Summary : Shifting format, decent nemesis, cosmic Peter, entertaining mind game, charming and moving guest, delicious sci-fi candy
Score : 9/10
Spoilers
Prime. Other side. Back ? Switch ! I almost begged for a full parallel storyline involving all characters but I have to admit that this time it was a little confusing. I mean how are we supposed to grasp that Lincoln and Olivia are on the other side working with his alternative self and Bolivia ? Still it makes things so much more exciting and puzzling that I won't complain ! And of course the climax was reached when they all eight gathered in the same room to plan their next move against the shapeshifters. I wasn't convinced by the speech their leader gave to Lincoln and Olivia because it sounded like overused lines but I have to admit that he has potential and his scarface make him quite a nemesis.
It leads us to Peter because now he knows where he stands, right between both universes. He absolutely turned the interrogation upside down. From two shapeshifters playing humans to the variable they didn't see coming. It actually reminded me of the fascinating episodes The Constant and The Variable from Lost. So I'm quite intrigued because I wonder if Fringe's writers will try to push the logical barrier even further. Moreover Peter isn't the only variable to consider, the shapeshifters were also introduced by mistake and in fact he's kind of responsible for it. Broyles also blur the lines because despite the fact that we know he's one of them he's just unpredictable. I suppose that's the reason why it was also revealed that Nina was a shapeshifter too. It's not about guessing who is who but about playing an interdimensional mind game.
Beside the main story the episode also had its usual lot of funny scientist Walter, empathic Astrid and last but not least… Shapeshifter Cow™ ?! It's disgusting the way they treat animals on TV ! Poor thing, tortured by his brush and forced to hear his bizarre mumble. But she wasn't really the lady that caught my attention because I confess that Orla Brady charmed me as Elizabeth Bishop. She brought the emotional moments a great installment requires to move its audience. At first when she told Walternate that she could help Peter I was skeptical and almost mocked her good intentions but then it quickly made sense when she decided to cross over to face Walter.
An other pro to add to our list is the sci-fi candy. Want some ? Get some ! First the female shapeshifter death in the water tank was brilliantly executed. Second the chopping portal that almost cut our crazy action woman Olivia in half felt like playing a cross over between Prince of Persia (The 1989 version of course and not the vicious reboot !) and… well Fringe ! One second she's legally dead, the next she miraculously braked thanks to Peter's warning. Do it. Don't do it. He has to kiss her goodbye once they have found a solution to send him back home ! Or maybe they won't and he'll change his name to Peter Mallory. In fact I have reached the Gates of Geek Heaven when he realized the map they were tracking them on was from an other universe. The surveillance software Broyles used to follow their every moves was cool too, even if it wasn't as advanced as the one featured in Person of Interest. In one formula : F = (V . Ω) ∞ (○ + ●) !
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Fringe season 4 episode 8 : Back to Where You've Never Been
Summary : Positive restart, friendly parallel trippers, overwhelming comeback, intriguing cliffhanger
Score : 8/10
Spoilers
For the moment I still haven't completed my review of Wallflower, the last episode before the winter break. But it doesn't imply at all that I had lost faith in Fringe. There're just moments in life when you have to think instead of doing things. Was it a dream ? Maybe a nightmare ? The truth is that the boundaries between reality and fiction are thin at times. So I wasn't surprised by the beginning of this 8th episode because it just felt natural. Sexy Walter cooking breakfast. Peter and Olivia in love like if nothing happened. An oneiric life that acted as a wake up call and allowed him to find a new solution to his problem. I wanted to get back. He just wants to get back !
It took me some weeks to watch Fringe again but as expected this first installment of a whole new journey didn't disappoint. First I have to admit that I never really felt sympathy for Lincoln considering the awkward way he was introduced in this season pilot. But thanks to this story he has finally reached a dimension that made me care for him. Of course his few encounters with his alternative self weren't as jaw dropping, and charming, as with the Olivias but I will never get tired of these parallel trips. He's also part of a hypertriangle involving Peter and Olivia so his empathic factor has definitely increased.
