209: 'Snakehead'
Wr: David Wilcox
Dr: Paul Holahan
Synopsis: The Fringe team investigate bodies with creatures attached to it. Olivia, Peter and Broyles discover that the case is linked to a dangerous organization.
Review: While you may roll your eyes at yet another stand alone episode of Fringe, 'Snakehead's 'curiosity of the week' is actually window dressing to something far more interesting: a bucketload of wonderful development for the show's most lovable character. Walter's quest for independence is undoubtedly the highlight of the hour as John Noble rises to the occasion and puts in a magnificent tour de force, expertly depicting Bishop's frustration, determination and sorrow without ever resorting to cliche. The scene in which he forgets Peter's telephone number in Chinatown is just excellent: his break down on the bench at the bus stop is genuinely moving stuff and more than a little tear-jerking. When he meets a distraught Astrid at hour's end, the feeling is only amplified; Noble's hesitations, his apprehension when confronted with a horrific situation that is of his own making, feel horribly real, just the sort of uncertain awkwardness that often typifies such circumstances. And then there's the narrative's pay off: Walter's decision to implant himself with a tracking device. This is an absolutely genius notion, the perfect flourish to the story, as it's just the sort of ridiculously out there idea that we know Walter would have. It's also worth noting that Joshua Jackson is typically superb as his foil, playing the part with understated reserve but rising to the occasion when he is required to depict Peter's palpable concern.
Amongst all of this, the 'mystery', if you can call it that, sort of fades into the background. It's hardly original stuff - ANOTHER parasite? More things that grow inside people's bodies and ultimately cause them to endure grisly deaths? Yawn! - but at least the minutiae are cut from a different palate. The decision to set the story in the murky underbelly of Chinatown makes for some refreshingly original visuals, and the inclusion of the Triad adds a nice garnish of verisimilitude to proceedings. The gore factor is off the scale too: when Walter pulls the parasite out of the corpse's mouth and neck, you'd be forgiven for leaving the rest of your dinner, and then when the gang member slits his own throat, it'd be no surprise if what you had managed to get down your neck came shooting straight back out again. Awesome.
There is one niggling gripe, however, and that is the manner in which the narrative completely forgets about one of its most crucial components. While the poor separated Chinese family are happily reunited and we're meant to feel distinctly comforted, the same cannot be said for the immune deficiency patients, whose fate is left entirely to the imagination. Thanks to some nice scenes with Josh Jackson, we actually care about Matt, who may well die without the treatment being provided by the Triad, but we never get any clue as to how Fringe Division might go about rectifying this problem. It's hardly his fault that his mother is acquiring the drug through illicit means; surely we could at least have had some acknowledgment of this moral dilemma (this did seem to be what the narrative was setting up)? It seems to slip writer David Wilcox's mind which frankly, is more than a little callous, don't ya think?!
On the whole, 'Snakehead' is a surprisingly solid episode for one that appears so bog standard on paper, but it's primarily the result of some well written character moments and a thankfully brisk paced narrative. While the stand alone element relies heavily on the show's established formula, its predictability fades from significance when faced with so many wonderful scenes involving Walter and Peter. Fringe could do with a great deal more episodes like this. 8.1
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