Thursday, October 7, 2010

Review - Fringe Season 3 Episode 3 The Plateau

Normally, seeing the future would fall under a purely fantasy scope in almost all contexts. In Fringe, however, it's boiled down to a scientific problem: what if someone were so smart he could incorporate every viable variable in order to see the future? There is a degree of supernatural happenings in "The Plateau,"--the sudden and drastic increases in intelligence couldn't be explained (hence the show being science fiction)--but as it stands, the writers pose an interesting scenario.

On the feasibility of such an occurrence, I have a couple big problems with how it could happen. First of all, how exactly does one go about determining what others will do? Without seeing the various electrochemical processes going on inside people, can one assume everyone is a rational actor? Factoring the physical variables--wind, car paths, people--can only go so far. Once the plan is hatched, is there really a way for someone to know what decision another will make without seeing into their brain? But since Milo fails in the end, I guess there is no absolute, although his powers seem to extend beyond scientific possibility with his three consecutive successes.

Enough of that tangent. There is a near impossible problem for Olivia and Charlie. How do they catch a guy who knows everything? The answer comes, in part, because Olivia is from another world. She doesn't act as he expects and Milo is caught.

Meanwhile, Olivia has hallucinations/visions of Walter and Peter, and it looks like her real mind has been pushed aside while the other Olivia's mind filled the gap, meaning she could still come back. It looks like Walter and his scientists don't really have a solid plan in place and are just fishing for ideas.

A few things about the other world: Smallpox outbreak? Unless it mutated in some kind of bigpox, they should have gotten it under control by now. Gillian Foster was hit by the bus! Hmm... is there a Lie to Me connection here? And Star Trek is still around (though it may be like the latest movie and be totally different, in which case I'll be sorely disappointed). Avocados, oh no!! Is this like Japan where fruits and vegetable are insanely priced?

Score: 8.8/10
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