Family Dynamic Carries Fringe Past Silly Plot

"Snakehead" would be a below-average filler episode of Fringe if it weren't for some great character development moments. Even when it falters in single episodes the show has now become a joy to watch because of the unifying importance that themes of family and family struggles have taken in the series.

In that way it has placed itself beside such topnotch recent genre television as Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Battlestar Galactica. Far more than the adventures or the monsters, the characters are the point of the experience now.

The A plot of "Snakehead" involves four-foot rubber worms and Asian mobster types and is silly and forgettable. It not at all well-written, unlike most Fringe monster-asides. It is sloppily written, and parts of it (involving a boy whose mom is paying a terrible price to have protected from disease) are not even wrapped up. Even the weirdest creatures and adventures can be fun and important on Fringe, but this certainly isn't how to do it.

The character moments are solid and believable, however, and it is there that Fringe is really hitting on all cylinders. It says something about genre sci-fi when you want the monsters and mobsters to get off the screen so you can enjoy how the characters interact. What it says is: you are watching a quality show.

So what's to like? Let's start with Astrid! Jasika Nicole's portrayal of the cute and intriguing FBI agent has been enchanting and frustrating since the series began. The frustrating part is the way the show has (perhaps intentionally) underused her. But not his week.

In "Snakehead" Astrid not only gets out of the lab, she gets to first spy on Walter (the great John Noble, simply nailing his role now) then have some quality bonding with him (on-screen thankfully) and then get put in danger-and, for once, get to react to it! Farnsworth is every bit as watchable in the increased time she gets as I suspected she would be. And her role gives Walter the opportunity to emote on his feelings for HER which is a great turn to things.

It is in Walter that the show most often taps the themes of family ups and downs (on both a small and grand scale) and now we have a wonderful dynamic that has emerged. Walter began the series caring for his son Peter (Joshua Jackson, having a great season two) and that has only increased as time has gone by. As things developed his love for Olivia (bolstered by regaining knowledge of his previous connection to her as a child) has grown, so that she is like a daughter to him.

Now, clearly Astrid has been added to the mix so that the whole Fringe Team is no longer a group of co-workers but as much a family as Buffy and her Scobbies ever were. Heck, I may be hearing things, but I think even in Walter's familiar "Hello, Agent Broyles" greetings to Phillip (Lance Reddick) we are hearing a growing emotional note.

Of course, we know all is not well on the family front, as the secret of Peter's true identity hangs over the unit like a vulture of dysfunction waiting to plunge. It would be nowhere near as ominous without the care that the writers have taken to show everyone bonding and clinging to each other this season. Episodes spotlighting individual characters and relationships have merged with ongoing development to make us care, and to make us worry about what happens when things inevitably fall apart.

In the first season I clearly believed Olivia (Anna Torv) was the heart and soul of the show. And that was enough then. But now Torv's assured performance is just one part of the lifeblood running through Fringe. It is a pleasure to watch. And it can carry me past the silliness that is much of the plot of "Snakehead".

Ahead lie shadows and monsters much darker than four-foot worms. Will it tear apart our beloved family on Fringe, or will it make them grow closer together and come to an even stronger point? I don't know, but regardless I'm hooked now and ready for the plunge.

Fringe "Snakehead" Episode Score (1-10): 8

For my other writing on Fringe as well as Smallville and V see my blog A Dash Of Salty.