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 ...
One of the great TV characters right now is the mysterious bald Observer on FOX's Fringe. And he's popped up in other places as well, including FOX baseball game coverage.
This pic was taken this morning at South Station in Boston (larger version here). Many mysterious bald guys standing around. Also, they were handing out these. I wonder if this freaked anyone out after that Aqua Teen Hunger Force promo fiasco.
This is Spoilers Anonymous, a weekly column here at TV Squad where we supply you with the dirt on some of the more popular shows on the air. We'll never put spoilers up here on the main page in order to help the reformed stay unspoiled. If you have anything to add to the group, feel free to step up and let yourself be heard, either with our tips form or by emailing us at tvsquad at gmail dot com, or call and leave a message at (775) 640-8479. Your anonymity is guaranteed, if you wish to remain as such.
This week we have spoilers for: 90210, Castle, Desperate Housewives, Fringe, Gossip Girl, Grey's Anatomy, Heroes, How I Met Your Mother, Lost, Smallville and The Big Bang Theory. (SPOILERS FOLLOW!)
(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.
A lot of shows on the list won't surprise us: Hank, The Forgotten, Numb3rs, Gary Unmarried, and 'Til Death (each either gets low ratings or has been on for a while), but there are several that I think will actually make it to a another season, including The Good Wife and Parks and Recreation.
(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.
It appears that the Russians have fringe science, too. Tonight's episode of Fringe, "Earthling," ups the creep factor with an old case of Agent Broyles' that's come back to haunt him. The story centers on a cosmonaut who goes to outer space and brings something mysterious back with him that's killing people.
On first glance, it appears to be a standalone episode not connected with the alternate universe, but my feeling is that every episode is somehow connected to the big picture. The fact that this series of murders was unsolved is a good clue, and the guy in the hospital bed with half of a head is reminiscent of the people who get caught between the two universes. Any theories before we see tonight's episode?
Considering the incredible overnight ratings that Fox got for Game Six of the World Series, you might think I'm crazy to suggest that the network would be rooting for the New York Yankees last night to beat the Philadelphia Phillies, but I have evidence. All through the game, Fox was promoting Fringe and Bones, urging viewers to tune in tomorrow night -- tonight -- for new episodes. Why would the network be sending that message when there was a possibility of a Game Seven?
This is Spoilers Anonymous, a weekly column here at TV Squad where we supply you with the dirt on some of the more popular shows on the air. We'll never put spoilers up here on the main page in order to help the reformed stay unspoiled. If you have anything to add to the group, feel free to step up and let yourself be heard, either with our tips form or by emailing us at tvsquad at gmail dot com, or call and leave a message at (775) 640-8479. Your anonymity is guaranteed, if you wish to remain as such.
This week we have spoilers for November Sweeps: 90210, Bones, Castle, Desperate Housewives, FlashForward, Fringe, Ghost Whisperer, Gossip Girl, Grey's Anatomy, Heroes, How I Met Your Mother, Melrose Place, NCIS, Smallville, Supernatural, Ugly Betty, The Big Bang Theory, The Mentalist and The Office. (SPOILERS FOLLOW!)
TV Guide has released their list of shows that are safe for the rest of the season and those that are "on the bubble," the shows that are in danger of being canceled. There are a lot of shows on the latter list that aren't a surprise, such as Hank, Gary Unmarried, Cold Case, and The Forgotten (I'm surprised Cold Case even made it to another season).
But among the list of shows are a few that I didn't think were in danger, including Gossip Girl and Fringe. I know that Gossip Girl isn't a show that gets incredible ratings, but that describes The CW in general, and I figure that even if it gets low ratings it's sort of the network's signature show. As for Fringe, the ratings are a lot worse this season than last season, but it would still surprise me if the show went away, especially since it has its fan base and it's produced by JJ Abrams.
I'm in a serious Fringe withdrawal, having had no episode to watch on Thursday night. So let's revisit "Dream Logic," the episode that aired last week. My favorite scene was near the end where Peter was yanked out of bed by ... I'm going to guess either the Walter from this universe (since we can see him in the photo above) or maybe The Observer.
There were some really great comments on my episode review, and BugKiller noticed that the poster in young Peter's room featured the Challenger Space Shuttle -- the 11th mission in 1984. Says BugKiller: "Challenger blew up during its 10th mission in 1986. This jibes with what Walter said: Earth-2 is about a decade or two ahead of us in terms of technology. It appears as if Earth-2 started their shuttle program earlier than ours, sometime in the 70's, because KENNEDY NEVER DIED on Earth-2, so they probably landed on the moon earlier, too."
When you want to up the ante on a drama, create a great villain. To this day, the best James Bond movies have always been the ones with great villains. Fox's sci-fi drama Fringe is buying into that theory, because they've gone out and hired an actor who excels at playing evil. Fringe has cast Sebastian Roche in a recurring role as a new nemesis.If you saw Roche on General Hospital, you know he's brilliant.
His Fringe character doesn't have a name yet -- and least not one that they've released -- but the storyline is that he's from another dimension, not entirely human or android, and he's on a mission. He's a soldier who's supposed to collect data to open a "stable door to the other side."
Could it be an alternate universe? A parallel dimension? Some kind of time warp? The possibilities are wide open when it comes to Fringe.
(S02E08) "Who are these people?" -- Peter
At 8, ABC has a new FlashForward, followed by new episodes of Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice.
A couple of weeks ago, I did a post about the shows that were "on the bubble," the ones in danger of being canceled. Now AOL TV has 
Syfy has a Legend of the Seeker marathon all night.
When you want to up the ante on a drama, create a great villain. To this day, the best James Bond movies have always been the ones with great villains. Fox's sci-fi drama Fringe is buying into that theory, because they've gone out and hired an actor who excels at playing evil. 
The TV Squad Podcast: The Prisoner, '80s TV, soap news and more
Let's talk about spoilers ...
The Prisoner -- An early look
