(S02E02) "We're all victims of our own gene pool. Someone must have peed in yours." - Walter to Sheriff Golightly

Creature feature? Or relevant to the alternate universe storyline? Those were the questions running through my head as I watched this episode of Fringe.

What I believe -- at the moment -- is that all of the creature features we had during season one are somehow relevant to the overall storyline. Since things are slightly different in the alternate universe, perhaps there are creatures there who've evolved or avoided extinction that have somehow made their way back to this universe. Of course, it appears that this episode's creature was created right here.

Read my Fringe theories, and follow me after the jump for commentary on tonight's episode.

In anticipation of the season two premiere of Fringe last week (read my review and your comments here), I revisited season one to refresh my brain. There are so many subtleties that connect seasons one and two, and it was good to go back and watch it again.

While there were a few creature-feature episodes that appeared to be stand-alones (but who really knows with this show?), for the most part, much of season one was devoted to weaving an intricate mystery and setting things up for season two. It's too much, really, for one small blog post, but a few things sprang to mind ...

(S02E01) "I went somewhere." - Olivia to Peter

I can hardly contain my giddiness that Fringe is back, so ... yay! ... Fringe is back! More mystery! More intrigue! More Walter Bishop! More Jean! More jump-out-of-your-seat moments!

It's been a long summer since we last left the crew with Olivia in another dimension, Walter visiting Peter's grave, and the mysterious William Bell played by the mysterious Leonard Nimoy. Follow me after the jump to explore how the season is shaping up so far ...

Fox has released a few photos from the Fringe season two premiere, "A New Day in the Old Town," which airs Thursday, Sept. 17, at 9 PM ET. I'm so ready for the return of Fringe, and anxious to see where the show goes this season with the parallel universe storyline. And I've really been missing my Walter fix since season one ended earlier this year.

Interesting that there's no sign of Anna Torv in the photos. Rather, junior agent Amy Jessup (Meghan Markle) is pictured in the last photo after the jump. She's been assigned to an investigation with the Fringe Division. That would be Walter Bishop, Peter Bishop, Astrid Farnsworth and, supposedly, Olivia Dunham. Maybe she got stuck in the alternate universe. Walter apparently made it back!

(S01E17) I really love it when Olivia works someone over, like she did in the above photo. But wow, this episode of Fringe was one psychological creep-fest from start to finish. As with last week's episode, they really had us feeling like something eerie was about to happen, and sure enough, a bunch of eerie stuff DID happen.

Just the idea that someone could possess mind-control abilities is creepy, and now it looks like at least one of our main characters -- Olivia, a.k.a. "Olive" -- might be in that situation. The scene on the street with Nick gathering followers and taking them to the rooftop gave me goosebumps. Olivia was really in a tough spot. Either shoot the guy with the mind-control powers, or let everyone die.

(S01E16) "Psychedelics? No, not since Thursday." - Walter, responding to Peter's question as to whether he's on something.

Fringe just gets better and better! This week's episode was one big, long freak-show-horror-movie-mystery. Although they once again didn't have anything about the pattern or the missing Nina Sharp or Massive Dynamic, we know it's coming. We know this because Leonard Nimoy is on tap to play the mysterious William Bell, Walter's long-lost lab partner. Wheeeeee!!!!

(S01E15) "There is so much that is unexplained ... until it is." - Walter Bishop

First things first: I'm so glad to have Fringe back! It's such a good show, and this episode with its tense moments, mind-freak games, and The Observer reminded me once again why I love it. And, of course, everything that is Walter Bishop. The scene with the record player and the blues and the neurotransmitter was classic Walter.

They sure jumped right into it with the opening scene: the storyline about the contractor having a "feeling," double-checking the building before demolishing it, finding the hollow room below, and then finding the child in the dank, dark bowels of the building ... it all made for an intense opening scene that made you feel like anything could happen.

