The Firefly (Fringe): Difference between revisions

| airdate = January{{Start date|2011|01|21, 2011}}

| guests =
*[[Christopher Lloyd]] as Roscoe Joyce<br/>

| season_article = Fringe (season 3)

"'''The Firefly'''" is the 10th [[List of Fringe episodes|episode]] and mid-season premiere of the [[Fringe (season 3)|third season]] of the American [[science fiction]] [[drama (film and television)|drama]] [[television program|television series]] ''[[Fringe (TV series)|Fringe]]'', and the 53rd episode overall. The episode centers on a chain of events created by [[Walter Bishop (Fringe)|Walter]]'s crossing over into the [[parallel universe (fiction)|parallel universe]] in 1985 that has had subtle but significant effects in the present. [[Christopher Lloyd]] guest-starred as retired rocker Roscoe Joyce.

As the first episode in its new Friday time slot, "The Firefly" aired on January 21, 2011, in the United States to 4.88 million viewers, outperforming the previous episode "[[Marionette (Fringe)|Marionette]]" Thursday night viewership by 18%. [[Time shifting|Time shifted]] viewership added 42% in its ratings. It received generally positive reviews, with many praising the storyline as "elegant" and "beautiful."

"The Firefly" was co-written by co-showrunners [[J.H. Wyman]] and [[Jeff Pinkner]],<ref name="ew review"/> while being directed by ''[[Supernatural (U.S.American TV series)|Supernatural]]'' veteran [[Charles Beeson (director)|Charles Beeson]]. On October 20, 2010, ''[[TV Guide]]'' announced that ''[[Back to the Future]]'' star [[Christopher Lloyd]] had been cast in an upcoming episode as "Walter's musical hero".<ref name=tvguide/> Noble explained Lloyd's role: "We all know how much Walter loves music, right? Well this fellow was one of his icons. He adored this man. So Walter gets to be a bit of a fanboy". Lloyd began shooting the episode in late October.<ref name=tvguide>{{Cite web | url = http://www.tvguide.com/News/Exclusive-Fringe-gets-1024542.aspx |title = Exclusive: Fringe gets a Back to the Future Shock! |first = Damian|last = Holbrook|date = 2010-10-20 |accessdateaccess-date= 2011-02-02 |work = [[TV Guide]]}}</ref> Soon before the episode aired, Lloyd told reporters "I was very excited for this role. My character is going through an experience he never expected to happen to him, and he's adjusting to that." Lloyd also added he felt welcomed in as a part of the ensemble cast.<ref>{{Cite web | url = http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/21/christopher-lloyd-enters-the-world-of-fringe/ | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120721141129/http://marquee.blogs.cnn.com/2011/01/21/christopher-lloyd-enters-the-world-of-fringe/ | url-status = dead | archive-date = July 21, 2012 |title = Christopher Lloyd enters the world of 'Fringe' |first = Henry|last = Hanks|date = 2011-01-21|accessdateaccess-date= 2011-02-02 |publisher= [[CNN]]}}</ref> In a conference call interview with journalists, John Noble explained that "probably the best fun that I've had [on Fringe] was doing the stuff with Chris Lloyd, because it was two crazy old guys just trying desperately to communicate with each other. We had a lot of laughs. There was a common thread of trying to find the music again, because Chris' character had forgotten how to play the piano, so we go through this journey of bringing the music back to him, and [it's a] thrill to Walter. This happens all the way through this very complicated episode".<ref>{{Cite web | url = http://blastr.com/2011/01/john-noble-spills-behind-.php |title = John Noble spills behind-the-scenes secrets about tonight's Fringe |first = Kathie|last = Huddleston|date = 2011-01-21 |accessdateaccess-date= 2011-02-01 |publisher= [[Blastr]]}}</ref>

