Could “Forced Perspective” continue the overarching story threads from the previous installment or would Fringe succumb to the dreaded procedural shift in focus?
THE GOOD
- It was good to see the integration of overarching story elements in the shape of Olivia’s impending doom and Nina’s agenda.
- The episode reflected Olivia’s personal demons whilst echoing events that have already taken place elsewhere, with The Ghost Network being an obvious reference point. While this in itself is not necessarily good, these parallels are fun to see.
- Nina’s reemergence as a character with serious bite continues. I’m intrigued as to her plans for Olivia.
THE BAD
- No continuation or follow-up on the universe-splintering events that have just transpired with David Robert Jones. I was disappointed it wasn’t even mentioned. I found the return to the show’s procedural element disjointing as it undercuts so much of the continuity from recent weeks. It seems “Wallflower” wasn’t a blip.
- One of the most skippable episodes in a while, and it pains me to say that about Fringe.
- The episode as a whole felt rather lackluster — even Peter looked bored. I continue to appreciate the new timeline but the show is developing a habit of re-boiling the least rewarding season 1 standalones. I just don’t think the story was calling out for Ghost Network II.
- I love Olivia, in any timeline, but I just didn’t believe some of the words that came out of her mouth. The emotionality in some of her big scenes just wasn’t there.
- Normally I’d be thrilled to see an Observer close an episode, but this one felt tacked on.
- Almost forgotten in the recent splattering of story arc episodes, but we’re yet to learn the consequences of September not using his PEM back in NHNT. If the payoff is coming then fine, but I also don’t want that intriguingly ‘roguish’ decision to be brushed under the carpet, as I can see that happening.
THE OVEREVIEW
- I thought the opening scene with Olivia and Broyles observing the Observers was very good and useful within the context of this timeline. Olivia’s grapple with her own fate echoes Peter’s with the BBM but it’s interesting to compare the two.
- The context is slightly different (at this stage) because Peter was prophesied to bring about the destruction of two universes, but both scenarios have our heroes dealing with circumstances that are seemingly out of their hands. Like Peter’s date with the Machine, this episode reinforces September’s notion that Olivia’s fate cannot be avoided.
- Given the emotional gravity of September’s message, my sense is that he’s actively tried to save Olivia. Whether this is because she’s Olivia or because her survival is important in the grand scheme of things, remains to be seen (it could be both).
- Emily’s father tells her that “God has a plan for all of us.” I find it interesting when the show puts God in the equation when Observers are running around and there’s more than one of everything. Of course, the more the pictures expands, the more things contextualize.
- In the end, Emily fulfilled her role. Rather like Dana from “Stowaway,” her cycle was broken once she performed a certain function. Interesting that it ‘always’ involved Olivia. In a sense, Olivia helped her to move on — whether or not Emily wanted to go was neither here nor there, which shows how cruel fate can be. But then, there’s a bigger picture to everything, as we’ve seen with the universes/timelines conceit.
- It’s clear that Emily informs Olivia’s situation on several levels: causing her to momentarily question Nina’s motives, speculate the nature of reality (is she drawn to Emily by coincidence/fate or is she influencing reality somehow) and witness the death of someone who couldn’t escape fate.
- I’ve always been intrigued by the possibility that Olivia influences the world around her to a substantial degree, that her innermost thoughts/fears manifest out into the world.
- So the question of whether her entanglement with Emily, on the heels of September’s message, is fate or her own doing, most likely boils down to both.
- On the one hand, time is happening all at once (the Observers are among the few who can perceive it for what it is), and on the other hand Olivia can tap into some of these properties and perhaps unwittingly manipulate them.
- The Olivia/Nina scenes were intriguing. Olivia was mad at Nina for being so blasé about the abuse she suffered as a child, essentially questioning whether she ever really impacted her ethical compass. How interesting that Nina is not what she seems, rather than taking a less ruthless approach to science, having Olivia in her life has seemingly made her more devious, duplicitous and dangerous.
- Of course, there’s still a bit of wriggle-room for Nina to ‘be working for the greater good,’ but that will be a difficult spin seeing as she’s extending Olivia’s abuse into adulthood — the invisible hand is no less dangerous.
- Indeed, Nina’s manipulation touches the heart of their relationship — one based on lies and false perception. Intriguingly, Nina later seemed genuine in her concern for Olivia (she doesn’t rustle up Nina’s homemade carrot soup for everyone!), but even if we take that at face value, is her ‘concern’ based on a highly valuable test subject, or a surrogate daughter? Is there even a line between the two for Nina?
