08 December, 2012

Review - FRINGE 5.08: 'The Human Kind'


As Peter turns into a logic meat puppet, Olivia pines for a bloody bullet, and Walter worries about Peter's ability to cry.

And we get yet another episode of FRINGE, in a season of only 13 episodes that are supposed to close out the series, whose story could have been told in one act of a much better episode. Proving, yet again in an endless proving of yet-again, that 13 episode arcs are in no way superior to television story telling.

When writers get lazy, they run out of quality ideas NO MATTER HOW MANY EPISODES THEY HAVE TO WRITE.

Anyway, so Olivia's mission to find a magnet did feel at some point like a story element that could go somewhere interesting. The character of Simone, the woman who had been waiting for a couple of decades for the blond monotone ice popsicle, as foretold by a gray-haired granny from the past, was one of those LOST type story-lines that always intrigue me. But then a couple of things happened. Things of total mindfuckering stupidity.

First, Olivia decided to school this very kind and helpful sweet lady about her delusions of hope. Yes, darling Olivia, there is no better time to shit all over someone than after they spent TWENTY YEARS waiting for your robotic personality to show up, point a weapon at her, refuse her kind gestures, accuse her of trying to poison you, and then SHIT ALL OVER HER as you try to leave in the vehicle she kept safe for you and just refueled so you could go on your merry stiff way.

And second, while on the road to your clandestine destination, with your super important cargo, in a world where you are one of two MOST WANTED PEOPLE ON THE PLANET and being hunted by super-human beings who can manipulate time and space, you fall for the oldest trick in the book (not kidding, I looked it up, it is on page 1) of highway robbery.

Meanwhile, Pacey Poof's Matrix agent fight take 2, while cool, was so unoriginal and predictable that it didn't do much for me. While his injury and subsequent scene with Walter made me somewhat curious enough to pay attention, in the end it just led us to a half-assed scene between Olivia and Peter where he ends up cutting out his super power for the sake of love.

Wow. Awesome...

The best part of this is that Jackson won't have to channel ice-queen Olivia in any more scenes as a way to pretend to be turning into an Observer. Because there were times I couldn't tell the two apart. Well, other than Torv's less curly hair. Otherwise, it was very difficult... they were like twins.

If I had to rate this episode, and blahblahblahblahblah, I'd give it:

61 out of 100

This probably could have been a good episode if it had different writers, producers, director, key grip, and editors.

So what did you think? I am very interested. And please be respectful in your idiotic responses in the comment section.

Keep it classy.