FRINGE – The Same Old Story

• Tweet
• Pin It

I’m seriously conflicted about this episode and how much I liked it. On one hand the story was great; I loved the idea of a serial killer hunter investigating their alternative self who is actually a serial killer.  It was poignant, emotional and fascinating to watch. My problem is that once again we get another stand-alone episode that doesn’t move the overall plot forward and the show is starting to lose the momentum that it had built up by the end of last season.

I don’t know if I missed it last week or not but I love the new golden introduction to Fringe. What does it signify though? If red stands for the alternate universe and blue for our universe what does gold stand for? I don’t know but I found it interesting! Anyways, like I said the story of the episode was gripping and emotional. John Pyper-Ferguson is fantastic as the man playing the two McClennan’s and really conveyed the emotion and sympathy as well as the sense of menace the role demanded. I just wish they had got him full-time! His story of finding inner peace through Marjory was touching, and seeing how different his life could have been, through the alternate McClennan was fascinating. The idea that the smallest actions can change the course of someone’s life was something I really enjoyed. I felt true pity for the alternate McClennan who didn’t have a rock in his life like Marjory to rely on, and it shows the very fine line that determines our fate. It was all compelling stuff, it was powerful and satisfying.

What I had a problem with was we learned nothing new at all. We’ve already seen the tension between our universe and their universe, we’ve seen how Olivia has changed without Peter, and we’ve seen Walter hearing Peter’s voice and how he’s different without Peter there. That’s what really bugged me, most episodes we at least get something new to chew on but not here. Even the ending with Walter hearing Peter again was something we had seen happen last episode. It’s disappointing at this stage in the shows life that they have to use filler, great filler, but filler nonetheless to fill their quota of episodes. In fairness though we are only two episodes in so there’s still lots of time to turn it around, and it’s not like this is the first time Fringe has done filler. I have faith in the show’s writers and I know we will get to the meat of the season eventually, at the moment though it’s just frustrating.

The episodes point was summed up pretty much by the words of Philip Broyles ‘I think there are people who make an everlasting imprint on a person’s soul, one that can never be erased’ which obviously relates to Peter and the effect he had on the lives of the people who loved him. It was a powerful message, but one that shouldn’t have taken an entire episode to explain. I love Fringe and can’t wait to see what’s coming next in the main story. Let’s just hope we don’t have to wait too much longer to find out.

—

Check out promo images for next week’s episode of Fringe, “Alone in the World”.

5 Comments

1. 

   Boobootf

   October 2, 2011 at 11:56 am

   The Amber credits are for a world without Peter.

   Reply
2. 

   Claudine Diniz

   October 2, 2011 at 6:41 pm

   And what about the “alternative” Broiles? I thought he’s dead… When the Olivia came back to her universe… I became lost. Could anybody talk about that?

   Reply
3. 

   Boobootf

   October 2, 2011 at 7:59 pm

   Peter was the reason Olivia went “over there”. Now in a non-Peter reality she will have gone over under different cicumstances (Olivia mentioned in E01 that Fauxlivia kidnapped her), therefore the circumstances under which she comes back have also changed. Alt-Broiles, in this new reality, never helped Olivia escape, hence he isn’t dead.
   It’s just like Olivia’s step-father. In the ‘normal’ timeline Olivia shot her step-father twice but couldn’t bring herself to kill him. In this new reality, Olivia and Peter never met in Jacksonville as children and that obviously had some effect on Olivia because she mentioned in this episode that she killed her step-father.
   Aside from the complete lack of Peter (I’m TRYING to be VERY patient) I thought this was a fantastic episode. I love watching the two Olivias together. I’d love for the two Lincolns to meet each other and get on like a house on fire, seeing as everyone else dislikes their double.

   Reply
   • 

     Claudine Diniz

     October 2, 2011 at 8:23 pm

     Thank you so much for your patience and kindness. I will probably be back to ask you to ‘fill’ some blancks.

     Reply
     • 

       Boobootf

       October 3, 2011 at 12:56 am

       Any time. My husband is so sick of hearing me talk about Fringe and all my theories, and complaining about where Peter is. Haha.

       Reply