Not many of the Fringe episodes actually make me cry. This is one of maybe two. The Walter/Astrid dynamic is what makes the series, for me. The way we see the relationship change, and deepen emotionally, is like no other in the show. It's not romantic, or sexual. It's much deeper. By the end of this episode, Astrid has become daughter like to Walter. When he realizes his mistake literally put her in danger, you can feel his fear. When he walks through the door, and sees her battered face, I felt that. If you don't, you have no heart.
5 Reviews
The Parasitic Worms
claudio_carvalho4 February 2017
When a group of Chinese clandestine is found dead at the seacoast, the fringe division is summoned to investigate. They find a huge worm and one a Chinese woman alive that explains that the group received pills for seasickness, but she had not swallowed hers. Dr. Bishop investigates the worm and concludes it has medicinal purpose. Therefore, the Triad gang is using the illegal immigrants to breed the parasitic worms and produce a drug for treatment of millionaires.
"Snakehead" is another episode of "Fringe" in "X=Files" style. The story if entertaining and the worms are really creepy but the writer was not inspired. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "Snakehead"
"Snakehead" is another episode of "Fringe" in "X=Files" style. The story if entertaining and the worms are really creepy but the writer was not inspired. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "Snakehead"
Butt Ugly Worms/Parasitic Worms
Hitchcoc31 October 2023
Sometimes there are things about which one can do nothing. The smugglers are dealing in providing hosts for horrible intestinal worms that can later be made into substances to treat immune disorders. One of the keys to finding out what is going on is a rich lady whose son will die without the treatment. She must make the hardest decision a parent can make. These are the ugliest creatures imaginable and provide the gross-out effect often on this show. The relationship between Walter and Astrid goes to new lengths, as he is nearly responsible for her being killed. There are some touching moments along the way. Good stand-alone episode.
Interesting Cultural Fringe Episode
XweAponX20 May 2012
Warning: Spoilers
I used to love those David Carradine Kung Fu shows, both of them. Because I just love stuff about China and shows where there is any kind of a "Chinatown." But mostly I like the Asian actors and especially when they speak in their native languages, be it Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese, Thai or whatever country is represented.
This episode is rife with these things, a hapless lost looking Chinese man is searching desperately for "Ping-On Street." When he finally finds his way there, it looks like he has reached a safe haven. But instead, he has reached the end of his life in a typically gruesome Fringe kind of way: At the hands of Tzi Ma ("Ming Che"), who for all appearances is a kindly Chinese Apocethary but instead is cultivating creatures that are eating their way out of the stomachs of a boat full of Illegal Immigrants.
In fact, a whole boat full of these immigrants had run aground, leaving the illegals to fend for themselves in freezing water. With Shades of "Alien" Walter and crew inspect a crime scene where giant, tentacled creatures have halfway eaten their way out of a number of waterlogged bodies.
One surviving Chinese woman (Rene Wang, "Mei Lin") gives them clues as to what had happened, but is concerned for her husband and daughter who were on a second boat to be arriving within 36 hours.
In the Lab, Walter is inspecting one 7lb 10oz specimen, which appears to be a kind of parasitic worm. Walter marvels about the "infinite variations" of Mother Nature, but Astrid calls Mother nature a real B***, considering Walter's new "pet."
A "Sun Hong Triad" member is caught, but literally "dead ends" while in custody - You'd think Fringe Division, after all they have seen, would think about searching for hidden razor blades. But the involvement of the Triad seems to indicate that the "parasitic worms" may be some kind of narcotic. And in fact, Ming Che is harvesting the creatures, removing an oyster-sized organ from each one, grinding it up into little bits and packing it into what looks like a heroin bindle.
When Walter hears of this possibility, he wants to inject fluid from the creature to find out the high. But the creature saves him the trouble by latching on to Walter's arm. Indeed, the creature has an effect but it is not a narcotic: It is medicine: Specifically, it increases immune response. While the worm is attached to Walter, he remarks on how pleasant it is, while Astrid screeches that it is feeding on him.
This directs the investigation to a whole new avenue: The stuff was being imported as a cure for an immune-deficient disease.
While Peter and Olivia search out who is importing this things, and why, Walter wants to go to Chinatown to buy some of the non-enlarged specimens. Thus begins Walter's Big Adventure. Astrid secretly follows him there, but Walter ditches her quickly: Right after Walter inadvertently tells Ming Che he has a "Four-Foot Specimen" in his lab. Che sends Triad Thugs to retrieve it and Astrid is harmed. Walter, however, gets lost, and he can't remember he has Peter's Phone Number in his pocket!
A kind Chinese lady takes Walter in, and other things may have happened, Walter seems to have no trouble talking to "Fae" despite the language barrier. There was an indication that she was, Er, VERY nice to Walter.
The Cultural barriers, the nature of the "parasitic worms" make this one of my favorite Fringe episodes, there are some rather funny moments mixed in with the typical Fringe Gruesomeness.
I had read remarks about this episode from Asian viewers, who mentioned that there were several inconsistencies with culture and customs: For instance, the little girl on the boat would not have been playing with that kind of toy, it is not "Chinese." And they had problems with the "Triad" thing. But Triads are typical Bad Guys in US Television, just like the Japanese "Yakuza" - It simply does not matter if this stuff is accurate, it just has to make me interested in what's going on - Which it did in this episode, and even if all of the cultural references are totally wrong, it made me interested enough to find out IF they are accurate.
