FRINGE Recap: ‘Stowaway’

Let’s be honest FRINGE fans…this recap could very easily be a very long ode to the fantastic performance Anna Torv (Olivia) pulled off Friday night.

Sitting here, I’m still a little in shock how well the show and Torv managed to pull this Bell-livia twist off. Torv channeling Leonard Nimoy’s William Bell at the end of “Os” was fantastically done, but there is a huge difference between doing one scene and doing an entire episode as a completely different character in your original character’s body.

So yes, before we get into the nitty gritty of what went down in the hour, let’s all take our hats off to Torv, shall we?

And what an episode it was. There was actually a very strong case where a woman was unable to die (despite her repeated attempts), but the return of Bell in Olivia’s body allowed an impressive new dynamic with the entire team which is what I want to focus on for this post…

Peter: Goodness, poor Peter. Every time he gets close to something real with Olivia, something (or someone) comes along and screws it up. His anger at the situation and at Bell radiated off him, and he was really the only one objecting to letting Bell reside in his girlfriend’s body. I hope Olivia finds that out whenever she wakes up from this Bell-induced sleep.

Peter’s brief smile when Olivia was back for a nano-second at the end of the episode? Fantastic. Joshua Jackson (Peter) flipped between emotions effortlessly as Peter’s entire demeanor changed in those ten seconds when he thought the woman he loved was back. Now that he knows things aren’t as simple as Bell originally anticipated? Look out, world.

Walter: One of the more impressive things about this episode was that when Walter and Bell-livia were together, I did not for one moment think it was Walter and Olivia. Everything about their dynamic changed.

Walter was a much more confident person with Bell-livia by his side and the two were like school children, making their own jokes, in their own world, as they reminisced about the past. But at the same time, there were moments of intense vulnerability for Walter with his former partner.

However, I am concerned about Walter. It’s taken Walter so long to try and come to grips with losing Bell — something he really hadn’t fully done — that I worry when Bell inevitably vacates Olivia’s body, Walter might crash at a time when he’s needed the most.

Astrid: Bell-livia’s fascination with Astrid was hilarious. Our poor girl kept get hit on by someone who looked like her friend and her discomfort was painfully obvious. I LOVED her buttoning up her shirt all the way after Bell-livia tried to give her a magnetic bracelet. Awkward!

Lincoln: I officially adore both versions of Lincoln. Our Lincoln had a great dynamic with Peter and Broyles and I hope we get to see more of him. Heck, I’d take him as a friend for Peter.

The only downside to seeing him at this point in time is that Olivia didn’t get a chance to see him. It would be interesting to see her take on him, especially since she spent so much time with his alt-persona.

Broyles: What a pleasant surprise to have him be a part of the case. It has seemed like a while since he was actively involved with our team, so it was nice to see him doing some work.

Nina: Um, where the heck was Nina? Let’s hope she’s in the next episode set over here, because there is no way she wouldn’t have some things to say about Bell being back.

Unresolved questions:

• Bell said he gave Olivia a cup of tea on the other side a couple of months ago. Does that mean the events of the past nearly two seasons have been in a short amount of time? Or has his mind not processed that he’s been dead for a bit?
• Anyone else have a really bad feeling that Olivia isn’t as “asleep” as Bell claims she is?

Quotes:

Bell-livia: “I understand this could take some time for you to get used to. Imagine how I feel. I never realized that a bra was so binding.”

Bell-livia: “I’ve lived a long time, Peter, so believe me when I tell you that sometimes when one walks away from his fate, it leads one directly to fate’s doorstep.”

Lincoln: “A compassionate soul vampire? Oh boy.”

Walter: “Even if we were able to safely transfer your consciousness safely inside Gene, there are other matters to consider.”
Bell-livia: “We would communicate through my brain waves. You would hook me up to an EEG machine and decipher my thoughts.”
Walter: “That may work, but still…I’d have to milk you!”
Bell-livia: “Well, we can assign Astrid.”

What did you guys think? Did you like Bell-livia? Or are you ready for our Olivia to return?

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