“What’s an observer?” (Astrid)
So Peter’s back. Now obviously, you can’t have him immediately be part of the group again. Things just can’t be the way they were – after all, Olivia is a top-secret FBI agent and Peter… well, he’s a nobody found in a lake. If I were Olivia, I’d do one thing to this strange guy who seems to know the darkest secrets of the agency as well as the colour of my underwear: lock him up. But then how do you solve that impasse? Simple: you make sure Peter has something they need.
I have to admit: as much as I was riding the Peterless wave and sitting things out, I’m very happy to see him back in action. Peter is the wild card the series needs, the one who isn’t entirely unpredictable like Walter but not technical like Olivia, either. Peter is the only character to offer believable surprise, which does the show’s suspense of disbelief very, very good.
Plotwise, Peter is the one who knows the most about the shapeshifters. It was knowledge that came at just the right time. I am personally very happy to see an observer that doesn’t look like a complete freak for once. I think they were going for some deadly Lucy Liu vibe and it works: our new antagonist seems innocent enough until she hurls you across a lab.
Thoughts and things
- Peter hacking the internal phone was hilarious.
- I wasn’t too fond of the scientist. Sometimes, Fringe seems to rely too heavily on its guest stars for my liking. That’s two episodes in a row now.
In all…
I have very little to say about this episode. It was great on a character level, but the plot didn’t really interest me. Sure, the shapeshifter was intriguing, but the rest of it felt so disconnected for me. It’s like they’re setting up a new world that’s kind of leading nowhere. I guess that’s because we all figured Peter’s return would mark a change in the new universe, only it didn’t. So why is the new universe there? Why has it been created? Or am I simply asking the wrong questions?
