Now I know people really don't read this blog. And my goal with this has never been to earn page views or get any form of recognition. That's why posting here is occasional at best, and I rarely proof reed what I post here. However, there have been a few occasions where it seems possible that people HAVE been coming to this site--rarely at best. And because of that I just wanted to put this out here.
The purpose of this blog is simple: it gives me an opportunity to practice a different form of writing style than what I'm used to. It's also intended to try to practice writing, and practice at being more accurate the first time, so I do limited proof reading. The idea being to make a serious attempt to do things right on the first draft, while still maintaining a reasonable writing speed.
For those one or two people who have read the site at one point or another...feel free to make fun of me.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Fringe S6E7 - The Abducted
After last weeks merely 'good' episode, Fringe returned this week with another great hour of television. I'll have to admit that my anticipation of this episode was pretty damned high, and I wasn't disappointed even if the previews lied a bit about what was going to happen. And, after last week's exposition dump, this episode features a good, creepy, investigation and some great character interaction. And, like ever good episode, it leaves you longing for the next episode...which with the Thanksgiving break we have 2 weeks to wait for. Bastards!
Interestingly, Olivia's quest to return home took a back seat to the Fringe investigation of a young man by the Candy Man...a man who would kidnap and destroy the lives of young children for some unknown purpose. It's an investigation that hits home for the Fringe Division, as Broyles son was a previous victim, leaving everyone on edge. And while Henry was back, his role was much smaller this time and didn't have as much opportunity for the character. Too bad, as his character was the highlight of the first episode of the season.
Again, avoiding spoilers it's hard to talk about specific details. But I will say that the investigation was probably one of the most logical that Fringe has done in a while...oftentimes the show relies on 'fringe' tech or science to solve cases which stretch reality. This one was all about solid detective work and following leads. It also showed an opportunity for Olivia to show her chops more than once to Fringe Division, to her partners, and to Broyles.
There is a lot to like about the third season. Everything is more 'dense', and everything has context. This really adds a lot even to the seemingly unrelated cases...but it does have a side effect in that the cases themselves become less important to the plot of the show as a whole. This was noticeably true tonight...don't get me wrong it was great...but it was also a bit more simplistic (something that has become a bit of a trend in the third season). Personally i think it's a good move; the third season shifts the focus to the characters and is better for it. Lets face it, Fringe's greatest strength is located in it's characters and anything that shows them off makes the show better.
So, at this point I'm going to get into some spoiler territory...I want to do some speculation.
OK, so Olivia escaped, but was drawn back just like the last time she tried. I was wondering if that would happen--since both other times she got pulled back quickly after transferring. I was wondering if she would get pulled back, and if not how they would explain that...but now it's obvious that this is something relating to the mechanics of traveling between universes. And this makes her return even more difficult than before.
There are a few precedents for what happened...Walter's discussion about the car on the flag pole. The building of equal mass being forced to the other side to replace one moved to 'our' universe. Even Walternate being able to return home easily after finding Peter...obviously there is something of a rubber band effect happening. And my guess is that Olivia was being forced back because their Olivia is still there. This is probably something she can learn to master, I think, but it's a process that must be overcome when transferring and that is something she hasn't figured out yet.
So, now Peter knows the truth. I was hoping that he had known, but it had become more and more obvious that he was fooled and if there was any doubt left it's gone now. And the previews suggest that events in EP8 will pick up immediately after the end of this episode; with Peter trying to find evidence of the lie that Olivia is not 'his' Olivia.
Interestingly, it suggests that the pattern of alternate-universe shifting isn't complete yet. Will Olivia make it back at the end of the next episode? I'm thinking so...but I'm also becoming more and more convinced that Alt-Olivia will HAVE to get back (or be sent back) for Olivia to even have a shot at returning. And, now that Peter knows the truth, he and Walter will have a common goal.
Past that, there is a possibility that EP 9 will be another 'over there' episode, one with a more continuous string. And there is even the possibility that another switch might occur (though I doubt it). I'm also thinking that Alt-Fringe might have something to do with Olivia's survival there...Walternate certainly has no mercy in him, but they've gone out of their way to show Charlie, Lincoln, and Broyles as good men...and I think Broyles is going to feel obligated to help her out once he figures out what they are planning on doing to Olivia. Which, I assume, will involve a horrible death and a dissection, as they try to figure out just the stuff in her brain is and what effects it had on her.
My other guess is that a large amount of the pieces of the ancient device will have already been recovered either before, or during the next episode...I don't see the show turning into a treasure hunt. But, some idea of what Walternate is planning is almost essential at this point. What his interest in Olivia is made perfect sense in the context of the show, but his plans for Peter are much more murky. It's almost a shame, really, Walternate has always been portrayed as a villain...it's almost a shame that he's not more conflicted like Broyles.