But this episode best part was with no doubt the highly anticipated return of Walternate. I probably mentioned it in all my past reviews considering how much John Noble amazes me. How wise to keep such an asset to boost the season ! At first the quick and dirty portal they opened at the opera made me skeptical because it seemed way too easy. It also woke up the geek within and reminded me of Quake III Arena so I began to worry that Peter and Lincoln would turn into blood thirsty gladiators ! The writing of their attempt to reach the island was sloppy in my opinion because it was more reminiscent of professor Arturo in Sliders' pilot, when he faked to be a general, than the best of what Fringe has to offer. But it was a minor issue compared to what happened next. Indeed Peter meeting his alternate mother was already moving but I was overwhelmed when he met Walternate face to face. I knew something was going on and their scene was incredibly intense but I never excepted his assistant was a shapeshifter. Damn writing spoilers like if it was nothing is so new and painful, probably as much as Olivia's headache is starting to worry her.
All in all focusing on the shapeshifters couldn't be more exciting and they definitely have the potential to turn se4son into an other s3ason. Yes, The Matrix is everywhere ! Even in this very review. More seriously I question the double cliffhanger because I think Broyles' call was enough, implying that he's working with the shapeshifters, but as I really care for Olivia I can't wait to watch the next episode. Don't worry Anna Torv, if they kill her there's still Bolivia ! And if they kill them all, well we will call Neo plus Spartacus plus Dexterminator to change their mind !
Score : 8/10
Spoilers
For the moment I still haven't completed my review of Wallflower, the last episode before the winter break. But it doesn't imply at all that I had lost faith in Fringe. There're just moments in life when you have to think instead of doing things. Was it a dream ? Maybe a nightmare ? The truth is that the boundaries between reality and fiction are thin at times. So I wasn't surprised by the beginning of this 8th episode because it just felt natural. Sexy Walter cooking breakfast. Peter and Olivia in love like if nothing happened. An oneiric life that acted as a wake up call and allowed him to find a new solution to his problem. I wanted to get back. He just wants to get back !
It took me some weeks to watch Fringe again but as expected this first installment of a whole new journey didn't disappoint. First I have to admit that I never really felt sympathy for Lincoln considering the awkward way he was introduced in this season pilot. But thanks to this story he has finally reached a dimension that made me care for him. Of course his few encounters with his alternative self weren't as jaw dropping, and charming, as with the Olivias but I will never get tired of these parallel trips. He's also part of a hypertriangle involving Peter and Olivia so his empathic factor has definitely increased.
But this episode best part was with no doubt the highly anticipated return of Walternate. I probably mentioned it in all my past reviews considering how much John Noble amazes me. How wise to keep such an asset to boost the season ! At first the quick and dirty portal they opened at the opera made me skeptical because it seemed way too easy. It also woke up the geek within and reminded me of Quake III Arena so I began to worry that Peter and Lincoln would turn into blood thirsty gladiators ! The writing of their attempt to reach the island was sloppy in my opinion because it was more reminiscent of professor Arturo in Sliders' pilot, when he faked to be a general, than the best of what Fringe has to offer. But it was a minor issue compared to what happened next. Indeed Peter meeting his alternate mother was already moving but I was overwhelmed when he met Walternate face to face. I knew something was going on and their scene was incredibly intense but I never excepted his assistant was a shapeshifter. Damn writing spoilers like if it was nothing is so new and painful, probably as much as Olivia's headache is starting to worry her.
All in all focusing on the shapeshifters couldn't be more exciting and they definitely have the potential to turn se4son into an other s3ason. Yes, The Matrix is everywhere ! Even in this very review. More seriously I question the double cliffhanger because I think Broyles' call was enough, implying that he's working with the shapeshifters, but as I really care for Olivia I can't wait to watch the next episode. Don't worry Anna Torv, if they kill her there's still Bolivia ! And if they kill them all, well we will call Neo plus Spartacus plus Dexterminator to change their mind !
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