In the eighth episode of the second season of Fringe, an Observer–not THE Observer–kidnaps a young woman in order to save her life. As the Fringe team races to find out why, they learn more about the world of the Observers. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Fringe.
So, let’s first talk about how these reviews are going to go down, since this is new ground for all of us here on Mark Watches.
What’s instantly unique about this experiment is that for once, I am not completely in the dark as to what’s going on. I wanted to try watching a show in real-time and my recent obsession with Fringe seemed to be a good fit. Unlike everything else I’ve done, there’s really only one type of spoiler:
Do not speak about anything that has not publicly aired.
Man, that is so easy, right? So, for the sake of this blog, WE WILL BE DISCUSSING ANY AND ALL EPISODES THAT HAVE PUBLICLY AIRED. This means that if you have not caught up and seen Fringe up to Episode 9 of Season Three, “Marionette,” then there will be the possibility that you will get spoiled by these reviews. I thought about keeping them in the context of only the episodes that had aired up to that point, but it’s just far too difficult, especially because I don’t want to be responsible for accidentally spoiling anyone. THAT WOULD BE IRONIC, RIGHT?
I’m just going to randomly pick some episodes that I enjoyed before we begin our liveblogging/reviewing next week when Fringe starts up again. Sound good?
I chose to do “August” for a few reasons. When I first started watching the show, it contained a lot of the tropes I have come to appreciate from J.J. Abrams: a mesh of high-science and entertainment, slow-building mysteries, and general weirdness. J.J. generally helms projects that are also willing to tack on an emotional element to all the sci-fi goodness so that there’s a reason beyond being a nerd to watch a particular show or movie. Granted, this show is now in the hands of some talented showrunners and writers and I don’t think J.J. has much to do with it anymore. (Correct me if I’m wrong.) But one of the most intriguing elements added early on was that of the Observer: a strange, bald, eyebrow-less man who knows everything, has seen everything, and who has intervened to help Walter get his son. Because the nature of the Observer was so strange (and so exciting), I wasn’t surprised that Fringe was so unwilling to give away anything but the smallest bit of information of who the Observer was or what he was doing in every single episode. (True fact: I always look for him and generally only spot him about one third of the time. Drat.)
I think this is a huge reason why “August” is such a fantastic episode to me, so crucial to this show’s unfolding mythology. Not only is it emotionally important, but we get a huge chunk of info on the Observer. Mainly, that the Observer is not alone: there are at least four of them, each named after a different month (August, July, and December in this episode, with July and December only named in the credits, and the main Observer we’ve known this whole time being unnamed), each of who is tasked to simply observe history and show up at the most significant times.
When we see the Observer at the opening of this episode, we of course assume it’s the only one we’ve ever seen. That isn’t the case, as it becomes quickly apparent this actor is not the same as usual. After we watch him watch a young woman, Christine Hollis, he also does something the Observer would never do: he intervenes. He kidnaps her and we get to see that strange Observer tool: a powerful pulse weapon.
Are our brains mush? Not quite yet, but we’re getting there.
This episode unfolds a mind-numbing plot, but also makes sure to take time to deal with both Walter and Olivia, who are affected in various ways by this case. For Walter, this is a much more personal issue, as the Observer was the one who struck a deal with him, as we learned in “There’s More Than One of Everything.” While this motivates him to do things in secret of the rest of the team, Olivia is affected because this episode, in a way, highlights her loneliness. At the beginning of “August,” she’s seen with her niece, Ella, as they are about to embark on a day at a local amusement park. The call comes in and she’s got to go to work. The look on Ella’s face says that this has happened before, that she’s come to expect it. I love watching Ella and Olivia interact because there’s such a great chemistry between them, leading us to think she’d make a fantastic mother if things had worked out that way. But with her position in the Fringe Division, we know that’s simply not going to happen.
