208: 'August'
Wr: Jeff Pinkner & J.H. Whyman
Dr: Dennis Smith
Synopsis: The Fringe team closes in on the mysterious Observer after they investigate a bizarre abduction case in Boston, MA.
Review: Over the course of the last season and a half, The Observer has become one of the most interesting and beguiling staples of J.J. Abrams' latest televisual effort. His is a wonderful conceit, appearing in every episode, hidden in plain sight within the frame, supervising the science-bending events that are about to unfold. He is a kind of Where's Wally? for the screenage generation, minus the jam-jar glasses and lankiness and plus a McCarthy-esque hat and shiny, shiny head. The quest to locate him has become a crucial component of the series, providing a suitably entertaining way of engaging the viewer week in and week out. To this point, we know very little about him; he writers right to left in a 'language' consisting of mysterious symbols, seems to like chili sauce (and lots of it) and perhaps most crucially of all, he rescued Peter and Walter from a dreadful car crash many years ago. Now, with the promise of an entire episode devoted to this most bizarre of creatures, Fringe looked set to rectify this situation and provide us with a great deal of juicy mythology to sink our rabid teeth into.
Except, it doesn't quite turn out that way. For all its focus on the follically-challenged ones (yes, there's more than one of these dudes, a fact that is built up as a sort of mini-reveal but we'd sorta figured it out from the events of season one's 'Inner Child'), 'August' doesn't really take us any further forward, choosing instead to pepper the narrative with hints and clues rather than resolutely concrete answers. This isn't necessarily a bad thing - after all, it's what makes that other Abrams show Lost so damn addictive - and there is certainly sufficient food for thought on the menu, but what fills the time between snippets ultimately turns out to be a little underwhelming. Essentially, the objective of the episode is to humanise the Observers, to allow them to experience some of the 'feelings' that lead us to irrational and somewhat blinded decisions.
The revelation that August has altered the course of history purely to serve his own interests, simply because he is in love with a particular woman, might seem like a nice idea on paper but it falls flat in the execution, coming across as a bit of a disappointment when one considers the weight of intrigue, the level of mystery, that surrounds these characters. What we need is more that beguiles, or some form of explanation as to their nature; essentially, anything other than drawing parallels and distracting us from the small matter of the furthering of the arc plot. The story effectively deflates once we realise that there are no ulterior motives behind August's actions, since it is mostly this enigma that drives the narrative forward. Well, that and the possibility that Peter may cotton on to the rather dramatic secret that his father's been keeping from him for the better part of twenty years, but even this fails to transpire, confined instead, probably, to an OTT moment in the season finale. Given that Fringe seems content to play silly buggers with its audience, stalling the progression of the mythology with lazily written, often sub par stand alones week after week, it would be nice if, once the the four week 'big episode' comes around (you know, the one before the week or two's break so that we'll all come back for more...) they didn't insist on keeping the brakes on.
It's not all doom and gloom though. The intricate details that we're exposed to are deliciously bizarre: the casual manner in which the Observers interact, even when one of them has 'gone off the rails', so to speak; the idea that they are timeless, appearing at every major cataclysmic event in human history; that gun; the mysterious references to 'significance' and the idea that, because the girl inadvertently kills one of their own, she is somehow important. One can only guess at their role in the grander scheme of things and, indeed, at what was meant by the observation at episode's end that things are about to get difficult for 'her'... but did they mean Olivia or that irritating little brat, sorry, I mean wonderfully sweet young niece of hers? All of this plays far better than the sort of predictable X Files investigations we've been subjected to since the season began; at least the narrative doesn't feel like it's following a well-worn formula, or trying desperately to pad out a wafer-thin concept.
While it deals directly with one of the most intriguing ideas Fringe has ever thrown at us, 'August' doesn't exactly provide Earth-shattering revelations or particularly significant advancements in the arc plot. On the one hand, this does prove to be a good thing, allowing the beguiling minutiae to take centre stage and opening the door for some solid character development, but equally, it does prove a little frustrating. If Fringe weren't so keen on holding back, perhaps this wouldn't be as much of a problem. However, as it is, having the narrative transpire to be little more than a hokey lesson about the nature of humanity (as Dave Lister might've called it, "that Star Trek crap") feels like a bit of a cop out. Promising, yes, and interesting, certainly, but just no quite enough to write home about. 7.9
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