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Tonight’s Pattern: Leaf, Flower, Hand, Leaf, Butterfly

  So that’s what liquefied brain looks like. Nice. I’ve always wondered what would happen when people used computers for murder, didn’t you? Ok, the thought didn’t cross my mind. I figured the computers would rise up and take over before we got to that point. I mean, they will eventually be smarter than us right? Who is saying the revolution hasn’t started? Wait, this isn’t a review for the Terminator is it? Sorry. Let’s just dive right into the new episode of Fringe full of mysterious notes, liquefied brains and a computer hand. Yes, a computer hand!

The episode opens on your average male teenager on his computer. Kids these days can’t do without chat, email and their online tools (ok, I can’t either). But something sinister lurks behind our necessity and in this episode it kills. Young Greg is chatting up girls and his best friend, Luke, when he gets a strange message: what is that noise? Now if something popped up and asked you to click it would you? I hate pop ups so I would probably try to get rid of it. Unfortunately, our first victim doesn’t and he goes into a trance watching a slew of images, sounds, and sights. It is like his brain had to watch and couldn’t look away. Then, reminiscent of a strange horror flick on SCI-FI a hand comes out of the computer and it lands on his head. You can see Greg crying so he knows something bad is going to happen. Now that is creepy! Just creepy!

I just wanted to interject right here that last week, I thought something might be going on with her sister, but it isn’t something too deep because everything seemed fine this time around. Her sister was just there. Why is she there? Doesn’t she have a job? I’m still trying to figure out the significance of their visit. Wow, Olivia’s sister says she is a liar in a sarcastic way and in reference to her daughter as well. Is that something alluding to her visit? What is she lying about? What does her sister think she lies about? Hm. Oh, that brings me back to my childhood, the game, Operation. I got relatively good at it and I always beat my sister, but that is probably because she was 8 and I was 12. It is also slightly ironic that they are playing operation around the brain and this episode is about the brain. Good one!

Now this is interesting! Peter finds a hand written note under the door of the Harvard lab and simply balls it up and throws it away. Did you see the look on his face? Without being too conspicuous, Astrid sees him, so then takes it out of the trash and reads it. Did you see the look on her face? What is in that note? Why would Peter throw it away when it is addressed to his father? So curious.

Back in the investigation, Olivia goes to visit the family after the incident and it seems there is no reason to hurt this innocent teenager. Olivia learns of Luke, Greg’s friend and then goes to talk to him at a garage. Luke is stunned so seemingly a dead end. But, back in the lab Walter finds that his brain matter was completely liquefied. Yuck. Why and how did this boy’s brains become liquid? What does it have to do with his computer, since the hard drive is totally fried? (Of course, we know what happened but not why.) Oh goodie, we get more information on the aloof Astrid, lab tech extraordinaire: she minored in computer science. She is trying to figure out what happened to the computer.

Now one victim is enough, but two? Another poor soul is found at a car dealership with brain matter coming out his nose. Is that the father of the victim Greg that works there with this man? I’m not sure. He says he is friends with the now dead salesman and they recently went to the strip club together. But now there are two victims with similar issues and both of their computer hard drives are fried. Why are people around this man dying? People he cares about at that! Who is targeting him?

Back at the lab: I haven’t heard that sound in ages either, Walter. No one these days has a phone that sounds like it is circa 1970. A phone? They have a phone? Who would have that number? Peter answers and says it was just a student looking for financial aid. Astrid gives Olivia a long look and after Peter is gone she shows Olivia the note. Olivia gives the audience a long look. So what, seriously, was in that letter and what is Peter hiding?