- Nina’s outlook is informed by an earlier comment when she says that no-one made Emily this way, as a defense for wanting to ‘study’ the youngster. At any rate, it’s all cover since we know that natural or engineered, Nina has her hand in it. The nanotechnology comment from earlier in the season now seems all the more telling. “We just own the patents.” Indeed, Nina, indeed.
- As noted earlier, I struggled to believe Olivia’s “I love you” line, I’m not sure she even believed it — which might be the point.
- Nina’s reaction was the desired result, however, and it seems she was affected by Olivia’s words (although her reaction was somewhat feigned and she showed more concern over the migraines). Will this weaken her resolve, or only serve to reinforce it when all is said and done? Can Olivia ever forgive the Iron Fist?
CASE NOTES
- The opening death scene was classic Fringe and pretty graphic even by the show’s standards. It was kind of formulaic, though, the way the woman screamed and then took the time to look at the prophecy picture before screaming again.
- First young Peter and Olivia show up on Once Upon A Time as Hansel and Gretel, now Rumplestiltskin’s son appears on Fringe as Emily’s brother.
- Broyles’ concern for Olivia was nice to see, as was Olivia eventually opening up to him — reminiscent of their growth in the other timeline.
- Broyles doesn’t believe in fate. Neither did Olivia, until her personal demons manifested in a case a few days later.
- I was half expecting Emily’s condition to tie back to Walter or more directly to Massive Dynamic.
- Was Emily’s father really going to move the family just because he saw a van parked outside? How about contacting the FBI agent who’s helping you first?
- Walter describes the ripples of time as vibrations, describing how a future event can have an an emotional/perceptual impact before it’s consciously experienced.
- I was ready to chastise Peter for not telling Walter that he’s encountered a similar case in the other timeline, and then he eventually fills him in. He sure took his sweet time.
- It’s hard not to think that far more interesting and pressing events were taking place in the alternate universe.
- With September possibly at fate’s door, one has to wonder whether he knew his time might soon come to an end, hence ‘training’ the new Observer earlier in the season?
- I thought the show’s budget constraints were particularly apparent in this one, yet they managed to dig out a pretty neat floaty dream scene.
ANSWERS
- According to Peter, the BBM in this timeline wouldn’t respond to him.
- Olivia continues to suffer migraines, a consequence of the Cortexiphan dosing.
- As we suspected, the blood sample Olivia asked Astrid to run belongs to September.
- In this timeline they don’t have a name for the Observers and have a lot less knowledge of their function.
MYSTERIES
- Will there be any unplanned consequences of Olivia’s Cortexiphan dosing?
- What is this “remarkable” new drug that Nina’s going to send Olivia?
- Apart from Michael Cerveris not being booked for this episode, should we read anything into the fact that a different Observer was watching Olivia, given September’s possibly fatal wound?
- Can Olivia escape her ‘death’ or is she fated to die in every possible future, no matter what?
Final Thought
I didn’t think we’d have another episode this season that would give “Wallflower” a run for its money, but FP410 does just that. Some good Nina/Olivia moments and mythology sprinkles, but overall a backwards, procedural, step.
Best Moment: Nina/Olivia ‘soup’ scene.
Best Performer: Blair Brown.
Best line: “I want to, I’m the closest thing you have to a mother, remember.” — Nina to Olivia.
6.5/10 Seriable Stars
PERSON OF INTEREST Renewed For Season 2
TERRA NOVA: Season 2 Decision Delayed Until 2012
ONCE UPON A TIME: The Comprehensive Character Guide
BREAKING BAD: Bryan Cranston Confirms Season 5 Will Premiere In July
FRINGE OBSERVATIONS: 4.22 Brave New World: Part 2
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ONCE UPON A TIME OBSERVATIONS: 1.22 A Land Without Magic
ONCE UPON A TIME OBSERVATIONS: 1.21 An Apple Red As Blood
FRINGE OBSERVATIONS: 4.21 Brave New World: Part 1
ONCE UPON A TIME OBSERVATIONS: 1.20 The Stranger
{ 53 comments… read them below or add one }
ROCO, in your answers section of your review i would argue with one of your points:”The BBM in this timeline doesn’t respond to Peter.”
I believe that statement is premature because at no point does peter state that he has attempted to make the machine work in this timeline, if you listen to the scene carefully he just assumes it is not going to work.
I myself wonder if it will actually respond to him, confirming many fans theory (including my own) that this is our universe.
