Reception
Reviews of Anna Torv's performance were mixed in the first season. In his review of the pilot episode for New York, John Leonarwas found Torv "wonderfully played" her character. IGN's Travis Fickett agreed, calling Torv's early work on Fringe "very good" as she "brings a unique presence to the show." MSNBC was equally praiseworthy of Torv and her character, writing "Olivia is the soul of the show — two-fisted and defiant, yet vulnerable. Torv knows how to convey authenticity, even in the midst of an outrageous scene. And sporting sensible pantsuits and just a hint of makeup, she makes Olivia a plausibly gorgeous pro, not a crime-busting tootsie." Conversely, SFScope columnist Sarah Stegall believed Torv's early performance to be "downright wooden", while others criticized the actress and character for being "cold and distant." The New York Observer found her to be the one weak link of the main cast, criticizing Torv for her accent and for showing "less emotion than a piece of plywood."
In a response to some early negative reactions to the actress' performance, Jon Lachonis noted in a review of the first season's seventh episode that "Anna Torv, whose chill portrayal of FBI agent and Pattern investigator Olivia Dunham has come under fire for being too wooden, seems to have reinvented her character to answer the critics. The good news is, Anna's new and more animated Olivia isn't really a departure so much as it is a character who seems to have had a catharsis. She is comfortable in her skin now, and the stillness is pulled back in favor of more humanity. Of course, it is helpful that she reunites with an old beau in this episode - if there is one thing Fringe is totally lacking it is sexual tension." Executive producers Jeff Pinkner and J.H. Wyman defended Torv's early Fringe work in a 2011 interview, explaining the character was designed to be "bland, because of her conditioning as a child and everything she's been through. Now, one can argue that maybe that wasn't the best way for us to introduce the main character, but there was a purpose. So Anna had to listen to all these people saying 'She's really doing nothing,' when really it was our issue. We didn't write anything for her because... well, now you know why. But at the time, people were like, 'Wow, this girl really is not much,' which is so not true. Anna was just so professional, and so great. She did it with excellence, and now she's really getting the chance to show people, 'Hey, I'm a really hard worker and a terrific actor.' We're so thankful that people can start to see her for who she really is. Midway through the second season, Sarah Stegall from SFScope believed Torv "had the most progress and the most satisfying development" of all the main actors, stating she "is now carrying this role with grace and strength". Stegall partly attributed the growth of the actor and character to her recovery early in the second season, the introduction of a sister and niece, the removal of John Scott from her storyline, and the "delicate, reserved flirtation" with Peter.
Torv's double duty as Olivia and Fauxlivia late in the second season and throughout the third season received almost universal critical acclaim. TV Guide called it one of the best performances of the year, explaining "Switching Olivia with her alternate-universe self... jump-started the show's interpersonal dynamics — and changed the way we look at Torv. Her take on added many new colors to the characters, including malice, humor and sensuality. In a 2010 list, Time Magazine's James Poniewozik called Torv's performance one of television's best of the year. He explained, "... in the dual role of Olivia/Fauxlivia, Torv absolutely came into her own this year. While some credit goes to the writing, it was Torv's shaded performance that sold Olivia's alternate-universe twin as an actual separate person—not just a cartoon villain version of the original, but a real person, a little more assertive and confident, and just a touch rapacious. Meanwhile, she convincingly portrayed the trauma and confusion of her captured-then-returned Olivia, whose emotional (and complicated) reunion with Peter made an outlandish situation real and moving."
Dunham was named one of TV's Smartest Detectives by AOL TV. She was listed in AfterEllen.com's Top 50 Favorite Female TV Characters.
Read more about this topic: Olivia Dunham
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