A Huge Heart With Noble Intentions

4/17/2012

A few days ago I mentioned the "Fans Ask Fringe" videos. Well, Fox also gives us "Noble Intentions," a series with John Noble. Most of these videos don't have nearly enough views, and that's a shame. They are full of wonderful observations and insights about the show and humanity. Here are the four most recent. I hope these will pique your interest, if you're not already a fan. Spoilers follow, but nothing that would ruin the show, except maybe a few lines in the first and third videos, which involve the jaw-dropping secret about Peter revealed in the first season finale. Even so, Fringe is so fantastic that no amount of spoilers should lessen anyone's enjoyment.

I finished this post yesterday, so of course they just released this new video for last week's episode, "The Consultant." Here Noble ponders the way we pass judgment on others without knowing their motives and the beautiful new dynamic between Walter and the other Olivia. The show's creators and actors call her Bolivia. I called her AlternaLiv and AltLivia in the beginning. Many settled on Fauxlivia. None of those feel right anymore because I love her as much as the original Olivia. Oh, getting off track here. Watch. Enjoy.


"Of course you dress the cow up to take it out." Ridiculousness is always a welcome relief from the threat of annihilation, and we get that at the beginning of "Everything in its Right Place." A good thing, too, because it has one of those knife-in-the-heart endings they do so well.


"Nothing as It Seems" has probably the most touching scene of the season, and Noble talks about everyone wanting to be a happy family. If you ever doubted his extraordinary talent, just listen to when Walter says, "I bought one every year on your birthday." The emotion is spot on. He's trying to be cheerful, but his profound grief surfaced when he said that line, especially when he hit the word "year."


In "A Short Story About Love" Walter is again wondering if he would have had the strength to make a different choice concerning Peter, were he given the chance to do it all over. John Noble thinks he would have done exactly the same. The heart trumps hindsight. We get a definitive answer to this in "The Consultant."


Anyone notice that background music, the beautiful little piece full of sorrow? It seems to be in every "Noble Intentions" video. I need to know what that is. One day it will be mine. Sounds like it comes from one of those trailer music artists, like X-Ray Dog, Two Steps From Hell, Kaveh Cohen, Zack Hemsey, or James Dooley.