Fringe Recap - 214 Jacksonville (Act III)
Click here for previous Act.
Still at the Harvard Lab, since it's a continuation of the last scene. Of course, Olivia remembers none of what Walter is telling her. And armed with only that information, I think I'll let you all take a stab as to what we're gonna spend the next twenty minutes on. C'mon, people! It's not that hard.
Anyway, Walter goes on and on about the benefits of what they did to her. Olivia, for her part, does a very nice “I really hate you right now but am trying desperately not to show it” face. Peter steps in and rebukes his father: “You conducted illegal drug trials on children. Don't make that sound like charity work.” Walter stops talking, which highlights one of the many things I love about the Walter/Peter relationship. Despite Walter convincing himself - and trying to convince others - that what he does is for the Good of Mankind, when Peter calls him on it? He shuts right the hell up. Peter's opinion is apparently Walter's delayed moral compass. Foreshadowing for the upcoming Truth!Smackdown between them? I hope so. Ironic though, that's it's Peter who's able to do this, given Peter's own nebulous history.
Walter believes that Olivia stopped seeing the glimmer because she stopped wanting to. Shocking, I know. After all, the Cortexiphan trials allowed her to start a fire with her mind that nearly killed people. What five-year-old kid would want to forget that? (In case you can't tell, I spent a lot of time this episode rolling my eyes.)
Walter also thinks he can make Olivia see the glimmer again, and of course wants to do an experiment. Since by now we the audience should have guessed that THIS is the A-plot for the rest of the episode (established at 15:10), she promptly agrees over Peter's objections. As she points out (without a trace of fear as to what Walter might do to her, hint hint), there's no time. And how does Walter intend to accomplish this feat? That's right! We're going to Jacksonville, to the daycare center Olivia attended as a child. Walter insists there's no other place in order to recreate the experiment, despite Peter's best efforts to try and put his foot down. (Plus that pesky fact that Rebecca didn't need to.) They'll also need a plane to do it, so Peter apparently never got that transport plane he demanded back in 202 Night of Desirable Objects - yet another dropped plot point. I really should be keeping score.
Small aside: I've never understood why the writers chose Florida. It makes even less sense now. The trials were conducted around the time Peter 1.0 was sick and/or dying. And even if he wasn't, would Walter really have wanted to leave him to go all the way to Florida? Or Ohio, where the larger trial was held? I just can't see it. Was it really that hard just to pick somewhere closer? But then again, flying to Jacksonville (and presumably back) wastes a significant portion of the team's remaining 35 hours, and as we all know, this episode is totally about wasting unnecessary time. Perfect fit.
FBI Building. Olivia gives Broyles the Fringe-down. Which, of course, we already know since we all watched the previous scene. All this repetition is really annoying. Two interesting notes here, though: First, after founding Massive Dynamic (and presumably after Walter was in St. Clare's, since he never knew about Bell starting MD), William Bell bought the entire military base - and daycare center - after it shut down, and closed it off. This was to make sure everything was left as it was back when they did the trials. Convenient or contrivance? Your pick. Second, Olivia finally gets her act together and remembers what she learned from Red Shirt. She tells Broyles to start searching Manhattan for howling dogs and quaking quakes. Broyles tells her he'll contact Nina to get MD's Geologic Division right on it.
Jacksonville Daycare Center. Before we go anywhere, I'm just going to point out ahead of time that all over the outside of the building, as well as inside the building when we finally get there, all of the Fringe glyphs (excluding the smoke - secondhand dangers, y'know) are all over the place. Butterflies, frogs, and apples galore! Oh my! No, I don't know what it means. No, I don't really care either.
Trio - including Peter - arrives (where Olivia disregards all the rules of parking) and get out - including Peter. They - including Peter - walk to the door but it has a lock on it. Walter opens it with the combination 5-20-10. He says he always uses the same combo, but can't remember why. (The producers have pretty much confirmed it's simply the airdate of the Season Two finale, on 5/20/10. I'll admit, it's cute. I'll also take a small moment to point out yet another continuity gap in that in all likelihood, Walter really shouldn't be able to open the lock, since he was in St. Clare's when the base shut down, allowing Bell to buy and bolt up the place. But we already know the writers aren't reading their own script, least of all from one page ago.)
They - including Peter - enter and it's the dreariest childcare center I've ever seen. First of all, it opens into a long corridor. What place does that? Walter runs down the dust bunny strewn hallway (the place clearly hasn't been used in years, if not decades) and finally opens some random door. It's a classroom, and they - including Peter - all walk in. Walter turns on the lights, then looks at Olivia expectantly. She just keeps looking around.
Walter then leads them - including Peter - to another classroom. He asks if Olivia sees anything. She asks, “Like what?” Walter then proceeds to inform her that 16 items in the room are from the Other Side - NOT INCLUDING PETER. Not that it matters if he did!
Crimineys on a stick. This bugged the CRAP out of me during the whole Rebecca subplot too.
