Inner Child

Season 1, Episode 15, Aired
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Olivia makes a bond with a mysterious child that was living alone underground. Meanwhile, a serial killer reemerges.
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Fan Episode Reviews (14)

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  • Interesting case

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By lost, Feb 20, 2012
    This episode was about a mysterious bald boy who was found in a basement that had been sealed for 70 years. It was a really interesting case and the boy had a close connection with Olivia, which made things more interesting. But unfortunately, this episode didn't have anything to do with the main story. It was definitely better than most of the filler type episodes (which are still entertaining). And this episode had a cool ending with the Observer. I really liked this episode but Fringe still needs to get on with the main story.moreless

  • The Mysterious boy.

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By becksdakex, Sep 24, 2011
    This week a little bald, pale boy is found living in a creepy cellar that has been closed off for 70 years. The fringe group meets him and the boy and Olivia connects in a special way. The boy doesn't eat or talk but he helps Olivia solve a serial killer case, writing down names and locations upside down. Turns out that the fringe group isn't alone in their interest for the boy, CIA want's to take him to a special facility and use him as some sort of lab rat.We hear the CIA agent talk on the phone, saying "we found another one". Olivia doesn't like this at all. With the help of a doctor and Broyles she makes sure that the CIA can't get to him, sending him off to "a nice family". In the end we see the boy locking eyes with The Observer who then walks away.
    The mystery of the boy isn't explained for us in this episode which is a big disappointment for me. It's pretty obvious from the start that he is a little observer. As we seen in previous episodes, they have special abilities and doesn't age, at least not as fast as humans do. I feel very disappointed that the fringe group didn't make a connection to The Observer, they are supposed to be super smart!?
    The serial killer was just a regular crazy person, someone you can find on every cop show out there, boring. Necessary for the little observer story but boring. Next time, more focus on the boy. I want to know more about the observers, maybe there's a bald mommy observer somewhere?? Who are they, where do the come from, why are they watching??
    Despite everything written above I really enjoyed this episode, the boy actor is very talented and I hope to see more of him in the future.
    PS. Olivia's niece is supposed to be 4 on the show!? She looks like my sister who just turned 7. Crazy.moreless

  • First one to watch from beginning to end

    8.0
    "Great"
    By OnePerCentClub, Sep 04, 2011
    I've tried to watch every episode of Fringe, but this is the one that has really caught my attention. The story about the boy being found underground was interesting.

    I liked the connection the boy had with Olivia. They seemed to work well together and I'm glad she was able to keep her promise to the child. The boy was very creepy, I even thought he was about to jump and bite whoever came too close to him.

    I still don't like Olivia that much. She lacks something, passion, charisma. However, Walter steals every scene. His comments are sometimes hilarious and he seems to live in his own world. It's also nice to see a show where you get to see the main characters' personal lives, in this case, Olivia's family.

    The end scene was creepy too. Who was that bald guy?moreless

  • Good episode, but more or less a filler type of episode.

    8.5
    "Great"
    By Dark_Davis, Oct 02, 2010
    Two cases in one episode, pretty good start, but early on in the episode I couldn't help but wonder if this was a filler to the main plot which was uncovered last episode. Turns out it was more or less a filler episode, but we do learn who the bald man possibly is. You know, the one who is at most pattern events in the background watching. Possibly he is also an N-path, but that wouldn't explain how he could be around for so long. I liked this episode, but seeing as how the last episode ended with such a big cliff hanger, this episode really felt out of place. Though, to some degree I have to admit, it makes sense, it's not always that people will figure out what happened right away, hence more cases before Olivia finds out what actually happened to Jones. But the least the writers could do is mention what happened last episode. Either way this was a good episode, but just not one of the best ones.moreless

  • For the most part, 'Inner Child' is a good example of what Fringe can achieve when thrust into 'stand alone' mode.

