Review catch-up: Fringe

115: 'Inner Child'

Wr: Julia Cho & Brad Caleb Kane
Dr: Frederick E.O. Toye

Synopsis: Olivia makes a bond with a mysterious child that was living alone underground. Meanwhile, a serial killer re-emerges.

Review: After the game-changing revelations of 'Ability', 'Inner Child's simple tale of the empath and the psycho initially feels a little underwhelming. There are no references to Massive Dynamic or ZFT and barely even a whiff of anything that advances the season-spanning narrative (no, I don't count Olivia's sister.. in fact, I'd rather not think about why she's still hanging around like a bad smell at all, thank you very much), other than the implication at episode end's that the child may be a younger Observer and hence, that the man we've seen at the scene of all the bizarre occurrences this season is probably not the sole weirdo of his kind. This is perhaps a little more significant than it may at first seem, however, as the CIA agent's refusal to disclose any further knowledge as to how the child was in the sealed underground chambers hints at the possibility that the agency had a part in orchestrating this, suggesting that the Observers are perhaps 'grown' in this way. I have to admit, I didn't see the connection, despite the glaringly obvious fact of the similarity in appearance and, as a result, this was somewhat satisfying. Not every episode has to be mythology-laden in order to succeed of course, and 'Inner Child' is, for the most part, a good example of what Fringe can achieve when thrust into 'stand alone' mode. The Artist is a suitably macabre villain and, sensibly, is pushed to the background in favour of concentrating on the child who, let's face it, is a fascinating enigma, very well played (and that's saying something when you consider he doesn't have a single line). Olivia's bond with him is engagingly written and transposes onto the viewer. The only problem really is that the viewer understands exactly what is going on about twenty minutes before the characters figure it out. Now, sure, dramatic irony is a perfectly valid narrative device but when it's unintentional, as here, it falls flat and frustrates rather than captivates. It's glaringly obvious from the moment that the child writes his first upside down words that he has a connection to the killer and, more importantly, to Olivia since it is only she that he reacts to. And then, much later, a 'revelatory' scene is delivered in which Dunham realises that there is a connection and everyone acts as if it's the biggest shock since the Red Sox won the World Series (see what I did there?), while the entire viewing audience mutters a collective, "well, duh". This is a problem that Fringe needs to rectify if it is to concentrate on 'curiosity of the week' instalments. Still, generally enjoyable and a fittingly intriguing return. 8.5

116: 'Unleashed'

Wr: Zack Whedon & J.R. Orci
Dr: Brad Anderson

Synopsis: A man-made creature attacks Charlie and Walter's history catches up with him.

Review: Regrettably, Fringe falls back on the 'monster of the week' formula with 'Unleashed', as if struggling to come up with a fresh psuedo-scientific-but-more-like-paranormal premise. While the beast we were treated to in 'The Transformation' was well realised and rather frightening, largely because it was borne of a human being, the glorified python-eagle-bat thing we get here is just lacklustre. The effects aren't exactly offensive but they certainly don't impress either, failing to gel well with the live action and feeling like the CGI add-ons that they are. The only really believable moment in which the lovely thing appears is in the sewers towards episode's end, and that's mainly because it's dark. Oh, and they probably spent a bit more money on getting us that aggressive facial shot. I suppose the sequence with the child playing is okay too, primarily because our view of the creature is largely restricted. Of course, I can forgive disappointing special effects if the narratalogical substance is strong but, unfortunately, that's not the case here. Olivia, Walter and Peter effectively run around chasing a genetically modified monster for forty minutes while Charlie threatens to give birth to its larvae. While it's nice to see this peripheral character get a slice of the action, and some form of back story, his recovery is never in question and the concept itself doesn't exactly enthuse. The plot feels like it's being stretched thin, a fact backed up by the constant stops and starts in the story (going to the animal experimentation lab, leaving, going back again) and the injection of YET ANOTHER CASE OF RELEVANCE TO SOMETHING WALTER HAS HAD A HAND IN BEFORE. Granted, it turns out that he isn't responsible for everything this week, but the fact that it's used as a plot device in any shape or form at all is enough to get the eyes rolling. Still, at least John Noble gets to be angry and heroic for once instead of just loopy. 7.1

117: 'Bad Dreams'

Wr: Akiva Goldsman
Dr: Akiva Goldsman

Synopsis: A suicide incident occurs at Grand Central Station, which Olivia dreams about. Meanwhile, shocking details emerge about the ZFT manuscript and Olivia's past.

