Fringe Observiews 4.22 Brave New World Part 2 ~ Fringe Television - Fan Site for the FOX TV Series Fringe

Fringe Observiews 4.22 Brave New World Part 2

      Email Post       5/21/2012 02:39:00 AM      


Welcome to the Observiews for Season 4 of Fringe. I call them Observiews because they are more visual observations than deep thinking reviews, if that makes sense.

Screen caps from this episode are taken from fringefiles.com. Dialog is from fringepedia.net/transcripts.

All observations are mine and therefore could be totally off the wall and/or wrong. I have not read or looked at any recaps or reviews. I could also have missed a few things, oh well.

2.19 Brown Betty
FICTIONAL WALTER: “[the glass heart] Put simply, it's a power source. But it's capable of many wondrous things.”
ELLA: “So Peter took his special heart, and with all his might, he split it in two. And the heart was so magical that it still worked. And together, they made goodness, and lived happily ever after. The End.”



That’s what I was thinking as I watched it again. 2.19 Brown Betty is full of Easter Eggs. So let’s see if my deciphering makes sense. Walter and Peter represent the two universes, Peter being from the other one, Walter from ours. Olivia is the power source. She was the only one who could collapse the two universes but she’s also the one who could save the two universes alongside Peter. I’ve always said that Peter and Olivia have a special connection and that they have to work together to accomplish “their mission”. And in a sense we got our happy ending too.
Oops, I’m getting ahead of myself. And I will get back to 2.19 Brown Betty later again which is one of my favorite episodes.

Glyphs spelled: PURGE
I wonder if this is where we start S5 off. From where we ended until 2015 when the Purge happened. 

4.19 Letter of Transit
SIMON: “On the TV they're showing footage from... Chicago, L.A... London. Observers going from house to house and... dragging people out into the street.”
ETTA: “That was 2015. The Purge.”

This time I didn’t have any problems finding the Observer. September was throughout the episode.
Shout out to Michael Cerveris. I absolutely love his portrayal of September.

Okay, so let’s dive in.

I guess I’ll say it right at the beginning. This was by far one of the best episodes and by far the best season finale. Fringe is an exceptional gem and it will be hard to top or to even come close to, in my opinion. I’m so glad it’s coming back.

Bell’s paradise!
Nice red, green and blue reflections going there.
WILLIAM BELL: “The Bible tells us God created his universe in seven days. It's taken me considerably longer.”

4.13 A Better Human Being
OWEN FRANK: “The hubris of trying to improve upon God?”
I think that line will always be stuck with me now. As I said before, most of the time, if someone is trying to improve upon God, the outcome is less than desirable.

Thankfully (I guess) Bell isn’t done with his creation and it’s just a hologram.
I was so thinking about the Holodeck from Star Trek.

I’m assuming that’s the device that shows the hologram.

Walter encourages Bell to stop.

WILLIAM BELL: “It's done, Walter. The final piece has been set into motion. I couldn't stop it now if I wanted to. And I don't.”
I knew then that Bell was talking about Olivia. Activating her was the final piece.

I thought of 1.17 Bad Dreams
OLIVIA: “He [Nick] said sometimes what we wake up can't be put back to sleep... I wonder if he was right.”

Back at the lab, Olivia and Peter are looking for Astrid and Walter.
Actually I thought the lab looked eerily empty.

And there is the “hair-chair” from 4.13 A Better Human Being.
Peter finds Walter’s lemon cake.
Looking at the toaster oven more closely the print on the back says: Caution Electric Toy.

Unfortunately Astrid and Walter aren’t there and Olivia only reaches Astrid’s voice mail.
Peter thinks they might have gone for breakfast. And speaking of it Peter says: “I put on a pot of coffee. You want a cup?”

When did you put that pot of coffee on, Peter? Lol

Olivia realizes that Peter needs help.
PETER: “Do you want to talk about it?”
OLIVIA: “Talk about what?”
PETER: “The Jedi Mind Trick you pulled on me back on the roof.”

I was thinking back to 3.01 Olivia
Olivia escaped from Liberty Island and forced Henry to help her. She memorized his “show me”.
OLIVIA: “Remember.”
HENRY HIGGINS: “Yeah, I know. I know. You got my number. Jedi mind trick.”

OLIVIA: “I can only attribute it to Cortexiphan.”
PETER: “But, Liv, suddenly you're able to do things that you were never able to do before. First, you saved Jessica, and now my shoulder.”
OLIVIA: “Look, I don't know how I did it. I just did.”
PETER: “Liv, when Walter gets back, I'd like you to let him run some more tests.”
OLIVIA: “You got it.”
What did she just say? What happened to “I’m fine”. Olivia seems pretty distressed about this whole thing.

Olivia gets a phone call from Jessica. She says she has been followed. Olivia asks her to lock doors and stay where she is. But Jessica is not alone anymore.
I thought it interesting that she didn't turn around. Did she know he was there? Did she know who it was? Was she expecting him?

September was there. Unfortunately he stepped on “Stasis Runes”
Sounds like a trap to me. We’ll get back to that sooner than we want.
There is such a thing as making an Observer somewhat ineffective? Who invented it?