    8.5
    "Great"
    By screenagedkicks, Aug 08, 2010
    After the game-changing revelations of 'Ability', 'Inner Child's simple tale of the empath and the psycho initially feels a little underwhelming. There are no references to Massive Dynamic or ZFT and barely even a whiff of anything that advances the season-spanning narrative (no, I don't count Olivia's sister.. in fact, I'd rather not think about why she's still hanging around like a bad smell at all, thank you very much), other than the implication at episode end's that the child may be a younger Observer and hence, that the man we've seen at the scene of all the bizarre occurrences this season is probably not the sole weirdo of his kind. This is perhaps a little more significant than it may at first seem however, as the CIA agent's refusal to disclose any further knowledge as to how the child was in the sealed underground chamber hints that the agency had a part in orchestrating this, that the Observers are perhaps 'grown' in this way. I have to admit, I didn't see the connection, despite the glaring similarity in appearance and, as a result, this was somewhat satisfying. Not every episode has to be mythology-laden in order to succeed of course, and for the most part, 'Inner Child' is a good example of what Fringe can achieve when thrust into 'stand alone' mode. The Artist is a suitably macabre villain and is sensibly pushed to the background in favour of concentrating on the child who, let's face it, is a fascinating enigma, very well played (and that's saying something when you consider he doesn't have a single line). Olivia's bond with him is engagingly written and transposes onto the viewer. The only problem really is that we understand exactly what is going on about twenty minutes before the characters figure it out. Now, sure, dramatic irony is a perfectly valid narrative device but when it's unintentional, as here, it falls flat and frustrates rather than captivates. It's frustratingly obvious from the moment that the child writes his first upside down words that he has a connection to the killer and, more importantly, to Olivia, since it is only she that he reacts to. And then, much later, a 'revelatory' scene is presented in which Dunham realises that there is a connection and everyone acts as if it's the biggest shock since the Red Sox won the World Series, while the entire viewing audience mutters a collective, "well, duh". This is a problem that Fringe needs to rectify if it is to concentrate on 'curiosity of the week' instalments. Still, generally enjoyable and a fittingly intriguing return.moreless
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  • TRIVIA (4)

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    • As "The Child" began writing down the intersection of York /Glenway, he starts out by grasping the pen such that it is clenched between his middle and ring fingers. As the shot goes to a closeup of his hand, the pen is being held by the fingertips of his thumb, index and middle fingers. When the camera pulls back, he is clenching it again between his middle and ring fingers.

    • Trivia: Pete's confusion over the G.I. Joe figure is a clue to the revelation in the season finale, "There's More Than One of Everything."

    • Trivia: The Artist's first victim, Tattooed Girl, has on her left arm the image of a griffin-a creature with the body of a lion and the head of an eagle. This is a clue toward the next episode, "Unleashed."

    • Trivia: The Observer appears at the end on a sidewalk as the Child rides by.

  • QUOTES (8)

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    • Broyles: Dr. Bishop? Any thoughts? Walter: Perhaps. First I need a piece of special equipment. My turntable. Broyles: Is that some kind of lab equipment? Walter: No, no, a turntable. Record player. You enjoy music, don't you, Mr. Broyles? Well imagine the agony of having an extensive record collection and having no means to play it. Peter: The agony. Broyles: I'll have someone get right on it.

    • Walter: Unless you have an IQ higher than mine, I am not interested in what you think.

    • Peter: Walter. Olivia's here, she needs to talk to you. Walter! Walter: Could she come back later? I'm about to step in the bath. Peter: No, she can't come back later. It's the middle of the night. She needs to talk to you right now. Walter: (comes out of the bathroom) Honestly, Peter, can't a man get... Agent Dunham. Peter, why didn't you tell me Agent Dunham was here? Peter: I'm pretty sure I did.

    • Walter: Pheromones. Undetectable chemicals that nonetheless affect our behavior, our sex drive... Peter: (points to Walter's open bathrobe) Hey, speaking of sex drive... Walter: Oh, Peter, don't be such a prude. I'm sure Agent Dunham knows what a penis looks like. Don't you, Agent Dunham? Peter: My father, ladies and gentlemen.

    • Walter: My dear, there is much that is unexplained. Until it is. Peter: In short, he has no idea.

    • Olivia: Walter, the last time you used that thing, you drilled it into the guy's head. Walter: If you think he'll find it disagreeable... I suppose it could be modified. Peter: Really? You didn't think to mention that to the last guy?

    • Walter: After that, it's a simply a matter of synthesizing the impulses. Think of it as creating artificial vocal cords. Peter: Simple. Like making an omelet. Walter: Actually, son, a good omelet is far more complex, eh?

    • Walter: "Cannot Build Phallic Puzzles In The Lab"... Peter: What is he doing? Astrid: Mnemonics. You know, like a rhyme or phrase to help memory. Like, uh, HOMES stands for the Great Lakes. That's Huron... Peter: I'm familiar with that. Why is he doing it?

  • NOTES (3)

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    • Music: Love and Happiness (Al Green), You Fall To Pieces (The Shore)

    • International Airdates: Norway: April 19, 2009 on TVN United Kingdom: April 19, 2009 on Sky1/Sky1 HD Finland: May 11, 2009 on MTV3 Germany: July 6, 2009 on ProSieben Sweden: July 9, 2009 on Kanal 5 Belgium: July 16, 2009 on RTBF2 France: July 29, 2009 on TF1 Poland: December 17, 2009 on TVN Slovakia: January 24, 2010 on Markiza Czech Republic: March 26, 2010 on Nova Cinema

    • Blair Brown is credited but doesn't appear.

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