Big Boss to Windmark - "We have a 99.9999% probability to succeed."
~~~
Windmark to Big Boss - "The boy had a 0.0001% chance of surviving.”
~~~
Big Boss to Windmark - “Why go to such lengths to protect someone?”
~~~
With the finish line less than a week away now as I write this, Fringe has entered into that danger zone where it starts to provide the answers to series's long questions that the fans have been asking since the pilot. Inevitably the answers will split opinions. The task of providing answers to questions that feel organic and do not feel bolted on is a difficult tightrope act of writing. Especially given the nature of serialized TV where the goal is to prolong the journey as long as possible. Original intentions at the beginning of a continuing drama morph and change the longer the journey goes.
Thankfully, in this episode Fringe has kept to its core themes while preserving the integrity of its continuity even while using one of the most dangerous writing devices - the retcon.
Rich in answers, this episode is truly the mythology
follower's dream. Another winner written by Graham Roland (Five -Twenty - Ten)http this season, HERE is where
the climax of Wyman’s love letter to the fans starts to culminate for those
with patience. Walter’s plan, its implications, its meaning to the show and
characters, and connection to the past, are all discussed. It also brings us
the most touching scene between Walter and Peter in the entire series. Yet, given
what we learn in this part of the story, surely there is more to come.
The
Plan… Exposed?
So, I think that I enjoyed watching Peter laser
amber just a bit too much. Loved the safety goggles, but boy, did he jump at
the headlights going by the lab… Even more so when he thought someone was in
the lab with him. The funny thing is Walter just stood there –didn’t flinch—then
the two trade excuses for being up. Aw, the life of fugitives.
After having a good laugh at Walter’s insistence of
going skinny dipping in the old tank—and poor Olivia’s not-so-amused-reaction reminiscent
of a scene we’ve seen before—it doesn’t take long for the team to obtain the
information they need and for the action to get rolling. Why did it amuse me
that Donald lives under a bridge? Maybe it is because bridges have always been
important in the show—the most prevalent being the one in The Man from the Other Side and the bridge between universes. They
even appear in the small set details such as pictures hanging on a wall. Fringe has also been big on using
rainbows which are kind considered as a type of bridge in some mythologies, and
they symbolize hope, forgiveness and promise. I am sure that we will see some
kind of rainbow before the end of the series.
Windmark’s journey into the future literally took my
breath away for a moment and gave me a smile – “Oh, cool.” Though I was expecting
the Cobra, er.. I mean Observer commander to be someone really amazing, and
maybe someone we’ve seen before… Darn. I
found it funny that the fugitives were of no consequence to him, but Windmark
was about to pop a cork.
“It should not exist." "But someone ensured its survival. Because they thought it was important.”
Wow. If we go back to August, that particular Observer fell in love with a woman he had
watched since she was a little girl, altering her destiny. The “insignificant”
was made significant.
Peter was brought back from his state of
non-existence due to the people who cared for him not letting go him.
We’ve wondered why the Observers just didn’t go back
and stop Walter from being born or something, but here, we have learned that
they just can’t change stuff willy-nilly
.
We also now know why there are no female Observers.
Women have the reputation for being too emotional, for one thing. Plus, who
needs a hormonal womb on two legs when you can grow people to specification in
a tank, like the decanting room in Huxley’s Brave
New World? Complete with its own Director of Hatcheries and Conditioning?
Ew…
Windmark talking about Michael - "He is no child. He is a chromosomal abnormality"
~~~
Windmark to Nina, “Why are you not frightened?”
~~~
Nina to Windmark, “You have no love. No appreciation of beauty. No dreams.”
~~~
Fringe as a series is founded on the concept of the outsider finding their place in the universe. So it is no surprise to find out that the Observer boy, Michael is also an outsider. A chromosomal oddity. Much like Peter, Olivia, and more recently Simone.
Nina - mysterious to the end. What was she looking at?
Walter to Carla Warren - "I wanted to cry for you. But I'm different now."
~~~
Pusher Man Lyrics -
Pete Shelley
I went to my pad
And I crashed on my bed
I kept taking that snuff
Until it blew my head
It was really gunpowder
I a flash in the pan
I a charcoaled cinder
God damn the pusher man
~~~
As a nod to previous seasons where the nineteenth episode were always something outside the lines, even for Fringe, Episode 9 was given that honor in this shortened final season. Less ambitious this time, no doubt due to a decreased budget, Walter’s discovery of an excellent batch of LSD - Black Blotter - still made for a compelling, inner mind episode.
Olivia - ‘Etta’s not gone. She saved my life today.’
~~~
Wow! Did not see that coming. Peter’s Observerification was resolved much quicker than anticipated even in this shortened 13 episode season.
I’m glad for it on several fronts though. First it kills any worries about Peter becoming an Observer ie September. Second, it allows Peter and Olivia to be working together in the last handful of episodes the series have left. Far preferable than the two of them remaining at odds till the series finale.
Observer or Human?
Fringe has played the, ‘love conquers all,’ card several times and this hand was the weakest the series has dealt out. Partly because of its repeated reuse and partly because of the way the season has been structured. There has been little to no positive emotional connections and investments maintained in Season 5 to deeply invest the viewers into the final scene between Peter and Olivia.
Welcome to Part 8 of 'The 8 Most Important Episodes of Fringe.'
Every day until the next episode airs on Fringe Friday, December 7th, I will post a review of an episode I believe is most important to the series, and a commentary on why I believe it is so.
Episode 4.19 Letters Of Transit Fringe Observiews by cortexifan 4/26/2012
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.
4.14 The End Of All Things
THE OBSERVER: “We are you-- we're human... many generations after your lifetime. We are one of countless possible futures for humanity. Our technology has uniquely afforded us the ability to travel within and outside of time so that we may observe our beginnings.”
PETER: “But you've done a lot more than observe.”
You can say that again, Peter.
Glyphs spelled: QUAKE
I usually post a picture of where the Observer is in the episode but I just couldn't find him. LOL.
And how come they are all male?
“In a galaxy far away” Oh wait wrong movie, lol.
