August (S02E08)
Airdate: 19 November 2009
Written by: J. H. Wyman & Jeff Pinkner Directed by: Dennis Smith
Running Time: 44 minutes
Any long-running television series built upon the "mystery box" narrative structure faces a peculiar dilemma: the longer you keep your audience guessing, the higher the stakes when you finally reveal what's inside. Too often, the resolution proves rather underwhelming compared to the years of speculation preceding it. Lost stands as perhaps the most notorious example—remember "the Others"? When they finally stepped out from the shadows, they scarcely lived up to the terrifying, almost supernatural reputation established during their earlier appearances. Fringe, despite its superior track record in weaving intricate mythology, appeared poised to make a similar misstep with August, an episode from its second season that risked demystifying one of its most enigmatic recurring elements.
The episode opens with a brazen abduction that immediately signals something has shifted in the show's established order. A bald man in a dark suit—bearing the unmistakable appearance of the Observer—first watches, then snatches Christine Hollis (Jennifer Morrisoni), a twenty-seven-year-old art student living in Boston. The act is performed with theatrical boldness in broad daylight, drawing the Fringe Division into immediate action. Until this point, Observer had appeared as silent witnesses at Pattern-related incidents, ghostly figures glimpsed in the background of catastrophe. What makes this development genuinely unsettling is that the Observer has finally abandoned passive observation for active participation.
Reviewing video evidence of the kidnapping, Olivia and Peter quickly deduce that this isn't their familiar Observer—the same mysterious figure who, decades earlier, had intervened to save both Walter's and Peter's lives. As they puzzle over this newcomer's motivations, their investigation uncovers curious details about Christine's past. She had survived the devastating 1989 San Francisco earthquake, though the disaster claimed her parents. More immediately relevant, she had been scheduled to board a flight to Rome that very day. Further digging reveals that this new Observer (Peter Woodward), whom the team nicknames "August," was also present during that 1989 earthquake. When Fringe Division eventually tracks Christine to a motel where August has been keeping her, he offers a startling explanation: he abducted her to save her life. The Rome-bound plane has crashed, killing everyone aboard.
A visit to Massive Dynamic yields additional context from Brandon (Ryan Macdonald), a young researcher who notes that figures matching the Observers' description have appeared near pivotal moments throughout recorded history. He speculates they might be time travellers, and he raises an intriguing question: could their increasingly frequent appearances suggest something significant looms on the horizon?
Meanwhile, August faces judgment from his own kind. He meets with three fellow Observers, including the original "September". They are distinctly displeased. By rescuing Christine, August has violated their code—she was meant to die, they insist, because she lacks "importance." This error must be corrected. The Observers dispatch Donald Long (Paul Rae), a professional assassin, to eliminate both August and his hostage. Recognising he cannot protect Christine alone, August contacts Walter, who deduces that Christine might survive if August can somehow make her "important."
The climax unfolds at the motel where Fringe Division has located Christine—unfortunately, Donald has found her too. August attempts to intervene but takes a fatal bullet. In the ensuing shootout, Olivia dispatches Donald and later finds Christine unharmed. As August lies dying, September arrives to collect him. In his final moments, August confesses something extraordinary: he is experiencing "feelings." His last question concerns Christine's safety. September reassures him that she will indeed be secure—she has become important now, because an Observer has died on her account. The episode closes on a deceptively tranquil scene: Olivia enjoying herself with her niece Ella at an amusement park, observed from a distance by two of August's colleagues. Their whispered exchange carries ominous weight: things are going to get "so hard" for Olivia.
Introducing multiple Observers rather than maintaining the solitary, inscrutable figure glimpsed in earlier episodes certainly complicates Fringe's mythology. More significantly, revealing them as a semi-hierarchical organisation comprising individuals with differing perspectives and agendas—rather than a unified, incomprehensible power operating behind reality's curtain—fundamentally alters their place in the narrative.
The notion of an Observer "going native," developing genuine emotional attachment to an ordinary human, and ultimately making that most romantic of sacrifices—trading his immortal existence for her mortal one—pushes Fringe uncomfortably close to melodrama's shallower waters. It is a storytelling choice more commonly associated with soap opera than serious science fiction.
That said, veteran director Dennis Smith handles the material with considerable skill, and the cast rises to meet the episode's demands. Peter Woodward—son of the legendary English actor Edward Woodward—delivers a compelling performance as August, capturing the otherworldly detachment of a being apparently devoid of normal human emotion, yet gradually suggesting cracks in that façade. The same cannot be said for Jennifer Missoni, whose portrayal of Christine leaves little impression. One cannot help but wonder what exactly August saw in this particular young woman, as the episode never quite establishes what made her worthy of such extraordinary devotion.
Although August serves as a reminder of September's potentially crucial role in the overarching mythology, it functions remarkably well as a standalone instalment. It is solid television—well-crafted, competently acted, and emotionally engaging—recommended even for viewers who haven't committed the entirety of Fringe's complex mythology to memory. Whether it ultimately strengthened or weakened the show's central mysteries remains debatable, but as a piece of entertainment, it largely succeeds.
RATING: 6/10 (++)
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