Season 3 feels Fringe has finally reached it full potential, turning to full serialization and utilizing its alternate universe premise to its fullest, albeit mostly just in its first half.
Season 3 starts with an eight-episode long story arc about the events of last season's finale, as the two Olivias end up switching universe. The arc swaps between both the "Over Here" and "Over There" every episode, allowing for some strong character development for Olivia. Given how much of a focus Walter was last season, it's nice to see Olivia get some focus again. Despite this, even Peter, Walter, and Broyles (for both sides) get some great moments here as well, and I love how Walter gets to own Maximum Dynamics now. Even the "Over There" division was great, with Lincoln Lee being an entertaining new character, Fauxlivia being a joy to watch, and Alternate being a memorable and imposing villain. Generally, this story arc was pretty top-notch, with tons of strong emotional beats, entertaining case-of-the-weeks, and a finale that feels like it could end the season as a whole.
However, once Olivia returns to her own universe, the plot slows down a bit, resulting in a generally weaker second half for the season. There are some strong episodes here, but it lacked the same confidence and consistency as that first story arc. There are also a lot of weird plot directions like the fact that the fate of the universe depends on Peter's romantic decision, Fauxlivia having a baby, and Bell taking Olivia's body. The finale was particularly frustrating for me, as while I like the idea of blending the two universes together, Walternate changing his tune felt rushed, many previously set-up plot ideas like the aforementioned romantic decision were dropped, and most of the finale took place in a "What If?" future that Peter had just prevented. Thankfully, the cases-of-the-week were still incredibly unique and strong, and there are still enough strong character moments, standalones, and mythology reveals that this stretch of episodes was still enjoyable enough.
There are a lot of notable episodes this season, but here are some of the best:
The Plateau: This was the first case-of-the-week to take place in the "Over There" and it was a lot of fun. Not only did we get to see this new Fringe Division interact and work on a case together, but the case itself was incredibly unique, being about a guy who can predict the future and cause these Rube Goldberg-esque chain reactions to escape unscathed.
Entrada: An absolutely perfect final episode for that first story arc, as the combination of Olivia's frantic escape from the "Over There" and Fauxlivia trying to evade the Fringe team led to a fast-paced and action-packed episode. Alternate Peter Broyles also gets an amazing character arc and a tragic end.
The Marionette: A terrifying and devastating denouement to the already amazing Entrada, focusing around Olivia struggling to adjust to her old life. The case of the week also left me stunned that it was allowed to air with how scary and gory it was.
Subject 13: While not as good as Peter, I thought this flashback episode was still pretty great. We finally get to see how the cortexiphan trials worked, along with a surprisingly sad and affecting backstory for Olivia. The child actors for Olivia, Nick, and Peter were actually really good, which made the episode all the more tolerable.
Lysergic Acid Diethylamide: Is this episode weird? Yeah. Is the animation bad? Kinda. But it's still one of the most visually unique, creative structured, and well-balanced episodes in the whole series, stuffed with fun character interactions, entertaining setpieces, and a great exploration of Olivia's character.
Overall, while Season 3 was the best season of Fringe so far, it was mostly relegated to that amazing first half, with its amazing cases-of-the-week and strong alternate universe storyline. The second half of the season, while still solid, did have some baffling plot decisions and wastes of potential that left me feeling cold by the end of the season.
4/5 Stars
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