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ROCO,
You really thought this episode was bad as “wallflower” REALLY!? that was the worse ever episode of fringe, i dont think this episode was anywhere near as bad myself, but i can see where your coming from.
I also think this is the first time i have ever read you critique olivia/anna torv lol.
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In this TImeLine, Peter did not grow to be a man, he died as a child. Therefore synching the BBM to his specific genetic marker would not make any sense. So, it is obvious for Peter to assume the machine is not set up for him.
My question is, how then IS the BBM set up?
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I think that the unconvincing way in which Olivia expressed her feelings to Nina was clearly intentional. She thinks she feels this about her, but something inside her tells her she shouldn’t, but she doesn’t realize.
Olivia feels lost, now she knows she’s going to die (after Peter told her that the Observers are always right) and Nina is the only one she’s close too… she took care of her all her life, now it would be weird to start suspecting her consciously. But we know that Olivia has a great instinct and it keeps helping her, even when she’s not aware.
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What a snoozefest!
I get what they were trying to accomplish, but I think the episode fell flat on its rear.
Too much Olivia angst and too little of anything else, which usually makes for gloomy and unengaging episodes.
I think they should tone down the awkward vibes between Walter and Olivia, they are trying to sell closeness too hard and it’s just not working for me.
The actors (anna torv and john noble) don’t have any chemistry together, they look brain dead, when they try to go for sweet and warm.
They speak so slowly to each other, and Olivia speaks to him like he’s 5 years old.
It’s creepy.
However, I enjoyed Broyles a lot here. I feel that this is the first time this season, he got anything substantial to do. Lance Reddick was very good.
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I’m glad they didn’t drop the plot about Olivia’s destiny, but I wish they hadn’t dedicated every single scene of the episode on how that is affecting Olivia, considering that it meant having to watch Olivia’s “concerned” face for 40 minutes straight. I cannot find that compelling, no matter how hard I try.
It was a big step back from the awesomeness of the previous episode, but I have to give props to the special effects department. They are flawless!
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So …. have they given up giving clues to the next episode? Y_Y I miss that.
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What was this show’s Glyph Message?
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“MARCH”
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Thank you very much! *rewards you with a bag of Red Vines* ^_^
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And the one before “DEATH”…so DEATH MARCH?
Are they soldiers destined to fail in all possible futures?
(software) “The knowledge of the doomed nature of the project weighs heavily on the psyche of its participants, as if they are helplessly watching themselves and their coworkers being forced to torture themselves and march toward death. Often, the death march will involve desperate attempts to right the course of the project” “these themes have metaphorical parallel in real death marches”
literal Death March “is a forced march of prisoners of war or other captives or deportees, due to fail because of unplanned conditions where they die of starvation, dehydration, disease, injured, etc.”
Maybe is just “MARCH”
the month (March in the Northern Hemisphere is the seasonal equivalent of September in the Southern Hemisphere, March’s birthstones are aquamarine and bloodstone. These stones mean courage)
etc, etc, etc…
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A new observer, March…
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What does the title of the show mean to the show itself, micro and macro?
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I don’t get why they are giving us these non-compelling tangents. If it is to bring in new viewers then I don’t see the point and it’s not working anyway. When your show is on it’s 4th season it’s a little late to try to bring in a lot of new viewers, especially if you are going to do it with snore-fest stand-alones like Wallflower and this epi. All you are going to do is alienate your set fan base. They’ll just DVR the show and watch it later (when they can also skip the mind-numbing ads, gah!) while they are doing more interesting things then wasting time on another pointless epi. I watched it live and sat through the ads but I put it on mute and still groaned at the vast majority of them. But soon I will have to give up something since my paycheck has grown smaller so if that means sacrificing cable and thus Fringe-live then so be it.
And, I’m sorry FOX, but QUIT WHINING!! If you really wanted FRINGE to succeed you wouldn’t have “Kitchen Nightmares” as a lead in!
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Really?! I found this episode quite interesting.
And NO!! It’s nowhere near as bad as Wallflower.
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Great review Roco, I’ll comment more later.
I think when a explosion happens, the dislocation of air, would rip a person in pieces. That freeze scene of people flying was cool but not realistic. If they did the same scene with body parts, then I would believe it!
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“I’ve always been intrigued by the possibility that Olivia influences the world around her to a substantial degree, that her innermost thoughts/fears manifest out into the world.”
Doesn’t this tie in with the “if you can imagine a better world you can make a better world?” I noticed on Emily’s final drawing that Olivia was very prominent in the foreground. Almost like an observer. I think Olivia can and does influence what’s going on around her. One of her many abilities?
