Fringe season 4 episode 17 : Everything In Its Right Place

Summary : When emotional intelligence meets science-fiction… Who you gonna call ?

Score : 9/10

Spoilers

Agent Lee of course ! What would be the writers next step ? I never expected they would develop the little chat Lincoln and Peter had in the car. And to tell truth if I had known this episode would be Lincoln centric I probably would have pouted. But the impossible happened, agent Lee grew on me and Seth Gabel's character has reached a complexity worthy of hardcore sci-fi fans. From the actor's performance to the wowing scenes featuring both Lees it's one of these episodes that deserve to be seen a second time. So far I had really missed the other side, specially Fauxlivia. That's why a shapeshifter driven story felt refreshing even if I could use a faster pace. I mean we have already reached sublevel 17 and it's a bit like the new Lincoln had been introduced three episodes ago.

Still let's focus on what went right because such an overwhelming installment deserves respect. First our favorite writing recipe stroke back as Lincoln's arc was brilliantly enriched by the shapeshifter's creepy, sad and inspiring story. I was specially moved by the homeless entering the gloomy room with his eyes ready to cry. Once transformed into the drug addict his speech about becoming A Better Human Being and finally feeling special was also quite interesting. You could feel, thanks to Gabel's empathic acting, that Lincoln exactly knew what he was talking about. In fact I can't help comparing the shapeshifter to Dexter Morgan. Indeed he chose to sacrifice criminals, contrary to most other freaks. Therefore he was less immoral and proved that a damaged synthetic creature isn't that different than a human with a broken heart. His Dark Passenger was David Jones and Lincoln's ability to comprehend his motivation helped him find the light. Finally his last moment with Fauxlivia seemed like a ghost whispering at a sorrowing soul. Was it real or just a dream ?