Fringe: “Forced Perspective” Review
I’m way behind on my Fringe reviews, so I’m going to play a bit of catch up here. This is a review of last Friday’s episode, “Forced Perspective.” I’m going to keep this entry quick and short, in an effort to catch up by on Fringe by Friday. Sorry if these seems like old news, but I still want to give you my thoughts on “Forced Perspective.”
“Forced Perspective” is a quaint little tale about fate and its implications. The story focuses around Emmy Mallum, a young artist with precognitive abilities. She has the unfortunate power to see disaster before it strikes, yet is powerless to intervene in her predictions. The stakes rise drastically when Emmy foresees a bombing at a courthouse.
The story works on multiple levels. To start with, the actors all give believable performances, and it’s easy to form a connection with Emmy and her parents (including a seemingly harsh father who only wants to protect his daughter; ironically, from the very same dangers Olivia encountered as a child). That’s one of the stronger parts of “Forced Perspective.” The precognition gives rise to Olivia’s encounter with the Observer back in “Back to Where You’ve Never Been.”
Furthermore, it’s great to get some more screen time for Olivia and Nina Sharp. Their relationship is fascinating in this alternate timeline, and the mother/daughter relationship is really well done. Let’s not forget, however, that this Nina Sharp is involved in some shady business with David Robert Jones. It’s just too bad we don’t get to see Jones in “Forced Perspective.” Even a mere mention of his name would have helped.
My biggest problem with this episode involves Emmy’s death, which seemingly comes out of nowhere in order to provide a melodramatic death sequence. Overall, the scene was okay, but could have worked infinitely better with some foreshadowing about the effects of Emmy’s precognitive ability. Even a quick line such as, “these visions are putting a lot stress on her brain,” would have done the job. It’s a minor qualm, but one that could have easily been avoided.
In the end, “Forced Perspective” is a refreshing standalone episode. Fringe fans have always had a love/hate relationship with the freak-of-the-week stories, and this one is no different. It’s a well-structured tale that doesn’t quite add to the rich Fringe mythology. But these standalone episodes come with the territory, and at this point in the series, I can appreciate them for what they offer.
-MP
Note: This review has been taken from Review Hub Central.
