Episode Review: A New Day in the Old Town

Ever since the now-infamous tag scene at the end of Fringe's first season, I've been eager to see where the writers would take us. To make an analogy with Abrams' other epic series--Lost--the creators "opened the hatch" when they introduced an alternate universe. And while the Season 2 premiere featured plenty of new meat to chew on, it wasn't as mythologically beefy as many fans may have expected. Was it good? Absolutely. But it was a transition episode for the show's characters and their fictionalized world, and that's not always a great way to start a season (see Lost's fourth season premiere). Luckily, except for one glaring narrative misstep (see below), Fringe is still a blast, transition or not!

For starters, what a great teaser. Not only do we get a new shape-shifting villain, but Olivia's trans-reality trip is revealed to be more complicated than we thought. Given the car accident she was in (and the momentum preserved when she came back), I'd say the moment she crossed over last season wasn't in the elevator (perhaps that was a different trick altogether), but when she nearly crashed on her way to New York. It looks like she did crash in our reality, but not in William Bell's.

Now, for the one thing that almost ruined the episode. How many of you actually believed Olivia was dead? I know the writers want to establish high stakes, but the stakes have to be believable. In this day and age, if Anna Torv was leaving the show after this episode, we'd have known about it months ago. The result? A ponderously slow first half-hour with almost no suspense. We all know Olivia's going to make it (Peter and Broyle's toast "to Agent Dunham" made me cringe), so let's just get on with the crazy science, the plot twists, and the Walterisms, shall we? (The threat of Congress shutting down Fringe Division was just as bad, but fortunately not as pace-killing).

That being said, Olivia's Greek proverb upon waking was almost worth the trouble. Its connection to Peter and his mother was intriguing, but I've got a feeling it had more to do with Olivia's own father...a figure completely missing from the show, but someone I expect to become relevant in good time.

So what do we think about this new addition to the cast? Other than the network's financial concerns and Markle's sex appeal, I see no reason to replace Kirk Acevedo (both Charlie and Amy are "Audience POV" characters...they vocalize questions and concerns that the writers anticipate we'll be thinking to ourselves). Not that the actress is untalented, she just isn't given much to do in this ep, though I'm very intrigued by her biblical research. It reminded me of a scene in The Dreamscape when Walter mysteriously asks for a bible, and is later seen with it in his hotel room. Does the book of Revelation predict the Pattern?

And one more thing. Who's giving the shapeshifter his orders? Who wants Olivia dead in the Alternate Reality?

Early pacing problems aside, the last twenty minutes of A New Day in the Old Town--the invulnerable super-soldier, Dunham loading her gun, the last-minute Charlie reveal--really revved me up for Fringe this season. You could feel the show evolving into something deeper, richer, and more exciting than ever before. I think we're in for a treat.

Stray Thoughts

• Best Line of the Night: "They said I could ride with the body. Can I?"
• Best Scene: the trans-universal typewriter!
• Loved seeing Peter get physical with the FBI security guard. Can we get some more of that, please? And a few less one-liners?
• Michael Giacchino's score rocked. Especially that leitmotif in the final act, beginning just after Peter and Broyles' conversation on the Capitol steps.
• I wonder how Rachel will figure into this season?
• Never saw the Nina/Phillip thing coming. But I'm looking forward to those two becoming more developed characters. Same goes for Astrid.
• I hope Shape-shifter Charlie (Sharlie?) sticks around for a while!

Adam Morgan is a writer for the page and screen in Chicago who blogs at Mount Helicon.

Fringe Files: "A New Day In The Old Town" Gallery

HD screenshots of Fringe episode 201: "A New Day In The Old Town" are now available on FringeFiles.com.

These screen caps have all been hand selected to increase quality and reduce duplicates, but if you something that might be missing, you can request a specific Fringe screenshot in the Fringe Easter Eggs section.

Fringe Recap From Season 2 Premiere

Here's the opening recap from the Fringe season 2 premiere episode "A New Day In The Old Town"

Head over to the FringeTelevision YouTube channel to watch it in HD.

Fringe Preview 202: Night Of Desirable Objects

Here is the preview for the second episode of Fringe season two Night of Desirable Objects, which airs September 24th, 2009 on FOX.

Head over to the FringeTelevision YouTube channel to watch it in full HD.

