(S02E09) "Aren't they magnificent?" - Walter, looking at hookworms
Another creature feature! We're sort of in a "pattern," if you will, with Fringe alternating creature episodes with alternate universe episodes. It's ok, though. I probably wouldn't want all alternate universe episodes. Would you?
Wow, though. Those creatures were seriously freaky. That opening scene, among others, just made me cringe. I'm just now getting my appetite back. But this episode was more about Walter and Peter than the creatures.
Awww ... we have met The Observer, and he is shy and caring. Or a cold-hearted killer, take your pick.
At long last, it was good to learn a little more about these mysterious creatures, although there are still lots of questions about them. We know there are many of them, that they observe people throughout the course of their life, and that they're not supposed to interfere. Oh, and they like hot sauce, but we already knew that.
So even with all of the scary stuff she sees in her line of work, Olivia is scared of roller coasters. I guess it's one thing to peer down a dark corridor with a gun in your hand, and yet another to be at the mercy of the roller coaster builders. At least she and Ella got their day at the theme park. If only we knew what that Observer meant when he said ...
(S02E07) "Truthfully, I really don't spend a lot of time thinking about what human brains would taste like." Astrid to Walter, while he's dissecting a brain
As with last week, this episode of Fringe wasn't completely centered on the alternate universe and its goings-on, but that's ok. We still got plenty of good stuff to tie us over to next week, when it's all about The Observers.
What struck me most about this episode in terms of relationships is how broken up Walter was over the loss of his son. As mentioned in my other reviews this season, Walter is like the kid and Peter is the parent. John Noble does a fantastic job of portraying a scared kid who's lost his dad in a department store. I've said it before, and will again: He deserves an Emmy and whatever other awards are out there.
(S02E06) "Why is this case so important to you?" - Olivia to Agent Broyles
I said in my preview earlier today that I hoped this episode of Fringe wouldn't be a stand-alone creature feature. Unfortunately, that's exactly what it was. No William Bell. No Nina Sharp. No Pattern. No alternate universe. And no Observer. At least, not front and center. Did anyone see him?
Instead, we got a little diversion into the life of Phillip Broyles; how he got so involved in a case four years ago that it cost him his marriage and family. I feel for the guy, but I'm not that interested in his life. As for the Shadow, was this an X-Files knock-off? You can tell me in the comments after the jump.
(S02E05) "Whether you admit it or not, your life is something of a nightmare." - Bowling Alley Guy to Olivia
For a minute there, I thought maybe we were in a True Blood crossover with the horned guy in the first few minutes of this episode. But no, it was the usual twisty-turny Fringe-isms involving mind control, computer chips and dream states.
And it appears that something many of us assumed had happened to Peter actually did happen -- though with this show, you can never be sure until it all plays out. It wouldn't surprise me if it's something completely different from what I'm assuming it is. All this, and Mysterious Bowling Alley Guy after the jump ...
Call me Fringe obsessed, but after commenter Schwack mentioned something about "Easter eggs" hidden in the graffiti on the wall during Charlie and Olivia's fight scene in last night's episode, I had to go back and take a look myself.
Specifically, Schwack wrote in the comments: "Some are saying there are some "easter eggs" in the mural/graffiti during Olivia and Charlie's fight scene. I went back to it and I did [see] the Fringe's seahorse, a portrait of Van Gogh and another man, though I don't recognize him.
I found the episode on SlashControl and took a few screen shots to see what I could see, enlarging and sharpening as much as I could without crashing our pages. Above is the main one and I must admit, I see nothing. The guy on the far end looks a little like Leonard Nimoy, but that would be too easy. More after the jump...
(S02E04) "Momentum can be deferred, but it must always be paid back in full. As I always said to Walter, physics is a bitch." - William Bell to Olivia, on the dangers of jumping universes
Cryonics, frozen heads, worm juice, mercury blood, shapeshifters, and Leonard Nimoy were all featured in this episode, and I loved it all.
Let's start with the worm juice. Olivia must have been seriously craving her William Bell memories to drink that awful stuff. And what a trooper that she was able to keep it down, too. I guess it must have worked. She got some of her memories back, along with some help from the bell -- both the bell they chimed during Rebecca's psychedelic adventure and William Bell. Or Willem, as Olivia used to call him.
