501: 'Transilience Thought Unifier Model-11'
Written by J.H. Wyman
Directed by Jeannot Szwarc & Miguel Sapochnik
Synopsis: In the year 2036, Peter, Astrid, Walter, and
Etta set out to find Olivia and free her from amber. Once they do, they
discover she holds the key to finding the plans for a weapon to defeat the Observers... but Walter is captured and interrogated for the same information.
Verdict: With a measly 13 episodes until the end of the line, Fringe ups the ante tenfold with an action-packed rollercoaster of a season opener that neatly establishes the template for weeks to come, jostling simultaneously between crazy, plot-fueled chase sequences and tender, often crushing, character moments. There's a notable sense of urgency about the whole hour, intensified by the magnificent duel directorial abilities of Szwarc and Sapochnik, who do an absolutely cracking job of making the decimated landscape of 2034 come to life. Of course, we've had a taster of this season's delights already - last year's superb 'Letters in Transit' - so it should come as no surprise that the production crew are a dab hand at these things but still, what they manage to achieve on such a tight budget is nothing short of astonishing. There are moments of genuine horror - Windmark's interrogation of Walter is gut-wrenching (he's one hell of a villain, ain't he?) - as well as punch-the-air euphoria (Etta reunited with her mother), but let's give credit where credit's due and talk about that final scene, eh? While it may seem like something of a cop-out to have Walter lose some of his memories again, the moment of poignancy that results more than makes up for it. John Noble is absolutely fantastic here, doing so much with so little, and the direction, lighting, camerawork and soundtrack all combine to produce a striking two minutes of television that will doubtless be talked about for months to come. And all to a Yazoo song... who'd have thunk it? (9)
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