But really, I find that I love the episodes that feature heavily on Walter, and this episode revolves so much on his quirky joy and the tragic past that motivates him to seek answers to this case outside of his team. Even so, it’s not that the team is able to figure much out. They find the notebook that the Observer left behind, but he may as well have written absolutely gibberish instead of the complex code that Astrid finds. Even when they discover that Brandon, our favorite lab nerd, has also been researching this set of symbols, it doesn’t seem to lead them any closer to the Observer. It does provide them with some context, though, as Brandon shares a baffling and shocking theory through photographs: the Observer, in some shape or another, has been appearing throughout history. They were always spread out, occurring during significant historical, technological, or political events. Except now the Observer is being…well, observed with a frightening increase in frequency.
It might be easy to simply say that the frequency has been increasing because the Fringe team and Massive Dynamic is paying attention, or because we now know there are at least four of them. But when the three other Observers meet to discuss what August has done, I got the sense that we were building up to something terrible. Not just in this episode, but in general for the entire series. The thing is, we’ve been seeing them with much more frequency as well. Are we about to witness an even that is significant to all history? (Sidenote: I still don’t think we’ve seen this moment and I’ll use the final lines of “Marionette” as proof. I think it’s still coming.)
August’s mistake is his intervention. We learn that the Observers are merely there to observe. I am not sure why and it’s not revealed to (it still hasn’t), but we know that what August has done has created an irregularity. That’s when we discover why what he did was so awful: Christine was meant to die on a flight that has just taken off, meaning she will be alive in a world where she should be dead. An Observer has interfered and they must correct his intervention.
Why they don’t do it themselves is an interesting thought to me. I haven’t quite figured out why they contact someone who is a professional hitman. But this all suggests that disruptions in time are incredibly serious. (It isn’t until “Peter” later in season two that we learn just how terribly serious this all is. In the alternate universe, Walternate was supposed to find the cure to Peter’s disease. The boy was supposed to survive in the alternate world. But when the main Observer disrupts things, it opens up the loophole that allows Walter to enter the parallel universe in order to bring Peter back here.)
Parallel to all this happening, the Fringe team manages to put together that Christine was essentially saved from death when August kidnapped her. This makes Olivia wonder: is it possible that August was watching her for her entire life? In turn, Peter wonders aloud why she was so special to the Observers that they had to save her. It’s interesting that they operate throughout the episode as if the Observers all worked together on this one. When we see them just after this in the dinner, the three Observers are visibly upset with August, who insists that he has “seen” that she is special. This is not the case, the others say, and they have taken steps to “correct” history.
Walter, on the other hand, has been using the guise of a strawberry milkshake (NO SERIOUSLY, I LOVE THIS MAN) to find a way to sneak out of the lab in order to meet with August. In this episode, I didn’t quite get the answers I expected from Walter meeting an Observer, but that’s also because the dynamic has switched: this time, the Observer is looking to help Walter, instead of the other way around.
What Walter suggests here, though, is what changes history. If the Observer cannot determine why Christine Hollis is significant, perhaps he should make her so. I don’t know if there ever was or will be another moment like this. When we learn the truth about Peter, the Observers have always said that Peter was important, that he needed to stay alive. Here, though, an Observer is MAKING someone important.
August sets into motion a tragic consequence of his conversation with Walter. By ostensibly calling the cops and bring Peter and Olivia to the hotel where he is keeping Christine, he orders his own death. The main Observer comes to take him away after the scene erupts in violence and the man sent to “correct” Christine actually shoots August. Why was Christine so significant? Because she is the first person responsible for the death of an Observer. August made his own “prophecy” come true at the expense of his life.
UGH TOO SAD.
But you know what’s even sadder? In the final scene, after nothing in this case seems to wrap up well and the Fringe team is left just as confused as ever, Olivia finally gets to join Ella on a day at that amusement park, to take a ride on the rollercoaster as she promised. It didn’t take me long over the course of the show’s run to become attached to Olivia, but the final scene of “August” pretty cements that for life. We know that Olivia’s life has been wrecked by pain and loss, that she’s been taken advantage of and has little reason to trust most people. Yet we also know she’s got an unending capacity for compassion and love. A lot of people complain that Olivia (and Anna Torv, for that matter) are not expressive enough. I say to those people that they’re simply not paying attention to her character. See her face light up as she descends that first hill on the coaster? That’s about as expressive as one can get.
