FRINGE – Is it finally time for answers?

Fringe has returned! After long months of waiting, I was hoping that the premiere would finally give us some of the answers to the questions that have bugged me since Season 3’s mind-bending finale. If that was what you were expecting, you will be disappointed.  What we do get is a decent, if unspectacular, season premiere that doesn’t really answer any of our questions but does give just enough clues to keep me intrigued about what’s to come in the future.

Being totally honest, I can’t say the main storyline of the episode really captured my interest. It felt like the freak-of-the-week storylines we’ve seen so many times before. It was great to have Lincoln back in some capacity, though, and I for one am really interested to see how his character develops over the season and whether he will evolve into the Lincoln we know from the other side. A new form of shape-shifters is an interesting development, but the storyline itself didn’t hold my attention like it should have. It felt slow-paced, and it wasn’t particularly exciting. I just didn’t feel the characters were in any danger; I guess, after the stakes were raised so high in last season’s finale, it was harder to fear for Olivia or anyone’s safety after seeing them get out of worse situations countless times before.

What I did like about this episode were the slight differences in characters without Peter around. Olivia reminded me a lot of Season 1 Olivia, as she’s a bit cold towards other people and seems to find it difficult to trust and communicate (though when it comes to Fauxlivia, who can blame her!). We’ve seen already how Peter changed her, making her more open, trusting, and approachable. As she says herself, she joined Fringe division because there was something missing in her life. It might not be obvious at first glance, but the lack of Peter in Olivia’s life has profoundly affected the development of Olivia as a person.

Likewise with Walter, he’s similar to the man we know–he’s still the crazy, loveable genius that we know him as. Yet there are subtle differences; without Peter he’s less adventurous, preferring the confinement of his own lab. He seems less confident, and without Peter as his anchor in life he has nothing left to live for. I really enjoyed seeing the two characters closest to Peter change in his absence, because it really showed the importance of Peter in Olivia and Walters’s lives and the positive impact he has had on both of them.

Without a doubt the most interesting moments in the episode related to the other universe. Olivia’s short interactions with Fauxlivia were great–you could really see the enmity that remains between the two sides, and my only disappointment was that we didn’t get to see Walternate! I have no idea what that room is at the end of the episode where we see the blimp fly past. I felt as confused as Lincoln looked. Was it a portal to the other universe, or just a mirror? Questions upon questions, but it definitely grabbed my interest.

Everything the Observers did throughout the episode also had my full attention. These guys hold all the answers that we need, and more than any other time in the episode I felt tense seeing the normally calm September look visibly shaken. I’m still confused by his attempt to delete Peter’s existence…why didn’t he do it? It’s like he has some kind of attachment to Peter that as of yet I don’t understand. Here’s hoping we’ll be seeing a lot more of the Observers this season, as they are definitely one of the most interesting aspects of Fringe.

So, basically, this episode doesn’t really answer questions, it doesn’t solve any of the previous storylines, and I can’t even say the main story of the episode was particularly engaging. What we do get, though, is an insight into what life will be like without Peter and how things have changed. We see new sides to our favorite characters, and we are given just enough to keep us intrigued about what is to come in the future. It mightn’t have been the best opening ever, but I’m still delighted to say Fringe is back!