This is not the face of a cold-blooded killer. |
For every Olivia lover, there is a Bolivia lover. That's me. And it happened right here.
It's the first mystery since getting back from the other side. Something dug up from the basement of a Milton home, Walter discovers, is emitting ultrasonic frequencies that induced some form of vegetative trance before killing its victims.
We find out it is a piece of the machine Bolivia meant for Peter to find. When the only living witness shows up with it, at Olivia's apartment, Bolivia finds herself in a difficult situation. The look on her face, when Newton suggested he would kill Joe, was transparent. The idea was an unpleasant one. You can almost read the thoughts going through her mind. Newton didn't need to know about him. Now he's going to die because of me. This is my fault. Knowing that there was no way for this guy to get out of this alive, she had to pull the trigger herself. Judge all you want. This was still a mission and she did not take pride in what she had to do. So yeah, she is allowed to say sorry.
In these early scenes, there isn't much pretending on her part, as she approaches each situation with reserve. On the surface, she is essentially Olivia. It doesn't have to be an act. It's a good thing Olivia was not close with anyone around her or she would have been discovered sooner rather than not at all. Bolivia is more or less free to be herself in order to get Peter invested in the machine. She tells him that he can't do that without Walter. I like the scene that follows.
PETER: I feel like I'm stuck in one of those bad buddy cop movies. Like I'm handcuffed to a...
BOLIVIA: ...to a mad scientist who kidnapped you from another universe?
This too would prove to be true and made even more meaningful when she chooses to help people on the other side. And speaks volumes of her good character.
...meeting another Olivia Dunham has made me think about the way I look at the world, the choices I've made.The gentleman preferred blondes. Somehow when Peter said in "Over There, Part 2" that he liked hers better, did not seem, to me, just about hair colour. Although, in my opinion letting it down did work in her favour. If Olivia did not find Peter, he might have at lease one reason to stay.
Interesting to note, later in the apartment, what Bolivia says to Peter is similar to what Broyles said to Olivia in the first episode.
You can't expect just to go back to the way it was before overnight.Unanswered Questions:
William Bell's legacy to Walter was Massive Dynamic and the letter. DON'T BE AFRAID TO CROSS THE LINE. Refers to something Bell used to say. Something The Secretary will echo over there in "Amber 31422".
Only those that risk going too far can possibly know how far they can go.It was William Bell who urged Walter to cross over and it was Walter who thought it was dangerous to do so until he had to cross universes to save Peter. What would have been Secretary Bishop's line to cross? He was first and foremost a scientist, it would have to be about science. Might we find out what he aimed to achieve in Season 4?
William Bell gifted Nina a bell that reminds me of Peter's comments in "The Day We Died".
I didn't say I didn't get my bell rung.Is this a clue about who Peter is?
What else did Nina get from William?
If Peter Bishop Never Existed...
and a piece of the machine turned up, Walter would have figured out how it was killing people and know how to block its ultrasonic frequency.
25 Comments:
The other Olivia is a cold-blooded killer and shooting him in the back makes her a coward. Our Olivia would've found a way. Mission or not, when Olivia went back home, she continually lied to Frank, slept with Frank and accepted his proposal on false pretenses. Our Olivia couldn't even sleep knowing the truth about Peter's origins. She felt so guilty and conflicted. For those reasons, she chose not to start a relationship with Peter in "Jacksonville". Our Olivia is the better person. Maybe in this new timeline, I will feel differently towards Fauxolivia.
I couldn't disagree more with this article, but the best part is the disconnect between the Fauxlivia pictures at the top and the legend "This is not the face of a cold-blooded killer", because that's exactly, what it shows, the face of a cold-blooded smug killer.
Well, maybe the deed was distasteful, but why should one be considered better than the other, when neither one of them is perfect. Having two of them lets us see more of who Olivia Dunham really is inside and out. It's not about the good vs. bad in the world or are things quite that black or white. It's the shades of grey that makes up a person. Real people do have duality. I like to think both Olivias are part of each other. It makes the original character that much more interesting.