Yes it was a slow episode after the last two but I still enjoyed it and I think it might have more relevance later in the season like past episodes have. To me it always seems everything all ties together eventually. Even the weaker episodes.
Does the glyph code MARCH refer to the observer watching now?
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oh please!!
cant they stop make anna torv happen!!!!!!!!!
without a very, very strong script, anna is at best mediocure as an actress.
she was at her best in the first half of the third season. without any doubt.
but at the same time . the scripts and material were at that time AT THEIR BEST on fringe.
a good actor can at least make an effort to make a poor script happen.
see; john noble for axample. season 4 was very bad , but yet the critics are praising him this year. they forgot about anna torv this year.
such a shame, but now i can see the difference between anna and john.
the previous year , i thougt that anna and john were equal as far as their acting ability.
but now you can clearly see that anna is not so great.
the shout out for: give john noble and anna torv an emmy is long gone.
now it’s just john who deserve an award.
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“One of the most skippable episodes in a while, and it pains me to say that about Fringe.”
It pains me to hear you say that. And I would argue that it isn’t a skippable episode. Sure, we didn’t have Jones front and center, and we didn’t have any crossing over to the other side. But that doesn’t mean there wasn’t anything significant that happened. There were still memorable character moments and connections that I think play a valuable roll in building up to those bigger story arcs and the impact they have.
“I didn’t think we’d have another episode this season that would give “Wallflower” a run for its money, but FP410 does just that.”
Okay, hold it right there. This may have been a “stand alone” episode, but that doesn’t automatically put it on the same level as Wallflower. Wallflower is what I consider to be the most disappointing, least interesting episode of the season (which isn’t to say it’s the most disappointing of the series — there are others that I would argue are even worse), but this episode was nowhere close to that. Wallflower had a mediocre story to begin with. The themes didn’t resonate with me. There was little to tie in to the overarching story. The character interactions seemed hollow. This episode had none of those problems, in my opinion.
I was actually pretty impressed with this episode. As a standalone, it held itself quite well. I found the case itself to be rather interesting and unpredictable in how it would resolve. I liked how it paralleled other episodes (including Ghost Network and Stowaway) but also showed a new twist on those ideas. I found myself invested in Emily and her efforts to cope with the ability she had. I hadn’t expected her to die in the end. I thought they constructed a very powerful story in this episode.
I also felt like the themes the show is emphasizing were found in abundance in this episode. Things like fate and what is set in stone and what can be changed were explored very well through this story. What do you do when you know what is going to happen? Can you change it? All of this tied in with the nature of the observers, along with the warning Olivia received of her own potentially inevitable death. There was also the theme about how everyone has a purpose and discovering what that purpose is. Isn’t that a lot of what this season is about? Seeing how different this new timeline is because Peter was never there shows his importance and his purpose. All of the characters have a purpose and things they have to do (leading back to fate?) and we’re seeing how they are led to discover that purpose.
Then there’s the whole issue of Nina and her blatant betrayal of the trust Olivia has in her. Olivia’s outrage and accusation when she discovered that Nina could still be experimenting on children was obvious. And that’s just a small glimpse of the sort of reaction she would have if (when) she finds out what Nina is currently doing to her. It’s going to be huge. Potentially worse than when Peter found out the truth about what Walter did because in this instance, Nina is well aware of what she is doing. She is violating and experimenting on the person she considers to be her daughter. And we see how Nina is still as manipulative and proficient at hiding her true actions and motivations as she is in the original timeline. Can you trust Nina? It sure doesn’t look like it.
I also thought this episode had some visually impressive moments. I thought the scene at the park was beautiful and very fitting. I also really liked the way they portrayed Emily’s vision of the bomb. It was unique. They could have just shown her in the aftermath of the bomb, walking around all these dead bodies. Instead, it was in this frozen moment of time, which looked visually stunning. It really enhanced that scene and set it apart from other episodes and other shows that come to my mind.
Last thought: did anyone else catch the moment where Peter and Olivia were talking about Emily’s death at the end and they said something to the effect of “It was the thing that gave her her ability that killed her.” I thought that could very well be a deceptively subtle comment that is meant to reflect back on Olivia. Olivia has been told she is going to die. She’s also currently being injected with what we assume is cortexiphan — the very thing that gives her her ability. Are they foreshadowing that cortexiphan and Olivia’s abilities are going to be what leads to her death? I think the situation and the way they phrased that comment applies too much to Olivia’s situation to dismiss is as being unintentional.