When Olivia and Peter arrive at Jessica’s house, she was gone. They find this “whole in the ground”.
When I saw the whole I had to think of 3.12 Concentrate And Ask Again.
Olivia feels she’s responsible.
PETER: “Liv? You didn't put this woman's life in danger. You're the one that saved her.”
Feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders, Olivia? I guess you are becoming like the Olivia from the old timeline.
Kind of how Peter described her in 2.22 Over There Part 2
Peter: "She's a lot like you. Darker in the eyes, maybe. She's always trying to make up for something. Right some imaginary wrong. Haunted I guess."


Olivia gets another phone call. This time it’s Broyles informing her that Astrid was found with a gunshot wound. But no sign of Walter.
I’m so glad she’s going to be fine.

Someone had moved Astrid away from the warehouse, where she and Walter were looking for Bell.
PETER: “And called 9-1-1. Which means they didn't want you dead.”
Awww, Peter, that was so sweet!

She knows who shot her.
ASTRID: “There was a crew of armed men. And they probably took Walter. Peter, I tried to protect him, but I couldn't get him out of there.”
Poor Astrid. It wasn’t your fault. Walter has gotten her in trouble before.
2.09 Snakehead. Walter disappeared in Chinatown and Astrid was followed back to the lab where someone beat her up.
The other incident I thought of was 2.10 Grey Matters. 
Thomas Jerome Newton had taken Walter to find out how Walter opened the door to the other side. Astrid had left the house to get him something from the lab. When she came back he was gone.
And!! I remembered that Astrid had a gun before and it was also in 2.10 Grey Matters.

Astrid gives the address of the warehouse and Peter and Olivia go check it out. As they were leaving Astrid warns Olivia.
From how Astrid said that and Olivia’s reaction, it looks pretty serious.

OLIVIA: “But even if Bell is responsible, what does infecting people with nanites and using the sun's light to ignite an oil reserve have to do with collapsing two universes to create a new one? I mean, how are they connected?”
I think they were just the set-up for you, Olivia as you will find out shortly.

Inside the warehouse (which of course was empty) Peter and Olivia find September. And he’s not there on his own volition.
JESSICA HOLT: “Step back from him. Set down your weapon. Slowly.”
OLIVIA: “What are you doing?”
JESSICA HOLT: “I'm sure many things are racing through your mind right now. But none of them are as important as what I’m about to say. If you ever want to see Walter again, put down your gun.”
Peter asks September to do something. Because he is there it must be important. But because he is stuck he can’t help.

JESSICA HOLT: “He [September] can't. The Stasis Runes at his feet keep him stuck right where he is. Unfortunately for you, this was a future you didn't foresee. It seems he's very concerned about the events in your life. And Doctor Bell said that, if we put you in harm's way, he'd appear.”
In the Observiews for 4.08 Back To Where You’ve Never Been I said that Olivia had been observed from the beginning. 
A strand in her hair has the word “observed” on it.

OLIVIA: “That day you were infected, that was intentional. You never had a daughter.”
Did I not say last week that was a trap?

JESSICA HOLT: “I hate kids. Now let's see how concerned you are about him.”
As Jessica shoots at September, he is catching the bullets.
Absolutely loved Olivia’s face as September caught the bullets.
Unfortunately.

JESSICA: “They can operate at hyper-attenuated time. To us, it almost looks like magic. It's not, though. It's just tech that essentially lets them move very, very fast. Now this gun is an invention of Doctor Bell's.”
Is it the “76-Pulse” side arm that Fauxlivia was carrying in 2.22 Over There Part 2?
Or is it the “77” that Bell used to blow up the cars at the end of the same episode.
This new model shoots faster and September is not able to catch it.
OLIVIA: “Okay, what are you doing? I mean, what do you want? Please, could you just put the gun down and talk to me?”
JESSICA HOLT: “He feels no emotion. Perhaps no pain. This won't upset him. But it appears to upset you.”
OLIVIA: “Damn it, stop. Just -- just tell me what it is that you want.”

Jessica fires again but Olivia catches the bullets and redistributes them back to their source...
killing Jessica.
Mwahaha, again no one messes with the Dunhamnator!

So how was Olivia faster than the Observer, being able to catch the bullets when he wasn’t?

I have always been amazed at her ability to react really fast. One incident coming to mind is in 1.20 There Is More Than One Of Everything. She just comes around the corner of the van at the end of the episode and turns so fast that it took this guy here completely by surprise. 
I don’t have a good screen shot of that but if you watch the episode you’ll know what I mean.

Peter discovers that he can scrape the runes off so September can be released. September is also surprised that they knew of this methodology.
Did Bell invent that? Or is it something the other Observers created?

When Peter asked September if he knows where Walter is, he said “no”.
Hm. That made me think of September’s conversation in 3.10 The Firefly
OBSERVER: “There are things that I know. But there are things that I do not. Various possible futures are happening simultaneously. I can tell you all of them, but I cannot tell you which one of them will come to pass. Because every action causes ripples, consequences both obvious and... unforeseen.”

OLIVIA: “At least now we know how you got shot. I've seen you shot before just like this. You came to me at the Opera House. You said, in every version of the future, I would have to die.”
4.08 Back To Where You’ve Never Been.

