Episode Rankings: Fringe

Fringe is a bizarre show, slamming tons of sci-fi tropes together into this distinct blend. While the mythology was intriguing and characters likable, I personally found the show got a bit too ridiculous for its own good, though it was never boring. Here's my ranking of its episodes:   

1. White Tulip (S2.18)
2. Over There: Part 2 (S2.23)
3. Entrada (S3.08)
4. Letters Of Transit (S4.19)
5. Over There: Part 1 (S2.22)
6. Back To Where You've Never Been (S4.08)
7. There's More Than One Of Everything (S1.20)
   
8. Liberty (S5.06)
9. Momentum Deferred (S2.04)
10. Peter (S2.16)
11. Anomaly XB-6783746 (S5.10)
12. Enemy Of My Enemy (S4.09)
13. Lysergic Acid Diethylamide (S3.19)
14. Safe (S1.10)
15. The End Of All Things (S4.14)
16. Subject 13 (S3.15)
17. Welcome To Westfield (S4.12)
18. The Plateau (S3.03)
19. Worlds Apart (S4.20)
20. An Enemy Of Fate (S5.13)
21. Ability (S1.14)
22. Marionette (S3.09)
23. Subject 9 (S4.04)
24. The Road Not Taken (S1.19)
25. Brave New World: Part 2 (S4.22)
26. Grey Matters (S2.10)
27. Black Blotter (S5.09)
28. 6:02 AM EST (S3.20)
29. Jacksonville (S2.15)
30. The Abducted (S3.07)
31. And Those We Left Behind (S4.06)
32. A New Day In The Old Town (S2.01)
33. Transilience Thought Unifier Model-11 (S5.01)
34. Everything In Its Right Place (S4.17)
35. Do Shapeshifters Dream Of Electric Sheep? (S3.04)
36. Bad Dreams (S1.17)
37. Olivia (S3.01)
38. Through The Looking Glass And What Walter Found There (S5.06)
39. The Man From The Other Side (S2.19)
40. Bound (S1.11)
41. The Last Sam Weiss (S3.21)
42. Making Angels (S4.11)
43. Of Human Action (S2.07)
44. One Night In October (S4.02)
45. 6B (S3.14)
46. Amber 31422 (S3.05)
47. The Boy Must Live (S5.11)
48. Brave New World: Part 1 (S4.21)
49. The Equation (S1.08)
50. The Consultant (S4.18)
51. The Bullet That Saved The World (S5.04)
52. The Arrival (S1.04)
53. August (S2.08)
54. A Better Human Being (S4.05)
55. Olivia In The Lab With The Revolver (S2.17)
56. The Firefly (S3.10)
57. Novation (S4.05)
58. The Day We Died (S3.22)
59. Neither Here Nor There (S4.01)
60. The Box (S3.02)
61. In Absentia (S5.02)
62. Northwest Passage (S2.21)
63. A Short Story About Love (S4.15)
64. Os (S3.16)
65. The Transformation (S1.13)
66. Midnight (S1.18)
67. In Which We Meet Mr Jones (S1.07)
68. Inner Child (S1.15)
69. 6955 kHz (S3.06)
70. Pilot (S1.01)
71. An Origin Story (S4.05)
72. Bloodline (S3.18)
73. Dream Logic (S2.05)
74. Night Of Desirable Objects (S2.02)
75. The Human Kind (S5.08)
76. Forced Perspective (S4.10)
77. Reciprocity (S3.11)
78. The Dreamscape (S1.09)
79. The Bishop Revival (S2.14)
80. Stowaway (S3.17)
81. Nothing As It Seems (S4.16)
82. Power Hungry (S1.05)
83. The Recordist (S5.03)
84. Concentrate And Ask Again (S3.12)
85. Earthling (S2.06)
86. Wallflower (S4.07)
87. Unleashed (S1.16)
88. Johari Window (S2.12)
89. The Same Old Story (S1.02)
90. Five-Twenty-Ten (S5.07)
91. Fracture (S2.03)
92. Alone In The World (S4.03)
93. The No-Brainer (S1.12)
94. Snakehead (S2.09)
95. Immortality (S3.13)
96. The Cure (S1.06)
97. What Lies Below (S2.13)
98. The Ghost Network (S1.03)
99. Unearthed (S2.11)
100. Brown Betty (S2.20)

Fringe (Season 5)

Just like Season 4, Fringe's fifth season took a massive risk by completely changing the storyline to that of a science-fiction war, along with removing all standalone episodes whatsoever. I think it worked well enough, especially as a final season, though it also feels disconnected from the rest of Fringe.

