The episode begins with what appears as a typo “Manhatan” which is really the other side. We quickly learn that coffee is a rarity on the other side and that New York has been getting microquakes. It’s then that both universes appear to have collided Manhatan and Manhattan, leaving Ted Pratchet and a few others their victims. It is Walter that realizes that universes must be in balance and as one building came over from their side – another building of equal mass must disappear over to their side. Walter recalls that Olivia once had the ability to see a "glimmer" and that going to Jacksonville and recreating the experiment might again trigger her ability. Once in Jacksonville, Olivia undergoes another round of Cortexiphan but her ability doesn't seem to get activated. Walter realizes she's changed -- no longer afraid and that fear was the one thing that seemed to activate the drug in her body. They head back to Massive Dynamic in an effort to determine which building will vanish over there. Coming closer to the deadline, Olivia now fearing her own failure she goes to Peter to admit she's afraid -- and an almost kiss happens -- when she confesses her fear. It's then she realizes she is afraid and her ability should be activated. She rushes outside, overlooking the city and finds the glimmer that Walter had been talking about.
Unanswered Questions:
Sixteen items in the daycare room in Jacksonville were from the other side – did one of those items include Peter or would he have been number seventeen?
Why can’t Olivia remember her time in Jacksonville at the Daycare facility?
When preparing to administer the IV of Cortexiphan – right arm, left arm, left arm -- what happens if it’s the wrong arm?
We meet young Olive within Olivia's Cortexiphan drug trip. Is this what she experienced as a child to trigger her ability? What's with the demon looking eyes?
We hear a whisper of "Olivia" while Olivia is in the forest. The transcript reads that it's possessed Olivia saying her name but are we sure of that. Could it in fact be Peter? There is some speculation it's his voice.
Things of interest:
We see a height chart at the daycare center. We find out later Olivia wrote down all the initials which comes in handy in "Olivia in the Lab with the Revolver."
If Peter Bishop didn't exist...
Peter remembered what Walter had said about the two items having to be of the same mass for crossing over. That helped them narrow down the buildings that it could be and he also helped in running the calculations and shutting down non-essential functions with the computers.
It was Olivia that came to Peter and confessed she was scared---scared of failing and possibly even scared of taking the next step and kissing Peter? It was her fear that trigged the ability to see the building, locate it and help in its evacuation.
It is also her ability that allows her in the end to see Peter is from over there. If he hadn’t existed, she wouldn’t carry the burden of knowing he was stolen from the other side.
6 Comments:
part 1
-This is my all time favorite episode of season 2.
-Opening scene with Peter and Olivia. I can hear Sam Weiss say: “What do you know, she makes a joke.” 2.05 Dream Logic.
-Numbers on the building: 2280, 22 is the strongest number which again shows up in 3.15 Subject 13 and 8 is Olivia’s number and also infinity.
-Walter asks Prachett the same two questions he later asks Peter in 3.21 The Last Sam Weiss.
-When Prachett said the White House, Olivia knew what happened. She saw a newspaper on Bell’s desk in 2.04 Momentum Deferred as she was talking with him on the other side.
-Richard Nixon on a silver dollar. In 3.12 Concentrate And Ask Again, Walter said he worked for Nixon until his wife came on to him.
-Astrid: “So as far as his wife is concerned, he just disappeared.” I wonder what explanation Diane Broyles got on the other side, as to what happened to him in 3.08 Entrada?
-Double decker car also drives by in 2.15 Peter and 3.18 Bloodline.
-Liquid’s colors on the scale are blue and red, representing the two universes.
-Bell bought the entire military base with everything in it when he founded Massive Dynamic. Was that before or after the trials?
-Olivia subjecting herself to Walter’s experiments. She’s done that from the Pilot on and somehow trusts him. At the same time she’s angry with him for experimenting on her and the others. In 2.04 Momentum Deferred, she said to Bell that she’s met some of the others and to say that they are permanently damaged would be an understatement. And in 3.12 Concentrate And Ask Again she talks of Simon as broken because of Cortexiphan and it ruined his life. Peter insures her: “You and he are nothing alike.”
-The outside sign on the day care center are white with yellow “Jacksonville” on it and are like that as well at the beginning of 3.15 Subject 13, later in that episode the colors change to a blue sign with red “Jacksonville” on it. Deeper meaning or continuity error?
-The lock combination: 5-20-10 which was the air date for Over There Part 2 and also the combination to Bell’s safe in 3.12 Concentrate And Ask Again.
-Yellow brick road on the wall, another Wizard of Oz reference and also on the cover of the Violet Sedan Chair album.
