Television Review: Midnight (Fringe, S1x18, 2009)
Midnight (S01E18)
Airdate: 28 April 2009
Written by: J. H. Wyman & Andrew Kreisberg
Directed by: Bobby Roth
Running Time: 50 minutes
By the conclusion of Season 1, the creative team behind Fringe had unquestionably perfected their signature formula, demonstrating a remarkable ability to balance standalone weekly mysteries with the broader, season-long mythological arc. This evolution allowed the show to produce episodes that blurred the rigid boundaries between genres, effectively blending elements of horror, melodrama, and conspiracy thriller into a cohesive whole. Midnight is a quintessential example of this maturation, offering a self-contained narrative that enriches the show's lore while delivering a potent dose of atmospheric tension and character drama.
The narrative is anchored by a disturbing opening sequence featuring reports from the Boston local media regarding an exceptionally gruesome murder. These reports are largely ignored by Bob Dunn (Richard Short), a man whose good looks and predatory instincts allow him to treat nightclubs as his personal hunting grounds. There, he zeroes in on a woman (Trieste Dunn) and brings her back to his home, only to become the victim himself. His discovery is equally grotesque; his body is found mutilated in a manner suggesting that someone or something has viciously bitten and chewed his spine, draining him of his spinal fluid in the process, leaving behind a scene of baffling carnage.
Following the discovery of his body, bizarre circumstances warrant the arrival of Fringe Division. Walter Bishop examines the remains and the extracted fluid, uncovering traces of Treponema pallidum, the bacterium responsible for syphilis. What makes this finding particularly arresting is the specific strain identified; it is a variant that is considered extinct in the modern world. While the CDC maintains samples for research purposes, Fringe Division manages to trace this ancient strain back to Lubov Pharmaceuticals. The plot thickens further when Walter detects the presence of RUD-90, a substance previously used in a biological toxin designed to close the victims' orifices. This discovery firmly places Lubov Pharmaceuticals within the orbit of ZFT, the shadowy organisation, suggesting a deeper conspiracy than a simple murder.
The raid on the company’s residential address reveals a makeshift laboratory overseen by a solitary figure: Nicholas Boone (Jefferson Mays). Boone is a wheelchair-bound man caught in the act of performing bizarre experiments on dogs. When confronted by the FBI, he offers a plausible cover story, admitting a connection to ZFT but pleading for assistance to rescue his wife, who was allegedly abducted to ensure his silence. However, this is a calculated lie. Once the immediate threat of the raid subsides, Boone confesses the truth: his wife, Valerie, was not taken; rather, she was infected with a biological agent that renders her dependent on the spinal fluids of others to survive. She is, in essence, the creature stalking and killing men.
Walter, ever the eager scientist, agrees to help Boone find an antidote, delighted to have a fellow intellect in his lab. Meanwhile, Olivia Dunham races against time to intercept Valerie before she claims more lives. Nicholas explains the grim history of his condition: he became wheelchair-bound by voluntarily donating his own spinal fluid to Valerie, a sacrifice that temporarily quenched her insatiable thirst. Olivia and Peter track Valerie to the same nightclub where she first encountered Bob Dunn, eventually locating her, apprehending her, and administering a tranquiliser. In a poignant turn of events, Nicholas, having exhausted other options, tricks Walter into extracting a massive quantity of spinal fluid from him. He uses this as the key component for the antidote, sacrificing his life to save his wife. Later, Olivia discovers a pre-recorded video message from Boone confirming that ZFT has been funded by William Bell.
The writing, credited to J. H. Wyman and Andrew Kreisberg, deserves significant credit for its ability to manufacture suspense, largely through the effective deployment of deceptive red herrings. A prime example occurs during the episode's opening sequence, where Bob Dunn is initially set up as the predatory killer stalking women, only to meet a gruesome fate as the victim himself. This subversion keeps the audience guessing until the very end, offering a classic "whodunit" element that is rare in a show often focused on the "how".
Despite these narrative strengths, the general storyline remains relatively simple, relying on a limited cast of characters that creates a feeling of intimacy, effectively framing the episode as a chamber piece. While the episode touches upon important mythology aspects like ZFT and William Bell, these elements are discussed rather than visually demonstrated, which can feel somewhat passive for a show that often excels at "showing" rather than "telling". The lack of visual variety in the setting does make the episode feel somewhat contained.
Nevertheless, the episode benefits immensely from competent direction by television veteran Bobby Roth, particularly in the nightclub sequences. Roth manages to balance the requisite suspense with a surprising amount of dark humour, creating a vibrant atmosphere that contrasts sharply with the macabre subject matter. The lighting and camera work in these scenes help to sell the duality of the setting.
However, the undisputed greatest asset of Midnight is Jefferson Mays, who delivers a performance as the deceptive yet ultimately tragic Nicholas Boone that stands out as one of the season's most memorable. Mays goes through the character's duplicity with nuance, grounding the supernatural elements in a believable human desperation.
On the flip side, the episode suffers from unnecessary padding, most notably a side storyline involving Rachel Dunham and her ex-husband over a custody battle concerning Ella. This plotline serves primarily as a vehicle for Olivia to inquire about the similar personal struggles of Agent Broyles, functioning more as a contrivance to advance character moments than as a necessary component of the main narrative. It disrupts the pacing of what is otherwise a tight thriller.
Ultimately, Midnight succeeds on the strength of its atmosphere, its script, and its central performances, making it a very good episode of Fringe.
RATING: 7/10 (+++)
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