THE OBSERVER: “I did not. Or I have not yet. I suspect I understand now. The conversation you are referring to has not yet happened for me. I must investigate the future and find out what I meant. I hope... I get back to you in time.”
So, what, wait? If the Observer had not had this conversation yet, does Olivia have the ability to see the future? Which timeline, future and/or universe did the Observer come from?

I loved Peter’s line when Olivia asked how they can find Walter now because their only lead is dead. Peter said: “That doesn’t mean we can’t still question her.”

It so takes me back to 1.01 The Pilot where Walter was questioning John Scott after he had been dead for a few hours. Peter was so against Walter’s methodologies back then and now he pulled a lot of them himself.

They take Jessica to the lab. She was bleeding red blood.
This makes it hard to figure out whether she was a new shapeshifter or really just a human being because of the stuff that is going to take place in a few minutes here. Or did her body just react to whatever methodology they used to question her.

Since Walter is not there, Olivia has to assist. Peter asks her to give Jessica an injection. Olivia starts at the arm but Peter corrects her. The injection needs to go in the head.
When she finished Peter says: “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
I was thinking of an interview where Anna says she doesn't like needles. (with permission from the site) I have the absolute highest respect for Anna Torv and because of this appreciate her acting skills even more.

Peter hooks up Jessica and Nina comes to help.
I really like this Nina especially knowing that she seemed to know a lot about Henrietta and helps in 4.19 Letters of Transit.

Nina to Peter: “There'll come a time when I’ll ask you how you knew about this technology.”
Ok, what technology is Nina referring to?

Could it have been the method Jacob Fisher used in 1.05 Power Hungry?
Was it the one from 1.07 In Which We Meet Mr. Jones?

Or 3.04 Do Shapeshifters Dream Of Electric Sheep?
Nina and Olivia are having a conversation on the bench. Olivia is just breaking my heart. She just can’t catch a breath.
OLIVIA: “Well, she [Jessica] took a chance on dying at that office building for whatever her mission is. She was counting on me to save her. They used Jessica to play on my sympathies, and then they used my feelings for Peter, my fear that Jones would kill him.”
NINA: “William always talked a lot about the powers Cortexiphan children might have.”
OLIVIA: “But why is he activating me now? Why is he doing this?”
NINA: “My Dear... you may have a different set of memories now, But, at heart, you're still the same girl I knew. You've always had incredible compassion. It was your capacity for feeling that made William and Walter so sure that you were the perfect candidate for The Trials. And I don't know what it is, but William must want -- no, he needs something from you. Something only you can provide.”
Yeah, can’t wait to find out what that is and Olivia might not have been ready earlier.

I was thinking back to 2.04 Momentum Deferred
WILLIAM BELL: “Yes. In any search for knowledge, there are always unintended consequences -- victims, you might say. But not you. I can see that... just by looking at you. In fact, you're just coming into your ability.”

Back to the ship.
WALTER: “Why, William? Why would you do this? What could you possibly hope to gain by destroying both universes?”
WILLIAM BELL: “Walter, this was all your idea. Peter died twice. You hated God. "What kind of God would cause so much suffering?" That's what you said. So much pain. You decided to create a universe that would operate by your rules. And then, when you realized that you were smart enough to do it, you got scared. You asked me to cut out a portion of your brain.”

Bell says this was Walter’s idea. Somehow I don’t believe that. Walter may be capable of many things but this doesn’t sound like him. [Update: Apparently I’m not the only who thinks that way. I wrote this part of the Observiews way before I saw the Noble Intentions on this episode. Take a watch...]
I also recall a conversation from 3.02 The Box
ASTRID: “This is from Bell? It's a key to a safety deposit box. (she reads the letter. "DON'T BE AFRAID TO CROSS THE LINE.")”
WALTER: “It's an old argument. Belly and I spent days discussing the wisdom of crossing the line. "Only those that risk going too far can possibly know how far they can go." That's what Belly used to say.”
ASTRID: “So you were the cautious one?”

Walter and God
1.01 The Pilot – Walter says that besides his assistants and Bell, God would have access to his work
1.02 The Same Old Story – Walter says it's one of the inherent pitfalls of being a scientist - trying to maintain that distinction... between God's domain and our own.
2.15 Peter – Walter challenges Carla Warren: “There is only room for one god in this lab and it’s not yours.
2.17 White Tulip – Walter: “I’ve asked God for a sign of forgiveness.”
3.20 6:02 AM EST – Walter praying in the chapel.
Those come to mind right now and I’m sure there are more.

At the end of 2.10 Grey Matters we see a flash back to “we don’t know when” where Bell is about to cut out parts of Walter’s brain.
In 2.22 Over There Part 2 Bell says too that Walter asked him to take out his brain.
In 4.19 Letters of Transit Nina seems to confirm that parts of Walter’s brain was cut out by Bell.  I don’t know, do you think it really happened that way?

Bell has cancer and slowed it down with Cortexiphan.
The only one without side effects of that drug is Olivia, so I wonder what it will do to him.

Bell: “God made us in his image. If that is so, if we are capable of being gods, then it is our destiny to do so.”
Well I hate to break the news to ya, Bell but that’s what Adam and Eve thought too after they were tricked by the serpent and God kicked them out of Eden. What makes you think God will allow you to be like him? “The hubris of improving upon God”.