Of course, the camera pans down to two Observers, one of them December. “It is a shame things are about to get so hard for her,” December says. And at that time, we had no idea how right he was.
THOUGHTS
- I have a lot of thoughts for this episode, so let’s first start off with this: This episode made me crave a strawberry milkshake so badly.
- I judge people solely on whether they enjoy Astrid or not. She gets more screentime in “Brown Betty” and in the parallel universe, but I’m waiting patiently for an Astrid-centric episode. Because I love her until the end of time.
- Honestly, I could never have guessed what the “arrangement” was between the Observer and Walter from what this show gave me, even looking at it in hindsight. That’s what makes “Peter” one of the best episodes of the entire series.
- An interesting thought: It wasn’t until I started writing this review that I realized how much my opinion of Massive Dynamic changed over the course of this show. Remember when it was an evil, scary corporation? By season three, I’d completely abandoned those thoughts. However, when I first watched “August,” I still suspected something else was up.
- I’m not a fan of the “random-girl-is-kidnapped-and-tied-up” trope. This episode works, but it’s still kind of creepy to me whenever I see it. Hasn’t it happened at least once on like every drama ever?
- “Peter” made me fall DEEPLY, DEEPLY in love with Walter, but I just want to take a moment to say that this show could have taken him into a super awful route of comedic relief, but instead has made him one of the most compelling characters on all of television. It helps that his past is so fucking tragic, but this episode is one of my absolute favorite ones in terms of Walter’s story, especially since, at the end of it, he still wants that strawberry milkshake.
- AUGUST STOPPED A BULLET WITH HIS HAND. Fuck, guys. What else can the Observers do?
- Christine Hollis is pretty much a 2-D character throughout this, isn’t she?
- Just like I said in my Doctor Who reviews, I love when fiction re-contextualizes history. So OF COURSE I loved the scene of seeing the Observer throughout history.
- Why are the Observers named after months? Does that mean there are twelve of them? What is the main Observer’s name?
- That is the worst fake newspaper from 1884. Sorry, I had to say it.
Ok, how do you feel about doing “Jacksonville” next? TOTALLY A GOOD IDEA, RIGHT RIGHT RIGHT.
I've said it several times (okay basically every time you've mentioned this show) but this is easily my favourite episode. August's line at the end "She crossed my mind. And somehow, she never left it" makes me cry every single time.
" A lot of people complain that Olivia (and Anna Torv, for that matter) are not expressive enough."
I totally agree with you about this, she's just a lot more subtle in how she goes about showing her emotions. Comparing Olivia to Alt!Olivia is a pretty good example of this, Alt!Olivia is a lot more obviously emotional but it's not necessarily appealing (okay I'm biased, I hate Alt!Olivia so very much). It's totally understandable that Olivia would be more reserved considering everything she's been through so the suggestion that it was because Anna Torv couldn't act always rang false to me (although, there's probably fewer people saying that now, back during season 1 it happened a lot more) . Okay this is probably just a lot of waffling. I love Anna Torv and I'm bad at organising my thoughts.
Yeah as much as I love this episode, Christine herself is mostly a plot device. We get a few scraps about her but not much.
The lines August says at the end gut me everytime. Any time I watch this episode I end up crying when he says "I think I love her".
the suggestion that it was because Anna Torv couldn't act always rang false to me (although, there's probably fewer people saying that now, back during season 1 it happened a lot more
My history with fringe is weird, where I watched the very first and third episode as they aired, but didn't care for them. Then, while season 2 was airing, I decided to give it another try since I like JJ Abrams and I LOVE alternate universes, and I had heard they were doing that.
And it's vastly improved from the beginning, of course. It's interesting, though, because when rewatching the pilot, I still think it kinda sucks, but it was never bad because of Anna Torv, and I don't see the "woodenness" even in the pilot. Mostly, I think Peter's character kind of sucks in the pilot.
