Lower Decks

The following contains spoilers through “Dream Logic,” originally broadcast 10/15/09.

Part of the fun of watching ‘Fringe,’ it sometimes occurs to me, is also the thing that can be frustrating, in that the show very deliberately straddles the line between episodic and serialized storytelling, which I’ve mentioned in numerous reviews. Sometimes, an episode will cover both grounds within a single story. More often, however, it becomes necessary to follow what a dedicated viewer will notice more keenly than a casual one with a fine eye. This week, for instance, we get a few more hints about the biggest development from late last season, the revelation that Walter Bishop’s son Peter is not entirely the one he started out with. Of course, none of this is ever explicitly stated, and it hasn’t even been acknowledged yet this season, certainly not to the extent of Olivia Dunham’s trip to the alternate reality Peter probably came from, where she met William Bell (for a good chunk of details, watch last week’s essential “Momentum Deferred”).

Now, because ‘Fringe’ is so often easily mistaken for an episodic show, there needs to be a point where I discuss this more fully in these regular reviews. “Episodic” is almost a dirty word, at least as far as genre fans go. The best fans, however many (few) they invariably are, cherish series that reward them early and often for watching (heck, even sitcoms have tapped into this, be it ‘Arrested Development’ or ‘How I Met Your Mother’). But the biggest set of fans are those who watch a show regularly precisely because they know exactly what to expect. The modern term for episodic is actually procedural, which has grown increasingly pertinent because you can’t seem to switch one channel to another without hitting a cop or medical drama and/or franchise. Some of them are the same kind of blend ‘Fringe’ is, but the majority of these shows consider their lead characters the kind of heroes we like best, who always champion the right causes and know how to win.

But even within this group, there’s a big difference between Law & Order and CSI. The first family of procedurals values the very strictest form of vicarious justice, where the protagonists are more often than not indignant do-gooders who only have to lead the bad guys to their punishment. The second one sees method as the greatest value, even if its audience never quite becomes motivated to break into its own chemistry set to join in. Its popularity at least suggests that viewers want a little meat, a little more thinking, some ingenuity. (It’s weird that the current success of the budding ‘NCIS’ franchise has actually shifted its focus a tad toward the former, even though its roots come from the latter in ‘J.A.G.’)

All this is relevant because it means ‘Fringe’ has more in common with a procedural that motivates its viewers to pay attention to how a crime gets solved more than just for the fact that a crime is being solved. Though Walter may seem like the grumpy lead of ‘House,’ he’s probably more similar to Gil Grissom (who, sadly, no longer anchors the lead CSI). It’s something to think about when you begin to get a little grumpy when not enough of an episode says much about an ongoing arc, like this one.

Still, there’s always plenty to keep the focus on the characters. Walter and Peter’s new home is featured for the first time, and Astrid stops by (first time out of the lab?) for some housewarming gifts, reminding fans that these are people, regardless of the weird things they do so routinely (well, some of them), have developed a real fondness for each other. When any stranger comes into the picture, you can expect awkwardness, something the show regularly indulges in, and so naturally we have some of that this week, too, with Walter going so far as to lightly assaulting an unsuspecting FBI agent looking to help out while Olivia and Peter are in Seattle (perhaps another subtle detail from the creators, now that the show is on opposite ‘Grey’s Anatomy’). True, not much is made of this, and it’s a rare opportunity slipped away, possibly good since we don’t really want another Harris quite so soon.

Anyway, Olivia, our intrepid lead, goes to visit bowling alley guru Sam Wise again, to thank him for the therapy he provided while she was trying to cope for the issues that cropped up between the seasons, and again, I can’ say enough about the genius of having this additional figure of authority around. Sam is someone, a veritable replacement for Charlie, who can be turned to without having to be part of the details of what everyone is always concerned with, not an intimate figure (in fact, that’s another part of his appeal) like Olivia’s sister, but rather someone she can turn to for a fresh perspective, and unexpected support. This week, he guides her into another step of recovery, this time from the loss of said Charlie, which becomes a nice hook to carry throughout the episode, when the viewer gets to experience the aforementioned otherwise quite episodic adventure.

That lead story concerns another of those plots to activate people as weapons, and as the mystery unravels, there’re a lot of red herrings as to the guilty party, one of whom is actually Sam, but it turns out to be exactly the first suspect. If this is a letdown, the details are interesting enough so it doesn’t feel like a waste of time. We begin by having someone see demons in his office, in his coworkers, and for a while viewers might suspect that this man is seeing the big enemy the series arc has been hinting at, but instead, we learn that this is just a nightmare he hasn’t been able to have because of the therapy (and, oh, devise inside his brain) that’s been letting him have restful sleep. Several victims later, Walter finally figures out what’s really going on (resulting in said violation of FBI agent’s person), which in turn leads to the suggestion that Peter might have been eight when the big switch occurred (well, at least when his counterpart died and he was brought in as replacement), because he didn’t have dreams from that age until 19. Anyway, speculation aside, it’s always good to take note of clues, because they always crop up.

“Dream Logic” may not exactly be essential, but it’s a good episode to watch just in case you need reminding why an episodic/serialized show is worth following every week. ‘Fringe’ has developed a good sense about what its characters need, and if they don’t need big dramatic things happening directly to them every week, then neither do the fans.