a cryogenically frozen head at the end of "Momentum Deferred" . Astrid and Walter research the patient's physician, Dr. Paris, and learn he set up an indefinite prescription fourteen years ago for Slater as well as two other patients in the same week. Peter and Olivia interview one of these other patients, who constantly thought about the number 28, but was recently cured of her obsessive compulsive disorder by Newton. She tells them she was originally sent to the hospital by Dr Paris for mild postpartum depression, and then her obsessive compulsive disorder started soon after. Peter and Olivia also hear of a third patient who was mysteriously cured two days ago. Walter realizes that all the patients were given constant doses of organ transplant medication, and that foreign brain tissue was stored in each of their brains.

Walter undergoes a CT scan, and the team learn Walter had three pieces of his brain tissue removed from his Hippocampus. The pieces were then apparently stored inside the brains of the cured patients fourteen years ago. Knowing only Walter could comprehend the memories concerning how to open a portal to another reality, the shapeshifters kidnap him. By the time the others find Walter, Newton has already learned what he needs to know and escapes. Olivia manages to stop their escape, but is forced to choose between seizing Newton and saving Walter, as he has been given a lethal dose of a neurotoxin that will kill him unless Newton gives them the correct directions. Olivia chooses to save Walter's life, and Newton replies "Now I know how weak you are".

As Walter undergoes a follow-up MRI, he flashes back to a past surgery, where he is being operated on by William Bell (AKA Dr Paris), who removed Walter's brain fragments and hid them in the patients' to prevent anyone else from gaining the information.

Trivia

General

Production Notes

Broyles and Olivia's final conversation was filmed near the intersection of West Hastings Street and Cambie Street in Vancouver - the street signs for this location are easily visible in the background.

Bloopers and Continuity Errors

Cultural References

William Bell uses the alias Dr. Paris. From 1969 to 1971, Leonard Nimoy played a character called Paris - himself a master of using aliases - in Mission: Impossible.

Literary Techniques

Reception

ObserverSighting

Cypher


P	O	R	T	A	L

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 ===Story===
+In a Boston mental institution, Thomas Jerome Newton (Sebastian Roché) performs brain surgery on a patient, Mr Slater, who keeps repeating "Heather" "flowers in her hair", and a "girl in a red dress". Newton successfully removes part of his brain, but he and his team are forced to leave before they can seal the man's head back up. The fringe team of Olivia, Peter, and Walter arrive at the institution and learn that Slater's paranoid schizophrenia was apparently cured by the operation, and that his brain is still structurally intact.
-Two men operate on a man in a room using unknown technology, removing something from his brain. They are interrupted and flee, leaving the patients head open and his brain exposed. Olivia is told that before his impromptue surgery, he had dillusions of a girl in a red dress, but he is now cured. Two more mental patients had undergone the same surgery, the female patient was obsessed with the word 28, while the other male patient thought he was an actor from ''Cassablanca''. Peter discovers that all the patients had memories of Peter's childhood home and the girl who live across the road. It turns out that Walter has also had the surgery, and that three samples of brain tissure taken from him were implanted into the patients, resulting in their insanity. Walter is kidnapped by the Shape Shifters, who link electronically to the samples so they can leanr how he crossed over to the other world. Olivia and Peter rescue him, but are forced to let to leader of the Shape Shifters get away so they can save Walter's life. Walter does not remember the incident, but Olivia and Broyles must fear the worst.
+While viewing security footage, Olivia recognizes Newton, the leader of the shapeshifters who was reanimated from a cryogenically frozen head at the end of "Momentum Deferred" . Astrid and Walter research the patient's physician, Dr. Paris, and learn he set up an indefinite prescription fourteen years ago for Slater as well as two other patients in the same week. Peter and Olivia interview one of these other patients, who constantly thought about the number 28, but was recently cured of her obsessive compulsive disorder by Newton. She tells them she was originally sent to the hospital by Dr Paris for mild postpartum depression, and then her obsessive compulsive disorder started soon after. Peter and Olivia also hear of a third patient who was mysteriously cured two days ago. Walter realizes that all the patients were given constant doses of organ transplant medication, and that foreign brain tissue was stored in each of their brains.
+Walter undergoes a CT scan, and the team learn Walter had three pieces of his brain tissue removed from his Hippocampus. The pieces were then apparently stored inside the brains of the cured patients fourteen years ago. Knowing only Walter could comprehend the memories concerning how to open a portal to another reality, the shapeshifters kidnap him. By the time the others find Walter, Newton has already learned what he needs to know and escapes. Olivia manages to stop their escape, but is forced to choose between seizing Newton and saving Walter, as he has been given a lethal dose of a neurotoxin that will kill him unless Newton gives them the correct directions. Olivia chooses to save Walter's life, and Newton replies "Now I know how weak you are".
+As Walter undergoes a follow-up MRI, he flashes back to a past surgery, where he is being operated on by William Bell (AKA Dr Paris), who removed Walter's brain fragments and hid them in the patients' to prevent anyone else from gaining the information.
 ==Trivia==
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