Fringe: Olivia

[beccatoria]

SO. Fringe, pretty much the only show I'm fannish about that's currently on air, is back! I was super excited, but I gotta be honest, the first episode left me with a bit of a sinking feeling. Which is annoying because I straight-up loved about 85% of it.

Like, the whole thing where she escapes is super awesome as is her generally being badass and fantastic. And dude, of course, emotional gutpunch in the scenes with her mom and frankly screw anyone who says Anna Torv can't act.

But I'm pretty uncertain about this whole stuff with the memories. I mean, it's not the first time Olivia has had someone else's memories in her head, confused with her own. It reminds me of that stuff with John Scott in S1. And if she fairly swiftly remembers who she is and starts using her memories as a way to infiltrate them. Plus I am not against the idea of her getting cool Altlivia powerz of crackshooting and shit.

But also I am not at all excited about watching Ourlivia brainwashed and being part of Fringe Division over there for a couple of reasons:

1) Great, she gets to be a pawn rather than an active player, and yes, we have Altlivia on our side being active, but...I like OURlivia.

2) I like OURLIVIA. If you have these two different characters - different versions of the same person - what's the point in immediately turning both into the same person, and also a BRAND NEW person. I want to see Ourlivia struggle with being stuck there, with having to confront people she knows, but doesn't. Olivia's character is so grounded in mental fortitude and sheer will and determination and we know she was drug trialed with a drug that improves perception that I believe she WOULD fight something like this.

3) Grounding in the altverse. The altverse is fascinating. The agendas of these alternates are fascinating. But I do think it works best if we have a character we KNOW over there. Otherwise we basically have brand new characters doing brand new things and our POV character brainwashed and...not behaving like herself.

So, basically what I'm saying is, I liked most of it, but Olivia better remember who she is pretty sharpish and we better keep on with the arcs cus if I now have to sit through half a season of standalones with Ourlivia basically MIA in a holding pattern until the midseason break I'm gonna be epically bored. That's taking a plotline with a lot of potential and momentum and slowing it way down for no reason given the producers are always so eager to point out this show actually DOES answer things and move them forward.

In sum...great, Fringe, you still have me hooked on a show I feel is always one step away from Failing, and yet never quite does. Please live up to your reputation and don't quite this time either.

Comments

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

Yes, all of this.

I also invented a new word: threatcharm, which is what Olivia did to the cab driver. ;)

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

Ahahaha! Threatcharm, I love it. I will now adopt it for daily usage. For instance, "Dear Executive Producers, if you don't give me back my kickass original flavour Olivia, I will THREATCHARM you into compliance!" ;)

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

I was all "Dude...she just threatened that cab driver AND HIS FAMILY and not only does he kind of believe her...he might just help with the Massive Rescue of Epicness* when it finally gets here!"

(*It will be epic because Olivia will still mostly rescue herself.)

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

Indeed, but I am TOTALLY OKAY with adorable Alt!Bubbles the Taxi Driver providing the getaway vehicle! :D

[beerbad.livejournal.com]

Please live up to your reputation and don't quite this time either.

You are aware that this is a J.J. Abrams show, right??

'Nuff said. :|

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

Yeeeeees, I have heard things, but never having been a victim of one of his shows before, I'm still...horribly naive about these things. Plus, I thought he'd kind of handed the reigns over to Pinker and that other dude and was mostly concentrating on Undercovers? MAYBE?! *bites nails*

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

Technically, that's what happened on Alias. JJ left to work on Lost and the other producers broke Syd and Vaughn AGAIN.

[grimorie.livejournal.com]

Chiming in to say, I've just recently discovered that actually JJ Abrams hasn't been running Fringe for a while now and its mostly Pinkner and Wyman who has been running the show since... I think last half of season 1 and all of season 2. In other words, when the series got really awesome, so I think we're good and won't fall into the void without Abrams.

[grimorie.livejournal.com]

I want to see Ourlivia struggle with being stuck there, with having to confront people she knows, but doesn't.

I think that struggle will come, maybe after or during her time in alt!Fringe when she sees Astrid and sees how different she is from the Astrid she knows, deep down, and that might throw her for a loop.

I don't know... I've been uncharacteristically trusting of the writers these days! It's weird. I've been anxious for the longest time about it too. But I think the reason why Olivia allowed herself to believe that she is altLivia is because she's tired. She's been in the facility for how many months now and every option was taken for her and then, bam, her mother appears...

But I think ourLivia will come back to herself soon the one question that worries me though, is, would she want to?

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

Oooh, I am looking forward to what she makes of Astrid, yes, because Broyles is an understandable different, but Astrid is just totally different.

I think I'm struggling to be trusting because I've...always had this weird relationship with the show which I think stems from the fact that it's more standaloney than I'd like and also my disappointment in the way they push the Peter/Olivia ship which makes me concerned that it'll sway into more conventional territory. It's also partly because the last show I was in love with (BSG), failed spectacularly in the final run of episodes in large part because of how it allowed women to become subordinate to various men, to lose agency, to become feminised in ways they had not previously been. So basically a lot of my distrust stems less from anything the writers have done and more from my ability to see places where perhaps external network based concerns have already pressured them in a certain direction (i.e. the standalone aspect) and having recently had bad experiences with writers I really, really thought I could trust.

It's not entirely fair on the show, and yet...I can't help myself. It's so weird to love a show yet be so uncertain about most of what it ends up doing first off, only to be proven wrong later. You'd think I'd've learned and stopped waiting for the sky to drop, but apparently not. *facepalm*

I did really, really appreciate the Anna Torv interview you posted though, that made me feel much more secure about things.

Because I absolutely agree that it makes total sense, and if I knew that I wasn't going to have to wait around for eight episodes of standalones to see it, I'd be full on in love with the whole thing and really moved by it, because the scene with her Ma was pretty epic. So if Anna Torv's interpretation of it is correct then I think we're in for a pretty fantastic ride, and you may certainly rib me for my lack of faith. ;)

[ghanimasun]

Agree with you completely. I'm going to get really frustrated if Olivia doesn't get her memories back because I'm so invested in her, and really don't want to see two versions of Altlivia running around!

[beccatoria.livejournal.com]

Yes exactly! I mean, the fact that I really don't even understand why they would have two versions of Altlivia running around gives me some hope that they're going to play it a little differently and Olivia will be conflicted and trying to reconcile her two sets of memories but still know who she is in upcoming episodes because otherwise...what a waste of potential?

grimorie just posted a link to a really reassuring interview with Anna Torv, though, where she talks about how she thinks Olivia - in that moment with her mother - was basically so confused and drugged up that she decided to just give in for a moment and try to be Altlivia because in that moment it would be an easier place to be, which certainly suggests to me that it's not an open and shut case of brainwashing but something we'll see her continuing to grapple with in ways that may well be interesting. It sounds more like she simply has two sets of memories and no idea how to cope with that?

[ghanimasun]

Oh that interview sounds very reassuring! I hope that's what it is, maybe Olivia will even try to live as Altliv because she does have some of her memories but eventually her real self will completely come through or something?

However it happens, I hope it happens soon, I need my Olivia back!