FRINGE:Jeff Pinkner and J.H. Wyman Tease 'The Day We Died'

FRINGE: Jeff Pinkner and J.H. Wyman Tease ‘The Day We Died’

May 6, 2011 by Marisa Roffman

FRINGE fans were thrown for a loop last week when upon Peter’s entry into the doomsday machine, he ended up 15 years in the future. Not quite the universe destruction that had been hinted at, but the future Peter woke up in wasn’t so pretty.

Dying to know what happens next? I chatted with FRINGE executive producers Jeff Pinkner and J.H. Wyman about the show’s trip to the future, what it means for season four, why they jumped forward and more…

I think it’s safe to say that the end of “The Last Sam Weiss” — when Peter is transported 15 years into the future — is one of those moments in a show that is actually game-changing.
Jeff Pinkner: If you could allow us to tease for a second, it’s both game-changing watching it and it’s more game-changing when it’s over.

Wow. My friend pointed out to me after last week’s episode that the hour could have very easily have worked as a great season finale, so if you guys had that up your sleeve for the penultimate episode, what the heck do you have planned for us for the finale?
J.H. Wyman: [Laughs] That’s a good position to be in. That’s great.

What can you tease about “The Day We Died”?

JW: Well, we definitely — look, we knew where we were going from the beginning of the season and we had an end in mind that maintained to be our end. Like always, Jeff and I try and recontextualize the end of the season to make it mean something new and make the fans look at the show a different way going into next season. And we feel that’s what we’ve accomplished this year, as well.

JP: I think by way of tease, the notion of jumping forward to the future — I think sometimes, as we’ve always said, our show is a lot about choices and sometimes it’s only by looking back at things from the future can you really tell the consequences certain actions had. And as we said earlier, the point of the episode is to recontextualize everything that’s happened this year. And there are certain events we just wanted to jump past because what’s more interesting is the consequence of those events than the events themselves.

When a science fiction show jumps into the future, the question becomes whether that is the set future or if anything can be done to prevent events from happening. Will that be dealt with in the finale?
JP: That’s absolutely — I think you’re asking the exact right question and that will sort of be the question of the episode: whether or not our characters are successful, that’s the point.

You mentioned jumping forward in time to explore the consequences of events, and it seems like we’ve missed a lot of important things in the meantime — Peter is an agent, Broyles has a freaky weird eye, etc. Will we be getting backstory on some of the more major changes?

JW: There are stories and those things are there for a reason. You know, we know how Broyles got there, we know how Peter got there, we know what they’re referring to in conversations that are kind of vague to the viewer, but specific between themselves. We wanted to use these type of logical and sometimes illogical progressions of characters in the future to expand our audiences’ imagination and allow them to fill in some blanks, you know? “I wonder how that transpired? How did that come about? That’s really interesting.” We always pose questions and we always plant the seed and I think, by now, we try and answer most of them. Maybe someday you’ll understand more.

Well, we have all of season four to find these things out! Will this jump forward in the future alter the way stories are told, much like the flashforward device was introduced in the season three finale of LOST?

JW: I don’t think we’re necessarily introducing a new paradigm.

JP: We’ve told stories out of our timeline before — we’ve gone to the past a couple of times — but as Joel just said, I don’t think we’re introducing literally a new paradigm that we’re going to do frequently. But there are some events in the episode that will dramatically shift the paradigm of the show.

And with the jump forward, I don’t think I spotted Nina or Lincoln in the promos. Are they there in the final hour of the season?

JW: Hm.

JP: Some of them are, some of them aren’t.

JW: Yep.

Some of the people I just mentioned in my question or just in general?

JP: It’s both. In the context of the storytelling, you’ll understand — or at least you’ll have the strong ability to surmise — why the characters that are or are not in the episode…why that is.

It almost seems like we’re going back to the beginning in many ways with Walter, locked up and bearded — yet Walternate is still there. Are fans supposed to be confused at this point how they could both be existing in one universe?

JW: I think you will definitely have the answer to that when you watch the show. You will understand conceptually what has happened — why you’re seeing what you’re seeing.

What about Peter and Olivia? In the present they seemed to doing well, with her declaring her love and him embracing his inner Han Solo and didn’t exactly say the words back. But how are they doing in the future?

JP: I don’t think he said the words out loud, but our intent…he was equaling her statement with his eyes and actions in that moment. I know some people read it that [it wasn't reciprocated], but it wasn’t intended that way.