Walter is SO desperate to keep his secret - constantly covering up anything that could even remotely give Peter even a HINT of the truth - yet does all this “Reawaken the ability to see things from the Other Side” work WITH PETER STANDING RIGHT BY HIS SIDE. WTF? Peter's not so much an elephant in the room that Walter (and more importantly, the writers) know is there but are ignoring; he's an elephant in the room they're pretending doesn't even exist to begin with. For Peter's sake! Do they honestly think I'm not noticing? Am I expected to seriously believe it's NOT crossing Walter's mind AT ALL that if successful, the FIRST thing his subject will see IS PETER???? And that Peter is standing right there to see the reaction???? Would Walter really allow the truth to come out this way?
For the love of...No. Just No. No no no no no no no. I'm sorry, but there's a limit to how much belief I can suspend. Arrrrrgggghhh.
BTW, Walter's “Do you see anything?” technically qualifies as Second Stupid Question of the Night. I'm damn sure Olivia would have already reacted if she'd seen the glimmer. Since y'know, there's a fairly large elephant in the room named Peter. We already know, from Rebecca, that the effect is kinda obvious.
Ahem. Olivia takes nearly a whole minute to look around (that's basically one script page), and “sees” nothing. Not even Peter, which isn't surprising given that for purposes of this particular section of the plot the writers appear to have completely forgotten who exactly he is. (Yeah, I know, I've already made my point. But I just can't seem to let it go. Just keeping within the redundancy theme of the episode!) However, if I were Olivia, I'd pick out the awful ABC placards at the top of the room. Instead of Aa Bb Cc Dd, they go A aB bC cD. Someone should be fired from their job, or at least reprimanded. I can't decide if it should be an imaginary childcare worker, or a real-life prop person.
Walter mumbles that “they should get started” and “I was really hoping to avoid this” as he leaves the room, Peter following. It then takes Olivia another 30 seconds to leave herself. Mainly because on her way out she stops at one of those height charts (in the shape of a giraffe), looking at the names written on the wall. There's an Olive D. Interestingly, there's also a Nick (117 Bad Dreams). Funny how an episode that tries so hard to maintain continuity in actuality ends up having so little of it.
Next room is equipment covered with sheets. Peter takes the sheet off what looks like a dentist's chair. Cue “Concerned Look As To What Horrors His Father May Have Inflicted Here”. Next up is a storage room, where Walter pulls out a file box from 1983. He finds some old glasses (which actually look new IMO) in the box under it, that for some reason makes him inordinately pleased. He puts them on, cleans off the bottom of a stainless steel pan, and looks at his reflection. Psst, writers? The point of this scene would be what, exactly? I certainly don't know, as we never see the glasses again.
Er - wait. 1983? What the hell is the timeline here again? So Walter and Bell were doing Cortexiphan trials (with Other Side stuff no less) three years before the Harvard Car incident, and three years before getting Peter 2.0? This does not compute. They knew about the “coming storm” before Peter 2.0 was even taken? And knowingly aggravated it anyway? Let alone, this conflicts with the hypothesis that kidnapping Peter 2.0 and pissing off AlterWalter is the reason behind everything that is happening. A scenario, BTW, that's been strongly hinted at by even the producers themselves. Looking up at a box on a shelf to the side shows an even earlier date - 1978. It would be nice to learn how the Pattern (which I did originally think was earlier than 1986, until the writers seemed to start retconning the explanation behind it as Peter's kidnapping) and what's going on with Newton are related. I really hate dropped plot points, especially when they're this big.
('K, while I nearly fell asleep while originally watching these Jacksonville scenes; recap-wise, they rule. All they pretty much did is waste time randomly looking at stuff! Barely any lines at all. Whereas it took me eight pages to cover the first 16 minutes, it's only taking me one page to cover the next five. Fast-forward is awesome.)
Outside. Olivia sits on a swing. It's a gorgeous shot. This whole scene is actually. If nothing else, Fringe should go down in history as a visually stunning show. Peter walks over and joins her on the neighboring swing. Olivia starts talking about how she has a “freakishly good memory” (card tricks, anyone?) and “I remember everything. But not this.” Cue another gorgeous shot of Peter and Olivia on the swings, only from behind. Icon makers take note. And for the first time in five minutes, Josh finally has another line: “Maybe that's a good thing.” Knowing your father, Peter? I'm forced to agree. Walter then comes out, asking if Olivia's ready. He also suggests she change into something more comfortable. Nicely done scene.
Man, for an episode that's essentially about Peter, he has surprising little to do. As Cathy904 commented, “Orlando Bloom made a joke once that his character in "Lord of the Rings" was based mostly on how earnest he could look while standing and watching other people talk. So, with the nerdy LOTR reference, I've never seen Peter so 'involved' while spending a lot of time hanging in the back and listening.” True dat.
Daycare Lab. Olivia's sitting in that dentist chair Peter earlier uncovered, with a variety of colored wires attached to her head. To the disappointment of the entire male audience (and probably Peter), this time she's able to wear more than just a bra and panties.
