Welcome to Multiversity Comics’ Summer Binge of Fringe, a series that Parks and Recreation’s own Ben Wyatt once called “airtight.” The show has outdone itself yet again in its eleventh installment and on top of that, it’s bizarrely relevant to life in August 2020.
1. A Quietly Great Episode
Last week, with its tenth entry, Fringe delivered its best episode yet. With “Bound,” the show has topped that, albeit in a more subtle fashion than one might expect. Now, this is a show about insane science crimes so subtle is relative but still, last week was action-packed and full of big moments. Episode eleven is undoubtedly important but it’s not big the way that the last episode was and that’s a very good thing. Major developments get space to breathe as do our characters. This is the first A+ episode of Fringe and a lot of that is owed to the fact that it takes its time, thoughtfully moving forward in important ways.
2. A Pandemic-Plot
Of all of the evil plots we’ve seen so far, this one is the most unsettling given the context we’re watching in. The two victims of the week, Kinberg and Simon (clearly named after screenwriter Simon Kinberg) are all would-be members a secret CDC task force that was being developed to address potential epidemics. Victims in the episode are killed by supersized version of the common cold (which just happens to be a Coronavirus) that crawls of out their bodies and resembles a massive slug. Let me tell you, folks, the creepy giant virus is creepy. As far as the evil plot goes: it’s pretty fun science fiction! Nothing on the level of the heists of episode 10 or anything with the Observers but it’s a weird, cool idea that’s the perfect midpoint of memorably creepy and not distracting from the actual point of the episode.
3. The Ensemble Gets its Due
“Bound” his the first episode in which we’ve gotten to see the members of the wider cast of Fringe really shine. It’s not so much that anybody gets a Big Moment as it is that they just get real moments being characters in their own right. Charlie gets to seek out Peter’s help in figuring out the deal with Mitchell Loeb, marking what I believe is his first discussion not involving Olivia. Broyles gets some tension with Sanford Harris which is interesting and allows Lance Reddick to be something other than mysterious. Astrid gets the coveted multi-line conversation in an unexpected twist (please lord give Jasika Nicole more to do). This an a strong ensemble with a lot of potential and seeing more of this treatment in the future would be just dandy.
4. Olivia at Her Best
The opening scene of “Bound” is one of the best that the series has given us thus far. After a mysterious man (later to be revealed as Loeb) gives her a spinal tap in a warehouse, Olivia manages to pull of her own escape in a thrilliride of a sequence. She is firmly not a damsel here- she saves herself because she’s a competent agent and that’s something even the best shows aren’t usually that smart about in moments like this. Throughout her escape I was waiting for the other shoe to drop and a “let’s save Olivia” episode to start. The fact that that didn’t happen was a real relief. On top of that, she gets to double down on her action star-ness when she confronts Samantha Loeb in a tense, incredibly fun sequence in the episode’s second half. There’s also an appearance from Ari Graynor, who is typically wonderful as Olivia’s sister although she gets relatively little screen time. Let’s hope we get more on that next week.
4.5. A Quick Note on Sanford Harris
The episode also introduces an adversary for Olivia in Sanford Harris- a man that she successfully prosecuted for sexual assault in the military who’s now been tasked with auditing the Fringe Division on behalf of the Pentagon. It’s certainly honorable to have a character like Harris exist and for Olivia to have prosecuted him without having been a victim of his. For five white men to do something like that of their own volition is far too unusual in Hollywood. That being said, it definitely doesn’t sit right that four men wrote the episode and a fifth directed it. This definitely feels like the type of thing you want some women to be involved in.
5. More Money Moves
“Bound” keeps things trucking along with regard to the overall season arc in the very mysterious Michell Loeb interrogation. After Olivia reveals that she killed Loeb’s wife, he frantically explains that he was trying to save Olivia and that she doesn’t know what she’s up against, speaking about “two sides.” It’s exactly the type of very vague intriguing thing that good mystery boxes are made of though it does feel a bit confusing that he wouldn’t give any concrete details about the grand conflict he’s alluding to. Nonetheless, the progress we’re making is very encouraging and I’m very excited to see where we’re going.