It depends, Xindilini. Are we supposed to think of them as the same person? Why? Because they share the same genetic material? If that's the premise of the show, I consider it flawed. It is a disturbing thought, because identical twins are not sides of the same person, no matter how identical their DNA is. In fact, the choices and actions of one don't reflect on anything, but their own choices and actions.
In fact, the murder of the deaf man emphasized the fact, that our Olivia would never do it. No shades there, gray or any other color. It was a callous act, about which she showed no remorse, again no shades of gray. Furthermore, our Olivia generally fills the role of "white knight" and has very few shades of gray herself.
Why should one be considered better than the other? WHY? Shouldn't we, I don't know, have a hard look at their actions and motivations? That's how we judge people in real life.
Hmmm. I watched the same scene as everybody else, many times even. Still my opinion will not be swayed. It makes her that much more endearing because I can see the internal conflict. Now that's real life.
So I'm not sure this is the episode where I really started to like Bolivia. It comes later when she gets a little more heart. With that being said -- we DO see the internal conflict with her shooting the deaf man. She does apologize and not that he can hear her, but I think she does it to clear her own conscious.
Yes we all would like to think OUR Olivia would not do this. She was on the other side and as far as we know (or I remember) she didn't kill anyone in her attempts at escaping. With that being said, Newton would have killed the deaf man had she not. Would that have made it "okay"?
Still my opinion will not be swayed.
That's good, because that wasn't my intention.
It comes later when she gets a little more heart.
When did that happen? I'm not sure I saw any "heart", except at the end of the season, when it suited the plot.
She does apologize and not that he can hear her, but I think she does it to clear her own conscious.
That's possible. However, I saw it as her showing her smugness. She knew he wouldn't hear her and not a hint of conflict showed on her face.
"Newton would have killed the deaf man had she not. Would that have made it "okay"?"
Okay? No, but are you holding a programmed machine to the same moral standards of a person?
I'm not saying you can't like her. In fact, she had lots of potential as a flawed conflicted character, something Olivia has always lacked, but I think the writing for her was rather weak and that potential was wasted.
A healthy debate is good.
I was on a jury for three days once, so I know all about perspectives.
I have plenty more insights before the Summer Rewatch is over. Just maybe the tides will change.
@Trent
yeah the writers at fringe are so inconsistent with characters, they are really at writing some characters and using potential (olivia and walter), awful at others (peter, altlivia, and every single romance on the show, to name a few)
I really hope next season they spend a little time making other characters better, i know jasika said theirs gonna be an astrid centric one, but in fringe terms that generally means she'll be captured or something and its up to other members of the teams to find her, and they'll discover more about her character without her actually doing anything. They have an oppourtunity to make altlivia a better character next season i hope they dont waste it
Heh! Knowing the writers, they will try to make Altlivia likable by giving her a romance with Lincoln, because that's what the fanbase wants. As for Astrid, I'm always happy to get more insight into her character. I love her. But my dream, although I know it's impossible, is that they stop hating and neglecting the character of Peter and that they actually give him a storyline and stop using him only to advance Olivia's or Walter's character. I love Peter to pieces and it hurts to see how those writers care so little about him.
part 1
-In the cartoon on TV the character is laying down “train tracks”. Peter later in this episode will be on them, dissembling the device. Also our Olivia will be zapped on “train tracks” in 3.05 Amber 31422 as she follows Josh Rose down the train tunnel to the bank.
-Olivia joined Fringe Division Sep 9th, 2008; premiere date of the Pilot.
-The tool Newton used to remove the tattoo looks a lot like the tool the Observer used to cut out Rachel’s heart in 2.19 Brown Betty.
-Fauxlivia: “You don’t have to remind me who’s side I’m on.” She will doubt that at least by the end of 3.04 DSDOES, I think.
-If Newton would have hired his usual men which I assume wouldn’t have messed up, this might not have been a Fringe case at all. Fauxlivia would have had needed a different plan for Peter to get his hands on the machine.
-Fauxlivia: “I don’t care how long you’ve been here. This is my operation, you work for me.”
Cocky, cocky, Fauxlivia. Be careful, Newton knows how to push your buttons.
-William Bell is dead. Not! As we know his conscience will come back to haunt us all in 3.16 Os, 3.17 Stowaway and 3.19 LSD.
