3 years, 1 month, 5 days

[youregonnabneefi]

The designation as a "bonus episode" is generous given that it doesn't really add much to the show. However, there are some parallels to upcoming storylines, which are vaguely interesting.

Specific notes:

The beginning of this episode parallels 2x01 so much. We delayed watching the season 2 premiere, but in watching this episode, we still got a brain dead girl/woman whose family decided to pull the plug but wakes up saying a seemingly random phrase in another language.

Also, we get our first introduction to the concept of souls of the recent dead lingering for a potential transfer like William Bell later.

Interesting thing to think about: The way Olivia keeps pushing for the girl to submit to Walter's tests is very much reminiscent of what amber!Olivia opposes in episode 4x10 "Forced Perspective". It's probably because this Olivia doesn't remember being experimented on. I wonder how amber!Olivia would have handled it.

The ending is another open thread that's never followed up on. I hope the wife stays safe.

Science notes: How does one measure a psychic response? It's certainly not via EEG. Also something an EEG doesn't measure: consciousness (same note as John Scott arc).

[youregonnabneefi]

Sometimes I wish I could experience selective amnesia and re-watch all of this show's twists and turns as if for the first time. Peter's grave and the Twin Towers are excellent season finale reveals, but there's such a big difference between an appreciative "and there it is" on re-watch and a completely flabbergasted "what???" for the first time. Nevertheless, the season 1 finale is always fun to re-watch.

Specific notes:

In the opening scene, the EMT gets a failing grade for pausing everything to dramatically say, "There's something else." Sure, Nina's robot arm is unusual, but it's way down the list of trauma triage problems. They're lucky Nina has kevlar in her rib cage, so time wasn't quite as of the essence.

Ah, the magical image/audio resolution enhancement that is so prominent in crime scene shows (IDing DRJ's voice). The technology very much wasn't as good back then as crime shows liked to pretend. At that stage, you're just turning the signal into what you want it to be.

Olivia should know by now to trust Broyles about investigating William Bell instead of jumping down his throat every time. He's always supported her no matter who has tried to get in the way.

I've mentioned this before, but Peter and Astrid as Walter's caretaker duo is a good dynamic. They have such a natural rhythm at both the beginning and the end of the episode. I wish they got to do more together that didn't center around Walter.

I know Walter isn't the man he used to be, but Olivia shouldn't have to apologize for the confrontation in the diner. I know Peter reassures her here, but in general, she doesn't really get much opportunity to deal with all her trauma however she wants to.

Nina requesting Olivia instead of just telling Broyles whatever was kind of underwhelming. In the later scenes, it seems like Broyles already knows everything she tells Olivia (e.g., Bell being on the Other Side), so she must have told him anyway while waiting for Olivia to arrive.

"I'm not supposed to get involved," says September, who is so very involved. Task failed successfully.

It's a fun coincidence watching the amateur football/soccer scene while the World Cup is going on in real life.

I always enjoy watching Olivia flex her pattern-finding skills. Also, it amuses me that Nina, who was at Reiden Lake, could have prevented years of confusion with the Massive Dynamic analysts but just let the mystery live on. Olivia: it's Reiden Lake; Nina: surprised Pikachu face

One moment that makes me wonder how much the Fringe writers had figured out this early in the show: Walter tells Peter he lost something on this side and intentionally went to the Other Side for a replacement. He's clearly talking about Peter, but we see from the flashback episode that that's not really what happened. He went to save Peter's life. The kidnapping was more forced by circumstance. I suppose we could chalk it up to faulty memories on Walter's part.

RIP David Robert Jones. It was a fun way to go out, but the reveal of his motivation was kind of weak. All he wanted was for Bell to see him as special? DRJ is such a charismatic bad guy. Needing someone else's validation feels like it should be beneath him.

I am unclear on Olivia's plan with her packed luggage after being told they can't investigate Bell anymore. She looks kind of like a little kid, who has decided to run away from home but doesn't really have a plan, especially with her slouched, curved in shoulders.

The bit with Olivia crossing over to the Other Side makes me feel like the Pepe Silvia meme with the conspiracy board. I think it's been established that Olivia crosses over in her car and then later teleports in the elevator. If that's the case, then Olivia was in the Other Side for hours, but apparently nothing was off enough for her to realize she's crossed over. Maybe when I'm not feeling so lazy, I'll look up the different locations in New York because I feel like seeing the Twin Towers from the outside would've been more of a wtf moment for Olivia than looking out from the inside.

