Fringe - Season 2

Title: Fringe

Broadcasting Station: Fox

Status: Ended

Creators: J. J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci

Official Site

Season Two Synopsis (from FOX): "FRINGE returns for a second thrilling season and will continue to explore the unexplained phenomena and terrifying occurrences linked throughout the world – known simply as “The Pattern” – in pursuit of a larger, more shocking truth. [...] Each episode of the sophomore season promises to uncover more about the larger threat and while some questions will be answered, new ones will surface. The intensity accelerates as Season Two opens with Olivia’s shocking return to this reality, and a determined Peter, unknowingly in a race against time with an ominous mobile force, pursues information about Olivia’s blurred and perplexing visit to the alternate reality. Meanwhile, Walter reenters the lab to cook up a bit of fringe science, and of course, some custard for someone’s birthday."

STEPH SAID

Rating:

Review:

*This review contains spoilers of Season One*

This is the season where the true arc of this series is discovered. The season started exactly where season one ended, but “Over Here”.

By the end of season one, viewers already know about the alternate universe, and in the last chapter Olivia travels “Over There” to meet William Bell in an anticlimactic season finale. Season two starts at that precise moment but “Over Here”. Which means that, unfortunately, we can’t know what is happening between Olivia and Bell. And when Olivia comes back, she can’t remember anything of what happened “Over There”, so we are left in a cliffhanger. It takes a few episodes for the viewers to finally learn what happened and what was said.

The first few episodes are independent procedural episodes with hints at the major story arc. However, in episode four, “Momentum Deferred”, everything came rushing down: Olivia’s memories, the truth about Charlie and about Peter, and some information about the shape shifters. From this moment on, each episode will take more time to develop the Parallel Universe story line, and Walter, Peter and Olivia’s involvement in it.

As the season progresses, we get to know more and more about this Parallel Universe. Thankfully, many questions are answered. Nevertheless, many more are raised. During this season we are introduced to new Observers. We also learn why the two Universes are at war and who’s responsible for it.

By the end of the season Peter learns the truth about his past the hard way and decides to travel to the Alternate Universe, to meet his family “Over There”. In this season’s marvelous and thrilling two-part  finale Olivia, Walter and some Cortexiphan subjects travel to the Alternate Universe to save Peter, all the while meeting Alternate Olivia (Fauxlivia), Alternate Walter (Walternate) and William Bell.

Every episode of this season is important; you may not skip any one of them. However, the essentials are: “Momentum Deferred”, “Grey Matters”, “Jacksonville”, “Peter”, “The Man from the Other Side”, “Northwest Passage” and “Over There”: Part 1 and 2. There is one, less important, episode called “Brown Betty”, which I loved: it is an independent, noir episode that summarizes the drama arcs of season one and two.