Earthling (S02E06)
Airdate: 5 November 2009
Written by: J. H. Wyman & Jeff Vlaming Directed by: Jon Cassar
Running Time: 44 minutes
The creative lineage of Fringe is undeniably rooted in the legacy of The X-Files, a show that served as the blueprint for a generation of sci-fi procedurals by masterfully blending "monster of the week" narratives with a sprawling, interwoven mythology. While many episodes in the first season of Fringe flirted with this dual structure, Season 2, Episode 6, Earthling stands out as a particularly fascinating case study in this creative debt. It operates, at its core, as a standard "mystery of the week" procedural, yet it thematically resonates much more deeply with the overarching conspiracy of the X-Files than many standalone episodes. By focusing on government cover-ups and the intrusive presence of extraterrestrial entities, Earthling captures the essence of what made Chris Carter’s seminal series so compelling, even as it goes through the specific quirks of the Fringe universe.
The episode opens with one of the most horrific and tragic cold opens the series had produced up to that point, immediately establishing a tone of visceral unease. We are introduced to Randy Dancik (Joe Town), a Boston man who has arranged a surprise anniversary celebration for his wife, Natalie (Michelle Harrison). Before Natalie arrives, Randy notices a strange shadow moving in his apartment. Upon returning home, his wife finds him and touches him, and his body is partially reduced to ash. It is a gruesome visual that leaves little to the imagination, setting a high bar for the horror elements to follow.
The Fringe Division is swiftly called in to investigate, with Walter Bishop quickly ruling out fire or spontaneous combustion. However, the case quickly becomes a vehicle for deepening the character of Phillip Broyles. He reveals that the case bears the hallmarks of a mystery he investigated four years ago in Washington, D.C., a case he never managed to solve. The personal toll was immense: it led to his divorce and the loss of custody of his children. The killer in that previous case had promised to stop the killings if the authorities managed to solve a complicated chemical formula. When the killings ceased, Broyles was left to believe that the mysterious killer had acted out of a sudden, uncharacteristic morality.
As the investigation progresses, Broyles notices a pattern: all previous victims were connected to a local hospitals. Randy Dancik had visited Latchmere General Hospital shortly before his death, a clue that leads the team to investigate the medical facility. A second patient dies in the same manner, prompting Walter to make a significant deduction. He concludes that the cause of death is a mysterious entity that deprives its victims of radiation. All the victims were either patients undergoing radiation therapy or, in Dancik’s unfortunate case, individuals exposed to radiation during a transcontinental flight.
The investigation takes a sharp turn into the geopolitical when Broyles receives a warning from Senator James Van Horn (George Plunkett). The Senator informs him that the case involves top-secret information regarding the Russians, and that the CIA has taken over, ordering the FBI and DHS to stand down. Broyles, ever the stickler for protocol but also a man driven by his own sense of justice, deliberately ignores the order. He gradually uncovers that the culprit is a man named Tomas Koslov (Ruslan Isaywev), a Russian immigrant working as a nurse at the hospital. It is ultimately revealed that his real name is Timur Vasilev, and his brother, Alex Vasilev (Yaroslav Poverlo), was a cosmonaut who had been few years taken over by an alien shadow-like entity during a spacewalk. Alex had been placed in quarantine, but Timur managed to snatch him away in a desperate, loving attempt to cure him.
Tensions reach their breaking point when Timur contacts Broyles again, but Walter delivers devastating news: he has solved the chemical formula. The entity and his brother are now fused, and one cannot be destroyed without destroying the other. Tragically, Timur is located during the phone conversation only for the entity to turn him into ash. Fringe Division then finds Alex, but the entity is nowhere to be found. In a desperate bid to stop the entity and save the city from further casualties, Broyles makes the heart-wrenching decision to shoot Alex in the head. Afterward, the body is placed in a special sarcophagus and is apparently handed over to the Russians.
The episode concludes with Broyles being approached by a mysterious man (JR Edwards) who reveals that the CIA was displeased by his disobedience. He informs Broyles that he can only thank Senator Van Horn for continuing his career, implying that his actions were tolerated only because of political connections. The man also hints that the entity and Alex survived the shooting, and that the body was launched into space to prevent further incidents. This ending reinforces the sense of helplessness and entrapment that permeates the episode, leaving the audience with the lingering suspicion that the danger is far from over.
Earthling is significant in the series canon for several reasons. It is the first episode to feature actual extraterrestrial aliens, moving beyond the more abstract anomalies Walter usually deals with. It is also the first episode to feature a major government conspiracy aimed at suppressing knowledge of alien existence, a cornerstone theme of The X-Files. However, the episode is equally notable for its focus on Broyles' private life. We see him entertaining his son in a restaurant before receiving news of the killings, which is the first instance in the series where the stoic actor Lance Reddick is allowed to show a genuine smile. At the very end, Broyles visits his ex-wife and her new husband, humanising the character and showing the personal cost of his duty.
In terms of performance and direction, the episode is well-acted and skillfully crafted, particularly the portrayal of Timur by Russian actor Ruslan Islayev, whose desperation adds depth to the narrative. Yet, despite these strengths, Earthling suffers from a certain formulaic familiarity. It looks and feels over-familiar to fans of The X-Files, relying on tropes that have been executed better in the original series. The writing occasionally feels derivative, and the pacing can be sluggish. A specific criticism lies in the scene near the conclusion where the shadow entity stalks a room, with a little girl watching television. The director, Jon Cassar, deliberately suggests that she might be another victim, only to have her suddenly come alive in a way that feels more like a cheap jump scare than genuine narrative tension.
Ultimately, Earthling is a solid, if somewhat forgettable, entry in the Fringe canon. It successfully blends a procedural mystery with character drama and cosmic horror, and it does a commendable job of honouring its X-Files roots. However, it lacks the unique spark that made the original series revolutionary, and its place in the grand scheme of the series is likely to be minor. For dedicated fans, it offers a fascinating glimpse into the procedural mechanics of the show, but for the casual viewer, it may well be an episode that slips through the cracks of memory, overshadowed by the more innovative "mythology" episodes that followed.
RATING: 5/10 (++)
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