This is 'Fringe's' Spinal Tap

PHOTO: Fox

No more shrimp cocktail for me! You know why... because Walter was right: those splayed spinal columns were reminiscent of the (formally) yummy appetizer/cocktail party staple. But even worse, he had to go and point out that the vein in "de-vein" isn't a vein at all -- it's the shrimp's intestine! Yuck! As if I wasn't grossed out enough by the vein idea all these years. Moratorium on shrimp cocktail aside, I thought that this was another strong outing for Fringe. This show sure knows how to close (after a strong start, mediocre middle, and then a random incredibly long break that frakked up the momentum of the show), which has me salivating in anticipation of the final few episodes of the season. This week's episode put a new twist on the old vampire stories. Instead of sucking a victim's blood, this "monster" sucked the victim's spinal fluid. Apparently, she had a super form of syphilis. Recently, I was at the forensic anthropology exhibit at the Smithsonian's Natural History Museum in Washington D.C. The exhibit contained several skulls and skeletons that had the marks of the disease and it explained how the illness, if left untreated, could damage the heart and brain among other vital organs. So, this genetically altered form of the disease was like the original on steroids!

"And just for the record, one mad scientist is my limit!" Ain't it the truth, Peter? Actually, there were a lot of commonalities between Walter and Nicolas Boone. Both are brilliant men with minds that have endless capacity for science and research. But both men were exploited (whether with their knowledge or not) by those who wanted to use their brilliance for harm instead of good. Walter's research (with Bell) has turned up more than once in incidents related to the pattern and Boone's expertise were used against his own wife. And then there's last week's revelation that Walter was involved in the testing on children in Jacksonville and one of those children was our very own Olivia (or Olive back then). Boone sacrificed everything (including his own life) for the person he loved the most. I wonder what price Walter will pay.

The big advertised secret was a HUGE letdown for me this week. I guess I assumed that Bell was behind all of this stuff from the beginning (like, before the horrendous momentum-shattering break). He's the only other person who shared Walter's research lab, so I figured it had to be him. So, no big shocker there. Otherwise, another excellent episode for a show that just keeps getting better.

BONUS: Check out season 2 scoop from co-creator J.J. Abrams and the cast at SCI FI Wire.

Fringe airs Tuesday nights on Fox. If you missed last night's episode, watch it for free at Fox.com.