They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, but I feel like I need to tell you guys the truth: I haven’t really missed Peter all that much this season on Fringe while he’s been MIA. At least, not in the same way as last year when we were all anxious to see Olivia brought back to our world.

And to make it even worse, I think the writers botched what could have been a great episode with “Subject 9”. I can’t believe they tried to make us guess whether Peter had returned or not when we already knew the truth. Oh well, what’s done is done, and there’s finally an all new episode tonight!

Peter: Olivia, thank God you’re here.
Olivia: Who are you?

There are episodes of Fringe that I love to pieces, and then there’s the rest of the show that I don’t feel as strongly about. It’s been a hard fact to reconcile since I started watching the show way back in the first season. And lately, those other episodes have been really getting to me.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still continue to watch the show no matter what happens, but in a time when there’s far more compelling and intriguing tv, I just feel like Fringe needs to work harder to keep its viewers. And “Subject 9” is not the best example of what Fringe can be.

Then again, Fringe has always been more about the characters anyway, and this week’s episode is no different. Hidden amongst the rubble and confusing mystery were plenty of good Olivia and Walter character moments as Olivia considers whether Walter should be in a mental institution while they chase down a strange light phenomena.

Notes and Quotes:

I love seeing Nina as a kind of mother figure to Olivia.

So Walter’s wife still committed suicide in this reality?

The relationship between Walter and Olivia is one we don’t get to see often enough on this show.

This episode needed more Lincoln Lee.

Next week:

No one remembers Peter, and the fun begins.