-Ha, Walter trying to make Gene give chocolate milk. In 3.09 Marionette he was going to give her evidence so her milk wasn’t going to get bad. Poor Gene, can’t wait till she comes back though :)
-First indication Peter: She didn’t touch alcohol, hm.
-Fauxlivia in the bar: “I love this song.” It ‘s the same song that play in 1.04 The Arrival as the Observer gulps down his sandwich waiting for the beacon to arrive.
-Fauxlivia and Peter dancing; In 2.19 Brown Betty Peter asks Olivia if she likes Jazz and dancing. She says no to Jazz but yes to dancing. Peter replies that they are opposite. At the end of Brown Betty they do dance. Was this an Easter egg for here?
-Peter: “The more I think about being over there, the less real it seems. You still feel real.” Later in 3.05 Amber 31422, projection Peter appears to our Olivia and says: “Real is just a matter of perception.”
-Fauxlivia is acting very suspicious; I’m surprised none of them suspected anything. Of course as the audience we had a little bit more information than they. But even Walter knows when something is wrong. In 1.05 Power Hungry he says she doesn’t seem herself lately.
-“Reminds me of Monet’s Water lilies.” I’ve seen them in Paris and they are beautiful. I can’t believe Walter used them to compare the color of the blood.
-Human brain. Love how Walter asks Astrid if she’s worked behind a deli counter before. The sound does creep me out too. And then he licks his tie, yuck. I guess it’s a good thing it was just raspberry jam.
-When Walter is walking down the hall at Massive Dynamic, I had to think of StarTrek when he saw the little beaming device.
-Reading the testament: “Nina, I was your right hand and you were mine.” Kind of ironic since her right hand is a prosthetic.
-Wonder how much money Bell left Nina? When I first saw this episode I sort of was suspicious of the bell but couldn’t figure out why. I guess now I know. It was the trigger to bring him back (3.16 Os).
-Bell to Walter in the letter: “Walter, we gather knowledge faster than we gather wisdom. By now I trust you have ample reserves of both.” That reminded me of the conversation Bell and Walter had in the blimp in 3.19 LSD: BELL: “Walter, when we were young and foolish with too much power and too many dreams that no one could stand in the way of... we needed each other.” WALTER: “I don't understand.” BELL: “We needed each other then, to check and balance. Now you possess the wisdom of humility. We didn't back then. The decisions you make will be the right ones. The direction you choose to take will be just.”
-Fauxlivia not calling Peter about a lead; so not like our Olivia.
-“Do a once-over in case I missed something.” Our Olivia hardly misses anything. Hm, very suspicious.
part 2
-As Fauxlivia steps outside of that apartment building, you can see the word “pen” written on the door which I think was the clue for 3.03 The Plateau, where Milo uses one to start chain reactions.
-Astrid: “… killed all 5 victims.” Sorry my dear, but there were 6, 2 in the basement, 4 on the couch.
-“Don’t be afraid to cross the line.” “Only those that risk going too far can possibly know how far they can go.” When I heard Walternate use this term in 3.05 Amber 31422 as Olivia goes in the tank, I shuttered.
-Walter was the cautious one? Really, I wouldn’t have guessed :)
-The neurostimulator again. Was also used in 1.03 Ghost Network, 1.15 Inner Child, 2.05 Dream Logic, and 3.19 LSD.
-Our Olivia has photographic memory. Fauxlivia doesn’t, or does she? I was disappointed that she got all the numbers of the first people book right in 3.06 6599 khz. They are both genetically identical so they should have the same trades.
-When she puts the stuff back in the briefcase as the deaf guy knocks on her door, there were a few viles also. Anyone have any idea what they might have been?
-There is a bridge painting hanging in Olivia’s apartment. I said before that bridges are important. For one, Peter built one between both universes.
-At the back office of the lab is an aquarium that looks like it’s got a shark in it.
-Maybe Fauxlivia is the cold hearted killer some make her out to be, but Newton pushed her to kill the guy. As I said earlier he knows how to get to her. I wonder if he thinks Fauxlivia is weak because of what he knows from our Olivia in 2.10 Gray Matters, where he calls her “weak”.
