Here are my first impressions of the Season 3 premiere of “Fringe” (8 p.m. Central Thursdays on Fox).
1. The plot of this episode is an expanded version of “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.” A wrongly imprisoned woman (Olivia in this case) escapes from the government and strong-arms a guy who looks like Joe Morton into helping her (Andre Royo, as cabbie Henry, in this case).
2. After one episode in the Red World (red opening credits indicate the episode takes place in the alternate world, blue opening credits indicate it takes place in our world), I’m already enjoying it. Between the zeppelins, giant-wheeled bicycles, ubiquitous Show-Me ID cards, and the playground in place of Massive Dynamic, “Fringe” is trying something that most sci-fi doesn’t do: Rather than showing a massive change in society, it’s showing only slight changes in society. And despite what you’d think, it’s fascinating.
3. Walternate successfully uses a concoction on Olivia that essentially transforms her brain into that of Fauxvilia. That’s quite a stretch, but I’ll play along. I wouldn’t with any other show, but in a show about the absurd, I’ve gotta accept the absurd.
4. Blue World Peter actually uses the fan term “Walternate” when being debriefed about his Red World adventures. He doesn’t seem to know he’s dating Fauxlivia, though. No one on the show has used the name “Fauxlivia” yet.
5. One of the best things about the Red World is the return of Charlie Francis (the charismatic Kirk Acevedo) as Olivia’s partner. Unlike other Red World characters, it looks like Alternate-Charlie (Charlternate?) is identical to our Charlie, who was killed off back in Season 1.
6. I don’t really understand why Walternate (a powerful politician in the Red World) wants to wipe out the Blue World. Or how he plans to use Olivia and Fauxlivia to do so. Is it because he thinks the existence of the Blue World threatens his world’s existence somehow? Perhaps this information is coming in future episodes, or perhaps previous episodes answered this question and I was daydreaming.
Verdict: “Fringe,” “Life Unexpected” and “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” rotate as my No. 1 show depending on which one I just watched. So right now it’s “Fringe.”
What are your thoughts on the new season of “Fringe?” Will it be able to pull off its ambitious two-shows-in-one premise?