Fringe recap

On Fringe, intelligence directly correlates to evil

Fringe has always explored the notion of what happens when smart people Go Too Far, through the cautionary tales of Walter Bishop and countless other mad scientists. But with this latest storyline, the show actually seems to be suggesting that being smart is almost inevitably a path to iniquity. Which… huh. Spoilers ahead… So I…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Nov 17

Fringe tells the truth about your fake relationships

Fringe took on a heavy legacy when it decided to name an episode after one of Philip K. Dick’s greatest novels. But last night’s spectacular episode actually delivered something approaching a PKD-level of insanity and neuron disruption. Spoilers ahead. So who’s having real emotions in the Fringe-verse, and who’s just pretending? Who’s a machine and…

Television Charlie Jane Anders Oct 15

Why do people keep handing Walter Bishop the keys to the deathmobile?

Walter Bishop has already ruined one Earth and become one of the greatest destroyers in history — but is he doomed to do it again? Last night’s disturbing Fringe made us wonder. Spoilers ahead… The uneasy spirit of J. Robert Oppenheimer has hung over Fringe all along, symbolizing the abuse of science and the danger…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders Oct 1

And you thought Fringe couldn’t get any creepier…

Fringe has beamed some pretty ooky science onto your retinas over the past couple of years — but last night’s season premiere was likeliest to make your skin crawl. Turns out that both Walter Bishops like to experiment on Olivia. Spoilers ahead… There’s something so horrifying about the idea of someone losing their identity, which…

Television Charlie Jane Anders Sep 24

Things to think about on the long wait for Fringe season 3

Fringe season two didn’t end with a gonzo shock like the undamaged Twin Towers at the end of season one. But that’s okay, because it gave us a zillion things to think about, especially in its final moments. Spoilers ahead… Our heroes succeeded in rescuing Peter Bishop, after he’d already figured out that his birth…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders May 21

Fringe Is Becoming The Show That Lost Wishes It Could Be

J.J. Abrams has unleashed two television shows about faith and science and strange reflections of reality. Fringe will never be as popular as Lost, but it has the potential to be far greater, as it proved last night. Spoilers below… Thing is, I still love Lost a lot, and I’m still clinging to hope that…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders May 14

5 Things That Were Awesome In Last Week’s Fringe

Last Thursday’s Fringe was the second of two “filler” episodes between Peter running away and the other shoe dropping. It wasn’t our favorite episode, but there were five things about it that we really loved. Spoilers ahead… Joshua Jackson has such great chemistry with his co-stars on Fringe that I wasn’t sure how an entire…

io9 Charlie Jane Anders May 11

The Trippiest Scene From Last Night’s Fringe

In mad scientist Walter Bishop’s storytale version of reality, Walter’s a lovable inventor who’s created everything that little children love: rainbows, bubble gum, hugs… and singing corpses. Of course. Also, check out Gene the Cow’s makeover!

Television Charlie Jane Anders Apr 30

Walter Bishop Is The Greatest Tragic Figure On Television

Last night’s Fringe dipped about 10 percent in the ratings, which is a damned shame since this episode would have turned anyone into a die-hard fan of the show. Not to mention, leaving you obsessed with Walter Bishop. Spoilers ahead… It’s hard to believe we used to look upon Walter Bishop as the childlike mad…

Television Charlie Jane Anders Apr 23

The One Magnificent Scene From Last Night’s Fringe: Walter Bishop Meets His Equal

We forgot everything about last night’s Fringe episode as soon as we were done watching it — almost as if Peter Weller had traveled back in time to before it aired. Except for this one wonderful scene. Spoilers ahead… This was one of the most forgettable “weirdo of the week” Fringe episodes, for the most…

Television Charlie Jane Anders Apr 16

Olivia Dunham Vs. The Cancer Hand!

Last night’s Fringe felt pretty run-of-the-mill after the previous week’s incredible episode. Olivia dithered, Walter made taffy, and a creepy guy ran around giving people bubble-wrap face. Spoilers ahead… The most interesting part of last night’s Fringe was probably our journey into the center of Olivia Dunham’s dysfunctional personality, and her broken relationships. Olivia has…

Television Charlie Jane Anders Apr 9

Eric Stoltz In Back To The Future? Cellphones In 1985?

