Fringe: "Everything in its Right Place" Review

Warning: Full spoilers for the episode follow...

Ah, things just don't get easier for poor Lincoln. It has been said that it is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all, but anyone who has been through it can tell you that's a load of crap. It sucks, and Lincoln's story beautifully portrays how you have to get through it.

It's been a while since we've been "over there". The alternate universe storyline kind of took a back seat to Peter's story for most of this season, but now that the Peter stuff is resolved, we've got more time to visit our old friends and see what they've been up to. Fauxlivia is charming and fun, and the alt-universe is actually getting better. The story is packed with little tidbits that further flesh out our characters and the worlds they live in. Apparently there's no Batman in the alternate universe, and Mantis was the vigilante of choice (comic book fans surely got a kick out of that one). Lincoln's middle name is Tyrone, further proving that the guy is just destined to have the worst luck (no offense to all the Tyrones out there), and alt-universe President Millard Fillmore got his face on the currency. Little details like this help make the world and the characters feel more complete, and I'm glad Fringe still takes the time to take care of the little things.

- FOX

There's a big change in tone in the alt-universe this time as the gaping holes in the fabric of space and time seem to be healing. Usually stories in this universe were full of ominous portent and impending doom, but this time things seem almost...upbeat. Except, of course, for the crazy creepy shapeshifter guy going around snatching bodies in a way we haven't seen before (and with different motivations). Just when it seemed like Fringe had wrung out all the juice it could get from the shapeshifter concept, the creative team comes up with a new twist that makes things a little interesting again.

Still, I couldn't help but feel that this is another "mystery of the week" that fails to make much of an impact by itself. It's just not that compelling of a story, but it does serve as a great plot device to reveal more about our main characters. In this case, it's Lincoln who gets the spotlight. The plot does get a little heavy-handed at times, especially in the scene were Lincoln makes our perp turn sides by pointing out how he has to be the one who defines who he is. The parallels to Lincoln's own life are very obvious, and maybe a little more subtlety would have served the story better. Despite that bit of overbearing storytelling, by the time the episode is over I did really feel for poor Lincoln (both of them), and I'm quite happy with what the writers have done with the character. They gave Seth Gabel a chance to basically be the star for one episode, and he proved that Fringe can indeed work without Peter, Olivia, and Walter in the forefront all the time. I just wish Jasika Nicole had gotten the same consideration in the Astrid episode that ended up not really being an Astrid episode (this season's "Making Angels").

By the end of the story, Lincoln has found a new Olivia to hang out with, Nina #2 is in custody (which will surely pay dividends later), and Walter and Peter have a new shapeshifter dude to experiment with in a seemingly "happy" ending for our guy Canaan. But it's all a little too neat for my tastes. Canaan turns sides and gets a simple pardon for killing all those people? Really?

But I still give bonus points to this episode for changing the usual formula a bit while simultaneously moving the story forward. The only thing missing was a little sample of a certain Radiohead song...

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