502: 'In Absentia'
Written by J.H. Wyman & David Fury
Directed by Jeannot Szwarc
Synopsis: After Walter's mind is damaged by Windmark's telepathic probe, the team
goes to Walter's old Harvard lab to find the information they need to
defeat the Observers.
Verdict: While it's certainly sad to see this show on
its last hurrah, there's definitely something to be said for having a
planned end date; just as with that other J.J. Abrams stalwart (oh, you
know the one), Fringe feels tauter, better plotted and, crucially, more
focused than ever in its final season, setting out its trajectory and
sticking firmly to it, losing any potential wastage along the way
(monster-of-the-week episodes are fine when executed deftly but these
are the last days and we need no distractions, thank you very much).
So
'In Absentia' moves the arc plot along another twenty or so paces,
bringing Harvard back into the mix (but without Daisy... or did Walter
amber her too?) And carving out the basic structure for the hours to
come in the form of the tapes that contain Walter's master plan. While
this could become tiresome and repetitive, in the hands of Fringe's
executive producers, it will doubtless be a thrilling ride. And if they
continue to expertly marry the movement of the central narrative with
considered character establishment, all the better. There are some
wonderfully quiet moments here, from Olivia's disappointment at Etta's
tactics to Etta's justifications to just about every line given to the
guard. Lost's Radzinsky is absolutely superb as a man broken by the
system, quietly searching for redemption. Wyman and Fury's shades of grey
give these sequences extra clout, refusing to become bogged down in
traditional tropes of good and evil, making everything all the more
human. Another excellent episode then... even with Walter's somewhat
cheesy final speech. (9)
No comments:
Post a Comment