Fringe - "The Cure"

This week's episode of Fringe was a study in contrast. On the one hand, the cold open was one of my favorite things I've seen on this show in a while. It was hardcore and shocking and disturbing in a way that most of the super-science hasn't been in a while.

But then we got into the episode proper and things kind of turned into Criminal Minds again. We got a lot more Olivia backstory this week and I don't want this to come off as callous, but it felt very been-there-done-that. Shooting her stepfather when she was young was, I imagine, quite a terrible moment. And the fact that the guy still sends her cards is messed up. But its the kind of messed up that every character on every crime show ever is.

I would have been willing to get over that, if we didn't then get a half hour of "Olivia Dunham is a cop who doesn't play by the rules." It means she gets results, Broyles! I am so sick of that storytelling archetype and especially here it just seemed so bland and uninspired. So what if Olivia doesn't care about bureaucracy because she's so devoted to justice? And so what if the system is too corrupt for her to work within it? And let's not forget how ridiculous some of the procedure in this episode was (how could they have ever gotten a warrant to search that place)

What's especially frustrating is that there was a lot to like in this episode. The scene between Peter and Nina was interesting, especially since they seem to have made the same arrangement that Walter had with the Observer. I also wonder if Massive Dynamics wasn't even more involved in the research than they let on, since it seems like if there's any major conglomerate getting involved in super-science, it would be MD.

But ultimately, I want to watch a TV show to see something that at least feels new. There is nothing inherently wrong with three-camera sitcoms or crime procedurals. But there is something very wrong with blandness and right now I can't think of a better word to describe Fringe.

C-