Well everyone, I did it! In two weeks, I watched Seasons 1-4 of Fringe, and just in time too, as this Friday marks the premiere of the 5th and final season of the show! Let me just say before I review the fourth season that I love this show! I am very invested in Olivia and Peter, Walter has become one of my favorite characters on television, and David Robert Jones has become one of my favorite sci-fi villains of all time (right up there with Vader, Morlocks, Skynet, and the Master Control Program)! I normally am not a “shipper” so-to-speak, but there are a few relationships that I invest myself in, including Clark & Lois on Smallville, Chuck & Sarah on Chuck, Dean & Lisa on Supernatural, Superboy & Miss Martian on Young Justice, Razer & Aya on Green Lantern: The Animated Series, and Lenard & Penny on The Big Bang Theory (and honestly, that’s not a lot of shows compared to how many I watch/have watched).
So now onto my Season 4 review. I really enjoyed the addition of Lincoln Lee in this season. I loved the premiere and even enjoyed some aspects of the new timeline (like Olivia and Nina’s mother/daughter relationship). I did, however, miss Peter and I didn’t like how Walter had become a recluse. I really liked episode 4 when Peter was the energy field trying to contact Olivia, that was a nice touch and I enjoyed that. But, I will say, I did not like how long Peter was trying to get back to his own time. To me (shout out to you Chuck fans here), it was like Chuck and Sarah saying (in Chuck vs The Ring) that they were going to be together and then it takes them 3/4 of the next season to get back together after a bad break up! It’s stupid! I thought it was interesting how the Observers erased Peter’s timeline and replaced it with one where he never existed, and I like that Olivia got her memories of her previous life back, but I honestly thought that they should have just re-wrote the timeline again so that Walter did save Peter 25 years ago. I mean, the only reason they erased him was because of Henry, it’s dumb! But that’s just me…
I did like that Walternate and Bolivia were changed so that they were likable characters and I liked that Earth-1 started working with Earth-2 (I hope the Alternates & Lincoln come back in Season 5). I also liked that we got to see how Earth-1 Lincoln and Earth-2 Lincoln are different. I love Alternate Lincoln and I was sorry to see him go, but Prime Lincoln is starting to grow on me (and now, he’s gone to be with Alternate Olivia!). And, just a side-note here, but I missed Charlie this season, I really did, they mentioned him on Earth-2 (and you’d think he’d be alive again in the new timeline, but oh well), but he was never on screen. It’s sad. Anyway, I also liked that they gave Astrid more to do this season! She got to carry a gun, she had field duty, and she wasn’t just stuck with Walter all the time. I was even sad when she got shot in the finale! Another side-note, the finales to Fringe and Heroes Season 4′s were both entitled “Brave New World”… Just saying!
Now onto Olivia. I am so glad that they expanded upon her Cortexiphan abilities and that she can now do so many other things (well not anymore, but Walter said her powers could come back, so…). Her relationship with Nina now is so much better, because now Nina has something to actually do! And, let me say, I was sad to see that Colonial Broyles of Earth-2 was a traitor, but given his reason, and that he gave himself up, I can forgive him for those actions. Now, as for David Robert Jones. I loved how Peter was able to surprise him when he first showed up, but I think he was much more scary this season than he was in Season 1. He was able to cross universes, which made him infinitely more dangerous, and when he was about to kill Peter, I could see the madness in him! I can finally see why Dan & Nico got so freaked out least year when they were talking about getting kidnapped out of a gas station bathroom… That’s totally freaky!
William Bell this season, however, made me angry. He proved himself a hero in the Season 2 finale when he saved the team on Earth-2, he proved himself again when he saved Olivia’s consciousness in Season 3, but now, all of a sudden, he’s a villain? It just doesn’t work for me. From what I’ve seen of Season 5 though, I believe Belly may have one more chance to prove himself a hero, no matter what timeline he’s in. Now onto the most important part of Season 4, “Letter’s of Transit”, where we see the future. Not an alternate future, not a warning future, THE FUTURE. And, in Season 5, it’s now. Henrietta Bishop (or, Etta) is a Fringe Division agent trying to save her world, but to do that, they need to free the only people who can help them. The original Fringe Division. Peter Bishop, Olivia Dunham, Walter Bishop, and Astrid Farnsworth. These 4 individuals hold the keys to saving our world from the Observers. All I can say is I cannot wait. This episode alone could have been the finale for Season 4, and I would have been happy. It was definitely the best episode and the one that sets up Season 5 them most, second being “Brave New World, Part 2″ where we find out that Olivia is pregnant with Henrietta. These final 13 episodes of Fringe are going to be some of the best ones yet, and I cannot wait for this Friday. Look for my review of Season 5 Episode 1 entitled, “Transilience Through Unifier Model-11″ (strangest titled ever, I know), on the “World’s Finest TV Blog”, located on the ATA website, by Saturday the 30th. Thank you guys for enjoying my Fringe experience with me for the past 2 weeks, and I hope to have you listen to me again throughout Season 5!
SEASON RATING – 4.5/5, The first half of the season got slow, almost unbearable, but the 2nd half was amazing and redeems the first almost completely! Great season over-all!
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