But I did watch the preview...obviously Peter is going to find something early on..and Olivia is going to catch him in the act. But after that it gets more murky. Actually, on second thought...while this is an 'over here' episode, it is clear that Walternate and Alt-Broyles are definitely in it. There seems to be a shot of Bolivia at the typewriter place (which suggests that she doesn't get caught). It almost looks like Broyles may be forced to do something much more drastic to save Olivia. And there is a shot of a character that I don't really recognize (but could be an observer? hell I don't know). And there is another shot that almost looks like Bolivia is holding Olivia at gunpoint. And another that looks like the Fringe Team might finally uncover the typewriter room.
One thing I'm kinda hoping is that Bolivia turns out to be a 'good' guy...she's done some pretty despicable things. And while it's kinda hard to tell, I never got the impression that she was so cold or callous the small times we saw her in the second season. It was nice to see her show some compassion and regret for what is happening; as she is in the best position to know that her alternates are really not 'monsters' she's been told to believe. I'm also hoping that even if Olivia gets home, we'll still continue to see a lot from the other universe...hopefully Olivia will develop the full on ability to transfer by the end of this which allows for stories to continue on both sides. It would be a shame to loose Charlie and Lincoln if nothing else.
Now, will all of this happen in the next episode? Maybe they will spread this out more, honestly I don't know...but I can't wait to find out.
Interestingly, Olivia's quest to return home took a back seat to the Fringe investigation of a young man by the Candy Man...a man who would kidnap and destroy the lives of young children for some unknown purpose. It's an investigation that hits home for the Fringe Division, as Broyles son was a previous victim, leaving everyone on edge. And while Henry was back, his role was much smaller this time and didn't have as much opportunity for the character. Too bad, as his character was the highlight of the first episode of the season.
Again, avoiding spoilers it's hard to talk about specific details. But I will say that the investigation was probably one of the most logical that Fringe has done in a while...oftentimes the show relies on 'fringe' tech or science to solve cases which stretch reality. This one was all about solid detective work and following leads. It also showed an opportunity for Olivia to show her chops more than once to Fringe Division, to her partners, and to Broyles.
There is a lot to like about the third season. Everything is more 'dense', and everything has context. This really adds a lot even to the seemingly unrelated cases...but it does have a side effect in that the cases themselves become less important to the plot of the show as a whole. This was noticeably true tonight...don't get me wrong it was great...but it was also a bit more simplistic (something that has become a bit of a trend in the third season). Personally i think it's a good move; the third season shifts the focus to the characters and is better for it. Lets face it, Fringe's greatest strength is located in it's characters and anything that shows them off makes the show better.
So, at this point I'm going to get into some spoiler territory...I want to do some speculation.
OK, so Olivia escaped, but was drawn back just like the last time she tried. I was wondering if that would happen--since both other times she got pulled back quickly after transferring. I was wondering if she would get pulled back, and if not how they would explain that...but now it's obvious that this is something relating to the mechanics of traveling between universes. And this makes her return even more difficult than before.
There are a few precedents for what happened...Walter's discussion about the car on the flag pole. The building of equal mass being forced to the other side to replace one moved to 'our' universe. Even Walternate being able to return home easily after finding Peter...obviously there is something of a rubber band effect happening. And my guess is that Olivia was being forced back because their Olivia is still there. This is probably something she can learn to master, I think, but it's a process that must be overcome when transferring and that is something she hasn't figured out yet.
So, now Peter knows the truth. I was hoping that he had known, but it had become more and more obvious that he was fooled and if there was any doubt left it's gone now. And the previews suggest that events in EP8 will pick up immediately after the end of this episode; with Peter trying to find evidence of the lie that Olivia is not 'his' Olivia.
Interestingly, it suggests that the pattern of alternate-universe shifting isn't complete yet. Will Olivia make it back at the end of the next episode? I'm thinking so...but I'm also becoming more and more convinced that Alt-Olivia will HAVE to get back (or be sent back) for Olivia to even have a shot at returning. And, now that Peter knows the truth, he and Walter will have a common goal.
Past that, there is a possibility that EP 9 will be another 'over there' episode, one with a more continuous string. And there is even the possibility that another switch might occur (though I doubt it). I'm also thinking that Alt-Fringe might have something to do with Olivia's survival there...Walternate certainly has no mercy in him, but they've gone out of their way to show Charlie, Lincoln, and Broyles as good men...and I think Broyles is going to feel obligated to help her out once he figures out what they are planning on doing to Olivia. Which, I assume, will involve a horrible death and a dissection, as they try to figure out just the stuff in her brain is and what effects it had on her.
