Lower Decks

The following contains spoilers through the episode “Brown Betty,” originally broadcast 4/29/10.

Well, for those keeping score, the second season will officially be longer than the first season of ‘Fringe.’ This same episode count was the complete set last year, and as the preview for next week reminded everyone, there’s still three episodes to go. It’s too bad, too, because there’s such an incredible momentum, so much potential just in what’s been going on, that you might expect so much more of the season left to be told. But that’s the strength of this season, that it has successfully expanded the series to the point where it seems easy to have a third season at the very least. If the audience still hasn’t realized it, “Brown Betty” is here to explain everything once again, just how much depth is there.

I want to first expound on the number of levels just the name of last week’s episode works on. “The Man from the Other Side” could refer to Peter, who finally learned the truth of his existence; it could refer to Newton, who made a welcome return during the episode; it could also refer to the man who crossed over from the alternate reality at the end of the episode, who is, presumably, “Walternate.” Anyway, an exceedingly clever episode title, another testament to the depths that have become so apparently within this series.

“Brown Betty” is all about depths. It is, of course, the highly anticipated “musical episode,” but in typical ‘Fringe’ fashion, expectations are completely subverted, because the singing is almost exclusively incidental, a byproduct of Walter’s state of mind as he’s telling a story to Ella, Rachel’s daughter and Olivia’s niece, who has stopped by for a visit with her “uncle” Walter. You can think of “Brown Betty” as ‘The Princess Bride’ if you like, because that’s pretty much how it works. It’s even Walter’s idea of a love story, because that’s how he views Olivia’s life. The entire episode, of course, is built around Walter’s perspective, just not exactly in the way, yes, as was expected.

Because the episode is built around Walter’s attempt to deal with the disappearance of his son, disappointed by the revelation of his past, by imbibing drugs (“brown betty” is his own brand of marijuana), people thought we’d be spending this hour inside his head, but instead it takes the form of a story, with Olivia in the starring role of an old-time gumshoe trying to navigate her way through an allegorical version of the ‘Fringe’ story. It’s all pretty awesome and surprisingly insightful (I entreat those still skeptical about Astrid’s worth to pay particular attention), even dropping unexpected clues now and again (you’ll be paying all the more attention to Nina Sharp and the Observer, for instance) about developments still to come.

Speaking of the Observer, he makes appearances both in Walter’s story and outside of it, presumably referencing back to the events of “August,” one of two episodes I missed earlier in the season. For those who might still believe that the episode can be skipped for viewers already up to speed with everything, it’s scenes like this that suggest otherwise.

Leonard Nimoy makes an unbilled appearance, and even Mark Valley, at least in a photograph, as his character John Scott is referenced for the first time in ages (I still hope he’ll be revisited).

“Brown Betty” is a treat for fans, certainly, a change of pace that must, as these things are often designed to be, have been fun for the cast, a chance to display some different talents (singing, which most of them do quite admirably, but with the restraint I suggested; this is no flamboyant affair, which is strange on one level, because “flamboyant” is usually a word that could be considered synonymous with Walter Bishop). It’s also ridiculously poignant, a powerful demonstration of the relationship between Walter and Peter, and yes, another indication that Peter and Olivia may eventually become romantically involved (which on some level is exactly the story Walter was telling all along).

But, it is still something of a diversion. We’ll be diving right back in next week…