From the category archives:
Like the ghost of John Scott, today’s rewatch sees us revisit episode 5 of season 1, “Power Hungry”. The plan? To fill our wool socks with as many new perspectives as we can muster, while sowing up the remaining mysteries.
We are renaming this episode “Electric Standalone”. Will we ever stop vandalizing episode titles?
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Synopsis: When it’s discovered that a rather simple man has the ability to harness electricity, dangerous and deadly occurrences follow, and our unlikely trio investigates this super-charged oddity. Meanwhile, Olivia has a high-voltage encounter of a different kind when she is rocked by a blast from her past, and Dr. Bishop turns to his feathered friends and enlists homing pigeons to help him break the case in the “Power Hungry” episode of FRINGE
General Thoughts: This episode held up a lot better than I expected it to. The premise is perhaps the most believable of the first 5 episodes, giving it extra relevance.
Below the jump I share my new observations and perspectives, explore the unresolved mysteries, highlight the mysteries closed by information gained in this episode and cap it off with my final thoughts on this episode retrospective.
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The Fringemunks recap last weeks ‘Power Hungry’ episode of Fringe, like only the Fringemunks can, with their ‘mash-up’ parody of REO Speedwagon’s “Can’t Fight This Feeling Anymore” and “Hooked on A Feeling” by Thomas and Blue Swede:
Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.
[Lyrics]
You can check out REO Speedwagon’s original ’Can’t Fight This Feeling Anymore’ here and “The Hoff’s” interpretation of ‘Hooked on A Feeling’ here. Warning, plenty of cheese on that last link.
Thanks once again to David Wu (AkA The Marked Mouse) and DavidWuMusic.com. You can download the Fringemunks ‘Power Hungry’ recap parody here.
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Spoiler Alert!
Jasika Nicole who portrays Astrid (what’s my name?) Farnsworth on the show, has been speaking to TV Guide about Fringe.
It’s a nice interview, among the things she talks about: how good it is working with John Noble, how Astrid might be having a meatier role in future episodes, her thoughts on who the elusive William Bell might be. Perhaps most interestingly to us, she also reveals that there was a reason why Astrid came back to the lab after Walter had drugged her and that we’ll find out why in a future episode. YIPPEE! Anyways, you can read the interview below:
TVGuide.com: So what’s coming up for Astrid? Will she have a larger role in future episodes?
Nicole: She’s always doing a lot of lab work, always doing a lot of filing and interjecting at appropriate moments. Episode 107 [which airs on Nov. 11] is really intense. Astrid has to commandeer this weird line that they’re crossing. It involves one of the members of the team directly, and then someone outside of the team, and they’re trying to bridge a gap. It’s similar to when Olivia was in the tank and she [communicated with John].
TVGuide.com: Do you have a backstory for Astrid?
Nicole: So far I’ve learned that she’s really, really smart, has a brain for science even though that isn’t what she studied. I found out recently that Astrid majored in music. I have a background in musical theater, and J.J. Abrams asked me about it once, and so now Astrid has it too. I was like, “Oh Lord, I’m going to be singing Broadway tunes.” John Noble and I have been planning that since Day 1. We’re so excited for that one.TVGuide.com: Tell me about working with John.
Nicole: John is the funniest guy. I thought he would be very serious, and I was intimidated when I first met him, and I’m pretty sure he made fun of me because, you know, he likes to keep the mood light. Seeing him work is fascinating; it’s like taking a master class. I just like to sit back and watch how he processes information and take notes. He’s able to do a scene a million different ways within the span of five minutes because he’s so able to connect with the artistic vision everyone has for this show.TVGuide.com: But why can’t Dr. Bishop ever remember Astrid’s name?
Nicole: I wonder if it just started out as one joke, and it just ended up being so charming and funny that they kept it going. It’s hard for me not to laugh; John’s reading on it is so funny. We have this running joke where we’re always trying to think of new names for Astrid. We were rehearsing a scene the other day and he called me “Afro,” and I died. I fell on the floor laughing. He’s also called me “Aspirin” and “Ostrich.”TVGuide.com: And when he finally does pay attention to her, he attacks and sedates her. Why do you think Astrid came back to the lab?
Nicole: At first, it was discouraging that they didn’t put anything in that told you why Astrid returned. But I think that it sets up something to happen later. You’re going to find out exactly why she came back. She is integral to helping the team save these people’s lives — to save the world. Her heart tells her to keep doing it even though her brain is saying, “You’ve got to get out of here.”TVGuide.com: Personally, I think that Astrid is much more than she appears, that maybe she has some kind of special skill or power that’s related to Dr. Bishop’s work.
Nicole: I think that is very, very possible. The best theory I heard so far is that I am William Bell.
Read entire interview here. Check out Jasika’s official website here.