Review: Now THAT's more like it. 'Bad Dreams' pulls off that most tricky of feats and manages to incorporate a thoroughly engaging self-contained 'curiosity of the week' into a narrative that essentially serves to advance the season-spanning plot. As a result, this feels like something of a treat, marrying the two most commendable elements of the show in one highly entertaining package. Predicating the story on Olivia is a deft structural decision as it guarantees the viewer's engagement from the get go and while it is evident to everyone with even an ounce of sense that it is not she who is prompting these horrific events, that hardly seems to matter. The writing staff do an excellent job of illustrating the kind of fear and horror that would inevitably result from these sort of prophetic dreams, and Anna Torv certainly rises to the challenge in her portrayal of the character. To make matters more palatable, the story doesn't spend 35 minutes believing that 'Olive' is the culprit and then the remaining 10 reeling from the 'shock' that she isn't; no, this is brushed aside after the first act as ZFT connections are unpacked and contemplated. The plot moves at a decidedly brisk pace, opening up a number of interesting points to ponder along the way, and builds to a fantastic crescendo as first Olivia, Peter and Walter get a marvellous scene together in the Bishops' apartment and then Dunham gets to confront her ex-testing partner atop the rooftop. The set-up of this sequence is fantastic: watching the guy slowly acquire 'followers' is decidedly disturbing and, just to place the icing on the cake, we have THAT squirmy moment when one of the bodies falls to her excruciatingly believable death. Massive kudos to Akiva Goldsman (writing AND directing this one, to maximise the realisation of artistic vision) for keeping the camera fixed during this moment and not following her descent: the impact is far stronger this way. In fact, Goldsman does an excellent job with the orchestration of action throughout the episode, as evidenced by both the deliciously eerie pre-titles sequence and the slow-building horror of the scene in the restaurant. And then there's that closing moment, hinting further at Walter's former involvement in Olivia's life which is obviously going to have a massive impact in future episodes. Excellent stuff then, with some token same-sex snoggage to boot. Well, I'm sure someone enjoyed it. 9.2

118: 'Midnight'

Wr: J.H. Whyman & Andrew Kreisberg
Dr: Bobby Roth

Synopsis: Someone is killing people and draining their spinal cord fluid. Olivia, Peter, and Walter go to great lengths to stop the deaths, which are happening more and more frequently.

Review: Hmm. Curiously, while 'Midnight' essentially follows the same narratalogical pattern as last week's stellar episode, 'Bad Dreams', by counterpointing a fringe science case with some plot elements that advance the show's over-arching mythology, somehow, it doesn't manage to hit the kind of giddy heights that Akiva Goldsman's episode did. Perhaps it's the central concept that's to blame here: while it's hardly bad, it just doesn't have the same level of gravitas as a 'man whose emotions dictate the responses of others'. Essentially, what we have here is another genetically modified something or other that has been altered for the worse, to the detriment of mankind, by the evil folk at the ol' ZFT to 'show off' to the scientific community. And sure, the minutiae of the transformation have their appeal: 'spinal fluid' draining is suitably grotesque and those piercing blue eyes are a very memorable image, but that doesn't save them from ultimately amounting to very little other than window dressing for the real drive of the narrative, which, unfortunately, appears to be a moral lesson about the nature of love. Oh just look at the wheelchair-bound doctor, sacrificing himself and devoting all his time to his demented, spine-sucking lover! And how poignant the juxtaposition, eh, with poor Rachel and her impending divorce and custody battle! Erm, no. While the scientist's motivation is at least acceptable as a logical component of the story, even if it does begin to wear a little thin and it is glaringly obvious as soon as two and two are put together that he will die to save her, all this gumf with Olivia's sister is just plain irritating. Get rid of it as soon as possible please as it does nothing but distract from the thrust of the plot, creating lulls in the action that suck you right out of your engagement with the episode. In a pleasantly surprising move, we actually do acquire some information about ZFT (I was sure the guy would snuff it before he could reveal anything) but sadly, it's nothing we hadn't guessed at already. Still, at least it's moving the plot forward somewhat, indicating that we might get a stellar ol' season finale. As with many Fringe episodes, 'Midnight' is far from a shoddy hour of television. It's competent, fairly well written and has some interesting concepts at its heart. It just lacks that extra ingredient to make it something truly great. 7.8