Screenshots of the video are available at FringeFiles.com

Fringe Episode 201: A New Day In The Old Town

Olivia makes an unceremonious return from her visit to the alternate reality. Peter, Amy and Charlie race to locate an anonymous hostile force bent on eliminating one of the science team. Walter and Astrid return to the lab to isolate a bit of fringe science - and prepare for Peter’s birthday. Broyles and Nina find their way to Washington D.C. to face congressional scrutiny and defend the Fringe Division.

Discuss the episode here in the comments. What did you think of the season premiere? Was it worth the wait?

How would you rate "A New Day In The Old Town"

Fringe Theory: Olivia's Car Crash

After seeing the Season 2 premiere, we've got to completely re-evaluate what happened in the final minutes of the Season 1 finale. We all assumed that Olivia crossed over to the Alternate Reality while she was in the elevator, but now it appears as though she disappeared from her car while driving (thus her momentum before crossing over was conserved, explaining why she blasted through the windshield later).

If that's the case, was the real moment of Alternate-Reality crossover the scene below, when Olivia "almost" crashes on her way to meet Bell?

Fringe LIVE Chat Tonight: "A New Day In The Old Town"

Happy Fringeday! It's time for another LIVE Fringe chat from 9:00 PM to 12:00 PM ET, if you want to talk with other Fringe fans during or after the show. We'll try to get there a little early if anyone has questions they want answered.

To join the chat, visit the Fringe chat room, enter your name or a nickname, and join the fun! (please don't use the default mib_xxxxx nickname!)

I will be there (as FringeTelevision) along with AdamMorgan. In the past we've been joined by people from the show ...you never know who might show up!else might join us...

Season 1 Recap

Here's a quick Season 1 recap for those of you just joining us for tonight's Season 2 premiere!

The Premise
All over the world, a series of inexplicable phenomena (coined "The Pattern") has aroused the attention of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Special Agent Philip Broyles (Lance Reddick) heads up a multi-agency team called the Fringe Division to investigate the Pattern. They believe science and technology have advanced to unknown, unregulatable levels that put society at risk.

The Players

Agent Olivia Dunham - a headstrong young FBI agent who Broyles personally recruits to help him solve the mystery of the pattern. Olivia follows her instincts and wears her emotions on her sleeve. At the age of three, she unwittingly participated in a drug trial on a military base in Jacksonville, where her father was stationed. The experimental drug, Cortexiphan, was intended to prevent the limitation of the mind's potential, meaning Olivia may have some unnatural mental capabilities. (Played by Anna Torv).

Dr. Walter Bishop - an impatient, brilliant scientist (with a knack for hilarious non-sequitors) whose questionable experimental ethics landed him in a mental institution in 1991. Olivia Dunham managed to get him released from St. Claire's Hospital to help the Fringe Division make sense of the Pattern, as most of the phenomena are scientific mysteries with curious ties to Walter's former work in the basements of Harvard University. (Played by John Noble).

Peter Bishop - an intelligent black-market entrepreneur whose mysterious past constantly threatens to catch up with him, Walter's son often acts as a translator between his unintelligable father and the rest of the Fringe Division. Given Walter's institutionalization, his relationship with Peter is an estranged one, though they are slowly building a rapport. (Played by Joshua Jackson).

William Bell - Walter's former lab parter at Harvard, who went on to become the fabulously wealthy founder of Massive Dynamic, a multi-billion-dollar tech corporation involved in research and development for a variety of fields, such as pharmaceuticals, robotics, and defense. Bell has yet to make an appearance on the show, but his influence is everywhere. Many Pattern events have ties to his (and Walter's) technology.

Nina Sharp - Massive Dynamic's Executive Director, a silver-tongued professional who also shows interest in Olivia Dunham's capabilities, and acts as her liason at the corporation when investigations point in its direction. Nina lost her arm to cancer in the past, but it was replaced by a fully-articulated robotic limb designed and developed by William Bell himself. She also has an unknown history with Walter Bishop, and an unqualified relationship with Fringe Division head Philip Broyles, with whom she often shares clandestine information. (Played by Blair Brown).

Charlie Francis - Olivia Dunham's straight-talking ally in the FBI, Charlie is second-in-command behind Broyles. He and Olivia have a long professional history, and they trust each other implicitly. (Played by Kirk Acevedo).

