Unleashed (S01E16)
Airdate: 24 February 2009
Written by: Zack Wheddon & J. R. Orci
Directed by: Brad Anderson
Running Time: 50 minutes
The first season of Fringe established itself as a compelling blend of procedural mystery and sprawling mythology, yet, generally speaking, the episodes dedicated to the overarching narrative tended to outweigh those devoted to standalone Monster of the Week cases. While many of these standalone episodes struggled to find a unique identity or sustain tension, one particular entry stands out as a definitive classic. Unleashed not only delivers a plethora of memorable moments but also presents one of the most formidable monsters depicted on US broadcast television at the time, effectively holding its own against the heavy hitters of the horror genre.
The episode opens with a deceivingly calm picture of domestic bliss within Olivia’s apartment. As she picks up the phone to speak with Peter, she is preoccupied with mundane details before realising he is calling for her sister, Rachel. The scene feels like a momentary pause in the chaos of her life, anchored by Olivia reading a bedtime story about bears and monsters to Ella. The little girl innocently asks, "Monsters aren't real, right?" It is a question that lingers, serving as a thematic foreshadowing of the horrors that are about to manifest, a stark contrast to the comfort of the domestic setting.
The answer to Ella’s question arrives abruptly for a group of four young and radical animal rights activists who break into a research laboratory to liberate animals. This inciting incident mirrors the opening of Danny Boyle’s (2002), where a similar group of activists raids a facility and releases a captive chimp, setting off a chain reaction of death and destruction. In Unleashed, the activists manage to open a door containing another animal, only to witness a man being violently taken by a massive, unseen force. In a tragic repetition of the events in 28 Days Later, one activist is taken, and the remaining three attempt to flee in a car. The creature, having apparently developed a hook for vehicles, causes them to skid off the road, leaving the occupants to be finished off by the beast.
Three bodies are later discovered, and the grotesquely large and bizarre wounds on them suggest a creature far beyond standard wildlife. Fringe Division is called to investigate, and Walter is initially baffled because the injuries suggest a combination of different animals. However, as the investigation deepens, he gradually realises that the creature might be linked to experiments he conducted decades ago. In the meantime, Olivia identifies the victims as MIT students, and the trail ultimately leads to a research laboratory run by Robert Swift (David Pittu), whose son was one of the activists and a victim of the creature.
As the body count rises, two more men—Animal Control workers investigating a sighting of a "monster" in nearby woods—are killed by the creature. When Charlie Francis comes to search for them, he is attacked but miraculously survives. It is later revealed that the creature, a genetically engineered hybrid of animals like lizards, bats, and wasps, spared Charlie for a specific purpose: it infected him with larvae that would ultimately eat him from the inside. Walter informs the team that the only way to stop the creature is to trick the larvae by injecting the creature’s own blood into Charlie, a complex biological solution that sets the stage for a race against time.
This leads to a high-pressure situation where Olivia, Peter, and Walter must not only locate the creature but do so with extreme urgency. Walter’s encyclopaedic knowledge of zoology allows him to narrow the search to a very specific sewer system. In a moment of self-sacrifice, Walter intends to go in alone to poison the creature with a concoction he has ingested beforehand, refusing to let his son and Olivia risk his life. Olivia and Peter, however, join him in the crucial moment, and Walter manages to shoot the creature before he can administer the antidote. Walter takes the antidote, and Charlie’s blood is subsequently given to Charlie, saving him and allowing the team to survive the ordeal.
Written by Zack Whedon and J. R. Orci, Unleashed is an episode that benefits immensely from the direction of Brad Anderson. The material that many lesser talented directors might struggle to compress into a single hour of television is successfully rendered into a feature-length thriller. The episode features a number of memorable scenes, ranging from tense action sequences to moments of melodrama, particularly near the climax. Anderson’s direction ensures that the pacing never drags, maintaining a constant sense of dread and urgency.
Unleashed works very well as a monster film, primarily because Anderson recognised exactly what works in the genre. Key elements include the creature not being fully shown until the very end, building anticipation, and making the audience care even for side characters. Charlie, in particular, benefits from this character development. The script humanises his character by having a scene that seems like fan service, in which he is in his underwear and joins his wife Sonia (Kiersten Warren) in bed. This moment of intimacy grounds the horror; it reminds the viewer that Charlie is a man with a life and a family, making his infection and potential death all the more impactful.
Furthermore, the episode is rich with references to classic science fiction and horror films, such as Alien and Aliens. The creature’s design and the atmosphere of the sewer sequence evoke the influence of H.R. Giger’s iconic creature from the original Alien (1979). Much like Ridley Scott’s masterpiece, Unleashed uses the setting to create claustrophobia and emphasises the idea that technology cannot remove human imperfection, a theme discussed in the context of Alien. The episode also shares a structural similarity with Aliens (1986), shifting from a slow-burn investigation to an action-packed survival scenario. Additionally, the opening sequence shares a clear homage with 28 Days Later, where radical activists break into a lab, though Unleashed twists the outcome to focus on the unleashed monster rather than a viral outbreak.
However, the episode is not without its flaws. There is a rather unnecessary over-the-top scene during which a boy playing in the park encounters the monster. While it creates a jump scare, there are no physical consequences for the boy, and he is merely left unharmed. This moment feels slightly out of place and breaks the immersion established by the more grounded horror elements, serving as the only serious flaw in an otherwise tight script.
Despite this minor hiccup, Unleashed remains a very good episode and stands as one of the best in the series by that point. It successfully balances the procedural elements of Fringe with genuine horror, creating a standalone story that resonates just as strongly as the mythology episodes. The creature design, the character work, and the direction all coalesce to make a memorable entry in the Fringe pantheon.
RATING: 8/10 (+++)
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