WILLIAM BELL: “My dear friend, even if you deny it now, you have always been playing God. I am.”
That’s what God said to Moses as he encountered the burning bush (Exodus 2:13 and 14).

Back in the lab Jessica is ready to be questioned. Jessica is looking Olivia straight in the eyes. Well...
JESSICA HOLT: “What did you do to me?”
Gosh, poor Liv. Seems like everything is her fault.

Jessica’s got some really cool eye-rolling going and she speaks with a different voice.
Awesome effects again!
When asked where Bell is she sings a shanti.
JESSICA HOLT: “Mm-hmm. He's all wet I expect. And a bore. ‘A man must be blind or be out of his mind to go out to sea once more.’”

It’s taking too long. Peter and Olivia are starting to lose their patience. And Olivia is getting angrier.
OLIVIA: “Jessica, how is he going to give birth to a new world if we closed the bridge between the two universes? … How is he going to collapse the two universes?”
JESSICA HOLT: “He needed an energy source.”
OLIVIA: “What energy source?”
You’ll find out in a second.
JESSICA HOLT: “We're all expendable in the wake of creation.”

2.04 Momentum Deferred – Bell: “In any search for knowledge, there are always unintended consequences -- victims, you might say.”

OLIVIA: “Jessica, how is he going to do it?”
JESSICA HOLT: “Noah was a righteous man, and he brought onto The Ark every creature to populate the new world. Two by two.” (Genesis 6)

OLIVIA: “Damn it, Jessica, what energy source?”
Behold the power of the Dunhamnator!

OLIVIA: “The new energy source, it's me. Bell's going to try and use me to collapse the two universes. That's why he's been activating me.”
Nina is checking Olivia with a Gauss meter.
NINA: “The ElectroMagnetic energy you're giving off is extraordinary. But, if William is using the energy you're generating, I believe I may know how to find him.”
I thought back to 1.05 Power Hungry where Walter was using the electromagnetic signature of Joseph Meegar to find him.

At the FBI office Olivia is awaiting her fate?
They traced Bell to a ship – The Talos – but it’s long gone by now. Not sure if this is a correct reference but i thought it interesting. 

BROYLES: “Talk to me.”
NINA: “It's not good. Olivia is giving off an exceedingly strong and specific ElectroMagnetic field. Now I know how it sounds, but I believe she was activated to power the universe collapse.”
OLIVIA: “Lucky me.”
I was thinking back to 2.04 Momentum Deferred.
OLIVIA: “Well, 'lucky' isn't the word that I would choose… I've met some of the others. To say that they are permanently damaged would be an understatement.”

Unfortunately Olivia can’t be turned off.

NINA: “But we can use her to find Walter and William Bell. The frequency at which Olivia is resonating will also be the frequency at the epicenter of the dimensional intersection, meaning we should be able to identify the exact location where the two universes are overlapping. Now, assuming Bell wants to survive the collapse, that's where he'll be. The 'calm at the center of the storm' as it were.”
The drawing from 4.20 Worlds Apart came to mind.
And 4.12 Welcome to Westfield
WALTER: “The sum of equal and opposite vectors is -- is zero. Very clever, Peter. We need to find the place where the opposite forces meet and cancel out.”
PETER: “Like the eye of the storm.”
WALTER: “In a hurricane, the center is said to be the safest spot.”
PETER: “And after this thing is said and done, it might be the only place that survives.”

Looks like Olivia needs her own little ‘calm before the storm’.
PETER: “It's gonna be okay.”
OLIVIA: “You know, for the first time, I don't think that it is.”
Wow, I never thought Olivia would ever say that, how sad and hopeless that sounds.

OLIVIA: “I remember being in that lab in Jacksonville when Walter and William were doing the Cortexiphan Trials. I remember how it smelled, how I felt, how scared I was, how all alone I was.”
This is from 1.17 Bad Dreams where Walter finds the tape and watches it.
OLIVIA: “And now, you know, years later, nothing's changed. I'm still that little girl, and William Bell is still doing experiments on me. I'm just still being used.”
PETER: “No. Something has changed. This time, you're not alone.”
I had to think of 2.14 Brown Betty again.
Olivia is singing to Peter: “For once in my life, I have someone who needs me. Someone I've needed so long, for once unafraid I can go where life leads me, and somehow I know I'll be strong. For once in my life, I won't let sorrow hurt me... not like it's hurt me before. For once I have something I know won't desert me. I'm not alone anymore.”

I so loved how Olivia was seeking the embrace, longing for it. And how Peter just accepted it and reciprocated it (ha, a word I learned on Fringe, lol)
Again she’s just got hopelessness written all over. The last time I saw that was in 3.08 Entrada. 
And now matter how much I've seen that, every time this scene comes I still think there is no hope.

Back on the ship, Walter is eying the gun in the case.
Walter, what are you going to do?

Bell wants Walter to see what it’s like to ride in the center of the storm, I guess.
Walter just asks how Bell did it.
WILLIAM BELL: “Olivia. You were right, Walter. She truly is a remarkable girl.”
I thought back to 2.22 Over There Part 2
WILLIAM BELL: “We've accomplished a lot together, Walter. But she may be our greatest achievement.”
I was also thinking back to what Walter said in 4.19 Letters Of Transit when Astrid asked him why he left Bell in the Amber.
WALTER: “You remember what he did to Olivia. Even you can't be that compassionate.”
Is this the reason? Using Olivia as the power source to collapse the two universes, or is there something else still coming, in S5? As Olivia said earlier: “I wonder what he has in store for me now [later]?”

