The Same Old Story (16 Sep. 2008)

A woman gives birth to a baby which ages 80 years in just a few minutes and Olivia soon finds connection between the incident and a serial killer she had been chasing.

Director:

Paul A. Edwards

Writers:

J.J. Abrams (creator), Alex Kurtzman (creator),

Stars:

Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, Lance Reddick

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Anna Torv	...	Olivia Dunham
Joshua Jackson	...	Peter Bishop
Lance Reddick	...	Phillip Broyles
Kirk Acevedo	...	Charlie Francis
Blair Brown	...	Nina Sharp
Jasika Nicole	...	Astrid Farnsworth
Mark Valley	...	John Scott (archive footage)
John Noble	...	Dr. Walter Bishop
Derek Cecil	...	Christopher
Mark Blum	...	Dr. Claus Penrose
Betty Gilpin	...	Loraine Daisy
Elizabeth Stanley	...	Stacey
Carmen Goodine	...	Amy
Bernie McInerney	...	Old Man Christopher
Ty Jones	...	Doctor

Storyline

The team investigates another phenomena that may be part of the pattern. In this case, a woman who claims not to be pregnant gives birth to full-term child and in the space of four hours, the newborn grows old and dies. Dr. Bishop had conducted some experiments in this field with a colleague that also involved the man's son. Meanwhile, some aspects of the case convince Agent Dunham that it's the work of a serial killer who has been sought by the FBI for many years. To solve the case, she must rely on Nina Sharp to provide the necessary technology.

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Plot Keywords:

serial killer | dumped at hospital | muscle relaxant | boston college | motel | 

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 September 2008 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bad Robot, Warner Bros. Television, Fringe Element Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

65 min 65 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The glyphs at the ad breaks spell "child".

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Goofs

When Walter and Olivia are going through the files they find a connection to a Dr. Penrose. Olivia motions for Farnsworth to run a check on him. Farnsworth types in a search for "Dr. Claus Penrose". Neither Olivia or Walter had mentioned his first name though.

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Quotes

Agent Olivia Dunham: Stay there.
Peter Bishop: That's just not gonna happen.

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Soundtracks

"End Title Theme (Composed by Michael Giacchino)"
(uncredited)
Written by Michael Giacchino

User Reviews

Great.

This episode demonstrates that the show operates beyond a monster-of-the-week level. While that element exists, the story presented this hour is fully tied to the story of the first episode. This is true not only in the sense that the situation presented is part of The Pattern; in fact, the actual circumstances tie to the histories of the characters. We don't feel as though we've entered a world relevant only to this hour of television.

The plot being investigated is interesting, and while some dialogue is a bit wooden, I was overall very engaged. The narrative doesn't dwell too long on Olivia's angst over John, but her feelings are instead connected both to her investigation of the case and to the nature and goals of her character; they mesh perfectly with all facets of her search for truth, a concept highlighted by an exciting dialogue between Olivia and Ms. Sharp.

Once again, the series' weakest point is its dialogue. But the way the story is put together--and the elements that comprise that story--are very strong.