There seems to be a few tell-tale signs of shows that are filmed in Vancouver. One, they never mention that they are shooting there within the context of the show. Two, most shows shot in the city will have the majority of their scenes take place in the rain. And the three, there will eventually be an episode that is centered around Chinatown.
Last evening’s episode of Fringe, titled “Snakehead,” was exactly this.
In typical Fringe fashion, the gang discovers a Chinese smuggling ring being used to harvest medicinal parasites. Under normal circumstances this would be outrageous, but in the world of Olivia, Peter, Walter and Astrid, parasites growing inside people is basically just another Thursday. One of the more entertaining moments of the episode is when Walter gets bitten by a parasite and looks to get a little bit of a high.
Snakehead had all of the typical Chinese references you would think. Everything from people smuggling, to Triad gangs; but like most episodes of Fringe, the heart of the story was based on the characters. In this episode, Walter explores his independence.
Only one year removed from a mental institution, Walter initially feels as though he’s ready to become part of society without any supervision. What he neglects to recognize, and eventually comes to realize, is that he is now a part of the elderly community. After getting lost in Chinatown and becoming the cause of a lab break-in, Walter finally agrees that his independence is something that will have to wait.
I am a little bit disappointed that Snakehead didn’t at all touch on the overall mysteries of the Observer, the other dimension, Massive Dynamic or William Bell. But one of the strengths of Fringe is that they do one-off episodes like Snakehead so well. Sure we don’t get to see the gang decipher the big mysteries, but we do learn a lot about the characters which will only add to a better conclusion at the end of the season.
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