The opening crawl of this episode sure reminded me of Star Wars.
2015 is only 3 years away, guys. Let’s hope this future can be prevented.
I thought of Agent Jessup in 2.01 A New Day In The Old Town when she was adding Bible references next to the case files.
Revelation 19:18-19 – so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of mighty men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men. And I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war against Him, who sat on the horse and against His army. (New American Standard Version)
“… Some Native factions became ‘Loyalists’ and were marked by the Observers”
Revelation 13:16 – And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand or on their forehead…
(New American Standard Version)
I’m sure there were people back then who freely took the mark of the beast because without it they were not able to buy or trade.
This is just what I thought of when I saw the crawl.
Broyles stuck in the office to police the Natives. I wonder what happened that made him decide to work with the Observers.
‘He who fights with monsters should look to it that he himself does not become a monster. And when you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you.’
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche
~~~
‘We have found the enemy and he is us.’
Pogo - Walt Kelly’s Comic Strip
~~~
It is the half point of the final season and some very interesting character dynamics for the Bishop clan have been put into place.
In Episode 5 - An Origin Story - Peter told Anil he was not afraid of being destroyed in pursuit of vengance for Etta. In the words of that old proverb, ‘Careful what you wish for, you may get it, ‘ those two things have literally come to pass.
Welcome to Part 7 of 'The 8 Most Important Episodes of Fringe.'
Every day until the next episode airs on Fringe Friday, December 7th, I will post a review of an episode I believe is most important to the series, and a commentary on why I believe it is so.
The Firefly-Episode 3.10(written by me on 09/08/11)
If I was asked the most important episodes of Fringe, I would definitely include 310, "The Firefly." It is the 4th episode to include more than just a passing glance of an Observer. In fact, it's safe to say that "The Firefly" is Observer-centric(or more specifically, September-centric).
If you've watched "The Firefly" in chronological order during the Season 3 airings only, you will need to go back and watch this episode again after having viewed all the way through 322. Why? Like most of the Season 3 episodes of Fringe, they make more sense if you rewatch them after you've seen the complete season set. Do you remember that word "gestault" in school? It means, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and I think that definitely applies to the Season 3 set of Fringe, and "The Firefly" in particular.
Seeing A Ghost
A frail resident of a nursing home, Roscoe Joyce,(who also happens to be the keyboardist of Walter Bishop's favorite band, Violet Sedan Chair) is seen on the surveillance camera one night talking to an unknown young man. The workers ask Mr. Joyce who he was talking to, and he tells them "Bobby," who was his teen-aged son who died 25 years ago in 1985.(Hm, just the mention of 1985 should set alarm bells off in your head!) When an outside security camera produces a photo of Bobby and September, The Observer, word gets to the FBI and Broyles.
Broyles and the Fringe team go to the nursing home to investigate. Walter is the first one to recognize Joyce's name, and like a groupie he quickly introduces himself as a "tremendous fan."
It's fun to see Walter excited about something other than food. Olivia sees that Walter's stuck in the moment and takes over, beginning the questioning. Peter leans over and asks Broyles if he's ever heard of Violet Sedan Chair(which was mentioned at least twice before in the series). Broyles says 'no' and Peter explains he's their keyboardist, and that Walter regards him as a hero "up there with Einstein and Tesla."
Olivia asks Mr. Joyce about his visitor the night before. Below is Roscoe's answer:
Roscoe Joyce: I don't remember talking to him. But I remember he was here. It's a curse, not... remembering a miracle. It was a miracle -- seeing him again. Can you imagine what that's like?
Hm, can you say foreshadowing? Roscoe Joyce has barely said anything and already I see parallels between him and our Walter. Two creative fathers who lost their sons in the same year. And of course Walter answers right away with "Yes, I can," which is fun because Roscoe does not know what we know about Walter's kidnapping of Over There Peter.
Olivia tries to get Mr. Joyce refocused, like she does all the time with Walter, but the workers tell her it's time for his physical therapy. As they lead Roscoe away Broyles hints that he's not ready to believe in ghosts, and it's no surprise that our favorite father and son team lead us right into some of the most important dialogue of the episode:
WALTER: Bobby wasn't a ghost. The Observer doesn't experience time like we do. If we can accept that he can travel from the past to the present and back to the past again, then it's not inconceivable that he could bring others with him. We'll have to try and help Mister Joyce remember what his son said to him. I'll need to take him back to my lab.
Peter asks the big question:
PETER: But why would The Observer drag a dead man twenty-five years through time just to talk with his father?
WALTER: I don't know. But every time The Observer shows up, it has something to do with you. And every time, it's something bad.
Walter does have a point, doesn't he? Hold that thought.
September Doesn't Just Observe Anymore
One thing I really like about this episode is the parallels to "August" from Season 2.
In "August," August The Observer changed things by getting physical and abducting Christine.
In "The Firefly" September gets physical to try to restore order to both universes. Interestingly he begins the process by saving the life of a jewelry store employee during a viscious robbery.
She goes into status asthmaticus(a life-threatening asthma attack) and can't reach her inhaler since she's tied up. After throwing one robber through a window without touching him and catching 2 of another robber's bullets(such a cool special effect!) and throwing him through a glass display case, he gently goes to the "girl" and retrieves her inhaler from her purse.
September pulls the duct tape of her mouth and lets her use the inhaler. When she's able to speak the first thing she says is "Thank you." I think it's very interesting that he didn't touch her in anyway, and never untied her hands. September leaves the store, pocketing the woman's inhaler, which also seems quite odd the first time you view this.
Also, as events after the jewelry store robbery unfurl, September steals a pick-up truck and sideswipes the passenger side of the police car. The same girl is sitting in the backseat. This sets off another potentially-fatal round of asthma for the poor woman, but she does not have her inhaler.
Not conicidentally, Olivia and Peter are in the SUV and witness the accident. They both jump out of their damaged vehicle. Olivia chases after September, who's run off, and Peter goes to help the wheezing woman. He looks through her purse and tells her her inhaler is not in it. The woman tells Peter the bald man took it.