The band name of Lloyd's character Roscoe Joyce, "Violet Sedan Chair," is a fictional band that Walter Bishop had mentioned the previous season, in the episode [[Grey Matters (Fringe)|Grey Matters]]. J.J. Abrams had also named-dropped the fictional band two years earlier in an issue of ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'' for which he had guest-edited, alluding to the band's album, ''Seven Suns'', recorded in the 1970s.<ref>{{Cite web | url = https://www.wired.com/entertainment/music/magazine/17-05/pl_music | title = Musical Mystery Tour: Messages Embedded in Your Favorite Album | first = Brian | last = Rafferty | date = 2009-04-20 | accessdateaccess-date= 2011-01-24 | work = [[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] }}</ref><ref name="wired sevensuns">{{cite web | url = https://www.wired.com/underwire/2011/01/fringe-violet-sedan-chair/ | title = See Fringe’sFringe's Faux Vinyl Artifact, Seven Suns By Violet Sedan Chair | first = Hugh | last = Hart | date = 2011-01-21 | accessdateaccess-date = 2011-01-24 | work = [[Wired (magazine)|Wired]] }}</ref> Several months prior to the broadcast of "The Firefly", a number of [[vinyl record]]s of ''Seven Suns'' were shipped to a select number of independent record stores across the United States, which have been discovered by some people.<ref name="wired sevensuns"/><ref>{{Cite web | url = http://www.tvline.com/2011/01/fringe-spoilers-violet-sedan-chair/ | title = Exclusive: Fringe Spoilers, But There's a Twist… | first = Michael| last = Ausiello| date = 2011-01-06 | accessdateaccess-date= 2011-03-31 | publisher= [[TV LineTVLine]]}}</ref> The album does contain twelve songs in the style of psychedelic and folk.<ref name="wired sevensuns"/> The album itself has been briefly shown in the series.<ref name="ew review"/>

As with other ''Fringe'' episodes,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://soinc.org/fringe |title=TV Show "Fringe" on Fox Partners with Science Olympiad |publisher=[[Science Olympiad]] |accessdateaccess-date=2011-07-19}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/News/Fringe-Unveils-Science-1025461.aspx |title=Fringe Unveils Science Sites |first=Damian |last=Holbrook |work=[[TV Guide]] |date=2010-11-11|accessdateaccess-date=2011-07-07}}</ref> Fox released a science lesson plan in collaboration with [[Science Olympiad]] for grade school children, focusing on the science seen in "The Firefly", with the intention of having "students learn about pharmacology and the interactions that occur between a living organism and chemicals that affect normal or abnormal biochemical functions."<ref>{{Cite press release |url=http://www.fox.com/fringe/_ugc/images/science/3.10_The_Science_of_Fringe_The_Firefly.pdf |title=The Science of Fringe: Exploring Pharmacology |publisher=[[Fox Broadcasting Company]] |accessdateaccess-date=2011-07-19 |deadurlurl-status=yesdead |archiveurlarchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110206170639/http://www.fox.com/fringe/_ugc/images/science/3.10_The_Science_of_Fringe_The_Firefly.pdf |archivedatearchive-date=2011-02-06 |df= }}</ref>

