We;ve Welcome to Multiversity Comics’ Summer Binge of Fringe, a series that Parks and Recreation’s own Ben Wyatt once called “airtight.” We’ve officially reached the midpoint of the season and it’s an exhilarating ride- let’s jump right into things.
1. The Best Episode Yet
With its tenth episode, “Safe,” Fringe really soars for the first time. There have been plenty of good entries before now and the pilot was certainly above average but here, the show is just firing on all cylinders. From the characterization to the in-episode story, to the larger steps, to the good science fiction, everything about “Safe” just works really well. Beyond all that, this is also the most fun that an episode has been so far. Beyond having a sense of humor, there’s an energy to the episode that’s exciting and engaging every moment.
2. SCI-FI HEISTS (and other cool ideas)!!!
The most delightful aspect of “Safe” is clear from the first few moments of the episode- we’re getting some heists with crazy technology. We get a nice clean plan- a group of men (led by Fringe division mole Mitchell Loeb) walk through walls to access safe deposit boxes to assemble some mysterious device. It’s incredibly cool and leads to the gruesome death of one of the crew members who gets stuck as they all pass back from their first heist. Plus, we get a John Scott related beat far more interesting than the literal exploration of his memories when Olivia mistakes one of his memories for her own. It’s a moment that the show promises to expand upon later and that’s representative of so much of what makes this series’s approach to science fiction so strong- it’s genuinely committed to examining and fleshing out its weird ideas. Oh, also, the teleporter from the end of the episode that Walter build way back when? Very good stuff.
3. The Whole Cast Shines
Yet another wonderful piece of this episode is how much the whole main trio gets to show off their skills. They’re all always good but it’s rare that the show balances all three of them and the fact that it lasts the whole episode says great things. There’s an easy chemistry between John Noble, Anna Torv, and Joshua Jackson, and it’s really something to behold. When the three of them are together and really connecting instead of solving mysteries together, there’s show feels electric. Even something as small as the beginning of episode conversation about Olivia’s lack of friends feels vital with them.
4. The Best Part of the Best Episode
Good golly that bar scene was great. It’s emblematic of so much of what makes the episode work as well as it does: it’s full of energy, incredibly fun, and really helps us appreciate how good the main cast is. Anna Torv and Joshua Jackson are a great team and it shows here in on a level that it hasn’t in the past. Their “not quite romantic but there’s definitely an energy there” thing is absolutely magnetic and it makes the brother-sister cover that Olivia interviews the bartender under very funny. The more scenes like this that Fringe includes, the better.
5. No More Meandering
I’ve complained a bit in the past that despite all of the positives of Fringe as a series, it hadn’t been moving as fast as it should have. Between last week and this week, I’ve been given quite the counter-movement. In “Safe,” the overall arc of the show moves forward not just through discovery but through action. The (very welcome) developments of the last couple of episodes happened largely through dialogue; here, we’re right there as big moments happen and nobody really knows what’s happening until the bad guys have won. The end of this episode is an exhilarating sequence in which David Robert Jones (Jared Harris) is broken out of prison by the aforementioned bad crew as they kidnap Olivia. It’s visually striking (that beam of light is great) and feels high stakes. Even better, it moves like a freight train. I believe we’re approaching peak Fringe my friends, and it is a sight to behold.
