Anna Torv was totally working that 40's noir look. A regular Katherine Hepburn, really. I think that between that and her stint on the Pacific, she should really look into doing a period film during the hiatus because she can rock that look like WHOA.
I loved all the anachronisms. It fit for this show because I think we're not supposed to feel as though it's totally noir but really the jumbled craziness that is Walter's stoned out brain. Things were meant to feel out of place, and if it had be along the lines of Sky Captain, it would have been too cohesive for it to really be Walter. He *is* missing chunks of his brain, after all.
I did enjoy the Princess Bride quality of this episode, though. Even the fact that Ella was annoying didn't bother me too much because she's a kid who's been foisted onto strangers when she'd rather hang out with Aunt Liv.
Overall, not exactly Once More With Feeling. The Fringe musical ep (without that much music) was a noble failure. I respect noble failures.
I think that for all that interviews were talking about it being musical, the promos didn't advertise it as such and they were right. This wasn't Glee or OMWF. It was, as the second promo for this ep advertised it as, a noir-styled fairy tale. The only reason it had music in it is because it's in Walter's brain and we know how much music is a part of how Walter's mind functions. It's funny because if I hadn't known about the Fox Rocks mandate forcing them to put in musical elements, I would have never gone in expecting a musical ep.
Also, I am totally sold on Josh and Anna being able to pull off a Peter/Olivia hookup should it come to pass. In this ep, since it's from Walter's POV and he's like their number one shipper, they were directed to play up the UST, and the looks they were giving each other and the chemistry was fantastic. I'm even more convinced now that the lack of shippery-ness has been deliberate, and I'm fascinated as to where they're going to take the two of them.
All in all, though, I enjoyed it as the calm before the storm, because I get the feeling they're gonna pull the rug out from under us again. This ep makes for a fascinating look into how Walter views his own failings and fears, but it also says a lot about how he views the rest of the Fringe cast. And Walter- even when he doesn't know things, he knows things. I suddenly really worried about Rachel dying, because the writers love to drop foreshadowing clues in stand-alones like this for future eps. That the Observers were the bad guys, and that Nina was untrustworthy also says a lot. As an English/Comm major, this episode is screaming to be broken down, because the symbolism is everywhere and I'm totally earmarking this ep for further review once the season finale is done, and probably again once we're halfway through S3.
Re: Bollywood: I still can't believe they killed off two of the three known singers in the cast for 24.
You make some good points. The Ep felt like a sort of disconnected dream. The part about stealing childrens dreams and replacing them with nightmares may be a reference to the Kindergarten from Hell in "Jacksonville". I also avoided all promos and spoilers, a sign that a care about a TV show.
To me, it just felt that they didn't have the time/budget to carry it the conceit to it's full realization. The whole thing also felt a bit too self-couscous for my taste.
If I had all the eps on DVD, I would skip most of the first season. This show is great, but it is also uneven. Less so in the past few eps. The fact that there is a third season helps make the end of Lost and 24 more bearable.
I like the lack of shipiness myself. Once Peter learns that Olivia knew the truth and didn't tell him, Peter will feel estranged by Olivia as well. Walter, Peter, and Olivia well then have to put their differences aside and unite to fight the Alt-Verse soldiers and maybe even Walternate.(My bet for The Man From The Other Side)
Poor Astrid. She's a "Gal Friday" type in Walter's imagination as well.
I still can't believe they killed off two of the three known singers in the cast for 24.
I loved all the anachronisms. It fit for this show because I think we're not supposed to feel as though it's totally noir but really the jumbled craziness that is Walter's stoned out brain. Things were meant to feel out of place, and if it had be along the lines of Sky Captain, it would have been too cohesive for it to really be Walter. He *is* missing chunks of his brain, after all.
I did enjoy the Princess Bride quality of this episode, though. Even the fact that Ella was annoying didn't bother me too much because she's a kid who's been foisted onto strangers when she'd rather hang out with Aunt Liv.
Overall, not exactly Once More With Feeling. The Fringe musical ep (without that much music) was a noble failure. I respect noble failures.
I think that for all that interviews were talking about it being musical, the promos didn't advertise it as such and they were right. This wasn't Glee or OMWF. It was, as the second promo for this ep advertised it as, a noir-styled fairy tale. The only reason it had music in it is because it's in Walter's brain and we know how much music is a part of how Walter's mind functions. It's funny because if I hadn't known about the Fox Rocks mandate forcing them to put in musical elements, I would have never gone in expecting a musical ep.
Also, I am totally sold on Josh and Anna being able to pull off a Peter/Olivia hookup should it come to pass. In this ep, since it's from Walter's POV and he's like their number one shipper, they were directed to play up the UST, and the looks they were giving each other and the chemistry was fantastic. I'm even more convinced now that the lack of shippery-ness has been deliberate, and I'm fascinated as to where they're going to take the two of them.
All in all, though, I enjoyed it as the calm before the storm, because I get the feeling they're gonna pull the rug out from under us again. This ep makes for a fascinating look into how Walter views his own failings and fears, but it also says a lot about how he views the rest of the Fringe cast. And Walter- even when he doesn't know things, he knows things. I suddenly really worried about Rachel dying, because the writers love to drop foreshadowing clues in stand-alones like this for future eps. That the Observers were the bad guys, and that Nina was untrustworthy also says a lot. As an English/Comm major, this episode is screaming to be broken down, because the symbolism is everywhere and I'm totally earmarking this ep for further review once the season finale is done, and probably again once we're halfway through S3.
Re: Bollywood: I still can't believe they killed off two of the three known singers in the cast for 24.
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To me, it just felt that they didn't have the time/budget to carry it the conceit to it's full realization. The whole thing also felt a bit too self-couscous for my taste.
If I had all the eps on DVD, I would skip most of the first season. This show is great, but it is also uneven. Less so in the past few eps. The fact that there is a third season helps make the end of Lost and 24 more bearable.
I like the lack of shipiness myself. Once Peter learns that Olivia knew the truth and didn't tell him, Peter will feel estranged by Olivia as well. Walter, Peter, and Olivia well then have to put their differences aside and unite to fight the Alt-Verse soldiers and maybe even Walternate.(My bet for The Man From The Other Side)
Poor Astrid. She's a "Gal Friday" type in Walter's imagination as well.
I still can't believe they killed off two of the three known singers in the cast for 24.
Who's the third? Cherry Jones?
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