-Grrr, this is the first time Fauxlivia defiles Olivia’s apartment, second time of course at the end of 3.04 DSDOES.
-Just noticed a painting of a dead tree behind Fauxlivia as she talks with Peter in the apartment. They appear a lot as well, maybe representing the other side where the Blight killed parts of the vegetation.
-“There is always the temporary fix – distraction.” Oh, so that’s why Peter didn’t recognize the differences because he was distracted :)
-At the train station the display of the time is green and red and the time jumps to 6:02 as Newton walks away.
-When both their phones ring, Peter says: “That can’t be a good sign.” It reminded me of 3.20 6:02 AM EST where Olivia declares that sunrise is her favorite time of day, where the world if full of promise. Both their phones ring and Peter says: “Well, that’s not.”
-I’m pretty sure, Olivia wouldn’t have enjoyed shooting off her gun by Peter’s ears.
-Little man’s head exploding was pretty gross.
-Fauxlivia knew exactly that this is part of the machine. Kudos to Anna for her ability to act with her facial expressions. That stood out to me from the Pilot on but especially in 3.04 DSDOES as they reanimate Van Horn, 3.06 6599 khz and 3.09 Marionette throughout the episode, just to name a few.
-Fauxlivia hears the train before anyone else. Just like our Olivia hears the bomb in 3.05 Amber 31422. So they both have super hearing as well!?
-What was Fauxlivia’s motivation to go down the tunnel? Peter, the machine or both? After all she needs Peter to run the machine.
-Ha, Peter looks quite adorable in those jeans, from behind as he walks up the stair with the part on his shoulder :)
-I think it was cute how Walter went to Astrid’s apartment to show her what was in the safety deposit box.
-The message from the other side read: “Begin work on Dr. Bishop.” Hm, that means: Faxulivia, he likes food. Bring him pastries!
If Peter never existed in this episode…
-Would Bell still have left MD to Walter?
-Would Walter and Astrid have that kind of bond?
-Who would have Fauxlivia danced with?
-Who would have called Broyles to monitor sonic activities?
-Who would have been able to disable the box?
-Would more people have died?
@Trent, one would think as he is the only one that remembers, that he will be the driving force of the plotline, but somehow i think they'll find a way to make olivia and walter do everything, i also really miss the peter/walter relationship that has been absent in my opinion since season 2. And on altlivia/lincoln, my god no, or get sum1 else to write it, every single romance on fringe from john/olivia to peter/olivia has been poorly written, its horrible! stop writing romance wyman/pinkner or get sum1 else to do it!
@cortexifan
I like that connection with the cartoon train track.
@cortexifan I'm wondering if those vials were full of the same kind of medicine Peter received when he was hooked up to the IV when he first got to the other side. It's not easy to adjust to it right away, so maybe Fauxlivia had to take some so she adapted right away.
From this article, one thing really stuck with me: "It was William Bell who urged Walter to cross over and it was Walter who thought it was dangerous to do so until he had to cross universes to save Peter."
Now Bell always rubbed me the wrong way. Does anyone wonder if Peter's illness was a result of Bell? I mean, it was a rare form of bird flu of all things. Did Bell do this as a pushing point for Walter to cross sides?
This seems to be the perfect opportunity to share my opinion of Fauxlivia. In the beginning, I strongly disliked her. She was (and is still at times) cocky and arrogant. She came in, seduced Peter, killed an innocent man, and fooled everyone into thinking that she was Olivia. For that reason and because Peter was so hot on her, I was not her biggest fan. When Immortality first came on, I still didn't like her. She was hung up on Peter, yet accepted Frank's proposal, in effect breaking the poor guy's heart when we learned she was pregnant.
But then I saw the end of Immortality, when Walternate gave her the creepy smile and I realized that Fauxlivia was just another pawn in his game, just as much as Peter, Olivia, Walter, Lincoln, all of them. When she crossed over, she wasn't out to hurt Olivia, Peter or anyone else. She was given a mission and before all else, she was a soldier who would complete her mission at all costs. Should she have done the things she did, no probably not, but she had been brainwashed by Walternate and his ZFT into believing that she was doing what was right in defending her world. I agree with those who said that she didn't want to kill the deaf guy. She was simply doing her job, whether she liked it or not. Don't get me wrong, I still get super angry when I see her shoot that poor man and then proceed to making out with Peter to cover it up. But I understand much better now.