The ship has been found.
Uh, I don’t see anything. The pilot, Olivia and Nina can’t see anything either.

PETER: “Are you kidding me? It's right there....Am I losing my mind here?”
Nina explains that the ship has already phased out of sync with this universe and because Peter is from the other side, he’s the only one who can see it.

PETER: “But if it's already crossed over into the other universe, there's no way for us to get to it. Even if we had the time, the bridge is closed.”
OLIVIA: “There is a way. Me.”
NINA: “Yes, Olivia now has as much activated Cortexiphan in her system as the Olivia from the original timeline.”

I was thinking about 4.08 Back To Where You’ve Never Been. Peter needed help to cross over. Olivia had the requisition papers for Walter’s device.
PETER: “Well, what do you even need Walter's device for when you can just cross back and forth anytime by yourself?”
OLIVIA: “When I can what?”

NINA: “Now, if what you both have told me is accurate, Olivia can jump between worlds. You, Peter, you can see it. Olivia, you can reach it. But it will have to be done together.”
There is that special bond I was talking about in the beginning.

OLIVIA: “What if I can't do it?”
NINA: “You have the most extraordinary gifts, but the only one you were denied was knowing it. You've had the power all along.”

The Wizard of Oz is referenced so many times during the series. It is on my summer watch list.

I was also thinking of 3.21 The Last Sam Weiss came to mind. Olivia needed to turn the machine off so Peter could get in it.
OLIVIA: “Walter, what if I can’t do it? What if I can’t turn it off?”
WALTER: “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.”

I thought of 3.15 A Short Story About Love

OLIVIA: “When the day comes... if I don't remember this... I want you to try and build something with me again. Don't give up on me. I love you, Nina.”
NINA: “I love you, Olive.”

I think Nina has done that!

Well, I guess it’s almost time to jump out of the helicopter.
PETER: “You’re ready?”
I was thinking back to 3.21 The Last Sam Weiss just before Olivia went with Peter to turn the machine off.
PETER: “You ready?”
OLIVIA: “No. You?”
PETER: “No. Don’t say I never took you anywhere”
Lol! Now we are ready to jump out of the helicopter, yes?
OLIVIA: “Alright. If you've lost your mind, now would be the time to tell me.”
Off to Oz we go.
Peter seemed surprised that it worked. He produces a gun.
PETER: “It was the pilot's. You can't be the only one who always gets to carry a gun.”

2.03 Fracture
OLIVIA: “Maybe I should wait outside.”
PETER: “Then what would I do? You're the one with a gun.”


2.04 Moementum Deferred
OLIVIA: “Is this your way of trying to ask me if I'm scared?”
PETER: “No, of course not. I mean, I figure if you were scared, you'd tell me, right? Besides, I figure between the two of us, you're the one that carries the gun.”

Peter deduces correctly that this is Bell’s arc.
As Olivia walks down the hall she seems to know where to go. Or is it just me thinking that?

WILLIAM BELL: "I will arise and go, now, and go to Innisfree, and a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made. Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honeybee, and live alone in the bee loud glade." Do you know it, Walter?”
WALTER: “Yeats.”
Walter is getting the gun.
Walter, are you planning on shooting Bell? Yes!
I think he’s lost his mind. The “god complex” is getting to his head.

Olivia and Peter arrive.

WILLIAM BELL: “Well, this is unexpected. You know I was not planning on having any humans. What a troublesome species we can be, after all. I had assumed that Walter and I would die off and my new universe would thrive unencumbered by the savage whims of Mankind.”
4.16 Nothing As It Seems
I’m sorry, Bell. But weren’t these creature humans before? And I hate to tell you again but even after God reigned on earth, corruption and sin was still there because Satan was set free for a short time (Revelation 20:7-8). I really hope you don’t get to finish your utopia.

WILLIAM BELL: “ But I see I was wrong - look at the two of you. Humans abide. They persevere. They survive. You have earned your right in the new order, a final breeding pair. Amongst all others, you will be the new Adam and Eve.”
Love Olivia’s reaction which basically says: “I think not!”

Peter wants Bell to stop this now.
WILLIAM BELL: “Shoot me if you like, young Peter.”
Hm, “young Peter”? Has he met an old Peter before?

I was thinking back to 2.22 Over There Part 2
WILLIAM BELL: “Hello, Peter. I'm William Bell. Haven't seen you in many years. You're holding up better than I would have thought.”
PETER: “What's a little universe hopping between friends?”
WILLIAM BELL: “That's not what I meant.”


In 2.04 Momentum Deferred, Bell says to Olivia: “I’ve seen history repeat itself enough times to know a war is coming, just as we predicted, Walter and I, years ago.”


What if Bell has seen Peter go through this before, activating the machine, changing the future or a time line? What if going into the machine has consequences that we are not aware of yet?

WILLIAM BELL: “I cannot turn it off. There's no escaping the inevitable. The chain reaction has begun. Olivia is a living uncertainty engine. Every breath she takes brings us closer to Nirvana. Every beat of her heart tears the world from its hinges. She is ‘The Redeemer’. Go ahead. I will not be the first God to be martyred for creation.”

