Fringe: Reciprocity
Jan. 29th, 2011 03:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beccatoriaThat was...amusing.
Just to get it out of the way because they kind of passing-referenced it again: PEOPLE BEFORE DINOSAURS WTF. Okay I have looked some shit up and it turns out that the time our atmosphere developed into a breathable one was actually slightly earlier than I thought, so like, okay, fine, if we're taking about time-travel rather than two unique evolutionary paths leading to "people", it might at least technically be possible. Like, in a Fringe sort of way. BUT IT'S STILL WEIRD. And, as I said, I really hope it's like, time travelers in one direction or another because that makes it less...stupid. Somehow.
All right, going back to my resolution not to question CRACK SCIENCE, let's talk about like, plot and characters and stuff.
So first off, I am probably a bad person for kind of finding it hilarious that the show's solution to Peter's reactionary nature is to turn him into a SERIAL KILLER. *facepalm*
Okay, so here's the thing, I can see why the storyline looks interesting; it parallels Olivia's brainwashing at the hands of Walternate, and the secret between Peter and Walter about what Peter did parallels the secret between Olivia and Walter about who Peter was. It raises interesting questions about how culpable he is for his own actions and all that stuff.
But I just kind of don't care? Like, um, okay, you're magically evil now? It just seems needlessly melodramatic, and sort of stressful. I mean, they could still do interesting things with it? But I think I would have preferred it if they'd like, actually had him have a mental breakdown and go off the map and kill, I dunno, one of the shapeshifters or something, in an attempt at answers? Like maybe he found the mole, was desperate for answers, went to find the shapeshifter before everyone else did to get answers, and instead ends up killing it? IDK.
Okay I guess what I honestly think is this: the show will probably pull off the storyline better than I would initially anticipate (same as the Olivia brainwashing storyline), but it still represents narrative investment in a character I keep trying and failing to care much about and thus I'm kind of distant from it and largely concerned about how it'll impact other characters.
I guess I'm also a little disappointed because I was looking forward, from the preview clip, which was of the scene where Peter expresses to Olivia that he doesn't want her to read Fauxlivia's files (yay! They used that name in-show, which is certainly better than Bolivia, so I will now adopt it) because he doesn't want her to see him as a conned joke. It was a touching moment because we really haven't been taking time out to see how this affects Peter. Which I think was a very good decision because if we had it would have taken focus off Olivia where I felt it needed to initially be. If Peter, when things were still that raw, had been all, "I HURT TOO" it would have been uncomfortable, and I appreciate that he was trying to give Olivia space and not do that. So it was genuinely nice in this episode that they found a way of having him be able to express those feelings succinctly but honestly, and in a way that obviously wasn't a huge ploy to make it all about him.
I can understand how that moment of humanity would reach through to Olivia. Not in a romantic way, perhaps, because I still think the problem is that they're doing a great job of showing the fallout to a relationship they did a poor job of selling in the first place. But it was certainly a moment where I thought, okay, yeah, that's actually going to be something that's gotta have Peter feeling like crap, and it certainly provides some common ground for Olivia to see him as also someone who was hurt by what happened.
So it makes sense to me that seeing Peter feeling something would help Olivia decide to try and reach out to him a little.
HOWEVER. This wasn't really an episode where we got to see inside Peter's head. Which is something the show so rarely does and I previously wrote at length about, and how I'm sure it's part of why I don't care about him so much.
Even that moment, which I originally thought was probably genuine interaction, in retrospect, can't be. Even if Peter really had those feelings, he was lying to Olivia at the time in terms of why he didn't want her looking at the files. Because he'd already killed by then - he'd already cracked the code and had a copy. He already knew what was in the files and that they didn't pain him as a fool (which in itself is an interesting implication we don't know the fallout of yet - Peter knows Fauxlivia wasn't lying when she was in handcuffs). So I'm left with the assumption that he didn't want her reading those files because he knew she was likely to crack the code and stop him from completing his little killing spree.
So, idk.
I think if Walter doesn't tell someone soon he's being ridiculous even for Walter. I know he's terrified for Peter and his safety, but Peter is clearly not safe in this condition and dangerous to everyone.
