Fringe
Episode 3.11
Aired 01/28/11

While we haven’t seen anything from Over There in a while, it’s existence has cast a shadow over our characters in the prime universe in the form of that mysterious machine, which scientists at Massive Dynamic have managed to build. What it does is something that only Walternate knows (I think), and it’s connection to Peter (still a mystery) has become a focal point of the season. Continue Reading

Fringe
Episode 3.10
Aired 01/21/11

Fringe debuted in its new timeslot Friday night. The move was considered by many to be a death sentence, based on FOX’s history of airing many a sci-fi series on that night and eventually canceling them. According to the ratings, however, it seems Olivia and company are poised to reverse that trend, as total viewership remained steady in the all-important 18-49 demographic (I don’t know anything about US TV ratings, I’m just repeating what I’ve read elsewhere). It seems the show’s loyal fanbase had no problem tuning in on a different night. Of course, it helps that the first episode aired was a consistently compelling one. Continue Reading

Fringe
Season 3, Episode 9

Fringe‘s hot streak continued this week with “Marionette,” an episode that was less action-packed than last week’s “Entrada” but emotionally stronger. The case of the week was solid if unremarkable, but the truly stellar part was the episode’s focus on Olivia, who has to deal with the fallout from Fauxlivia’s time in the prime universe. Continue Reading

Fringe
Season 3, Episode 8

My relationship with Fringe is different from all the other shows I’m watching right now. Usually I’ll (1) watch a series to the bitter end (2) watch a series as long as it’s good and then stop once it starts sucking (3) watch a pilot and won’t continue to watch if I’m not impressed by any it. When Fringe premiered back in 2008 it ended up going into (3). There wasn’t anything especially interesting going on in the pilot (though I do remember Anna Torv stripping down) and I don’t think I even bothered checking out the second episode. Most of the reviews I read had pegged the show as a sci-fi procedural which relied on a “weird phenomena of the week” formula, which I’ve seen before and wasn’t interested in seeing again. Ironically, for something I once perceived as being dull and unoriginal, Fringe now has a unique place in my TV-watching history, in that it’s the only show I’ve started watching since the very end of its last season. That second season finale was very intriguing, and it ended with an exciting twist that opened up a lot of storytelling possibilities. Now, eight episodes into its third season, the show has been capitalizing on that potential and it’s been enthralling to watch. Continue Reading