As this is my first comment on your Fringe posts, I'll say that I'm absolutely loving how this final series is going. It was incredibly brave of them to jump the series forward to 2036, and it's great to see that it's working out.
I quite liked Peter's whole demeanor in this episode. I'm pretty sure it's because he's succumbed to his vengeance gene. Not only is he doing all this to save (or maybe 'retake' is a better word) the world, but now he's out for vengeance for the death of his daughter (which was fantastically done, but I'll comment on that in the appropriate post). I've always loved revenge tales (I'm currently re-reading - for about the tenth time - Tom Clancy's Without Remorse, one of the finest revenge tales ever written (OK, it's not classic literature, but damn it's fun!)). I can completely understand Peter's lack of restraint, but obviously, it's impairing his judgment. I loved the 'fly on the wall' thing, a great detail that made the whole episode even better.
I have to say, I was disappointed by the Fringe-ies (doesn't really roll off the tongue as well as 'Losties', does it?) not realising why the shipment came immediately after the first singularity collapsed. Maybe it's because of all the Star Trek I've watched, but when Batkitty said "Hey, how can that happen? They just closed the singularity!" I replied "Yeah, THAT one they closed. It's time travel, they probably could have opened one BEFORE the first one. They could take years in the future to fix whatever happened when they closed the singularity, and then open another one the instant that one closed." As they say on Star Trek: "Temporal mechanics, eh? Whaddayagonnado?"
Oooh, and I'm looking forward to the next episode's post, Blam. REALLY interesting things going on in the latest episode!
I have the post on the next (latest, to us) episode scheduled to go up at midnight my time. Blogger sometimes randomly waits one to three hours after the timestamp, although if I'm able to check I can go in, pretend to edit it, and then republish it at the actual current time. Don't ask; it's just Blogger.
What concerns me more than viewers not getting how all sorts of relative time could have elapsed on the Observers' future end of things is the writers not taking it into account — either flat-out not thinking of it or just not wanting to burden viewers with such stuff. Neither explanation really computes satisfactorily; Fringe has never exactly held our collective hand when it comes to that kind of thing. Most of all it's just wrong that neither Peter nor Walter even give lip service to this possibility, a ship that has sailed even if our interpretation does in fact get addressed down the line.
Peter's actions are totally relatable, but of course as we watch from outside the action we also want to reach in and save him from self-destruction — if only for Olivia's and Walter's sakes. I do have a theory on this latest turn that I'll present in the next writeup, however.
Even though this season isn't bad by any stretch (well, "The Recordist" disappointed me, as you'll see), and I'm happy to have Fringe back, the whole overarching plot feels, as I've written in previous posts, perhaps inevitably tangential to what came before. The season opener and last week's installment do give me hope that something approaching the series' heights may be in store before all is concluded, however.
Thanks for commenting, Batcabbage! It's great to have you aboard.
I'm with you both on being surprised that as SF-savvy a show as Fringe didn't float an explanation for the next wormhole opening up even in passing. Not that the previous episode, gut punch though it was, isn't also top-notch, but these next three seem to form a trilogy — Peter's origin arc — that really kicks the season up a notch. So it's topper-notch? I dunno. I'm really enjoying it for what it is, though, even as, like you say Blam, it's quite the strange epilogue/coda/sequel to Seasons One through Four.
Great write up, Blam!
ReplyDeleteAs this is my first comment on your Fringe posts, I'll say that I'm absolutely loving how this final series is going. It was incredibly brave of them to jump the series forward to 2036, and it's great to see that it's working out.
I quite liked Peter's whole demeanor in this episode. I'm pretty sure it's because he's succumbed to his vengeance gene. Not only is he doing all this to save (or maybe 'retake' is a better word) the world, but now he's out for vengeance for the death of his daughter (which was fantastically done, but I'll comment on that in the appropriate post). I've always loved revenge tales (I'm currently re-reading - for about the tenth time - Tom Clancy's Without Remorse, one of the finest revenge tales ever written (OK, it's not classic literature, but damn it's fun!)). I can completely understand Peter's lack of restraint, but obviously, it's impairing his judgment. I loved the 'fly on the wall' thing, a great detail that made the whole episode even better.
I have to say, I was disappointed by the Fringe-ies (doesn't really roll off the tongue as well as 'Losties', does it?) not realising why the shipment came immediately after the first singularity collapsed. Maybe it's because of all the Star Trek I've watched, but when Batkitty said "Hey, how can that happen? They just closed the singularity!" I replied "Yeah, THAT one they closed. It's time travel, they probably could have opened one BEFORE the first one. They could take years in the future to fix whatever happened when they closed the singularity, and then open another one the instant that one closed." As they say on Star Trek: "Temporal mechanics, eh? Whaddayagonnado?"
Oooh, and I'm looking forward to the next episode's post, Blam. REALLY interesting things going on in the latest episode!
ReplyDeleteI have the post on the next (latest, to us) episode scheduled to go up at midnight my time. Blogger sometimes randomly waits one to three hours after the timestamp, although if I'm able to check I can go in, pretend to edit it, and then republish it at the actual current time. Don't ask; it's just Blogger.
What concerns me more than viewers not getting how all sorts of relative time could have elapsed on the Observers' future end of things is the writers not taking it into account — either flat-out not thinking of it or just not wanting to burden viewers with such stuff. Neither explanation really computes satisfactorily; Fringe has never exactly held our collective hand when it comes to that kind of thing. Most of all it's just wrong that neither Peter nor Walter even give lip service to this possibility, a ship that has sailed even if our interpretation does in fact get addressed down the line.
Peter's actions are totally relatable, but of course as we watch from outside the action we also want to reach in and save him from self-destruction — if only for Olivia's and Walter's sakes. I do have a theory on this latest turn that I'll present in the next writeup, however.
Even though this season isn't bad by any stretch (well, "The Recordist" disappointed me, as you'll see), and I'm happy to have Fringe back, the whole overarching plot feels, as I've written in previous posts, perhaps inevitably tangential to what came before. The season opener and last week's installment do give me hope that something approaching the series' heights may be in store before all is concluded, however.
Thanks for commenting, Batcabbage! It's great to have you aboard.
I'm with you both on being surprised that as SF-savvy a show as Fringe didn't float an explanation for the next wormhole opening up even in passing. Not that the previous episode, gut punch though it was, isn't also top-notch, but these next three seem to form a trilogy — Peter's origin arc — that really kicks the season up a notch. So it's topper-notch? I dunno. I'm really enjoying it for what it is, though, even as, like you say Blam, it's quite the strange epilogue/coda/sequel to Seasons One through Four.
ReplyDelete