But after Immortality and especially seeing Bloodline when without a doubt, Fauxlivia became a pawn in Walternate's game and he used her and baby Henry to accomplish his own evil ends, I could no longer hate Fauxlivia for what she did. In fact on the contrary, I found I was rooting for Fauxlivia almost as much as Olivia. And in 6:02am EST, I thought that Fauxlivia had become like Olivia in many ways, softened in some ways and stronger in other ways, as she started to experience some similar things that our Olivia has gone through.
Just my opinion, but I personally think it speaks volumes to the writers that they made me, a passionate Fauxlivia hater, end up loving her and the team over there almost as much as the team that I have loved over here for three seasons.
Oh one other thing, since I will inevitably be called a Peter hater regardless of what I say, I get ticked when watching this episode and Do Shapeshifters Dream Of Electric Sheep? Regardless of Faux claiming that her time over there gave her a new perspective on life, there were plenty of signs for Peter to pick up on that this wasn't "his" Olivia. Like Cortexifan said about Faux not drinking. No matter what impression Olivia may have gotten, I highly doubt that she would have given up drinking. So yes, I do think Peter should have known. Even if Walter, Astrid, or Broyles didn't know, Peter who knows Olivia better than anyone should have known.
That said. I understand now why Peter was lead astray. He wanted so badly to believe that he was the one responsible for the changes in Olivia. Who doesn't? Everyone wants to think that they are having a positive influence on the person they love. And it breaks my heart, that Peter wanted it so bad that he bypassed the signs so he could follow his heart. Fauxlivia's betrayal was made all the worse, because Olivia was the one person Peter trusted. The one person important enough to make him come back. And just as he started to learn to be vulnerable with someone, BAM! he learns he was betrayed yet again from someone he loves. Peter is just as much a victim as Olivia in this.
@Fringie6989, i dont think your a peter hater, i actually refused to hate him for not knowing, because i believed (and still do) that is was definately not in his character not to notice, that the writers didnt want him to notice A) adds more drama B)keeps polivia apart for time being C) allows more episodes with both olivias on different sides
Yes exactly! Thanks Anonymous!
I never liked the fact the Peter got it on with Fauxlivia. But...it did make for a good story and the fact that it is still being discussed and still manages to bring out all these emotions in the fans, it's easy to understand why the writers went that way. We HAD to keep watching to see if and when Peter and the rest realised their mistake.
"but she had been brainwashed by Walternate and his ZFT into believing that she was doing what was right in defending her world."
Walternate is guilty of many things, but not of that. He never brainwashed Fauxlivia. His version of ZFT established, that the degradation of their universe was caused by natural causes. To Fauxlivia, there was never an enemy from another universe to fight. She learned that at the same time as Charlie and Lincoln, when Walternate admitted the degradation was actually man-made. The following day she was already making plans to infiltrate the blue universe. She didn't ask for evidence, she just chose to believe Walternate, the man who had lied about the true cause in the first place.
"Peter who knows Olivia better than anyone should have known."
I've seen this opinion very often, but that's just an assumption. Why should he have known her better than Broyles or Walter? He had even less contact and information about her than them. Yes, he was attracted and maybe in love with her, but he knew very little about her, because Olivia was so closed-off with him. That's why he was so happy, when thinking he was with Olivia, Fauxlivia talked about stuff she liked and did fun stuff. Like he said, he thought he was seeing her in a happy relationship. A bit egocentric, for sure, but not so wrong after all, because Olivia did change, after she started her relationship with him. The alcohol? Seriously? I'm sorry, but I never saw Olivia drinking so constantly, that it was so weird not to see her with a bottle of whiskey. And people do stop drinking, just like they stop smoking. We just had previous knowledge, that Fauxlivia hated alcohol, so it was an obvious detail to us, but it shouldn't have been for him. The coffee? Well, apparently Olivia is very loyal... to coffee. That meltdown she had, because Peter brought the wrong one? I have changed the way I take coffee several times already, from just black for years to coffee with milk and back to black again. I can even take 2 different ones in a day now. There must be something wrong with me.
