1x06: The Cure
Apr. 18th, 2014 01:29 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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fringe_rewatchThe first season of any show is bound to waver in matters of quality and storytelling, and Fringe is no different in that department: the events of the first few episodes are disjointed, linked together only because of the underlying themes of science pushed too far that classify these cases as part of the pattern, and by Walter's involvement. As it is to be expected, some of these episodes ring truer that others, manage to touch us, and it has been my experience that these episodes are often those that focus on the characters instead of the plot--it just seems more natural to me, to be allowed to get to know the people we're meant to follow and root for, before we're asked to invest in anything else. It is easier to ignore the fallacies of logic, and the fake science and the sometimes contrived plots if the men and women on screen are people we feel for, people whose burdens we understand.
After the pilot episode, Olivia seemed to fade into the background. Unable to ignore the growing doubts in her mind about her competence, her willingness to be blind in the face of her lover's betrayal, she armoured herself in the lonely figure of the determined investigator while quietly trying to cope with the losses of innocence and life. This episode brings her back to the forefront, allows us to understand her thinking, her motivations, the experiences that have driven her to where she now finds herself at.
It is the first we see of Olivia fighting the urge to hide behind her anger and let herself be vulnerable for the sake of connecting with someone else, if only because she understands the importance of inspiring trust in the people who depend on you, and on whom you may one day depend upon. We also learn the reasons (or at least the plot-related ones) for that anger.
If there is one thing I will always be thankful for in regards to Olivia's characterization, especially in season one, is that they let her be harsh and angry and uncompromising, and they never attempted to make her seem less worthy for it.
Also see: Exploding, Googly-eyed Papayas.
Writer: Felicia D. Henderson (hey, female writer!)
Brad Caleb Kane
Director: Bill Eagles.
Originally Aired: October 21, 2008
Synopsis:
When a young woman explodes inside a diner, the team works to determine the cause. They learn of a second woman who has been turned into a human weapon by an unscrupulous drug company executive and rush to save her before she can be shipped to "the client". Agent Dunham discloses critical information about her childhood to Peter Bishop.
Most Memorable Quote:
OLIVIA: (To Broyles) I understand that you think I acted too emotionally. And putting aside the fact that men always say that about women they work with, I’ll get straight to the point. I am emotional. I do bring it into my work. It’s what motivates me. It helps me to get into the headspace of our victims… See what they’ve seen. Even if I don’t want to, even if it horrifies me. And I think it makes me a better agent. If you have a problem with that, sorry. You can fire me. But I hope you don’t.
Links
Fringe Television Summer Rewatch
IGN
Polite Dissent
Fanfiction:
I'm pretty sure there is some out there, but I can't seem to remember where. Or what it was called. Drop by the comments if you happen to remember.
Brad Caleb Kane
Director: Bill Eagles.
Originally Aired: October 21, 2008
Synopsis:
When a young woman explodes inside a diner, the team works to determine the cause. They learn of a second woman who has been turned into a human weapon by an unscrupulous drug company executive and rush to save her before she can be shipped to "the client". Agent Dunham discloses critical information about her childhood to Peter Bishop.
Most Memorable Quote:
OLIVIA: (To Broyles) I understand that you think I acted too emotionally. And putting aside the fact that men always say that about women they work with, I’ll get straight to the point. I am emotional. I do bring it into my work. It’s what motivates me. It helps me to get into the headspace of our victims… See what they’ve seen. Even if I don’t want to, even if it horrifies me. And I think it makes me a better agent. If you have a problem with that, sorry. You can fire me. But I hope you don’t.
Links
Fringe Television Summer Rewatch
IGN
Polite Dissent
Fanfiction:
I'm pretty sure there is some out there, but I can't seem to remember where. Or what it was called. Drop by the comments if you happen to remember.
Great episode!