Mainly I guess I hope they don't drag out the reveal? Because I probably care less about weaponised Peter than I even do about regular Peter, because he's creepy and I'm not sure how much disturbing shit they can do with him while still maintaining "oh, but it's not his fault!" since it's not like he's Manchurian Candidate level brainwashed? I mean, I do understand and get him being kind of...possessed, but it's really unclear at what level.
Which brings me to my final point about him. He says he doesn't want to be reactive anymore. But he is still actually behaving solely in a reactive way. He's only doing this because he's reacting to the effect of the machine. He's still important like a Magical Quest Object, not important like a Quester with Magic Powers.
Which is comforting to me - that even now this fundamental truth of the Fringeverse seems to hold true - even as the acrobatics the writing staff seem to go through to make it appear as though he is an active agent in the plot, while somehow only compounding the issue, both entertains and concerns me.
It's like...at first he's important as Walter's Son. Then we find out he was stolen and was the catalyst for the war between the worlds. But that very knowledge is kept from him, and unlike Olivia, it's not like this gave him any special powers: he's the princess both sides are fighting over. Then we discover that he's magically keyed to this machine. So again, his narrative value is increased, but yet again, still, as a commodity - he is essentially still the object over which both sides are warring. In action movie terms, he's the innocent party that the Action Hero needs to protect and get out of there alive, because said innocent party has the key to fixing some important problem, if only the Action Hero can deliver him to the exit point.
And now, finally, he is acting. Under the power and influence of something else entirely.
Again, this isn't a criticism. I just find it entertaining. I kind of like it. I hope that it never really stops.
I also hope they don't drag out this Evil thing forever before people find out. Maybe they could find out next week, please?
Final thoughts:
- Nina! <3 I want her instead of a lie detector test. She twigged in a single scene that something was of with Fauxlivia and she twigged in a single scene that something was off with Peter. Also I love how much she obviously cares about Walter. It's turning into a really lovely friendship there.
- Astrid! Yay for scenes with Astrid and Olivia and Astrid and Broyles. THEY SHOULD FORM AN OT3 OF BFFS.
- I thought Fauxlivia's code was kind of weird. I know she didn't have an eidetic memory, but for real, she couldn't remember five names? I know it might have been to pass information to someone else, but...to whom if not her fellow altverse agents...i.e. those five names. Oh whatever, stop thinking, self.
ETA
- Much more interesting the Olivia reconnecting with her life and Peter, I found her seeming to find a place of connection with Fauxlivia. I really want them to have a scene together.
Just to get it out of the way because they kind of passing-referenced it again: PEOPLE BEFORE DINOSAURS WTF. Okay I have looked some shit up and it turns out that the time our atmosphere developed into a breathable one was actually slightly earlier than I thought, so like, okay, fine, if we're taking about time-travel rather than two unique evolutionary paths leading to "people", it might at least technically be possible. Like, in a Fringe sort of way. BUT IT'S STILL WEIRD. And, as I said, I really hope it's like, time travelers in one direction or another because that makes it less...stupid. Somehow.
All right, going back to my resolution not to question CRACK SCIENCE, let's talk about like, plot and characters and stuff.
So first off, I am probably a bad person for kind of finding it hilarious that the show's solution to Peter's reactionary nature is to turn him into a SERIAL KILLER. *facepalm*
Okay, so here's the thing, I can see why the storyline looks interesting; it parallels Olivia's brainwashing at the hands of Walternate, and the secret between Peter and Walter about what Peter did parallels the secret between Olivia and Walter about who Peter was. It raises interesting questions about how culpable he is for his own actions and all that stuff.
But I just kind of don't care? Like, um, okay, you're magically evil now? It just seems needlessly melodramatic, and sort of stressful. I mean, they could still do interesting things with it? But I think I would have preferred it if they'd like, actually had him have a mental breakdown and go off the map and kill, I dunno, one of the shapeshifters or something, in an attempt at answers? Like maybe he found the mole, was desperate for answers, went to find the shapeshifter before everyone else did to get answers, and instead ends up killing it? IDK.
