Fringe (Season 4)

I think it's needless to say that Season 3 was kind of bonkers, especially its ending that basically served as a soft reboot. Changing a show this drastically is always bound to be divisive, but I think Season 4's back-to-basics approach led to the most well-paced and structured season in the whole show.

I enjoyed Season 3 as much as the next guy, but I think the latter half of the season got too ridiculous and convoluted at times, which is why I was actually excited for this entirely new universe for the show, which bridged the blue and red universe together and removed everyone's memories of Peter. While I definitely understand why such a drastic shift would put some people up, I personally thought this was a breath of fresh air for the series, and it managed to introduce some unique conflicts when Peter manages to return. Best of all, the shapeshifters plot finally made progress as we learn that they're headed by David Robert Jones, who's even better than he was in Season 1. The pacing of Season 4 is pretty much perfect, going back to Season 1's method of juggling standalones and plot-heavy episodes. Pretty much every mythology episode had a unique plot twist, while the cases-of-the-weeks were just as creative as in Season 3. As a result, Season 4 feels like the most consistently strong season of Fringe yet as it slowly but surely built up to a strong conclusion.

The character work in Season 4 was probably the best it has ever been. Characters like Astrid, Nina and Lincoln finally get episodes to themselves, and they were both genuinely great. The red and blue universes got more time to interact than ever, resulting in tons of memorable character interactions (Walter's dynamic with Fauxlivia is especially hilarious). Given how heavy the mythology was last season, I like that this season put the focus back on the characters. Despite this, between the shapeshifters conflict, the Observers mystery, and the return of Peter, there's still a lot of fun myths and plot threads to sink your teeth into, all of which get resolved by the finale since this was originally intended to end the series as a whole. Given how Season 3 had started to lose me a bit towards the end, the blend of strong character work, intriguing mythology, consistent quality, and solid pacing made Season 4 feel like everything I've ever wanted from the show.

There were a lot of great episodes here, but some of my favorites include:

Subject 9: This episode was actually a lot of fun! It's neat to see an episode that's pretty much entirely focused on Olivia's dynamic with Walter, and the main storyline perfectly blended cortexiphan lore and a strong case-of-the-week featuring none other than Black Panther as a guest star. And not to mention that awesome ending where Peter reappears.

Back To Where You've Never Been: The sheer plot twist insanity of this episode was amazing. The first two-thirds was a thrilling adventure into the "Over There" with Peter and Lincoln, but those last fifteen minutes packed tons of insane revelations about the shapeshifters, Olivia, and who this season's villain will be: David Robert Jones. And that's not even mentioning what happened in the follow-up episode... 

Enemy Of My Enemy: David Robert Jones is such an amazing villain in this episode, between his interrogation scene, his colder-than-usual personality, and that hilarious "free money" scene. Even more, this episode has the long-awaited reunion between Walter and Walternate's wife, and finally, a teamup between the red and blue universes against a common foe. I didn't know how to feel about Nina Sharp potentially being a bad guy at first, but it was still a pretty excellent twist.

Welcome To Westfield: This episode was a great blend of standalone and mythology, with a fun Twilight Zone-esque case that has an intriguing relation to David Robert Jones's plot. Even more, the ending has Olivia regaining her old memories, a sign that things are starting to return back to normal.

The End Of All Things: Nina episode! First, I'd like to say how relieved I was that Nina wasn't actually a villain, rather it was her alternate self. But aside from that, all of David Robert Jones's scenes were incredibly intense and has some crazy call-backs to Season 1. Even more, we finally learn what the Observers are, what happened with Peter, and how everything ties together. It's the mythology we needed answers to after seasons worth of waiting.

Letters Of Transit: It was an odd choice for an episode to suddenly stop the story arc and set up Season 5 like this, but I think the experiment worked. The world building of the Observer's takeover was satisfying, and both Simon (as played by none other than Desmond!) and Etta were surprisingly likable characters. 

Worlds Apart/Brave New World: I was a bit disappointed with the tidy conclusion, but the sheer abundance of emotional beats throughout these last two episodes of the season definitely made up for it. The closing of the bridge was a very memorable moment, as was the reveal that Bell is the villain, the climactic final battle, and the fairly happy ending. It wasn't the best Fringe season ending, but it was a satisfying resolution to both Season 4 and the show as a whole. 

Overall, I was incredibly surprised to find that I adored Season 4. It may not have reached the high points of late-Season-2/early-Season-3, but the soft reboot allowed for one of the most well-paced, consistently enjoyable, and thoroughly satisfying seasons in Fringe, and easily my favorite so far.

5/5 Stars