Suddenly, Walter shows up in the Vista Cruiser and goes worriedly to Peter, who he was talking to on the cell phone at the time of the collision. Peter tells Walter an ambulance is on the way and turns to leave.
The Second Time September And Walter Chat
The Fringe team takes Mr. Joyce back to the Walter's Lab to try to figure out what Bobby said to him. A bit later, Walter recruits Astrid to go to the store for the ingredients to make strawberry milkshakes for he and Roscoe-two men who have lost parts of their memories for different resasons. Right after she leaves, September enters. Walter leaves Roscoe unsupervised (which seems pretty sloppy) and he and September take a walk on the Harvard campus.
September starts out with small talk, observing the fall/autumn beauty, but Walter is very worried and gets aggressive, grabbing September's arm:
WALTER: We had a deal. Please... don't take him from me. The drawing. Peter in the device. You know the future. Tell me how I can save my son from dying.
September delivers words that impact the entire series of Fringe:
SEPTEMBER: 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. For instance... after I pulled you and Peter from the icy lake, later that summer, Peter caught a firefly. I could not have known he would do that or that because he did a young girl three miles away would not. And so later that night, she would continue looking, trying to find another one. I could not have known that when she did not come home, her father would go out looking for her, driving in the rain, so that when the traffic light turned red, his truck skidded through the intersection at Harvard Yard, killing a pedestrian.
WALTER: Did that happen?
SEPTEMBER:You and I have interfered with the natural course of events. We have upset the balance in ways I could not have predicted. Which is why now I need your help.
WALTER: Help?
SEPTEMBER: When the time comes, give him the keys and save the girl.
Walter doesn't understand, and neither do we in that moment. Walter's cell rings and as he gets engrossed in conversation with Peter, he notices that September has vanished, as usual.
Walter is still quite aggitated. Peter tells him about the robbery, that "his friend" is fighting crimes now. Peter mentioned the robbers tied up the girl that works in the store. Walter insists he must speak with her, that Peter must bring her to him. Peter agrees but says it will take awhile. They were on their way to the lab when September crashed into them, setting the chain reaction further into motion. And yes, episode 303, "The Plateau" and Milo Stanfield's incredible chain reaction starting with a pen, set September's events up in 310, that he claim started with a firefly, as noted above in his conversation with Walter.
If you've been reading the Fringe Summer Rewatch posts and comments, you've noticed that I've pointed out other examples of giving Peter the keys and saving the girl, Olivia Dunham.
The only one I can think of right now is in "Midnight," episode 118. Peter asks to drive Olivia's SUV so he can play with the siren, and that results in him saving her life by further tranquilizing Mrs. Boone. You have to wonder if Alistair Peck had had Arlette's keys, if maybe he could have saved her life.
Hypnotizing Roscoe Joyce
Walter tells Astrid and Peter that he will use hypnosis to get Roscoe to remember what his son told tim. Wearing very cool shades(one lens is red and the other blue, to represent the red and blue 'verse?) that I am told were in the old show "Twin Peaks" he works Joyce into a transe using a piano. And what is the first thing Roscoe Joyce plays? Notes from the chorus of my favorite Violet Sedan Chair song "Last Man In Space," from the album "Seven Suns," the one that Jeff Pinkner told us earlier this year via conference call "a couple hundred" are available for real in independent music stores around the US. Another nice parallel to Walter, who has a piano brought into the lab in episode 103, "The Ghost Network," to help him concentrate.
Walter gets Roscoe under and he tells Walter that his son, Bobby, told him that he would meet Walter and that he should help him, but he doesn't know how.
After the Walter/September talk I noted above, Walter returns to the lab and Roscoe tells him he remembers the last conversation he had with Bobby before he died:
ROSCOE: We were on tour, and he called to tell me about a strange dream he'd just had. He dreamt a bald man in a dark suit, took him to see me. I was an old man living in a nursing home. Dreaming about something that happens... twenty-five years later.
WALTER: I don't think it was a dream at all. I think... the man in the suit took your son through time. And it was only just last night that you caught up to the other end of the visit.
Whoa! Is your head hurting yet? Wait there's more conversation you need to read:
ROSCOE:We were playing a show that night, a club in Harvard Yard. Bobby... was on his way to the show. I remember looking outside and seeing how hard it was raining. I remember getting a call from the police. They told me... he stepped onto the crosswalk... when a truck...
WALTER: ...skidded through the traffic light.
And voila! We come full circle, and understand now that because Walter stole AlternatePeter from Over There and he caught a firefly on a particular rainy night, that this poor man Roscoe Jones lost his son. It sets us up symbolically for all kinds of "if, then" logic statements that will come to fruition in Season 4 due to the absence of Peter Bishop.
When it's time for Walter and Roscoe to say goodbye to each other, Roscoe says this to Walter:
ROSCOE:"I forgot what my son felt like, what he smelled like. How it felt to be around him. But now I remember. Nobody is supposed to have a second chance like that."
It's Roscoe talking here, but if you've watched through 322 you can imagine it could just as easily be Walter talking about Peter sometime in the future.
Brain Mapping
Roscoe asks Walter what all his equipment is for. Walter tells him he's lost parts of his brain, and that in order to get them back he has to rejuvenate his brain and has designed a brainmapping agent that he has placed into a bottle of milk to bond, and to hide the taste.
Peter's Strange Second Meeting With September
After Walter gives him the keys to the Vista Cruiser Peter takes off to help Olivia catch September. At one point they lose him and split up to cover more area in their search. Peter spots him climbing onto a rooftop and follows him. September stands in front of a large mural, and I remember staring at the screen save of this (posted at the top of my commentary) for days afterwards. There's the silouette of a mother and baby in front of a greenishblue set of graffiti, a man by himself in the middle in front of yellow graffiti, and what looks like a young girl by herself in front of red graffiti.
Peter starts asking September questions. As in episode 104, "The Arrival," September does not reply. He only says, "It must be very difficult." Peter says "What?" September adds "Being a father." Peter just stares at him and for the second time in the series September shoots Peter in the chest with his special gun. Olivia eventually catches up with Peter and checks his pulse. But September gets away. I got the sense after the first airing of this episode, that September meant that Peter was going to be a father.