Date: 2014-04-18 11:43 pm (UTC)Things I loved about this episode:
The opening scene of the girl being dumped off and wandering into the diner, which reminded me of the beginning of a great X-Files fanfic, which
The only thing I didn't like was Broyles giving Olivia such a hard time. She saved a young woman's life and caught the guy who was behind the death of another. I have to believe that counts for a lot in Broyles' book. I don't think we needed to have the whole "I am emotional" speech. Show don't tell, remember? And they did show us, and very effectively too. They didn't have to belabor the point and make Broyles the heavy in the process.
Re: Great episode!
Date: 2014-04-19 12:56 am (UTC)The science is...exaggerated for effect, I would say. (What scifi fan doesn't love exploding heads?)
The deal between Peter and Nina is sadly never mentioned again. It occurred to me while I was watching that exchange that they laid down a lot of backstory on Peter in the first season - underworld contacts, an old girlfriend, the deal with Nina - and dropped most of it after the first season.
Re: Great episode!
Date: 2014-04-21 10:07 pm (UTC)It's amazing how many people never think of fanfic.
Re: Great episode!
Date: 2014-04-22 12:34 am (UTC)Re: Great episode!
Date: 2014-04-22 07:07 pm (UTC)Re: Great episode!
Date: 2014-04-22 10:25 pm (UTC)Re: Great episode!
Date: 2014-04-22 07:38 pm (UTC)Actually, EC has begun writing fic now too, after years and years and years of reading and critiquing it. I'm hoping she's planning to write us some Fringe fic.
There probably isn't nearly enough Fringe fanfiction to have produced much Peter/other backstory fanfic, although I admit I haven't read everything or even close to everything, not even on AO3. However, I think I've read all of the genfic.
Re: Great episode!
Date: 2014-04-23 12:40 am (UTC)Re: Great episode!
Date: 2014-04-20 12:28 am (UTC)Re: Great episode!
Date: 2014-04-22 05:26 pm (UTC)Though he does get turned when his son's life is threatened in the Redverse, but our Broyles is single and childless.
I think Broyles is just supposed to be a hard-ass, and maybe a counter-weight to rein in Olivia a bit, especially since she really doesn't understand what she's gotten herself into. Someone has to be the voice of reason for the writers. In many respects, at this juncture Peter is even more reckless than she is, and he's not fully invested yet. Walter is nuts. The writers don't let Astrid leave the lab.
no subject
Date: 2014-04-20 12:25 am (UTC)I love that Peter doesn't think twice about owing Nina a favor... This is how Peter ends up owing money to a guy whose name is Big Eddie.
I liked the scene where Olivia tells Peter about her stepfather. I like that Peter is so patient with her, ready to listen if she wants to listen but not forcing anything, but that he also doesn't let her trample all over him. And I love that Olivia already trusts him enough to share this with him, and not only to share the story but to share how she feels about the story. That seems so far already from where pilot Olivia was on trusting people.
And of course Walter is the only person in the world who likes that onion soup. Somebody should make a Fringe cookbook with root beer and onion soup and ice cream floats and all of Walter's recipes.
Walter: Olivia, did you lock yourself out again?
Oh Walter, you're the best.
That's a very self-satisfied smile from Nina Sharp at the end, given that she's creating a monster in Olivia Dunham who will no doubt do the same thing to Nina if Nina ever steps out of line.
Dear Olivia: "Corporate espionage is massively illegal"? Um... no. Some corporate espionage is massively illegal, but most is legal and legitimately part of how business is done. Get off your damned FBI high horse.
no subject
Date: 2014-04-20 03:35 pm (UTC)I love that Peter doesn't think twice about owing Nina a favor... This is how Peter ends up owing money to a guy whose name is Big Eddie.
Ha ha! Excellent point! I love the idea of the Fringe Cook Book, too.
That's a very self-satisfied smile from Nina Sharp at the end, given that she's creating a monster in Olivia Dunham who will no doubt do the same thing to Nina if Nina ever steps out of line.
