Character Development: The Two Astrids, Fringe “Making Angels” 

It only took 3 ½ seasons but we finally found out some backstory on Astrid. Well, the two Astrids, really. How amazing was Jasika Nicole in this episode? How painfully beautiful was she as the Astrid from the other side who just lost her father? And how beautifully understanding was our Astrid, as she did what she could to support this other version of herself? Why did it take so long for the Fringe writers to go there? I sincerely hope they know they have a gem in Jasika and utilize her more and more. I think she’s proven Astrid’s a character that deserves to be fleshed out more fully. It was great finally getting to know more about the two versions from this current timeline, although we definitely learned more about the Over There Astrid:

• Both Astrids lost their mother early to cancer

• The Agent Farnsworth wtih the Aspergers (Over There Astrid) recently lost her dad. She came to visit her counterpart on the day of her dad’s funeral.

• Over There Astrid has the same security clearance as any senior Fringe agent.

• Over There Astrid doesn’t do anything without a reason

• Over There Astrid has the ability to get Walter to call her by her real name. He doesn’t ever get her name wrong. Although, he still gets his Astrid’s name wrong. Poor Astrid.

• I think our Astrid was actually talking about a guy she met. Right before she and Olivia noticed the other Agent Farnsworth in the room, Astrid said something about when a guy says he’ll call you he actually means he’ll never call you. Even that little bit of conversation is more personal than anything we’ve ever heard from her before.

• Over There Astrid made the observation that Walter talks to his Astrid like they are one person. She thought that must be pleasant which means nobody in her life talks to her that way. So sad.

• Over There Astrid is insightful in a child-like way. She gets Walter to talk about Peter. She’s also a bit lost in the wake of her father’s death.

• Over There Astrid has never had coffee. She finally gets to taste it. She loves it but deduces she’d like it even more with sugar.

• Over There Astrid wasn’t close to her father. She thinks it’s because she’s not normal. She talks about it with the other version of herself in what is a heartbreaking scene. She wants to know if her dad would have loved her if she had been more like this other version of her.

• Our Astrid is close to her dad. She goes to him at the end of the episode and he’s cooking and wearing an apron that says “shiitake happens.” They hug and she tells him she loves him. She lied to Over There Astrid to make her feel better. Our Astrid is supportive and compassionate and wonderful. But we knew that.

Again, I totally enjoyed the scenes in “Making Angels” that brought the two Astrids together. Technically, the scenes were pretty seamless. Acting-wise, Jasika Nicole made those two versions so distinct from each other. They were really two different characters. Just by sight you could see the difference but you could also notice by their behaviors. I’d love to see them interact again and I’d also love to learn even more about Astrid. Even in this episode, there was more character development into her alt universe version. It was a positive step to start sending Astrid out in the field this season but that’s not enough. I’m so glad she’s no longer stuck in the lab but I still feel like there’s so much more to learn. Now that the show has given us a little substance I want more. Don’t care if that makes me greedy.

Fringe airs Fridays at 9/8c on FOX.