Back To The Milk
Olivia and a banged up Peter return to the lab after chasing September. Aparently Peter refused medical help. They are talking when he pulls a bottle of antiinflammatory pills from his pocket and opens the refidgerator. We watch in horror as he grabs Walter's milk bottle and takes a drink from it. Immediatelty, he falls to the ground and has a grand mal seizure. Olivia calls Walter on the phone to ask for help, as Walter is still at Roscoe's nursing home. He tells her what to do, it takes longer because he's alphabetized the bottle of magnesium sulfate and placed it in the fridge. Olivia prepares the antidote and injects it into Peter's leg. Peter stops seizing.
Walter's Explanation For The Chain Of Events
Back at their house in Cambridge, Walter makes soup for Peter who's prostrate on the sofa and says:
WALTER:My serum was flawed. It would have killed me if I'd taken it. You only lived 'cause you're young and healthy. And I suspect... that's what this was all about.
PETER: You lost me, Walter.
WALTER: I think... The Observer saved my life. When he gave you a knock on the head so you'd take some aspirin and wash it down with the milk so you'd ingest the serum instead of me.
PETER: I think if that's all he wanted, there must have been an easier way.
And aren't you thinkinig the same thing by now?
September And December Discuss Walter
The episode ends with September and December standing outside the Bishop house.
September tells December he feared his experiment would fail, but December says he was right, that Walter has changed.
DECEMBER: He was willing to let his son die.
SEPTEMBER:Yes. And now we know. When the time comes... he will be willing to do it again.
And isn't that a lovely piece of foreshadowing of 322?
If You Meet The Buddah On The Road, Kill Him
At the beginning of this episode, Olivia gets a delivery, which turns out to be this book.
Inside is a note that reads "Olivia...because you asked....Peter." Our Liv gets upset because by looking at the shipping date she realizes he bought this for FauxLivia.
Olivia takes it with her to the nursing home and tries to return it to Peter, but their conversation is interrupted by the case.
While Walter preps Roscoe to be hypnotized, Peter tries his best to explain that he bought the book for "the Olivia Dunham I've spent the last few years of my live with. You're the person I wanted to share it with." Olivia is overcome with loss and says she feels like Rip Van Winkle.
She tells him the book is a reminder of all the conversations they didn't have et cetera. It is another bittersweet P/O moment that is interrupted, this time by Astrid who thinks they should come watch Walter get information out of Roscoe. You can tell Peter is very upset, as it takes him awhile to join the others.
Right before Peter drinks Walter's milk. Olivia tries again, pulling the book out. She asks him why it is his favorite book. Peter's reply:
"Because it talks about not depending on other people for answers. That you can only find the answers inside yourself. Which... given our current situation, is kind of amusing if you think about it."
I tried to read this book, but it is very dense and has very small print.
If you have read this book, please share your comments with us below.
Unanswered Questions That Arise From "The Firefly"
The miracle that happened to Roscoe Joyce, will something similar happen to Walter in the future of the show?
But why would The Observer drag a dead man twenty-five years through time just to talk with his father? I think we're going to find out eventaully, don't you?
Why did Bobby Roscoe have that precognitive dream about September, 25 years ago on the night he died?
As Peter suggested, weren't there easier ways for Walter to be saved?
Walter thinks September set up the chain reaction to keep him from drinking the tainted milk and dying. Do you agree that was September's purpose?
Why were September's only words to Peter "It must be very difficult to be a father? We know it was foreshadowing of FauxLiv's birthing Peter's son, but why did September say it, and why that moment?
September "shot" Peter in the chest to knock him out in 104 and now 310. Why those 2 moments? Did he do more than just knock him out? Since we know September can move through time did he move Peter through time on those 2 occsassions?
The firefly explanation is intrguing. Will we learn alot more about the fallout of Walter's decision in 1985 in the next season?
Will there be more examples of the "Give him the keys and save the girl" metaphor in Season 4?
If Peter Bishop never existed the "Firefly" chain of events probably would not have occurred. Does that mean Roscoe would never have lost his son, Bobby?
Why episode 3.10 is on 'the 8 most important episodes' list:
So far on the most important episodes list we have the pilot that sets everything up, an introductory episode about September, an episode in which we learn there are infinite, alternate universes, an episode about a controlling scientist who knows how to cross universes, an episode about what if you could go back in time and change something, and an episode that seems to point to things that could occur in the future of this series.
"The Firefly" to me is like an expansion on "White Tulip" in that we learn there are consequences for going back in time and changing something. "The Firefly" points toward this concept as it applies to both Walter and September. Remember, September told Walter they "both interfered with the natural course of events," and the series will play out because of these actions. If you are reading this after having seen up to and including episode 5.07, you realize that everything that happens in Fringe after episode 3.10 is the result of September's plan set into motion. "The Plateau" pointed to this on a minor scale but in "The Firefly" the lesson is presented to us loudly and clearly. The Observers can greatly affect time. We see in Season 5 that they went back in time to work with better air quality and adapted conditions to suit their needs before the consequences of greater carbon diolxide levels destroyed our planet in the future. What else will The Observers do in the series to affect time? We shall soon see.
Welcome to Part 5 of 'The 8 Most Important Episodes of Fringe.'
Every day until the next episode airs on Fringe Friday, December 7th, I will post a review of an episode I believe is most important to the series, and a commentary on why I believe it is so. The World of Brown Betty(Episode 2.19) Exploring the mysteries by Cerissa Cheffy 08/31/12
Once upon a time in a land not so far away, there lived a father and his two sons. The older son was a brilliant man, using intelligence and wit to gain success with his peers. Over time, he developed a small, but devoted group of followers that inspired him to continue sharing his wisdom. The younger son, on the other hand, became wildly popular almost overnight with very little effort. He quickly gained a substantial group of followers. These two brothers were such total opposites that their paths rarely crossed and the only thing that connected them were their father’s love. One day, the father decided to throw a party to celebrate the younger son’s sudden success. In an attempt to show solidarity in the family, he asked the older son to contribute to the party by putting on a shin his brother’s honor. The older son’s followers scoffed at this request, citing that it was a travesty to his intelligent ways. But the older son wanted to honor his father’s request while also staying true to himself. So he put on a show that was infused with his own clever and intuitive ideas that would satisfy both groups of people.