[youregonnabneefi]

In this episode, I've always wondered if Olivia is in fact traveling into the other universe or just seeing into it. I'm inclined to believe the latter as Olivia calls them her "visions" and that fits better with Walter calling it deja vu. Also, none of the other characters act like she's missing. As far as they're concerned, she's fully present in the scenes with them. But then, she seems to be able to influence what's going on in the other universe, so she's also kind of there? It's almost Observer behavior, existing in all universes.

It's interesting that the copy of the ZFT that Walter's reading at the beginning has a different English title than the oft-quoted translation: "Destruction Through Technological Progress" vs. "Destruction by the Advancement of Technology."

Walter correctly calls Astrid "Agent Farnsworth." It reminds me of joom89's previous comments about Walter misremembering her name on purpose.

Walter's line about everyone's "potential for destruction" before sawing into the charred body always amuses me. Right on the nose, that comment.

The "deja vu" moment in Broyles' office felt so reminiscent of the scene in "Subject 13" when child Olivia crosses over to Walternate's office. It's the identical ways she's deep into their offices talking to the alternate universe versions and then "blips back" as her name is called from behind her.

Once again, we see the "blacks and grays" in a Cortexiphan kid's wardrobe. Also, the camera lingered on Susan Pratt's bookcase for a while. I looked closely to see why, and one of the books was aptly titled "The Biological Time Bomb."

For me, Walter's cereal pyrokinesis demo ranks up there with the rice one from "Safe" and Mr. Papaya, the friendliest of fruits. (Not sure if it's a coincidence that they're all food-based.)

👏Well done, Nancy Lewis! And good-bye Sanford Harris! Harris joins the list of men who apparently knows Olivia is uniquely valuable and is still happy to let her die.

Poor Anna Torv's kryptonite "anything" makes its appearance in that scene. Honestly, it's one of those things that I might not notice if not for the fact that Anna Torv herself pointed out she struggles with that word.

The ethics chapter that Walter finds at the end sounds nice with its emphasis on protecting children, but that's not what actually happened. It's what makes the conflict between Olivia and Walter so interesting. At the diner, Walter himself maintains that they were "trying to help" and "meant no harm," and Olivia totally justifiably points out that they did plenty of harm anyway. I also have to add that Anna Torv has an absolutely perfect look of disgust that she pulls out for these moments.

Overall, a very fun episode, and I'm looking forward to the next few.

[youregonnabneefi]

I had forgotten about this episode's link to ZFT. I thought I didn't remember much about this episode because it was a rather underwhelming standalone episode. This re-watch didn't do much to redeem it. I wouldn't go so far as to call it boring, but it just didn't hold my attention very well.

Specific episode notes, starting with some positive ones, so it's not all doom and gloom:

I appreciate Astrid getting the breakthrough moment in the case.

The divorce lawyer conversation between Olivia and Broyles continues last week's thread of mentioning them paying attention to each other offscreen. It makes the characters feel lived in rather than just people who exist for the one hour we watch them per week.

I'm going to ignore the awkward nature of personal calls at work and just appreciate this Dunham sisters quote: "This is just one of those things where you're gonna look back and say, 'I beat that too.'"

I'd forgotten how much of a polyglot Olivia is. Anna Torv's Chinese was not amazing but understandable, which deserves props.

The opening to this episode was a whole lot of awkward between the skeevy victim and the visitors to the Dunham household. I could almost believe that the Singles Together thing is real because why else would anyone write something so awkward and weird unless they were paid to have it as an in-episode ad.

The science in this episode was unconvincing in every way, shape, and form. They heavily emphasized spinal fluid, but the full name is cerebrospinal fluid. The fluid in the central nervous system doesn't have separate reservoirs for the brain and spinal cord, so there's no scenario in which Dr. Boone becomes paralyzed (also just his legs? somehow the spinal fluid decided to stick around for his arms?) but retains full cognitive function. Also the bacteria-based pseudo-vampirism thing was just no.

[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.