Walter explains that the red and blue sunglasses he uses in order to see Roscoe Joyce's aura were sent to him by his friend, Doctor Jacoby from Washington State. This is a reference to the television series ''[[Twin Peaks]]'', set in Washington State where Doctor [[List of characters in Twin Peaks#Lawrence Jacoby|Lawrence Jacoby]] is the local psychiatrist who also owns a pair of the same sunglasses.<ref name="ign review"/><ref>{{Cite web | url = http://www.pinkraygun.com/2011/01/24/fringe-the-firefly/ | title = Fringe: The Firefly | first = Rhea | last = Dee | date = 2011-01-24 | accessdateaccess-date = 2011-01-25 | work = Pinkraygun.com | deadurlurl-status = yesdead | archiveurlarchive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110127131503/http://www.pinkraygun.com/2011/01/24/fringe-the-firefly/ | archivedatearchive-date = 2011-01-27 | df = }}</ref> Reviewers also contrasted the casting of Christopher Lloyd, better known for his role of the scientist [[Emmett Brown|"Doc" Brown]] from the [[Back to the Future (franchise)|''Back to the Future'' trilogy]] which took place in 1985, to that of a character involved with time travel involving the year 1985.<ref name="avclub review"/> Some journalists have speculated that the episode's title was in reference to [[Joss Whedon]]'s ''[[Firefly (TV series)|Firefly]]'' series, which while critically acclaimed was cancelled mid-season after being scheduled in the [[Friday night death slot]].<ref name="ew review"/><ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/12/09/inside-joke-as-first-friday-episode-of-fringe-is-entitled-fir/ | title = Inside Joke as First Friday Episode of 'Fringe' is Entitled 'Firefly' | first = Catherine| last = Lawson | date = 2010-12-09 | accessdateaccess-date = 2011-01-28 | work = [[TV Squad]] }}</ref> However, though "The Firefly" was the first ''Fringe'' episode to be first aired in the new Friday night slot, the producer had already selected the title of the episode prior to the Fox Network rescheduling.<ref name=ew1>{{cite web | url = http://insidetv.ew.com/2010/12/09/fringe-exclusive-marionette-parallel-world/ | title = 'Fringe' exclusive: The producers on tonight's new episode, the future of the parallel world storyline, and the move to Friday | first = Jeff | last = Jensen | date = 2010-12-09 | accessdateaccess-date = 2011-01-25 | work = [[Entertainment Weekly]] }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Salem|first=Rob|title=Salem: Life beyond the Fringe |url=https://www.thestar.com/article/929321--salem-life-beyond-the-fringe |newspaper=[[Toronto Star]] |date=2011-01-27 |accessdateaccess-date=2011-01-28 }}</ref>

In November 2010, Fox announced that ''Fringe'' was being moved to Friday nights as a part of the network's midseason overhaul, to air after the fourth season of their reality series ''[[Kitchen Nightmares]]''. The move meant that ''Fringe'' would be airing against ''Supernatural'', a show with a similar [[science fiction]] genre, though this competition did not begin until ''Fringe''{{'}}s third Friday episode "[[Concentrate and Ask Again]]".<ref>{{cite web | url = http://tv.ign.com/articles/113/1135956p1.html |title = Fringe's Scary New Timeslot |first = Eric|last = Goldman|date = 2011-11-19|accessdateaccess-date= 2011-02-02 |website= [[IGN]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url = http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/01/27/cw-pushes-smallville-supernatural-well-just-a-week/ |title = CW pushes 'Smallville,' 'Supernatural' -- Here's why |first = James|last =Hibberd |date = 2011-01-27|accessdateaccess-date= 2011-02-02 |work = [[Entertainment Weekly]]}}</ref> Fox's popular reality series ''[[American Idol]]'' took ''Fringe''{{'}}s timeslot, as it was shifted a day later to Wednesdays and Thursdays.<ref name=ew1/> Executive producer J.H. Wyman stated in an interview that they were excited and believed Friday nights are "open territory that can be conquered... [We believe] we can actually deliver like ''[[The X-Files]]'' did. ... I think we both agree it's a good opportunity". Wyman elaborated that the show's high DVR numbers proved that though fans were watching the show, they did not want to do so on Thursdays. Co-executive producer Jeff Pinkner felt that if the show "can build a fan base on and carve out some territory on Friday night, we can be there for years".<ref>{{Cite web | url = http://blastr.com/2010/12/fringe-producers-why-the.php | title = Fringe producers: Why our move to Fridays is a GOOD thing | first = Kathie | last = Huddleston | date = 2011-12-02 |accessdate access-date = 2011-02-08 | publisher = [[Blastr]] | archive-date = 2012-09-08 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120908165826/http://blastr.com/2010/12/fringe-producers-why-the.php | url-status = dead }}</ref>

