Deconstruction Review of Fringe, Episode 20, Season 2, Northwest Passage
Posted by Karl Withakay on May 6, 2010
As usual, an episode synopsis can be found over at Scott’s Polite Dissent.
With Street Smarts Like That, No Wonder She’s Dead
Did the waitress just hook up at the local motel with every charming stranger that bought pie and coffee in the diner?
Gratuitous Product Placement Du Jour
Another gratuitous Ford product placement, this time for the Ford Taurus and its Sync based navigation system.
Ford’s Navigation Must Have a Very Good Location Database
It couldn’t find any city in the entire United States called Mars. Wikipedia found two US cities currently named Mars, one in Pennsylvania, and one in Texas.
Quote of the Show #1
Peter talking to the Sheriff:
“I know how it sounds, but believe me, if you can imagine it, it’s possible.”
At least in Fringe land that’s true.
A Pen for Many Different Customers
“Find the Crack” Do they also have those pens at the DEA? Maybe they have them in the current season of Doctor Who as well.
WTF Was Peter Doing to Those Bullets?
Are hollow point bullets restricted in the state of Washington? Why was Peter filing on the handgun bullets? Soft point bullets don’t expand very well at handgun velocities, especially ones made in a hotel room with a file. Was Peter perhaps carving crosses on them in case he had to shoot a vampire?
Do You Have Any Delicious Strawberry Flavored Death? Yes, Aisle Five.
Apparently Potassium Bromate (KBrO3) may not be the best thing to improve flour with, though it’s still legal to use in the US.
Maybe She Had a Clue When They Posted Mid Term Grades
Walter speaking to Astrid:
“You’re a federal agent. I doubt during your years of training that you had dreams of baby sitting a helpless old man.”
I’m No Doctor, But My BS Meter Was Registering Off The Scale
I’m not even going to bother Deconstructing that BS with the adrenaline & the time of death.
Are You Allowed to Work in the Fringe Unit if You Know Proper Firearms Safety?
Firing a handguns indoors without hearing protection is a good way to suffer some permanent hearing damage. Based on the location of the windows in the room, it looked like they were in the basement or lower level, which brings up two other safety issues. If the building had concrete floors, the bullet could had ricocheted, or if the floors weren’t concrete, the bullet could have penetrated to the upper floor and injured someone. Hey Peter, why not just try shouting “BOO!’ when the sheriff’s back is turned if you want to scare her?
Quote of the Show #2
Sheriff to Peter:
“I think you’re looking for meaning in things that have no meaning.”
That’s what we humans tend to do; we are pattern seeking creatures. Even when none exist, we tend to find them if we look hard enough.
Confirmed Sooner Than I Expected
Ladies and Gentlemen: Secretary Walternate Bishop. Anybody want to guess what he’s secretary of? My vote is for Homeland Security.
Cordial Deconstruction 
Polite Dissent » Fringe — Episode 20 (Season 2): “Northwest Passage” said
[…] This week’s Fringe cipher was: RETURN. A list of all previous Fringe reviews is available here. Karl has much more to say. […]
dangerouslybored said
I was kind of hoping for Secretary of Zeppelin Affairs, or something, but Homeland Security is probably a better bet. May I just say I appreciate your cordial deconstructions, as much as i want to like fringe (hell, i come back for more punishment week after week) it just makes me long for the glory days of the x files… sigh. my question is: did peter actually see newton then? and get those phone calls? and get shot at with a big nasty green tranq thing? and if so, why did they bother? if they knew where he was staying from the beginning they could have taken him at his very first hotel, before he bought a big sonofabitch of a shotgun, and before he was bff with a sheriff. or do they just have keen senses of justice and wanted Peter to catch the killer? and if none of that shit happened, and they were were going for a faux insomnia/hallucinating vibe, then balls to the whole episode i say…
Teaflax said
I don’t know if you missed or just ignored the Twin Peaks reference. The GPS system shows Snoqualmie, Washington, where TP was shot, and the first dead girl is found on the banks of a stream, just like Laura Palmer.
FC said
I do wish they had come up with something plausible rather than the Adrenaline weirdness. If you take that out of the equation I think the story is great. It doesn’t bother me as much as it seems to bother Scott because HOW Peter found the killer isn’t instrumental to the plot, if anything the killer is a side-show.