Unleashed

I never get a sense of "12 Monkeys" being homaged - After all, that was a time-travel parody movie, not really about animal rights activists.

This episode is more or less, a "Monster Story" - Much like the Burlap Bear story Olivia is reading to Ella much to Rachel's chagrin: Which is a parallel to what happens to Agent Francis.

In this Fringe Event, these silly kids are more serious than Brad Pitt, after all, his activism was a way to get back at pop Christopher Plummer and in the end it was all about kidnapping him.

Like 12 Monkeys there is a father/son thing happening with the activists, one of the kids is the son of the scientist Robert Swift (David Pittu, "Weston" from King Kong 2005) who is doing these transgenic experiments.

But these kids have opened Pandora's Box and are eaten while trying to escape.

Meanwhile, Peter tries to eat one of Walter's "Protein Rich Incubators" - An Omelette with an Ear in it. This starts Walter on a Rant about his laboratory. Walter tries to eat all the evidence found at the scene of an apparent "animal attack" where they find-Bodies!

As Walter notes the characteristics of the injuries to the dead kids somehow he thinks this was based on his experiments with Kelvin Genetics - He had worked with the scientist Carl Bussler (Keith Nobbs) who had tried to stop the kids from unleashing this terror, who also had gotten eaten.

Then one of the bodies breaks open and thousands of Monster Larvae spill out, Astrid wants to vomit, hence Walter's "Two Buckets!" line. Walter had found a stinger embedded in the kid, which was how the larvae were injected into the victim.

Charlie Francis responding to another animal attack call gets mauled by the creature, but all seems well, they patch up his cuts and he goes home to wife Sonia (Kiersten Warren, "Tiffany" in ID4) - This was the first and only time we ever got to see Charlie's Wife. But Walter sends Olivia to get Charlie- And Charlie is "chock full of parasites."

Walter, Peter and Olivia have to catch the creature to get its blood so they can fix Charlie and Walter tries to be "Noble" by drinking a whole bottle of poison so that if eaten, it will kill the monster.

Walter has this little song:

"Van Amburgh is the man, who goes to all the shows He steps into the Lion's Den, and tells you all he knows"

That he always sings when he is scared. But he performs admirably, shooting the creature with Incendiary Rounds and we get a great Bulls-Eye view of the Transgenic Creature, which is one of the best TV Monsters ever seen.

In a nice Bookend scene, Olivia comes home to Rachel and Ella sleeping with the Burlap Bear book in their laps, and Olivia goes to sleep - After she turns the light back on.

This was quite formulaic. Some college student animal activists get themselves killed when they enter a research lab. Unfortunately, they unleash the Kraken. A genetically engineered monster with spines that it uses to reproduce in host bodies. Unfortunately, good old Charlie gets one of these spines in him, and the stuff begins to gestate inside of him. Then it's the tired old thing where the group runs against the clock to get some blood from this thing so they can create an antidote. It's a race against time with the most ridiculous science at the center. Bishop has been carrying some guilt until he realizes that he did not set this whole thing in motion.

Four animal rights activists break-in a laboratory to vandalize the facility and release animals. They unleashed a dangerous man-made animal composed by the DNA of different species that kills them and hides in the woods. Soon the monster begins a crime spree and Charlie is wounded but survives. But soon Dr. Bishop finds the animal is breeding and people attacked by the monster becomes the host of its offspring. Further Charlie has many parasites in his blood and internal organs that are growing fast. Dr. Bishop recalls a failed experiment and together with Olivia and Peter, they try to find the animal to save Charlie.

"Unleashed" is a conventional episode of "Fringe" but still engaging and entertaining. The Fringe Division's investigation finds what the monster is, how to destroy it and save Charlie. Olivia turning on the lamp light in the end is funny. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Unleashed"

" Unleashed" is the first Great Standalone of the show.

The first one that could have the quality to be in the X Files.

The first loners were weak but here Fringe is getting great. I Hope the show continue on the same quality.

I dont like to spoil what happen like others Guy, I dont see the point, just watch It or you dont read it 9/10 great watch.

Is there a doctor in the house? Since the parasites/larvae were not in Agent Francis's intestines but rather in his abdominal cavity what would really happen to him/them? You can't "crap out" something that's not in the crap channel. Wouldn't he become infected by the necrotic bodies of foreign organisms? I know this is a nitpick for show for which one must suspend disbelief but that seemed like a cheap trick for a throwaway line. The writers could have tried a little harder. That said, I really like this show. It is JUST like "X-Files" but with less paranoia. And the locations do look like the Boston area. Where is this filmed?