‘Fringe’ 3.03 Recap: “Real Is a Matter of Perception”

I’ve got to say, I’m liking the structure of the current season of ‘Fringe’. While the show is still doing case-of-the-week storylines, episodes are alternating back and forth between our world and the parallel universe. In one, Olivia’s evil twin (Fauxlivia) has taken Olivia’s place and is pretending to be her. In the other, the real Olivia has been brainwashed to believe that she’s Fauxlivia, and is living out that life in the alternate dimension. Both continue to investigate the paranormal as if nothing had happened. This lets the series continue with its usual formula, and yet puts a very interesting spin on it at the same time.

Last week’s episode, ‘The Plateau’, is set entirely on the Other Side. If the opening teaser doesn’t make that clear, the red credits are an instant giveaway. Once again, the little details that distinguish the other world from ours are some of the most interesting bits. A homeless man wears a sign that he’s an “Aruba War Vet.” Throughout the city, there are random patches of toxic atmosphere; most of the characters have to carry around portable emergency rebreather masks (basically, fancy asthma inhalers). And, for whatever reason, ballpoint pens are an extreme rarity. Everyone goggles in amazement when they see one.

It’s a simple blue pen that sets the episode’s plot in motion. A strange man has been staging elaborate Rube Goldberg-style chain-of-events – always starting with a blue pen – that lead to the deaths of specifically targeted people, usually by getting hit by a bus. At first glance, these look like straightforward accidents. But the coincidences that pile up defy probability. That’s when the Fringe team is called in.

The perpetrator was a mentally-retarded man named Milo with an extremely low IQ. I say “was” because he’s not anymore. After participating in an experimental drug trial, his brain has been supercharged beyond normal human capacity. Now he’s a savant with an amazing ability to calculate statistics and probabilities to determine the outcome of any course of action. He can see every variable and accurately predict exactly what will happen in precise detail. Hence: a blue pen rolls off a mailbox, a man at a café spots it and bends to pick it up, a bicyclist swerves to avoid the man – and so forth until, ultimately, the target blindly steps out into the street and is splattered by a bus. The victims are people who would be responsible for reverting Milo back to his original state after the trial is finished.

In the midst of all this, Olivia – still believing herself to be Fauxlivia – has been having visions of Peter and Walter that she doesn’t understand. It seems that her real mind is intruding into the false identity imprinted on top of it. She eventually catches Milo through a fluke. When chasing him into a toxic zone, she fails to stop and put on her rebreather mask. Being from our dimension, she doesn’t know that protocol. This makes her actions unpredictable

The episode has a very sad ending. Milo is institutionalized when he ceases to be able to communicate with human beings. His brain has continued to evolve so quickly that he can only interact with computers. He sits and rocks, watching a high-speed stream of data flash by on a monitor all day.

In the final scene, Olivia has one more vision of Peter. This one talks to her, tries to tell her that she’s not the person she thinks she is, and even kisses her. It’s enough to finally make her doubt herself.

1 comment

  1. Brandon Erwin

    I’ve been a HUGE fan of this show since it’s first episode. I’m happy it’s made it so far. I was a little worried it would be cancelled after season two. Luckily it seems to be redeeming itself here lately. I’m surprised it has such a “small” fan base when compared to some of the new shows being broadcast.

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