Super Serious Scene. Peter gets out the Cortexiphan, and Olivia steels herself. Peter asks, “You sure you want to do this?” Olivia steels herself more. Walter tells Peter to start the IV in Olivia's left arm. No wait, right arm! No, left arm! Left! Left! Walter does the “rub head and pat tummy” to try to figure it out. Heh. I'd love to see him walk and chew gum at the same time. Seriously Annoyed, Peter puts the IV in her left arm. Walter then starts talking in Walter-speak. Since there's now some sort of embargo forcing the show to ration Josh's lines, I'll step into Peter's role and translate for you: Olivia's emotions influence her ability to see realities, either ours or theirs. Walter's idea is to stimulate an extreme emotion (love, fear, etc.) in order to kick in her kickass Other Side seeing skillz.
What emotion will this be? Only Olivia's subconscious will know. When she's reached the level where her kickass Other Side seeing skillz kick in, Walter will pull her out. Olivia: “I'm singing in the rain.” Walter laughs: “The drugs are working fast! Perhaps it was the right arm.” Peter's sharp, “What?!?” makes me laugh. There's a nice juxtaposition between Deadly Serious Drama versus Lighthearted Comedy in this scene, which made it damn near impossible to recap BTW. Walter: “I'm sure it will be fine.”
Olivia goes into her hypnotic trance-like state, and Walter coaxes her to describe what she's seeing. Peter becomes Very Concerned while monitoring Olivia's Alarming Levels. Peter: “Is she alright?” Walter: “No, but she's not supposed to be.” Tension Rises and Walter sharply demands: “In my bag, Peter.” Peter rushes over, clearly thinking this will help Olivia, and whips open the case. Peter: “Yeah?” Walter: “The pretzels.” Hee! Peter's I'm-Going-To-Kill-You look is hilarious. He still gives the bag of pretzels to Walter, but I think Walter should be very grateful he didn't stomp on it first. Snerk.
Anyway, here's Olivia's dream: Olivia sitting in dentist's chair in creepy forest. Olivia walking through creepy forest. Sucky violin playing. Creepy sound. Creepy forest turns to night. Little girl running in background. Wind blows. Sucky violin gets more melodramatic. Olivia finds little girl. Little girl: “Please, I don't want to do this anymore.” Olivia consoles little girl. Creepy shadow over the top of creepy forest. Creepy sound again. Little girl runs. Olivia catches little girl. Creepy noise yet again in the still creepy forest. Little girl: “Please make them stop. Make them stop it.” Still can hear the damn violin. Little girl is Olive (young Olivia). Olive disappears. Olivia alone in creepy forest. Olive turns into Chucky!Olive. Olivia screams, hint hint. End dream. Complete waste of about two minutes, since (Spoiler Alert!) despite Walter's upbeat “Good news, it worked!” we find out that no, no it does not; nor does Olivia figure anything out from it. (Side note: Anna is very good at playing maternal to little kids. Olivia would make a good mom.)
Again, I ask, why exactly did they need to go to Jacksonville? This scene is almost verbatim the Deus Ex Tankina stuff with John Scott last season, only minus the Tankina. I really can't see why they couldn't have stayed at the Harvard Lab. Don't tell me Walter doesn't have other Other Side stuff laying around there - in addition, of course, to his own son.
Moving on. Olivia regains consciousness, and boy is she p-i-s-s-e-d. We haven't seen her this angry since she went after Walter in 219 The Road Not Taken. Glaring at him, she spits, “What the hell is wrong with you? You did this to innocent children?” This makes me curious, and on initial view struck me as a reaction a little too vehement given what we've seen. What exactly did Walter do? How exactly did the children suffer? If you ask me, she suffered more when going through Deus Ex Tankina. Walter stuck a rod in her then. As far as I can tell in terms of the Cortexiphan story, he simply gave children an IV of the stuff. Maybe bad dreams as well. Granted, that's not good, but Olivia's acting like he raped and murdered little kids. The writers really haven't deigned to give us any specifics, completely white-washing this story. Now I can imagine Olivia suffered terribly during the trials, and I'm pretty sure she did suffer terribly; but I'm sorry, we haven't seen it on-screen. Unfortunately, the writers decided to go with that piece of crap subconscious dream, instead of an actual memory that might have REALLY told the audience something. (BTW, where were Olivia's parents back when all this was happening to Olive? Hell, where was Rachel for that matter?)
Sigh.
Anyhoo, Walter says nothing, but looks regretful. Due to the embargo on his lines, Peter also says nothing, but you can tell he's thinking the exact same thing as Olivia. Walter finally says, “We should get to work.” Huh? What have they been doing up to this point? Vacationing?
End Act III at 27:48. Just to let you know, not a single thing worth learning in this THIRTEEN minute Act (which is a record, I think) was new. We literally know nothing more right now about the Cortexiphan trials than we did last season. We are also now 2/3 through the episode, with only 15 minutes left, and still no closer to furthering the We-Need-To-Save-The-People-From-The-Soon-To-Disappear-Building plot along than we were when we first found out about it. Yet, when we come back from commercial (Spoiler Alert!) we will STILL be in Jacksonville continuing this nothingness. So yes, I nearly fell asleep watching this episode on initial airing.
Glyph is V.
Click here for Act IV.