Anna Torv in FRINGE - Season 4 - "Neither Here Nor There" | ©2011 Fox/Liane Hentscher

Stars: Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, John Noble, Lance Reddick, Blair Brown, Jasika Nicole, Seth Gabel, Michael Cerveris, Joe Flanigan, Michelle Krusiec
Writers: J.H. Wyman & Jeff Pinkner, story by Jeff Pinkner & J.H. Wyman & Akiva Goldsman
Director: Joe Chappelle
Network: Fox, Fridays @ 9 PM
Original Telecast: September 23, 2011

Where the heck is Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson)? Most of the characters aren’t wondering about this, as – since the end of last season – he never existed in either universe. At the outset of the season four premiere of FRINGE, “Neither Here Nor There,”  “our” Observer (Michael Cerveris), though, tells his compatriot that traces remain that should not exist. It is “our” Observer’s job to obliterate these traces.

Meanwhile, the two universes – now not in danger of destroying each other – are having a hard time co-existing. Olivia (Anna Torv) and Fauxlivia (also Torv) engage in some verbal sniping at one another while separating their belongings. It’s clear that while Peter wasn’t in the picture, Olivia was still held captive in the other universe and Fauxlivia impersonated her here, engendering all the resulting ill will that we recall.

FBI Special Agent Lincoln Lee (Seth Gabel), a single man, meets his married dad partner Robert (STARGATE: ATLANTIS‘ Joe Flanigan) at Robert’s house. The two chase down a suspect who has weird translucent skin. When Robert is killed by the suspect – and then his corpse develops weird translucent skin. The Fringe Division, headed up by Olivia, takes over, much to Lincoln’s frustration.

Lincoln winds up pushing his way into the investigation. Despite Olivia’s initial reluctance, she soon realizesLincoln’s value. The situation is complicated when it becomes evident that the translucent-skinned corpses, including Robert’s, are getting up and walking around, spreading their condition. Walter (John Noble) finds an Other Side device in one of the bodies.Lincoln, already heartbroken over the loss of his partner, is forced to shoot the translucent, undead Robert. Olivia and Broyles (Lance Reddick) inductLincolninto Fringe Division. Olivia then bringsLincolnto the Other Side, where she confronts Fauxlivia with the device. Fauxlivia won’t say whether this is something her team planted or not, just bears it away.

Meanwhile, the Observer is using cathode ray tubes to try to erase traces of Peter. Walter (acting much the same as he did when Peter existed) is very upset about a man he says he saw in a mirror. Everyone (including us viewers) thinks he is referring to himself or Walternate – until Walter turns off the television and sees Peter, who calls to Walter from the blank screen. When a guard comes in, Walter has smashed the television and is terrified of “the man.”

The new season of FRINGE is off to a pretty solid start and Gabel’s ever-so-slightly eccentric but great in the field Special Agent Lincoln Lee turns out to be a welcome addition. One huge question that should be addressed soon is, if Peter never existed, what caused this Walter to come unglued? The reason the Walter we knew gradually lost his mind was because of what happened with his son, who never existed. If FRINGE is using the term “never existed” to mean instead “died as a child,” this reviewer will be highly annoyed – the situation is complicated enough without using outright false terminology.

It is amusing to see the two Olivias quarreling with each other, and impressive to see how well Torv delineates one from the other (RINGER, take note). Noble, should this even need saying, brings gorgeous life and surprise to every moment he’s on screen.

Since the arc seems to be about where Peter is and getting other characters to understand they’re supposed to do something about this phantom man they don’t remember, there’s not much point in griping about missing Jackson’s character, at least, not yet. It’s intriguing to speculate on how the show will proceed with this mystery going forward, and “Neither Here Nor There” gives us good reason to tune in to see what’s next.

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Click on Link: TV Review – FRINGE – Season 4 premiere – “Alone in the World”

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Click on Link: AX’s review of the Fringe – Season 3 Finale – “The Day We Died”

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Article: TV Review – FRINGE – Season 4 premiere – “Neither Here Nor There”

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