"Making Angels" is the eleventh episode of the fourth season of the

Fox Foxes are small-to-medium-sized omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull; upright, triangular ears; a pointed, slightly upturned snout; and a long, bushy tail ("brush"). Twelve species ...

science-fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, sp ...

drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...

television series ''

Fringe Fringe may refer to: Arts and music * "The Fringe", or Edinburgh Festival Fringe, the world's largest arts festival * Adelaide Fringe, the world's second-largest annual arts festival * Fringe theatre, a name for alternative theatre * Purple fri ...

'', and the series' 76th episode overall. The alternate Agent Farnsworth grants herself permission to cross over to the prime universe in order to visit Astrid and learn about her past after her father's death. In the investigation, a former MIT professor uses his talents, along with borrowed technology, to intercede in the lives of those destined for a life of suffering. Meanwhile, the Observers monitor the entire affair and learn of the failed intervention of one of their own. The episode was co-written by

Akiva Goldsman Akiva Goldsman (born July 7, 1962) is an American screenwriter, producer, and director. Goldsman's filmography as a screenwriter includes ''The Client (1994 film), The Client''; ''Batman Forever'' and its sequel ''Batman & Robin (film), Batman ...

J.H. Wyman Joel Howard "J. H." Wyman (born January 5, 1967) is a film and TV producer, screenwriter, director and musician. He is best known for his work on the Fox science fiction shows ''Fringe'' and '' Almost Human'', and wrote and produced the films ' ...

, and

Jeff Pinkner Jeff Pinkner (born November 16, 1964) is an American television and movie writer and producer. Early life and education Born to a Jewish family,Charles Beeson directed the hour. It received generally positive reviews, with the performance of

Jasika Nicole Jasika Nicole is an American actress and illustrator from Birmingham, Alabama. She is known for her role as Agent Astrid Farnsworth on the Fox series ''Fringe''. She has guest-starred in ''Scandal'' as Kim Muñoz. She starred as Carly Lever, the ...

, depiction of

autism Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by differences or difficulties in social communication and interaction, a preference for predictability and routine, sensory processing d ...

from the alternate incarnation of the character, which Nicole based on her sister, the development of Astrid which was considered long over-due and the interactions between Walter and Fauxlivia.

Plot

The parallel universe's Astrid Farnsworth (

) recently had her father die; as she has

Asperger syndrome Asperger syndrome (AS), also known as Asperger's syndrome or Asperger's, is a diagnostic label that has historically been used to describe a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant difficulties in social interaction and no ...

, she concludes the only person she can talk to is herself, and discreetly crosses over through the Machine Room bridge to meet with the prime universe's version of Astrid (Nicole). After a bit of initial surprise and discovery, the parallel version of Astrid explains that her father was aloof and distant to her special needs, and the prime Astrid admits the same, but implies she found a way to deal with them. When parallel Astrid's disappearance is discovered in the parallel universe, Colonel Broyles (

Lance Reddick Lance Solomon Reddick (June 7, 1962 – March 17, 2023) was an American actor. He portrayed Cedric Daniels in ''The Wire'' (2002–2008), List of Fringe characters#Phillip Broyles, Phillip Broyles in ''Fringe (TV series), Fringe'' (2008–201 ...

) sends Fauxlivia (

Anna Torv Anna Torv (born 7 June 1979) is an Australian actress. Her performance as Olivia Dunham in the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox science fiction series ''Fringe (TV series), Fringe'' (2008–2013) earned her four consecutive Saturn Award for Best A ...

) across to escort her back. When she arrives, Walter (

John Noble John Noble (born 20 August 1948) is an Australian actor. He is best known for his roles as Denethor in ''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy (2001–2003), and Dr. Walter Bishop in the Fox science fiction series '' Fringe'' (2008–2013). ...

) is initially bitter about her arrival, recalling her deceitful tactics she used to earn his trust when she was sent to take the prime Olivia's (Torv) place, but he soon warms up to her, and they share a number of questionably pleasant memories during that time. Meanwhile, the prime universe's Fringe team learns of the death of a man who had just learned that he only had a short time to live due to cancer; his death was not natural, however, instead caused by a toxic aerosol spray that leaves him with bloody tears, giving him the appearance of the "Tears of Ra". Walter identifies the poison as something that could not have been developed by technology in either universe. They are alerted to another man, Jared (G. Michael Grey), who had just survived a car accident that left him paraplegic. Jared explains about a man that claimed he could see past, present, and future, and wanted to save Jared from suffering as a paraplegic by killing him before the accident; instead Jared ran, scared, into the accident himself. With information from Jared and help from the parallel version of Astrid, they recognize their man as a TSA agent at the airport who had cleared all his victims prior. When Peter and Olivia approach him, he evades capture. Olivia and Peter (

Joshua Jackson Joshua Carter Jackson (born June 11, 1978) is an American and Canadian actor. He is known for his portrayals of Pacey Witter on The WB's teen drama ''Dawson's Creek'' (1998–2003), Peter Bishop in the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox science fic ...