The episode was originally going to air on January 28 until it was moved to a week earlier, on January 21 behind the season premiere of ''Kitchen Nightmares''.<ref>{{Cite web | url = http://weblogs.variety.com/on_the_air/2010/12/fringe-will-blast-to-the-friday-future-a-week-early.html?query=fringe |title = 'Fringe' will blast to the Friday future a week early |first = Michael|last = Schneider|date = 2010-12-08|accessdateaccess-date= 2011-02-02 |work = [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z2z2z248z5z8&ID=7331 |title="Fringe" Travels to New Night and Time Beginning Friday, January 21, on Fox |publisher=[[Fox Broadcasting Company]] |date=2010-12-08 |accessdateaccess-date=2011-12-28 |deadurlurl-status=yesdead |archiveurlarchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312210155/http://www.foxflash.com/div.php/main/page?aID=1z2z2z248z5z8 |archivedatearchive-date=2012-03-12 |df= }}</ref> "The Firefly" was the first ''Fringe'' episode to broadcast in its Friday slot, and many journalists considered the pending viewership numbers critical for the future of the show. The episode was the most watched show of the night, earning a 1.9/6 share or about 4.88 million viewers in the 18–49 age group. This figure was slightly higher than the average viewership for ''Fringe'' in the first half of the 2010-2011 television season, and 18% higher than the previous episode, "[[Marionette (Fringe)|Marionette]]".<ref>{{cite web | url = http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/01/22/tv-ratings-friday-fringe-premieres-up/79750 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110124071745/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/01/22/tv-ratings-friday-fringe-premieres-up/79750 | url-status = dead | archive-date = 2011-01-24 | title = Updated TV Ratings Friday: 'Fringe' Premieres Up, 'Medium' Series Finale Rises, 'Kitchen Nightmares' Starts Well | first = Bill | last = Gorman | date = 2011-01-22 | accessdateaccess-date = 2011-01-22 | publisher = [[TV by the Numbers]] }}</ref> When [[time shifting|time shifted]] viewership over the following three days is considered, the episode received a 42% ratings increase with a 2.7 rating share,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/01/26/fringe-friday-ratings-dvr/ | title = 'Fringe' Friday ratings spike thanks to DVR | first = James | last = Hibberd | date = 2011-01-26 | accessdateaccess-date = 2011-01-26 | work = [[Entertainment Weekly]] }}</ref> and within 7 days after its airing, reported a total of 6.7 million viewers with 2.8 rating, representing a 37% increase from the live broadcast.<ref>{{Cite web | url = http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/02/07/live7-dvr-ratings-modern-family-outsourced-hawaii-five-0-top-weeks-rankings/81729 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110209072632/http://tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com/2011/02/07/live7-dvr-ratings-modern-family-outsourced-hawaii-five-0-top-weeks-rankings/81729 | url-status = dead | archive-date = 2011-02-09 | title = Live+7 DVR Ratings: 'Modern Family,' 'Outsourced,' 'Hawaii Five-0' Top Week's Rankings | first = Bill | last = Gorman | date = 2011-02-07 | accessdateaccess-date= 2011-02-07 | publisher = [[TV by the Numbers]] }}</ref> ''Fringe'' and its lead-in show, ''[[Kitchen Nightmares]]'', resulted in Fox's highest rated Friday night with entertainment programs since 2008.<ref>{{cite web | url =http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/01/22/fringe-friday-ratings/ |title = 'Fringe' makes Friday debut, doesn't drop in ratings! | first = James | last = Hibberd | date = 2011-01-22 | accessdateaccess-date = 2011-01-30 | work = [[Entertainment Weekly]] }}</ref>

"The Firefly" was well received by critics who considered the episode to be backed by a strong script. Ken Tucker of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' considered "The Firefly" as one of the series' "finest episodes",<ref name="ew review">{{Cite web | url = http://watching-tv.ew.com/2011/01/21/fringe-firefly-season-3-episode-10/ | title = The return of 'Fringe' recap: 'The Firefly' glowed with love, loss, and Christopher Lloyd |first = Ken| last = Tucker | date= 2011-01-21 | accessdateaccess-date= 2011-01-25 | work = [[Entertainment Weekly]] }}</ref> calling on the show's many qualities:

{{QuoteBlockquote|The pull of family; the knotty complexity of romance; the way sci-fi can provide fresh metaphors for the most frequently explored ideas and emotions; the way we encounter humor and surprise even in the midst of anguish and regret — this is the stuff of which ''Fringe'' is made.|Ken Tucker, ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''<ref name="ew review"/>}}

