Fringe (TV Series) Earthling (2009) User Reviews

The Shadow Man

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 20 January 2017]

When a shadow touches a man at home and he turns into dust, his wife panics and the Fringe Division is assigned to investigate. Philip Broyles recalls similar cases he was involved and obsessed a few years ago. Senator James Van Horn tries to persuade Broyles to stop the investigation and deliver the case to the CIA and Russian government but he does not accept. A patient is murdered in a hospital and while investigating the surveillance cameras, Olivia sees the shadow. Soon the Fringe Division finds the responsible for the death and what the shadow is. Will they succeed to stop the entity?

"Earthling" is another intriguing episode of "Fringe" that recalls "X Files". The plot is not well resolved and "Earthling" is one of the weakest episodes so far. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Earthling"

It's Getting Dusty in Here

[Hitchcoc · 8/10 · 30 October 2023]

Deaths have occurred over a four year period. Somehow, people have been reduced to dust. Their forms and their clothing are intact until someone touches them. They look like the stuff that is in your vacuum cleaner bag when it's full. All this leads to a Russian cosmonaut and his brother. Broyles puts his job on the line to defy a CIA order, allowing the usual folks to parse out what is going on. This is an entertaining stand alone that has a very Twilight Zone type ending. Broyles reveals that it was his interest in this cast that drove his wife away from him. It is importa.nt that he needs closure on this.

A Broyles episode

[loridonaldsonrocks · 8/10 · 10 April 2024]

Lance Reddick is such a strong character as Agent Broyles. This episode puts him a bit more in the forefront as we get more backstory and purpose out of him. I also enjoy getting to know the side characters better, especially in the case of Broyles since he is a majorly important part of Fringe Division and we really don't see much of him beyond administrate duties. The plot for this episode is well done too and is a nice break from the intense main plot of the show, a good little filler episode you could say. I thought the special effects were neat and while the science was still very pseudo, it was an interesting concept. I liked this episode quite a bit and had a good time watching the team work through the mystery with a few spooky and tense scenes thrown in there too.

Soft Light of Leonard Betts with Side of Trevor and Dr. Calderon

[XweAponX · 10/10 · 28 April 2012]

This Fringe-File Homages two, actually Three X-Files, "Soft Light" and "Trevor" - both had to do with people who had been altered physically, giving them the "gift" of being able to reduce other people to just so much ash. Also, "Leonard Betts" - I'll X-Plain later.

Also, we can forgive "Micro Freezer's" horrendous spelling because when I originally wrote this, there was a spell checker in place that would not allow me to press "submit" until I had corrected all spelling errors. This is perhaps an argument to bring back that forced spellcheck feature. Also, he doesn't know what he's talking about where in fact I have listed and named all X-Files "Homages" (actual spelling) and references. Just a small edit for this new age of, what would be the word? Idiocracy.

And just like those X-Files, this episode occurs in Long Halls with Hard Stark Shadows.

A Man is setting up a surprise for his wife (Michelle Harrison of 2003's "Paycheck") on their anniversary - She thinks he is getting on a plane, but in fact he is at their home setting out the romantic artifacts and accouterments.

So when she gets home, she does indeed get a big surprise: Her husband is sitting in his chair. But when she touches him as he is not responding to her, he crumbles to Ash.

Walter inspects the remains in his lab - and finds a curious lack of radiation in the ashes. More ash-bodies are discovered, and a camera reveals a shadow walking through hospital corridors - But no person is making the shadow.

This Fringe File further homages X-Files as being the one and only FRINGE division case dealing with a bona fide Extra Terrestrial.

And, as an added bonus for FringePhiles and X-Philes alike: A scene mirroring a scene from the X-Files Sode "Leonard Betts" - The antagonist, "Tomas" (Ravil Isyanov) shows compassion for friend Nurse Maxine (Johanna Marlowe), to which he says "I wish you had not seen me here"- before he injects her with something. In the X-File of the same name, "Leonard Betts" does this to his friend and co-EMT played by Laara Sadiq - Who Ironically, was in the FRINGE Episode "White Tulip."

Furthermore, Senator Van Horn (Played by Gerard Plunkett who was The Doctor/Alien Shape-Shifter "Dr. Calderon" in the two-episode Skully "Emily" MythArc)- Which Broyles does not know yet that he has been absorbed by a Fringe Walternate Mercury-Shape-Shifter- Sends Broyles a package, which when opened contains a very X-File looking X-File, with the Red Borders labeled "Top Secret." Still not convinced? I think this episode was deliberately rifed with references to famous X-Files Eps.

A Great stand alone MOTW Fringe Case, nonetheless.

A full episode with a mix of different X files Plot

[nicofreezer · 6/10 · 24 May 2021]

This episode is really bad, there is nothing working here, you Never really care for what happen in this story. I m dissapointed because the last 10 ep of season 1 were Greatest but season is up to a slow start. " Earthing " is a copy of many X files script , the most obvious is " Space" I mean the stories are so similar its crazy. But its also a lot like the stories " Solf light " and " Trevor" , the 3 X Files episodes beeing way better than "Earthing"

This is not an hommage, when you copy a show 10-15 Times its not an hommage anymore its just a copy.

To finish i will said that " Earthing " try to do too much and finally it does nothing. Only Walter is saving those Bad plot to be terrible My vote 6/10.

Okay 'stand alone' insert episode, but MAJOR continuity error

[sallyann627 · 6/10 · 2 November 2021]

This is one of those 'stand alone' episodes that may have been written by a spec writer. It is good and very 'X-Files' like which as a fan of that show I don't mind, however the biggest problem with this episode is that it includes a key character, Charlie, who was killed off in a prior episode after Olivia discovers he'd been replaced by a shape shifter and she was forced to shoot him. So this is one of those situations where whoever was in charge of deciding where to stick these 'stand alones' didn't realize it included someone who was already dead. Oops :)