Yes, this is the story about how a serious, gut-wrenching, mind-bending, jaw-dropping show that is known as Fringe would come to have an unexpected but equally delightful musical episode that would not only begin a tradition of having the 19th episode of every season be out-of-the-imagination-box, but would hold countless clues as to the show’s future. At the time, season 2 of Fringe was going full-force. The shocking revelations about Peter’s childhood were coming one after the other culminating in the moment when Peter learned on his own that he had been lied to by the two people that he trusted more than anyone else. He disappeared in the middle of the nigh and as we wait anxiously to find out how the team would work through this latest setback, we get…wait for it…a musical! What? As you can imagine and perhaps remember, there were some people upset by this publicity stunt on Fox’s part. At the top edge of your seat moment of the season, it’s announced that all of Fox’s shows will do a musical number to honor Glee. So what do the writers of Fringe do with this curveball? They do what they do best. Rise to the occasion and adapt to the unusual circumstances. And the result? Hidden clues and symbolism that is still playing out as we near the end of the series.
Can everything that played out in Brown Betty be translated to reality for our beloved team? Of course not. Even if it was intended to play out a certain way, ideas change, stories change, as time goes on. But what if even parts of it foreshadowed the coming seasons? What if Walter’s drug trip was more than a mere distraction? What if Walter’silly entertainment for a child was actually a different perspective on the events surrounding this “little family unit?” I happen to be a firm believer that most of Brown Betty is relevant to the very premise of the entire series(except perhaps Gene’s multicolored dots…I can’t find any meaningful reason for that one…)
Welcome to Part 5 of 'The 8 Most Important Episodes of Fringe.'
Every day until the next episode airs on Fringe Friday, December 7th, I will post a review of an episode I believe is most important to the series, and a commentary on why I believe it is so.
4.17 'White Tulip' Fringe: Season 4 through the eyes of 2.17, 'White Tulip,' or is it the other way around? (written by cortexifan 09/08/12)
WALTER: “I don't know my way around here. Other people, I suppose, find comfort being in chapels, speaking to you. I have no other place to turn. I asked you for a sign, and you sent it to me. A white tulip.”
Bullet recap:
-Walter is struggling to tell Peter the truth about where Peter really comes from.
-Olivia knows the truth as well but also has not told Peter.
-Walter thinks a letter will do it.
-Alistair Peck appears on a train, killing everything in it.
-The day begins anew with Walter writing a letter.
If you are still not sure what this episode was about you can read it here.
2.17 White Tulip is a special case. It started with Walter writing a letter to Peter, trying to explain why Walter kept the secret from Peter that he is from the other universe.
It ended that way as well which means the only one remembering that case is Alistair Peck. The case in a sense never really happened for the team. Peter in S4 is the only one remembering everyone and all the cases. Later in S4 Olivia is regaining our Olivia’s memories but I’m not counting it because they were “cortexiphan-enduced”. I still haven’t figured out how exactly she remembered all the stuff but it seems those memories only served the purpose for her to activate her abilities through cortexiphan to be able to collapse the two universes.
Welcome to Part 4 of 'The 8 Most Important Episodes of Fringe.'
Every day until the next episode airs on Fringe Friday, December 7th, I will post a review of an episode I believe is most important to the series, and a commentary on why I believe it is so.
Episode 2.04 Momentum Deferred(review written by samspade on 08/10/11)
Momentum Deferred is an important episode in the overall story of the show. It's importance stems from the fact that previously Agent Charlie Francis had become a shape-shifter and no-one is the wiser on the Fringe team.
The episode centers around Olivia trying to recover her memories from crossing over to the other side. Her attempt in doing so in the beginning of the episode involves her drinking flatworms to help trigger her memory. Meanwhile multiple cryogenics facilities have been robbed and someone seems to be targeting frozen heads across the country. One of the corpses found at the scene bleeds silver (mercury) and left behind one of the devices used to help him shape-shift. Charlie begins to suffer the effects of his previous shape-shifting, having been in the body too long and in an attempt to heal himself, drinks mercury to recompose himself. It seems to be a temporary fix.
Olivia takes the shape-shifting device to Massive Dynamic where they work at rendering the image of the last shape-shifter and promise to have it on a public server for Olivia the minute they figure out who it is. Meanwhile Peter takes Walter to visit Rebecca Kibner, a previous test subject that had the ability to recognize people from the other side. Rebecca eagerly agrees to come back with them to the lab to undergo tests once again in order to help.
While in the lab, they ring the bell while Rebecca is under. The sound immediately affects Olivia as she passes out onto the floor and is unresponsive. During this time, we get a flashback of Olivia and William Bell from the otherside. Olivia is told that she is the gatekeeper, the strongest of all the children protected. She is informed that very few can cross over and that her ability makes her special and that she is just now coming into it. She must also remember the symbol on the back of the shape-shifters neck and show it to Nina Sharp . Peter revives Olivia painfully with a needle filled with adrenaline straight to the heart. Jolting up, she gasps that she needs to speak with Nina Sharp. Olivia remembered her time crossing over.
Nina breaks it down to Olivia, telling her about the Pauli Exclusion Principle and the last great storm. Olivia is interrupted by her phone and sees Charlie is calling. He tells her that Nina is the shapeshifter and to get out. Olivia quickly excuses herself, confessing to Charlie that she almost gave the information to Nina, that the body is at “Laston-Hennings Cryonics.” Just as she tells him, she sees another message on her phone and looks down to see the reconstruction of Charlie as the shape-shifter. Charlie manages to make the call, assaulting Olivia and attempting to kill her. She has no choice but to defend herself and finds that she has to shoot him in the head to kill him. In the end, the facility had already been cleaned out and presumably had taken whatever it was they were looking for. We see a head being strangely reattached in the final seconds of the episode.
