Television Review: The Cure (Fringe, S1x06, 2008)
The Cure (S01E06)
Airdate: 21 October 2008
Written by: Felicia D. Henderson & Brad Caleb Kane
Directed by: Bill Eagles
Running Time: 50 minutes
The sixth instalment of Fringe, The Cure, is another by-the-numbers competent but ultimately forgettable entry in the show's early stages. It adheres rigidly to the procedural formula that would define the series, offering little in the way of experimentation or deviation from the established blueprint. Rather than trying to hide its inspirations, the episode openly embraces its debt to The X-Files, presenting a narrative that feels like a safe, derivative exercise in fringe science mystery. While it scratches the itch for fans of the genre, it lacks the spark of originality that would later define the series' identity.
The episode attempts to hook the audience immediately with a spectacular cold open that pits ordinary people against the horrors of runaway fringe science. The setting is Holly’s Diner in Milford, Massachusetts, a place of mundane normalcy suddenly disrupted. After being dropped by men in hazmat suits onto the street, a confused woman (Maria Dizzia) stumbles inside, receiving help from sympathetic staff and patrons. However, the tension rapidly escalates as she suddenly becomes violently ill. The horror culminates when she causes those around her to bleed profusely before her own head explodes in a gruesome display of internal destruction. This sequence is viscerally effective, setting a high bar for the remainder of the episode.
Fringe Division arrives to investigate, instructed that they must approach the diner in hazmat suits due to radiation contamination. The victim is identified as Emily Kramer, a woman who had recently been suffering from a rare and degenerative autoimmune disease known as "Bellini's lymphocema." The investigation reveals that she had been missing for two weeks and had seemingly been miraculously cured just prior to her disappearance. A thorough autopsy and subsequent tests in Walter Bishop’s lab determine the grim truth: Emily had microscopic capsules in her blood that released radiation, effectively turning her internal system into a microwave oven that cooked her brain and anyone else she came into contact with.
Parallel to this investigation, Claire Williams (Marjan Neshat), another woman suffering from the same condition, has disappeared. Through questioning Claire’s husband, Ken (Robert Eli), and Emily’s doctor, Nadim Patel (Alok Tewari), Olivia Dunham uncovers that both women were involved in an experimental treatment linked to IntREPUS, a powerful pharmaceutical company. Patel is so scared that he commits suicide, but not before revealing the name of David Esterbrook (Chris Eigeman), the head of IntREPUS’s research programme. Esterbrook has such arrogant confidence in his political protection that he dismisses Olivia’s inquiries with disdain. Later, Agent Broyles chastises Olivia for her aggressive approach, highlighting the institutional friction within the FBI.
As the threat looms, Claire is revealed to be held in a laboratory run by Esterbrook’s associate, Elizabeth Sarnoff (Jane Kim), who is using her as a guinea pig to develop a new weapon. Olivia’s efforts to locate the lab are repeatedly blocked. However, Peter, in a quid pro quo deal with Nina Sharp involving his past dealings with indigenous land in South America, secures Massive Dynamic satellite data that pinpoints the lab's location. Olivia and an FBI tactical team stage a raid, arresting Elizabeth and rescuing Claire. The fallout is swift; Esterbrook is brought to a federal building for questioning, and the timing of the tip-off to the press causes IntREPUS stocks to plummet, delivering a swift corporate comeuppance.
These events conclude with Olivia’s birthday, providing a stark tonal shift from the high-octane action to intimate character drama. In a confessional moment, she opens up to Peter, revealing the depth of her trauma: she suffered abuse at the hands of her stepfather as a child. She confesses that, as a nine-year-old, she shot him with a gun. While he disappeared afterwards, he continues to send her birthday greetings, creating a hauntingly unresolved dynamic. This backstory is essential for grounding the character, providing the emotional weight that the procedural plot lacks.
Like many Fringe episodes, The Cure suffers from the cold open being significantly more intriguing and innovative than the rest of the narrative. The main mystery is resolved with little effort, the science is oversimplified and rather questionable, and the antagonists are formulaic and one-dimensional. Chris Eigeman’s performance as Esterbrook is particularly lacking, failing to provide any real menace beyond smugness. The conspiracy behind the scheme—that powerful pharmaceutical companies are using desperate victims as guinea pigs for unethical experiments—is not particularly believable when the villains do not attempt to hide their evil deeds and are easily traced. With exploding heads and yet another last-minute rescue, the episode edges dangerously close to self-parody.
The writers, Felicia D. Henderson and Brian Caleb Kane, attempt to compensate for the deficiencies of the main procedural storyline by injecting it with character exposition. The main protagonist, Olivia Dunham, is given a traumatic past, culminating in a fiery speech where she justifies her "emotional" actions against Esterbrook in front of Broyles. This is meant to establish her feminist credentials and her refusal to be bullied, yet it often feels like an explanatory crutch to excuse a plot that lacks logical coherence.
Fortunately, the episode finds a saving grace in its subplots. The secret deal between Nina Sharp and Peter serves to bring necessary complexity and moral ambiguity to the episode, preventing it from becoming a simple sermon against corporate maleficence. This complex dynamic generally works well, thanks in large part to the great work by Blair Brown and Joshua Jackson, who elevate the material with their chemistry and gravitas. Ultimately, The Cure is a solid, if unremarkable, piece of genre television that succeeds as a showcase for its established cast rather than as a standalone piece of storytelling.
RATING: 5/10 (++)
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