And the future Peter and Olivia?

JP: [Pause] I think, Marisa, [that answer] falls under the category of spoiling one of the cool moments. And not a wildly significant one, but in the context of the episode, you’ll find that out real quickly.

Is Peter aware of Fauxlivia’s kid in the future? You have teased he would find out before the end of the season…

JP: Um…whether or not he’s aware, it probably won’t play a big role in the episode.

Are we going to be spending the bulk of the hour in the future?

JW: Hm.

JP: Yeah, I think it’s safe to say the majority of the storytelling takes place in the future.

Before I let you go, is there anything else you want to tease for the fans before they watch “The Day We Died”?

JW: We feel it’s set up to — if anyone feels a fraction what you said at the beginning of the call, Marisa, we’ll be happy. If they’re saying, “How could they outdo ['The Last Sam Weiss']?” we’re thrilled with that. We feel anything we give [to spoil] would take away from that experience. [The finale] will definitely change the way you look at the program going forward.


This is it guys…the final episode of season three. Are you ready to have your mind blown?

And if you need a further incentive to watch the episode live tonight, not only do you get the chance to win props if you check into GetGlue, but Pinkner and Wyman will be live tweeting the finale! Make sure to follow @JPFRINGE and @JWFRINGE to see what they have to say about “The Day We Died”!

Source:givememyremote.com

Fringe Finale Scoop:Producers Tackle Burning Questions(Including "Who's Going to Die?")

Today's News: Our Take:Fringe Finale Scoop: Producers Tackle Burning Questions (Including "Who's Going to Die?")
May 5, 2011 09:18 PM ET
by Natalie Abrams

The penultimate episode of Fringe saw Peter (Joshua Jackson) enter the machine, which transported him 15 years into a decimated future. As the very fabric of our universe is being ripped apart, Peter will attempt to prevent this grim future from happening. And along the way, lives will be lost (yes, that was plural!) Executive producers Jeff Pinkner and J.H. Wyman answer burning questions about the finale:

How is this flash-forward different from others we've seen on TV before?
J.H. Wyman: The very nature of Fringe is that it's all about choices that we make, so we get to celebrate that authentically. Whatever we see in the future can be adjusted and might be adjusted. We feel like we've actually earned the ability to go backwards and forwards to eliminate and re-contextualize the show for the viewer. There's so much story to tell in the future, in the past, and the present with Fringe. It's kind of like a wheelhouse that we feel comfortable playing in.

Is this a permanent jump or will you decide to jump backwards and forwards next season?
Jeff Pinkner: The ending of the finale sort of answers your question. As the Observers once told us, there are many futures happening simultaneously. Which one will come true is based on, as Joel just said, the choices that we all collectively make. The finale is the future in 2026 that our characters are on a path towards if nothing were to change. By the end of the episode, that change has occurred. So we may continue to tell storytelling that's both in the past, like we've done a couple of times to see Walter's story with Peter, and we may jump to the future again. But it won't be necessarily the same one that we're in in this episode.

The whole season has been building towards the destruction of one universe or the other, but in jumping ahead 15 years, you skipped over that. Will we see what happens or will that be mirrored in the deterioration of our universe in the future?
Wyman: We love to answer questions. There's some great shows that love to ask them and maybe not answer them so quickly. We've always tried to sort of fill in the blanks and get the viewer to feel satisfied that they're watching a story for a reason. We both feel that you'll be satisfied, that you will understand what the future held for each universe and their collective and individual fates.

How have the characters' relationships changed 15 years in the future?
Wyman: Some of them are what you would expect, but some of them are not. We tried to make sure that each one was at least logical, of course, and colorful in its own way; how they grew and what happens to them. But we looked at this as a huge possibility to paint a canvas in the future to allow the viewer to fill in some blanks and take that away with them and go, "Wow, that's really interesting. How did this transpire?"

Thanks to the promos, we've seen glimpses of how bad the future is. Will Peter be able to prevent this future from happening?
Pinkner: It's bad! I think that the question of the episode is: What's to come? And for Peter, Olivia (Anna Torv), Walter (John Noble) and, obviously, the rest of the team — what is their role in trying to prevent what seems to be a pretty awful fate?