New questions raised in this episode that remain unanswered:
Charlie is dying in his body and needs a new device to survive. How long is a typical shape-shifter in their body? Do they use the device for anything other than changing bodies?
The frozen head that the shape-shifters are after – where was the body prior to being frozen? What led him to this state?
What does the symbol mean on the back of the shape-shifters head? Why does he have it?
Bell tells Olivia that most people are torn apart that try to cross over. How many others have tried to cross over? We know Olivia has a natural ability to cross over but how was Walter and Peter able to cross over? What about William Bell? Is that why he needs the oxygen mask?
Did William Bell know that by ringing the bell it would later help jog Olivia’s memory?
How does William Bell know the phrase “Einai kalytero... Anthropo apo toy... Patera toy” Did he know Peter’s mother more intimately than we’ve been told?
Why Episode 2.04 is on the 8 most important episodes list:
Momentum Deferred is on the most important episode list because of the conversation Olivia Dunham has with William Bell in the middle of this episode. It's so important that I'm going to post here:
WILLIAM BELL: You'll have to forgive me. The method by which I brought you over here was crude, and I'm sorry for that, but there were people who were trying to prevent our meeting. This is not at all the kind of reunion I had always envisioned. OLIVIA: The reunion that you had envisioned? Doctor Bell, I have been trying to meet with you for over a year.
WILLIAM BELL: Please, call me William... or Willam - if that feels warmer to you. Willam -- that's what you always called me when you were a girl. How do you like your tea?
OLIVIA: I don't want any tea. I want answers. [rumbling]
WILLIAM BELL: [laughs] You're still a little disoriented from the time slips, aren't you? Happened to me when I first came here. You're -- you're out of sync with this side. You're lucky. Most people who cross dimensions, without your natural talent, are simply torn apart.
OLIVIA: Well, 'lucky' isn't the word that I would choose. [rumbling] [gas hissing] [breathing deeply]
WILLIAM BELL: Ahh. I don't know how much Walter's told you by now. I don't know how much he remembers.
OLIVIA: He told me what you two did to me when I was just a girl... how you conducted drug trials on young children.
WILLIAM BELL: We weren't trying to hurt you, Olivia. We weren't trying to hurt anybody.
OLIVIA: Hey, guess what? [chuckles] You did. I've met some of the others. To say that they are permanently damaged would be an understatement.
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. [rumbling] [echoing] I've seen history repeat itself enough times to know a war is coming, just as we predicted, Walter and I, years ago, and we knew that we had to prepare a guardian, someone to watch the gate.
OLIVIA: The gate?
WILLIAM BELL: Between this side and yours. I would like to say 'ours', because that's where I came from, but I'm afraid I would sound disingenuous.
OLIVIA: Go on.
WILLIAM BELL: For reasons that will become clear in time, I cannot go back yet, maybe not ever. But now we know how difficult it is to cross over. I can count on my hand the number of people who've done it safely. But on this side, they've become more insidious. They have designed hybrids -- part organic tissue, part machine -- that can do things that humans can't. They can change shapes, taking the form of human beings. Over here, they call them 'the first wave'.
OLIVIA: So you're saying that these hybrids are already on our side.
WILLIAM BELL: I know it's difficult to grasp.
OLIVIA: Oh, I can grasp it just fine. I don't trust you, Doctor Bell... or William, or... Willam... or whatever cutesy name you think might appeal to my childhood instincts. It won't. Your company has been involved in, if not directly responsible for, some of the most horrific things that I have ever seen, to say nothing of the fact that you just yanked me into a parallel universe to warn me about an inter-dimensional war that I believe you are responsible for starting. So what I want is not warmth, or tea. It's the truth.
WILLIAM BELL: The truth will come out. It always does. Livvy, you don't have to trust me. You don't even have to like me, but you can't deny I have a unique perspective, shaped by having lived in two worlds. I know the difference a wrong choice can make... or a right one. For example, this building is still standing because different choices were made. So, Livvy, if you can look past your anger, you may find that I am more of an ally than you think. [rumbling] [voices echoing] A storm is coming, perhaps the last and worst storm of all. And when it is over, I fear there will be little left of our world. The shape-shifters on your side are looking for someone, someone to open the door between universes, and if they find him, there will be no stopping them, and that is why you must find him first.
OLIVIA: Me?
WILLIAM BELL: You are the one, Olivia. Of all the children that Walter and I prepared, you were the strongest. You were always the strongest. [rumbling] Remember this symbol. It's hidden on their leader. That's how you'll know him. [echoing] Show this to Nina Sharp. [rumbling] She can help you. We're out of time. [bell dings] Olivia. [echoing voices] [rumbling]
WILLIAM BELL: You should stand. I think it'll be less painful that way. OLIVIA: What will?
WILLIAM BELL: And remember this -- Einai kalytero... Anthropo apo toy... Patera toy. Tell that to Peter. You're going to need him by your side. Tell it to him. He'll know what it means. [rumbling]
WALTER: We have to shock her heart. There's a vial of adrenaline, Peter.
WILLIAM BELL: And I'm afraid there's no avoiding what has to happen next. I pulled you out of a moving car. Momentum can be deferred, but it must always be paid back, in full. [rumbling]
And Nina Sharp adds some perspective to William Bell's definition of 'storm':
NINA: A storm? OLIVIA: Yeah. What?
NINA: It was a phrase he used. When Doctor Bell realized the existence of the other side, the thing he dreaded most was the inevitable collision... if our two universes ever came together.
OLIVIA: Collision?
NINA: The Pauli Exclusion Principle means that no two objects can occupy the same space at the same time. Doctor Bell was afraid that if the doorway between the two sides was ever opened... that the unavoidable conclusion... only one world would remain. It's what he called the last great storm.
While these conversations set the stage nicely for the rest of Season 2 going into Season 3, I believe there's quite a bit of foreshadowing here.
We know Alt-Olivia found one man with the Omega mark on his head, Thomas Jerome Newton. But, we have not seen Olivia Dunham(the blue and amber version) operating as a gatekeeper. And we have not seen her repeat that famous Greek phase, "Be A Better Man Than Your Father," since 2.04 aired.