My other guess is that a large amount of the pieces of the ancient device will have already been recovered either before, or during the next episode...I don't see the show turning into a treasure hunt. But, some idea of what Walternate is planning is almost essential at this point. What his interest in Olivia is made perfect sense in the context of the show, but his plans for Peter are much more murky. It's almost a shame, really, Walternate has always been portrayed as a villain...it's almost a shame that he's not more conflicted like Broyles.
But I did watch the preview...obviously Peter is going to find something early on..and Olivia is going to catch him in the act. But after that it gets more murky. Actually, on second thought...while this is an 'over here' episode, it is clear that Walternate and Alt-Broyles are definitely in it. There seems to be a shot of Bolivia at the typewriter place (which suggests that she doesn't get caught). It almost looks like Broyles may be forced to do something much more drastic to save Olivia. And there is a shot of a character that I don't really recognize (but could be an observer? hell I don't know). And there is another shot that almost looks like Bolivia is holding Olivia at gunpoint. And another that looks like the Fringe Team might finally uncover the typewriter room.
One thing I'm kinda hoping is that Bolivia turns out to be a 'good' guy...she's done some pretty despicable things. And while it's kinda hard to tell, I never got the impression that she was so cold or callous the small times we saw her in the second season. It was nice to see her show some compassion and regret for what is happening; as she is in the best position to know that her alternates are really not 'monsters' she's been told to believe. I'm also hoping that even if Olivia gets home, we'll still continue to see a lot from the other universe...hopefully Olivia will develop the full on ability to transfer by the end of this which allows for stories to continue on both sides. It would be a shame to loose Charlie and Lincoln if nothing else.
Now, will all of this happen in the next episode? Maybe they will spread this out more, honestly I don't know...but I can't wait to find out.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Fringe S3E6
Another week, and yet another good episode of Fringe. I would like to say 'great', or 'awesome', but unfortunately I cannot. This week's episode was probably the weakest of the entire season.
Now, don't get me wrong. Just because it wasn't great doesn't mean that it wasn't good. And it was good. There were quite a few things I liked about it, including the ever increasing sense of dread about the whole thing. But, 6955 kHz was a bit broader than many of the current episodes. And it's the first one in a while that just seemed to be talking AT the audience instead of showing us. That's a fault of the writers there, and it's what keeps 6955 from being really great.
This episode could really be described as an info dump in many regards. They talk about number stations. They talk about the First People. They talk about secret codes, etc, as if there is some huge mystery about it all. But there is no mystery. Olivia is setting them up. The signals embedded in the numbers were designed to be found by Peter and Walter, to create a 'fringe event' that would draw themselves to something the other side already knew--the location of the other hidden pieces of the 'ancient machine' built by the First People that can create or destroy universes.
In any case, the Fringe Team learn of the First People. They learn about the Numbers. And they can't figure it out. Until, that is, the script needs them too. And suddenly these numbers start leading to points on a calendar which now magically map to coordinates on Earth. And viola, they suddenly have the location for almost two dozen 'sites', the last one happens to match the site where they pulled up the box--part of the ancient device. And, Olivia again has to do something nasty to protect her cover. And that cover is starting to ever so slightly wear thin, even as she's starting to actually question what she's doing (if just a little bit).
So, who were the first people? Why would Walternate want Walter/Peter to figure it out? Why wouldn't he just use agents to collect the pieces for himself, if he already knew how to get them? Just how many bad things is Olivia really willing to do--the cracks, it seems, are finally starting to show. Just what is the end game they are setting up here?
Now, there were no real answers here, but I've been thinking about it a bit. Now, my first thought was First People = Observers. And that is actually be true, but also might also be too easy. But, why the amnesia? The 'Number Stations' are mysterious untraceable sources of random numbers, generated in random languages. I've heard of the phenomenon, actually, there are some that operated for over 20 years in Siberia, for example. But in Fringe World, the Number Stations have existed for a long time. In fact, the first radio invented picked up a number signal--suggesting their origin is a lot older than the current situation. Of course, the amnesia itself is just a red herring...Walternate didn't care if others figured it out; he just needed something to attract Fringe Division's attention.
So we know certain things. We know that Walternate is trying to build this device. That is seems to be spread between multiple worlds. And that the First People died out suddenly in some great disaster. We also know that he couldn't complete the device. And in this season, we learn that parts of the device, or perhaps another version of the device, is located on this side as well. My presumption is that Walternate discovered the truth about these stations, used them to collect the devices on his side; but could not get it to work. So, he needs his counterparts to do the same. Walternate wasn't responsible for these signals; nor was he trying to prevent this information from being found out (as is suggested in the episode)...it's clear he WANTED Fringe Division to find this. And so the amnesia thing was solely to attract Fringe Division to the case itself.
