FRINGE 2.22 - "Over There: Part 1"

WRITERS: Jeff Pinkner, J.H Wyman & Nora Zuckerman
DIRECTOR: Akiva Goldsman
GUEST CAST: Orla Brady, David Call, Seth Gabel, Ari Gaynor, Pascale Hutton, Ryan McDonald, Omar Metwally, Leonard Nimoy, Lily Pilblad & Philip Winchester

[SPOILERS] The two-part finale of season 2 has Fringe embrace pure sci-fi with a dimension-hopping "mirror universe" adventure, even finding time for some X-Men overtones. "Over There: Part 1" was unfettered entertainment, but perhaps won't appeal to those who prefer the more real-world feel of Fringe's standalone episodes. This was instead big, enjoyable, sometimes ridiculous, and another turning point for the series at large.

Peter (Joshua Jackson) has been taken back to the alternate-Earth, his natural birthplace, by "Walternate" (John Noble), prompting our reality's Walter to realize the catastrophic effect his son's return will have on their dimension. He was warned that calamity would follow Peter's return by The Observer (Michael Cerveris) a long time ago, but for purposes of the plot had conveniently forgotten. Damn Walter's tendency to develop amnesia just to make a plot more complicated than it would otherwise be.

After The Observer passed Olivia (Anna Torv) a schematic of a strange device Walternate's going to use to destroy the opposing reality with, Fringe Division race to devise a way to retrieve Peter before any harm is done. This involves combining the psychic powers of the remaining Cortexiphan children Walter and Bell (Leonard Nimoy) experimented on in the '70s, to open a portal to the other side.

Immediately, you have to suspend your disbelief quite heavily with this episode. How was Walternate able to transport himself and Peter back to his universe so effortlessly, considering how difficult inter-dimensional trips appeared to be according to "The Man From The Other Side"? Is it really feasible that four psychics could just stand in a circle and listen to Walter in order to pass through to alt-Earth? Do we buy the suggestion that ancient humans always had psychic abilities that they lost as a result of evolution (or alien interference, as Walter theorizes)? And did we accept the explanation for why Walter can't just create another doorway, as he did in 1985?

Putting aside these nitpicks, "Over There: Part 1" was an enjoyable romp that pushed reliable buttons whenever sci-fi goes down the "mirror universe" avenue. Alt-Olivia was a sexier redhead with a hunky boyfriend (I bet Mark Valley would have been back, had he and Torv not divorced in real life), Walternate is completely sane and works as the US Secretary Of Defence, Fringe isn't so secretive because the alt-universe requires a taskforce to deal with commonplace holes in reality Walter's 1985 crossing at Reiden Lake caused, alt-Charlie (Kirk Acevedo) is alive and well (if struggling with some kind of bizarre infection), alt-Broyles (Lance Reddick) doesn't wear suits, and alt-Astrid (Jasika Cole) is incredibly intense and focused. Plus there were the expected background jokes to spot and smile over: Martin Luther King Jr on a bank note, the cult of Cabbage Patch Dolls is still going strong, The West Wing has been renewed for an eleventh season, ID cards are referred to as "show-me's", coffee is rare and rationed, the World Trade Center is still standing, the red-tinged opening titles, etc.

Overall, forgiving its sillier moments, this was an effective setup for next week's finale. I particularly enjoyed the scenes of Peter getting to know his birth mother (Orla Brady), the alternate version of which committed suicide. In an episode involving a lot of broad silliness, those moments really helped keep everything grounded in a relatable way. At times the episode strayed too far into comic-book territory with its "X-Kids" (plus I question the decision to kill them off), and several moments when things felt more silly than engrossing, but I can't deny "Over There: Part 1" was a very entertaining and undoubtedly significant episode. I just hope season 3 won't lose its X-Filesian realism and instead embrace this Star Trek countenance.

13 MAY 2010: FOX, 9|8c