Fringe: Problem Child   Rewatch 
August 13, 2014 9:31 PM - Season 1, Episode 15 - Subscribe

T-minus - A Brand New Work - Oxygen - The wolf girls of India - Another one - Sharks - Complicated omelettes - Clearance - M&Ms - Underground -

"That's funny, I always remembered the scar being on the other side."
posted by the man of twists and turns (28 comments total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
I'm so far behind on the rewatch I can't even find ep 9, but I this John Noble-ism just has to be shared.

Surprising Event Happens

Astrid: Oh my god!

Noble (muttering quickly): What. Oh, possibly. But not very likely.

Back to ep15
posted by Measured Out my Life in Coffeespoons at 9:21 AM on August 14, 2014 [1 favorite]


It's unclear at first who unidentified CIA/CPS agent is referring to when he says "We found another one." At that point in this ep he could very well have been talking about Olivia, though it's made clear pretty quick that he means the empath. Gotta wonder how many more ZFT soldiers they're sitting on?

Olivia's choice of M&M's is genius. The empath stopped maturing about 30 years ago, as a child. M&M's were around back then (she used to eat them!) and they're a candy that a child-like person can relate to and enjoy.

It's never said for certain that the empath is a Cortexiphan subject, but it's certainly implied. He's been living in what used to be a secret lab, there are bunk beds and tables with equipment that you can see while he's scuttling about down there. But no recollection or revelation from Walter; he seems to be new to this particular 'monster' of the week. Have to say that I'm really disappointed that they never went back to the mind-reading halo instrument. Walter does make the connection between the empath's shivering and Olivia's location in a cold meat packing plant, ruling out the device as the cause of that particular discomfort, but even though they were getting it working it's never brought back out. Sad for that guy, he never gets to have his say.

I half expected the doctor to be CIA and whisk the empath off to a secret facility, glad that didn't happen. And I totally didn't put it together that he could be a young Observer until the very end.

Another little hint with the GI Joe figurine that Peter's not of this universe. We're learning more and more about Olivia's childhood but just getting little tiny hints about Peter's.

Ugh, this ep leaves a lot of stuff up in the air. NEXT!
posted by carsonb at 11:01 AM on August 14, 2014


So what do we think about this kid now?
posted by BAKERSFIELD! at 11:55 AM on August 15, 2014


Having seen the episode now, I'd have preferred that, instead of that enigmatic empath bald kid, the construction workers discovered Anton Newcombe in the basement. And that instead of helping the Fringe team track down an icky serial killer who likes turning female corpses into P. J. Harvey lookalikes, he plays the entirety of Revelation or maybe Their Satanic Majesties' Second Request while yelling incoherently at Courtney Taylor-Taylor. I'd also quite like a third slice of cheesecake and maybe a fourth glass of wine.
posted by Sonny Jim at 11:59 AM on August 15, 2014 [1 favorite]


You really shouldn't post to fanfare while listening to Brian Jonestown Massacre.

How would you incorporate the customary Anton Newcombe on-stage freak-out into the M&Ms scene? For example?
posted by BAKERSFIELD! at 12:08 PM on August 15, 2014


He'd alternately throw them all at Courtney and then use the remainder to re-enact the opening phase of the Korean War while providing a po-faced narrative of Cold War minutiae. Olivia probably wouldn't have much to do and the killer wouldn't get caught. Walter would talk to the cow.
posted by Sonny Jim at 12:10 PM on August 15, 2014


You're clearly on drugs. Olivia would never take that shit sitting down.

The cow plot otoh, is credible.
posted by BAKERSFIELD! at 12:12 PM on August 15, 2014


I never said she was sitting down.
posted by Sonny Jim at 12:12 PM on August 15, 2014


I really hope we get a Gene spinoff series, btw. That would be great. It could take place in New Zealand.
posted by Sonny Jim at 12:13 PM on August 15, 2014


Did you see Brian Blessed talking to the dog on TV last night?
posted by BAKERSFIELD! at 12:13 PM on August 15, 2014


Do you think we could get Brian Blessed to talk to the cow?
posted by BAKERSFIELD! at 12:14 PM on August 15, 2014


Would he be wearing armour? Would the cow be wearing armour?
posted by Sonny Jim at 12:14 PM on August 15, 2014 [1 favorite]


Would he be in NZ too or would he just talk to the cow from over here?
posted by BAKERSFIELD! at 12:15 PM on August 15, 2014


He's got a loud enough voice. And it would probably be cheaper that way too. Costly to freight all that armour and those horses and that army to NZ. They make you pay for a second piece of carry on now.
posted by Sonny Jim at 12:17 PM on August 15, 2014


What Air New Zealand?
posted by BAKERSFIELD! at 12:17 PM on August 15, 2014


Hmm. Maybe they could try Emirates. I guess I'm still stuck in the "there can be only ONE national carrier!" mindset. My Dad used to work for them, you know.
posted by Sonny Jim at 12:18 PM on August 15, 2014


And you know very well I didn't get to see Brian Blessed talk to that dog. I was asleep.

What did he say?
posted by Sonny Jim at 12:20 PM on August 15, 2014


woof
posted by BAKERSFIELD! at 12:20 PM on August 15, 2014


I bet he did.
posted by Sonny Jim at 12:21 PM on August 15, 2014


Oh, I wasn't listening to Brian.
posted by BAKERSFIELD! at 12:21 PM on August 15, 2014 [1 favorite]


>Would he be wearing armour? Would the cow be wearing armour?

Now there's a thought. Taking cows into battle. Think how differently history might have turned out. Thermopylae. Battle of Hastings. Midway Island.
posted by BAKERSFIELD! at 12:30 PM on August 15, 2014 [1 favorite]


Sorry. I drifted off there thinking about this again. I agree that cows could have been a decisive factor at Midway. Difficult to counter, even with a full carrier group.
posted by Sonny Jim at 12:32 PM on August 15, 2014


I really hope this Gene spin-off involves time travel to pivotal battles in the history of mankind, the outcome of which is signficantly changed by the presence of an overwhelming bovine army.
posted by BAKERSFIELD! at 12:39 PM on August 15, 2014 [1 favorite]


Episode 1: Orakau.
posted by Sonny Jim at 12:40 PM on August 15, 2014 [1 favorite]


I would have thought owls weighed more than that.
posted by BAKERSFIELD! at 12:57 PM on August 15, 2014


I think it's a small owl.
posted by Sonny Jim at 12:57 PM on August 15, 2014 [1 favorite]


'Inner Child'?
posted by P.o.B. at 7:20 AM on August 18, 2014


I know, right? Finally some actual commentary from the man of twists and turns instead of all that cryptic junk!

Though I just took it as a comment on the burden of writing two posts a week for this show. ;)
posted by carsonb at 11:53 AM on August 18, 2014


« Older Utopia: Season Finale...   |  WWE Raw: August 11, 2014 (the ... Newer »

You are not logged in, either login or create an account to post comments