In conclusion: This may have been a mere standalone episode, but I still found it to be compelling and I felt like it contained a wide range of valuable things to take away from it that will enhance where the story goes from here.
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I agree! You said everything the way I wish I could.
On a side note. I just rewatched the episode and did anyone else notice the picture behind Emily(on the wall) at the beginning when she was drawing her first picture. It looks like an angel. Could it be a hint to the next episode?
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Perfect coment!
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I agree and I think it had a very refreshing style. I like that even when we are dealing with recurring stories, at the end Fringe always makes them unique on its own merits. And I’m glad we can see new roads that could lead to the same outcome with the cyclical theme reaching deep into the characters. Add to that, the wonderful performances of the cast, and is a full experience every Friday night.
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Absolutely agree with you.
Very well said.
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Your last thought, I believe is so on the money. I do love the way to think and view the episodes.
Do me a favor, if you have time, check out the Dreamscape episode from season one, and see if you get anything from it. I posted below my theories.
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It’s a good theory, and I’m impressed that you picked up on that — I doubt I would have picked up on it. However, it might also be one of those tiny details that is too obscure for them to remember and bring up again. Then again, they tend to surprise me with some of the things they bring up again, so it’s a definite possibility that there could be some connection.
The concern is that the fears that were experienced in The Dreamscape as a result of the compound also inevitably led to their deaths. It seems like it would be rather risky to try to “activate” Olivia with a potentially fatal compound. Though I suppose the way Jones approached it in ability was equally as risky. Either way, it will be interesting to see if that comes back into play. I always enjoy when they make those connections back to previous moments from the series. Thanks for pointing that out.
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I agree with a lot of your analysis regarding this single episode, but in the end I have to agree with Roco’s POV. As decent as this ‘mythalone’ was, leaving more than half of the compelling mythology untouched or even mentioned was a big step back. At least they attempted to flub it with the shapeshifter disk analysis delay being attributed to the fact that Brandonate was a shapeshifter. It just doesn’t seem realistic that directly after the virtual heads of inter-universe related security issues (DRJ and the shapeshifters) have a huge meeting in which Walternate is lecturing everyone and rallying the troops to unite to fight this fight against this common enemy that has most likely infiltrated all levels of government in both universes, that they’d spend their time investigating some girl with precognition.
That being said, they still have done this formula for most of the series. But, can you honestly say you would rather watch ‘Forced Perspective’ or an episode that continues the story from ‘Enemy of My Enemy’? Because I for sure cannot say that with any confidence. I guess what I’m really getting to is to asking you whether or not you feel like an episode like this actually accomplishes anything? I mean, it just seems unnecessary to rehash all these old themes without advancing the main story. Elizabeth forgiving Walter worked last episode due to its relevance to Peter’s return storyline. Treating Olivia’s prospective fate as its own entity seems like they’re doing it an injustice. Maybe we just don’t know how it relates right now, but there just isn’t time for waiting. Maybe I’m asking for too much for all the characters to be intertwined, but that’s how a story like this should function, and these types of relations were definitely present in the previous two episodes. I just don’t think they can backtrack anymore.
Please tell me if you think I’m just way off for this line of thinking, but I’m just tired of Fringe playing red light, green light all the time, when if the light stays green, the results are spectacular.
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“But, can you honestly say you would rather watch ‘Forced Perspective’ or an episode that continues the story from ‘Enemy of My Enemy’?”
It really depends. An episode could continue right where Enemy left off, and still not feel satisfying. Personally, I feel like if you get too many big substance episodes in a row, it all becomes a lot of talk and trying to be big, even to the point where the show is constantly trying to outdo itself, so that ultimately, it starts to get old (I think Lost made that mistake). There’s nothing wrong with a slower episode to break it up a bit.
For what it’s worth, I thought Forced Perspective did a good job at carrying over a lot of things from the previous episode(s) and being sure to mention things to show that they weren’t forgotten. We had a lot of discovery about the observers, who are completely new in this timeline. They easily could have let that go unnoticed and ignored, particularly since awareness of the observers is nothing new to the viewers, but instead they took the time in this episode to reintroduce them to these characters who have just learned about them. There was also the mention of Walter and Peter working together. It may have been brief, but it was substantial, nonetheless. Then, of course, there’s the obvious follow through with the Nina storyline. They’re developing something there and I think every little step along the way counts.
“I guess what I’m really getting to is to asking you whether or not you feel like an episode like this actually accomplishes anything?”
Yes, I think it accomplishes a great deal. As far as the mythology story goes, I’ve already mentioned above where I feel it provided significant development on several different topics.