"Letters Of Transit" was probably the best episode of Season 4, an intriguing flashforward that set-up the events of what seemed like an ambitious Season 5 where the Fringe Division is tasked with preventing an Observer takeover after being encased in amber until 2036. Generally, I think it's a cool concept and executed well here. The Observers are imposing villains (especially Captain Whidmark, who terrifies me every time he comes on screen), and the conflict never feels overwhelmingly against the heroes, but I also feel like the season falls into repetitious cliche at times with its resistance storyline. Having a final season take place after such a massive time jump is always a risky choice as it could potentially feel disconnected from the rest of the show, and it's probably this season's biggest problem. There are tons of moments where I felt like this just wasn't the Fringe I was used to, and the lack of cases of the week definitely compounds that fact. Thankfully, the dramatic elements of the season are still compelling enough on their own right, and the season as a whole feels fast-paced, action-packed, and intense throughout despite how different it is from the rest of the show.

The character work was also mixed, as on one hand, I did really like how the season focused on the core quartet, and the last few episodes ended all of their storylines on a strong note. However, I wasn't a fan of plot decisions like Walter's failing memory and especially Observer Peter. I also feel like Etta and Simon's early deaths were wastes of likable and fresh characters, and the lack of alternate universe appearances was a shame given that it was my favorite aspect of the show. One thing I did really like about the season was the visuals. The observer world was just as unique and fleshed-out as in "Letters Of Transit", and the show experimented with some really trippy effects, especially in the MC Escher and LSD episodes. Speaking of which, the quality of "Black Blotter" onwards was pretty top-notch, probably because of all that buildup finally paying off. I'm not a massive fan of the Reset Button ending that mostly invalidated the whole season, but I think it was the best way to end this storyline, and the sheer amount of fanservice in the final two episodes made it more than worth it. It also felt more like a "series finale" than Season 4's attempt.

Despite my gripes with Season 5, however, it did have a lot of strong and dramatic episodes, especially near the end:

Black Blotter: This season's heavy serialization and shorter length meant that it rarely had the time to experiment like in Seasons 3 & 4. Thankfully, Black Blotter was a breath of fresh air in this regard, depicting Walter's LSD trip with effects, bizarre imagery, and a goofy Monty Python segment. This was also the episode where the Inner Child finally reappears after his name-dropping a few episodes ago.

Anomoly XB-6783746: This episode is a heart-breaking farewell to one of Fringe's most enigmatic and intriguing characters. Nina's final confrontation with Whidmark is incredibly intense, and its amazing that she managed to hold out as well as she did. There's also the great reveal that Donald is actually September.

Liberty: The second half of this episode is easily the high point of the whole season. Finally, we get to catch up with the characters in the alternate universe, who were greatly missed this season. Even more, the universe-swapping third act is some of the most exciting action Fringe has ever had. 

An Enemy Of Fate: I never like Reset Buttons in TV, but An Enemy Of Fate did it fairly well. The Observer future was so bleak that this was the best way to resolve it, and I'm glad it came at the cost of Walter and Michael. The emotional impact of this episode was definitely there through all of its references to the series past, and the final battle with Whidmark was incredibly fun and tense. I especially love the scene where the Observers suffer from all the Fringe events we've seen these past few seasons.

Overall, I have mixed opinions on Fringe's fifth season. It stayed compelling and tense throughout and stuck the landing pretty well, but it felt disconnected from the rest of the show and had some iffy character decisions.

4/5 Stars

My ranking of the Fringe seasons is:

1 < 2 < 5 < 3 < 4

My ranking of Fringe's season finales is:

3 < 4 < 5 < 1 < 2 

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

Fringe (Season 3)

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

Fringe (Season 2)

Season 2 of Fringe is more of a mixed bag than the first. Whereas Season 1 felt carefully constructed even in its slow moments, Season 2 felt like it was treading water until that plot-heavy final third, but what a phenomenal final third that ended up being anyway. 

The first two-thirds of Fringe's second season were a bit of a mess. It started off fine with the solid "gun arc", which resolved a lot of the mysteries of Season 1's finale and introduced the season's stakes, and there were even some neat episodes after that as well. Of Human Action was an entertaining and twisty standalone, August was a sweet Observer episode, and Grey Matters raised the stakes even higher. However, after episode 4, Season 2 slowed to a crawl, with an incredibly long sequence of standalone episodes that didn't even progress the plot or character dynamics like Season 1's did. The worst part was midway through the season, as episodes 11-14 were all weak and dull standalones. Season 2 didn't feel as confident as the first, and Fringe was getting dangerously close to losing me.

And then Jacksonville happened. Olivia found out that Peter is from the alternate universe and the season suddenly goes from meh to utterly amazing in every conceivable way. From this point on, pretty much every episode dealt with the personal drama of that moment, meaning that even the more standalone ones had some sort of emotional heft to it. The mythology episodes also became more frequent, as the conflict about the AU rapidly built towards the season finale. And what a finale that was, an episode that paid off pretty much every element of the series up until that point, with the exception of the shapeshifters. It's shocking just how this otherwise shaky season suddenly ended on one of the best stretches of episodes I've seen in quite a while (with the exception of that weird musical one). This is the best Fringe has ever been, and I think it's fair to say that it managed to make all of that waiting worth it.

