Adam Morgan is out this week, so this week's guest episode review is by fringeobsessed.
A second episode in a series' new season has a tough job in keeping the momentum going that started in the premiere. Episode 2.02 entitled "Night Of Desirable Objects" pretty much meets that goal. Although there is not a lot of action in this one, we find out where the characters are at this point in time both mentally and physically.
Unlike any previous Fringe episodes Peter has chosen a case to pursue after researching the FBI's missing persons files looking for Pattern-like occurrences. He finds a cluster of 6 missing persons in two month's time in a northeastern suburb of Philadelphia. Four of the missing were said to have vanished into thin air [like Olivia Dunham?]. He meets with Broyles on a busy Boston street to discuss it (apparently he didn't requisition an office). We learn in the scene that Peter had requested a list of items from Broyles to use at his disposal in finding and hopefully solving Pattern-related cases. Broyles informs Peter that everything on his list has been approved (including new housing for him and his father-hmm) except for a C130 transport plane. Now you may ask yourself why Peter would need one. Do you remember back in the pilot episode when Olivia read off Peter's former jobs on his bio? Among them was "cargo pilot." Is this an old Peter 'con-man' Bishop request? Peter does not argue with Broyles about the plane, saying they will not need it for the Pennsylvania case. Broyles asks the younger Bishop how Agent Dunham is doing. Interestingly, Peter replies "Olivia?" implying that they have a closer relationship by calling her by her first name. After a pause he says "She'll be fine," but Broyles is not so sure and shoots Peter one of those Broyles looks.
Another title for this episode could have been "Off-Balance,"as all of the characters seem to be off their mark after the events of the premiere, except maybe Nina Sharp, it's just too hard to tell with her. We see Peter come to rescue Olivia from the yucky memories of the New York hospital/her accident/the shapeshifter. There is a very touching P/O scene where Peter sees Olivia's trigger hand shaking but doesn't comment on it. He tells her out loud minutes later that she'll be fine. A little denial here? Barely after they arrive back in Boston he asks her if she'd like to go for a ride, i.e. back to work. Evidently it's too soon as the second time they return to PA and suspect Andre Hughes' house she nearly shoots Peter in the head (misses him by what, an inch?) just because she heard something. Peter's look is priceless. Later in the episode Broyles tells Peter that Dunham's report says that her gun went off. Peter's answer? "It was a misfire." But Peter's poker face apparently is not working anymore when it comes to things Dunham. Broyles sees right through his meager attempt at lying, and gives him another one of those Broyles looks.
Walter is still quite off-balance in this episode, well, more than usual. He appears quite driven with Astrid's assistance trying to re-create Olivia's car crash/disappearance with the aid of a toy car, IV bags as weights, a pulley system, a frog, and 5 Polaroid(another fine Boston-base company)land cameras. He tells Olivia she was missing for an hour and thinks she was in an alternate universe. In his most interesting line he gets choked up and says "When I saw you lying there...I don't know what I'd do without you!" This is in reference to the premiere when he freaked out seeing Olivia's dead body. But is he really talking about her, or his pre-deceased Peter?
The shapeshifter is alive and still in Charlie Francis' image. He was spying on Olivia and Peter as they exited the hospital(interesting to note that Peter seemed to sense this). But is he well? Several times we see him grab his chest or stomach area with a grimace. Maybe there's a time limit to the body-change process? He visits the Selectric typewriting store and uses the spooky mirror/typewriter in the back room. He tells whoever's on the other side of the looking glass that the target trusts him completely and still believes he is her partner. Towards the end of the episode we see "Charlie" driving Olivia home from the Philadelphia crime scene. She tells him maybe it's a good thing she can't remember things from her other-worldly experience but he disagrees. He tells her she should remember and he will be there to help her. Creepy. Speaking of creepy, the featured creature supposedly is a 17 year old boy-mutant that has the DNA also of a scorpion and a mole-rat. The visual effects people did another great job on this one.
In the most unusual event of the episode Nina Sharp sneaks up on Olivia from behind while she is getting dressed at her follow-up doctor's appointment and tells her she is pleased that Olivia is making progress. Without being asked Nina writes something on a piece of paper and gives it to Olivia telling her that she may need this man's help at some point to put her back together, and that "Sometimes the physical injuries are the easiest to get over." Olivia assumes it's a psychiatrist and tells her the FBI can take care of that. In typical Nina Sharp style she just smiles and says "Oh, he's not a psychiatrist" and offers no further explanation.
Not THE best episode ever, but it moved things along and helped us get a snapshot of where everyone is at present(we hope).
Best line: Walter Bishop to Sheriff Golightly(couldn't someone have picked a better name?): "We're all victims of our own gene pool. Someone must have peed in yours."
Best scene: The look on Peter's face when he realizes how close Liv's bullet came to his head.
Best new thing: Agent Dunham has super-hearing! Imagine what a pain that would be.
Biggest disappointment: A tie between Astrid only getting a couple of lines, and Agent Amy Jessup apparently only investigates Bibles.
Error?: The information in the newspaper clipping on Eveline Hughes' and her son's death is repeated at least once in different columns.
I liked this one better too. The first one kept me too disoriented to really enjoy it fully.
Best scene? Has to be the one above when Nina walks into Olivia's examining room. That scene says a ton about Olivia. Combat bra... Road Rash down her back and shoulder... doesn't flinch a muscle, or squeal about privacy, when someone walks in unexpectedly while she is changing. She must be a former Marine!