Fringe “Novation” review!

Finally Fringe is back, after a intolerable three weeks the adventure continues, the last episode before the break established that Peter has come back from his twillight. This episode sees him interacting with the rest of the old gang while the side-plot focuses on the return of the new shapeshifters.

As for the plot…

Olivia and the others of Fringe division attempt to determine the origin of Peter Bishop, who purports himself as Walter’s son who had died as a young boy in the original timeline. Peter refuses to speak to anyone but Walter, but Walter is very reluctant to accept Peter’s story. Peter is held at Fringe headquarters in secure facilities.

The Fringe division is brought to investigate the violent murders of a woman and her live-in boyfriend in her home. They find that she was earlier married to Malcolm Truss, a former Massive Dynamic biochemical researcher, and believe her murder was an attempt to access his aborted research on cell cloning by one of the new shapeshifters, Nadine, previously seen in “Neither Here Nor There.” While at Massive Dynamic, it is revealed that Nina Sharp raised Olivia and her sister after Olivia killed her stepfather and ran away from Walter’s Cortexiphan trials; Walter resents Nina for both this and for her interference that led to young Peter’s death. Fringe is unable to locate Truss before the Nadine does, and place a manhunt to track him down. Meanwhile, the Nadine has tried to convince Truss that she is a patient in need of her cloning research, and coerces him to take him to his unmarked laboratory to synthesis the cure. It’s revealed she has a daughter, Haley.

As Fringe division attempts to work out Truss’ location, Peter, from his cell, uses the intercom electronics to try to convince Olivia and the others that he knows about shapeshifter technology. Under guard, Peter is able to use one of the memory discs previously recovered by Fringe to identify a tracking signal allowing Fringe to set off to Truss’ laboratory. Truss has come to discover Nadine’s truth after she temporarily loses control and takes the form of his former wife, but under thread of death, continues to synthesize the cure.

Truss finishes the cure just as the FBI and Fringe division surrounds the warehouse containing the lab. After being given the cure, Nadine attempts to fight off the agents, but appears to be shot and fall into the water below. Only after recovering the body do they recognize that Nadine took the place of a fallen agent and has escaped their grasp. Nadine uses a Hermes 3000 typewriter stored in a locate at a Boston train station to type a report informing them of the success of Truss’ cure; moments later, the typewriter, on its own, types out further instruments for her.

Walter, after trying to resolve his issues with Peter, returns to Fringe to inform Peter that he refuses to accept him as his son and only as an anomaly to be studied. Meanwhile, Olivia experiences an unexplained time fluctuation.

Conclusion…

The episode was good, but not brilliant. It was pretty much on par with the last one and together they are a decent continuation of the Fringe storyline. However, eve since the start of season 4 it seems that Fringe has lost its sparkle. None of the episodes truly stand out and the storyline seems a little dumbed down. even this weeks episode was no different even though it had been co-written by J.R. Orci. We all know how the shows producers hope to appeal to a larger audience but so far they havent’ moved away from the Fringe mythology and yet at the same time have left die hard viewers with less reason to watch. this weeks episode did end with a small cliff-hanger, the time fluctuation was kind off creepy. However, what was really missed was the interaction between Peter and Olivia, ever since the beginning of season 4 we have had to do without the sexual tension between them and this episode only vaguely alludes to Olivia recognizing Peter from her dreams.

Score; 8 / 10.

Viewer rating; 3.28 million (the highest this season since the season opener).

Next weeks episode is called “And Those We’ve Left Behind”.

And the promo stills…