[youregonnabneefi]

This episode was a return to the monster/case-of-the-week format of season 1 that was supposed to draw in casual viewers. Technically, last week’s was too, but since we retrospectively know it’s so much more than a regular episode, this episode is really where I felt it. I generally don’t give this episode the consideration it deserves because it’s surrounded by so many mythology-heavy episodes, but it’s a nice, solid standalone episode. I really do mean that despite the many science notes I have below.

Specific episode notes:

“Don’t get hurt for me.” Charlie is such a good guy, and I’m glad this episode gave him a little more to work with.

One would think Peter would have learned to be suspicious of “food” in the lab by now. That said, I’m glad it evolved into a conversation about Walter’s lack of accountability. Given that we’re between Cortexiphan-centric episodes, “I don’t think of [the consequences], never have” is such an important quote.

Fringe really likes its chimera animals. Plenty of larvae/babies ingest their moms, so it’s a good thing that wasn’t the case here where the cure was based on mom-based immunity. I have so many questions about the specifics though. To start with, Charlie was stung in the chest, but then later they ultrasound his abdomen, which makes sense from an ultrasound perspective (you wouldn’t ultrasound through bone if you can help it) but less so from an anatomy one. They also have Astrid draw Charlie’s blood from his abdomen rather than the typical elbow draw, and Walter says he will poop them out when they’re dead. I suppose that would indicate the larvae specifically seek out the digestive system as their incubation site, but of all the systems in the body, the digestive acids make it the most inhospitable environment, which makes it counterintuitive. Honestly, the red!verse Charlie who still has them in his system makes more sense.

On a personal aside, I really could’ve done without so many of the larvae visuals. I’m not a big fan of bugs.

Other medical/science notes: Please stop moving the ultrasound probe around so much. It doesn’t work like that. Also on a totally random but medical imaging note, there’s an angiography image on the computer screen that was also there in a previous episode. I can’t remember if it had any real importance in a previous episode, so I guess the set designers just like the visual.

Finally, the episode ending with Olivia in bed is a nice touch given how the next one starts. I’m not sure if that was intentional, but it’s still a fun bit of continuity.

[youregonnabneefi]

I have always liked this episode as the standalone episode it appeared to be this early in the show. It’s not Olivia-centric in the way that “Ability” was, but it has its own way of showcasing how uniquely special she is. Of course now that we’re re-watching, I can’t help but view it within the context of what’s to be revealed. It’s still great by itself but also so much more meaningful.

Now for the more detailed reaction:

This is not specific to Fringe, but I don’t like the condescending way geniuses in media treat people, e.g., Walter telling the doctor she isn’t smarter than him and therefore cannot be right. On top of that, their whole argument seemed kind of dumb. As far as I know, blood oxygen is one of the vital signs that’s typically monitored. In that case, the doctor would’ve seen that low blood oxygen was not the problem and therefore would not have suggested giving Michael more oxygen.

Walter describing what Michael would have had to do to survive in those tunnels made me sad. I know September had to hide him, but I can’t believe he couldn’t find a better place for his son.

Since we first saw Cortexiphan to be red, I always thought it would’ve been a nice touch if Olivia didn’t like red because it reminded her of medicine. On a real life note though, I think whenever I’ve seen those tree-shaped car fresheners, they’ve typically been yellow, so I’m sure that’s how the writers chose the color.

I’ve always appreciated Anna Torv’s delivery of “we were there?” during her call with Charlie. It perfectly conveys Olivia’s dismay at not being able to use Michael’s information to save the next victim. It’s not a big emotional delivery, but it’s heartfelt, and really that’s all the line needed.

Walter’s hypothesis about sensory deprivation leading to someone being extra sensitive to people’s emotions is the opposite of every study done on neglected children. Also in line with hand-wavy science, the neural stimulator to hear thoughts might as well be magic.

Seeing Broyles with the CIA guy made me realize he can be good at politicking when he needs to be. It shows why he’s the boss. Also loved him coming through for Olivia at the end.

Peter remembering the GI Joe scar on the other side was a nice touch.

I wonder if Olivia and Michael’s emotional connection was facilitated by Cortexiphan, but that feels like a chicken and the egg sort of debate. Either Olivia responded “well” to the Cortexiphan because she was already an empath, or the Cortexiphan heightened her empathic abilities, or both.

Watching Olivia interact with Michael and Ella is such a delight. She knows how to interact on their level and suss out what they need. She is the safe adult her childhood self needed.

