Of Human Action
| "Of Human Action" | |
|---|---|
| Fringe episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 2 Episode 7 |
| Directed by | Joe Chappelle |
| Written by |
Glen Whitman Robert Chiappetta |
| Production code | 3X5107 |
| Original air date | November 12, 2009 |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
|
|
"Of Human Action" is the seventh episode of the second season of the science fiction/crime series Fringe, and the 27th episode overall. The episode followed a case involving the apparent kidnapping of the son of a scientist working for biotechnology corporation Massive Dynamic, leading the Fringe team to deal with the repercussions of mind control.
The episode was written by the staff-writing team of Glen Whitman and Robert Chiappetta, and was directed by executive producer Joe Chappelle. It first aired in the United States on November 12, 2009 to an estimated 5.89 million viewers. It received generally positive reviews, as multiple critics praised the story despite its characterization as a "standalone" episode.
In Queens, New York, police chase a sedan driven through a parking garage by two men keeping a teenage boy named Tyler Carson (Cameron Monaghan) in the backseat. Police officers surround the car and draw their weapons, demanding that the men exit the car. They do, and Tyler stays in his seat. Without explanation, one of the officers walks backwards to the parking ramp and jumps to his death. Another officer shoots her two remaining co-workers, then herself. The kidnappers' crime spree continues on the road. One of them, Hickey (John Tench), demands that a convenience store clerk hand over all his cash. Another customer tries to intervene, but then takes a pot of hot coffee, pours the coffee over his own head, and beats himself with the pot. The cashier then electrocutes himself.
Examining the policewoman who shot herself, Walter (John Noble) concludes that she was the victim of mind control rather than hypnosis. Theorizing that the mind control works on an auditory basis, he develops a method of combating the effects through the use of white noise. The tactical team led by Olivia (Anna Torv) traces the kidnappers—both of them car salesmen with no serious criminal record—to a warehouse. One of them drives the car through a large door, but is burnt in the explosion when the car flips. Olivia gets the drop on the surviving kidnapper, who points a gun at his own chin and begs for her help. Peter (Joshua Jackson), wearing headphones that broadcast Walter's white noise, follows the ransom payment. It leads him to Tyler, who says, "You can take off those stupid headphones. They won't work."
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