Playing God is not as easy as it looks
There is a saying, “be careful what you wish for.” This week’s adventure involved just that. A medical doctor was so desperate to have a son of his own flesh and blood that he impregnated his terminally ill wife and then manipulated the baby’s DNA so that it could be carried to term. It was sheer arrogance that led him to believe that he could play God and get away with it. Seventeen years later and he was still haunted by his audacity and conceit – he had created a creature worthy of the film “The Night of the Living Dead.”
So as the unsuspecting townsfolk disappeared one by one, he sat idly by placing traps around his house to protect himself. He did not bother to warn everyone else. Such egocentric thinking is appalling. He created the monster and yet he did nothing to warn them.
We were privy to the horror of it all watching the electrical worker gazing out across the rustling cornfields, glancing at the spooky all-knowing scarecrow and seeing a black crow warning him to leave. But curious as to what could possibly be out there, he went to investigate and suddenly vanished before our eyes as the earth reached up and swallowed him whole. But this is not the end, we next saw him in an underground tunnel and he screamed as he saw the monster leap from the shadows. What may have once been human is human no more. It is the stuff nightmares are made out of.
In the meantime, while evil was unleashed, our trio of stalwart investigators were rallying from the aftermath of Olivia’s (Anna Torv) accident. Olivia is clearly on edge and that was evident from when she panicked and nearly shot Peter while searching the doctor’s house.
This is by far the more interesting storyline: in the vacancy left by Olivia being unable to take charge and lead the team, Peter (Joshua Jackson) has stepped up and taken over. Whether by default or design, everyone now defers to him. Olivia follows his lead when he proposes a new case; and even Philip (Lance Reddick) acquiesces and allows Peter to pursue the case. He also concedes to Peter’s new demands for better living accommodations and various other things needed for the lab and their investigative work. He balks slightly to the demand for an airplane, but we get the sense that in the future, he may just grant that wish too. Last season, Olivia was the one in charge. But her foray into the unknown and crossing into an alternate universe (whether she can remember it or not), has left her unable to lead. It is now Peter who is in charge. In Olivia’s absence, Peter has stepped forward and claimed the leadership position and he appears to be
calling the shots; so much so that even Philip is deferring to his demands and judgment.
Is this a sign of things to come? Has Peter truly taken over? Will Olivia be able to overcome the shock and horror of what happened to her?
What Worked
Following the theme of this week’s episode, Walter’s (John Noble) observation that, “We’re all mutants. How many of us appear to be normal?” resonated with poignancy and truth. One could chalk it up to Walter being Walter, but he was absolutely right. No one is completely normal.
Additionally, it was quite funny to watch Walter and Astrid (Jasika Nicole) try to re-enact Olivia’s car accident and her transportation to another dimension using a bull frog. It was a light-hearted moment of levity in a very serious episode.
Then as a nice follow-up to last week’s revelation that Peter and Olivia’s feelings may have deepened towards each other, it was nice to see that Peter was the one who was there to take Olivia home upon her release from the hospital. The playfulness as they bantered about Olivia’s Ninja-cane masked the deeper feelings lurking beneath their conversation.
In contrast, we were reminded that the enemy was still skulking nearby as faux-Charlie (Kirk Acevedo) — the shape-shifter– watched Olivia leave the hospital and reported back to his superiors the status of her physical and mental health. It was also cool to see the mysterious typewriter make another appearance. It reminds me of the magician’s secret: they do it with mirrors, for the typewriter only works when paired with the large mirror which allows inter-dimensional communication. Later, when Olivia tells the faux-Charlie, “what if I don’t want to remember?” He responded, “Whatever secrets you learned might be worth remembering.” This response was slightly surprising as Charlie had always been the skeptic before and now seemed willing to believe there might be an alternate dimension. The old Charlie would have never believed so easily.
The other fascinating aspect of the episode was the revelation that Olivia’s hearing had been altered to such a degree that she can literally hear a pin drop. The sound of a fly buzzing was nearly deafening for her. Clearly, her experience has left her with enhanced abilities. It was further interesting that Nina (Blair Brown) was the one who picked up on the fact that Olivia may need to see someone besides a doctor in order to cope with her ordeal and the changes she was experiencing. It was even more illuminating when Olivia went to see Sam Weiss, the man Nina referred her to and he asked: “Have the headaches started yet? They will.” It remains to be seen what other side-effects will surface.
What Didn’t Work
It was disappointing to see that Agent Jessup (Meghan Markle), who was so prominently featured in the prior episode, was relegated to one brief scene. She was simply there to notice the cabinet marked with the cross and to discover the incriminating Bible. Obviously, the writers are laying the foundation for Jessup to be the voice of religious warning this season. However, it would have been more interesting and beneficial to have her been a part of either the auto accident re-creation experiment or to assist in the initial part of the investigation of the disappearances. To have her only appear during the execution of the house search warrant felt like a waste.
Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due
‘Night of Desirable Objects’ was written by Jeff Pinkner and J.H. Wyman, and directed by Brad Anderson. ‘Fringe’ stars Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, John Noble, Lance Reddick, Blair Brown, Jasika Nicole, Kirk Acevedo. ‘Fringe’ airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on Fox.