I think it also succeeded on the emotional side of things. Maybe not everyone was as influenced by it as I was, but I thought they did a great job of making the story itself matter because I felt something when Emily died. And I don’t think people should easily dismiss the power that emotion lends to an episode or a story. Stories that are strong emotionally are significant and memorable. And I think that is one thing that Fringe does best. In pretty much every episode, there has been at least one moment, no matter how small, that carries emotion. Certainly I would claim that the best Fringe episodes are also the ones that are resonate with you emotionally.
Similarly, the character development is huge. This episode went a long way to developing the story between Nina and Olivia. And I found that to be powerful. I just can’t get over how calmly Nina is as she stabs her surrogate daughter in the back. Nina is quite possibly the closest friend and confidant in Olivia’s life. Olivia trusts her. And as we’ve seen, Olivia doesn’t trust just anyone. She invests a lot in the people she trusts. I can only imagine how it will crush her to find out how Nina has broken that trust in every possible way. I think the events in this episode will make whatever Nina is doing and whatever happens between them that much more significant when it does happen. And it will likely happen in a big mythology episode. And everyone will talk about how epic it was. When in reality, it will be that epic because of the episodes before it that helped establish that moment. See, that’s the thing. In a lot of ways, it’s the tiny, insignificant standalones that lay the foundation for those moments, but then the mythology episodes get all the credit for it.
“I mean, it just seems unnecessary to rehash all these old themes without advancing the main story.”
Aside from the fact that I believe this episode did advance the main story, those “old themes” are a huge part of what makes Fringe the show it is. Without those themes and the emotion and the character ties (all three of which are connected) the main story would feel hollow. I think that’s the mistake a lot of Seriable shows make. They gloss over the themes and the things that would make you emotionally invested in the characters, instead choosing to focus on aspects of this “big story” (or procedural aspects that could link to a bigger story), and it all falls flat.
A seriable show has to have a balance and I think stand alone episodes are a necessary part of that balance, no matter how much fans may resist them. I’m not saying that every stand alone episode is a success or contributes in a large way. But I am saying that fans should not be so quick to dismiss them all as a waste of time. And as far as stand alones go, I would say Forced Perspective was right up there at the top of the list. Sure, you could skip this episode and still follow along with the bigger story and not feel lost or like you missed something big, but I don’t think the bigger story would be as meaningful, significant, or enjoyable. I think it would lose a lot of the impact without the meaning and significance these episodes contribute.
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I agree. It surprises me to hear Roco disliked it so much. I actually thought they did a really good job tying in case of the week with one of the major storylines–Olivia’s fate. I was never bored.
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Absolutely agree, perfect words!
Add to that I appreciated a lot the Broyles-Olivia moments (the first scene mirroring the one in the S1 EP “The Arrival” – the HQ speech – the courthouse confrontation) and the last scene between Olivia-Nina (Fringe writers love “soup” scenes).
I think that this episode is more valuable than what it seems, time will tell if I’m right.
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This was a good episode, and the fate of the girl is Olivia;s fate, dying as a result of the ability.
The writers have decided that the only characters on Fringe that are allowed big emotional scenes and storylines and backstories are the Bishops, Walternate, Elisabeth , Peter and especially Walter.
As a result Olivia has to mirror the guest story, and in between she gets a scene with Nina to confront her about abuse, and we learn she had a horible childhood.
If she would have been a Bishop she would have been given a chance to say more, like Walter going on endlessly about the suiside of his wife. It would be enough that he said once that she killed herself, but no this is Walter and socalled great actor Noble and we have to write big scenes so that people feel for him and can say Emmy for Noble.
Last week Noble got the endless Walternate I am changed scenes, telling me, but people confuse that with great acting, same goes for the poor Walter routine.
Olivia and Nina at the end, all credit to Anna Torv and Blair Brown for creating a relationship out of nothing, and what a waste they have not given them the same amount of scenes they give the Bishops.
Dealing with Olivia”s backstory should have been like they do with the Bishops, so that would mean a lot of huge emo scenes between Olivia and Nina, Olivia and other relative so that we would get an inside in her past. Could be topped off with an Observer interaction. Would give Anna Torv a chance to show her great versatility, her awesome acting is the only thing that makes Olivia, not the writing.
Frankly I think it is a disgrace how they treat their female lead character, not one scene in nearly 80 episodes to talk about her mother, father, abuse, just as a fact.
