Brown Betty

The reviewers giving this episode 1 star clearly think they're too smart and serious to enjoy a lighthearted episode in this series. Being someone who enjoys a bit of "fluff" just as much as a deep, thought-provoking story, I loved this episode. It was actually the first episode that made me say "I love this series!" It worked in the context of a story being told by a heartbroken man under the influence and yes, I may have shed a tear or two at the end. Y'all need to get over yourselves.

I watch Fringe every week, and am surprised at the variable qualities of the show. Recently the White Tulip segment starring Peter Weller was a universally treasured outing, and I concurred -truly memorable. Back in January there was an out-of-sequence episode Unearthed (bringing back Nick Acevedo's cop who had been deleted from the series previously) that was an insult to loyal viewers, as it contradicted the progressing story arc. And now we have the "fun" diversion of Brown Betty, a creative train wreck.

Yes, it is always tempting to try a film noir pastiche, but it takes some talent. For interested Brown Betty viewers, I suggest the George Segal film The Black Bird, which was a big failure back in the '70s trying to comically imitate The Maltese Falcon (replete with roles for original '40s cast members); I enjoyed that light movie but it was much hated at the time and is now forgotten. I also loved the Steve Martin super-production of Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, the ultimate film noir send up, and also a famous flop.

But under the direction of hack Seith Mann (check out his credits -episodes of random recent TV shows, strictly a traffic cop grinding out filler), Brown Betty is embarrassing. Sure, we get to see the cast out of context, getting to sing and generally do wink-wink over the top performances. For the retarded TV writers out there, series regulars ARE talented actors who can do drastically different roles than their constrained weekly duties, so proving it is silly and insulting. After a few seconds of seeing Jasika Nicole and Lance Reddick hamming it up, the novelty wears off.

Low point for me was the corpses singing Sammy Davis Jr.'s old hit Candyman. (Punsters would have enjoyed some Clive Barker and Tony Todd riffs, but that was beyond the memory and knowledge of Fringe's team.) Again, this must have wowed 'em at a story conference, but as executed it was atrocious, reminding me of the comic relief included in New Jersey soft porn horror garbage being ground out on videos (as we speak) by companies like Seduction Cinema, only without the nudity. If this is the direction Fringe's creators want to take, why don't they transfer the show to cable and turn it into a Skinemax lesbian soft-porn parody series?

Film noir by definition should be in black & white, but even with a framing story in color (Noble telling the cute kid bedtime tales), the network didn't have the guts to do the lion's share of Brown Betty in b&w. The sets, lighting and costumes evoke none of the intended noir genre low-key look; hairdos and makeup to evoke pseudo-'40s styles were amateurish, and the inclusion of modern devices like cell phones in the period milieu (completely extraneous to Noble's tale) instantly destroys the mood.

I can't wait for the endless apologies in the voice-over commentary on the Year Two DVD compilation to explain away the shortcomings of this disastrous episode. Check that, I don't want to hear any ramblings from Seith Mann -he should turn in his Director's Guild card after handing in this rubbish, and move to New Jersey where starlet Darian Caine awaits his gentle touch: it's time for a no-budget, shot on video Iron Man 2 parody. Who can we get to lampoon Mickey Rourke? Maybe....Mickey Rourke? Nope, with a zero budget we'll have to settle for Robert Z'Dar, when he finishes work on the new movie Salvador's Deli (no, I didn't make up that pun, it's actually in IMDb!).

I don't understand the hate for this episode. Sure, it is different, but my gosh, this whole series is in a genre that is already outrageously different from almost everything else in broadcast television.

This is NOT like some of the other "musical episode" efforts of other series, where people just, for absolutely no reason at all, start singing or dancing. This effort simply takes a page from the stunningly good (and well liked/received) Buffy the Vampire Slayer "Once More, with Feeling" episode. That episode worked because it was not just a bunch of people singing, for no reason at all. In the BTVS episode, they were singing (and dancing) because of a curse (over which they had no control), and most of the songs were actually dark confessions. And with a few exceptions, most of the singing was not played for laughs, but instead, depicted lyrics/confessions that were heart-breakingly sad.

That is exactly what is happening in this Fringe episode, except it's all about Walter (finally) verbalizing/confessing the many things that he has avoided facing, for the entirety of the series up to this point, as well as (accurately) assessing the state of mind of all the important people in his life. Specifically, with respect to those people (family and otherwise), it's also about his perception (which is spot-on) regarding the state of their interpersonal relationships. Walter simply chooses to express his assessment (and, bare his soul) in the form of a story that he tells in order to entertain Ella. And, because music has always been an obsession of Walter's, it should not strike anyone as unusual, that he quite naturally makes music a part of the story that he spins out to Ella.

Far from "jumping the shark", I personally think it was a great way to assess where everything stands (especially with respect to those relationships), before the series takes a "hard right turn" in the following episode, and finally leaps, head first, into the multi-universe story line that will be a major focus throughout the rest of the series.

Enough reviews give the details and the pros and cons. I just want to add my voice to the others who share the view that this is a worthwhile part of the story. I loved it.

I feel that I need to score this a 10 in an attempt to balance out haters who are complaining that the producers made a terrible choice having a music episode. What those who binge watch fringe on DVD and Netflix don't realize that this was part of FOX's "music week" to kick off the return of glee after a four month hiatus. The odd theme of this episode was clearly a fox directive and not a producer choice. Given their situation, they did a great job with the episode and the benefit was that the 19th episode of each season became a strange one (an animated episode to adhere to Leonard Nimoys retirement from acting, and our glimpse into the future in season four which set up the final season). Bravo to everyone involved, this episode is perfect all things considered.