The Michael actor was really good. He had an excellent use of facial expressions, ranging from subtlety to quick transitions. Examples include his smile for Olivia at the end and then Michael seeing September while in the car.

[youregonnabneefi]

I love this episode. I have rewatched it so many times, and it never gets old. Just writing up this reaction is making me want to rewatch it again. However, if I do that, I’ll never get around to writing this discussion post, so I will refrain.

Now on to specifics:

I’m an old fart who still likes paper newspapers if I can get them, so I feel especially bad for the poor news stand guy. Also RIP Noah Bean’s character. He seemed so earnest, and I have an overlapping fondness because of his character in Nikita.

It’s so common to see skin products touting ceramides, which Walter postulates as the mechanism for the orifice-sealing toxin. I wonder how many Fringe fans now look at them and think of the show.

Mitchell Loeb quoting “part of the army” and “what was written will come to pass” really reinforces the idea that he’s a true believer, so going back a couple episodes, it once again begs the question of why he was willing to sacrifice Olivia the “rare commodity” for his wife. Of course it’s reasonable that his wife was his line in the sand, but she also seemed like she was all in, so I would have assumed they’d have had a conversation about being willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good.

Is it ever explained why ZFT uses the German translation for their name? We find out later that William Bell wrote it in English, which is also presumably the language David Robert Jones read it in. I know DRJ is in German prison because he was supposedly up to shenanigans in that country, but again that begs the question why set up shop there.

Whenever I see Markham now, my brain jumps to season 5. I get being a big Olivia Dunham fan, but hmm…

Broyles pinching his nose when Harris and Olivia argue in the observation room is so funny. Poor guy just wants to be able to do his job in peace. But here I am also pinching my nose at Harris. His interrogation of DRJ is useless. He doesn’t do anything other than get additional demands from DRJ, which ultimately adds to his coming off as a 2D projection of performative and useless power plays.

Every time I watch this episode I wonder if Jones was present at the Cortexiphan trials (“If I wanted to harm you, I would have long ago.”). That seems to be the implication, but I think my brain just doesn’t want to accept the idea of him around baby Olive, so it wants to reject the thought outright.

I appreciated the foreshadowing cut to Olivia when Walter reads the ZFT excerpt about the means of traveling between universes having already been discovered.

Nina always: “It doesn’t ring a bell”-- reads file –”oh yes, now I remember.” She’s one of the characters I with the show gave more depth to.

With Cortexiphan being intended to limit the shrinking of infinite brain power, I would assume the mechanism to be the prevention of synapse pruning that happens as we develop. I don’t think those pruned connections would’ve enabled humans to break the rules of physics, but it’s an interesting premise.

I remain impressed with Jared Harris’ delivery of DRJ’s lines. He navigates them with the perfect cadence, tone, and emphasis when needed.

I always wish we could see the other 9 tests. I’m sure Olivia’s reaction to every single one of them would’ve been an incredulous, “You want me to do what?” despite having passed each previous test. She has so many latent superpowers, but the strongest seems to be denial.

Speaking of Olivia, I have not mentioned her enough so far, but that’s only because there was so much going on. This was a perfect Olivia-centric episode. It showcased her determination, her investigative skills, her ability to roll with the punches, her self-doubt, her superpowers, and her backstory.

What an episode ending with the series of bombshells: DRJ not dying, the Jacksonville Cortexiphan trials, and the typewriter. What an episode in general.

[youregonnabneefi]

I’ll be honest: it’s hard for me to gauge if this was a good episode or not because I simply do not care about John Scott. The show has never tried to make the viewers care about him as a character in his own right. He exists solely to give Olivia angst, and his “redemption story” really feels like Olivia’s because if she fell in love with a bad guy then maybe she is of questionable judgment. But the thing is, by now I already like and trust her character, and I don’t need John Scott closure to make me trust her any more. I would’ve been perfectly happy moving on from him without closure. Then again, maybe I’m just impatient to get to “Ability” and the real Fringe mythology.

Specific observations and thoughts:

When it comes to Ella, Rachel, and Olivia scenes, I hoard them like a dragon with its treasures. Honestly, I had forgotten about the existence of Aunt Missy. In this blue!verse, I’d guess she took in the Dunham girls after their mother died, but now I’m curious if she exists in the amber!verse. If she doesn’t, that would explain why Nina Sharp adopts the Dunhams.