) learn their murderer is Neil ( Chin Han), a former professor from

MIT The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of modern technology and sc ...

. A colleague there explains that, after spending a period of time at his lake house, Neil became fascinated by a series of high-level equations, ignoring work duties to study them and eventually abandoning his position. The two become concerned when they learn the lake house was on Reiden Lake, where, in this timeline, Walter had unsuccessfully tried to bring the parallel universe's version of Peter back over, and where Peter had reappeared within this timeline. At the lake house, they learn that Neil survived a car accident as a child that took his father and brother. Realizing Neil's mother is still alive, the two descend on her home, and find Neil there. Neil explains to his mother that, shortly after the accident, he had overheard her claiming that God took the wrong son, and has been trying to act as a savior to prove her wrong. As the Fringe team bursts into the home, Neil recounts that angels don't belong on earth, and fires a gunshot towards Olivia, upon which she returns fire and kills him. As the scene is cleared up, Olivia realizes that Neil had purposely missed her to get her to kill him, since he would not have become an angel if he had taken his own life. The parallel versions of Astrid and Olivia soon return to their universe after warm goodbyes; the prime universe's Astrid is shown returning home into the welcoming arms of her father (Blu Mankuma), despite what she had told her doppelganger. At Neil's mother's home, two Observers, including December, locate Neil's safe and find a glowing blue tube, containing the aerosol formula. They recognize the tube as belonging to September, apparently lost when he had unsuccessfully tried to save Peter at Reiden Lake in 1985. December learns that Peter has reappeared in this timeline.

Production

"Making Angels" was co-written by co-showrunners

Jeff Pinkner Jeff Pinkner (born November 16, 1964) is an American television and movie writer and producer. Early life and education Born to a Jewish family,J.H. Wyman Joel Howard "J. H." Wyman (born January 5, 1967) is a film and TV producer, screenwriter, director and musician. He is best known for his work on the Fox science fiction shows ''Fringe'' and '' Almost Human'', and wrote and produced the films ' ...

, and consulting producer

. ''

Supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...

'' veteran Charles Beeson directed the installment, his fourth ''Fringe'' directing credit (his other episodes being "

Jacksonville Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...

", " The Firefly", and "

Stowaway A stowaway or clandestine traveller is a person who secretly boards a vehicle, such as a ship, an aircraft, a train, cargo truck or bus. Sometimes, the purpose is to get from one place to another without paying for transportation. In other c ...

").

Reception

Ratings

"Making Angels" was first broadcast on February 3, 2012, in the United States on Fox. An estimated 3.20 million viewers watched the episode, marking a slight decrease from the previous episode, but still remained one of the most viewed episodes of the season.

Reviews

The episode received generally positive reviews, with many praising Nicole's performance and the focus on Astrid's character, which was deemed long overdue. Noel Murray of ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...

'' gave "Making Angels" a grade of "A-," though he felt it "suffered in comparison" to the season three episode "

The Plateau Le Plateau-Mont-Royal () is a borough (''arrondissement'') of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The borough takes its name from its location on a plateau, on the eastern side of Mount Royal and overlooking downtown Montreal, across its south ...

." Murray particularly praised Nicole's portrayal of the alternate Astrid and her depiction of Alternate Astrid, dubbed "Austrid"'s mannerisms, but he was "mildly dismayed" that the storyline concluded with the alternate Astrid wondering if her father loved her, as experiencing love was a common trope in stories with autistic characters. He wondered how some of the events mentioned fit into the larger story arc, but found that the episode "offers its own refutation for those who get frustrated trying to figure out what's what." '' SFX'' reviewer Richard Edwards awarded the episode four and a half out of five stars, calling it "a cracker of an episode." He was positive toward the character-driven developments of Astrid and Walter, and although the concept of seeing the future had been used recently, he found the case of the week to still be interesting. Writing for ''

The Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper in the U.S. and the larges ...

'', Andrew Hanson stated that the episode "practically pandered to everything I love this week," but felt that it did not quite work because Astrid and Neil's stories were disconnected although "enthralling." He preferred the Astrid story, writing that although Neil's story "started out strong," it faltered by the end. Jeff Jensen of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' praised the drama and described the race to find Neil as "compelling." He also enjoyed the impact that the other Astrid and Fauxlivia made on the prime universe characters. In a 2013 list,

Den of Geek ''Den of Geek'' is a UK and US-based website covering entertainment with a focus on pop culture. The website also issues a biannual magazine. History ''Den of Geek'' was founded in 2007 by Simon Brew in London. In 2012, DoG Tech LLC licensed ' ...

ranked the episode as the sixth best episode of the entire series, highlighting its use of Astrid and Jasika Nicole's performance as "note-perfect."

References

External links

"Making Angels"
at Fox.com * {{Fringe (TV series) 2012 American television episodes Fringe season 4 episodes Television episodes written by Akiva Goldsman