The Trouble with Fringe This Season Is...

 Spoiler city ahead!

Okay, so I'm sure I am not the only one who feels a little bit empty, and not a little bit emotionally manipulated, by Season 5 of Fringe so far.   The show is still so excellent that it was hard to pinpoint at first why I felt so hollow and disappointed towards it.  Then I realized that despite the exquisite acting and the fact that the show is still populated by the characters we so desperately adore, the writers have wrought some seriously flawed concepts and forced them onto the show's remaining story arc.

Problems with Season 5 of Fringe:

1.  First of all, the fact that this photo, supposedly a promo photo for Season 5,

has absolutely no reference to pretty much anything about Season 5 so far.  Or, okay, next to none.  I mean, not only were Broyles and Nina dropped way too unceremoniously from the main cast (and isn't that Nina as Professor X in this pic?  Why isn't that happening now?), but some other characters were added on who don't fill the void.

I hate to speak ill of the dead, but Etta was and is a problem for Fringe.  As I've mentioned in my Once Upon a Time musings, the whole "you are my adult child whose entire childhood I missed out on" idea is so bizarre, it's hard to believe two shows have used it at the same time.  It's not only a strange concept, but it's also incredibly difficult to take beyond just being awkward and artificial-feeling.  OUAT does a better job with the theme because we already know and love both Emma and Snow.  But we have no reason to care about Etta, except that she's been foisted upon us and we're just told that she's wonderful and perfect and blah-di-blah-di.  But in truth, Etta's kind of wooden and holier-than-thou, and more of a stereotypical ideal than a person.  

Now she's gone, and she's still causing plot and character problems.  I mean, there's no way Etta won't be somehow resurrected by the end of the show.  In fact, somehow I suspect that Walter will sacrifice himself to make this happen (it just seems like a logical assumption given the structure of the show and what's happened in other comparable shows in the JJ Abrams world).

Since logic dictates that Fringe is not going to forever deprive poor Peter and Olivia of their beloved daughter, I have to call foul on the cruel misery being inflicted on these characters now.  It's irritating and depressing.

2.  The Observers as world conquering Nazis - it doesn't really work.

What's their agenda, anyway?  Aren't they kind of above this whole thing?  They're acting like humans in their evil dictatorship and overall shenanigans.  What do Observers need with Earth?  (I'm getting into the habit of paraphrasing Jim Kirk approximately once per blog entry.)

And so, all observers except September are evil?  Huh?  Where is September, anyway?  Why do so many good characters have to be on leave of absence right now?

Since when do the Observers have magical tech in their noggins?  I know I don't remember every detail of every Fringe episode ever, and I plan to rewatch seasons 1-4 at some point (if only to relive their utter perfection).  But still, it seems like the writers are throwing a whole bunch of random new aspects into the show that aren't really gelling.

3.  I think we all miss Over There quite a bit.

Inarguably, from season 1 to season 4, Fringe was always about the conflict between the two universes.  This was the crux that drove the story arc for four years, and we even spent pretty much the whole of Season 3 being aggressively forced to fall in love with characters like Bolivia and Walternate.  Now those good friends of ours, along with Lincoln Lee (I miss his adorkable wittle face!), have been yanked away, leaving a gaping whole in the hearts of Fringe fans, and frankly, in the entire structure of the show this year.  

I really hope that wasn't the last we'll ever see of Over There.  Season 4 did a gorgeous job of explaining why the hole between the worlds had to be closed, but it would still be tremendously glorious to spend time in that place, with those Other characters, once more.

4.  The acting is so frakking brilliant that we feel guilty for complaining about the plot.

I mean, for one thing, Walter's one-liners virtually save every episode (How about "Afro," or "my donut hole!  It's still spongey!").  John Noble continues to effortlessly drop epic hilariousness and mission statement pathos into each hour, with an amount of conviction that almost makes us believe in the largely unsatisfying plotlines.

Meanwhile, Joshua Jackson's performance in the wake of Etta's demise was nothing less than extraordinary, a striking tour de force that deserves a damn Emmy.  

Anna Torv feels annoyingly sidelined this season, with Olivia's main function seeming reliant on a) being the only sane one besides Astrid, and b) standing there quietly assisting the others.  Liv needs more to do, ASAP, but Torv continues to infuse the character with subtle yet compelling depth.

Jasika Nicole continues to perform the same delightful and adorable function as ever, since Astrid is comfortingly the same as she ever was.

With a cast of amazing characters like these, we're distracted enough by affection to feel that we have no right to complain sometimes.  It's a nagging little frustration under the surface, however, that draws our mind back to what Season 5 lacks.

5.  There are still many unanswered questions,

or at least, questions that should have been answered in more detail due to the amount of build-up they had.  A few examples:

• ZFT
• The First People
• Who the Observers are, where they come from, what they want
• What about the man from Olivia's LSD cartoon dream, who was supposedly going to kill her?  (even saying "LSD cartoon dream" makes me miss Season 3 so much!)
• Olivia's powers

I'm sure there are other questions I'm forgetting about - feel free to add some in the comments, readers!I am truly hoping that despite the uneven-ness of Season 5 so far, the writers will get their act together and make the remaining hours as fantastic as the show deserves.