On the topic of Rachel specifically, it was interesting watching her remember names that Olivia supposedly didn’t since we see later on that Olivia’s impressive memory extends beyond numbers to names. I do wonder sometimes what would have happened if Rachel was also enrolled into the Cortexiphan trials. In season 2, we do hear about a sibling pair in the trials that are not of the same age, so I don’t think it was beyond the realm of possibility. On an unrelated note, I appreciated Rachel wanting reciprocation for sharing details of messy relationships. Such a sister thing.

Also among scenes I would like to hoard are Olivia and Astrid ones, especially where Astrid acts as the Olivia whisperer. In reference to my Astrid note from the previous episode, obviously I had forgotten the line about her mother saying she sticks her nose in everywhere.

Once again, the science in this episode was not convincing. I cannot come up with a mechanism for a sedative pausing or slowing a virus-based transformation. And as for “your brain waves are returning to normal,” that’s not how this works, but it means the end of John Scott, so I’m happy to let it slide.

Actually, I’m not sure the plot was convincing either. Maybe I wasn’t paying attention, but did they ever explain who infected Bowman and Hicks? Had Conrad somehow figured out that they were secret agents, and the hotel meeting was a set up?

Anyway, good-bye, John Scott! 🎉 On to “Ability.”

[youregonnabneefi]

This episode did not have a compelling case or plausible science, but it had decent character work. If I’m willing not to think too hard, watching the episode is like a carousel in an amusement park: none of the exciting ups and downs of a roller coaster but you still get a mildly entertaining ride on colorful horses.

Anyway on to the specifics:

I always enjoy the little bits of Astrid backstory. While it’s never explicitly stated, getting to see her be competent at languages previously and computers this episode provides a reasonable rationale for why she was chosen to be Walter’s “FBI lab liaison” so to speak. Also, we get a little more insight into Astrid’s personality which was being a little snoopy. I don’t know why I wouldn’t have expected that from her, but it makes sense given that she is an FBI agent.

As previously mentioned, the whole science part of this episode was very wishy washy. Maybe the writers knew it because they spent like two lines of dialogue on the potential mechanism. Otherwise, it was just, “ooh, focus on the melted brains.” Nothing made any sense: the neuroscience, the computer science, nada. “Particles scattered all over the internet.” Yeah, sure, okay.

This is going to sound counterintuitive given how much I dislike Harris, but I wish he was given more character work. He’s very flat and one-dimensional, so every time he opens his mouth, it just feels like a waste of oxygen. He seems very willing to throw the entire Fringe division under the bus just to get back at Olivia, which I guess means his friendship with Broyles doesn’t mean much? At least it’s bringing out the supportive side of Broyles, which I appreciate. Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t mean I wish for more Harris screen time. I think the existing scenes with some tweaks in dialogue would’ve been sufficient.

I will always enjoy Ella and Rachel appearances. In a note completely irrelevant to the episode’s plot, I found it interesting that Rachel was cooking pasta since, in the previous episode, Olivia teased her about her cooking while cooking pasta. I would’ve been okay without the awkward Peter/Rachel set up though. If I had to choose a preferable awkward set up that goes no where, I think I’d pick the Nina/Broyles one.

“He cannot possibly be that stupid.” “He’s 19.” “Good point.” Me first watching this at age 18: not a good excuse

Finally, I liked the conclusion of the Walter subplot. It had a nice double subversion of expectations in that Walter could indeed handle the encounter, but also that the mom of the lab assistant wasn’t a one-dimensional caricature out for blood (cough take notes, Harris cough).

[youregonnabneefi]

I loved this episode. Story-wise, there were so many things that didn’t make sense, but I barely even care. We got to see Olivia’s full range from all the badassery to her softness with her family. I am pretty willing to forgive anything for that.

Specific thoughts:

Broyles’ line about acronyms at the beginning always cracks me up. Also, I love that Broyles is now so ride or die for Olivia that he’s willing to torpedo his friendship with Harris. Excellent choice. Dump that garbage man.

Olivia the escape artist makes her debut, and it’s perfect. It’s clever, it’s quick, and she gets to smash some heads in. That’s probably her form of therapy (although she deserves real therapy).