Basically, Anna Torv has never not been expressive enough, and I don't really get the criticism even if it's limited to (early) season 1.
I really want to watch this but it looks way to gory 🙁
Only occasionally? It's not too gross these days.
I'm so sad, sometimes I have to fforward through scary scenes D:
I'll take your word for it…
That's understandable. I'd been pretty desensitised (mostly thanks to Supernatural) to gore before this show started. One of the goriest scenes happens in the pilot episode, if you can make it past that episode, you might be okay. But mostly, it's according to personal squicks, some people can't abide anything to do with eyes (I'm really bad with self-inflicted stuff) but are okay with live animals crawling out of peoples' mouths. Er. Sorry!
Any gore is greatly outweighed by the characters and the mytharc, it's a show about family and what people do to protect their family.
I've seen the pilot and had to look away during that part lol. I'll try to bare it because I know I'll enjoy it.
Cool! 😉 That's definitely one of the worst episodes there is, in terms of gore. Lol, I do that too, the thing where you kind of hold your hand over your face and peek between your fingers, do that all the time! Please, try and wade through it, you'll be rewarded, promise (unless of course you don't end up liking the show!)
Fringe! I am so excite.
A mandate to observe, but never intervene, has to come from somewhere. Are the Observers connected to the First People maybe? (Or are the First People a McGuffin created by Walternate to get our side working on the device?) There are SO many questions, but I love it, because it feels like the clues are being dropped carefully and deliberately. There is a direction — it's not just the writers throwing in neat-sounding twists with no idea how to connect them later. Fringe is a very satisfying show to watch.
I think part of the beauty of this episode is that it uses a minor/one-off character (Christine) to prep us for the kind of heart-wrenching, brain-bending drama that is coming up. When we watched this episode, we truly had no idea!
Actually, I like that with this show, unlike LOST, we actually get consistent answers and quickly, instead of it feeling drawn out. Maybe J.J. decided to do things differently this time around?
Yeah, that's got to be one of the lessons learned from "LOST." There was a lot done right in that show to build on, but plenty to tweak, especially in the new sci-fi format. And probably the failures of other "LOST" legacy shows like "Fast Forward" have helped the "Fringe" writers keep their instruments well tuned — showing them some pitfalls to avoid.
I feel the exact same way. Lost has always been my favorite show, but Fringe is just about ready to take its place. I feel like it is just way more consistent and still maintains that emotional aspect that I loved so much about Lost. Plus, with less characters I feel like the story arcs are just a lot more cohesive.
I tend to see a connection between the First People and the Observers. I'm also wondering how Sam Weiss fits into all of this. The author of the First Peoples book is Seamus Wiles, an anagram for Sam. If he has a connection with them, then what does that suggest about Nina and Massive Dynamic? So many questions, but I actually trust the writers to resolve them if given the chance.
A great thing about Fringe is that they've been very good about giving meaning to even the little things. Or perhaps there aren't really a lot of "little things". Even from the beginning, before the writers/showrunners embraced the mythology aspect of the show and started running with it, they've done a great job at dropping clues and actually following up on them. I agree that it truly is a very rewarding show to watch.
100% agreed, the writers have done the work to earn the viewers' trust. And they've done it smartly — paying off "little things" as you say, showing us connections, etc. They've given us enough to go on.
And I think the "Fringe" team likes egging us on too, like with the code in the bumper cards before the commercial breaks. It's not part of the story, but it's…a reward, I guess…for paying attention.
http://arstechnica.com/gaming/news/2009/04/ars-ci…
Super cool.
Fringe is such a great show because everyone on it is so deeply messed up (kind of like the characters on BSG, can’t wait til you get there). Olivia doesn’t act that way because Anna torv is a bad actress. She is supposed to be emotionally closed off
Agreed re: Anna Torv's portrayal of Olivia's flatness back then. (As opposed to Anna Torv's flat portrayal of Olivia.) It's a great experiment to go back and rewatch some of the Season 1 episodes, having seen the character growth of Olivia, plus the total oppositeness of Bolivia/Fauxlivia. It's a feat to accurately portray Season 1 Olivia. I have to imagine most actors would give in to the temptation to go too far in the early episodes, lessening the emotional impact of the later, more emotive episodes (or possibly taking them too far). Props to Torv!