To get to the computer related problem, Peter takes the hard drives to a “friend”, Akeem, who admits he had never seen anything like it and would work on the problem. He finds that there is no way to find out where the signal/file is coming from but they can see who is downloading it next. Peter sees it is Olivia’s apartment and the race to her sister and niece begins. At the apartment, Ella, her niece is the one on the computer playing with a coloring book tool. How innocent, sweet. Why would they target her? Are they really trying to target Olivia who is trying to find them? Ella opens the program but Olivia gets there in time to stop the program but Ella, her niece, is frozen and won’t respond. Finally, she comes to and Olivia insists they take her to the hospital to make sure she doesn’t have any permanent damage. Ella swears she downloaded a file and then a hand was coming out of the computer. As she goes over what she saw, that is when Olivia sees the green camera light on, so she knows the killer is watching through a web cam. That is when we learn who it is: Luke’s father! But why? It is obvious Luke knows something is going on with his father because he asks if he has a job and why he is staying in this industrial warehouse. But, I don’t think he knows what his father is really up to. I’m sure that will be a shock. I mean, he killed his best friend!

Ok, so this Harris guy is really getting on my nerves. Why is this guy so gung-ho about shutting the operation down? First, Harris says this is CDC’s jurisdiction until Olivia admits she called them and they had never seen anything like it. Then, he goes on a rant about how Fringe unit is a rogue division operating outside regulations of the FBI and its guidelines. He says he is here to remedy that. Wow. You could see Olivia’s eyes squint a little in disgust. Then, after the investigation is closed he goes to Broyles and rants about HOW the whole investigation went down. Broyles tells Harris if he goes after Olivia, he goes after him. He is willing to stake his reputation and career on it. WOW! I heart Broyles. What I want to know is why does he trust Olivia so much? Does it have to do with that “committee” he is on? Who are they and what do they want with Olivia?

The team figures out that this computer program traps the brain in an endless loop, like a computer virus that infects humans. That makes sense! Unfortunately there is another victim and fortunately he is exactly the link they needed to solve the case. He is the step-father of Greg and the new husband of Luke’s mother.  They figure out that Greg’s father was Luke’s father’s boss and that Luke’s father got laid off at some point earlier.  So that’s the connection, a disgruntled ex-employee? That is an extreme if you ask me! He went and killed people around this guy, which hurts more than actually killing the target himself. So cruel! He must be crazy. So in the end, Olivia rounds up Luke and his father shoots himself in the head and that is that. All that after a gun stand-off. What fun. How sad.

So that is what the note is about. In the midst of this investigation, an older lady is standing outside of Harvard and Peter goes to talk to her. She wants to see Walter because she is the mother of the lab assistant that got killed in the lab accident that put Walter in the mental institution. Peter doesn’t want Walter to talk to her because he fears it will send him back over the edge. What a good son. Unfortunately, Olivia knows what is going on and weighs in on the matter. She thinks he should let Walter and Mrs. Warren talk. Olivia and Peter fight twice. But ultimately, Peter caves and Mrs. Warren and Walter talk. She doesn’t want to hurt Walter, she just wants closure and they share a hug and some kind words. Peter feels bad about how he treated Olivia so he goes to apologize in the last scene of the night. Peter admits that because of Olivia he has his father back and he didn’t want to lose him again. Awww, so sweet. But, I think I’m going to have to scream at the TV. Are they trying to connect Peter and Olivia’s sister up? Did you see that look they gave each other? NO! It is supposed to be Peter and Olivia, not her random, no-job sister! Ok, that wasn’t fair, but why is she there and why isn’t she working to support her daughter? Is she on vacation? Did I miss something? Just don’t put them together. Please?

I would like to take this moment to express that I’m so happy Fringe is doing well in the post American Idol time slot. It consistently does as well as 24 with about 12 million viewers. That gives me hope that good TV will someday catch on and people will stop watching reality TV and game shows. But, enough about that… I was watching something online at tvguide.com that had an interview with Jarred, who plays Mr. Jones. He was asked who his character was and he said he didn’t know. You know what I think, he is William Bell. If not, who else would have that much connection to Walter’s work? When do we get to see him again? Massive Dynamic (they have been eerily quiet)? C’mon JJ, where are my answers?