Dear Olivia: "Corporate espionage is massively illegal"? Um... no. Some corporate espionage is massively illegal, but most is legal and legitimately part of how business is done. Get off your damned FBI high horse.
Some corporate espionage is legal but most is not, using the commonly understood lay definition of the term. Stealing protected information, bribery, blackmail: all illegal. There is information gathering on rival companies, similar to what the intelligence community does, which is legal. But this is television writing; they're not big on nuance.
Anyway, Olivia isn't on a "damned FBI high horse." She's not a real FBI agent, working for a government agency with a long history of ignoring the civil rights of American citizens in the pursuit of "justice" and "ensuring domestic tranquility." She's a character on a television show. Maybe you could cut her a little slack here?
You think Olivia is or is becoming a monster? Could you define monster, please, and explain how she fits your definition. And how Nina is "creating her," too. Although discussion of the abuse of government power by the Department of Homeland Security and the Fringe investigations is most welcome, (also fanfiction and meta addressing same!), random dumping on Olivia is not.
I liked the scene where Olivia tells Peter about her stepfather. I like that Peter is so patient with her, ready to listen if she wants to listen but not forcing anything, but that he also doesn't let her trample all over him. And I love that Olivia already trusts him enough to share this with him, and not only to share the story but to share how she feels about the story. That seems so far already from where pilot Olivia was on trusting people.
That's probably my favorite scene in the series so far. She can't remember Peter yet, but there is already a bond forming between them. Yeah, trust is a huge issue for her, and Peter, too, which is expected given their childhoods, and their history with Walter Bishop. She's such a strong person. Everyone on the show is always saying that, but it's true. But that strength has come at a great personal cost.
no subject
Date: 2014-04-20 07:06 pm (UTC)I'm sorry you think I was trashing Olivia. That was not the intention, but I do think her feelings about Massive Dynamic deserve a little more critical thought. She's crawling deeper and deeper into bed with this corporation that thus far has been involved in disturbing ways with a lot of amoral technology use, and I think it's weird that Olivia draws that line at having knowledge that Massive Dynamic has been engaged in routine investigation of its corporate competitors.
In this episode, ultimately, Nina Sharp uses Olivia as her stalking horse to take down a competitor- and Olivia is aware of this, and she willingly does it because Olivia is relentless in her pursuit of the truth and justice for the underdog. The bargain in this episode may be explicitly between Peter and Nina, but ultimately it's one more brick in the relationship between Olivia and Nina, and my whole point is that Nina has to know that for Olivia the partnership is always going to be secondary to her relentless pursuit of the truth and justice for the underdog. If Olivia ever tumbles to anything evil that she believes Nina has done, she won't stop until she's destroyed Nina, until she's taken Nina out in the same way she took out Esterbrook... That's the monster I'm talking about. With every move where Nina helps raise Olivia's personal stature within the Fringe Division, she's empowering the bulldog who will bring her down if Nina ever exposes herself and Massive Dynamic, with no thought given to any favors Nina may have done for her in the past.
Olivia values loyalty, but she values honesty and humanity more. Loyalty she will trample on, just look at poor Charlie Francis and all the things she's asked him to do.
no subject
Date: 2014-04-20 11:49 pm (UTC)You may be right. I don't see it now but I'll keep watching for this dynamic. I think we agree Olivia is suspicious of Massive Dynamic, suspicious of Nina as well. But Nina Sharp's motives are unclear to me. Is she doing Olivia favors? She's a member of the--oversight committee or whatever it is--that oversees the investigation into the Pattern. She has a higher security clearance than Olivia does at the beginning of the series.
I don't know what's going on with season 1-3 Nina Sharp. Season 4 Nina I have a better handle on. In "The Same Old Story" she objects to Olivia being hired for Fringe. A few episodes later and Nina's trying to hire her for Massive Dynamic.