But that begs a different question. Peter responds to the device, which no one else does. That's still interesting, now, isn't it? My assumption has been that Peter is 'special' because he was from the other side--a result of the first rift between worlds. And he is somewhat unique in that he has spent the longest amount of time living on the other side compared to anyone else (save the observers themselves). But, what if Peter is special for another reason? Something that was different on the other side...like Walternate had discovered the truth of these numbers (and the ancient machine) before? I don't know, but I think that's going to be important before this is all done.
And the ending was also kinda cool. So, Olivia no longer needs to show up for the tests? That's a bad sign, for her. They have what they need, and at that point they have no more use for her. In a way, I'm going to be quite happy--next week's episode looks damned awesome--but in another way I'm going to be sad. The Alt-Fringe episodes have been consistently inspired all season and it'll be sad to see her get back home. Alt-Fringe is awesome, Charlie, Lincoln, Broyles, Walternate, are all great characters (too bad alt-Astrid sucks though). It's going to suck going back to a more traditional format.
And another thing. I still have no idea where this show is really going (other than it's been a blast watching them)...By humanizing the other side, it's really going to suck if they become the 'bad guy's' in a more complete way. I would love to see them team up. But, unless some new faction is introduced I just don't see how that would be possible with the way things are going. I am, however, still lending myself to the theory that despite what the show has been showing, Walter is not actually responsible for all of the devastation on the other side. I'm truly beginning to believe that Walternate himself was responsible...that his drive to retrieve his son (which he believed had been kidnapped by his alternate with another universe) drove him to any length to retrieve him--Universe be damned.
At this point, I'm just hoping that there is not a definite 'switch' yet. If Olivia becomes capable of switching sides on a regular basis, then I think that could lead into very new territory. Especially if she can develop some other allies on the other side. And I hope they don't take the easy way out and kill alt-Olivia. It would be cool if they can keep the other side heavily involved in the proceedings; maybe even experience some more alt-fringe investigations. Maybe that will happen with Broyles? That would be the perfect person to become an ally, honestly, or Lincoln?
One other cool thing about it that I liked. I ended up watching this episode with my family last night. They haven't seen the show since the first season, and they were clearly enjoying it quite a bit. And then Olivia walked in on the bad guy, pissed that he'd blown his cover, and the realization that she was actually a bad guy hit them, and it was really fun to see their reaction. Obviously that was not intended by the writers, as by this point everyone knows what's going on, but it was fun to see them react to it, NOT knowing what had happened before. And now I'm pretty sure they are going to start watching it again regularly.
Now, don't get me wrong. Just because it wasn't great doesn't mean that it wasn't good. And it was good. There were quite a few things I liked about it, including the ever increasing sense of dread about the whole thing. But, 6955 kHz was a bit broader than many of the current episodes. And it's the first one in a while that just seemed to be talking AT the audience instead of showing us. That's a fault of the writers there, and it's what keeps 6955 from being really great.
This episode could really be described as an info dump in many regards. They talk about number stations. They talk about the First People. They talk about secret codes, etc, as if there is some huge mystery about it all. But there is no mystery. Olivia is setting them up. The signals embedded in the numbers were designed to be found by Peter and Walter, to create a 'fringe event' that would draw themselves to something the other side already knew--the location of the other hidden pieces of the 'ancient machine' built by the First People that can create or destroy universes.
In any case, the Fringe Team learn of the First People. They learn about the Numbers. And they can't figure it out. Until, that is, the script needs them too. And suddenly these numbers start leading to points on a calendar which now magically map to coordinates on Earth. And viola, they suddenly have the location for almost two dozen 'sites', the last one happens to match the site where they pulled up the box--part of the ancient device. And, Olivia again has to do something nasty to protect her cover. And that cover is starting to ever so slightly wear thin, even as she's starting to actually question what she's doing (if just a little bit).
So, who were the first people? Why would Walternate want Walter/Peter to figure it out? Why wouldn't he just use agents to collect the pieces for himself, if he already knew how to get them? Just how many bad things is Olivia really willing to do--the cracks, it seems, are finally starting to show. Just what is the end game they are setting up here?
Now, there were no real answers here, but I've been thinking about it a bit. Now, my first thought was First People = Observers. And that is actually be true, but also might also be too easy. But, why the amnesia? The 'Number Stations' are mysterious untraceable sources of random numbers, generated in random languages. I've heard of the phenomenon, actually, there are some that operated for over 20 years in Siberia, for example. But in Fringe World, the Number Stations have existed for a long time. In fact, the first radio invented picked up a number signal--suggesting their origin is a lot older than the current situation. Of course, the amnesia itself is just a red herring...Walternate didn't care if others figured it out; he just needed something to attract Fringe Division's attention.