This is just my opinion, but I think William Bell's 'Great Storm' is the final showdown between our Fringe team, and the powerful enemy(whoever that is, ie. Windmark and Company?) I believe this conversation combined with Emmanuele Grayson's words about the upcoming war(from 1.19) give us a little hint about the series' finale.
Welcome to Part 3 of 'The 8 Most Important Episodes of Fringe.'
Every day until the next episode airs on Fringe Friday, December 7th, I will post a review of an episode I believe is most important to the series, and commentary on why I believe it is so.
Episode 1.19 The Road Not Taken(review written by Aimee Long on 08/05/11)
One of the things that I enjoy most about Fringe is how the show has always challenged the audience to think, to imagine, to ponder, and to look at situations at more than just face-value, but at a different angle.
Long before Fringe aired, I had often wondered how my own life would have been different if certain choices were made instead of others. There is one choice I made, that although seemingly harmless at the time, changed the course of my life forever.
The series progressed with this key theme in mind: “The road not taken.” The "what-ifs’" that plague every person's thoughts, as they sit and ponder their lives and the nature of existence. As the alternate universe showed quite well, small differences can mold a person’s life in many ways. The choice to shoot a step-father, the death of a sister, the absence of one person - Peter - can alter not only one person’s life, but that of many. Peter’s absence from his universe of origin changed its destiny. How will his absence in the blue universe affect its course and that of Olivia and Walter?
The penultimate episode for Fringe Season One is jam-packed as it quickly recaps the events of the season leading up to a crescendo of action and new information. This episode is special to me because this was the first episode that I watched live.
My Observations
William Bell is suspected of funding ZFT. Right off the bat, Broyles makes an interesting statement about the ZFT group and their manifesto while briefing agents on the case. He says that their ultimate goal is to either start or get ready for war. An agent asks a question that all viewers should be asking after season 3:
“War with whom?”
It seemed that Susan Pratt’s pyro-ability was triggered by an extreme emotional response in the form of fear.
Walter shows Peter and Astrid the typewriter that he bought for William Bell. The ‘y’ character is slightly offset above the rest of the characters. (It is interesting that old typewriters are used to communicate with their quantum-entangled counterparts Over There, and that Walternate's operatives use a vintage typewriter shop as their safe-house.)
Peter is dumbfounded at the idea that not only may have Bell funded ZFT, but he may have also written the manifesto as well. Walter asserts that there is no way that Bell did this. Also, he points out that there is a missing Ethics chapter, referenced throughout the manuscript. Someone had removed it.
Charlie goes over the details of the crime scene with Olivia. He speaks of a woman… As they are walking, Olivia sees two charred bodies.
Olivia remarks to Walter that she’ll have the coroner prep the "bodies" to be taken back to his lab, which of course confuses Walter because he only sees one body. Olivia sees two, and then it shifts to one right before her eyes.
Nina Sharp: Just Whose Side is She On?
At FBI Boston headquarters, we see the stoic Nina Sharp trying to hold her composure as the FBI prepares to scour Massive Dynamic. Was she really afraid of what they might find? Something that had nothing to do with William Bell funding ZFT, but far scarier - the existence of another universe?
Nina tries to intimidate Broyles, but he’s not buying it. I still wonder how Nina and Broyles know each other. They have obviously worked together in the past.
Nina tells Broyles, “I’m not one of your street thugs that you can bully, Philip.” Is that how she thought of Olivia and the FBI? Or, does Broyles have connection to actual street thugs, possibly the same guys that were after Peter?
Nina declares that “William Bell is not the enemy.” For the longest time, fans have not been sure what to make of Bell’s allegiances. Even now, after the events of Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, I still do not know what to make of Bell’s past with Walter and his true motivations. What he told Peter in Over There still bother me: “You’re holding up better than expected.” If Bell is not the enemy, then why did he make weapons for Walternate, why did the machine appear to be his design, why did he hide the First People books from our fringe team, and why did he use Olivia as his host, at the callous risk of her life?
Walter may have called Bell names, but he always defended him in his overall motivations.
Conservation of Energy
Walter’s statement concerning the massive amount of potential energy in an adult person comes back into play when William Bell sacrifices his body to power the doorway to return Peter, Walter and Alt-Livia to our universe.
Also, Peter remarks that “we’re just not very good at releasing it.” Could there be a possibility that at some point in a time-line, either he or Walter found a way to harness this energy? Energy can be used to create or destroy. Did this cause the existence of the other universe? Maybe I’m grasping for straws, but it’s a fun idea to contemplate.
But this we do know: Peter tells Walter that he took some parts from his electron microscope to use on a project he‘s been working on. Walter bellows “The potential for destruction in each of us is infinite!” As we know, why yes, Peter destroyed an entire universe which led to a path of infinite destruction.
A Science-Fiction Parable?
When Peter and Olivia visit Emmanuel Grayson, the man seems nuts. But his story is interesting in hindsight. Grayson claims that William Bell is having his drug trial subjects activated to prepare them for a coming war with “renegade Romulans from the future. Sent to change the time-line.”
Who are these "renegade Romulans?" In the Star Trek universe, the Vulcan species tries to distance themselves from emotional responses and feeling, depending on logic in all things. In the Fringe mythology, there is a parallel found with the Observers. They seem cold and detached, and are not supposed to get involved in matters. Romulans are cousins of the Vulcans and have emotional responses. Are these renegades actually "rogue Observers" like John Mosley? Or is the reference concerning the First People, because Walter sent the machine back in time so that Peter would make a different choice to save both universes?
Sanford Harris makes it very clear that he does not want any Federal investigation into William Bell or Massive Dynamic.Why would he be protecting them?
The books that Olivia sees on the bookshelf in Susan Pratt’s apartment are of great interest for those that like to look closer.
When Charlie asks Liv if she thought that their was something wrong with Susan, because she’s a good looking woman in the prime of her life, with no boyfriend, I could just feel my heart hurt because this is the life Olivia is living. Complete with the ‘uniform.’ Pratt’s wardrobe reveals a fondness for grays…
Olivia’s confrontation with Sanford Harris makes me love her even more as a character. She just seethes at his questioning her judgment and professionalism. Her anger however seems to have fueled her perceptive capability, as she flashes to another reality long enough to see the file about the burned twins there.