Last night, Fringe showed us a lot more of the alternate universe, including a somewhat different version of 1985. More importantly, we saw Young Walter, and learned just what kind of tool he was: a complicated, conflicted one. Spoilers ahead! We already posted a spoiler-free preview of last night’s Fringe, “Peter,” so this recap will…

Television Charlie Jane Anders Apr 2

We Learn What Separates Our Dimension From Theirs, On Fringe

Last night’s Fringe, called “Jacksonville,” was a frustrating blend of hair-raising freakery, revelatory moments, and repetitive emotional woo-woo. Regardless of whether you liked the woo-woo, you had to love all that solid information about the alternate timeline on Earth-1. Quick summary: Frozen head baddie Newton, whose noggin is currently attached to a body, has been…

Television Annalee Newitz Feb 5

One Reveal Too Many On Fringe

I love Fringe to pieces, but last night’s episode “The Bishop Revival” was surprisingly meh. Immortal Nazi scientists are always fun, but not when it turns into yet another reveal about the Bishop family of mad scientists. Again, don’t get me wrong. I like all the weird family revelations about the Bishops, with transdimensional kidnapping/adoption…

Television Annalee Newitz Jan 29

On Fringe, Confirmation Of A Dark Secret We Suspected All Along

On Thursday night’s Fringe, called “What Lies Below,” we were introduced to an ancient supervirus – and learned Walter’s darkest secret. This episode was clearly a tip of the hat to X-Files. It was about an ancient virus discovered in oil, and oil infection imagery was everywhere. (For those who missed out, one of the…

Television Annalee Newitz Jan 23

Walter Suffers From Anti-Catholic Rage On “Fringe”

Monday night’s bonus episode of Fringe, “Unearthed,” was actually a leftover episode from season one. Though odd continuity-wise, it did have one gem of a scene where Walter has a rage meltdown after being challenged by a Catholic priest. I love that Walter actually has no idea what he’s doing, but he’s so angry at…

Television Annalee Newitz Jan 13

Fringe Solves the Mystery of Walter’s Madness

Last night’s Fringe resolved a mystery that stretches back to the beginning of the series: the cause of Walter Bishop’s mental disorders. All it takes is our team of dimension-hopping enemy supersoldiers and and a boatload of brain surgery. It’s a Bit Drafty Back Here: At long last, we find out what our interdimensional supersoldiers…

io9 Lauren Davis Dec 11

Monster Worms Are Fringe’s Latest Health Craze

Last night’s Fringe gave us a new monster nightmare: giant, tentacled worms that live inside their host until they come bursting out of their faces. But it turns out that not everyone minds an encounter with their fearsome fangs. The Wormy Horror: This week’s bit of scientific crime centered around a bunch of vaguely Lovecraftian…

io9 Lauren Davis Dec 4

What We’ve Learned About Fringe’s Observers

They’ve been lurking in the background for the entire series, and last night, Fringe’s bald Observers finally stepped into the limelight. Here’s what we learned about the mysterious beings who’ve been spying on the Fringe team. They can catch bullets. The ability to catch bullets probably comes in handy when you hop around time observing…

io9 Lauren Davis Nov 20

Always Wear Your Tinfoil Hat Inside Massive Dynamic

Last night’s episode featured a mind-controlling teenager with a penchant for violence. But that’s not why Astrid has her tinfoil hat firmly in place. We also learned something sinister about our corporate friends at Massive Dynamic. Once again, we had an episode that looked like a mystery-of-the-week from the outset, but ended up connecting to…

Television Lauren Davis Nov 13

Fringe recap

On Fringe, intelligence directly correlates to evil

Fringe tells the truth about your fake relationships

Why do people keep handing Walter Bishop the keys to the deathmobile?

And you thought Fringe couldn’t get any creepier…

Things to think about on the long wait for Fringe season 3

Fringe Is Becoming The Show That Lost Wishes It Could Be

5 Things That Were Awesome In Last Week’s Fringe

The Trippiest Scene From Last Night’s Fringe

Walter Bishop Is The Greatest Tragic Figure On Television

The One Magnificent Scene From Last Night’s Fringe: Walter Bishop Meets His Equal

Olivia Dunham Vs. The Cancer Hand!

Eric Stoltz In Back To The Future? Cellphones In 1985?

We Learn What Separates Our Dimension From Theirs, On Fringe

One Reveal Too Many On Fringe

On Fringe, Confirmation Of A Dark Secret We Suspected All Along

Walter Suffers From Anti-Catholic Rage On “Fringe”

Fringe Solves the Mystery of Walter’s Madness

Monster Worms Are Fringe’s Latest Health Craze

What We’ve Learned About Fringe’s Observers

Always Wear Your Tinfoil Hat Inside Massive Dynamic

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