So we know certain things. We know that Walternate is trying to build this device. That is seems to be spread between multiple worlds. And that the First People died out suddenly in some great disaster. We also know that he couldn't complete the device. And in this season, we learn that parts of the device, or perhaps another version of the device, is located on this side as well. My presumption is that Walternate discovered the truth about these stations, used them to collect the devices on his side; but could not get it to work. So, he needs his counterparts to do the same. Walternate wasn't responsible for these signals; nor was he trying to prevent this information from being found out (as is suggested in the episode)...it's clear he WANTED Fringe Division to find this. And so the amnesia thing was solely to attract Fringe Division to the case itself.
But that begs a different question. Peter responds to the device, which no one else does. That's still interesting, now, isn't it? My assumption has been that Peter is 'special' because he was from the other side--a result of the first rift between worlds. And he is somewhat unique in that he has spent the longest amount of time living on the other side compared to anyone else (save the observers themselves). But, what if Peter is special for another reason? Something that was different on the other side...like Walternate had discovered the truth of these numbers (and the ancient machine) before? I don't know, but I think that's going to be important before this is all done.
And the ending was also kinda cool. So, Olivia no longer needs to show up for the tests? That's a bad sign, for her. They have what they need, and at that point they have no more use for her. In a way, I'm going to be quite happy--next week's episode looks damned awesome--but in another way I'm going to be sad. The Alt-Fringe episodes have been consistently inspired all season and it'll be sad to see her get back home. Alt-Fringe is awesome, Charlie, Lincoln, Broyles, Walternate, are all great characters (too bad alt-Astrid sucks though). It's going to suck going back to a more traditional format.
And another thing. I still have no idea where this show is really going (other than it's been a blast watching them)...By humanizing the other side, it's really going to suck if they become the 'bad guy's' in a more complete way. I would love to see them team up. But, unless some new faction is introduced I just don't see how that would be possible with the way things are going. I am, however, still lending myself to the theory that despite what the show has been showing, Walter is not actually responsible for all of the devastation on the other side. I'm truly beginning to believe that Walternate himself was responsible...that his drive to retrieve his son (which he believed had been kidnapped by his alternate with another universe) drove him to any length to retrieve him--Universe be damned.
At this point, I'm just hoping that there is not a definite 'switch' yet. If Olivia becomes capable of switching sides on a regular basis, then I think that could lead into very new territory. Especially if she can develop some other allies on the other side. And I hope they don't take the easy way out and kill alt-Olivia. It would be cool if they can keep the other side heavily involved in the proceedings; maybe even experience some more alt-fringe investigations. Maybe that will happen with Broyles? That would be the perfect person to become an ally, honestly, or Lincoln?
One other cool thing about it that I liked. I ended up watching this episode with my family last night. They haven't seen the show since the first season, and they were clearly enjoying it quite a bit. And then Olivia walked in on the bad guy, pissed that he'd blown his cover, and the realization that she was actually a bad guy hit them, and it was really fun to see their reaction. Obviously that was not intended by the writers, as by this point everyone knows what's going on, but it was fun to see them react to it, NOT knowing what had happened before. And now I'm pretty sure they are going to start watching it again regularly.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Fringe S3E5
There is a time in every TV shows life which represents the very peak of what the show can do. It's a moment, perhaps a string of moments, that really define the show. But not just define it. It sticks with you, makes you want to come back again. And again.
Chuck had it late in the second season. It was always pretty good. Fun. But it wasn't until the latter half of the second season where everything came together and what followed was a blistering string of awesomeness which ended in a kung fu bang. Battlestar Galactica did it in the first part of the second season, where instead of just trying to tie up loose ends from the S1 finally, they really ran with it and let the situation spiral out of control. Hell, even Big Bang Theory had it with it's stellar second season premier, and an inspired string of episodes that had little in common--but were consistently funnier than they'd ever been before or since.
Fringe, I think, has reached that peak. Fringe has always been good. But it's never had such a string of high quality episodes as it's having right now. Crossing seasons, Fringe is on a 8 episode winning streak which started with 'Northwest Passage' and now continues with episode 5. Season 2 was a good season--overall. But, it had a serious problem in that many of the episodes were truly random filler. Not that it is necessarily bad, I guess, some of those episodes were very good in their own right. But Season 1 managed to take to random, and connect it all together in a neat package. People, bad people, were experimenting, leading to hideous death to innocents...and all of those grisly deaths fit the same general them. And then we learned why, and it all started to come together.
Season 2, however, had to get past the why, and go to the what for. And it did just that, but at the same time it meandered. Episodes like Night of Desirable Objects, Dream Logic, Earthling, Snake Head, Johari Window, What Lies Below, The Bishop Revival, all had nothing to do with anything that had come before, and also seem to lead to no connection to anything else. That's 7 episodes out of 22 that had real connection to anything else. Which is actually a good ratio, really, but the first season had, what, 2 episodes that really had no connection to anything (the one with the computer virus killing people, and the one with the chimera, I believe). Everything else had a meaningful connection to ZFT, or to John Scott, or to some other important part of the mythology.
OK, maybe I'm nit picking a little bit here. It's not like stand alone episodes are bad. And some of those were actually quite good episodes in their own right. But, Season 2 really hit its stride when Olivia learned the truth about Peter, and the slow building of dread about what was going to happen when the truth comes out. And from the moment Peter disappeared, through tonight, every single episode of Fringe has been awesome. Not just good...but awesome.
Tonight's episode was 'over there' as they call it. Olivia is having hallucinations about Peter. She's strongly doubting herself. And she's agreed to allow herself to be experimented on. And even from the start, things happen. She crosses over, if only for a few minutes. And suddenly she's even less sure of herself. I've not 100% bought into the whole brainwashing thing, though I'd admit the reasoning Walternate uses does make a weird form of sense. At first I was hoping that she was just going to be playing along. And then last 'over there' episode I figured she had figured out the truth. And she has really, but she's in denial.
But ironically, the 'b' story is the fringe investigation. About a brother breaking his identical twin out of Amber. They are alive, apparently, and in stasis (which makes me wonder...in S1 the ones trapped in Amber were certainly dead...did they forget that or is this something different). Fringe team is investigating because, well if the truth came out there would be anarchy. So they need to find the brothers and shut them out before anyone figures out the truth.
Considering how invested I am with Olivia's story, the investigation was possibly the greatest part of the episode. The interaction with the brothers, the reasons for it, and it's pay off was quite powerful, especially since there wasn't really a lot of time spent with the brothers. Not only was that good writing, but it was good acting as well. And it worked in ways that really fit in with Olivia's situation, elevating both stories in the process. That's tried a lot, I've tried it in stories, but it rarely works so well as it did here.And Olivia let them get away with it because she knows exactly what the brother was going through.
And at the end, Olivia knows the truth. She went to the other side. And wished Ella happy birthday. A major cock tease, to be sure, but now there's no doubt. She may not remember everything, and I suspect that she won't be getting back home soon, but I want next week to come right now... And as a producer of a TV show that's exactly how they want you to feel.
So, how long with this streak continue? I hope for a while at least, but all things come to an end eventually. At this point, I just hope Fringe gets a fourth season. It's just too damned cool to end with just 3 seasons. But I have to wonder just what is going to happen when Olivia does get back? Quite frankly, Alt-Fringe is just too cool to not come back to on a regular basis. And having Charlie back is awesome. And the new character Lincoln is too awesome as well.
I'm also wondering. So far, the show has presented Walter as the bad guy. He first crossed over and started this. And certainly that's true. But, why is the other Universe so fragile compared to the main Universe. I think the presumption has been that it was because it was the one first crossed through. But honestly, I don't think that's the case. My theory is, Walternate realized his son was kidnapped and drove himself to find a way to return his son no matter what the cost. Their Universe is so unstable because Walternate could not let go, would not give up, and did not care about the consequences in his drive to get back his son. That's why the alternate universe is so fragile and failing.
But even with that theory, what is going to happen when Olivia gets back? Will she continue to be able to cross over at will? Fringe has a history of suggesting powers for her that they soon forget about...though it was cool they remembered Olivia's 'super hearing' from S2. What will happen with the other Olivia? She does not have that ability, though obviously the other side has some ability to travel back and forth. Will the show just go back the way it was before? Or will it head off in a new direction once more information about that strange device shows up? Maybe it will lead to more and more cross overs as the show goes on?
Whatever happens, Fringe has really established itself as a major sci-fi show, and it's the best of all of the TV shows I'm watching right now.
Chuck had it late in the second season. It was always pretty good. Fun. But it wasn't until the latter half of the second season where everything came together and what followed was a blistering string of awesomeness which ended in a kung fu bang. Battlestar Galactica did it in the first part of the second season, where instead of just trying to tie up loose ends from the S1 finally, they really ran with it and let the situation spiral out of control. Hell, even Big Bang Theory had it with it's stellar second season premier, and an inspired string of episodes that had little in common--but were consistently funnier than they'd ever been before or since.
Fringe, I think, has reached that peak. Fringe has always been good. But it's never had such a string of high quality episodes as it's having right now. Crossing seasons, Fringe is on a 8 episode winning streak which started with 'Northwest Passage' and now continues with episode 5. Season 2 was a good season--overall. But, it had a serious problem in that many of the episodes were truly random filler. Not that it is necessarily bad, I guess, some of those episodes were very good in their own right. But Season 1 managed to take to random, and connect it all together in a neat package. People, bad people, were experimenting, leading to hideous death to innocents...and all of those grisly deaths fit the same general them. And then we learned why, and it all started to come together.