I said last last week about the Banner: 
-It also says: Light of the world” which in Christianity is Jesus. He is the savior.
So what does this mean (or does it mean anything at all) for the Fringe world. Is Olivia going to save the world? Jesus sacrificed himself so that we (I) could live. Will Olivia face the same fate?-
Well, I guess I was sort of right. She was made the sacrifice without knowing it.

WALTER: “Forgive me.”
Walter is shooting B…

What, wait, what are you doing?
NOooooo!

Walter shot Olivia to stop the collapse of the two universes. And it worked because now the ship is visible to the helicopters.
But at what price.

It seems to be Olivia’s fate to get shot in the head. Walternate shot Olivia in the head as well in 3.22 The Day We Died.
Now, you’re gonna say: “What, she died again?”


Actually no, because this Olivia in 4.22 Brave New World Part 2 is a different one than the one in 3.22 The Day We Died.


I also thought it interesting that in most of the “death experiences” including this current one, Olivia (whatever version of her) had almost the same pose.
2.01 A New Day In The Old Town 
and 3.08 Entrada
But not in 3.22 The Day We Died.
It is also interesting that William Bell was in 3 of the 4 season finale episodes. Here in 1.20 There Is More Than One Of Everything
2.22 Over There Part 2 
and this current finale.
But again he was absent for the season 3 finale. Is there a pattern? Or am I reading too much into poses and appearances? If I have learned one thing from Fringe though: nothing happens by coincidence.

Okay, back to Bell in the current finale.
Bell seemed surprised by Walter’s action. I was too.
He rings the bell on the counter
and fades away.
And I’m sure he will be back. Where did he go? And what other plans does he have?

I’m so sorry Peter.
PETER: “Don't touch her.”
WALTER: “Peter, this is no time for emotions.(as he gets slapped in the face) Time is of the essence. We have to move rapidly if we're going to save her.”
PETER: “Save her? She's dead.”

2.01 A New Day In The Old Town
WALTER: “Simple. Reductive. Absurd. Life and death, these are relative terms. Contextually defined, dependent on cultural specifics.”
WALTER: (about the surgeon) “He is undoubtedly indulging in primitive diagnostics. Agent Dunham is not dead. She's not dead. She's not dead.”

3.22 The Day We Died
WALTER: “Peter, I was wrong. It's not too late. You can save both worlds. We can do it all over again. This time, you -- you simply need to make a different choice, and should something go wrong, then Olivia will be our fail-safe.”
PETER: “Walter, stop. Olivia is dead.”
WALTER: “But she won't be... Not then.”

WALTER: “You know very well that hasn't always stopped me. “
1.01 The Pilot                                   1.05 Power Hungry                      
                1.07 In Which We Meet Mr. Jones     2.18 The Man From The Other Side         
      3.04 Do Shapeshifters dream Of Electric Sheep        4.01 Neither Here Nor There

WALTER: “Her brain is currently saturated with Cortexiphan. The brain tissue is regenerative, so, if I can get the bullet out before the Cortexiphan wears off and the non-regenerative tissue calcifies, I'll be able to save her. It's like my lemon cake.”
This is what I said last week regarding the lemon cake:
“So I’m gonna throw something out here. If Cortexiphan gives the ability to be regenerative, does that mean Olivia could heal herself if she gets hurt.”



As I thought of Olivia having the ability to heal herself as long as she has Cortexiphan in her system, I was thinking back to 3.19 LSD.
In the bowl are pears and the ancient Chinese believed that the pear was a symbol of immortality. (Pear trees live for a long time.) In Chinese the word li means both "pear" and "separation," and for this reason, tradition says that to avoid a separation, friends and lovers should not divide pears between themselves.


This whole thing was hard to watch. Poor ‘Liv.

PETER: “Whoa. Whoa. Stop. What are you doing?”
WALTER: “I need an exit wound. There isn't one.” PETER: “How much time do we have, Walter?”
WALTER: “Not long. Any damage I do should repair itself... if I can get the bullet out. I'm so sorry, Olive.”
Thud!
So is this the bullet that Etta had around her neck in 4.19 Letters Of Transit?
Did Walter put the bullet in his pocket? Is it he who gave it to her?

PETER: “Walter?”
WALTER: “It worked.”
Phew!!


Two Bishops crying over Olivia.
Awww, sniff.

In the meantime, Broyles is in Washington. There is no sign of Bell.

SENATOR VAN HORN: “The committee would like to acknowledge the work you and your team have done in protecting the welfare of the people of this nation and the world. As such, we would like to grant your request for significant funding to upgrade your operational and scientific divisions. And thank you, Phillip, for keeping us all safe at night.”
Wow, that’s cool because the last time Broyles was before the committee wasn’t so nice.

2.01 A New Day In The Old Town
SENATOR: “Unsubstantiated claims of invasion. Reports of technology run amok. The old "X" designation and your fringe investigations have been indulgences in the federal budget for over half a century. Well, the salad days are over, Mister Broyles.”


