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| Tuesday, January 26, 2010 09:04 PM |
| On the Viewer - Fringe (Season 1 - "Unearthed") |
 by Fëanor |
Just so you know, SPOILER ALERT!!
This is a previously unaired episode from season 1 that they decided to finally air in the middle of season 2 for some reason. Whatever. I'm just glad to see Charlie back!
Oh man. Even the bad episodes of Fringe have KILLER openings. A girl who was presumed dead is on the operating table, getting her organs pulled out for transplant, and boom, she wakes up, grabs the doctor, and starts repeating some kind of code phrase. Even better, the code turns out to be an ID number for a Navy officer named Rusk, and the launch codes for missiles! And now she's speaking in Russian, a language she doesn't know! Love it.
Walter suggests astral projection.
Ha! I love Walter's old film strip, and young Walter, with a full head of hair. When Walter introduces test subject #6 on the film, Peter asks what happened to #1-5. The present Walter says: "I believe the university settled with them out of court. They probably never had to work again... not that they could."
So now we're thinking maybe the girl's aneurysm made her psychic. Or maybe a dead guy jumped into her head!
Walter and the priest are not getting along. I'm getting the feeling this episode is trying to say something about religion, although what exactly I'm not sure.
Olivia uses a classic misdirection technique to get the navy guy to admit Rusk was ill. Nice. In fact, Rusk had radiation poisoning, and was given a highly experimental drug to combat it. D'oh! Radiation AND an experimental drug! That's a winning combination right there.
I think the teen girl is coming onto Peter. Man, all the girls love him.
Looks like we might need an exorcism after all!
This guy Jake probably wouldn't have run from the FBI if he knew all they had on him was a vague accusation from a possessed teenager.
Uh, who left the girl alone in the room with the dead body? C'mon, guys!
Everybody in this episode is confessing a lot quicker than it seems like they should. Aren't navy guys supposed to be tough?
Yeah, girl is definitely still possessed. In fact, I'm pretty sure Rusk is calling the shots now.
Called it! Way to lose the woman's daughter, Peter.
Now it finally all comes together. I didn't expect the hired assassination angle, or Rusk seeking revenge! Cool.
I love how Peter the civilian arrives on the scene before the FBI agents, and just runs right in.
Bit of a cliche climax there, with Peter speaking past Rusk to Lisa, and telling her to fight him off and take control herself. That's what always happens whenever anybody's possessed in any movie or TV show. It's also a little silly that Walter can just look at a scribbly brain scan and say for certain that Lisa's consciousness is now alone in her head again.
Walter: "Even as a scientist, sometimes I have to rely on faith."
Kind of a cop-out, that. The show shies away from making any kind of solid statement on religion. Probably just as well, I suppose.
Lisa [to Olivia, of Peter]: "I'll be 18 in a year. Don't wait too long to make your move."
Damn, girl!
Ugh. They go with a classic, corny, horror movie-style ending. The evil seems to be over... but is it?? The suggestion is that Rusk just jumped bodies again.
This is not one of the better episodes of the show. It relies a lot more on cliche than usual, and just isn't quite as imaginative or as clever. It's not that it's terrible, it's just kind of... mediocre. Ah, well. |
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