Fringe 302: The Box
Spoilers for the episode under the cut:
This week we were back over here, and although I missed Olivia terribly, there was still plenty to like, and it was great to see the rest of the Fringe team again.
Double meanings
One thing I adored in this episode was the use of dramatic irony. It was interesting to be able watch every scene from two perspectives: on the one hand, that of the Fringe team; on the other, our own as an audience. This fits in with the existing themes of duality, mirrors and doubles.
Altlivia and Newton
After this episode, I am so excited about a possible power struggle between these two. Altlivia is making a big mistake throwing her weight around like that and being so dismissive and disrespectful. I want Newton to wipe that smug smile right off her face. Know your place, or you'll get caught out!
Speaking of Newton, how fabulous was he? During season two, I didn't really understand why so many people loved his character, but as of this episode he is fast becoming my favourite villain. He gives me that Death Note-esque feeling where I don't want him to hurt our Fringies, but yet at the same time at the back of my mind I want him to succeed, just to see what he'll come up with next.
Their plan for the box wasn't very well thought out. So much for 'no-one can withstand our evil box of doom!' Deafness isn't that uncommon - surely they should have thought of that? It seemed to be a rather obvious mistake.
Altlivia is so desperate to prove her superiority and authority to Newton that she coldly murders a (fairly) innocent man as he sits at her dining room table. It doesn't really matter to me that she apologised, because she knew that he wouldn't be aware of it, and she still shot him in the back of the head with no warning, which struck me as a little cowardly. She may be defending her world, but at the moment it looks more and more as if she's trying to earn brownie points with Walternate and advance her own career.
I have mixed feelings about Altlivia's attempt at passing herself off as Olivia. While Newton's extensive files make the idea more plausible, and while Altlivia's excuses for acting oddly sounded fairly reasonable, I still don't think she's quite good enough. The difference in the way she speaks really stuck out to me.
Walter and Astrid
Their dynamic in this episode was absolutely wonderful. I was so pleased that there was (comparatively) a lot of Astrid and that she's become Walter's strongest ally and confidant.
I wasn't too impressed with the use of Walter as comic relief in this episode. Something about it felt a little weird, such as the chocolate milk, although I enjoyed the scene where Walter explained how the box worked: 'Look at my brain waves on the monitoro'
Altlivia hasn't quite figured out how to approach Walter yet. She seems to be simultaneously amused and confused by him. Her relationships with the other Fringe team members are easier to fake because they're more typical and more easily defined: Astrid is a friendly colleague, Broyles is her boss, Peter is blinded by love, but Walter is unpredictable. She is likely to underestimate him as a bumbling old fool, not realising how incredibly perceptive he can be.
Saved by the bell phone call
The universe (or multiverse, I suppose) certainly seems to want Olivia and Peter together. Whenever they try to make out with other people, they're always interrupted by a conveniently timed phone call. Anyway, this fact made me like the couch scene more than I expected to.
I'm going to start by saying that from the position of the audience it's very easy to say, 'Oh, Olivia would never do that,' whenever Altlivia does anything vaguely suspect. Now, Olivia is capable of being sexually forward, but I think she would prioritise Peter's emotional health here. She would also never advocate ignoring problems. A notable example is in The No-Brainer, where she tries to convince Peter to let Carla Warren's mother talk to Walter to provide closure. Even when she went against her own advice ('I believe that shielding him from the truth, from what's real, ultimately does him a disservice.') in keeping the truth about Peter's origins from him, she didn't distract herself from the dilemma, instead worrying about it constantly.
The scene made me long to see a version of it with our Olivia and Peter, to have them talk things over and have Olivia comfort Peter and help him with his issues, instead of Altlivia's generic, empty platitudes. They also still haven't truly addressed the issue of her lying to him, which must still be bothering him. One apology isn't really going to do it for a betrayal of that magnitude.
On Peter and Altlivia more generally, the scenes between them in this episode felt very weird and awkward to me - chemistry? What chemistry? I'm honestly not seeing this supposed animal attraction - what I am seeing is Peter confused by Olivia suddenly being distant in some ways and yet very forward in others. She fails to inform him that she's going to investigate a crime scene, is emotionally unavailable when he goes to her to discuss a deep personal worry, and then jumps him on her couch. Altlivia's lines felt very rehearsed and fake throughout, obviously there to serve her agenda ('You know, I understand Walter's concern about the weapon, but I think that Broyles is right. We need to figure out what it does...'). None of this is an insult to Josh and Anna, in fact in an odd way it's a strange kind of compliment that they've created this completely different dynamic.
Things Peter should have noticed:
Now we get into rant territory. I'm not too annoyed at the moment because I can buy that Peter has other things to worry about, but at the same time I don't have much faith in the writers' treatment of his character. There are certain aspects of Altlivia's portrayal of Olivia that he must have picked up on. Things that should raise red flags:
Miscellaneous
This week we were back over here, and although I missed Olivia terribly, there was still plenty to like, and it was great to see the rest of the Fringe team again.
Double meanings
One thing I adored in this episode was the use of dramatic irony. It was interesting to be able watch every scene from two perspectives: on the one hand, that of the Fringe team; on the other, our own as an audience. This fits in with the existing themes of duality, mirrors and doubles.
- In the bar scene, Peter discusses Altlivia, unaware that it's her he's talking to. I particularly liked the contrast with a previous discussion about hair: 'But your hair's different. I think I like yours better' to 'Well, I've always preferred blondes'
- Altlivia runs into the tunnel after Peter and saves his life, read by the others as Olivia protecting someone she loves, when in fact Altlivia is protecting her mission.
