It first aired in the United States on Fox on September 23, 2010, receiving almost all positive reviews due to the combination of emotional storylines, suspense, action, and humor.

When they arrive at the station, Olivia orders Henry to drive away, and manages to fire at a small valve on a gas tank, allowing the explosion to cover their trail.

Brandon (Ryan McDonald) theorizes in a later conversation that the rush of adrenaline effectively enhanced the potency of his chemical agents to brainwash Olivia.

Meanwhile, Fauxlivia engages in idle chatter with Walter, nearly slipping and revealing her identity to him due to her lack of knowledge of the prime universe's popular culture.

[1] After they began their search in mid-June for a fifty- to sixty-year-old actress to play Olivia's mother, Entertainment Weekly reported on July 2 that Amy Madigan had been cast as Marilyn Dunham for roughly four episodes, beginning with the season premiere.

[2][3] Further reporting a week later revealed that The Wire actor Andre Royo had been cast for the season premiere as Henry Higgins, "a soulful taxi driver who is unexpectedly forced into a tense situation with Olivia".

[6] Guest actor Seth Gabel returned as the recurring character Lincoln Lee, and required four to five hours of make-up in order to play a recovering burn victim.

[8] Wyman elaborated that he felt fans "would really appreciate a mythology in two places", and showing both universes "just presented itself in such a natural organic way to evolution in our storytelling".

When discussing the many differences between the prime and parallel universes in an interview, Pinkner explained that "one of the big themes of the show is how small choices that you make define you as a person and can change your life in large ways down the line".

[11] Pinkner and the rest of the Fringe production team loved the opportunity to build an entire new world, and asked themselves what life would have been like in its most mundane forms, such as within daily routines.

Pinkner thought it allowed them to create and explore many "what-if" moments, such as if the September 11 attacks had occurred against the White House instead of the Twin Towers, or if the Statue of Liberty still possessed its shiny copper sheen.

[11][12] Pinkner elaborated in another interview that when the "perfectionist" crew were writing and constructing the parallel universe, they spent a lot of time on a high "level of attention and detail" that had all of the different departments and actors weighing in.

Pinkner thought that because the parallel universe is effectively breaking down with "World War II"-like conditions, these "sort of tough times forge more noble, stronger people".

[12] As with the opening credits in "Peter",[14] the episodes featuring the parallel universe displayed certain fringe science words in that world, including wormholes, speciation, pandemics, and telepathy.

[12][18][20] When Olivia reminds him she knows his identification information, Henry mentions a "Jedi mind trick", a reference to Star Wars, which is one popular culture similarity the two universes seem to share.

[5] Josh Wigler of MTV wrote that Fringe "proved once again that it's one of the most innovative, entertaining genre shows currently airing on television," and he couldn't wait for next week's episode.

[20] The Los Angeles Times' Andrew Hanson particularly enjoyed the nine-minute opening, writing that he loved the episode because of three reasons: Olivia "kicked butt" and stayed a step ahead of Walternate, her struggles with identity, and all of the careful details put into the parallel universe.

[15] After watching the first several episodes of season three, Aaron Riccio of Slant Magazine gave the show 3.5/4 stars, and praised it for making a "huge, game-changing step forward".

The solid mythology and high stakes keep the series moving as forward as quickly as FlashForward and The Event, but the dual tones of the two worlds offer considerably more breadth in the stories it tells... ["Olivia" was] captivating television".

[31] Anna Torv submitted "Olivia", along with the season three episodes "Entrada", "Marionette", and Bloodline" for consideration in the Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series category at the 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards.