Fringe 4.02

[ziparumpazoo]

More bullet points this morning than an actual review because it's all about the tiny details this week:

- Walter in front of the wall of speakers doing his Memorex Man impression - "Is it real? Or is it Memorex?" (though the image was actually used by Maxell, not Memorex). Walter's hearing Peter now too.

- Astrid's relationship with Walter is so much more than a caretaker, more that of a trusted friend.

- Asrid and Olivia's friendship is warm and genuine. They kind of also make me think of them as Walter's two mothers in a crime-fighting way.

- It's Blue!Lincoln's turn to get his name repeatedly butchered (Kennedy?) and be at Walter's beck and call. He remains cute, but un-used in this episode.

- Snark between the two Olivias continues, but it's tempered. Liv actually seems sympathetic at times. Makes me hope we're going to see more than just a two-dimensional version of her. (Fringe - there is no black and white, only 47 shades of grey) Also, I'm pretty sure, based on the conversation in the car, that Liv never had a step-dad, let alone shot him. I want more of these two together. Anna Torv is certainly earning her paycheck this season already.

- Olivia was abducted by the other side and gone for two weeks, not two months. Comes home, represses, still torn up. Never mind all the issues with finding out ones self is not unique and incomparable. Colonel Broyles is alive. I'm presuming we'll get the story of her escape at some point. If not, there's always fic. (I'm looking at you, flist!)

- Red!Lincoln! Also, Red!Lincoln seeing the similarities and being all about getting along and playing nice. They're not bad people, they're just from an alternate universe.

- Frank is still in the picture. Charlie found somebody who loved him for what's inside and married Mona the Bug Girl.

- Timmy the night FBI watchman from 4.01 is also Agent Tim delivering files boxes of files in last season's Marionette. Hello unrelated and useless trivia, but nice continuity.

Overall, I found the episode heavy-handed while it paralleled the monster-of-the-week plot with Olivia/Liv and the whole alternate universe thread, but there's a lot of re-written backstory to layout before we can get to the meat of the arc, so it's necessary, I suppose, but I'd put the episode up there with S3's Os - Good, but not great. Entertaining, informative, but lacking the surprise and emotional punch that makes Fringe addictive.

Comments

[monanotlisa]

As I mentioned in Speranza's LJ, so far the episodes have been heavy on the exposition, aimed at bringing in new viewers...but this episode I loved whole-heartedly because in-between the slightly clunky moments, we get all the interaction in the world between my favourite characters! I will admit that's what made me squee, and still does -- the plot will still pick up; we found first puzzle pieces of the overarching storyline in 4x01 and will continue to do so, hopefully back to the thrilling, fast-paced arc-based narrative of Season Three by 4x10...

[ziparumpazoo]

*nods*
It's a different way of storytelling, this laying out the ground rules before hand so they can then just run with the plot later without having to slow down to tell the audience what is happening, compared to most shows that spoon-feed their viewers and feel like they're just making it up as they go along. Don't get me wrong, there was no dislike here, I'm just spoiled by Fringe's usual high standards of storytelling.

I didn't have time this weekend to watch it a second time for the characters themselves, like I usually do. I'm going to have to find time this week because there were so many times I wanted to hit the back button and watch certain conversations over again, but that gets annoying to the other person watching it with me. ;)
(because RedLincoln in the car, totally reading Olivia... guh. "Wait, go back, I need to see that again!" lol)

[monanotlisa]

Don't get me wrong, there was no dislike here, I'm just spoiled by Fringe's usual high standards of storytelling.

Agreed; from Season Two onwards it was one mad, amazing rush of character-driven arcs...

RedLincoln in the car, totally reading Olivia... guh.

Oh, God. I know. Please tell me you'll give us Blue!Olivia/Red!Lincoln? (I know this is never going to happen on screen, but right now that would thrill me most, followed by my crack pairing of Red!Olivia/Blue!Lincoln...although honestly, in the Amber!verse, it'd play out much differently than in my little story: this Lincoln Lee is not easily pushed around, at all.)