What can you tell us about the End-of-Dayers and Walternate's plan to destroy our universe?
Wyman: The concept of End-of-Dayers is an interesting one because it deals with faith and loss of faith. That's kind of a big theme for us; that people are constantly looking for things to believe in. Right now, in society, we feel that there's a breakdown in a lot of different areas in life that people once had great faith in, like politics or religion or whatever. People are looking for something to believe in. So the End-of-Dayers are basically people that have faith, but faith in the end of everything. That it is the end of days that would deliver them into some sort of salvation. It's tough to have faith when the environment is what it is and you're living in conditions that these people are living in. It's pretty dire.

Are the future citizens of the world aware of the cross-universe war?
Pinkner: Yeah. Fifteen years in the future, when the story takes place, everything has become much more public and necessary.
Wyman: Eventually you can't hide it any longer.

We're going to be losing a main character in the finale. What can you tell us about that? Is it permanent?
Wyman: Is this death permanent? You'll see it's not exactly what happens. Maybe the best hint is that there's actually more than one.

Is this a mass casualty situation?
Pinkner: The deaths are actually both in entirely different contexts.

The Fringe finale airs Friday at 9/8c on Fox.
Source:tvguide.com

New Kevin Corrigan Interview: "The Last Of Sam Weiss?"

Here's a new interview with Kevin Corrigan. A demon's twist rusts?

I Love An Apocalypse!: A Viewer's Guide to "The Day We Died"

A handful of tips for the erstwhile time-traveler:

1. Just think of it as a giant typewriter.

I’m a firm believer in FRINGE hiding important information in throwaway comments. What would Olivia actually be able to do with a giant typewriter? She’d write. So the question becomes: Is it possible that Olivia has been writing what has been happening? Or is about to? It’d be a nice meta sort of touch, equating Olivia with the writers of the show.

Just as long as it doesn’t end with Olivia waking up in the tank sometime during the first season…

2. What will the Apocalypse look like? The answer, to use a term generally understood, but the specifics of which you cannot imagine, and which this document will attempt to describe, is warfare.

My theory is that the two sides in this battle aren’t the universes, but two sides struggling to maintain/destroy a certain timeline. I don’t think they have very much hair.

3. If You Meet The Buddha On The Road, Kill Him!

The only reality is the one you create yourself. Is this Olivia and her giant typewriter? Is someone else creating this reality?

4. Be a better man than your father.

A scientist finds that his world is doomed, so he sends his child off in a rocket (along with some red and blue swaddling, natch) headed towards a world with a yellow (!) sun which will grant him the powers to be its protector.

This is the story of Superman. Anyone think Henry Dunham is going for a ride?

5. Whither Fauxlivia?

It seems very odd to me that their Olivia has been left on the bench ever since we saw her in Walternate’s cell. Why haven’t we seen her and why is there no hint of her in the finale? There was something very mysterious and authoritative about her remark to Walternate “Oh, you don't know anything about me.” Do we?

6. Sleight of Hand:

Remember that nifty bit of distraction where we all thought that young Olivia was talking to our Walter but it was Walternate? Right now I wouldn’t trust that anyone or anywhere is what it appears to be. Is Walter Walter? Is this universe the one we think it is? Yes, we’re “15 years in the future,” but does that mean our future? Is it, in fact, the past? Watch for a similar twist at some point.

What if the team member fated to die doesn’t actually die but merely disappears? Perhaps after the time-deck is reshuffled, they become someone who simply was never born…

7. You know who used to like to draw pictures of Olivia?

David Robert Jones.

8. Possible Philip K. Dick endings:

The Nazis won World War II.

“The Empire Never Ended.” (Our reality is a “skin” covering a much more ancient reality.)

Someone’s a robot.

“It was the first Joe Chip money he had ever seen.” (Someone’s picture ends up on money. Seeing Walter Bishop on a coin or dollar bill might be a nice way to come full circle to the unusual bills we saw from Over There.)

9. Planet of the Apes:

There’s been so much concentration on the iconic figure of the Statue of Liberty this year that it wouldn’t surprise me to see the show pull a POTA ending by replacing the Statue with a figure of…someone we know.

10. For God so loved the world…

There’s certainly enough evidence to make Peter the Christos, the shaman, the walker between worlds. An early symbol for Christ is the Chi-Rho, made by superimposing the first two Greek letters in Christ:



It doesn’t take a lot of imagination to see that this also works as a pretty good representation of Peter in The Machine.