Season 2, however, had to get past the why, and go to the what for. And it did just that, but at the same time it meandered. Episodes like Night of Desirable Objects, Dream Logic, Earthling, Snake Head, Johari Window, What Lies Below, The Bishop Revival, all had nothing to do with anything that had come before, and also seem to lead to no connection to anything else. That's 7 episodes out of 22 that had real connection to anything else. Which is actually a good ratio, really, but the first season had, what, 2 episodes that really had no connection to anything (the one with the computer virus killing people, and the one with the chimera, I believe). Everything else had a meaningful connection to ZFT, or to John Scott, or to some other important part of the mythology.
OK, maybe I'm nit picking a little bit here. It's not like stand alone episodes are bad. And some of those were actually quite good episodes in their own right. But, Season 2 really hit its stride when Olivia learned the truth about Peter, and the slow building of dread about what was going to happen when the truth comes out. And from the moment Peter disappeared, through tonight, every single episode of Fringe has been awesome. Not just good...but awesome.
Tonight's episode was 'over there' as they call it. Olivia is having hallucinations about Peter. She's strongly doubting herself. And she's agreed to allow herself to be experimented on. And even from the start, things happen. She crosses over, if only for a few minutes. And suddenly she's even less sure of herself. I've not 100% bought into the whole brainwashing thing, though I'd admit the reasoning Walternate uses does make a weird form of sense. At first I was hoping that she was just going to be playing along. And then last 'over there' episode I figured she had figured out the truth. And she has really, but she's in denial.
But ironically, the 'b' story is the fringe investigation. About a brother breaking his identical twin out of Amber. They are alive, apparently, and in stasis (which makes me wonder...in S1 the ones trapped in Amber were certainly dead...did they forget that or is this something different). Fringe team is investigating because, well if the truth came out there would be anarchy. So they need to find the brothers and shut them out before anyone figures out the truth.
Considering how invested I am with Olivia's story, the investigation was possibly the greatest part of the episode. The interaction with the brothers, the reasons for it, and it's pay off was quite powerful, especially since there wasn't really a lot of time spent with the brothers. Not only was that good writing, but it was good acting as well. And it worked in ways that really fit in with Olivia's situation, elevating both stories in the process. That's tried a lot, I've tried it in stories, but it rarely works so well as it did here.And Olivia let them get away with it because she knows exactly what the brother was going through.
And at the end, Olivia knows the truth. She went to the other side. And wished Ella happy birthday. A major cock tease, to be sure, but now there's no doubt. She may not remember everything, and I suspect that she won't be getting back home soon, but I want next week to come right now... And as a producer of a TV show that's exactly how they want you to feel.
So, how long with this streak continue? I hope for a while at least, but all things come to an end eventually. At this point, I just hope Fringe gets a fourth season. It's just too damned cool to end with just 3 seasons. But I have to wonder just what is going to happen when Olivia does get back? Quite frankly, Alt-Fringe is just too cool to not come back to on a regular basis. And having Charlie back is awesome. And the new character Lincoln is too awesome as well.
I'm also wondering. So far, the show has presented Walter as the bad guy. He first crossed over and started this. And certainly that's true. But, why is the other Universe so fragile compared to the main Universe. I think the presumption has been that it was because it was the one first crossed through. But honestly, I don't think that's the case. My theory is, Walternate realized his son was kidnapped and drove himself to find a way to return his son no matter what the cost. Their Universe is so unstable because Walternate could not let go, would not give up, and did not care about the consequences in his drive to get back his son. That's why the alternate universe is so fragile and failing.
But even with that theory, what is going to happen when Olivia gets back? Will she continue to be able to cross over at will? Fringe has a history of suggesting powers for her that they soon forget about...though it was cool they remembered Olivia's 'super hearing' from S2. What will happen with the other Olivia? She does not have that ability, though obviously the other side has some ability to travel back and forth. Will the show just go back the way it was before? Or will it head off in a new direction once more information about that strange device shows up? Maybe it will lead to more and more cross overs as the show goes on?
Whatever happens, Fringe has really established itself as a major sci-fi show, and it's the best of all of the TV shows I'm watching right now.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Chuck 10/1/2010
There has been something 'off' with this season of Chuck. It's been hard for me to pin down, but I think last night's episode was a really goo example of it. There was a lot to love about this week's episode. We got to see more of Chuck's mom. There was a considerable amount of action and suspense. We got to see Elle interact with her mother for the first time. And Timothy Dalton as an -awesome- guest star.