[[The A.V. Club]]'s Zack Handlen rated the episode an "A" in considering the "elegance" of the complicated [[Rube Goldberg]]-like plot, and praised the "beautiful, beautiful writing" in the reveal of the connection between Walter's actions and Roscoe's loss.<ref name="avclub review">{{cite news | url = httphttps://www.avclub.com/articles/fringe-the-firefly,50333/-1798167027 | title = The Firefly | first = Zack | last = Handlen | date = 2011-01-21 | accessdateaccess-date = 2011-01-25 | newspaper = [[The A.V. Club]] }}</ref> ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]''{{'}}s James Poniewozik also enjoyed the elegant plot, calling the episode "an impressive outing for the series to welcome back its fans with"; Poniewozik also appreciated John Noble's performance as he "made Walter's regret, and the toll it has taken, real—while also pulling off an amusing turn as an overawed, elderly rock fanboy".<ref name="time reivewreview">{{Cite web | url = httphttps://tunedin.blogsentertainment.time.com/2011/01/24/fringe-watch-the-firefly-effect/ | title = Fringe Watch: The Firefly Effect | first = James | last = Poniewozik | work = [[Time (magazine)|Time]] | date= 2011-01-24 | accessdateaccess-date = 2011-01-25 }}</ref>

Andrew Hanson of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', though somewhat confused to the cause-and-effect of the Observer's plot, he still found the show enjoyable, and called it "the ''Fringe'' version of the [[butterfly effect]]", a trope often used in other shows to show the impact of small changes in the characters' lives.<ref name="latimes review">{{cite web | url = http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/showtracker/2011/01/fringe-recap-walter-broke-up-the-band.html | title = ‘Fringe’'Fringe' recap: Walter broke up the band | first = Andrew | last = Hansen | date= 2011-01-22 | accessdateaccess-date = 2011-01-25 | work = [[Los Angeles Times]] }}</ref> [[IGN]]'s Ramsey Isler gave the episode a rating of 7.5/10, stating that was "an important part of the setup for the second half of the season" with strong character development, but felt the pacing was slow and needed more action.<ref name="ign review">{{cite web | url = http://tv.ign.com/articles/114/1145554p1.html | title = Fringe: "The Firefly" Review | date= 2011-01-23 | accessdateaccess-date = 2011-01-25 | website = [[IGN]] | first = Ramsey | last = Isler }}</ref> ''[[Television Without Pity]]'' graded the episode a "B+".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/fringe/the_firefly.php |title=A Little Less Observation, a Little More Action |publisher=[[Television Without Pity]] |first=Daniel |last=MacEachern |date=2011-01-23 |accessdateaccess-date=2011-01-25 |deadurlurl-status=yesdead |archiveurlarchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110125105301/http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/fringe/the_firefly.php |archivedatearchive-date=January 25, 2011 }}</ref> ''The A.V. Club'' staff highlighted the episode in their review of the best television shows of 2011.<ref>{{cite web | url =httphttps://www.avclub.com/articles/best-tv-of-2011,66838/-1798231399 | title =Best TV of 2011 |author=TV Club staff | work= [[The A.V. Club]] | date = 2011-12-21 | accessdateaccess-date = 2012-01-23 }}</ref>

At the [[63rd Primetime Emmy Awards]], John Noble submitted "The Firefly", along with "[[Entrada (Fringe)|Entrada]]" and "[[The Day We Died]]", for consideration in the [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series|Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category]], but did not receive a nomination.<ref name=goldderby>{{Cite web|url=http://www.goldderby.com/cms/view/78 |title=Emmys 2011: Drama Acting Episode Submissions |publisher=Gold Derby Inc. |last= |first= |access-date= |accessdate=2011-07-19 |deadurlurl-status=yesdead |archiveurlarchive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110718154837/http://www.goldderby.com/cms/view/78 |archivedatearchive-date=2011-07-18 |df= }}</ref><ref name=ewemmys>{{Cite web|url=http://insidetv.ew.com/2011/07/14/emmy-nominations-2011/ |title=Emmy nominations 2011: 'Boardwalk Empire,' 'Game of Thrones' score drama series nods |work=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |last=Hibberd |first= James |date=2011-07-14 |accessdateaccess-date=2011-07-19}}</ref>

[[Category:Fringe (season 3) episodes]]