Okay I guess what I honestly think is this: the show will probably pull off the storyline better than I would initially anticipate (same as the Olivia brainwashing storyline), but it still represents narrative investment in a character I keep trying and failing to care much about and thus I'm kind of distant from it and largely concerned about how it'll impact other characters.
I guess I'm also a little disappointed because I was looking forward, from the preview clip, which was of the scene where Peter expresses to Olivia that he doesn't want her to read Fauxlivia's files (yay! They used that name in-show, which is certainly better than Bolivia, so I will now adopt it) because he doesn't want her to see him as a conned joke. It was a touching moment because we really haven't been taking time out to see how this affects Peter. Which I think was a very good decision because if we had it would have taken focus off Olivia where I felt it needed to initially be. If Peter, when things were still that raw, had been all, "I HURT TOO" it would have been uncomfortable, and I appreciate that he was trying to give Olivia space and not do that. So it was genuinely nice in this episode that they found a way of having him be able to express those feelings succinctly but honestly, and in a way that obviously wasn't a huge ploy to make it all about him.
I can understand how that moment of humanity would reach through to Olivia. Not in a romantic way, perhaps, because I still think the problem is that they're doing a great job of showing the fallout to a relationship they did a poor job of selling in the first place. But it was certainly a moment where I thought, okay, yeah, that's actually going to be something that's gotta have Peter feeling like crap, and it certainly provides some common ground for Olivia to see him as also someone who was hurt by what happened.
So it makes sense to me that seeing Peter feeling something would help Olivia decide to try and reach out to him a little.
HOWEVER. This wasn't really an episode where we got to see inside Peter's head. Which is something the show so rarely does and I previously wrote at length about, and how I'm sure it's part of why I don't care about him so much.
Even that moment, which I originally thought was probably genuine interaction, in retrospect, can't be. Even if Peter really had those feelings, he was lying to Olivia at the time in terms of why he didn't want her looking at the files. Because he'd already killed by then - he'd already cracked the code and had a copy. He already knew what was in the files and that they didn't pain him as a fool (which in itself is an interesting implication we don't know the fallout of yet - Peter knows Fauxlivia wasn't lying when she was in handcuffs). So I'm left with the assumption that he didn't want her reading those files because he knew she was likely to crack the code and stop him from completing his little killing spree.
So, idk.
I think if Walter doesn't tell someone soon he's being ridiculous even for Walter. I know he's terrified for Peter and his safety, but Peter is clearly not safe in this condition and dangerous to everyone.
Mainly I guess I hope they don't drag out the reveal? Because I probably care less about weaponised Peter than I even do about regular Peter, because he's creepy and I'm not sure how much disturbing shit they can do with him while still maintaining "oh, but it's not his fault!" since it's not like he's Manchurian Candidate level brainwashed? I mean, I do understand and get him being kind of...possessed, but it's really unclear at what level.
Which brings me to my final point about him. He says he doesn't want to be reactive anymore. But he is still actually behaving solely in a reactive way. He's only doing this because he's reacting to the effect of the machine. He's still important like a Magical Quest Object, not important like a Quester with Magic Powers.
Which is comforting to me - that even now this fundamental truth of the Fringeverse seems to hold true - even as the acrobatics the writing staff seem to go through to make it appear as though he is an active agent in the plot, while somehow only compounding the issue, both entertains and concerns me.
It's like...at first he's important as Walter's Son. Then we find out he was stolen and was the catalyst for the war between the worlds. But that very knowledge is kept from him, and unlike Olivia, it's not like this gave him any special powers: he's the princess both sides are fighting over. Then we discover that he's magically keyed to this machine. So again, his narrative value is increased, but yet again, still, as a commodity - he is essentially still the object over which both sides are warring. In action movie terms, he's the innocent party that the Action Hero needs to protect and get out of there alive, because said innocent party has the key to fixing some important problem, if only the Action Hero can deliver him to the exit point.
And now, finally, he is acting. Under the power and influence of something else entirely.
Again, this isn't a criticism. I just find it entertaining. I kind of like it. I hope that it never really stops.
