The Arrival (Fringe)

"The Arrival" is the tenth episode of the first season of the Fox science fiction television series Fringe. It originally aired on January 20, 2009.

In the context of Fringe, "The Arrival" refers to a significant event involving the unexpected appearance of a mysterious and highly advanced being, identified as a "Observer." This Observer, bald and silently observing events, represents an element of the larger, overarching mythology of the series, acting as a harbinger of significant changes and potentially catastrophic occurrences within the timeline.

The arrival event detailed in this episode specifically involves the Observer emerging from a contained and rapidly cooling cylinder of amber, a substance later revealed to be related to the "Pattern" of unnatural events occurring across the globe. The arrival is investigated by the Fringe Division (Olivia Dunham, Peter Bishop, and Walter Bishop), who attempt to understand the Observer's purpose and the implications of its presence.

The episode establishes key characteristics of the Observers: their advanced technology, their seeming ability to manipulate time and space, their detached and analytical observation of human events, and their significant impact on the Fringe universe. They are later revealed to have a complex and often antagonistic relationship with humanity and the parallel universe.

The title, "The Arrival," signifies both the physical appearance of this individual Observer and the commencement of a broader understanding of the forces at play behind the unexplained phenomena the Fringe Division investigates.