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Fringe Season 1 Episode 5

Power Hungry

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8.5

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AIRED: 10/14/08

The team investigates the case of a man who can generate electrical phenomena and is at the center of a series of strange deaths involving electronic devices.

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Fan Episode Reviews (13)

Best episode yet, but a continuation of the story of the last episode would've been nice

7.0

By nananabatman, Mar 28, 2013

It looks good, it sounds good, and the plot is quite enjoyable as well. The guest actors were better than the ones in the former episodes, although they did somewhat exaggerate they roles (they or the writers, I can't quite tell) at times. I'm simply a bit disappointed that they didn't really approach the issue of the last episode.
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Power Hungry

8.0

By arkanitoo, Jul 16, 2012

After one step forward, two steps back? No, I would not say much. It is true that the fifth episode, "Fringe" back into that routine pre-"The Arrival", there is one time or another to make us laugh in the form of mockery, but the episode turns out to have some gems and interesting.

And one of them, one of the funniest scenes I've seen this series so far, was the one that goes on at some point of the episode, the fourth of Peter (Joshua Jackson) and Walter (John Noble). Olivia (Anna Torv) goes to meet him after having made progress in the case and, while chatting with Peter, Walter is doing a strange dance. We do not realize the reason for such behavior, but as the character is not entirely sane, estranhamos but we never put in doubt the reason for his attitude. Until out of nowhere, Walter plays Peter in the face of giving you a shock! And thus we learn that he, as he was shod with wool socks, decided to rub them on the carpet so that your body could produce a small electrical discharge and thus could illustrate what was being discussed in relation to case.

The others are related to the return of John Scott (Mark Valley). Spirit? Manifestation of the vestiges of his consciousness in the brain of Olivia? Or some kind of manipulation used by Massive Dynamic? For now, we know that it only shows up in the mind of Olivia and that for some reason, decided to help much in case she investigates the episode as revealing to him that he had a great knowledge of the cases that are characterized as being members of "The Pattern", the pattern of strange events that have occurred in recent times.

As for the case itself, as has become usual in the series, the opening sequence is always very interesting and mysterious enough to keep us locked up for the next few minutes, but, as the case is being investigated and will be addressing small pieces of the puzzle, the interest will fading. Although in this episode, the initial intensity was able to extend much more than some of his predecessors.

Oh, and I almost forgot ... Who saw the bald (The Observer) out of the elevator?moreless
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Ok episode, nothing great.

8.0

By tv_buffy_addict, Mar 12, 2011

I didn't like the electricity guy. He seemed like a creepy stalker! I mean seriously how are you meant to like him after he has creepy pics of this girl he likes on his phone (who doesn't know who he is), then he accidentally kills her. Plus I thought it was really predictable when he killed his mum.

All the stuff about Olivia's ex was ...odd. The guy was kind of evil and didn't he try to kill her? It'll be interesting to see where they'll go with this.

I'm loving the characters and the show but this was an average ep.moreless
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Well this episode get a big fat MEH, from me.

8.5

By benner82, Jul 24, 2010

Well this episode get a big fat MEH, from me. I still like this show a lot over all, but this episode was pretty lackluster. The premise for the episode was promising enough, but I thought it got a little silly when they brought the pigeons on. The end was very good though, after the case had been resolved. I think that redeemed the episode from going from lackluster to dull. The over arcing character story lines need to get more in depth, in my opinion, if they want solidify their fan base. The writing of any single episode, this one included, has never disappointed me. It is very sharp and clever. A lot of research must go into each episode, at least I hope so.

I really don't have much to add other than emphasizing what I said earlier about getting more in depth with the characters and/or over arcing story lines dealing with John Scott or Massive Dynamics, which was sadly absent this episode.moreless
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A man has the power to control electronic devices.

8.5

By thefanof, Jul 24, 2010

It's rare that I'll start off with the negative for an episode, but this week things took way too long to get into the story. We didn't need to see the man for 7 minutes to know who he was before something happened. To maintain possession of House viewers Fringe needs to quickly hook them in with a 1-2 minute supernatural occurence, like they have done for the past few weeks.

The back and forths between Walter and Peter Bishop are usually the high point of the episode but it felt forced tonight and not as natural. I did like Walter being obsessed with his wool socks though. If John Noble doesn't receive an Emmy nomination there is something severely wrong with the system.

The premise here was good, but at points it came off as pretty pointless in the grand scheme of things. They advanced the storyline between Olivia and John and I am interested in where that's headed, but this just wasn't up to standards set by previous Fringe episodes. Still a good, entertaining hour though.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Anna Torv	Olivia Dunham
Joshua Jackson	Peter Bishop
Lance Reddick	Phillip Broyles
Kirk Acevedo	Charlie Francis
Jasika Nicole	Astrid Farnsworth
Mark Valley	John Scott

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Ebon Moss-Bachrach	Joseph Meegar	Guest Star
Max Baker	Jacob Fischer	Guest Star
MaryLouise Burke	Flora Meegar	Guest Star

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (5)
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- During the scene in which Olivia finds an engagement ring in the container with John's personal effects, there is a second metallic object visible inside the ring box. After the cut, the smaller object is absent.
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- Trivia: The glyph for this episode is "SURGG," possibly meant to be "SURGE."
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- It seems unusual as well as unlikely that any relevant security cameras that might have shown Joe Meegar on tape were wiped by the electronic pulse (including those outside the elevator that might have shown him entering) but the weight sensors on the elevator itself were undamaged so that Olivia could determine the weight discrepancy.
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- Trivia: During the scene in which they watch the news report a coffee cup has the word "INtREPUS" written across it. This word is a clue toward the next episode "The Cure."
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- Trivia: The Observer can be seen emerging from the elevator and putting on his hat as Joe walks past.
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QUOTES (6)
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- Peter: Visiting hours. Everyone put on their best straitjacket.
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- Olivia: So… what is this?
  Walter: This is the sort of work I was born for.
  Peter: You were hoping for something more specific, maybe?
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- Olivia: Walter, you're not going to accidentally fry one of those pigeons?
  Walter: Stranger things have happened.
  Peter: That's his motto.
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- Peter: So we're putting GPS chips on carrier pigeons to find a man who can control electricity. I have you to thank for that, don't I?
  Olivia: Yeah, that's me.
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- Astrid: Are you sure this is going to work?
  Walter: Of course not.
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- Peter: Seriously, if this works…
  Olivia: You're going to have some more faith in your father?
  Peter: No.
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NOTES (4)
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- Original International Air Dates:
  Sweden: October 30, 2008 on Kanal 5
  United Kingdom: November 2, 2008 on Sky1/Sky1 HD
  Norway: February 1, 2009 on Tvn
  Finland: February 2, 2009 on MTV3
  Germany: April 20, 2009 on ProSieben
  Belgium: June 11, 2009 on RTBF2
  France: June 24, 2009 on TF1
  New Zealand: July 29, 2009 on TV2
  Australia: September 9, 2009 on Go!
  Poland: October 8, 2009 on TVN
  Slovakia: November 1, 2009 on Markiza
  Czech Republic: February 19, 2010 on Nova Cinema
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- The flybys of "Worcester, Massachusetts" are actually of Hartford, Connecticut.
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- Music: Can't Fight This Feeling Anymore (REO Speedwagon)
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- Blair Brown is credited but doesn't appear.
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ALLUSIONS (1)
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- Walter's lab note: "I Sing the Body Electric"
  Referencing the poem from the Walt Whitman collection Leaves of Grass (1855) . The same title was also a short story by Ray Bradbury in an anthology of the same name, as well as an episode of the original Twilight Zone based on Bradbury's story.
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