2.01 A New Day In The Old Town
BROYLES: “Yes, Senator, I have a job. The same job I have had in three administrations and six wars. To defend our national security. And I assure you we are not secure. Yes, sometimes a threat is familiar. But I have come to learn that sometimes it is far worse -- and when it is worse, when the threat is unimaginable, that is when we are at the door. And you should thank God for that.”


And it’s good to see Senator Van Horn again. I’m assuming in this timeline he is not a shapeshifter like he was in 3.04 Do Shapeshifters Dream Of Electric Sheep.


It gets even better.
Broyles was just promoted to General.
I still want to know what happened in the future that made him side with the Observers as we saw in 4.19 Letters of Transit.

Nina is waiting outside.
She was also there in 2.01 A New Day In The Old Town. 
After she gave her speech, Nina kissed Broyles which still makes me shutter.
This time it is just a smile as Broyles offered Nina the job of Minister Of Science.
This explains how she got the job as we saw in 4.19 Letters Of Transit.

At the hospital.

WALTER: “You know, Peter, I’ve been thinking. Due to the intense energy utilization, Cortexiphan levels in the body should be almost negligible.”
PETER: “Meaning what, Walter?”
WALTER: “Well, meaning that she won't be able to run around setting things on fire or doing superhuman things.”

Finally a well needed “Walter moment”
WALTER: “Excuse me, Miss. Is that Lemon Jell-o?”
ORDERLY: “These are urine samples.”
WALTER: “Oh, well, in that case, no, thank you. I'm more peckish than thirsty.”
Okay, this will not be on my next party food list, lol.

Walter also says that the treatments left a biological signature in Olivia and that some abilities might emerge again. But for now she seems normal.
Well Etta for sure inherited some abilities.  She was able to block her mind from the Observers in 4.19 Letters Of Transit.

Olivia said last week, she just wants that power out. And now it seems to be gone. I wonder if Olivia would expose herself to Cortexiphan again if her and her family and maybe even the world again are in danger.

Loved that Astrid was sharing Red Vines with Walter. He even called her by her real name.
That’s not gonna last very long because after being ambered for 20 years he still called her “Astro” in 4.19 Letters Of Transit.

Peter is anxiously waiting to see Olivia and finally he gets to.
PETER: “I found one. It's perfect. Brookline. Center Hall. Two stories.”
Really Peter? First words? What about: “Are you alright?” Or “I love you.” 
Like father, like son, lol. 1.01 The Pilot
WALTER: “I thought you'd be fatter.”
PETER: “You thought I'd be fatter? Excellent, first words. Perfect.”

PETER: “I suppose that he was right. The Observer. That in every version of the future, you had to die. But I never want to lose you again.”
PETER: “What? You're okay, right? I mean, the doctor didn't tell you anything else.”
That was a very serious expression for someone who is going to share some good news. It is good news, right? Why the hesitation?

OLIVIA: “Actually, he did.”
PETER: “What?”
OLIVIA: “Peter, I’m pregnant.”
And thus Henrietta was conceived?

3.10 The Firefly
So is the woman on the left Olivia? And who is the baby that she’s holding? And is the girl to the right Henrietta?

Walter and Astrid are looking on.
That was so cute.

Let’s just savor this moment, shall we!!!!!!
What was too short (in my opinion) in 4.15 A Short Story About Love was perfect here.
Awww!
Sigh, this is Fringe, so don’t get too comfortable with it. Who know what S5 has in store for those two.

Back at the lab, Walter is whistling “Rock a bye Baby” while fixing a peanut butter and raspberry sandwich.
His favorite cup with the kangaroo handle is there as well and the test tubes are pink and blue.

But even for him the tranquility is interrupted by a visitor.
THE OBSERVER: “We have to warn the others. They are coming.”
WALTER: “Who's coming?”
That is good question. Do we have the answer already? Is it “they” that the Observer was talking about in 4.14 The End Of All Things? Is it the Observer as they have taken over the world in 4.19 Letters Of Transit? Or will it be something completely different? I guess we will have to wait and see. And the good news is – we will see.



OTHER OBSERVATIONS

The statue is from 2.04 Momentum Deferred.

One of the commercials was for a Hyundai. It had Neal Huff as the dad. Who is no other than Marshal Bowman from 1.13 The Transformation and 4.16 Nothing As It Seems.


I said it in the beginning and I’ll say it again: This was one of the best episodes of all seasons and for sure the best season finale (in my opinion). 
The acting was outstanding. Josh and Anna rocked and John is awesome.


They – cast and crew – deserve a break. Can’t wait to find out where this is going.


In the meantime, keep re-watching episodes, keep recruiting soldiers, keep spreading the word, and keep supporting this awesome, amazing show.


Because:




12 Comments:

Blue said...

Cortexifan, just wanted to say that I have thoroughly enjoyed your "observiews" this season! I hope you continue doing them for Season 5.

demanda said...

Cortexifan, thank you so much for your superb Observiews, they have been required reading for me each week after each thoroughly enjoyable episode of the best series on TV.
it is great to have a conversation (albeit one sided) with others who are happy to share their insights and comments on this excellant production. unfortunately here in New Zealand, they have only just started screening series 4, and its is being played at stupid o'clock at night.
John Noble is brilliant in every version of Walter and it is a delight to watch him. suffice to say, i adore all the other actors and the work they do, be they the regulars or the occasional characters.
with the final season not coming back for another 3 months, i am like a kid waiting for Christmas, it is almost too far away! how am i going to cope with the wait? oh, i know, more repeat watching :)
again, Cortexifan, your insights have been great, looking forward to seeing more of them for the upcoming series.

cheers

demanda

cortexifan said...

