Fringe Re-Cap: "Marionette"

Olivia returns to work in her own universe

I have to say that I was slightly disappointed in last night's Fringe episode, Marionette. It reminded me of what I initially didn't like about the show in its first season. Now that the Olivias have returned to their correct universes, it would seem that the producers of Fringe are going to give that storyline a short break, and focus more on having Peter, Walter and the team investigate individual occurrences/crimes/sightings. Before the "real" story of Fringe began, the shows were all like this. I used to think the episodes' premises were too outlandish even for science fiction, and I never understood why Walter was so necessary to the investigations. Last night's show brought back those same thoughts. Still, not all of it was bad. There was a pretty major development in the relationship between Peter and Olivia.

Now that Olivia is back to work and working on cases, Peter feels it is time for him to come clean about the nature of his relationship with alt-Olivia. You may remember that before the ol' switcheroo, a romance was beginning to blossom between Peter and our Olivia. After the switch, the relationship was taken to the next level. Only that next level was with the doppelganger, and not really Olivia. Though he is nervous about telling Olivia the truth, he knows it must be done.

Peter comes clean about his relationship with "alt-Olivia"

He starts slow, telling Olivia about his feelings for her, and about how excited he was to be involved in this relationship. He points out that he did notice some subtle differences between the two, but he chalked it up to something alt-Olivia told him about wanting to change the way she lives her life. Anything "odd" about Olivia's behavior was attributed to that change, and to the change in the nature of their relationship. It is obvious that Peter feels extremely guilty for getting so close to the fake Olivia. He feels bad, not only as a lover, but as an investigator, and as a colleague of hers.

At first, Olivia seems understanding. She even tells him how people on the other side - friends, relatives, and colleagues - did not know that she wasn't the Olivia they knew. She "gets it." Peter seems relieved, but that relief is only temporary.

As the two continue working on the case at hand - a ridiculous story of a man who removes organs from people and inserts them into a woman he loved who had committed suicide with the intent of bringing her back to life - the tension begins to grow. At one point, Olivia asks Astrid what Peter was like with alt-Olivia.

Olivia closes in on the bad guy

Later on, after the case is solved and Olivia is at home alone, a chance glance at the tattoo on her neck (which alt-Olivia had) throws her into something of a rage. She begins tearing all her clothes off their hangers and removing the sheets from her bed. She sees Peter and asks him how he could NOT know that it wasn't really her. She says that she no longer wants to live in her apartment, wear her own clothes, and see Peter in anything other than a professional way. "She took everything!" she cried. All Peter could do is sit there and take it.

So much for the relationship angle with Peter and Olivia. Actually, it worked out a little better, if you ask me. I mean, if they never hooked up, people would wonder why. If they really did get involved, it would break up the team. Olivia would probably be re-assigned. This way, we know there was interest there - on both sides - but no one will continue wondering why the two don't get together. There is a rock solid reason why they don't.

As I said, this wasn't a great episode of Fringe, but in the overall show storyline, it did have some important things. The show is on a break until 2011, and the preview of the next episode showed the return of the "Observer."