Fringe - "The Firefly" (3.10)

While I do really appreciate this episode (especially because of Christopher Lloyd's stellar performance as Roscoe Joyce), I do find myself a bit disappointed. I was hoping for a lot more development, a lot more information about the Observers, but all we really learn is that (1) the Observers are not human (something that I assumed but was not entirely sure of), (2) they are capable of bringing people with them when they travel (which is not all that surprising), and (3) they are capable of observing multiple futures (which is interesting but, again, not surprising). However, even though we now know that they are not human, we still don't know what they are, and we still don't know quite what they do. It is a really good episode, though, very action-packed and exciting, and I give it 8.5 Scattered Violet Sedan Chair Records. The first scene with Walter and Peter is absolutely hilarious. The look on Peter's face is priceless, and I love the song that's playing during the scene; Walter would play that. It's quite obvious from this scene, too, that even after everything, Peter still cares; he tells Walter that he doesn't want him to get hurt. We'll have to see how that plays out throughout the rest of the season.

Christopher Lloyd (again) was excellent in this episode, and the interaction between his character, Roscoe Joyce, and Walter is beyond memorable, to say the least. He has definitely aged a lot, since the last time I remember seeing him was in a Season 3 episode of Malcolm in the Middle, in which he played Hal's father, and he looks like he has aged about twenty years since. Lloyd's scenes are so powerful, and he is an incredible actor. To be honest, when I first discovered that he would be guest-starring on Fringe, I was a little apprehensive, because just about everything that I have seen him on (Dennis the Menace, Back to the Future, and Malcolm in the Middle), he is some sort of nut, and I didn't think that I would be able to take him seriously, but boy, was I ever able to take him seriously, because his performance was Emmy-worthy. I love how Walter can understand him and how there is a connection between the two men because they can relate to each other. I almost became angry with Olivia, though, when her cell phone interrupts Walter's procedure, but luckily, Joyce recalls the remainder of the memory after Olivia leaves.

I can't help but feel terribly sorry for Olivia, which is a large part of the reason why I can't be angry with her. I actually took the minute to find out whether or not the book that Peter gives Olivia as a gift, If You Meet the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him!, is a real book, and it is, in fact. I don't really know what it's about, but based on what Peter tells Olivia in this episode, it sounds, to me, like it is probably a non-fiction book that has something to do with finding yourself. However, Olivia is reluctant to accept the book, because it was intended for Bolivia, and she tells him that ever since she returned to this side, everything has seemed different, even Peter opening up to her. She says that the book is just a reminder of everything that she missed, all of the conversations that the two of them didn't have, and it's really sad. Darn Astrid for interrupting their conversation. There is also such a sweet Polivia scene in this episode, which is when they observe the elderly couple at the hospital. Overall, this is just an amazingly beautiful episode.

This episode is very Observer-centric, but (again), we don't really get too much insight regarding them, not insight that really helps me a whole lot. They don't seem to understand seasons, because September doesn't know what we call Autumn, a scene that is also very memorable. We also know that they are very strong, as September shows a physical strength that is possibly superhuman. We also see a small tattoo of a star on September's left wrist, and I'm convinced that it is related to the tattoo that we have seen on Redverse Olivia's neck (and now Olivia's neck). The look on September's face when he is apprehended near the end of the episode is priceless, but I was really hoping that Olivia and September would have a scene together, because we have never seen the two of them interact; instead, though, September interacts, again, with Peter, and he says to Peter, "It must be very difficult, being a father." The question is, what does he mean? Is he simply referring to Walter, or his Peter a daddy? I think that Peter is going to be a daddy, that Redverse Olivia is pregnant, but we'll find out, I'm sure. I also think that because of how quick September was in this episode, the Observers can teleport.

This episode is beyond decent, but it's definitely not my favorite of the season so far. I guess that I was just hoping for a lot more development. It's quite obvious that Olivia loves Peter, especially due to her panicking near the end of the episode when she thinks that Peter is dying, so that was a good development of their relationship, but other than that, I have, for the most part, always been disappointed by Observer-centric episodes, because while I am always hoping that we're finally going to find out what they are and what they want, we learn very little. I absolutely love Christopher Lloyd's character, though, and I want to add that I had an epiphany not too long ago. It hit me that in the deleted scene from "Over There," the Season 2 finale, Walternate tells Peter that Violet Sedan Chair had three albums, and Peter says that they only had one there. Now, we know that that is because Joyce's son didn't die over there, so he didn't break up the band. I really hope that we see Joyce again, and based on the final scene of this episode, it's obvious that this season is headed toward tragedy; I'm dreading it.