2.03 – Fracture – Fringe Review

Posted by Samuel Walters

Since when did Fringe become Knight Rider 2008?

I jest … but only slightly. Peter is the new Michael Knight – an Iraq-war vet, with mysterious connections. Our heroes are dedicated to solving the “Problem of the Week” orchestrated by an army officer, bent on causing death, destruction, mayhem and all manner of nastiness — but for good reasons, so he says. There’s no car, but there are, of course, the high-tech toys which our heroes use to foil the bad guy. To be fair, Fringe is a much better conceived and constructed series, allowing for an episode which is at once more mature and more compelling. But the similarities are real – and, to be honest, a bit disconcerting. Fringe simply does not want to go down the same road that led Knight Rider to mediocrity and obscurity. And as entertaining as this episode is, the warning signs are clear – this series needs to alter course.

In truth, Fringe is a much better series than Knight Rider could ever hope to be. But the parallels are, if nothing else, worthy of mention. And, at worst, indicative of a series that hasn’t quite yet hit its stride – despite the very strong finish it had to its first season. The fact is, aside from the premiere episode, the second season of Fringe has not given its audiences anything truly remarkable or worthwhile. This episode, like its predecessor, is a “mystery of the week” installment, with just a tad bit of extra exposition meant to remind audiences that there is a greater conspiracy – and threat – afoot. I give this episode credit for being far more interesting and original than its predecessor, but in the final analysis, it hasn’t exactly changed the landscape of the series in any significant way.

Essentially, this week’s episode focuses on the mystery of how a Philadelphia police officer was used as a human bomb to kill dozens of innocent civilians. The threat, of course, is that a repeat occurrence is likely, so Peter, Walter and Olivia do their best to figure out what happened and then prevent another tragedy. The investigation will lead Peter (with Olivia in tow) to Iraq, to uncover a secret military program designed to cure soldiers who had been exposed to a specific kind of nerve gas (namely, cyanogen gas). The side effect to the treatment was to crystallize the tissue of the patients. And some crazy army colonel has figured out how to use radio waves to turn these people into explosive devises.

The foray into Iraq is, if nothing else, a fascinating change of pace – helped, no doubt, by the wonderful music to introduce the scene. And I like the further insight into Peter’s nebulous past. But this is where the comparisons with Knight Rider become the most prominent. Fringe needs to be careful that it doesn’t turn Peter into some lame Michael Knight-type character. Hopefully there’s much more to the backstory than Peter’s somewhat unscrupulous past in Iraq.

Fortunately, the rest of the episode is much more worthwhile. Walter learns to let go of his habits, and allow Peter to find a new apartment for them. And Olivia becomes thoroughly engrossed in her “recovery” program at the bowling alley. Both aspects of the episode are strengths – being both humorous and enlightening, in terms of character. And it’s these subtle moments which really are what makes Fringe such an interesting series.