But we have to deal with the Bishops over and over again, so that we feel sorry for Walter, and then there is an episode like this that gives a bit of info, people complain that Olivia gets to much attention, really? She has been mostly used as support or set up for Walter, Nina, Peter and Lincoln.
The amount of time given to set up Walter, shocking. Noble should not need all that material.
This is the last season of Fringe and I want the rest of the season Fringe to finally give us decent scenes with Olivia that deal with her backstory.
And one more Poor Walter about his son or wife scene, and I am gone.
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I think this episode gave Olivia more than enough emotional scenes, at times it even went over the top. I dunno, but the acting just wasn’t believable, and it pains me to say this because it’s unlikely in Fringe case.
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I think you got everything backwards, Anto.
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Im sorry but are you watching fringe lol?
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As always, the case linked in some way back to Massive Dynamic (yawn).
I even found Olivia’s speech during the showdown with the bomber altogether ineffective.
If I was that bomber, I would not have been convinced.
Really the whole point of this episode was to expand on Olivia’s personal dilemma and stretch it out into an entire episode. The case was just a literal example of what Olivia must be thinking in her mind.
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Thanks Roco, I think the whole intention of a stand alone episode, is to give texture to a character or characters, in this case New Olivia and New Nina because we’ll need to understand their actions and re-actions for whatever comes to play later on the mythology.
I always enjoy a good character development episode, and this one did it for me, not in a spectacular way, as it would’ve been if it was a myth alone episode, but in a good way.
I don’t care for your comparison with Wallflower because I liked that one, so no offense there
I don’t agree with your rating, I gave it a 7.5 and round it to 8.0 or with your best fringies:
Best Moment: Olivia/Broyles at the courthouse
Best Performer: Anna Torv (I specially loved the scene when Emily’s father finished his speech at the sidewalk, you can see in her face and tone how she was affected by the implications of his statements)
Best line: “I can’t live my life like that, or do my job”
There were things that bother me about the procedural aspects: If they knew that Duncan’s judge was at risk, and they knew who he was, according to the scene at Duncan’s apartment, why didn’t they went directly to him when they arrived? It felt like they spend a few minutes looking for the bomb and evacuating, and then they went looking for Duncan…?
And Olivia going from MD to the park…how many hours did Emily waited for her?…
I think you can see an angel in the wall on Emily’s first scene and I caught an add on the bus that said “Brighter Tomorrow”
Also I think the actor that played Duncan did a terrible job, but I liked the one that did Emily, she was tender but creapy, as her ability.
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The girl, Emily, reminded me of Lydia Deetz from the movie Beetlejuice.
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lol…I know I’ll never forget Emily’s face
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I Never Really Loved Mom or Danny
Father:
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Emily:
“I knew you’d be here.”
She supposedly also knew her mom and brother wouldn’t be there. I guess she didn’t care about saying goodbye to them.
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I opted to watch the series finale of “Chuck” live and postpone “Fringe” 4.10 viewing until today. Proved to be a good decision, although this wasn’t the worst standalone ever. It just seems to me that a show that is clearly running out of time might better get on with it. Instead of promising to rock the 2nd half of the season, why not just go ahead and do it?
If you’re going to leave something on the table when it’s all said and done, why not leave the standalone stories untold? Has a TV writer, laying on his deathbed ever said “I wish I’d done more standalones?”.
Knowing what Olivia knows about Nina’s ethical shortcomings, and having just had a showdown (of sorts) with her at her MD office about her shady dealings with Emily, how can Olivia’s spidey senses not go ballistic when Nina promises Olivia a new drug tomorrow?
Emily reminded me of Cassie from BtVS, a girl who also correctly predicted her own death. If Emily really wanted to help the dude who died in the opening scene, why didn’t she at least say “look out for falling beams, Dude”? At least he’d have some clue what she was trying to tell him. Handing some stranger a sketch and hoping they get the message is quite a stretch, Emily. Just sayin’, girl.
Walter’s afraid of pissing his pants…..again…..yawn!.
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Good review.
Boring episode; a poor s1 do-over.
And, just like that…… Agent Olivia Dunham has become a …. boring character. Aghhhh, I’m so pissed!!!! Plus, this is the first time since s4 started when I’m hoping that this is indeed another timeline, another OLIVIA!! because if this is going to be our Olivia, then I’m not going to stand watching the character being destroyed like that. I want old Olivia (especially from s1 and s2) back so badly, but I guess that’s unlikely to ever happen.
