Reviewed by maroon5gurl88 on Mon April 13, 2009

The Story: Olivia, Peter and Walter return to solve the top secret mysteries of the world. This week they find a young boy living underground for several years. With the inability to speak the boy develops a deep, emotional bond to Olivia that allows him to feel what she’s feeling. When the boy reveals clues in the hunt for a serial killer it’s up to Olivia to keep the boy safe before being taken by covert government scientists.

Pros: It’s hard to believe Fringe has been on hiatus since February but in its return this episode brought the show back to a high standard, a standard that was missing from the last few episodes. The story isn’t the most bizarre, seemingly ripped from the pages of an X-Files episode, the return had a riveting story that I couldn’t wait to see unfold. Anna Torv has been slowly stretching her wings in terms of acting but this episode she hit it right out of the park. Her interactions with the young boy are heartbreaking and endearing, even more so when it’s followed up by her being with her sister and niece. I love how Olivia’s family life is seamlessly integrated into the plotlines and it’s becoming more a full part of the story. Peter and Walter return to their Odd Couple antics this week and Walter was nothing short of hysterical. Best scene had Walter dancing to Al Green in order to calm the boy down, closely followed by a scene in his bathrobe trying to convince Peter that Olivia’s seen a man in the nude before. Fringe always plays between slapstick and dark humor, here all the jokes worked and nothing ever felt out of place. The final scene with the young boy and the mysterious Observer was classic and seems to be setting off for a big payoff.

Cons: I thought this episode was incredibly strong but didn’t compare to the first few episodes when the season began. The plot screamed X-Files or something out of Supernatural, not the big Alias inspired plots from the beginning. While it was enjoyable it would have been nice to craft a totally unique and original plotline. The whole “government science experiment” angle seemed a bit unbelievable and I didn’t enjoy the actor playing the agent, he came off way too inexperienced and pompous even though the character called for it. While the plotline seems to be setting up for a big payoff in the end I’m starting to wonder if maybe the creators are creating too many strings and not enough conclusions for the end. So far no real answers have been given, only more questions. As shows like Lost and Heroes can attest to, not revealing enough will cause fans to drift away.

Overall: I thought this was a strong second half, hopefully fans will continue to be interested in the Fringies and what they’re up to. Great story and some wonderful acting from Anna Torv. I give this episode a 4.5/5.