Is she right not to trust him? Could he have started the war? It's certainly possible, given his mysteriousness. He said for reasons she might understand later, he couldn't come back to this universe right now, possibly never. Why? What's he doing over there? Is he the one building the army? Is he being forced to? Will he and Walter face off eventually?
(S02E03) "Get my portable chemistry set ... this means bodies!" - Walter to Astrid
This episode of Fringe sort of went along without too many shocker moments -- until the last few minutes, that is. I wasn't all that surprised about the serum that turned people into human explosives, or even that it might be part of a top-secret military experiment. But I was wondering when our friend The Observer would turn up again in a big way and dump something spicy all over his plate of food.
(S02E02) "We're all victims of our own gene pool. Someone must have peed in yours." - Walter to Sheriff Golightly
Creature feature? Or relevant to the alternate universe storyline? Those were the questions running through my head as I watched this episode of Fringe.
What I believe -- at the moment -- is that all of the creature features we had during season one are somehow relevant to the overall storyline. Since things are slightly different in the alternate universe, perhaps there are creatures there who've evolved or avoided extinction that have somehow made their way back to this universe. Of course, it appears that this episode's creature was created right here.
Read my Fringe theories, and follow me after the jump for commentary on tonight's episode.
In anticipation of the season two premiere of Fringe last week (read my review and your comments here), I revisited season one to refresh my brain. There are so many subtleties that connect seasons one and two, and it was good to go back and watch it again.
While there were a few creature-feature episodes that appeared to be stand-alones (but who really knows with this show?), for the most part, much of season one was devoted to weaving an intricate mystery and setting things up for season two. It's too much, really, for one small blog post, but a few things sprang to mind ...
I can hardly contain my giddiness that Fringe is back, so ... yay! ... Fringe is back! More mystery! More intrigue! More Walter Bishop! More Jean! More jump-out-of-your-seat moments!
It's been a long summer since we last left the crew with Olivia in another dimension, Walter visiting Peter's grave, and the mysterious William Bell played by the mysterious Leonard Nimoy. Follow me after the jump to explore how the season is shaping up so far ...
I'm talking about the gag reels, of course! I don't think anyone would find such evil doings funny ... well, actually, I bet a lot of people would.
This gag reel is on the Fringe first season DVD (I'm assuming), which came out yesterday. I don't know why, but I've always been a fan of gag reels and blooper shows. Some people can watch these and just sit there stone-faced. I find a lot of it very funny. The new season starts September 17.
Fox has released a few photos from the Fringe season two premiere, "A New Day in the Old Town," which airs Thursday, Sept. 17, at 9 PM ET. I'm so ready for the return of Fringe, and anxious to see where the show goes this season with the parallel universe storyline. And I've really been missing my Walter fix since season one ended earlier this year.
Interesting that there's no sign of Anna Torv in the photos. Rather, junior agent Amy Jessup (Meghan Markle) is pictured in the last photo after the jump. She's been assigned to an investigation with the Fringe Division. That would be Walter Bishop, Peter Bishop, Astrid Farnsworth and, supposedly, Olivia Dunham. Maybe she got stuck in the alternate universe. Walter apparently made it back!
(S01E18) We're definitely getting closer to some sort of revelation on Fringe. Last week, we heard Leonard Nimoy's voice on a videotape as William Bell, talking with Walter about a young Olivia in the room with them. This week, we learned that William Bell, founder of Massive Dynamic and the richest guy in the world, is the person funding ZFT. But it's not all that shocking. We've pretty much known all along that he's involved, unless ... there's some big, new twist about his involvement yet to come.
When Fringe premiered last September, critics around the country distilled the new sci-fi drama down to one simple sentence: it's like a cross between Alias and The X-Files. At the time, that's what pretty much guaranteed I'd tune in. I still found that assessment a little odd since I always thought Alias had a healthy dose of influence from Mulder and Scully to begin with.
Regardless, Fringe clearly took a few cues from both shows in many ways. However, after this past Tuesday's episode ("Bad Dreams", S01E17), I stared to get a little annoyed. I've seen this before.
(S02E08) "Who are these people?" -- Peter
(S02E04) "Momentum can be deferred, but it must always be paid back in full. As I always said to Walter, physics is a bitch." - William Bell to Olivia, on the dangers of jumping universes
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