Mark, I swear we are astral plain twins. I absolutely adore Astrid and cannot wait for an episode where she is the central character. I love how everyone says "Peter" is a crucial episode in the series. And what is the only episode in the series I have missed? Yeah, "Peter". Blah.
WHAT. WHY HAVE YOU MISSED THAT. Oh my god that episode is the best ever.
Actually, "Entrada" may be the best one.
Entrada is 100% the greatest episode ever. I’m not sure I blinked during that episode, I was too enthralled.
Entrada is so fucking awesome. As the series ramped up in Season 2, practically all of the episodes were hits! More people should watch this show.
OMG YOU HAVE TO SEE "PETER"!! I think it's probably one of the best "origin" episodes I have ever seen for any show. And I thought going into the episode that I knew everything about what had happened but I was so wrong
For the record, I'm pretty sure Our Observer was "September" in promotional materials; it's on the Fringe Wiki.
OH SHIT! Thanks. You are correct.
yes, thank you for correcting this! on that note, i think it would make sense for each observer to be responsible for "managing" all events that take place during their month?
I just love that you are doing this. This was one of my favorite episodes back when it aired, and I'm glad you started with it 😀
Astrid (and to some extent Charlie) is my favourite character on this show. It's one of the things I love about Fringe. They are able to take a character with little, to no screentime (at least in the beginning) an make me love her! I have no basis with my love for her, but I did from the first time Walter called her by the wrong name. I also think it was great that she got that scene were she stood up for Peter in the last episode. It showed a friendship between Olivia and Astrid that we don't get to see too often.
"We have an Astro Farnsworth."
"Yes, that's me."
I love the way Astrid just takes it all and goes with it 😀
"Yes that's me."
My love for all the main characters is vast, and I think that John Noble is turning in one of the most engaging performances on TV with Walter, but Astrid just makes me happy whenever she's on screen. Her relationship with Walter has grown into a fantastic and tender working friendship. I love their weird little family. 😀
Me too! Their family are an awesome one 😀
I love Astrid too, though I have only probably seen a total of 5 full episodes. I caught this show occationally while channel surfing but I really didnt get into it until this season. I had been watching an episode of Bones and really didn't feel like changing the channel, especially cause the only other close to decent thing on at that hour was Nikita.
But anyway the episode was "Amber 31422" and I was drawn in (being a fan of the Ashmore twins probably helped). I'm a little sad I won't be able to watch it when it premieres cause my little sister doesn't like it. I think I am going to have to go back and watch a few episodes anyway.
You should go back and watch it! It's an amazing show and it only gets better 🙂
Amber 31422 is a great episode, so it was a good thing that's the one you watched!
Yay Fringe!
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I AM SUPER EXCITED!!!
epic gifs are pretty damn epic.
Oh my god that Doctor gif.
I am crying with laughter.
EEEE!!! You reviewing Fringe is so exciting. Anyways, I'm hoping in a future episode the facts that the intended future changed and an Observer died are shown to have consequence. While she did end up important, it still seems like something has to happen because of it. God knows everything changed because of the Peter problem.
YES I FUCKING LOVE ASTRID!
I feel like people don't appreciate her enough or just took her for granted. 🙁
Which is too bad because she is fabulous and her little random moments with Walter are the best.
And can I just say that the rollercoaster scene is the most adorable scene in Fringe so far?
I grinned all the way through that scene when I watched it. Olivia and Ella is the cutest thing ever :3
and YES JACKSONVILLE!!!
YES! I'm still waiting for an Astrid centric ep! She deserves MOAR!