There was a lot to like about the episode. And despite my saying that the season feels off, it was a great episode over all. But, it also definitely points out more clearly just what the problems are.
Chuck is a show about delicate balancing acts. Between drama and comedy, romance and action. As a show, Chuck is generally regarded as a straight out comedy. And for most of the time it is. But as a show Chuck has always been willing to go dark, to stop playing for laughs and be serious. Those serious moments have always given the show more weight during it's lighter moments. And I think that is really what has changed here.
Last night is a good example of a show that the show would traditionally play straight in previous seasons. But this season, almost everything is played either as a goofy comedy or a straight action piece. And as good as last night's show was, playing it as a goofy comedy really hurt the emotional ending.
I hate to say this, but the show is simply focusing on two things that are weighing the show down. The first is the Chuck/Sarah relationship struggles...these two work best as a team working together and protecting each other. They do not work nearly as well as squabbling teenagers, which is what they are mostly portrayed as. The second is Morgan Grimes...Morgan's antics are really starting to get on my nerves. He's too goofy to be taken seriously in any way, and I think the writers realize this so they try to overcompensate in ways that are ridiculous. But what is really criminal about this is how much screen time he's getting, and how this is taking away from Sarah and more importantly Casey. It's a shame to, because the character of Morgan is pretty cool...but he's best used in small doses.
On the plus side, the show is definitely experimenting. Chuck's mother is turning into a very compelling character. And while I cannot imagine her truly being 'bad', there is still a chance that she is. And it's becoming more and more interesting to see where this is going (and what her true motives are). And Timothy Dalton was awesome last night. He certainly played against expectations for most of the episode, only to turn things around in the last few moments in a very interesting way. Chuck has always done well with its guest stars, and last night was no exception.
So, we have a 1 week break, so it will be at least two weeks before we find out (perhaps even more). I find it hard to believe that she erased the intersect from Chuck's brain, especially since that was a main plot point from Season 2. And I'm guessing that she's still trying to protect Chuck from Volkov, but, at this point there's not really enough specific information to explain what is going on here exactly. They've done a pretty good job of making Chuck's mother interesting, and it really seems like we are getting to the meat of things now.
Oh, and while we are on the subject of breaks, I know I haven't been keeping up with these reviews. In part because I actually missed the last few episodes, and didn't even see them until last Friday (where I watched them with friends).
There was a lot to like about the episode. And despite my saying that the season feels off, it was a great episode over all. But, it also definitely points out more clearly just what the problems are.
Chuck is a show about delicate balancing acts. Between drama and comedy, romance and action. As a show, Chuck is generally regarded as a straight out comedy. And for most of the time it is. But as a show Chuck has always been willing to go dark, to stop playing for laughs and be serious. Those serious moments have always given the show more weight during it's lighter moments. And I think that is really what has changed here.
Last night is a good example of a show that the show would traditionally play straight in previous seasons. But this season, almost everything is played either as a goofy comedy or a straight action piece. And as good as last night's show was, playing it as a goofy comedy really hurt the emotional ending.
I hate to say this, but the show is simply focusing on two things that are weighing the show down. The first is the Chuck/Sarah relationship struggles...these two work best as a team working together and protecting each other. They do not work nearly as well as squabbling teenagers, which is what they are mostly portrayed as. The second is Morgan Grimes...Morgan's antics are really starting to get on my nerves. He's too goofy to be taken seriously in any way, and I think the writers realize this so they try to overcompensate in ways that are ridiculous. But what is really criminal about this is how much screen time he's getting, and how this is taking away from Sarah and more importantly Casey. It's a shame to, because the character of Morgan is pretty cool...but he's best used in small doses.
On the plus side, the show is definitely experimenting. Chuck's mother is turning into a very compelling character. And while I cannot imagine her truly being 'bad', there is still a chance that she is. And it's becoming more and more interesting to see where this is going (and what her true motives are). And Timothy Dalton was awesome last night. He certainly played against expectations for most of the episode, only to turn things around in the last few moments in a very interesting way. Chuck has always done well with its guest stars, and last night was no exception.
So, we have a 1 week break, so it will be at least two weeks before we find out (perhaps even more). I find it hard to believe that she erased the intersect from Chuck's brain, especially since that was a main plot point from Season 2. And I'm guessing that she's still trying to protect Chuck from Volkov, but, at this point there's not really enough specific information to explain what is going on here exactly. They've done a pretty good job of making Chuck's mother interesting, and it really seems like we are getting to the meat of things now.
Oh, and while we are on the subject of breaks, I know I haven't been keeping up with these reviews. In part because I actually missed the last few episodes, and didn't even see them until last Friday (where I watched them with friends).
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