Welcome to Multiversity Comics’ Summer Binger of Fringe, a series that Parks and Recreation’s own Ben Wyatt once called “airtight.” The show certainly seems to have found a groove for its case of the week episodes and while I can’t say I’m in love with it, it’s certainly nothing to scoff at.
1. Two Speed Bumps in a Row
Looking back on the way that this episode (and everything preceding it) was received at the time it was released is a really interesting peek into a very different way of watching this show. When it was first coming out, critics really questioned the larger narrative direction of the show. Watching Fringe a second time, one is obviously aware of what’s to come which makes the place setting a lot more clear than critics might’ve recognized at the time. Watching this show once a week with a critical eye, it’s a bit easier to see how it could’ve been hard to get on board That being said, episode six feels like another firmly mid-tier entry. Fringe is a show whose mythology is deeply enticing and the crime of the week style is a solid way to build up and communicate said mythology. But when the buildup is more tangential in an episode, it’s harder to feel as connected to the story as one might otherwise. “The Cure” certainly succeeds in expanding the character of Olivia Dunham but it only does a bit of really interesting stuff outside of that.
2. Mind (Literally) Blown
This weeks horrible crime is pretty simple; essentially, young women are being made into radioactive bombs that fry the brains of everyone around them. At first, the boiling brains are horrifying; we are watching someone bleed from his eyes and ears after all. But then it picks up and we’re rapidly cutting between people in the diner and it feels a bit silly. Once the head explosion hits, it certainly feels tough to be totally locked in. All of that is fine and good- there are very good ways to do B-movie horror. The thing is, it’s hard to tell how self-aware its B-movie-ness is. To be fair, though, Walter and Peter researching the newly headless body does provide quite the casually gruesome sight. The actual evil plot that all of this is spurred by is unsurprisingly in line with the not quite self-aware nature of things. The whole thing feels a bit reminiscent of John Mulaney’s bit about The Fugitive. Surely this will pay off somewhere down the line but on the merits of being part of an episodic story, it doesn’t quite work.
3. Fringe Needs to Liven Up a Bit
The moment the woman’s head exploded in the cold open was the moment that I realized that Fringe could use a little more of a sense of humor. Obviously Walter is funny and Peter gets solid one-liners in decently often but for a television series about, Fringe is surprisingly self-serious. It’s not that it shouldn’t be a drama- it’s a very good one- so much as it is that it needs to be a bit more fun to watch. Of course a show with a 20 episode season can’t directly build up the season arc every single episode but that means it needs to find ways to be actively engaging on the off weeks. A very good way to do that is to be ever so slightly funnier. “The Cure,” an episode which prominently features a head exploding from radiation (what??) is also nearly humorless. This isn’t a massive gripe (again, I am actively choosing to rewatch this show because I love it) but it’s something I still hope the show can find in itself.
4. Olivia Dunham- Full Character
Olivia gets a fair bit more to do this week than she’s gotten in the past and it’s on her own terms which is a welcome development. Obviously Anna Torv is great but as a character, Olivia has been defined largely by Agent John Scott. In “The Cure,” she gets to stand on her own two feet as a character. The effort to deepen her is two pronged. The first, giving her a tortured backstory with an abusive stepfather who she shot that still sends her creepy birthday cards isn’t necessarily the strongest narrative step this show has taken. It’s not that it’s not good per se but that it feels a bit out of left field. The second follows Olivia’s unique connection to the case of the week as a woman. She feels deeply affected by the kidnappings of and experiments on young women and pursues the man behind the plot despite his high profile and power. Broyles is against it, arguing that she needs to be less emotional and more precise; at first, Olivia begrudgingly accepts his orders but inevitably she breaks ranks and gives a solid monologue defending herself not only as an agent but as a woman. It’s an interesting tact for the show to take seeing as it’s been more subtextual in its politics thus far but it’s certainly not bad to see Fringe embrace the complexities that identity brings its characters when they’re faced with certain trials.
5. Peter makes a Deal with Devil
The most interesting element of this episode from a raw plot perspective is easily Peter’s deal with Nina Sharp. In a series such as this- where conspiracy and power are central to the narrative- plot points like this are absolutely necessary. As soon as Peter exchanges a future favor for information, we’re waiting for the other shoe to drop and we have no clue when that’s going to happen. Plus, it’s a really good look for Peter as a character- it moves him even more firmly into the category of “good guy who’s willing to take a risk to help a friend” while allowing him to toe the line of what’s moral. These, my friends, are more than welcome developments.