During the first season, when everyone seemed like a possible enemy, I really believed we were going to find out that Astrid was a traitor. This was due to the fact of Walter always forgetting her name, a thing he does consistently for people he doesn't trust. As the story advanced, though, that idea thinned with her growing importance and I grew to love Astrid more and more as Walter did. But I still don't know why he treated her as an enemy for so long!
Yay, Fringe reviews!
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I love that they made an episode about a literal observer effect. It's not my absolute favorite, but I still love it. Are there people who don't love Astrid? How? Why? I just…don't understand.
"Jacksonville" is a PERFECT choice.
What a relief to come in after shoveling snow (and falling on my ass, ow) and find the first Mark Reads Fringe! Yay!
Um, are there people who DON'T enjoy Astrid?
And I say fuck the haters who say Anna Torv is a bad actress and is not expressive. Especially after season 3 when we see her playing a whole new Olivia. God I love Anna Torv.
I judge people solely on whether they enjoy Astrid or not.
How can you not like Astrid? She's great! I, too, want an Astrid-centric episode.
I'm glad you're doing reviews of important mythology episodes because I have totally forgotten what happened in them.
Aw, Olivia and Ella on the rollercoaster! Adorable.
The main Observer is named January and now with August dead, December will become November, November will become October, etc.
(<—Making shit up. Have never seen this show before, although now I'm planning on doing just that.)
Ha! That's exactly how it goes!
psst! main observer's name is september.
And yes! Please watch this amazing show! Some people complain about the first half of season 1 being slow or blah or something, I think those people are completely incorrect, but if you feel that way once you start watching, keep going, please. Fringe is on a scale of good, then great, then amazing, then omg my brain just exploded from the awesome 😉
So I have to admit that at least 50% of the reason I love this episode to death is Peter Woodward, the actor who plays August. And I love him for a scifi show that got cancelled… oh, 12 years ago. I actually didn't recognize him as August until about a third of the way through the episode because he sounded so American, though, so the rest of my love is purely for Fringe itself. Astrid! Walter! Peter! Olivia! I will cry forever if it gets canceled, I really will. They're such great characters.
And people who think Anna Torv isn't expressive in this role can take the exit to the left. She doesn't telegraph every single damn thing Olivia is feeling, which completely fits Olivia's character, but she gives a lot with small changes in facial expression and posture.
You love him because of Galen, right? OMG Galen …… loved that character so so much! What a tragedy we got so little of him before cancellation. I was thrilled to see him in Fringe, it was an awesome surprise.
I guess I need to rewatch August. I remembered it being good, but not as interesting plot-wise (except for the last part, when August made Christine important). After seeing the rest of season 2 and season 3, I might find it a lot more awesome 😀
Also, considering that Jacksonville is my favourite episode ever, YES PLEASE.
SO EXCITED
I think a lot of fans have concluded that "our" Observer is called September (when new series and seasons air? I dunno).
I love this episode because I thought it would give us answers… and it didn't. It provided character development AND plot development without really telling us anything. Brilliant! If those motherfuckers at Fox cancel this show, heads will fucking roll.
And I love Astrid! She just gets cooler with every passing minute!
There have been anagram references to him since his last episode: the First People's book and "A DEMON'S TWIST RUSTS" = DON'T TRUST SAM WEISS on Walternate's chalkboard when Bell and Walter visit in Over There part 2. I can't imagine they'd drop things like that and not bring him back.
I think that he wouldn't have really worked in any of the episodes from Season 3 from a writing standpoint due to his relationship with Olivia. I don't think Fauxlivia would have been able to hide her identity from Sam with any credibility as it's likely there wasn't much information on him available to Newton and Sam seems to have mysterious powers of perception. The gig would have been up too soon.
This is a great episode, such a tear jerker, poor Christine and August. I wonder if Christine will go on and have a completely normal life.
Walter is amazing, Olivia is my favourite and Peter is a badass, Astrid needs her own episode, Broyles is a MOFO and Nina is a BAMF. Chaaaaarrlie, I miss so very much.
I love that you're reviewing this show, hopefully that means more viewers!
