Television Review: Road Not Taken (Fringe, S1x19, 2009)
Road Not Taken (S01E19)
Airdate: 5 May 2009
Written by: Jeff Pinkner & J. R. Orci
Directed by: Bobby Roth
Running Time: 50 minutes
The practice of television series authors saving their finest episodes for the very end of a season is often a double-edged sword that can either cap off a run with a spectacular bang or leave audiences feeling manipulated by artificial timing. However, in the inaugural season of Fringe, this approach worked immensely to the series' benefit. By the time the nineteenth episode, The Road Not Taken, rolled around, the show had already established a solid foundation, but the latter portion of the season, arguably beginning with this instalment, shifted the paradigm. These concluding episodes recalibrated the entire format, steering Fringe away from generic Mystery of the Week procedurals and towards a firmer, more compelling mythology-driven narrative. The Road Not Taken is the first of these pivotal turning points, advancing the plot in an effective and comprehensive way while introducing the audience to new and fascinating concepts that would define the series' future.
The episode kicks off with a briefing from Phillip Broyles, who assigns Olivia Dunham and Charlie Francis to investigate a potential connection between the enigmatic William Bell and the terrorist organisation ZFT. Meanwhile, the narrative cuts to a horrific incident on the streets of New York, where a young woman (Jennifer Ferrin), burns to death in what appears to be the case of spontaneous human combustion. The Fringe Division is called to the scene, and as Olivia observes the wreckage, her perception fractures. She begins to experience disturbing visions, seeing two charred bodies instead of one, and witnessing her colleagues and superiors wearing identical clothing while Boston appears to be in the throes of a catastrophic incident. When she confides in Walter Bishop, the eccentric scientist offers a theory that recontextualises her experience: the visions belong to an alternate universe. He posits that countless universes exist, created by divergent choices, and that Olivia, due to her childhood exposure to the experimental drug Cortexiphan, experiences these alternate realities in much the same way a regular person experiences déjà vu.
The investigation leads the team to identify the victim as Stephanie Pratt and suggests the involvement of a twin sister, Nancy Lewis (also played by Jennifer Ferrin), who was part of the same Cortexiphan trials as Olivia and Nick Drake. When the FBI agents attempt to contact Lewis, she is abducted, leaving behind a scene of violent struggle and thermal damage to her apartment. Walter deduces that Nancy possesses pyrokinetic abilities, which manifest as a result of extreme stress. In a brilliant display of procedural logic, Peter finds an ingenious way to reconstruct the sounds in the rooms during the incident. These recordings point the finger squarely at none other than Sanford Harris, a DHS official who bears a major grudge against Olivia. Charlie begins to tail Harris, and the trail leads to an abandoned warehouse that has been converted into an experimental laboratory. Here, Harris and his team are conducting pyrokinetic experiments on Nancy, treating her as a guinea pig.
Olivia breaks into the warehouse to try and set Nancy free, but Harris traps them both in an observation room. His plan is diabolical: he hopes that the stress and proximity will cause Nancy to self-combust, burning Olivia in the process. However, Olivia quickly assesses the situation and suggests that Nancy focus her fire on Harris rather than herself. The plan works, and Harris is burned to death.
While this immediate crisis is resolved, the repercussions of the episode form the dramatic closing scene. We see Walter being confronted by Olivia over the unethical experiments he and William Bell conducted on children, including the twins, during the Cortexiphan trials. Walter admits he can't remember the specifics of his actions, a tragic detail that underlines his fractured psyche. Simultaneously, Nina Sharp informs Broyles that something bad is about to happen, and The Observer visits Walter to deliver the cryptic message, "it is time to go." The episode concludes with Nina Sharp being shot by two masked assailants, thrusting the series into a high-stakes cliffhanger that leaves the audience begging for answers.
The storytelling prowess behind The Road Not Taken is undeniable, largely due to the writing team of story author Akiva Goldsman and scriptwriters Jeff Pinkner, and J.R. Orci. Goldsman, who suggested to the producers that the series focus more on mythology, and who would become a key part of the production staff in the following season, helped steer the ship. The script is exceptionally well-written, managing to provide extremely fast but efficient exposition. The potentially baffling concept of parallel universes is explained in a simple yet comprehensive way that doesn't alienate the viewer, instead drawing them deeper into the mystery. The episode balances fast-paced action with intricate special effects and stunts, creating a hybrid serial-procedural format that works brilliantly.
The episode received mostly positive reviews from television critics, with many praising Olivia's visions and John Noble's performance. What is even more interesting, and perhaps a bit unexpected, is how the writers manage to stuff the episode with a number of clever pop culture references. The title is borrowed from the famous 1915 poem by Robert Frost, and the narrative explores the themes of "roads not taken" and alternative choices. There are clear homages to the 1984 film Ghostbusters and Stephen King's 1981 novel Firestarter, which coined the term "firestarter." However, the most obvious and amusing reference occurs when Olivia and Peter visit a man named Emmanuel Grayson, played by the ever-reliable Clint Howard. Grayson initially claims to possess knowledge about a conspiracy and upcoming war, but the conversation is turned on its head when it is revealed that he believes Star Trek to be real and that he is actually Spock. This immensely humorous scene is made even more fan-friendly by Howard's appearance, which echoes his childhood role in a classic TOS episode The Corbomite Manuever , adding a layer of levity to the episode's dense sci-fi lore.
It is worth noting that a potential criticism of the episode involves the all-too-convenient transformation of Sanford Harris from a petty bureaucrat with a personal vendetta into a full-blown, mustache-twirling villain connected to a global conspiracy. In the grand scheme of television writing, this feels like a bit of a stretch, but this can arguably be explained by the producers' desire to accelerate the mythology and tie up loose ends before the season finale. It's a necessary simplification to fit the scope of a single episode, even if it sacrifices some character nuance.
Despite this minor flaw, The Road Not Taken remains a very good episode that showcases the great potential of Fringe. It successfully blends the procedural elements that drew audiences in initially with the expansive, mind-bending mythology that promised so much, setting the stage for the show to become a significant force in science fiction television for years to come.
RATING: 8/10 (+++)
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