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Sep 26,

What about Charlie? – 202

Fringe - 201 A New Day in the Old Town | Fringe - 202 Night of Desirable Objects | Posted by Scully

I have some questions about our newest addition to the ‘Fringe’ team…Shape-shifter-Charlie, who I will refer to from now on as SSC.  I think his character deserves a little dissection, I mean, we do it to everyone else…right?

- Last week we saw the shape-shifter nurse get shot twice in the back and jump out of a second story window and it didn’t even phase her/him.  This leads me to believe that the shape-shifters have some super-human strength and high thresh-hold to pain…if they feel pain at all.  However, this week when SSC walks in to the typewriter store, he is holding his stomach and having trouble walking like he has been injured or is in a lot of pain.  Whatup?

At first I thought that perhaps SSC got shot at the end of Episode 202, but when I watched the scene again, there are no signs that he was injured at that point.  He seems fine, and even if he/she was injured, why would it phase him…it didn’t seem to phase the nurse.  So what I am thinking now is that perhaps there are side effects to the shape-shifting.  Maybe the longer he holds the form of somebody, the more detrimental it is to his body.  Or maybe the longer he is not in his own dimension, the harder it is on him.

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- Something else that gave me pause was SSC’s reaction to the response he got from the other dimension when he requested orders on what he should do now.

“TARGET VISITED OTHER SIDE”
“BUT REMEMBERS NO DETAILS”
“PLEASE ADVISE”
“UNACCEPTABLE”
“IF SHE CANT REMEMBER ON HER OWN”
“THEN DO SOMETHING TO HELP HER”

He seems very distraught.  Is this directly tied to the pain that he is in?  Is he concerned about his own safety or is it perhaps something else?  Is there a glimmer of a conscience there?  Some left-over Charlie?  Maybe he doesn’t think there is any information to get, or… is it that  he is worried about what he will have to do to Olivia once he gets it.  Or, maybe he is just homesick.

- Speaking of left-over Charlie…how much of Charlie really is there left inside SSC?  There are two options here:

1. SSC takes over all of the memories of the victim when the transformation occurs…or
2. SSC only takes over the physical form, and has to wing it from there.

If #1 is true, then my question is, how can you take all of the memories and thoughts from a person and not take some of the personality and consciousness as well?  After all…isn’t who we are as a person just a sum of our experiences?  So, I posit that if #1 is the case, then there must be some residue of ‘Charlie’ still residing inside of SSC.  Wouldn’t there be some battle of wills, or at least some deeply hidden regrets or doubts about what he is doing?

If #2 is true, then it presents a whole new problem.  Other than the little bit of information that SSC’s people would be able to gather about Agent Francis…how does SSC impersonate Charlie successfully?  Charlie is a married man, and you cannot tell me that his wife would not be able to tell that there is something seriously wrong with her husband.  SSC would have knowledge of case files, but not intimate knowledge of private conversations had between Charlie and say Olivia for example.  So if #2 is the case, then I ask…how long can SSC keep up this charade before he gives himself away?  He already had a little fumble when he was right on board with Olivia and the theory about traveling between universes…Olivia is a smart lady…he can’t fool her for long.

Either way, I just can’t see how SSC is going to survive very many episodes.  Either his health deteriorates or he is found out.  The only saving grace I can see here, is if the battle of wills starts sliding in Charlie’s direction and SSC’s ‘soldier’ psyche get pushed down.  Other than that, I believe we will be saying good-bye to Kirk very very soon.

One Response to “What about Charlie? – 202”

  1. Charlotte

    SSC I like that. Just from the soldier stnad point there seems to be a marked difference between the soldier in episode one and episode 2.
    Soldier 1 (Episode 1) and Soldier 2( Episode2) for discussion sake.
    Soldier 1 was determined and seemed to be on board without any remorse, second guessing and or hesitation about what needed to be done.
    Soldier 2 seemes simply put conflicted. That can’t be the same person can it?
    I still have a problem with the timing of the body switch. It just doesn’t seem like there was enough time. I mean we saw in the beginning how long it took for that soldier to change. In the basement there just is not enough time.
    So I am guessing Soldier 2 is someone we haven’t met before so an physical conditions are things he/she/it must have sustained before turning into Charlie.
    Does this make sense to anyone else?