- Release Date: 12/7/2012
- Starring: Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, John Noble, Jasika Nicole, Lance Reddick, Blair Brown
- Guest Stars: Michael Kopsa, Shaun Smyth, Jill Scott
Hey, FRINGE is back! Since we last saw Peter, Olivia, Walter and Astrid, THE WALKING DEAD and DEXTER have jockeyed for best show on TV. With THE WALKING DEAD on winter break and DEXTER wrapping up next Sunday, it looks like FRINGE is destined to be top dog once again.
Last episode, Olivia found out that Peter had inserted the Observer’s tech into his brain, resulting in a more robotic manner, the ability to see and manipulate multiple futures, and some awesome fight moves. He’s also been kicking some serious Observer ass. She’s obviously concerned and wants him to remove it, but Peter doesn’t see the point. He must avenge Etta, and he has hatched a plan to kill Windmark. Olivia comes to Astrid and Walter with this troubling news, and despite Walter’s pleadings, Peter continues on his rampage.
Olivia meets up with Anil and gets restocked with ammo and goods, because Anil is just that good of a man. He’s the unsong hero of the revolution, putting up with our favorite Fringe team through all of their immense baggage. He also gives her a sample of the Observer tech, so that she and the gang can study it.
Walter and Astrid have uncovered another plot device tape, which implores them to get an electromagnet from Fitchburg, wherever the hell that is. Olivia decides to go off and get it, because she needs something to do while Peter is gallivanting after Windmark and she’s helpless to stop him. Walter and Astrid stay at home to test and experiment with the Observa-tech.
The cat and mouse game between Windmark and Peter is awesome, as he leads them around New York and elsewhere, trying to get him into the right path that ends in his death. Of course, Windmark isn’t a fool, and knows when his timeline is being played with. Peter, Windmark and the Observer Henchman of the Week engage in a sweet battle that highlights how much Peter has changed, which is precisely what Walter is worried about, because he learns that the changes will be permanent soon, and he will lose the emotional side of his brain in its entirety. He’s losing his son and Olivia is losing her husband.
In Fitchburg, Olivia finds an encampment with poor survivors of the Observer rule, who have been waiting for 21 years for someone to ask for their electromagnet, as someone, presumably Walter, had asked them to hold onto it for them. Simone (Jill Scott) had held faith despite many of her people wanting to sell the magnet. Even so, Olivia is wary of the group and the possibility that she may be in a trap, as she learns of the tidy ransom on her head.
Olivia does end up in trouble, but not from whom she feared, while Peter’s human kind clock is ticking. It all comes together in the end, as they normally do, with a scene between Peter and Olivia the highlight. It’s beautiful, but part of me was sad by the result, even if that may make me part Observer. This episode seems to reinvigorate Walter’s plan, breaking the string of false starts and letdowns, and in the next five episodes, I expect some traction to come. I can’t wait, and still hope for more Nina and Broyles along for the ride.