Olivia is incredibly tenacious, no doubt about it.
no subject
Date: 2014-04-20 07:24 pm (UTC)Shooting fish in a barrel is right, but I like that Fringe at least tangentially touches on real science. Autoimmune diseases are the 'who the heck knows what's going on' of diseases. They are often incurable, have big impacts on people's quality of life, and the treatments are less than satisfactory. So it makes sense that this patient population would be vulnerable to Evil Corporations. The cure itself is nonsense but I'm willing to accept it for the human aspect the bad-science brings.
no subject
Date: 2014-04-20 11:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-04-21 08:50 pm (UTC)True, but I always feel that the show is clear that science (or !SKIENCE!, as I like to call this show's version) will save us, too. Or at least, science tempered by human empathy.
no subject
Date: 2014-04-21 10:45 pm (UTC)Heh.
Does it though? Everything goes back to scientists making terrible choices. All of Walter's unprincipled experimentation. Crossing over to save Peter. Even the changes in the human genome that led to the Observers. It's all science--all bad--all the time. Olivia wouldn't keep having to save the world if the scientists didn't keep fucking up.
This quote from the pilot is what I think is the theme of the series:
"...suffice to say that we reached the point where science and technology have advanced at such an exponential rate for so long, it may be way beyond our ability to regulate and control them. You should know what you're getting into Agent Dunham. I would say this to my own daughter - be careful and good luck" - Nina Sharp
My husband thinks it's a battle between good and evil with science as the battlefield. He thinks Walter's mistakes were a result of hubris.
no subject
Date: 2014-04-22 07:53 pm (UTC)But this is entertainment TV, and in the grand tradition of old English majors I prefer fantasy. Some of the crazy ideas in Fringe are indeed entertaining.
no subject
Date: 2014-04-22 08:00 pm (UTC)I wish they had been consistent in making Peter a real badass with real badass issues. Somehow, hating his father for going into an asylum seemed kind of superficial. It was a very nice scene when he listens to Olivia's horrible history, but on the whole I would prefer him with a tougher carapace. Particularly as he's destined as the love interest.
Of course there's that whole not believing his parents are his parents issue, but does he remember that even?
Forgive my lapses. It's been awhile.
no subject
Date: 2014-04-22 09:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-04-22 10:26 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-04-22 11:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2014-04-21 08:48 pm (UTC)Olivia's shitty day gets worse when the doctor blows his head off in front of her. Happy birthday to you!
As everyone notes, great moments for Olivia this episode: the stepfather reveal, the emotional speech, talking the victim into saving herself.
Nina's suggested favor seems to involve Peter negotiating with indigenous peoples on MD's behalf. More interesting: Nina's amazingly nonchalant demeanor with him, considering what she knows. You know, you still look just the same as you did when you were a child. Oh, I doubt you’ll remember, but you and I spent a good deal of time together. Some of it right here. Your father and I were quite close when we were both much younger. -- so loaded, in retrospect.
Adding Claire Williams to the list of survivors who need follow-up.
How does Olivia know the unsigned card is from her stepfather? Part of me wants it to be from William Bell, being creepy. (He thinks he's making a fond gesture, of course.)
no subject
Date: 2014-04-22 07:39 pm (UTC)Nina's suggested favor seems to involve Peter negotiating with indigenous peoples on MD's behalf.
That really came out of left field, didn't it?
More interesting: Nina's amazingly nonchalant demeanor with him, considering what she knows.
She's amazingly nonchalant with Olivia, and Broyles, too.
How does Olivia know the unsigned card is from her stepfather? Part of me wants it to be from William Bell, being creepy. (He thinks he's making a fond gesture, of course.)
If the cards started the year the stepfather disappeared, it's a logical deduction. If not ...
no subject
Date: 2014-04-22 08:03 pm (UTC)I only posted that to sound clever.
no subject
Date: 2014-04-22 07:54 pm (UTC)