I gotta say, it’s great to see that Jasika wasn’t best pleased with the fact that Astrid forgave Walter so soon and with no explanation as to why and how. It’s also nice that they asked her that question, as that’s exactly what we would have asked her. As for Astrid being William Bell, I think I’ll eat the Observer’s hat if that turns out to be the case. Astrid the undercover spy, yes. Astrid the owner of Massive Dynamic and former colleague of Walter, doubtful. Although, perhaps that could explain why he’s always forgetting her name, because she’s not one person, but two? Start the Twilight Zone music. *do do do do do do do do*
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The episodic format of Fringe is rather frustrating as it means that we can’t always expect to have events from the previous episodes referenced in the current episode. In recent episodes we’ve witnessed potentially important events, which have so far failed to be acknowledged or referenced in the episodes that follow.
Like, what happened to John Mosely’s (Rouge) pulse gun that was last seen leaving the foot of Olivia as she kicked it away from his smiling corpse? This is potentially useful information – where and what ‘time’ did the gun come from and was it made by Massive Dynamic, are just a few of the questions that spring to mind.
Another plot-line which has so far failed to be acknowledged satisfactorily, concerns Walter attacking and injecting Astrid with God knows what, the young rookie was rightfully pissed with him, in fact she could barely look at him when he went to apologise to her. By the time that we see them in the next episode, they’ve apparently kissed and made-up again, the only sign of resentment from Astrid was her “rats with wings” retort. So what happened off-screen, did Walter serenade her into forgiving him, or is Astrid just as forgetful as Walter? I would have liked to have seen how they resolved their broken relationship. Even more than that I would have liked to have seen Astrid make Walter suffer a bit longer before forgiving him – she needs some lines right? Drawing out her resentment for a few episodes would have given her more involvement.
The one that really bothers me though is Clause Penrose. I’m fine with him escaping into the night, I’m even fine with him escaping into the night, leaving a trail of blood from the bullet wound and still leaving the FBI clueless. But I want some carry-over. He’s still out there at large, possibly cultivating more creepy Christopher’s as we speak, the very least I expect is for someone to mention him. Perhaps Peter can give us a snarky throw-away line, or Broyles can gravely express his concern that too many of their targets are escaping, getting killed or exploding back through the earth.
I guess we have to accept that a lot of these ‘discussions’ will happen off-screen, which to be fair, happens a lot in “Lost”. I’m fine with that, the writers can’t bog the story down with every detail. But in “Lost” you get the sense that these fairly important things will eventually be referred to again – yes, even the black and white stones that are probably still in Jack’s sweaty pocket!
I love Fringe, the creators are doing a very good job, but for the show to remain credible and trust-worthy in the long-run, we need important elements to have more continuity in the subsequent episodes. Like Peter’s battered and bruised face in “Power Hungry”. Now that was great continuity – more of THAT please!
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Who was your favourite character in episode 1.05? Did Walter float your root beer? Perhaps Olivia won you over? Maybe John Scott spooked you into submission? Whoever caught your eye in this episode, vote for your “Power Hungry” Fringie of the week using the poll below!
Loading ...Here are the scores prior to episode 1.05: Walter 3, Peter 2, Olivia 1, The Observer 1. The results for this poll will be taken before episode 1.06 airs on Tuesday October 21 – make your vote count!
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Here’s our easteregg and clues round-up for episode 1.05 – “Power Hungry”.
I’ll Be Watching You
The Observer kept up his record of appearing in every episode so far when he stepped out of the elevator just before Joseph Meegar entered. Notice how he’s eyeing up Joseph, indicating that he knows Joseph is the source of the next “Pattern” event.
Unlock Your Hidden
The “Unlock Your Hidden Potential” poster was the “Power Hungry” clue that was planted in the previous episode. We get two good looks at the advertisement and the other ads that could also be related to ‘off the grid clinics’ luring people into human experimentation procedures.
A Steaming Mug Of INtREPUS
It is believed that the clue for next weeks episode 1.06 is on the red mug with the word INtREPUS. According to the fans at Fringe-Forum, INtREPUS stands for “Interfere” or “Hot-blooded”. If they’re correct then episode 1.06 will have something to do with ‘hot’ ‘blood’.
Powder Up
This is a fun observation. The word “powder” is written on the box (A). There’s actually a film of the same name which is about a guy who can control electricity - kinda like our friend Joseph Meegar. But the real fun comes from the observable similarities between Powder‘s Jeremy “Powder” Reed (inset – B) and The Observer from Fringe. Take a look!
I Can See A Rainbow
The ‘green, green, green, red’ pattern also made another appearance in this episode – this time in the flares from Olivia’s flashlight. Here’s a screencap of the other appearances.
What Do We Do? LOLz, What Don’t We Do!
Massive Dynamic may have been absent again from this latest episode – except just like episode 1.04, their logo appeared in the background. This time on a poster in Jacob Fischer’s clinic. Does this link Fischer to Massive Dynamic?