As expected, most of the notable episodes were near the end of Season 2, but here they are anyway:

Momentum Deferred: A strong episode that resolved Season 2's solid starting arc really well. The final battle with Charlie was as intense and it was heart-breaking, and the conversation with William Bell does a great job at laying out the stakes for the rest of the season.

Grey Matters: In the middle of a fairly weak stretch of episodes, Grey Matters' retconning about Walter's insanity manages to increase the season's stakes even more while making Newton into a more interesting villain and offering a lot of interesting new explanations.

Peter: Easily one of the best flashback episodes out there, Peter is an emotional and intense episode that outlines just how exactly Walter stole Peter's alternate. John Noble's acting here was amazing, and the episode does a great job of making the situation so morally grey to think about. Walter may have saved Peter's life, but he also stole him from Walternate. You can't help but feel bad for both of them at this point.

White Tulip: Given how weak Fringe's standalone episodes usually are, White Tulip absolutely blew me away. The time travel premise was utilized very well, the acting from John Noble and Peter Weller was phenomenal, and the absolute gut-punch of an ending left me stunned. I even liked the "God Is Science" talk, which dealt with the religion/science debate far more gracefully than Lost ever could. White Tulip may not have been super eventful, but it said what it needed to say, and left its mark on the entire TV landscape.

Over There: Everything has led up to this insane double-length finale. The alternate universe, Bell's sacrifice, the Cortexiphan children, and especially that horrifying cliffhanger, this episode really did have it all. Over There is a brilliantly tense season finale that left me desperate to see what will happen in Season 3.

Overall, Season 2 had a very bumpy first two-thirds with a lack of plot progression and weak standalone episodes, but once Jacksonville happens, the season takes a massive jump in quality, with a final third that packs some of the finest drama, twists, and emotional beats in the series so far.

First two-thirds: 2/5

Final third: 5/5

3/5 Stars

Fringe (Season 1)

Season 1 of Fringe is a well-crafted first season for the show with a strong cast, some intriguing mysteries, and an intricate structure, even if it comes at the cost of a slow start.

Fringe is about the titular Fringe Division, composed of Olivia, Peter, Walter, and Astrid, who are tasked with dealing with odd occurrences known as The Pattern. Throughout the season, there are plenty of mysteries and plot threads, like the criminal David Robert Jones, the mysterious corporation Massive Dynamics, and Olivia's connection with her dead ex John Scott. All of these threads weave in and out through the course of the season, with plenty of mythology episodes that pay them off, especially the stellar finale. It's like the X-Files in that aspect, but pretty much every thread actually matters this time. 

The cast of characters is also excellent. Right from the start, they have a strong dynamic that carries the show even through the duller monster-of-the-week episode. Everyone has well-defined relationship to each other, and pretty much the whole cast is likable, from the skeptical Peter, to the quirky Walter, to the intense Phillip Broyles, to the manipulative Jones. The only character I didn't like was Sanford Harris, the obstructive bureaucrat who appeared in the second half of the season and dragged down the show pretty much every time he appeared.

This first season of Fringe did have some issues however, as the more monster-of-the-week episodes were far less compelling than the mythology episodes that actually furthered the plot, raised questions, and tied up loose ends. In addition, some storylines like the John Scott connection were not all that compelling, with a subplot about Peter's shady past being dropped completely. The first half of the season was also very slow, as it took until Episode 10 for the myriad of seemingly disconnected plot threads to be weaved together. I also find many of the cases to be a bit overly gory and terrifying, though some of them are fascinating.

Season 1 of Fringe had a lot of strong episodes, however, especially in its second half:

Safe: This was the first episode that showed me just how excellent and well-crafted this show could be. Tons of questions were answered and weaved together incredibly well. There was a tense cliffhanger about Olivia's abduction, and the focus on a bank heist added a lot of fun moments to the episode.

Ability: Similarly to Safe, Ability delivered a lot of interesting answers such as the reasoning behind Olivia's wire tap, what ZFT is, and whatever happened to Jones after he escaped prison. The case-of-the-week is also terrifying, but in a very good way. The reveal about Olivia's cortexiphan was a fascinating addition to the series.

Bad Dreams: This episode took a unique concept about Olivia seeing murders in her dreams and executed it very well, while also adding in a ton of neat cortexiphan lore for good measure.

The Road Not Taken: Another fun case involving pyrokinesis culminating in one of the most satisfying moments in the season, with Harris's painful death. This episode also introduces alternate realities and ends with a buttload of cliffhangers for the finale.

There's More Than One Of Everything: The season finale absolutely blew me away with the amount of ground it managed to cover. It was slow and tense while managing to resolve a ton of major mysteries that raised the scope of the entire series. The alternate universe reveal was great, but what really surprised me was the reveal that Peter is technically dead. I like how the episode allows you to piece together what truly happened with Peter rather than telling you directly. 

Overall, Season 1 of Fringe was an incredibly satisfying and well-crafted debut season for the show with some strong characters and a compelling mythology. It may suffer from a slow start, weak standalones, and shaky storylines, just stick with it and I promise you will be immensely rewarded.

3/5 Stars