Fringe: The Dreamscape

"The Dreamscape" is the ninth episode of the first season of the American science fiction drama television series Fringe. It centers on a Fringe investigation of a Massive Dynamic employee who, after believing himself to be under attack by a swarm of sharp-winged butterflies, jumps out of a window. Meanwhile, Olivia (Anna Torv) continues her visions of the deceased John Scott (Mark Valley), and discovers how he related to a deadly psychoactive drug synthesized by Massive Dynamic. "The Dreamscape" was written by series staff writers Julia Cho and Zack Whedon, and was directed by Fred Toye. To create the opening scene, they "relied entirely on actor performance," with guest actor Ptolemy Slocum simulating being cut, freezing for the crew to apply prosthetic make-up, and then unfreezing to continue shooting the scene. VFX coordinator Christopher Stollard wished the computer generated butterflies to look as realistic as possible, and modeled them after mounted butterfly specimens his team studied. The episode first aired in the United States on November 25, 2008 on the Fox network. It was watched by an estimated 8.73 million viewers and earned a 3.9/10 ratings share among adults aged 18 to 49. Reviews of the episode were mixed, with one reviewer believing it "certainly moves [the series] in the right direction".