Since we'll be spending at least a little while in Fringe's alternate universe, I'm glad the writers have chosen to make it a real place, as opposed to just "dark, backwards America."
Even if Charlie, Lincoln and Olivia are in the employ of a mad genius, they're still good at their jobs (Lincoln and Charlie could've solved the case themselves when you think about it). And like their counterparts on this side, they're working for the common good.
Still, I wasn't thrilled with "The Plateau," which I thought had some interesting ideas -- specifically the horrific Flowers For Algernon-like experiment that turned Milo into a supervillain, then a supercomputer -- but moved a bit too quickly towards setting up Olivia to figure out who she really is.
Granted, the writers probably had a good reason to have her where she is, but I sort of expected her to go along thinking she was Fauxlivia for at least a little longer.
Other thoughts:
- Recurring Fringe director Brad Anderson returned this week, doing a really nice job with Milo's orchestrated accidents.
- Things Sure Are Different In This Alternate Universe, Vol. 6: Ballpoint pens and avocados are rare, smallpox is a serious problem, and America fought in the Arabian (?) War. Update: Noel Murray of the AV Club -- who liked this one much better than I did -- says it's "Aruba War."
- Android-like Astrid is almost as adorable as the one we're used to. Nice job by Jasika Nicole in the dual roles. Lance Hendricks' Broyles seems to be the same guy in both universes, but it's tough to complain, because hey, he's Lance Hendricks.
Tom Coombe
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