Television Review: The Ghost Network (Fringe, S1x03, 2008)

The Ghost Network (S01E03)

Airdate: 23 September 2008

Written by: David E. Goodman & J. R. Orci
Directed by: Frederick E. O. Toye

Running Time: 50 minutes

The creators of Fringe were acutely aware from the very earliest stages of development that their series would be living in the long shadow of *The X-Files?. The primary premise was almost a carbon copy of the hit show. To ensure that Fringe would not be dismissed as merely a cheap knock-off, the writers and producers made a decisive strategic choice: they would strip away the overt supernatural elements that defined the competition and instead attempt to ground every strange occurrence in pseudoscientific logic. They wanted to offer at least a plausible, empirical explanation for the paranormal, thereby creating a distinct intellectual identity for the show. Among the early offerings in this new direction, the third episode, The Ghost Network, is one of the more ingenious examples of this approach, managing to entertain while simultaneously laying down the conceptual groundwork for what would become the show's central mystery.

The episode opens with a cold open that skillfully manipulates the viewer's expectations, using the setting to immediately suggest a classic supernatural horror narrative. We are introduced to a clearly disturbed Catholic man (Zak Orth), who comes to a church to confess his sins. He speaks in hushed, terrified tones about visions that he believes are sent to him by the Devil, visions that haunt him relentlessly. One of these visions involves a scene of absolute terror unfolding on a bus. Just as the priest is listening, the scene cuts to a Boston transit bus, where a man in a suit (David Lansbury) boards the vehicle with a gas mask and a bottle of an unknown chemical agent. He manages to snatch a backpack from a female passenger (Mira Tzur), before unleashing the agent. When the police arrive at the scene some moments later, they are confronted with a grotesque tableau: all passengers are dead, their bodies encased in a thick, amber-like substance that has rapidly solidified around them. Meanwhile, back at the church, the man identified as "Roy" has left, having dropped a sketchbook on the pew. The drawing he leaves behind bears a striking, disturbing resemblance to the carnage he has just witnessed, serving as the initial breadcrumb for the investigation.

The Fringe Division is called in to investigate the incident, with Broyles immediately issuing a warning that similar events have been occurring in previous months, suggesting a systemic pattern rather than a random attack. It is quickly established that the female passenger was Evelyna Mendoza, an undercover DEA agent. Her boss, Grant Davidson (Peter Herman), fills the team in on the details of her recent operation against major drug smugglers. During her operation, Davidson reveals that Mendoza had heard whispers about something called "the Pattern"—a term that would become the show's central driving force. Simultaneously, the drawing found in the church provides a crucial tip that leads Fringe to track down "Roy" as Roy McComb. He is revealed to be an ordinary office worker who has recently begun to be haunted by visions of these violent events, much like the priest.

The team brings Roy to the laboratory, where Walter Bishop conducts a series of tests to understand the source of his visions. Walter finds that Roy, as a younger man, had volunteered in some of his earlier experiments related to the ability to allow humans to hear communications on special frequencies. It turns out that someone else has been hijacking these dormant frequencies and using them as part of a so-called "Ghost Network." Roy was inadvertently hearing these messages, his brain struggling to cope with the influx of data, which later manifested as vivid images. To test this theory, Walter subjects Roy to a dangerous replication of the experiment. Walter accidentally manages to catch some of the "Ghost Network" messages, specifically those related to a handover at South Station. This revelation sends Fringe Division rushing to the scene, where they find DEA Agent Davidson shot to death. He had apparently sold an object that had been surgically removed from Evelyna Mendoza's hand. The mysterious buyer is tracked down and pursued, but he dies tragically when he is hit by a bus. Fringe Division manages to secure the mysterious object, which is then handed to Broyles. As part of an ongoing mysterious quid pro quo deal, Broyles hands the object over to Nina Sharp at Massive Dynamic. On a more positive note for Roy, his connection to the Ghost Network has been compromised, allowing him to finally start living a normal life.

The script, written by Daniel R. Goodman and Roberto Orci, finds a rather ingenious way to devise a scientific explanation for psychic phenomena that would have been credible enough—at least for Hollywood standards. The concept is inspired by a classic urban legend suggesting that people can listen to radio programmes due to the magnetic properties of their dental fillings. While this might sound fantastical on the surface, in the context of the series it works remarkably well. It provides a tangible, if slightly esoteric, scientific framework that explains how the "Pattern" operates, offering the audience an interesting concept of a seemingly unbreakable communication channel used by an evil, mysterious conspiracy that might be behind the strange events.

Director Alex Graves, on the other hand, still feels the need to put as much strong, visceral visuals in the episode as possible to maintain a high production value. This is best seen in the actual bus attack sequence, where the villains deliberately use a grotesquely spectacular method to kill the passengers, turning a simple chemical attack into a visual spectacle of horror. Another standout moment of direction is the scene in which the unfortunate Roy discovers the magnetic properties of his blood when it is placed on a CRT scan. The sequence is tense and chaotic, with Roy having to end the procedure before his body literally explodes from the force of the magnetism, a visual gag that is both funny and terrifying.

"The Ghost Network" is notable as the first episode which puts a large deal of emphasis on a recurring character, a man who is portrayed with a great deal of sympathy rather than as a villain. Zak Orth has played the character Roy exceptionally well, bringing a vulnerability and genuine struggle to the role. His performance is partially inspired by the character of Roy Neary, who was also plagued by visions in Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi classic Close Encounters of the Third Kind. This parallel adds a layer of depth to Roy, transforming him from a plot device into a relatable human being caught in extraordinary circumstances.

The episode also allows for some extra multi-episode storylines to develop, keeping the narrative thread intact across the season. We see Olivia attending John Scott’s funeral, a poignant moment that underscores the personal cost of her work. Simultaneously, John's body is revealed to be kept in the premises of Massive Dynamic, hinting at the experimental treatments and secrets held by the company. Peter, on the other hand, is revealed to have issues with some shady and unpleasant people who have him tracked or harassed, apparently due to his past business dealings. This adds a layer of paranoia to his character, suggesting that he is not just an observer of the fringe, but also a man with his own complicated history.

Peter, on the other hand, provides one of the lighter moments of the episode when he plays a jazz standard, "Someone To Watch Over Me," on the piano. This was a rare opportunity for Joshua Jackson to display his real-life piano playing abilities, which adds a charming authenticity to the scene.

An interesting detail of the episode is the villains communicating over the Ghost Network in Latin. This brought some speculation among the fanbase about connections to Lost and the "Others" using a similar practice of secret languages. However, this detail was never properly explored or explained within the context of Fringe, remaining as a curious Easter egg that hinted at a deeper, perhaps esoteric, layer to the conspiracy.

The Ghost Network, despite its fast pace and the impression that it does not provide the audience with all the answers, is a very good episode that serves as a strong indicator of the series' trajectory. It shows that Fringe is likely to move in the right direction, balancing procedural mystery with character-driven drama and a solid scientific foundation for its fantastical elements.

RATING: 7/10 (+++)

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