(S01E14) "Walter, put the cow away, would you?" - Peter

Well, well, well. We got back to the mysterious Mr. Jones tonight, and I'm glad to say a little more was revealed about where this show is headed. But just a little, not enough to knock us over the head. And if you ever get the urge to teleport yourself somewhere -- or pick up a $2 bill on the street -- be aware that there might be a few side effects.

Now I'm wondering what else was done to Olivia. The fact that she was one of the people recruited for the clinical studies on corexapham (no idea how it's spelled; just guessing here) makes me think she's been used for other experiments through the years. We know her dad worked for the military. What else do we know about her family? There's definitely something "off" about her sister ... if that's indeed her sister.

(S01E13) "God, I hope I never have to hear him say the word 'nipple' again." - Peter, on Walter discussing nipples

Finally, we get back to some of the intriguing stuff that I love about Fringe. I was beginning to think they'd forgotten all about Nina Sharp, John Scott and Massive Dynamic.

Several things were revealed to key players: Olivia learned of the existence of John Scott, being held in a vegetative state at Massive Dynamic; Charlie learned of Olivia and John's memories being merged in her head; and WE learned that John Scott is indeed a good guy. Or is he?

(S01E12) This was kind of a freaky episode for anyone who spends hours and hours at the computer (raising hand). I'm probably not the only one who's had nightmares of the computer taking over (my brain) and committing crimes. But in this case, there was a human on the other end. I'm not sure if that makes it better or worse. Anyway, think twice if a window pops up on your computer that says "What's that noise?" Oh, and now I'm a little paranoid about the camera on my computers. Like, who's out there looking at me sort of thing.

I'm glad things didn't go the way I feared from the previews last week – that Ella would be unwittingly plotting something evil. And I'm just as glad that no harm came to her. But I still think there's something weird going on with Olivia's sister. Just not sure what yet. And I'm really not into Peter's little thing he's got going with her. It's just weird.

(S01E11) "Things like this used to happen in the lab all the time. It makes me nostalgic." - Walter, after catching a giant slug under a trashcan

I love this show! And seeing it after its weeks-long hiatus just reminds me once again how much I love it and why. Part of it's because they throw little clues at us, and we're tasked to try and figure them out. Where did we see this guy before? What does this mean? How does it tie into the past? Are these new characters part of a larger conspiracy? It's a fun puzzle that isn't dumbed down for the audience.

...Nine foreign Americans

With all of the starry-eyed, out-of-work Midwesterners who litter Sunset Blvd., one would assume that our television landscape would be similarly populated with corn-fed blonds. You would, however, be wrong. In fact, there are a ton of non-Americans who have come to Hollywood to take all of our primetime show-starring jobs.

What's fun for me is watching the shows to see who does a good version of an American accent, and who needs to spend a little more time with their dialect coaches. Below are nine stars who've jumped the pond to come to the good ol' U. S. of A.

(S01E10) "Just when you thought things couldn't get any weirder..." - Peter to Olivia, on seeing a dead guy embedded in a wall

Wow, a lot of things started to come together in this episode. Let's analyze:

The guy in the wall. So we now know that the experiment we saw in last week's episode - where the guy grabs an apple through the wall of a safe - is being used on a larger scale. Specifically, to steal things out of bank vaults. Only, not everyone gets back through the wall.

The safety deposit boxes. We pretty much knew that the contents were mysterious things that would bring ... something ... to light. But what we didn't know is that the contents of those safety deposit boxes were actually put there by Walter years ago. And that the box numbers were the same numbers he chants at night while he's trying to go to sleep -- the Fibonacci Sequence we learned about at the beginning of this season. Way to bring that back around.

(S01E07) "Do you have any mints?" - Walter to Agent Broyles, who just told him to save his friend in the hospital

Tuesdays are a big night around our house, thanks to Fringe. My 14-year-old son and I wait patiently for it, passing the time by discussing possible explanations for The Observer, the cylinders, The Pattern, the Massive Dynamic connection, everything. If we had a watercooler in the house, we'd be around it for sure.

My thoughts on tonight's episode: