page_title: Subject 13
section_title: Reviews
hierarchical_section_title: Subject 13 / Reception / Reviews
caption_attribution_description: English: en:John Noble at the 2010 Comic Con in San Diego
context_page_description: "Subject 13" is the 15th episode of the third season of the American science fiction drama television series Fringe, and the 58th episode overall. Inspired by fan reaction to the show's previous flashback episode, "Peter", "Subject 13" occurs 25 years before the show's current timeline, in 1985 a few months after "Peter". The episode, with scenes set in both the prime and the parallel universe, explores Walter and Elizabeth Bishop's attempts to return Peter to the parallel universe using the Cortexiphan-induced abilities of young Olivia Dunham, while Walternate in the parallel universe struggles to deal with the kidnapping of his son.
  Showrunners Jeff Pinkner and J. H. Wyman, as well as consulting producer Akiva Goldsman wrote the episode, while producer Frederick E. O. Toye worked as the director. Guest actress Orla Brady returned to reprise the role of Elizabeth, while Chandler Canterbury, Karley Scott Collins, and Chris Bradford made their first guest appearances. On its initial broadcast in the United States on February 25, 2011, an estimated 4.0 million viewers tuned in. Critical reception to the episode was overwhelmingly positive.
context_section_description: The episode received almost universal critical praise. Andrew Hanson from the Los Angeles Times called it one of his favorite Fringe episodes due to the "incredible" opening, Brady and Noble's "outstanding" performances, and the scene with Olivia unknowingly talking to Walternate. Like Hanson, Ken Tucker from Entertainment Weekly also praised the actors' performances, and thought it was "one of the most moving and revelatory episodes in the series' short history". Though he felt the episode did not quite match up to "Peter", Ramsey Isler from IGN rated "Subject 13" an 8.5/10. He believed the opening to be "tense and surprising" and praised the child actors' performances. Finally, he thought the scene in which Olivia accidentally encounters Walternate was a "brilliant plot twist that ties a lot of things together".
  CNN's Henry Hanks wrote the episode "is reason enough to bring this series back for another season," and praised Noble's performance as Emmy-worthy; Hanks also loved the "genius" musical score written by composers Michael Giacchino and Chris Tilton. Noel Murray from The A.V. Club graded the episode with an A-, explaining that, like the other reviewers, he loved the opening sequence with Peter on the lake, the newest mythology details, as well as how Walternate discovered the prime universe. Murray also loved the "mood" of the episode, but had minor problems with the plot, as he thought it was now harder to believe Olivia, Peter, and Walter were strangers to each other in the first season. James Poniewozik of Time magazine concluded that the episode "was not the revelation that 'Peter' was, though a phase-shifting Olivia’s mistaking of Walternate for Walter was one of the series’ most mindblowing moments (and, again, a Lostian bit of disorienting sleight of hand). But it was again an effective detour in which Fringe reminded us that time has parallels just as space does, and that the past is emotionally overlaid on the present just as its Over There is overlaid on our world."
  TV.com staff highlighted "Subject 13" as one of the best television episodes of the 2010–11 United States network television schedule. Jeff Jensen of Entertainment Weekly named "Subject 13" the third best episode of the series, explaining "The nighttime scene between the two kids (well played by Chandler Canterbury and Karley Scott Collins) in the field of white tulips might be the most memorable scene in all of Fringe. 'Subject 13' is also one of the great parallel universe episodes, too, charting the shattering impact of Peter's abduction on both sets of Walter and Elizabeth (Orla Brady). 'Subject 13' was so essential, so emotionally wrenching." IGN found the episode to be the fifth best of the series.
caption: Critics praised the performances of John Noble (pictured) and Orla Brady.
exif: {"Image Make": "Canon", "Image Model": "Canon EOS 50D", "Image Orientation": "Horizontal (normal)", "Image XResolution": "72", "Image YResolution": "72", "Image ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Image Software": "Adobe Photoshop 7.0", "Image DateTime": "2010:07:28 02:27:39", "Image Artist": "", "Image YCbCrPositioning": "Co-sited", "Image Copyright": "", "Image ExifOffset": "248", "GPS GPSVersionID": "[2, 2, 0, 0]", "Image GPSInfo": "972", "Thumbnail Compression": "JPEG (old-style)", "Thumbnail XResolution": "72", "Thumbnail YResolution": "72", "Thumbnail ResolutionUnit": "Pixels/Inch", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormat": "1086", "Thumbnail JPEGInterchangeFormatLength": "3917", "EXIF ExposureTime": "1/250", "EXIF FNumber": "14/5", "EXIF ExposureProgram": "Aperture Priority", "EXIF ISOSpeedRatings": "640", "EXIF ExifVersion": "0221", "EXIF DateTimeOriginal": "2010:07:24 14:50:39", "EXIF DateTimeDigitized": "2010:07:24 14:50:39", "EXIF ComponentsConfiguration": "YCbCr", "EXIF ShutterSpeedValue": "8", "EXIF ApertureValue": "3", "EXIF ExposureBiasValue": "0", "EXIF MeteringMode": "Pattern", "EXIF Flash": "Flash fired, compulsory flash mode", "EXIF FocalLength": "300", "EXIF SubSecTime": "81", "EXIF SubSecTimeOriginal": "81", "EXIF SubSecTimeDigitized": "81", "EXIF FlashPixVersion": "0100", "EXIF ColorSpace": "sRGB", "EXIF ExifImageWidth": "1968", "EXIF ExifImageLength": "2351", "EXIF FocalPlaneXResolution": "792000/149", "EXIF FocalPlaneYResolution": "1056000/199", "EXIF FocalPlaneResolutionUnit": "2", "EXIF CustomRendered": "Normal", "EXIF ExposureMode": "Auto Exposure", "EXIF WhiteBalance": "Auto", "EXIF SceneCaptureType": "Standard"}