FRINGE RECAP 7
Season 3: Episode 8 “Marionette”
“Dad, what’s a Muppet?” “Well, it’s not quite a mop and it’s not quite a puppet… but man (laughs). So to answer your question, I don’t know.
I cannot believe that this is our last FRINGE episode until after the holidays! (if you just got Déjà vu reading that line, its completely understandable, as I re-used it from last week’s recap which I had thought was the final episode before the winter break)
Anyways, another great outing for FRINGE, and even though it wasn’t mythology heavy, it did help direct us onto the course of the where all the relationships on the show currently are and perhaps where they might be leading in the future. Definitely one of the more emotional episodes of FRINGE, (have we ever really seen Olivia break down like that?), and a great set-up for what’s to come when FRINGE returns next year.
BUCK UP BROYLES
I really enjoyed the powerful scene where Olivia is telling Broyles about his alternate self, and his face when she told him about his alternate family. I think it meshes nicely with my theory from last week about how Broyles might travel into the alternate dimension to meet his alternate family.
I did feel sorry for Broyles as it almost seemed as though this revelation confirmed to him that he might have made a few mistakes in regards to his family, as his alternate self seemed to have made it work. Even more credence to why he would want to speak to his alternate family and see what it was that held them together.
Also, does anyone else remember Nina’s relationship with Broyles? Are we going to get any more information about this? I only bring it up because we are discussing Broyles’ personal life and it’s good to know he still has one, even if it’s completely off-screen.
PETER, TELLING IT LIKE IT IS
I wasn’t sure how they were going to handle Peter telling everything to Olivia, but as always with FRINGE, they got to it quickly, and made it very succinct. Even though it seemed a little insensitive of Peter to just blurt it all out so quickly, especially as it seemed he was almost complimenting Bolivia, it was necessary for him to show that he’s not like his father and was not going to keep secrets even if they protected those he loves.
I also really enjoyed the scene when Olivia and Peter are profiling suspects as it becomes clear to Peter that Olivia is upset and I really enjoy the metaphor about profiling and how good she is at it and how he sucks at it, and how it pertains to what happened with Bolivia.
Overall story note, I do wish they’d get on with the whole crazy machine storyline and how it involves Peter, as its definitely been pushed to the backburner for the time being, but hopefully they’ll get to it when the season returns.
SHUT IT DOWN OLIVIA
I thought it was such a sad scene when Olivia is ripping down her clothes and washing her bed sheets, as she realized how easily she was replaced and that her own inability to really connect with people was why no one realized she was missing. Great imagery with the all black clothes in the closet to really hit home her distant personality and how easily it would be for someone to slip into her life and impersonate her. It’s just sad that she’s putting back up all her walls now and pushing Peter away because of what happened.
And I think my favorite moment of the episode was when the Mad Scientist told Olivia that he could see it in the Frankenstein girl’s eyes that it wasn’t his girl – and you knew she was asking herself why Peter couldn’t tell the same thing about Bolivia. It hit me way before she and Peter had their argument, and I knew she wasn’t going to be forgiving him anytime soon. But I’m ok with that, as FRINGE has never really been about their relationship, and I’m ready for it to return to it’s sci-fi freaky roots and not dwell any more on the will they/ won’t they of the couple (even though I’m pretty sure, as we all should be, that we haven’t heard the last of their feelings for one another).
FINAL THOUGHTS
I was seriously creeped out by ballet puppet scene, and the dead eyes on the Frankenstein girl. Also, the science this week was not really all that well explained and I’m not 100% sure if I buy into the whole reviving the dead storyline. But even if the tech was more for a throwaway Fringe case, I like that even cases like this contribute to the overall story of FRINGE and help sell a point, such as Olivia’s reasons for ending it with Peter.
Also, was the Observer at the end looking at Peter or Walter? And was one of them supposed to die recently? Or has Walternate finished the doomsday device now that Bolivia has given him the final piece, and the Observers are watching Peter to see if he’s yet rejoined his father and activated the machine.
And if they were looking at Walter, was this some scary foreshadowing of what might happen as the season progresses? We know the Observers can see the future, perhaps Walter is going to die, leaving the rest of the team to carry on his work. Who knows? Maybe we were introduced to the “reviving the dead” tech this week solely for the purpose of Peter finding a way to revive Walter at some point in the future.
Ok, that’s it for now, for sure this time I won’t be writing another recap until FRINGE returns in 2011.
Happy Holidays!
NICHOLASGRAFF.com 