We Blue-It Would Happen
Another favourite also made it’s appearance in this episode – the blue lights which have appeared in the majority of the previous episodes made a blinding return during Olivia’s chase with Joseph Meegar. You can find more info and speculation on the blue light phenomenon here.
Thanks once again to the Fringe-Forum community for many of the screencaps and information used in this post!
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“Power Hungry” confirmed my speculation regarding how the very dead John Scott was very much alive in Olivia’s head – the synaptic transfer that the pair went through in the pilot episode left a permanent imprint on Olivia’s mind, giving him access to her consciousness and presumably allowing her access to his.
But this is Fringe and very rarely is anything without a further twist. Two key scenes at the end of the “Pilot” and “The Ghost Network” serve as a massive reminder of the larger players at work – Nina Sharp and her Massive Dynamic corporation have John Scott’s dead body and they’ve been doing things with his mind. Assuming that the encryption key, given to Nina by Phillip Broyles, has given them access and perhaps control over John Scott’s mind (a part of which now resides in Olivia’s), could it be that the John Scott that has been interacting with Olivia is nothing more than a ‘puppet’ being operated from afar by Nina Sharp in order to manipulate her? Did Nina sabotage her speculated ‘business associate’, Jacob Fischer, by using ‘John Scott’ to help assist Olivia in his capture, in order to find out how and why Olivia is so connected to “The Pattern”?
With the second coming of Agent Scott possibly being directed and controlled by Nina Sharp, can Olivia ever really trust him again?
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Here’s our short and sweet ‘Good and Bad’ review for episode 1.05 “Power Hungry”.
The Good:
1). Great music – the show is sounding more like LOST now and that’s never a bad thing.
2). Olivia – this was a fairly Olivia centric episode with Peter and Walter seeming to have less screen time than in previous episodes. Whilst we love the Bishop boys, we also love Olivia who is so committed to getting what she wants, but she’s not a hard-ass, she’s got a nice way about her and genuinely wants to help others whilst trying to figure out where she fits in all of the madness around her. We’re slowly becoming invested in her.
3). Walter. He seemed to have less screen time in this episode but there are three scenes in this episode which we just love. The first one is the ‘wool socks’ moment, when he does his shuffle dance only to shock Peter (LOL). Then there was his sheer childish enthusiasm over his pigeon plan coming to fruition, and finally the scene where he almost remembered Astrid’s name. Maybe next week?
4).The clues and eastereggs. I love the way in which each episode has at least one intentionally hidden clue which relates to the next episode. Not only are the characters in show working on ‘the pattern’, but the avid viewers are too. It’s this kind of interactivity and viewer involvement that set’s Abrams shows apart from the rest of TV land.
5). John Scott – it’s good to have him back and I like where they could go with this storyline. His return has also allowed us to see more depth and emotion from Olivia.
6). The Observer – YAY! I want his hat.
7). No Massive Dynamic (apart from a poster) and the episode still has a sense of mystery and mythology.
8). The opening and closing 5 minutes of this episode (and every episode so far) dazzled.
The Bad
1). Most of us here feel that the episodic format held the episode back from being what it could have been. Whilst we really rate this episode, it’s clear that a more serialized approach would give the show better continuity and more depth.
2).Astrid still feels like a bit of a spare wheel at times, although we like the character as she brings a youthful vibe and optimism to the team, she doesn’t actually do very much does she? Sometimes it feels like what she does do is simply for the sake of giving her something to do. Also, I wasn’t best pleased to see that she had already forgiven Walter for injecting her in the previous episode – which, according to references made in the episode, was only the day before. So in the space of 24 hours, Astrid’s only sign of resentment towards Walter for injecting her, was to snap at him about his beloved pigeons being “rats with wings”. Yeah, that’ll teach him for injecting you! Either she must have a reeeal soft spot for Walter or she’s a bit of a push over. That said, who doesn’t have a soft spot for Walter, and we do like Jasika Nicole.
3).It seems that every episode ends with Olivia chasing someone and Peter sneaking up on someone. Sure she’s an FBI agent and he never does what he’s told, but the writers have to mix the formula up a little bit – and let there be consequences for chasing after people. Remember the season two finale of LOST, when stubborn Jack and company went after “The Others”? They got caught owned and were taken prisoner (Muahaha!) - although not everyone enjoyed the following six episodes, it did open up a whole new direction for the show and reminded us that you don’t go chasing after what you don’t understand and always expect to come out on top!
Overall rating: 8/10 (probably closer to 7.5, but overall this was probably the second best episode so far and we can’t rate it lower than the others). Our main problems relate to the sometimes predictable format and the episodic nature of the show. The show is definitely cooking on gas but we feel that it could be even better with some slight adjustments. Wow, I sound like Jacob Fischer, Eek!
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