The episode “The Arrival” was the fourth episode of Fringe, a slot that I feel is quite important to any show. New viewers are only going to give a new show three or four episodes worth of opportunity (if that) to entice them into sticking around. Shows from different genres have different goals to meet by this fourth-episode-benchmark, and I think for the science fiction genre, Fringe knocked it out of the park. (Another brilliant fourth episode of a series that springs to mind is “Walkabout,” from LOST.) Fringe did everything it needed to do to suck me in: the characters had been sufficiently developed to the point that I cared about their well-being, a new mysterious character was introduced, and even though I wasn’t aware of it at the time, there are some fun mythological easter eggs in this episode.
Of course, the most important new development in this episode was the introduction of The Observer. This immediately added a level of mystery to the show that it hadn’t quite reached yet, especially with the reveal that Walter has a connection to The Observer. My favorite exchange between the two of them:
Walter: “I haven’t had a root beer float in 17 years.” Observer: “And? How is it?” Walter: “Heavenly.” Observer: “17 years. That’s a long time to go without something you love.”Did anyone remember that The Observer asked for 11 jalapenos with his lunch? There appear to have been 11 Observers…
This is the first episode that I noticed the “green-green-green-red” pattern, on the mind-reader’s beanie. Did anyone else notice it in the first few episodes?
The following exchange is our first foreshadowing of the idea that Peter is special:
Walter: “Have you never taken anything that didn’t belong to you because you knew it was the right thing to do?” Peter: “This isn’t about me.” Walter: “Maybe it is, Peter.”This episode introduced so many new questions that looking back, I can see why this is the point where I became hooked. Who is The Observer? (At that time, I assumed there was only one.) Why did The Observer save Walter and Peter? Why are Walter and Peter considered special? What the heck was Walter up to before he went insane? We’ve gotten a couple of these answers, and are still waiting for others, but these mysteries are exactly why I tune in to Fringe. And, exactly why I am greatly enjoying my re-watch! Anyone else joining in?
I’ve been re-watching too and I love seeing everything you mentioned. One thing that struck me is how soon the colours were playing a part. In the second episode especially I noticed that in almost every shot in the lap there was something red, something blue, and something yellow in the background. I’ve noticed more things but that is what struck me the most. Its so much fun to rewatch!
I have re-watched all the old episodes but plan on doing it yet again. It is amazing just how many little things tie together throughout the entire series.