-The doll creeped me out. There was one in 3.07 The Abducted and I thought it would show up again in 3.15 Subject 13, but it didn’t.
-Ok, so this is just my interpretation but I had the impression that Peter knew exactly what he was looking for in the room where he uncovered the chair. He was there as a kid but doesn’t remember, or does he?
-So I thought that there were no written records of the trials. But Walter is looking through a box of files.
-When he put the glasses on and looked at himself, for a second there he looked like Bell.
-There are glyphs on the outside of the building.
-If never seen Olivia so helpless (for lack of a better word) like she is in this episode. She has a freakishly good memory but doesn’t remember anything. What did Walter do to her so she doesn’t remember? And/but why does she remember the abuse from her step dad?
-If everything was still in Jacksonville, even the drugs, shouldn’t there be an expiration date on them? It’s been 25 years or so, right?
-Fear, Love and Anger would heighten the awareness; open the mind so to speak. We know from 3.15 Subject 13 that it the combination of fear and love for Olivia which allowed her to see the other side and set things on fire with her mind.
-Best music of season when Olivia is in the woods, in the burned room and looking for the building. Listen to the music in the woods on the soundtrack with head phones on, Awesome!
part 2
-“I see very tall trees.” Was this from a child’s perspective?
-Blue flashes as she walks through the woods.
-Favorite line: Walter: “Peter, in my bag, the Pretzels.” Olivia is like having a heart attack and all Walter can think about is food :)
-The same girl was cast in 3.19 LSD.
-I’m surprised Walter showed Olivia the tape.
-So the first fire was when she was 3, the second one when she was 9 after Walter and Nick played that joke on her.
-Walter said she channeled her fear into anger. I have to disagree unless I’m missing the context, thoughts anyone?
-When Peter came in the burned room and Olivia looks at him, it gives me the impression she’s asking for help.
-When Peter asks her if she’s ok, she actually said no, which doesn’t happen very often.
-The city behind Broyles and later behind Walter looks really red. I noticed that too in 3.14 6B when Walter looks over the city from the Massive Dynamic building.
-Was the building scenario a test from Walternate? Why didn’t he use shapeshifters like in 2.18 The Man From The Other Side to figure things out? We know they were already here.
-147 buildings. 47 again from LOST.
-Broyles: “Sometimes the only choices you have left are bad ones.” That reminded me of 3.14 6B again when Olivia refers to Amber as a bad last resort.
-Olivia: “I failed. I’m supposed to be the one who can stop things like this.” Peter: “I’ve never met anyone who can do the things that you do.” In 3.21 The Last Sam Weiss, Walter basically tells her the same thing : “I wish you could see yourself the way I see you. You have no idea how extraordinary you are. If you would embrace that, there’s no end to what you can do.” And later: “I have known you for a long time, Olivia, and I believe that the drawing was no accident. Whoever did it knew the same as I do. That you don’t fail.” She saved the people in the hotel, so I guess she didn't fail.
-“Peter, I’m scared.” That’s when she realized she should be able to see the building. She was also scared in 3.14 6B when she saw Peter glimmer again.
-The scene where they almost kissed, reminded me of the first X-Files movie where Mulder was just about to kiss Scully when a bee stung her.
-Peter knew that fear triggered her ability. To Broyles, Olivia said it was “just time”. In 3.14 6B Peter revealed to Broyles that it is fear that triggers it.
-“Conspiracy nuts are gonna have a field day”
-Walter the biggest P/O shipper :)
-Peter wants Walter to go to Chicago, which is referenced a few times throughout the series.
-Walter wanted to answer the door so he could try to stop Olivia once she saw him glimmer.
-When she saw him glimmer, I had to think of what December says in 2.08 August: “It’s a shame things are going to get so hard for her.” :(
If Peter never existed in this episode…
-Would Walter have gone to New York with Olivia?
-Would Olivia would have shared some more about herself?
@ samspade!
Awesome.
I totally missed the "if Peter never existed" points you made, duh :)
I am sooooooooo sick of this poor olivia crap and blaming all this crap on peter. Peter didn't ask to be from the au! DOES THAT COMPUTE TO YOU OLIVIA FANS!
Every once in a while there is an annoying buzz in these thread posts.
Great observations everyone! This is also my favorite episode of season 2 and even though I have seen it probably 50 times, something new catches my eye every time. Great episode. Oh and 45, nobody is hating on Peter. This whole thing has been to show just how valuable Peter is to the entire operation, so please give it a rest already. Does that compute to you?
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