To me the biggest red flag was her behavior at work. Broyles should have known, that Olivia wouldn't be that lazy and uninvolved, but Fauxlivia was taking advantage of Olivia's prestige and maybe Broyles had other priorities than looking into "Olivia's" every movement. Had they all gathered and talked about all those separate little details and added them up, they would probably had discovered the truth.
Although Peter had always been a perceptive guy and we all wanted him to discover the truth on his own, there were many things working against him: he was in love and thinking he was getting to know his girlfriend at last. He had already been duped and brainwashed by other doubles to believe they were his real parents. Nobody discovered the real identity of the shapeshifters, until it was too late, not their spouses, best friends or sons, even though they are the people that knew the originals "the best" (Charlie?, Ray?, Van Horn?...). And last but not least, the usual disregard the writers have for Peter Bishop in general.
Anyway, I will grant this to Fauxlivia, though, if it wasn't for her, there would be no P/O. I'll take the news that she fell in love with Peter as legit, even if it wasn't portrayed at all in the show. I'm convinced that she fell in love with him way before Olivia did (that is, if she really did). Olivia had always been indifferent to Peter, until these two things happened: 1. She saw her alternate with Frank and somehow that spurned the need to have her own companion. Peter happened to be the most handy at the moment. 2. She had decided she didn't want Peter after all, when she learned the truth about Fauxlivia and him, because he had been tainted by her alternate, just like the rest of her other objects. However, when she learned that Fauxlivia and Peter had feelings for each other, she jumped into a relationship with Peter right away. To me that indicates that Olivia's feelings for Peter had little to do with him and a lot to do with her envy of Fauxlivia.
@Trent,I think that she must have in love with him or cared about him a great deal to cross over universes to find him, and she was not willing to tell him the truth about his origins cause she was scared to lose him. On The "jump in to relationship straight away" i remember walter saying at the beginning of "6B" that a number of weeks had passed since the last episode (being episode 12) and considering she got back in episode 9, its reasonable to believe several months had passed since her return to "our side". Of course i greatly respect your opinion Trent and look forward to reading your comments, whenever you do, but i do believe olivia is in love with peter, no matter how averagely it is portrayed (though how well it is portrayed is a matter of opinion, it is my firm belief that the actors are doing the best they can with shitty writing in the romance department)And as i have said before every romance on fringe has been poorly written IMO apart from maybe john/olivia and thats only because torv and valley were in a real relationship at the time so it was believable
I'm not saying that the brainwash was for Fauxlivia's entire life. As far as anyone aside from Walternate knew, the soft spots caused by Walter was actually environmental degradation. You are right that he found out about the "enemy" the same time that Lincoln and Charlie found out. But all three of them at that time, were led to believe that the people from the other side were indeed the enemy, in a way brainwashed into believing what Walternate wanted them to believe.
In defense of Walternate though, he very well believed that himself. As far as he knows, Peter was kidnapped to spark the war between universes, not to save his life. And with all the damage done over there, I can see why Walternate could honestly believe that this side was indeed at war with his side. That once again shows me what a fabulous job the writers do with showing us both sides of people. Not just the good guys vs the bad guys.
Great comments, folks.
Trent, I disagree with you on "Olivia had always been indifferent with Peter." Not true. I think she started needing him in S1 as far back as "Bad Dreams." And remember how sad and inebriated she was getting in "Over There:Part I." In fact, when Liv lost him the first time in "Of Human Action" (also S1) she was acting pretty affected, imo. We'll never know exactly when her feelings for Peter blossomed more than friendship, but if I had to guess, it would be when he slipped up in "Bound" and said "I care about you."
Xindilini knows how I initially felt about FauxLivia. I was really excited to meet Liv's alternate and see her in action, but I thought the sleeping with Peter plot was cheap, and so below this series. I warmed to her a little in 6:02AM EST and further on. But I still wish we'd met the red Olivia Dunham in a different way.
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