“Brave New World (2)” felt every bit like a series finale. In fact, the whole two-part season finale of Fringe did. From the plethora of high-stake events to the way relationships between the series regular characters were all brought to some sort of satisfactory conclusion, everything seemed to signal an end-of-story narrative rather than your standard end-of-chapter storyline.
Besides Theon Greyjoy who wreaked havoc on Winterfell, other major characters were either in danger or were flirting with it in “The Old Gods and the New.” The Game of Thrones’ episode was filled with danger, from the kind that makes you wonder who’s next on the chopping block to the kind that makes you wonder whose heart will be caught next. Virtually no significant character was spared, including dragons.
Arriving on the scene under a month ago, Legend of Korra – the follow up series to the critically and commercially acclaimed Avatar: The Last Airbender, has had a stiff legacy to uphold. However, with the writing involvement ofAvatar: The Last Airbender series creators Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, the show has been off to a very good start.
“Brave New World (1),” the first half of the two-part season finale of Fringe made us worry about its victims (or those likely to become victims), and it made us feel for the series’ regular characters in a story that paid much more attention to its pace than to its consistency, but it worked beautifully.
The team’s reconnaissance of an alien world becomes more like an awkward family trip with divorced parents as Superboy and Miss Martain bring Beast Boy to Rann.
“The Ghost of Harrenhal” was the sort of episode every showrunner dreams of making. It grabbed us from the opening scenes and really didn’t let us go until the very last image. From Arya’s boldness to Brienne of Tarth’s oath and Jorah Mormont’s plea, it showcased the best Game of Thrones has to offer in terms of characters and storylines, all that without the less attractive and more controversial bits.
“Worlds Apart” did many things wrong, but what was done right was done extremely well. Regardless of how we got to the final farewell scenes, each of them was a gem and showed how much Fringe, like all the best sci-fi series, is more a character study than a tale centered around advanced technology and a world unlike our own.
The second season may not have wasted any time getting on air, but, as this premiere reveals, it sure has been a long time since we’ve seen these characters.
“Garden of Bones” was many things. It was intriguing with the woman on the battlefield who forced the new king in the North to try and justify his actions. It was petty with King Joffrey doing what he does best. It was cunning and noble with Tyrion Lannister wrapping his hand around the seat of power and educating the king. It was even attractively scary with the red priestess. But above all, it was fiery and majestic with Daenerys Targaryen at Qarth.
The “Old versus Young” showdown may be a cliche in these kinds of shows, but there’s good reason for that. It’s fun to watch. “Auld Acquaintance” is no exception to that rule as the Young Justice team faces off against the Justice League.
