past Olivias, such as with the Cortexiphan trials and her parents. In an interview with television reporters, actor John Noble noted that he loved the episode because of Walter's fears of venturing outside the lab conflicting with his fear of St. Claire's mental institution. Cultural references Walter tells Olivia that his inspiration for setting up the cameras came from "the fight sequences in The Matrix", a 1999 science fiction action film. Television critics noted the title's similarity with "Subject 13", a third-season episode. Jeff Pinkner responded that "fans are free to read into whatever they want!" in relation to the two episode titles. Reception Ratings According to Nielsen Media Research, an estimated 3.13 million viewers watched "Subject 9" on its first American broadcast. The episode scored a 1.2 ratings share in the adults 18-49 demographic, down 8 percent compared to the previous week's episode. Reviews The A.V. Club columnist Noel Murray graded the episode with a B and expressed his unhappiness that "a good chunk of each episode so far has been given over to explaining what’s changed since the season three finale.... every time a season four episode has paused for one of those catch-up scenes, it’s seemed (to me anyway) like it’s been wasting time that could be better spent on monsters, or trans-dimensional warfare." Murray continued, "And yet for all the predictability and lack of action, I still really enjoyed 'Subject 9,' because it was so well-written and well-directed and well-performed." Andrew Hanson of the Los Angeles Times noted of the various timelines depicted in the series, "With any other show, this might have driven the audience crazy, but Fringe pulls it off. Mostly by going back to the history and characters and really delving into that bottomless well." Several media outlets highlighted John Noble and Chadwick Boseman's performances for praise. Charlie Jane Anders of io9 believed that it was "the first truly great episode of Fringe season four, and one which gave me a lot of hope," explaining that "the show finally refocused back onto the elements that made it essential viewing in the past, in particular the tangled legacy of Walter Bishop. At last, we got to see Walter outside his lab once again — and the revolting, disorienting fresh air might not have been good for him, but it did wonders for our ability to appreciate him." Writing for SFX magazine, Richard Edwards expressed