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I thought this was a really well done myth-a-lone episode that dealt with the emotional fall-out from Olivia’s visit from September. I actually liked the change of direction from DRJ. This isn’t something new from the writers, they’ve done this before and hopefully if the show continues on for another season, they will likely do it again. Every episode isn’t going to be dedicated to the heart of the mythology, and I can’t imagine Fringe every doing that. It’s these episodes with all the emotional beats and quieter moments that make the whole of Fringe so compelling.
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Roco, I’m not sure where to post this, so I figured why not here . . .
I just rewatched “Dreamscape” from season 1. In the episode, a Massivise Dynamic employee jumps from a window . . . during Walter’s examination, he found some type of synthetic compound in the guys bloodstream. He said the compound could be used for — wait for it . . . wait for it . . . for migrains! This synthetic substance caused hullinations (sp??). What if the new drug Nina said she was going to give Olivia for her migrains is in fact this drug. The hullinations are based on a person’s fears. When Olivia is scared, it can activate her abilities. Check it out, I believe it will come up in a future episode.
Just a thought . . .
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Fantastic catch, scully. You could well be onto something.
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With so many issues from s1 resurfacing, this does seem interesting. In a similar vein, here are a couple of questions I posted on another thread:
1) The boy they found in the abandoned building in S1 (the kid with no hair and pale skin on his way to being an Observer) had issues w/ oxygen levels b/c he’d been stuck underground. Perhaps his needed that oxygen deprived environment to survive. So didn’t Walter say Emily had some kind of sensitivity to oxygen as well? So perhaps her precognitive abilities stem from what makes the Observers the Observers? But she died to young b/c of living a more normal life?
2) From last week: Is it possible that Nina thinks she is communicating w/W. Bell in the red universe? I know he is supposed to be dead in this timeline, but is it possible he crossed over. In S1 Mr Jones was trying to get to the other side to get to Bell. Perhaps in this timeline, Jones succeeded, killed Bell, then took his place. Perhaps this evil Nina thinks she is acting on orders from him?
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Interesting.
1) How come there are no Observettes?
2) It could be possible that she’s mistaken her boss.
We’ve learned by seeing the variations of Walternate, that someone’s actions depend of someone’s experiences in life and the people around you. What’s Nina’s story in this timeline? The thing about Nina, is that we don’t know which variation of her we’ve seen, …was she well intended in the original or is she now?…Same with Broyles. This 2 characters were set up shady from the beginning, so I don’t know if we really know their intentions. But one thing for sure is that Nina wouldnt take orders from someone if she doesn’t agree with the purpose…so whoever she’s following, is without ethics, that part is clear. That trio Walter-Nina-Bell are the most unethical of them all. Bottom line: does the end justifies the means?
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1) This is a very good point. Why no Observerettes? But it is a question that needs answering even if Emily’s precognitive abilities are completely unrelated. Why aren’t there any female observers?
There are several possible answers to that question. Not all of the answers would make a connection between Emily’s abilities and those of the Observers impossible. Peter’s descriptions of the Observers abilities described them more as heightened consciousness rather than time travel (side note: how does he know this?), so their powers do seem to work in kind of a similar manner.
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What if the Nina who is dosing Olivia is the AltNina — remember, we’ve never met her. I say this because of Nina’s sincere reaction to Olivia telling Nina that she loves her . . . Nina’s reaction seemed too authentic to be faked.
It will be interesting to see how this all plays out.
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I’ve always wanted AltNina to be the Big Baddy…I hope you’re right!
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After last week’s episode, especially the last scene, I think the Nina that we see injecting Olivia with Cortexiphan (hasn’t been confirmed as such, yet) and colluding with D.R.Jones could be Alt-Nina, posing as this world’s Nina. Remember writers hinted that we will see Alt-Nina this season and that it would be in a most interesting way? Also, we know that Nina from the earlier timeline used the old computer to communicate with Bell across universes – now that Jones is in our Universe, what if Nina was actually in the other one and communicating to him from there? Any thoughts?
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>>What is this “remarkable” new drug that Nina’s going to send Olivia?<<
I'm thinking: Yellow M&M's.
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A Season 5 would be enough to finish Fringe story. Best seasons for me: 1 & 3.
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Well I quite liked Wallflower, and this episode seemed much worse for me. I was actually a little bored. Bored during Fringe? I know, right? Ugh.
I think Emily irritated me (the actress so the character didn’t do as much as she should’ve), and the script was a bit…blah…formulaic like how you described in the opening sequence.
Anyway. The next Astrid ep waaaaaay more than made up for everything and I still have complete faith in all the people
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I suspect the Emily’s family’s lake house is on Raiden Lake.
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