That said, I have yet to understand why she buried the test tubes she grabbed instead of bringing them to the FBI. In the end, it’s obviously the right choice because of Loeb, but she didn’t know that at the time.

Ugh Harris… I always skip that hospital scene while re-watching because it makes me mad.

Rachel and Ella! I will forever love the softness they bring to Olivia’s life. On the surface, Rachel’s “what happened to your face?” could be any little sister showing concern, but there’s probably an additional layer with those two growing up with their abusive stepfather. I just really like that while their little subplot is about Olivia providing sanctuary for Rachel and Ella, Rachel is reciprocating with care of her own.

And Olivia’s demeanor change when she leaves Rachel and Ella and steps into the elevator… I still remember how critics didn’t love Fringe and Anna Torv until season 3. Before that it was all, “Olivia Dunham’s such a wooden character. Maybe Anna Torv can’t act.” Excuse me. They clearly had not been paying attention.

Would a virus really have a heat signature when they were trying to find it in the lecture hall? Also, what is the point of supersizing the cold virus? At that size, the antigens wouldn’t fit any immune cells to set off symptoms. Like Olivia says, maybe the only explanation really is that “someone’s playing with us.”

I’m curious as to why Olivia told Harris that Broyles didn’t approve of protecting the other professor when she did talk to him prior. If I had to guess, she’s either trying to protect Broyles and/or figure out how much she can operate around Harris herself.

As joom89 mentioned, why would Loeb tell his wife to kill Olivia when they need her and later say kidnapping her was trying to save her? It’s like John Scott telling Olivia he loves her during their mind melds but then trying to ram into her with his car after Walter cures him. It’s as if everyone is saying, “Olivia, you’re very special but also disposable, so don’t get too comfortable.”

Finally, a couple of “inconsistencies” for the show overall: (1) I think someone mentioned this in the comments of a previous episode, but Charlie’s nebulous role in the FBI going from asking, “Is that a cow?” a few episodes ago to now being Broyles’ second-in-command. (2) Olivia alternates between a private office and a bullpen desk both in this episode and in general. Usually people have one or the other but not both.

[youregonnabneefi]

This was such a good episode. It’s the first time this “one episode a week” format felt like a struggle because I wanted to roll right on to the next one. I can only imagine how it’s going to feel later in this rewatch.

Specific episode notes:

Olivia at the start: I was called Han because I’m solo and have no friends Olivia, two minutes later: doesn’t even question “memories” that she is the stuck-in-the-wall man’s friend Olivia, twenty minutes later: my best friend from high school

Agent Dunham, ma’am, what kind of psychological operation are you running on us? She is to remain unknowable, I guess. But we did get to see her freakishly good memory, which is always a fun time. Also her good shooting aim at the Providence bank. I remember when September’s notebook came out, and it said Olivia’s not a good shot, fandom was like, wait what?

I’ve always enjoyed Walter’s rice and toy demonstration. It’s such a simple and perfect visual demonstration of the science.

I think when the episode first aired, I maybe thought DRJ was a bit creepy here, but since I knew to expect the Olivia sketch, I was mostly thinking, “Lol that looks a little like SMG’s Buffy.”

Nina’s “you know how I feel about [Olivia]” to Broyles once again brings up the question: but why? I can’t remember if that’s ever explained. My brain just jumps to amber!verse, which is not really an explanation for this blue!verse.

[youregonnabneefi]

Going into the episode, I had mistakenly thought this was John Scott’s last appearance. This time around, his storyline still isn’t capturing my interest, but I can’t tell if that’s because I’m already biased. In general, I do like mysterious storylines, but I need all the pieces to fall into place in a satisfying manner, and I just don’t remember that happening here. Time will tell if that changes by the real end this time around.

On to the episode in general:

I’ll join the chorus of everyone else mentioning Olivia having friends and a night out. It feels out of character with the retrospective knowledge of how her storyline develops, but without that, I think there’s been nothing in the episodes up to this point to weird out a first-time viewer. I think… Kind of hard to tell as a non-first-time viewer.

Sticking with Olivia, I enjoy how free she is with calling people out, regardless of their station in life: Nina, Broyles, and later William Bell. So many people would hold their tongue, and she simply does not have time for it. Amazing.

