FOX
There was plenty of TV last week that I’m not going to get around to catching up on, but the midseason return of Fringe, “Peter,” was probably my favorite episode since “There’s More Than One of Everything,” and it deserves at least a quick notice. (Spoilers ahead.)
The episode, which offered the backstory of Walter’s abduction of the parallel-universe Peter, was Fringe at both its most moving and its most playful. For the former, see Peter 1.0 dying in Walter’s arms, and Walter’s horrified reaction at seeing the “Walternate” nearly find the cure for his son, only to be distracted by an Observer. For the latter: the ’80s-style title graphics, and Back to the Future—starring Eric Stoltz!
A lot of the pleasure of the episode came in the filling out of backstory (learning, for instance, how Nina lost her arm), and the tantalyzing images lik the magic-mirror glimpses into the parallel universe. But what elevates Fringe from, say, FlashForward, is that its plot advances work hand-in-hand with character.
In particular, the episode made Walter’s actions understandable without letting him off the hook for them. We see that, in his way, Walter began with the best of intentions, to save the alt-Peter, not steal him: “Somewhere he will grow up, somewhere he will be happy, somewhere he will lead a proper life–just not here. And we must take comfort in this.” He comes to his final fateful decision through a combination of circumstance and selfishness.
This has been the hallmark of how well Fringe has handled Walter as a character: he’s amusing and likeable, but the show stops short of making him cuddly. He’s also a bit of a bastard, whose sins can be explained, but not finally exculpated, by his loss. If we like him and care for him, it has to be flaws and all; we can’t ignore that he has done unforgiveable things–nor can he. “It was the first crack,” he recognizes after the fact, “and it was my fault.”
Excellent hour of television. I only wish that Fringe didn’t morph into this good a show only every half-dozen episodes or so. But an episode like “Peter” definitely builds up my reserves of patience for the future.