Fringe: "Subject 13"
Feb. 25th, 2011 09:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
icepixieI spent the entire episode waiting for an explanation as to why neither Olivia nor Peter remembers these rather important events which happened when they were definitely old enough to understand what was going on. I figured an experiment would go awry and leave them with some kind of amnesia, or there would be some kind of plausible explanation for why Olivia didn't remember Walter when she met him if he'd been experimenting on her for six years, ages three to nine (at least!). And earlier, I bought Peter not remembering his trip across universes and attributing weird memories to the illness, but now...apparently he knew all along?
WTF, Fringe. I don't mind retconning an odd fact here and there, but this was egregious.
And it didn't actually do much, for all that it screwed with plausibility. There were some nice emotional moments, I suppose, but beyond that, it didn't accomplish a lot. I guess it's sort of ironic that Ourlivia was the one to tell Walternate where Peter was, and now we know that Walter also drew some kind of line in regards to children's safety before he had his brain scrambled. And we saw Walternate's marriage breaking apart, which frankly was something I could have filled in myself and didn't really need to see on screen.
Did Olivia's "imagine it and it can happen" thing appear earlier, or is it new? (Er, old. You know what I mean.) 'Cause I can see where that might be useful, although it edges closer to fantasy/magic than Fringe usually does, which I don't really love, but whatever; maybe there's some kind of techy explanation forthcoming when they eventually use it in the current timeline (and you know they will).
WTF, Fringe. I don't mind retconning an odd fact here and there, but this was egregious.
And it didn't actually do much, for all that it screwed with plausibility. There were some nice emotional moments, I suppose, but beyond that, it didn't accomplish a lot. I guess it's sort of ironic that Ourlivia was the one to tell Walternate where Peter was, and now we know that Walter also drew some kind of line in regards to children's safety before he had his brain scrambled. And we saw Walternate's marriage breaking apart, which frankly was something I could have filled in myself and didn't really need to see on screen.
Did Olivia's "imagine it and it can happen" thing appear earlier, or is it new? (Er, old. You know what I mean.) 'Cause I can see where that might be useful, although it edges closer to fantasy/magic than Fringe usually does, which I don't really love, but whatever; maybe there's some kind of techy explanation forthcoming when they eventually use it in the current timeline (and you know they will).
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no subject
Date: 2011-02-26 03:33 am (UTC)Peter I can understand just shutting off the 'wrong' memories to protect his poor, scrambled little brain, but neither he nor Olivia have any memory of any of this...WHY?
My sister and I have classified this episode as "fanfic with good characterizations but implausible." We've decided it never happened.
*SIGH*
no subject
Date: 2011-02-26 04:40 am (UTC)I like that classification. I can't decide if I want them to go back and reveal how both Peter and Olivia forgot all about this or if I want them to just leave it mysterious--it would be satisfying to get the explanation, but this episode bored the crap out of me and I don't want another like it.
no subject
Date: 2011-06-07 01:11 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2011-06-07 05:54 pm (UTC)It is indeed the uncanon one. I disbelieve in its existence. There's another I've declared not uncanon, exactly, because it doesn't do stupid ret-connish stuff, but it is IMO rather pointless except for the last five seconds.
I kept waiting for it to find its point, but... no.
My thoughts exactly.
I can only assume that these events took place right before whatever event gave Peter and Olivia their respective amnesias.
I was wondering if it would end with blows to the head for both of them, because SERIOUSLY, SHOW, WAY TO RET-CON. BADLY.
no subject
Date: 2011-06-09 03:55 am (UTC)Lol, that totally would've helped things!