I've watched this show since the Pilot aired back in 2008 and back then I loved Anna Torv and thought she was perfect as Olivia. However, I remember distinctly that most of fandom HATED her, calling her "wooden" and a bad actress. I'm glad most people have turned around. I think Anna Torv deserves major kudos for staying so restrained and closed off in her performance. Everything she does is so subtle and she just IS this character. I am such a major fan of hers, it's crazy.
Also, I am all for Jacksonville next! That episode should basically be renamed "When Shit Gets Real"
I totally agree about her restrained performance. I recently rewatched everything (forty-five hour round trip car ride= marathon), and it's amazing how the smallest shift in expression and body language really means something. Particularly when you consider the kind of programming Olivia has undergone throughout her life. She physically expresses her character development so well.
DO JACKSONVILLE! TOTALLY THE BEST IDEA!
I've read a book about the Bowler Hat bald, white as paper man and Time, written by a German. I got quite a turn when I saw the exact same kind of character in Fringe. Luckily, these Observer guys are nothing like those other Bowler Hats in that book, personality wise. For the rest, they are the same elemental concept. Are you intrigued about the book already? It's very popular and has won awards in several countries. Just throwing the thought out there. =)
I'm working to catch up to season 3 to follow up on the liveblogs when they come.
Btw, did you hear that the production isn't keen on giving a contract for another year of Fringe as it doesn't have the big ratings other shows do? We need to bring this show to more people in order to make them renew the contract for another year!!!
The best part about this review is that I just watched the episode the other day ~ yaaaaaay mind twins. 😀
Also, I lovelovelove the character of Walter so much, both because his non sequiturs, which always give me lulz, but also because of just how tragic he is. I mean, what can you say about a man who asked to have his memories brutally taken away from him because he was afraid of what he was — and then has to deal with the consequences for the rest of his life in all of his major relationships? It's very full of sad.
Also also, I think that Anna Torv is amazing as an actress — she's able to contain herself, but in a way that keeps the emotions as a constant, faint undercurrent, so that even if she looks straight faced, you know she isn't at all.
Then, when we see Alt!Olivia, it's a total shock as to how different her childhood could have been, and how she could've been so different without the experiments or her mother's death. Torv's got skills, I tell you.
And the observers are the bomb.
Oh my god I am SO excited that you are reviewing Fringe!
I haven't seen this episode in awhile but I remember loving it when it aired. I always love episodes that feature the Observer (I love the s1 episode The Inner Child for the same reason; that kid is TOTALLY a child!Observer) and this one was so great. Especially the line at the end where August says that "She crossed my mind…and never left it."
I bawled like a baby, let me tell you.
And the character of Walter is my favorite character in all of television. He's quirky and endearing and provides so much of the comedy, and yet manages to be one of the deepest, most touching, emotional, etc. characters ever. It is a fantastic part and slfkjsdflkj I can't even form coherent words to describe how much I love him.
Also, people do say that Anna Torv doesn't have acting skills and I would like to vehemently disagree. Olivia is the stoic, unemotional character most of the time, but there are those little moments of subtlety and nuance and Torv just nails perfectly. And then we see Fauxlivia on the Other Side and she's just this totally different character but she still has that "Olivia" essence to her. Basically, Anna Torv is amazing and deserves all of the awards.
And finally: THE OBSERVERS ARE TIME LORDS. YOU CANNOT CONVINCE ME OTHERWISE.
I love this show, absolutely ADORE it, and one of the reasons is the really amazing cast. I think Anna Torv is perfect as Olivia – she may not be as emotional as some other FMCs on television, but that really feeds into her character, going back to her childhood when she had to purge herself of fear. I didn't think in the begining I would like Joshua Jackson as Peter because I kept having Dawson's Creek flashbacks, but he's so great, especially in this last season with the whole Alternate!Oivia fiasco that made me RAGE and CRY until the endgame.
And Walter. OMG WALTER. John Noble is absolutely phenomenal! I can't remember the episode, and maybe someone's already mentioned it, but the one where he gets lost in Chinatown and can't remember Peter's number, and sits down on that bench and cries? I COMPLETELY BROKE DOWN, NGL. The man is masterful!
