So Fringe tries to pull out all the stop this week, but unfortunately it fell a little flat. Last week’s episode left us with a clear direction of where the show was heading, and it made sense. Peter and Olivia would be back together and Peter was actually in his universe the whole time. This week’s episode went crazy though and decided to stir the pot even more, just as at was finally settling.
Peter by the end does a complete 180 and somehow comes to the definite realization that he can still go home and that this Olivia is actually just stealing his own memories. We still don’t know who’s right in all this, but last week spent a lot of time disproving this and this episode decides to take a step backwards and put us back to exactly where we already were. Its one thing to tease something, but another to give it to us and then take it away a week later. I’m scared for the direction (or lack there of…) that this show is heading in.
Peter gets to travel into the mind of an Observer this week, and we finally figure out the truth behind them, but not much more. It was cool reveal to finally learn that the Observers are actually super evolved humans from the future, but this is a scene Fringe fans have been waiting years for and unfortunately the writers did not deliver. The scene was a quick 6 minutes (give or take) and basically told us what we already knew (the lake incident, Walter-nate not seeing the cure, etc etc). Plus the reveal to Peter of his son had the typical Fringe sappiness spilled all over it.
While the Observer scene didn’t live up to the hype, luckily the rest of the plot did. The scenes with Nina Sharp, David Robert Jones, and Olivia were tense as hell. Not knowing which Nina is good, what DRJ is trying to accomplish, and if Olivia still has powers all added up for some great drama. On top of that, seeing Olivia shoot DRJ in the neck with no avail adds more to the already crazy plot. It is all crazy as hell, for better or worse.
Unfortunately we have to wait 4 weeks until Fringe returns, but maybe it will give me some time for these episodes to settle in my brain. Fringe is still the best Sci-Fi show on TV and I’m still very interested. I just hope the writers know what they’re doing. Maybe they are scared (with good reason based on reports…) that Fringe won’t get renewed for another season and are trying to find a way to wrap everything up. Either way, the plot seems to be a little disjointed with a feeling that the writers are constantly going back and forth on what they want to happen. I just hope it doesn’t completely unravel.