Astrid Farnsworth - A junior agent assigned to assist Walter Bishop in his revamped Harvard laboratory, Astrid's knowledge of cryptology, linguistics, and technology have proven vital to the Fringe Division's success. (Played by Jasika Nicole).

Philip Broyles - A high-ranking DHS agent in charge of the Fringe Division, Broyles is Olivia Dunham's immediate superior, who often intercedes on her behalf against beurocratic rivals like Sanford Harris. Broyles also has a mysterious, collaborative relationship with Nina Sharp. (Played by Lance Reddick).
John Scott - Olivia Dunham's deceased former partner, both professionally and romantically, John was killed on the run from authorities when he was exposed as a double-agent. But thanks to Walter's sensory deprivation tank, parts of John's consciousness crossed over into Olivia's mind, revealing his benevolent, undercover mission. (Played by Mark Valley).

The Story So Far

Each week, the Fringe Division deals with a new phenomenon: creatures, viruses, inexplicable objects and incidents. And at every single Pattern event, a mysterious man can be found watching in the background. He's known simply as the Observer.
In episode four, The Arrival, we learned that the Observer once saved Walter and Peter Bishop from drowning in an icy lake, ostensibly breaking his just-here-to-watch rules. The Observer also demonstrated the ability to hear the thoughts and feelings of people nearby.

In episode ten, Safe, FBI double-agent Mitchell Loeb uses a teleportation device invented by Walter Bishop to transport the mysterious Mr. Jones out of a high-security German prison. Mr. Jones is a powerful biotech terrorist with ties to something called ZFT.

In episode fourteen, Ability, we learn that ZFT is the German acronym for an obscure manuscript called Destruction by Advancement of Technology, an eschatological polemic that warns against the unchecked advancement of technology. According to the anonymous author, it will open doors to a parallel universe similar to our own, whose history is slightly more advanced. That the way to travel between these universes has been discovered, and that it will lead to the destruction of one. Us, or them. Mr. Jones forces Olivia Dunham to take a test (one of ten), to prove herself capable of the abilities necessary to participate in this "war" between universes, which reveals Olivia's apparent mental powers.

In the season 1 finale, There's More Than One of Everything, David Robert Jones returns to steal a power cell embedded in Nina's robotic arm, and then uses it to open up a portal between our reality and an alternate one. His motivation? To find William Bell in the alternate reality. Turns out, Jones used to work for Bell at Massive Dynamic, developed delusions of grandeur and practiced some unethical experiments, and was ultimately fired. Now he wants revenge.

Olivia, Peter, and Walter are able to stop Jones from crossing over. All seems well until Olivia's meeting with William Bell. When he stands her up, Olivia takes an elevator back down to the ground floor, but on the way, she somehow crosses over to the alternate reality. She finds William Bell in an office, and he has much to share. And here's the real kicker: his office is in the World Trade Center. In this reality, it's still standing!

Tune in tonight at 9/8c to see what happens next!

Fringe Endless Impossibilities Commercial in HD

Here is the new Fringe "New Cases. Endless Impossibilities." Commercial.

Head over to the FringeTelevision YouTube channel to watch it in full HD.

Happy Fringe Day!

It's been 128 days since the Season 1 finale of Fringe, but I believe tonight's episode is worth the wait.

If you are just joining us in the world of Fringe, tonight's episode will try to cover all the bases and explain who's who, but we will have our very own Fringe Season One summary coming soon. Plus, we'll have a "Fringe guide" that will let you dive deeper into the show's clues and mythology, so stay tuned!

Don't forget we'll be doing a live chat during and after the episode, so check back later for the details.

Thursday is going to be a tough night, with so many other great shows. I assume if you are reading this that you will be watching Fringe "live", but what show will you be missing (or Tivoing, as the case may be).

What show will you miss watching "live" now that Fringe is on Thusdays?

Alternate Realities In Fringe

Two new videos on the official Fringe website - Fox.com/Fringe - Fringe: A Tale Of Two Realities and Fringe: The Death Of Peter discuss parallel universes and how they affect Fringe.

Fringe Contest: Record the Mysteries of Your Life

Floyd’s 99 Barbershops is sponsoring a "Record the Mysteries of Your Life" sweepstakes, where you can win a Fringe branded Flip camcorder.

To enter, head over to FloydsBarberShop.com, and join the Floyd’s 99 Buzz Club before Novemebr 6th. Good luck!