Over the last few weeks, I re-watched the first season of Fringe, and was struck at how strong it was in its last few episodes of its freshman year: from the point where Olivia and co. met that little bald kid up until her visit to the alternate universe World Trade Center, the show was doing some of its best work.
And it reaffirmed what I said earlier this season: the show is at its best when dealing with its central mythology, while the "monster-of-the-week" episodes tend to be grossly uneven.
Or, just gross and uneven, if you prefer. "The Snakehead" lacked any sort of tension until the final scenes, and it was only John Noble's continued excellence as Walter that rescued this one from becoming a complete waste. It's too bad Walter' wanting to reclaim his independence -- which involved a quite dapper new wardrobe -- didn't come with a better episode. As it was, I was more interested in his quest to be "a man, not a child," as well as his concern for Astrid, than I was in the parasitic worms.
Some other thoughts:
- Man, Olivia and Broyles didn't even have to show up this week, did they? Actually, if Fringe turned into the Peter Walter and Astrid show, I wouldn't complain. Although I did like Olivia's line: "Did you eat? That's unfortunate."
- The fact that those worms made a squealy noise put the show into a more sci-fi-ish territory than usual.
- Anyone know the name of the song Walter sings when he's scared? The one about the man who goes to all the shows?
- I know she was up against two larger opponents, but didn't the FBI teach Astrid some sort of self-defense?
- Next week: Frozen Head Man!
Tom Coombe
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