Not sure how many people here have watched Person of Interest, but I thought it was interesting how the actress for Peter’s ex(?) also played John Reese’s ex, and coincidentally both characters end up with abusive next partners. Overall, I have to admit I’m not into these Peter background storylines. I feel like they try too hard to make him edgy, and that’s really not his character’s strength in the show.

Minor science quibble: Walter mentions the synthetic hallucinogen targeting the amygdala because it’s the fear center. I get that it’s a great story-telling shortcut for a general audience, but even in simplified neuroscience (the amygdala does more than just fear), that would just produce a general fear response. I feel like you’d also want the drug to target the visual center so they’d see stuff, the sensory area so that they’d feel it, etc.

[youregonnabneefi]

Main takeaway for me: the music the boy was working on was such a nostalgia bomb. I used to listen to the season 1 playlist a lot. I might go listen to it again.

Also, the little boy reminded me of Peter, especially when he said, “I want to go home.”

[youregonnabneefi]

Re-watching episodes when you know the twist is fun because you get to spend the whole episode going, “Noo, guys, Loeb’s not worth your energy and effort.”

Also this classic:

Broyles: “You got superpowers you aren’t telling me about?”

Olivia: “Maybe.”

Overall, it was fun to watch a lot of the mythological chess pieces get introduced or put into play. Apologies to Jared Harris, but he will always be David Robert Jones to me. I have seen him in other things, and he is still David Robert Jones first and foremost. He just plays him so well. Other bonus elements were Astrid’s expertise in cryptography and Broyle’s complimentary words about Olivia’s work ethic.

I think the ending hospital scene with Peter and Olivia is the one in the blooper reel where Joshua Jackson’s phone goes off and he essentially drop-kicks it. I can’t imagine doing that these days. The phone screen would shatter into a million pieces.

Lastly, a technical quibble: that DNA repeating sequence in the parasite is too short to be meaningful (2 nucleotides?). Without going into too much detail, that’s the sort of thing that got the genetics field into trouble in the early days.

[youregonnabneefi]

I started watching the show all the way back from the pilot, but I remember this is the episode in which I became a die-hard Olivia fan. I think all it took was learning something about Olivia that was just about her and didn’t involve John Scott. I remember telling my friend all about it afterwards. (Shoutout to my friend who was always confused by my Fringe rambles but listened anyway.)

Random notes:

Interesting seeing Chris Evans’ brother Scott in the opening scene. When the episode first aired, I didn’t know who either Evans brother was, so I definitely didn’t recognize him then.

Mr. Papaya, the friendliest of fruits, is as iconic as ever.

Esterbrooks’ threat to Olivia was so weirdly misogynistic that I almost don’t know what to make of it. By mentioning her ability to have a family, was he specifically threatening her ovaries or something? Regardless, great to see Olivia with the winning hand in the end.

Normally I’m obsessed with continuity in shows, but I don’t know why I’m not bothered by the lack of future birthday cards from Olivia’s step-father. Maybe it’s because it was an informative scene in this episode for setting up Olivia’s characterization but really wouldn’t have added anything to the story later.

[youregonnabneefi]

Things I enjoyed about this episode:

I really developed a soft spot for September at the end of S4. Now, it's just nice any time he gets a storyline

I know the random FBI mentor who shows up only to die may not be a compelling character, but I like Olivia having good relationships and not being so lonely. I feel like as the series went on, they isolated her from everyone, so that the team and specifically Peter were the only ones she had left.

First mention of Olivia's freakishly good memory! The scene where she first notices September and tells Broyles reminds me of the scene in the S1 finale where she tells him and Nina that she figured out the original location for the Pattern, and they're like, "😮 we've been working on this for years." Olivia in Elle Woods mode: what, like it's hard?

Minor quibbles: Same thought as joom89 on the hotel room. They really couldn't get one with two beds? I'm a very chill person by nature, but if I had to sleep on a hotel couch for weeks on end, I too would be Peter levels of cranky.

From the pilot, I've been thinking there's no way a university would keep someone's lab intact for decades after they leave, so Walter's insistence that they have to bring the capsule to the lab, so they can use _his_ equipment made me wonder how he would've reacted if the lab equipment were gone entirely. But maybe William Bell donated a lot of money to Harvard for them to keep it.

Astrid deserves better. :( Sometimes I think about writing fic where she gets to do more / more respect