#ep 1x17

[eg515]

not Mouth perfectly doing the full cheerleading choreography of another team, complete with jumps and flips, after spying on them for Brooke all day 💀

[eg515]

4th season with Elijah here and I still love the way he delivers threats in the middle of the sentence in a conversational tone with a polite smile, wearing his fancy suit. never gets old

[youregonnabneefi]

I have re-watched this episode so many times that I probably could’ve written this entire reaction without watching again. I’d be able to say where September popped up, what my favorite quips were, my lasting questions, etc. All that said, I would never deprive myself of the opportunity to re-watch one of my favorite Olivia-centric Cortexiphan episodes. In addition to the plot, Anna Torv has a very effective wounded puppy look, and it really drives home everything that Olivia went through and is still going through.

Now for the specifics:

I’m going to repeat myself as I do every week, but I love Rachel and Ella. They really lend another dimension to Olivia’s character, and I will always appreciate Rachel for the sisterly concern she shows (“What time did you wake up? Are you okay?”). I’ve mentioned this before, but the show really whittles away Olivia’s support circle as the seasons progress, so I appreciate them to an extra degree while they last. And of course Ella with her gruesome vascination deserves all the love.

Broyles was an all-star in this episode, the best boss dad. In every scene, he lets Olivia know that she’s important to him and checks in with her to see how she’s doing. I know he caves in the end, but I also appreciate the scene where he kind of lays down the law with her, reminding her that she can’t be the lead investigator when she’s also the suspect. Being a good mentor/boss means keeping things in perspective, and he’s certainly trying his best.

Peter and Astrid were a fun little duo this episode. As Walter’s two main caretakers in a sense, it makes sense that they would’ve formed some sort of bond. It was really apparent in their silly little tag-team of reactions when Walter was talking about cavemen. Special shout-out to Astrid’s “should’ve gone with great taste, less filling” line, which always makes me smile. I hope Peter really did find some way to make it up to Astrid for leaving her with Walter while he and Olivia went to New York. She deserves a good break.

Walter once again throws shade at Elizabeth via Peter. We’ve had a whole discussion about this before, and I’m still not sure what she’s done to deserve it.

A couple things that didn’t age well: Olivia’s police brutality and Astrid’s “nut farm” comment.

John Noble very rarely lets his accent slip in, certainly less often than Anna Torv, but he did in this episode with an Australian “Olivier” when he’s explaining the unsub situation to Broyles. I kind of feel bad mentioning these because I truly think that John and Anna do an amazing job acting with American accents, but it’s just fun to recognize the slip-ups when they happen.

I appreciated Peter’s introspection about Walter’s “craziness.” It’s definitely a situation that benefits from a compassionate look in from the other side, no Fringe pun intended. On the other hand, I’ve never been fond of Peter’s interruptions in the hotel room scene. Walter is actually giving relevant information, but Peter’s interruptions, while understandably fueled by outrage, are counterproductive. It disrupts the rhythm of the scene a little, and when Walter finally gets to talk uninterrupted…

At this point, I’ve mentioned a few things that I’ve liked about this episode, but maybe my #1 top moment was Walter cupping Olivia’s cheek in the hotel room. There’s something trance-like about the scene as if Walter speaking about the Cortexiphan trials is pulling them both back in time. Suddenly they’re back in Jacksonville, Olivia is a child again, and Walter is cupping her cheek in reassurance the way he did when she was that child.

Speaking of Cortexiphan children from Jacksonville, it was so interesting getting to see Nick Lane’s wake-up routine and wardrobe because, as a viewer, it’s like, “oh, of course that earlier sequence with Olivia was so intentional because here we are for round 2.” I also really like the implication that Nick was intentionally projecting his thoughts/feelings to his “Olive.” It fits so well with him being one of the few Cortexiphan children who remember the trials. Of course he’d reach out to the one person he hoped he could rely on as best he knew how.

For the tape at the end, I think all the re-watches have dulled the impact for me. If I remember correctly, it was supposed to be definitive proof that Walter and Olivia were involved in the Cortexiphan trials, but this many watches in I already know that. Now, the thing I like best is that it resurfaces in “Jacksonville,” and we get to see Olivia’s reaction to it.

Finally, the one aspect of this episode that I could never wrap my head around: the timeline between Nick’s actions and Olivia’s dreams never quite made sense to me. Let’s take the dinner stabbing for example. I can’t imagine a scenario in which the dinner was taking place so late that Olivia couldn’t stay awake even with the help of caffeine pills. It makes Olivia calling Charlie to report the stabbing a little weird.

[goldfyshie927]

Geez Regina.

You are a BITCH. I don't like you. 

YOU SUUUUUUUCK. Ugh I'm so irritated right now. 

[goldfyshie927]

Holy shit.

When he talked INTO HER HAIR, I almost died. I think I would have if that was me.

[goldfyshie927]

There is not much hotter than Sebastian Stan in leather pants.

[goldfyshie927]

Jeffersoooooooon!!!

Hello baby.

[kenzadalis-blog]