This was a really good episode for Walter, showing a lot of emotions he doesn't normally. The scenes where he fell apart, and found again, only to hear about astrid were really powerful. Astrid really needs to get more, she's pushed way too far to the back for someone in every episode. And Walter came up with a typical walter solution to his problem...
The show needs to just get back on the whole conspiracy theory path they have and stick it out a bit more before throwing in these episodes of the week or at least if they do shows like this one (which was good) have some segments with the overall MD/Walter/conspiracy arc to it… if anything that will make the whole show feel like it is helping the series go somewhere.
I think people have become jaded to think every show has to actually go somewhere. In my 30 years of watching TV, only a handful of shows have been serialized, and up until 24 I guess, they were all evening soaps! Since when was it deemed unacceptable to just sit down and enjoy a show? NCIS and CSI aren't serialized any more than this episode of Fringe was and they're huge hits...
Looks like the next episode gets back to the central story arc. The guy with the stolen head kidnaps Walter to find out how to open a doorway. (No spoilers. It was in the preview)
I think the writer's are fine as they are and certainly aren't the reason for the low ratings. It's Fox and it's famously stupid timeslot switch. It was perfectly fine - although it was quite annoying at times coming on a little late - beind American Idol on Tuesdays. There is no way it could have survived without a few rating casualties on Thursday nights against already established not to mention hit shows. Fox has been the reason so many shows flail: Firefly, Terminator, Dollhouse, Buffy (which only survived because it went to WB), etc.
Another reason is that America in general doesn't like smart television. God knows how Lost managed to survive. I never watched it before but then I caught it all on Netflix - Season Five elsewhere - in a week and I was blown away. By the way I'm retired so I can do that. How that show lasted with the way Americans watch television I'll never know. That's why it seems to me that television is almost insulting my intelligence. The rate it's going all that will be on television is the Jeff Durham Show, Blue Collar TV, George Lopez, Carlos Mencia, Tyler Perry and the Wayans Brother Show. Oh, yeah, NASCAR and Wrestling. This one guy on television advertising his book was right - America is getting dumber in spite of the fact that all the information that you need is at the tip of your fingertips at any given time. People also aren't reading as much...in came the internet and in came bad grammar and spelling. I dunno. Funny, though, this is the only site on the internet where almost ninety percent of the people actually use proper grammar and spelling. Now, I'm just ranting., anyway, this is a fantastic episode. And...I forgot what I was going to say about it for now. Oh, well.
I don't think a lot of TV schedulers really know how to schedule anymore. Fringe for instance was on for about 4 weeks over here in australia before disappearing from the schedules. It's only just made a reappearance. New shows need a grace period to get viewers before flying all over the schedules so no one can find it regularly. If a station has a secondary channel, that can be really helpful. X-files spent its first season on BBC2 in the UK before moving to BBC1, which allowed its audience to build.
Excellent episode...the relationship between Astrid and Walter was touching, especially when he realizes his actions led to her being followed and assulted. My only issue is a silly one, but one that BUGS me none the less. The "hook worm" larvae being sold in the chinese shop.. Those were MEAL WORMS...they are a larval stage of a beetle, sold in every pet shop in the country as a live food, and in no way are they a parasite! I'm tired of every movie and television show using meal worms for maggot/larvae/worm of the week because they are too freakin' cheap to come up with something else as a prop or effect! Anyways, I just had to vent that out a bit...
yeah i agree the Astrid character needs some developing. She is almost forgetful at times and the show could use a change of pace to bring her character to the front for once. I really dont know much about her , other than a general bio. All the other characters have backgrounds. And whatever happened to the other Black female FBI agent that was in 2-3 episodes. She seemed to want to know more about Fringe division and then disappeared.
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I hope the writters get on the stick and draw in the people. Fox is notorious for cutting shows that don't draw as many viewers as it wants.