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Fringe Season 2 Episode 20

Brown Betty

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AIRED: Apr 29, 2010

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7.3

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EPISODE REVIEWS
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Episode Summary

EDIT

Walter takes his mind off of bad news by telling Olivia's niece, Ella, a musical mystery fairy tale with some familiar faces.

FAN RECAP

Fan Episode Reviews (48)

Nauseating and Gratuitous

3.0

By cgf376, Mar 18, 2013

Sometimes during the course of a TV show's life the writers are let out of the cage, so to speak, and unleash upon us a "film noir" or "musical" episode (in this case, BOTH). Smallville, Buffy, House, Grey's Anatomy in recent years all have had one.

It's such a departure from the norm that leaves fans to either LOVE IT or HATE IT.

As a matter of personal taste I really did not enjoy this episode at all.

When you flirt with something so cheesy, you have to cut it with a lot of satire or tongue-in-cheek humor (which worked for a while with the singing corpses) or entertain the audience with something that will prevent the episode from being a total cheeseball. (Remove the cheese from bleu cheese and you're left with just bleu mold. Really, there's none to be found here.

A better execution would be the 80's themed "Peter" episode (S.02 Ep.16).moreless
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A fun and strange episode

8.5

By mmmshuddup, Jan 08, 2013

This was definitely a crazy episode, but I really enjoyed it!
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Doo Doo Butter

1.0

By missing_n0, Aug 15, 2012

To the people that have rated this 10/10 would you say to your friends "Oh man did you see Fringe last night? AWESOME RIGHT?!! LOVED IT! SUCH A GREAT EPISODE!" or if they hadn't seen it yet would you really recommend them this episode? I'd imaging your friend would never take advice from you again after that kind of betrayal and poor taste.
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Brown Betty

8.5

By arkanitoo, Jul 16, 2012

We got to the episode before being already was. That is, before being a good or bad piece of something it was an event. This is because "Brown Betty" is the episode noir, which is also musical and that is still room for fairy tale. That is to say: Wow!

After the revelation key all season has closed in the last great episode - Peter discovered that came from another universe - "Fringe" risks everything and before blasting the final events decides to offer an extravagance. A luxurious break, where it all comes down to the mind of a genius. Walter (John Noble), after seeing his son away, angry and hurt, he decides to forget all the waves of an anesthetic drug, as Brown Betty. Even more delusional than usual, sees his office's niece Olivia (Anna Torv), Ella (Lily Pilblad) - interpretation of the fantastic little actress - and then decides to tell her a story. A mirror tampered with their feelings, a fanciful metaphor of what it consumes.

We then enter another dimension. 40 years old, dark environments and smoke, the music is called "Blue Moon" and bewitching who will assist you or a gentle caress. Olivia is a detective charged with investigating the disappearance of Peter (Joshua Jackson) at the request of Rachel (Ari Graynor), his girlfriend. Then follows the investigation, stumbling over our characters ever, dressed and painted in another way: since Broyles (Lance Reddick) to Nina Sharp (Blair Brown), facing the mythical observers in the middle. Eventually discovers that Peter has a rich heart, a heart that is yours and would deliver to Walter if he had not yet discovered that the cruelties done in the past. The tale is terminated in two ways: the old and bitter of the innocent child. Happily ever after?

We do not know. This episode has added nothing to the past nor nothing builds for the future. It is a daydream, a trip to the mind of the scientist who shattered, heartbroken, creates a dizzying mix of styles in order to be able to express. It is not quite a perfect subject, owning faults and virtues. On the one hand the musical numbers do not match very well, in my opinion because they were not embedded in the true spirit of the genre, missing dance, interaction, lights, stage direction. Singing only dialogue does not work. On the other hand, everything else was very close to the delicious: the way the characters appear - reflecting how Walter sees - the futuristic technologies embedded in that environment the past - reminded me of "Wild Wild West" in particular, and Burton in general - who sing the dead, the heart that splits into forgiveness in advance, among many other fantastic moments flashed in the eye.

"Brown Betty" episode is not expected at this stage of the championship. And thank goodness! Enough to meet the anticipated dates, no more gray days are alike and we want creativity and will. We want to risk it and breathe. And I can finally say yes now!

The Top: Visually it is a crash.

The worst: The musical numbers can not fit the rest.moreless
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Agee MatthewMcCask... Worst Episode of Fringe! Timewasting Garbage!

1.0

By AlgodePrivaci, Apr 10, 2012

Agee MatthewMcCask... Worst Episode of Fringe! Timewasting Garbage!
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Cast & Crew: STARS

EDIT

Anna Torv	Olivia Dunham
Joshua Jackson	Peter Bishop
Lance Reddick	Phillip Broyles
Blair Brown	Nina Sharp
Jasika Nicole	Astrid Farnsworth
John Noble	Dr. Walter Bishop

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

EDIT

Candus Churchill	Dead Singer/Corpse #3	Guest Star
Sarah Ann Hayward	Nurse	Guest Star
Tom Pickett	Dead Singer/Corpse #1	Guest Star
Michael Cerveris	September	Recurring Role
Ari Graynor	Rachel Dunham	Recurring Role
Ryan McDonald	Brandon	Recurring Role

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Episode Photos

Broyles (Lance Reddick) is caught up in ...

© 2010 Fox Broadcasting Company
Walter (John Noble) weaves a mysterious ...

© 2010 Fox Broadcasting Company
Walter (John Noble) weaves a mysterious ...

© 2010 Fox Broadcasting Company
Walter (John Noble) weaves a mysterious ...

© 2010 Fox Broadcasting Company

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (1)
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- Trivia: The glyph code for this episode is HEART.
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QUOTES (2)
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- Walter: I have spent my life making things that bring joy and happiness, to make the world a better place. Bubble gum was one of my first. Ah. Flannel pajamas. Oh, rainbows. And my latest project, singing corpses.
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- Walter: (animating singing corpses) Why not bring a little life to the dead, I say. Their harmonies are still a bit off.
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NOTES (3)
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- Leonard Nimoy makes an uncredited appearance as William Bell, his image distorted as he communicates with Nina Sharp.
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- Music: Roundabout (Yes), Blue Moon (Django Reinhardt), Head Over Heels (Tears For Fears, sung by John Noble), The Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys (Traffic, sung by Lance Reddick), The Candy Man (Anthony Newley & Leslie Bricusse, sung by Pickett, Prowse & Churchill and by John Noble), I Hope I Get It (Marvin Hamlisch and Edward Kleban, sung by Jasika Nicole), Freddie Freeloader (Miles Davis), For Once in My Life (Stevie Wonder, sung by Anna Torv)
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- International Airdates:
  Canada: April 29, 2010 on A
  Australia: May 5, 2010 on GO!
  UK: May 11, 2010 on Sky1
  Sweden: July 22, 2010 on Kanal 5
  Germany: October 4, 2010 on ProSieben
  Poland: January 20, 2011 on TVN
  Finland: February 2, 2011 on MTV3
  Czech Republic: February 18, 2011 on Nova Cinema
  Slovakia: December 28, 2012 on Dajto
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ALLUSIONS (0)
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