It was always going to be a difficult task to eclipse--or even just match, really--Season Three of Fringe. I consider that slate of episodes to be one of the greatest in TV drama history. While there are times that Season Four reaches those heights, it is ultimately a bit too uneven to sustain it over a full 20+ episodes.
The main through-line of this season picks up right where S3 left off: a bridge between the two universes has been created, and Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson) is nowhere to be found (or even remembered). This creates an entirely new universe--the "Amber-verse"--in which Peter never existed.
On one hand, this sort of universe-reset opened up a number of interesting storytelling opportunities. It allowed the show to go back in time a bit and remember how certain characters were before everything got so quantum-ly entangled.
On the other hand, however, such opportunities were not allowed to play out naturally or fully satisfyingly for a number of reasons. Not only did the writing crew again really slow-play the first third of the season, but being in limbo in terms of a 5th-season pickup seemed to often kill any momentum that was gained. For example, a magnificent string of mid-season episodes that set up a remarkable Peter/Olivia (Anna Torv) character arc was quickly and awkwardly tossed aside for other material. There were numerous moments in which it was obvious that the inability to know their future fate was hamstringing the plot/character arcs in this season.
That being said, there were enough classic Fringe moments here to have it be a really solid season (my second-favorite overall to this point)...
-Some great material involving the double Astrids (Jasika Nicole).
-An episode focusing on Colonel Broyles (Lance Reddick) almost guaranteed to bring a tear to your eye.
-The return of David Robert Jones (Jared Harris), probably the best single villain the show ever cultivated.
-Continued brilliance from Walter Bishop (John Noble), whose character and acting performance steals the show on multiple occasions yet again. Time and time again, his emotional expressions save scenes and create emotion in and of themselves.
In a sense, it is a bit of a frustration that Fringe ultimately was renewed for a final season so late in this season's run. With more lead time from a writing & character perspective, I have no doubt this could have been a 9/10 star effort. But even so, Season Four actually plays out better in a re-watch capacity than it did live. Without the awkward breaks (for baseball, winter, March, etc.), I at least had an easier time understanding what the show-runners were trying to accomplish.
The main through-line of this season picks up right where S3 left off: a bridge between the two universes has been created, and Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson) is nowhere to be found (or even remembered). This creates an entirely new universe--the "Amber-verse"--in which Peter never existed.
On one hand, this sort of universe-reset opened up a number of interesting storytelling opportunities. It allowed the show to go back in time a bit and remember how certain characters were before everything got so quantum-ly entangled.
On the other hand, however, such opportunities were not allowed to play out naturally or fully satisfyingly for a number of reasons. Not only did the writing crew again really slow-play the first third of the season, but being in limbo in terms of a 5th-season pickup seemed to often kill any momentum that was gained. For example, a magnificent string of mid-season episodes that set up a remarkable Peter/Olivia (Anna Torv) character arc was quickly and awkwardly tossed aside for other material. There were numerous moments in which it was obvious that the inability to know their future fate was hamstringing the plot/character arcs in this season.
That being said, there were enough classic Fringe moments here to have it be a really solid season (my second-favorite overall to this point)...
-Some great material involving the double Astrids (Jasika Nicole).
-An episode focusing on Colonel Broyles (Lance Reddick) almost guaranteed to bring a tear to your eye.
-The return of David Robert Jones (Jared Harris), probably the best single villain the show ever cultivated.
-Continued brilliance from Walter Bishop (John Noble), whose character and acting performance steals the show on multiple occasions yet again. Time and time again, his emotional expressions save scenes and create emotion in and of themselves.
In a sense, it is a bit of a frustration that Fringe ultimately was renewed for a final season so late in this season's run. With more lead time from a writing & character perspective, I have no doubt this could have been a 9/10 star effort. But even so, Season Four actually plays out better in a re-watch capacity than it did live. Without the awkward breaks (for baseball, winter, March, etc.), I at least had an easier time understanding what the show-runners were trying to accomplish.