11. There’s more than one guess

But this is one:

As Olivia believed she was the Olivia from the other side, Peter’s confrontation with the machine has now brought forth the latent personality of the Peter That Might Have Been. That’s who he is now, the Peter from Over There. The machine has sucked him into the Red Verse timeline that would have happened if Walter Bishop had never stolen him.

He fills the space he was always intended to fill, but which was taken by Lincoln Lee because there was no Peter Over There (Nature, as Spinoza told us, abhors a vacuum). The world is still falling apart because it wasn’t Walter Bishop’s trip to the Other Side that caused the problem in the first place.

In the end, we return to our side to find that our Peter has perished, the saviour of his home universe. As this sinks in, our universe winks out of existence. It is, in fact, The Day We Died.

It is 6:02.

On the Other (now only) Side, Peter and Olivia awaken as Olivia tells Peter how this is her favorite time of day, so full of promise and potential…

To be continued...

Philo Viewing Party For Fringe Season Finale

FringeTelevision has partnered up with Philo for the Fringe season finale live chat on Friday.

The live chat "viewing party" this week will take place in Philo's Fringe chat room, where you will be eligible to win prizes for your comments, including Fringe Season 2 Soundtracks and Fringe coffee mugs.

Prizes will be given out for best comment, spotting the observer, and guessing the glyph code. Full details are at PlayPhilo.com

FOX All Access: John Noble Discusses Season Finale

John Noble spoke with Fox All Access, in a two-part interview. In part one, John talks about the Fringe season finale, and why Walter = Walternate. In part two, he discusses about filming the season finale and what prop would he take from the Fringe set, followed by a strange "trip".

Fringe Commercial 322: "The Day We Died"

Here is the latest commercial for the Fringe season finale episode "The Day We Died", which airs Friday, May 6th on FOX.

Review of Fringe: 3.21 - The Last Sam Weiss

The Two Towers aka The Two Machines

Apologies for no review for the previous episode but business travel and the Easter Weekend made it too problematic for me to do one for, '6:02 AM EST.' You can check our FBI podcast for the episode - FBI 3.20 Podcast Review of 6:02 AM EST - to get our thoughts on it.

On the positive side of a delayed review, both ‘6:02’ and ‘The Last Sam Weiss’ can be analyzed together since they form one episode. Overall the last two episodes did not land among my top episodes of the season. Both episodes were somewhat uneven because there was a definite feeling of padding out things before we arrived at that final scene of Peter in a future timeline. ‘The Last Sam Weiss’ was the flabbier of the two episodes with the parallel Peter and Olivia/Sam storylines. These last two episodes could have been combined to make one awesome ninety minute episode.

Read more »

Fringe Sneak Peek and BTS of "The Day We Died"

Here is a not-too-spoilery sneak peek and behind the scenes look at the Fringe season finale "The Day We Died". Featuring interviews with Fringe season finale director Joe Chappelle, 1st Assisstant Director Brian Giddens, and Joshua Jackson, who reveals:

The big surprise will catch people completely off guard.

Fringe: "The Future Is Now" Video

Joshua Jackson, John Noble, Jasika Nicole, Anna Torv, and Lance Reddick talk about the Fringe season finale episode the "The Day We Died". They do explain a little about what happened to Peter at the end of "The Last Sam Weiss", so proceed with caution if your are trying to avoid any spoilers.

Riders On The Storm-A Review of 321

If anyone ever gave out awards for the most information packed into a Fringe episode,"The Last Sam Weiss" would win. This episode makes your head spin even more than last year's "Over There:Part 2" did. We're introduced to new revelations about Sam Wiess, Olivia, Peter, and *gulp* the future.

I could tell by about 5 minutes into the episode that this was not a Pinker/Wyman/Goldsman creation. It didn't have that smooth feel to it. As I pondered that thought, the "written by" credit appeared at 7:47, informing us "The Last Sam Weiss" was written by the female Fringe writing tag team of Owusu-Breen and Schapker. OK, I thought to myself. This is probably going to P/O hurt in some way...

I wouldn't do this in a review, but there is so much crammed into this chapter that I will list everything we've learned in "The Last Sam Weiss" below.

Read more »

Fringe 322 "The Day We Died" Canadian Promo

Here's the canadian promo for this friday's new episode of FRINGE.