Television Review: Bound (Fringe, S1x11, 2009)
Bound (S01E11)
Airdate: 20 January 2009
Written by: J.J. Abrams, Jeff Pinkner, Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci
Directed by: Frederick E. O. Toye
Running Time: 49 minutes
While the tenth episode of Fringe served as a pivotal moment for the recalcitrant recalibration of the series, shifting the narrative format toward a distinct, more serialised approach that promised a fresh direction, it is undeniably unrealistic to expect that such a high standard of quality could be maintained with absolute consistency. The subsequent episode, Bound, finds itself in the unenviable position of resolving the cliffhanger established in the previous instalment and closing one storyline, yet it accomplishes this in a fashion that is somewhat too convenient, thereby rendering the episode—while still sitting above the series' average by that point—a little bit of a disappointment. It attempts to bridge the gap between the experimental pilot and the traditional procedural format, but in doing so, it stumbles slightly under the weight of its own narrative shortcuts, relying on coincidence rather than rigorous investigation to tie the loose ends together.
In a practice that was apparently inherited from Alias, another J. J. Abrams series, the cold open in this episode is unusually long for broadcast television standards, allowing a significant amount of narrative ground to be covered in a compressed timeframe. In this sequence, Olivia, who had been abducted at the conclusion of the previous episode, awakens in a strange lab-like facility where the staff answers to a mysterious man wearing a mask. She is subjected to a spinal tap, a procedure that serves to heighten the visceral sense of vulnerability and danger she faces. Nevertheless, thanks to her superb training and resourcefulness, she manages to incapacitate her captors and makes a mad dash toward freedom. Crucially, she takes several vials from the lab during her escape. She manages to contact the FBI, but before she is taken into custody, she hides these vials in a secure location as a precautionary measure, anticipating that her captors might abduct her again if they discover she is missing.
When Olivia eventually makes it to the federal building, her joy of reconnecting with her colleagues is tempered by the arrival of Calvin Harris (Michael Gaston). He is a former high-ranking USMC officer whom Olivia sent to prison some time ago for the harassment of female Marine privates. While his conviction was ultimately overturned, his military career was destroyed in the process. Instead of fading away, he, utilising his close personal friendship with Broyles, has joined the Department of Homeland Security and is now in charge of an internal affairs investigation against Fringe Division. He immediately displays his authority by temporarily placing Olivia in handcuffs, establishing a clear power dynamic that restricts her movement and suggests that the political landscape within the institution is shifting against her.
Olivia is barred from investigating her own abduction and instead must work on the seemingly unrelated case of Professor Miles Kinberg (Stephen Schnetzer). Kinberg is an immunologist who dies in a spectacularly gruesome fashion during a lecture at Boston College, choking on a large slug-like creature that bursts out of his throat. Fringe Division arrives and captures the slug, which is revealed to be a genetically engineered and enlarged common cold virus. Olivia learns that Kinberg was a candidate for a top spot at the CDC. Another candidate, Dr. Russel Simon (Peter Jay Fernandez), is brought to the federal building for protection, but Mitchell Loeb abuses his position to poison him, causing him to die in the same fashion as Kinberg. Olivia has retrieved the vials she had hidden previously and Walter discovers that they contain the same DNA as the slugs, making these killings connected to her abductors.
By what amounts to a happy coincidence, Olivia takes a glance at Mitchell Loeb’s shoes and recognises them as identical to those worn by her chief abductor. She informs Charlie and takes Peter’s help to gather evidence against Mitchell. Olivia goes to snoop around in Loeb’s home but is surprised by Samantha Loeb; she feigns that it is a social call. Mitchell calls her and tells her to kill Olivia, but Olivia manages to kill Samantha instead. Mitchell is later arrested, but he refuses to co-operate with the investigation until Olivia tells him that she killed Samantha. Mitchell claims that her abduction was for the greater good and that the people whom he works with are trying to stop a disaster from happening, which adds a layer of moral ambiguity to the antagonists that the show is beginning to explore.
There are, however, two major flaws of the episode that undermine its credibility. The first is the over-fantastical pseudoscientific concept of viruses being enlarged into xenomorph-like creatures from Alien; this stretches the suspension of disbelief somewhat too far, requiring the audience to accept that a simple cold virus can evolve into a complex predatory organism. Another is the conspirators using rather a spectacular method of assassination that is bound to attract too much attention, making it an inefficient way to kill someone in a crowded college lecture hall.
On the other hand, those flaws are compensated with positive additions to Fringe that enrich the show's mythology and character dynamics. The most significant is Olivia being clearly established as the protagonist who can take care of herself, which manifests in two impressive action scenes – one at the beginning of the episode, and the other at the end, when she takes out Samantha. The second is even better, because it features a great deal of suspenseful, grounded tension that highlights her physical capabilities without relying on cheap effects.
Another important addition is Calvin Harris as the protagonist's archnemesis, a villain with a deeply personal grudge who could use his bureaucratic prerogatives to make Olivia’s life miserable in a way that Jones cannot. Michael Gaston, a character actor specialised for such roles, plays Harris very well, bringing a gravitas and menace that elevates the political thriller aspect of the series. Olivia is also given some necessary family background in the form of Rachel, a sister played by Ari Graynor, who comes to her home after a failed marriage with her young daughter Ella (played by Lilly Piblad). Ari Graynor delivers a great job in this guest role, particularly when she has to play a younger and much more vulnerable sibling, offering a stark contrast to Olivia's hardened FBI agent exterior and grounding the character in a reality that isn't entirely consumed by fringe science.
RATING: 7/10 (+++)
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