Also I love how he can never remember Astrid's name. "Asprin" "Asteroid" … I think "Asterisk" is my favorite.
And my family TOTALLY does that thing where we look for the Observer, too. We're so obsessed that if someone finds him, we all freak out and flail until the person with the remote re-winds it so we can all see it together. 😀
Oh the Chinatown episode. The Freak of the Week totally grossed me out, but Walter and Astrid made me cry all the tears during that ep. Olivia was also great with the little girl. I have to admit I get this weird teary grin whenever she interacts with kids- with Ella, with the girl in this ep, with Alternabroyles' son. ;_;
I tried to reply but my comment seems to have disappeared (though now it will probably reappear). I totally agree about the Chinatown episode. If there had been any doubt about how completely wonderful I find Walter and Astrid and how they can make me laugh and still cry all the tears, that episode destroyed it.
Olivia + Children= me with a teary sort of smitten grin. She just loves them so much.
"I judge people solely on whether they enjoy Astrid or not. She gets more screentime in “Brown Betty” and in the parallel universe, but I’m waiting patiently for an Astrid-centric episode. Because I love her until the end of time."
DO YOU MEAN TO SUGGEST THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO DON'T LIKE ASTRID?
I am solidly Team Astrid FOREVER AND EVER. She is amazing.
Also. I just watched this episode. Fantastic. I missed most of season 2 when it aired and haven't seen any of season 3 but I'm catching up now!
"Of course, the camera pans down to two Observers, one of them December. 'It is a shame things are about to get so hard for her,' December says. And at that time, we had no idea how right he was."
sigh. olivia's speech to peter in the end of marionette is maybe the most moving scene of fringe thus far, though that's hard to say with there being SO MANY. i, too, have always loved olivia's dark and painful personality, anna torv has skilllzzzz! she sure does manage to make me love our-olivia while simultaneously bolivia ENRAGES me. the subtle differences anna makes between the two are just pure excellence.
YES PLZ to an astrid-centric episode! her dynamic with walter is joyous and beloved by me.
also, i need MOAR NINA SHARP the way you needed MOAR HAYMITCH. her past relationship with william bell and walter intrigues me so.
ahhh yay for fringe! and double yay for a jacksonville review!
oh and i for got to add this! i also assumed jj abrams no longer had much to do with fringe, but then i saw this interview with him!
http://assignmentx.com/2011/tca-2011-the-scoop-on…
if you're trying to avoid any and all of the tiniest spoilers i wouldn't read it, but the only spoiler is minor and pretty expected at this point.
he discusses the move to fridays, but also says some things about the future story line in this season, which gave me the impression that he is at least still involved in the writing. this can't be a bad thing. he also talks about why the writing shifted to an overall larger mythology as the show has gone on.
TEAM JJ!
That's an awesome interview! Now I'm even more excited! 😀
oh and i forgot! i also assumed that jj abrams no longer had much to do with fringe, but then i saw this interview with him!
http://assignmentx.com/2011/tca-2011-the-scoop-on…
i wouldn't read it if you are trying to avoid any and all of the tiniest spoilers because he does reveal a minor one, but it's certainly something i've been expecting.
he talks about the move to fridays, but what he has to say about the future of the storyline makes it seem as though he is at least still involved writing wise, which can't be a bad thing. he also discusses the shift of the overall mythology becoming the forefront of the show.
TEAM JJ
I AM SO HAPPY THAT YOU ARE DOING FRINGE REVIEWS
(I've never commented before but THIS IS A MAGICAL OCCASION)
Anyways. This episode. I think this demonstrates of one the best things about Fringe, in which the writers can take a common trope (here, the Random Kidnapped Girl, or the entire plotline of "Peter") and turn it into something affecting and surprising. Because WHO SAW THIS ENDING COMING EVER?
Astrid is possibly one of my favorite characters ever. In history. Ever.
sjkzkszskzs EXCITE
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