Post Game TV Recap: FRINGE S2E6: "Earthling"

After a hiatus due to the World Series on Fox, Fringe is back and ready to roll.  I can’t say I was thrilled to see the Yankees win, but if it meant a new episode of Fringe, I guess I can handle it.  People have to make sacrifices somewhere, right?

While some may be disappointed that “Earthling” proved to be another standalone episode void of the alternate universe and The Pattern, it was a nice way to ease back into the show.  When people begin seeing a shadowy figure and find people turned to dust, the Fringe team jumps right in to find answers.  Agent Broyle offered great assistance in this case, seeing as he had investigated the same case years before, a case that had fallen off the map.

Taunted by a complex chemical formula that supposedly held the key to solving the case, Walter turns into the mad scientist that he is, determined to solve it.  As it turns out, at the center of the case is a man, wanted by the Russian Government for stealing his ex-cosmonaut brother who is now in a coma.  Inseperably linked, the brother and the shadow man are one in the same.  The shadow sucks all the radiation from the bodies of those that he comes in contact with.  The solution to the formula came too late for the cosmonaut’s brother, but just in time to save a little girl from turning to ash.

This episode brought back the X-Files feel for me.  However, there were aspects of the episode that I found interesting.  It was nice to see the bit of a departmental struggle between the Fringe division and the CIA.  I especially liked the insight into Agent Broyle’s life.  I think he’s a bit of a stoic character and it showed the viewers more of a human element of him.
All in all, an okay episode...not great, but not bad either.  Did anyone else feel any differently?