At this point, I’m confused. We see Charlie with a scar, just like Charlie in the ‘red’ universe. He tells Olivia that half of Boston is in quarantine lock-down. We know that Boston had a huge Fringe event Over There that resulted in massive Amber quarantines. But I’m still not sure about what, when and where concerning Olivia’s perception.
A man named Isaac Winters cut a large check to Susan Pratt. A photo of Winters shows an older man wearing glasses. Nick Lane mentioned in Bad Dreams that someone came to him. In Olivia. In the Lab. With a Revolver James Heath mentioned that a man wearing glasses also came to visit him. Susan Pratt’s answering machine message mentioned the word “tests.” Like the tests that were in the box in Ability? Since we see the light box as Olivia tries to save the twin, I’d say so.
Walter and Peter
Peter is drinking a lot of alcohol in this episode. First, at the lab when Walter is explaining the divergence of paths due to choices, then at the FBI office when he takes some of Olivia's stash for his coffee. Is he really stressed out?
Yet he seems OK as he retrieves some cereal from the grocery store for Walter. He also makes a device to aid in digitizing Walter’s records. Then employs it in reading sound waves from melted glass in order to figure out what happened to Nancy Lewis. Astrid even cracks that he sounds just like Walter, and Peter does not get upset. Walter says something of concern when he tells a story of how Peter made him a popsicle napkin holder when he was five. We know that THIS Peter, is not the same boy. Would the Peter from this universe be mechanically inclined if he had lived?
The Cortexiphan Children
Walter mentions as he looks at a photo of Nancy, that he had seen her before. Of course, Peter remarks that it is because Walter worked with her dead twin's body. But now we know that most likely Walter knew her as a Cortexiphan trial subject.
When Olivia joins the raid on the facility entered by Harris, she comes across pictures and dossiers on the wall of an office including Pratt, Lewis, Nick Lane, David Robert Jones and - herself. One of the dossiers is for a Samantha Gilmore and shows she born in 1984. If she is a Cortexiphan subject, than the trials were still occurring later than what Nina Sharp previously stated.
Over the course of three seasons, we’ve seen Olivia confront the fates of her Cortexiphan cohorts, such as Nick Lane, James Heath and Simon Phillips, with great understanding and pity.
She encourages Nancy Lewis to harness her power, with success. But Olivia still doubted her abilities, right up to the point of deactivating the machine so that Peter could enter it in The Last Sam Weiss.
I think up until this episode, Olivia showed great reservation in dealing with Walter. But this episode became the straw the broke the camel’s back. I really think that her outburst at Walter finally knocked some sense into him. HE had done terrible things in the name of science. But in his defense, he truly felt he was preparing the children for something terrible, and he couldn’t remember exactly what.
Walter: We were trying to help. We meant no harm.
Olivia: No harm? You were drugging children. Three-year-old children, Walter. Why did you do it?
Walter: We were trying to prepare you. To make you capable. Able. Something terrible is coming.
Walter grabs Peter’s hand after Olivia leaves, and this is where it sinks home just how broken he is and how much he holds on to Peter for stability.
As Olivia sinks into her SUV with a look of utter shock, I think that this is where she begins to seriously consider the possibility that her life has been manipulated from a very young age, and that yes, she is part of The Pattern.
Unanswered Questions
Why was Olivia able to see the other universe sliding into ours?
Was what she saw even another universe at all?
When Sanford Harris said, “He’s losing patience…” Who is he? Jones? Was it Bell? Or someone else?
Was Isaac Winters the ‘man in glasses” that met with Nick Lane and James Heath to activate them?
What did Nina Sharp mean about the Observer when she told Broyles that “you know what happened the last time when he appeared with that kind of frequency.”
What exactly is the ‘time’ that the Observer refers to when he comes to visit Walter?
Why Episode 1.19 is on the 8 most important episodes list:
'The Road Not Taken' is on the list because the series opens a new door in this episode.
Up to this point we were enjoying a show often with a monster-of-the-week theme, and the revelations of an unethical scientist whose former projects keep popping up. A scientist, who as Aimee points out above, participated as his partner administered experimental, perception-altering drugs to 3 year olds! (And 1 of those young experimentees is one of our main characters. Shocking!)
Walter's explanation of deja vu being a view of a different choice we made by seeing a glimpse of an alternate universe sets the stage for the Season 1 finale, and for Seasons 2 and 3, and especially, for another episode on my list.
Books are very important in Fringe. If you see a book or books close up in the series, pay attention!
Executive Producer Joel Wyman admitted this in one of the media conference calls. He told us that he has the technical team set it up so that certain books are well-seen, and there is a reason for this.
Aimee says this above:"The books that Olivia sees on the bookshelf in Susan Pratt’s apartment are of great interest for those that like to look closer." Let's expand upon that. Here's the screen cap of Susan Pratt's bookcase.
Pay attention to the small paperback book near the center, titled "Childhood's End," by Arthur C. Clarke.
The first time I saw this episode it really bothered me that this book was front and center and so I bought it and read it.
In a nutshell, one day strange, highly-intelligent creatures arrived on Earth. The people of Earth did not understand their purpose. These creatures called themselves The Overlords and observed all earthly activity for years. Then they started to take over and change things like industry, recreation, education, etc. and made a utopian society.
They took all the children away from their parents and made them all a part of 1 mind-a hive mind if you will. The Overlords' leader, Karellen, speaks to the Earthlings from his spaceship via a special typewriter, and the Earthlings communicate back to Karelllen via typewriter.
I'm not going to give you the whole story, but can you see the parallels already to parts of the Fringe series?
I tweeted Joel Wyman last year and asked him if Fringe was partly based on this book and he did not respond to my tweet, so I figure...maybe I am onto something. The most interesting thing will be to see if the TV series ends in a similar way to this book.
If you are searching for a friendly place to discuss the Fox TV show Fringe, or just a resource for keeping up with the latest news, clues and views on the series, you have come to the right place.
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