Season 1 Episode 5 “Power Hungry” – Review
Score: 79/100
Fringe comes back out the stable after a week lay off with a bit of a whimper. The episode starts off with a down in the dumps, working class delivery boy that has confidence issues and an unhealthy crush on a woman he barely knows. Unusual things start happening to the electronics around him. This eventually leads to an unfortunate elevator accident that leaves four people dead. Since nothing in Boston happens accidentally anymore, our team is on the case. Dr. Bishop discovers that the accident is no accident. A human is causing random electromagnetic accidents by the name of Joseph Meegar (Ebon Moss-Bachrach). This leads us to this weeks Fringe science; human electro-magnetic altering, which amplifies the normal bio electricity found in humans. An evil doctor by the name of Jacob Fischer (Max Baker) was the brains behind the experiment and also hot on the trail of Mr. Meeger. The bad doctor is able to find Meeger first but our awesome team is able to track them down and save the day once again.
What makes Fringe a good show is the exciting climax of each episode and intrigue that each episode leaves for the next episode. This particular episode had neither. The ongoing relationship with Olivia and John is going in so many different directions that it’s becoming silly. I believe the writers are pushing their relationship for a dramatic climax, but I don’t need Olivia being lovestruck over a dead guy every episode. The other main characters were blah especially since both Peter’s and Walter’s storyline were becoming very interesting. I think it was a bad idea to not develop the characters of Peter and Walter after a week lay off. The climax in the episode was very anticlimactic and there was little foreshadowing for the next episode. Fringe needs to pull off some fireworks for the next few episodes to get some notice in a crowded fall season.
Star of the Show: Pigeons
Pigeons have gotten a bad wrap since we don’t need them anymore. Before telephones and a reliable postal service, pigeons were our way to communicate swiftly over far distances. Now we think of pigeons as dirty flying rats that we wish off the face of the Earth, but this episode gave the low bird on the totem pole a well deserved hug.