@Blue, thank you. Yes I will. Looking forward to more awesomeness, although it will be bittersweet. Not looking forward (in a sense) to writing about the series finale :)

@demada, thank you for your comment. I love all the actors on the show as well but do have one or two favorites :) Funny that they are both from your neck of the woods :0

I've started re-watching from the beginning and will probably do that until the end of time. It never gets old. And yes I will continue :)

Mallory said...

everyone makes me want to cry talking about fringe and the series finale next year. I love this show to death and I wish it could go on forever, what am I to do? I'll rewatch and rewatch but its just not the same :( *sigh* I've watched this show since season 1 and have continued to watch religiously, always ecstatic for whats to come, especially peter and olivia's relationship from episode 1 and walter is the best character ever if only we had more actors like him, haha. anyways, awesome review, it was bittersweet. I always look forward to your reviews cause you know how to write them well. thanks Mallory

cortexifan said...

@Marrory
Aww shucks :) thanks.
I know what you mean. My P/O shippers heart was over the moon the last couple of episodes. I've watch Fringe from the beginning and then once I had the DVDs pretty much every day and still do. Never gets old.

aljaz said...

That was a very serious expression for someone who is going to share some good news. It is good news, right? Why the hesitation?

Probably because she found out she will die (hint: Viral Propagated Eclampsia). See episode Bloodline.

So unless Walter does the same magic (accelerated pregnancy), she might have died during labour (hence no appearance of her in the future).

So what we have here is: Peter should recall that Fauxlivia was still alive after birth (in the Observer's mind images). So if does indeed recall that image he might trigger events that might change the future (make Walter do the magic that Walternet did). Of course there is a catch - Peter doesn't know that Walternet did that, unless observer hints him at it...

So many possibilites, where to go in the 5th. ;)

cortexifan said...

@aljaz
so true :)

Zepp said...

Hey cortexifan! I read with much pleasure, I'm delighted with every line that you wrote your referring to these "illustrated thoughts" about Fringe, these are great your opinions, as always and thanks for posting. I found a great end of the 4th season with an excellent performance of actors, writers and the showrunners, no doubt. If these two final episodes, if they were not in style "bombastic", were, for me, very illuminating, with many answers to everything that has happened so far in the implacable universes of Fringe, I have no doubt about it. I, like many of us, carefully reviewing all the seasons of Fringe so far, and am now at the beginning of the third season, I'm thinking that the line of narrative is perfect, very appropriate, and consistent with everything we saw at the end of this 4th season, I'm sure. I see now that Fringe has a story line well defined, rather complicated, but very well designed, prepared and presented, with attention on the part of producers and directors, who comes to the smallest detail. And for me, this is exactly what differentiates the show Fringe, other related series: the extreme attention to fine detail, the care with every part of the filmed scene. And that's where I can say that Fringe is really a show unique, a masterpiece.

In the episode "Brave New World - Part 2", the drama, for me, was the highlight of the performances of the actors. We had real heights of interpretation, and, among them, fine; I think three of them stood out: Leonard Nimoy, Jasika Nicole and Joshua Jackson. And, in that dramatic scene of the rescue Olivia, assisted by Walter, who extract a bullet from his brain, the high degree of emotion of the Peter, was for me the highlight of scenic interpretation, provided by the excellent actor Joshua Jackson, no doubt. It was a scene where I got very emotional, for sure.

I am in great expectation to know what the showrunners and writers of Fringe are getting ready for the 5th season that is coming. But it remains for us is to wait and see, is not it?

pMaestro said...

@ cortexifan:

"So, what, wait? If the Observer had not had this conversation yet, does Olivia have the ability to see the future? Which timeline, future and/or universe did the Observer come from?"

No, Olivia doesn't have prescience. While it is now obvious after the fact, it didn't occur to me until this episode that while we see the Observer/September from our chronological viewpoint, September himself is travelling back and forth through time so the September that Peter and Oliver met in the warehouse is a younger version of the Observer that Olivia met a few months earlier in the opera house.

Two other personal observiews:

1) Olivia's old timeline memories were a result of being dosed with Cortexiphan. Now that the drug is pretty much purged (pun intended) from her system, how is it that her 'amber' timeline memories are not reasserting themselves?

2) For as diabolical/meglomaniacal as Bell's plan was, it seems that it was the one future that would have stopped the Observers from going back into time and taking over the Earth. (Remember Jessica saying that this was one future the Observers did not predict? And the fact that September was surprised about the Stasis Runes.)

Peace out :-)

cortexifan said...

@Zepp, thank you for your comment :)

@pMaestro, good points Alex :-)

Jim Maruschak said...

Awesome write-up, as always!

I assumed that Talos was a Star Trek reference ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Menagerie_(Star_Trek:_The_Original_Series) ).

And the "young Peter" was very reminiscent of the Emperor's "young Skywalker" from Return of the Jedi.

cortexifan said...

@Jim, thank you, much appreciated.
Duh, thanks for the references.

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