Walter accompanies Peter to Ming Che's, who goes in after he sees the 2nd boatload of refugees enter. Once again, Walter sings his song about Van Amburgh, which he first sang in "Unleashed":
"Van Amburgh is the man, who goes to all the shows, He steps into the Lion's Den, and tells you all he knows"
In the end, it is Walter and Peter, Walter and Astrid, and the interrelationships developed that make this a typically great episode, but mostly, Walter's interactions with the kindly "Fae" make you wonder, what else happened there?
This episode is rife with these things, a hapless lost looking Chinese man is searching desperately for "Ping-On Street." When he finally finds his way there, it looks like he has reached a safe haven. But instead, he has reached the end of his life in a typically gruesome Fringe kind of way: At the hands of Tzi Ma ("Ming Che"), who for all appearances is a kindly Chinese Apocethary but instead is cultivating creatures that are eating their way out of the stomachs of a boat full of Illegal Immigrants.
In fact, a whole boat full of these immigrants had run aground, leaving the illegals to fend for themselves in freezing water. With Shades of "Alien" Walter and crew inspect a crime scene where giant, tentacled creatures have halfway eaten their way out of a number of waterlogged bodies.
One surviving Chinese woman (Rene Wang, "Mei Lin") gives them clues as to what had happened, but is concerned for her husband and daughter who were on a second boat to be arriving within 36 hours.
In the Lab, Walter is inspecting one 7lb 10oz specimen, which appears to be a kind of parasitic worm. Walter marvels about the "infinite variations" of Mother Nature, but Astrid calls Mother nature a real B***, considering Walter's new "pet."
A "Sun Hong Triad" member is caught, but literally "dead ends" while in custody - You'd think Fringe Division, after all they have seen, would think about searching for hidden razor blades. But the involvement of the Triad seems to indicate that the "parasitic worms" may be some kind of narcotic. And in fact, Ming Che is harvesting the creatures, removing an oyster-sized organ from each one, grinding it up into little bits and packing it into what looks like a heroin bindle.
When Walter hears of this possibility, he wants to inject fluid from the creature to find out the high. But the creature saves him the trouble by latching on to Walter's arm. Indeed, the creature has an effect but it is not a narcotic: It is medicine: Specifically, it increases immune response. While the worm is attached to Walter, he remarks on how pleasant it is, while Astrid screeches that it is feeding on him.
This directs the investigation to a whole new avenue: The stuff was being imported as a cure for an immune-deficient disease.
While Peter and Olivia search out who is importing this things, and why, Walter wants to go to Chinatown to buy some of the non-enlarged specimens. Thus begins Walter's Big Adventure. Astrid secretly follows him there, but Walter ditches her quickly: Right after Walter inadvertently tells Ming Che he has a "Four-Foot Specimen" in his lab. Che sends Triad Thugs to retrieve it and Astrid is harmed. Walter, however, gets lost, and he can't remember he has Peter's Phone Number in his pocket!
A kind Chinese lady takes Walter in, and other things may have happened, Walter seems to have no trouble talking to "Fae" despite the language barrier. There was an indication that she was, Er, VERY nice to Walter.
The Cultural barriers, the nature of the "parasitic worms" make this one of my favorite Fringe episodes, there are some rather funny moments mixed in with the typical Fringe Gruesomeness.
I had read remarks about this episode from Asian viewers, who mentioned that there were several inconsistencies with culture and customs: For instance, the little girl on the boat would not have been playing with that kind of toy, it is not "Chinese." And they had problems with the "Triad" thing. But Triads are typical Bad Guys in US Television, just like the Japanese "Yakuza" - It simply does not matter if this stuff is accurate, it just has to make me interested in what's going on - Which it did in this episode, and even if all of the cultural references are totally wrong, it made me interested enough to find out IF they are accurate.
Walter accompanies Peter to Ming Che's, who goes in after he sees the 2nd boatload of refugees enter. Once again, Walter sings his song about Van Amburgh, which he first sang in "Unleashed":
"Van Amburgh is the man, who goes to all the shows, He steps into the Lion's Den, and tells you all he knows"
In the end, it is Walter and Peter, Walter and Astrid, and the interrelationships developed that make this a typically great episode, but mostly, Walter's interactions with the kindly "Fae" make you wonder, what else happened there?
The weaker episodes invariably set the baseline
A_Different_Drummer29 March 2015
In reviewing individual episodes of some excellent series I have noticed that the weaker episodes are useful for establishing a baseline.
And this is one of the weakest in the series, especially disappointing after the buildup to parallel dimensions from the last season.
It is OK and fine to allow character buildup.
But what the writers overlooked at the is that the viewer watches with a constant vigilance (if you will) for non-logical events or paradoxes. If you introduce these, you lose the viewer.
In this story, Peter is going all James Bond with no gun or backup. He does this several times, finally getting captured and tortured for his trouble.
Didn't make sense to me when I was watching and does not make sense while writing about it.
Weak.
And this is one of the weakest in the series, especially disappointing after the buildup to parallel dimensions from the last season.
It is OK and fine to allow character buildup.
But what the writers overlooked at the is that the viewer watches with a constant vigilance (if you will) for non-logical events or paradoxes. If you introduce these, you lose the viewer.
In this story, Peter is going all James Bond with no gun or backup. He does this several times, finally getting captured and tortured for his trouble.
Didn't make sense to me when I was watching and does not make sense while writing about it.
Weak.
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