- The double meaning of 'distraction' in the couch scene
Altlivia and Newton
After this episode, I am so excited about a possible power struggle between these two. Altlivia is making a big mistake throwing her weight around like that and being so dismissive and disrespectful. I want Newton to wipe that smug smile right off her face. Know your place, or you'll get caught out!
Speaking of Newton, how fabulous was he? During season two, I didn't really understand why so many people loved his character, but as of this episode he is fast becoming my favourite villain. He gives me that Death Note-esque feeling where I don't want him to hurt our Fringies, but yet at the same time at the back of my mind I want him to succeed, just to see what he'll come up with next.
Their plan for the box wasn't very well thought out. So much for 'no-one can withstand our evil box of doom!' Deafness isn't that uncommon - surely they should have thought of that? It seemed to be a rather obvious mistake.
Altlivia is so desperate to prove her superiority and authority to Newton that she coldly murders a (fairly) innocent man as he sits at her dining room table. It doesn't really matter to me that she apologised, because she knew that he wouldn't be aware of it, and she still shot him in the back of the head with no warning, which struck me as a little cowardly. She may be defending her world, but at the moment it looks more and more as if she's trying to earn brownie points with Walternate and advance her own career.
I have mixed feelings about Altlivia's attempt at passing herself off as Olivia. While Newton's extensive files make the idea more plausible, and while Altlivia's excuses for acting oddly sounded fairly reasonable, I still don't think she's quite good enough. The difference in the way she speaks really stuck out to me.
Walter and Astrid
Their dynamic in this episode was absolutely wonderful. I was so pleased that there was (comparatively) a lot of Astrid and that she's become Walter's strongest ally and confidant.
I wasn't too impressed with the use of Walter as comic relief in this episode. Something about it felt a little weird, such as the chocolate milk, although I enjoyed the scene where Walter explained how the box worked: 'Look at my brain waves on the monitoro'
Altlivia hasn't quite figured out how to approach Walter yet. She seems to be simultaneously amused and confused by him. Her relationships with the other Fringe team members are easier to fake because they're more typical and more easily defined: Astrid is a friendly colleague, Broyles is her boss, Peter is blinded by love, but Walter is unpredictable. She is likely to underestimate him as a bumbling old fool, not realising how incredibly perceptive he can be.
Saved by the bell phone call
The universe (or multiverse, I suppose) certainly seems to want Olivia and Peter together. Whenever they try to make out with other people, they're always interrupted by a conveniently timed phone call. Anyway, this fact made me like the couch scene more than I expected to.
I'm going to start by saying that from the position of the audience it's very easy to say, 'Oh, Olivia would never do that,' whenever Altlivia does anything vaguely suspect. Now, Olivia is capable of being sexually forward, but I think she would prioritise Peter's emotional health here. She would also never advocate ignoring problems. A notable example is in The No-Brainer, where she tries to convince Peter to let Carla Warren's mother talk to Walter to provide closure. Even when she went against her own advice ('I believe that shielding him from the truth, from what's real, ultimately does him a disservice.') in keeping the truth about Peter's origins from him, she didn't distract herself from the dilemma, instead worrying about it constantly.
The scene made me long to see a version of it with our Olivia and Peter, to have them talk things over and have Olivia comfort Peter and help him with his issues, instead of Altlivia's generic, empty platitudes. They also still haven't truly addressed the issue of her lying to him, which must still be bothering him. One apology isn't really going to do it for a betrayal of that magnitude.
On Peter and Altlivia more generally, the scenes between them in this episode felt very weird and awkward to me - chemistry? What chemistry? I'm honestly not seeing this supposed animal attraction - what I am seeing is Peter confused by Olivia suddenly being distant in some ways and yet very forward in others. She fails to inform him that she's going to investigate a crime scene, is emotionally unavailable when he goes to her to discuss a deep personal worry, and then jumps him on her couch. Altlivia's lines felt very rehearsed and fake throughout, obviously there to serve her agenda ('You know, I understand Walter's concern about the weapon, but I think that Broyles is right. We need to figure out what it does...'). None of this is an insult to Josh and Anna, in fact in an odd way it's a strange kind of compliment that they've created this completely different dynamic.
Things Peter should have noticed:
Now we get into rant territory. I'm not too annoyed at the moment because I can buy that Peter has other things to worry about, but at the same time I don't have much faith in the writers' treatment of his character. There are certain aspects of Altlivia's portrayal of Olivia that he must have picked up on. Things that should raise red flags:
- Altlivia not drinking, and then to top it off saying 'We've been back for two days, and Walter's already driving you to drink?' Olivia's drinking habits are infamous, and she knows that Peter's no stranger to alcohol.
- Investigating a crime scene alone without even telling him about it, and then blatantly trying to ditch him again as soon as he arrived.
- I mentioned this above, but Olivia wouldn't brush Peter's connection to the machine off flippantly and then suggest a make out session to take his mind off it. She just wouldn't. She would listen and want to talk about it.
- 'I'm scared too' - haha, no you're not. That statement was entirely devoid of sincerity, and Peter should know that it takes quite a bit more than that to get Olivia to admit that she's scared.
Miscellaneous
- Peter walking into that tunnel in complete silence was deliciously eerie
- There was something darkly comic about Altlivia trying to hide the dead body just as Peter turned up.
- We had another case of sensory overload causing one's brain to fry - a reference to 1x12 The No-Brainer
- Altlivia is a bit of an idiot if she hasn't realised by now that it's Walter who damaged her world, not every single inhabitant of our universe. How does she reconcile that with the things she has to do to complete her mission? It was amusing to listen to her defend him to Peter.
- I miss you, Olivia! How did Altlivia get that video clip of her?