I also hope they don't drag out this Evil thing forever before people find out. Maybe they could find out next week, please?
Final thoughts:
- Nina! <3 I want her instead of a lie detector test. She twigged in a single scene that something was of with Fauxlivia and she twigged in a single scene that something was off with Peter. Also I love how much she obviously cares about Walter. It's turning into a really lovely friendship there.
- Astrid! Yay for scenes with Astrid and Olivia and Astrid and Broyles. THEY SHOULD FORM AN OT3 OF BFFS.
- I thought Fauxlivia's code was kind of weird. I know she didn't have an eidetic memory, but for real, she couldn't remember five names? I know it might have been to pass information to someone else, but...to whom if not her fellow altverse agents...i.e. those five names. Oh whatever, stop thinking, self.
ETA
- Much more interesting the Olivia reconnecting with her life and Peter, I found her seeming to find a place of connection with Fauxlivia. I really want them to have a scene together.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2011-01-29 04:17 pm (UTC)THANK YOU FOR THIS REACTION. Hee. <3
Um, possibly I'll have more to say later, but mostly yes to all of this. With passing annoyance that the Olivia and Astrid scene still turned out to be about Peter, but mostly amusement. And a little bit of "OH WHATEVER, SHOW" handwaving.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-29 04:32 pm (UTC)Yeah, I had more to type about this than I originally thought, I think mostly because I keep feeling like I should care more than I do, when really my response was, "Oh, a ridiculous Peter-based episode. I shall snark a little, and be a little affected by Walter, and mostly be glad that it didn't Wreck The Show so I can still look forward to next week."
It was a very...oh whatever show, I'm waiting for you to get back to Olivia/Whiskey OTP.
But it wasn't Deadlock or Islanded in a Stream of Stars either.
Plus...idk. If this show is going to make it About Peter, at least I found it funny? Cus srsly. SERIAL KILLER. SERIAL. KILLER. WHUT.
no subject
Date: 2011-01-29 07:47 pm (UTC)WORD. And, like your ETA, it had Olivia finding points of connection with her alternate too, so I'm calling it a win for stuff I like. :)
It didn't suck, kill anything I loved, AND IT WAS SOMETIMES HILARIOUS. I could like all Peter episodes continuing like this really. As long as, yeah, they don't drawn out PETER THE SERIAL KILLER (lol) for ages. (And after they had that one episode with Fauxlivia, and parallels of shapeshifters are people too! For shame, Peter.)
(And you know, in the crack science category, it'd be pretty awesome if they linked the Observers in with the ancient civilization, since they just proved they could travel in time. I've been thinking they were probably from another, even weirder reality, but hey, what this show of fringe science and alternate universes really lacks is some TIME TRAVEL. ALSO, SAM WEISS, SINCE THEY BROUGHT IT UP.)
ETA: And it needs Olivia, Astrid, and Broyles (+ Nina?) as FBI BFF's, but I pretty much want that always, so...
no subject
Date: 2011-01-29 11:00 pm (UTC)And yes, I do also have to admit, I would go from "WTF SHOW, DINOSAURS ARE TOO FAR" to "AHAHAHAHA HILARIOUS CRACK, CARRY ON" if the whole "first people" thing turned out to be time-travelly rather than just...historic.
(I approve Nina as an addition to the awesome team of BFFs. Otherwise who will randomly snog Broyles?)
no subject
Date: 2011-01-29 07:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-29 10:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-01-31 02:41 am (UTC)After the LOLWUT moment though I find myself all 'meh' about Peter, his Special Destiny and Man Pain. I had sympathy for Peter when he requested Olivia not read it, his reasons made sense (even though, in the back of my head I kept telling people to listen to Olivia because she's right, who better to analyze altOlivia's writing than Olivia?) and then the twist came and I'm all... so was none of what Peter said real?
I will forever love any and all scenes where Astrid and Olivia work together. They work so well. They should be partnered ALL the time. And Broyles should be the one commanding them.
I found her seeming to find a place of connection with Fauxlivia. I really want them to have a scene together.
Co-signed. Co-signed so, so much!