Over There: Part 2 (20 May 2010)

Sacrifices will be made and both universes may never be the same again after Walter and Olivia visit the "other side."

Director:

Akiva Goldsman

Writers:

J.J. Abrams (creator), Alex Kurtzman (creator),

Stars:

Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, Lance Reddick

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Anna Torv	...	Olivia Dunham / Alternate Olivia Dunham
Joshua Jackson	...	Peter Bishop
Lance Reddick	...	Phillip Broyles / Alternate Phillip Broyles
Blair Brown	...	Nina Sharp (credit only)
Jasika Nicole	...	Astrid Farnsworth / Alternate Astrid Farnsworth
John Noble	...	Dr. Walter Bishop / Walternate
Kirk Acevedo	...	Alternate Charlie Francis
Leonard Nimoy	...	William Bell
Stefan Arngrim	...	Store Owner
Kaaren de Zilva	...	Attendant
Heather Doerksen	...	Major Warner
BJ Harrison	...	Nurse 2
Marilyn Norry	...	Nurse 3
Diana Pavlovská	...	Nurse (as Diana Pavlovska)

Storyline

Sacrifices will be made and both universes may never be the same again after Walter and Olivia visit the "other side."

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Plot Keywords:

new york city | parallel universe | tied up while barefoot | madison square garden | dirigible | 

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 May 2010 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Bad Robot, Warner Bros. Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

43 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the first part of this two-parter, the alternate Fringe agents nearly used a quarantine device to contain an event. Walter and Bell's journey to Walternate's lab at alternate Harvard showed the effects of such a device, which closely parallel the effects of the weapon used on the bus in episode 1.3.

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Goofs

During the final gun fight, Oliva runs out of ammo but her pistol slide still recoils as she pulls the trigger twice.

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Quotes

Dr. Walter Bishop: Hello, William.
William Bell: Walter.
Dr. Walter Bishop: I see you've aged.
William Bell: It appears I'm not the only one!

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Crazy Credits

This episode features an opening title sequence that has been changed from predominantly blue colouring to predominantly red to reflect the fact that the episode is set in the alternate universe. The phrase "Parallel Universes" has been replaced with "First People".

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Soundtracks

"Science Fiction/Double Feature"
(uncredited)
Written by Richard O'Brien
Performed by Richard O'Brien

User Reviews

Season 2: Some so-so holding episodes generally don't weaken a strong forward motion in the narrative and the characters

I watch enough network television to know that keeping shows going and keeping an audience generally doesn't involve delivering everything you have as quickly as you can, so it was no surprise to find that the second season doesn't pick up immediately on the scene that concluded the previous one. While the connection is a little confusing at first, the manner of making it is pretty good since having your main character materializing in transition through a car window tends to grab the attention. From this episode we have a few that continue this thread and also fill in more information about those coming through from the other side. Add to this some surprising changes to supporting characters and the first so many episodes of the season really grabbed me.

It is for this reason though that the middle section of the season dips a little bit when it starts having more "case of the week" content rather than linking to the bigger picture and adding to the story. It isn't that these episodes are bad, because they are mostly pretty good but, whereas in the first season this was enough as we were just entering this world, now they seem less interesting – particularly when they so totally lack any connection to the bigger picture. I got the feeling after a few of these that I could almost throw them in the air and watch them in whatever order they land in – a feeling not helped by an unused episode from season 1 suddenly be fitted in without comment, which threw me completely since a dead character turns up alive without any other character batting so much as an eyelid! Towards the back third of the season we get beyond this and we get episodes that, even when they stall for time a little, still connect and add to the overall story. The final third of the season really picks up its game though and takes us through consistently strong episodes right to the end.

The story is added to but more than that, the characters are added to. The episode which flashbacks to Walter's actions works on almost every level and is almost matched by others around it; a story told by Walter to a child which makes up an entire episode sounds awful but yet cleverly fills in the character's feelings – which meant a lot to me since I feel Walter is the real heart of the show for me. He remains a great character who can be equally funny and tragic but yet makes it part of the total package; my emotions towards him changed through the season but no matter what I felt he was still engaging to me. Noble's performance is a massive part of this because he doesn't flick a switch to go from clown to monster – he manages to be all at once and manages to be a convincing character with heart and feeling despite the sci-fi nonsense that he also needs to deliver weekly. The rest of the cast are good but very much in his shadow. Torv is more than just a pretty face but when she is pushed in this season she cannot always raise her game to the required level – season 3 will test her even more so I hope she can deliver. Jackson's Peter continues to be a device but the final parts of the season see him do more. Reddick, Brown, Nicole and Acevedo continue to do good work while for me there continued to be small casting nods towards The Wire and Oz with the actors who played Cyril O'Reily and Prez having small roles.

So, while I did have an issue with how very suddenly the second season reverted to the "case per week" approach for a stretch, these episodes were mostly OK and the episodes that specifically develop the main story and characters are very strong not only in terms of delivering an engaging sci-fi narrative but also in making me feel for the main characters. I try not to rush through box-sets of shows because I feel it is better to have some gaps between seasons to prevent them merging together, but I suspect it will not be too long before I rush into the third season of this show with the hope that it continue its strengths while also improving what it does with the holding episodes.