Best... episode... ever!
What's it about?
In the alternate universe, a serial kidnapper known as the "Candyman", due to his secretion of glucose in his sweat, strikes again. His modus operandi is to kidnap children, hold them for a few days, and then release them. However, when the children are released, they have severe health problems symptomatic of old age. Olivia, while searching for a way home.
Review
This episode was both a bit frightening and rather jaw dropping all at once. I didn't want memories of seeing the film 'Candyman' which I've worked very hard to bury since childhood being dug up but it was too late. Thankfully there was no candy with razorblades hidden inside it in this episode.
What there was however was approx 42mins of complete awesomeness! Where last week the villain-of-the-week piece may have been a little more villain-of-the-weak this time around it was a much stronger standalone story which mixed in well with the universe hopping elements and culminated in one mother of a cliffhanger.
We knew it was coming and the trailers confirmed it for us, Olivia was going to fully realise who she was (as she did in the most recent over there episode) and would immediately try and get back there. Along the way people were bound to find out and much to the audiences approval we got to see taxi driver Henry one more time.
I do feel that all the previews for this episode hyped the universe travelling nature of Ms Dunham a little much. Although this episode does revolve somewhat around her trying to return home this doesn't really kick in until the closing moments of the episode.
The last few episodes have been structured slightly different and the final scenes where we jump universes have lingered a little longer each time. This week that was much to the benefit of those of us who were on the edge of our sofas screaming for an ending which was not (quite) to be.
The villain in this episode was quite chilling, I've never really thought of 'Fringe' in direct terms such as villain before (why do I keep typing vanilla and then realising I have to change it?) but rather in terms of the science and the people who are trying to exploit it. For the most part I will attribute this to the way in which each episode and season have been structured, over time we've learnt more about those behind the science and they're become more prominent in the stories and have become the 'villains'.
This week we get to involve Alterna-Broyles a lot more than we have in previous episodes in either universe so far this season and having had some of his backstory explored in our universe it is interesting to spend time focussing on how things could have been different, involving him in the villain-of-the-week storyline as more than just the leader of Fringe Division helped flesh out this episode more which is what makes it stand out from last week for me. For this season the show works better when the characters have an invested interest in solving the crime rather than it being solely an obstacle stopping either Olivia from getting to where they need to be.
The writers seem to be learning that without having more time to develop characters on either side they have to rely on much snappier storytelling to keep the audience interested, it's not that we don't care about any of the characters. It's down to the sheer fact that there isn't the time to fully develop a second universe so it's a case of hitting the ground running and hoping that we can keep up with the action.
As for the action in this episode if you managed to pick up on the Olivia's slip-up which gave her away as knowing who she really was then you deserve a prize, no way in a million years would I have noticed that.
After seven weeks of keeping her trapped in the alternate universe and also (mis)judging the tone of this episode I felt that the episode would end with her perhaps witnessing a tender moment between her replacement and Peter so I wasn't overly prepared for the fact that she would be ripped from the tank and would continue to be held hostage in the alterna-verse.
It's yet another testament to the writers that they're not afraid to give us some serious hope and then rip it away and replace it with further gut wrenching sadness. All I want is for Olivia to get home and for everything to be okay and for twenty million people to watch the next episode. But we don't get what we want and I should have learnt that from this show by now.
I feel like I should discuss the move to Friday's but that should perhaps be saved for an essay about why I love 'Fringe' and how I think that it *could* work on Friday's if it is give the chance to find itself. Why it can't be on Tuesday's I do not know! I've always said Tuesdays.
This episode has brought us back to a place where we don't need to jump from universe to universe on a weekly basis and for that I thank the writers because it means I might not need to write the words over there and over here quite so much but I also believe that this might help those audience members who have drifted somewhat out of the show to drift back in.
If was can pull the focus back on to Olivia and how she deals with the strangities that go on around her than we could bring back some of the heart of the show which made it stand head and shoulders above other sci fi shows that have been around in recent years.
This show has always had a degree on emotional maturity which other shows of its genre do not and I feel that may have become a little lots in recent weeks but I hope that it can find it again before it is too late.
Next week...
Actually it's in two weeks time but: Peter grapples with the aftermath of recent events as Olivia desperately searches for an ally. Meanwhile, the Fringe Team discovers a critical device that communicates between universes.
Overall
Story 4.5
Character 4.5
Science 4.0
Overall 4.5
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