Fringe: White Tulip Review

One of Fringe's strangest episodes to date, White Tulip is a greatly inventive, and surprisingly enjoyable installment in the series. Written by J.H. Wyman, and Jeff Vlaming (Earthling), this episode focuses mostly on the story of Alistair Peck (Guest star Peter Weller), a man with a tragic past, and a devastating ability to jump back in time. After his ability drains the power from both the passengers, and the devices on a train, the Fringe team is called in to investigate, intertwining the two stories and pushing the plot of the series just a little bit forward.

Of the three members of our team, Walter is the main focus of the episode. Last episode left us with his decision to reveal to Peter the truth of his origins, and this episode is him trying to muster up the courage to do so. When Peck shows up, and Walter sees the similarities between the two of them, Walter pours out his soul to the man he has never met, and has every reason to kill. It's a very emotional episode on both sides of the table, and a surprising twist in the second season of the show.

Peter Weller (Robocop) gives one of the best guest performances of the series, and gives us plenty of reason to empathize with his character. He stands in brilliant contrast with Walter, and the scene between the two of them reveals plenty about Walter's view of religeon, wets our appetite for that Bishop/Bell confrontation in the finale, and adds a new dynamic to John Noble's performance throughout the entire series. If Peter didn't convince people that Noble deserves an Emmy nod, then White Tulip certainly hammered it home, and the season isn't nearly over yet.

This was certainly an improvement from last week. The makeup affects weren't the greatest, but they were better than the caked on tumors in Olivia. In the lab. with the revolver. Peck's theme includes a wonderfully jumpy violin solo, and we all know how Michael Giacchino loves his violins. Apart from Walter, there wasn't much character development, probably a good thing since they would've forgotten it by the end anyway. Given the ending to this episode, I think it's safe to say that next week will be the big unveiling we've all been waiting for.

9.2 out of 10

Follow this link to watch the episode via Hulu: http://www.hulu.com/watch/139644/fringe-white-tulip