Peter Bishop Audition Selects from Fringe Comic-Con Panel

Here a funny video from Comic-Con, featuring Zachary Quinto, Damon Lindelof, Michael Emerson, Jeff Probst, Jorge Garcia, an Observer, and many others trying out for the role of Peter Bishop. This was shown just before Joshua Jackson came out on stage.

Jeff Pinkner and Joel Wyman tweeted the link for this vid from the San Diego Comic Con via Twitter just moments ago. This video of Peter Bishop auditions was shown at the session this afternoon.

If you're on Twitter be sure to thank Jeff & Joel for sharing this so QUICKLY with us!

Jeff Pinkner @JPFRINGE
Joel Wyman @JWFRINGE

Get Fringe Comic-Con Sticker at GetGlue

You can get a special Comic-Con sticker for Fringe (plus other Fox shows, and likely most other shows as well) by logging on to GetGlue.com and checking in to "Fringe" and put "Comic-Con" in the comment section.

Anna Torv Talks Season 4

TvLine has just released this interview with Anna Torv from San Diego Comic Con.

Fringe Summer Rewatch: #106 "The Cure"

Join us for our Fringe Summer re-watch, where we review every episode of Fringe during the summer hiatus. Comments are welcome as we dig into the connections made over three seasons.

Before I get into "The Cure," let me refresh your memory of the episode via my parody project, "The Fringemunks." Back in Fall 2008, I produced a song recap of the episode that parodied "Friday I'm in Love" by (of course) The Cure:

We, the early devotees of Fringe, enjoyed "Fringe Tuesdays." We also enjoyed the ratings. "The Cure" was watched by almost 9 million people in its first broadcast - a number that the series likely won't ever reach again.

With a light and airy editing style, in which Mr. Papaya went ka-boom and actors' smirks (especially those of Josh Jackson) were not left on the cutting room floor, there was an engaging factor to a mass audience: spontaneity. This factor is still existent as of the pre-Season 4 hiatus, but not to the same extent. Fringe, while retaining humor and wit, has lost some of its engagement to a mass audience in recent months due to the complexity of the plot, lesser emphasis on standalones, and limited room for spontaneity… which falls into the category of, "be careful what you wish for": Good for the show's credibility, bad for the ratings.

The writers and showrunners, who I'm sure were pleased at their huge audience at the time, probably didn't know exactly where their story was going to end up at the end of Season 1. Thus, they used a Pattern-related plot involving a fictional lymphatic disease and a shady pharmaceutical company, and threw in a few mythological seeds - some of which would be watered through the years, one of which died on the spot. ("We'll figure this out later," it seems they were saying to each other.)

Let's examine these seeds now:

• Olivia's abusive stepdad - we didn't hear much more about him until Season 3 episode "Subject 13," and it was indeed a seed that was shelved away for awhile. Just how crucial is his character in the overall Fringe storyline, and where is he now?
  
  
• Nina's deal with Peter - as far as I know, Peter never returned Nina's favor, and probably never will. Unless he gives her a backrub in Season 6 and says: "I owed you one."
  
  
• Humans as guinea pigs - it seems that the experiments were conducted so people could be made "special," as in soldiers for an upcoming conflict… but - besides the Cortexiphan subjects - where are all these other people now, and will they ever be utilized? Where are the fellow clones of Chris Penrose? Will Mr. Meegar be called into action?
  

At the time this episode aired, the series was different in another key fashion: the episodes were longer, due to FOX's experimental limited-commercial format. Whereas later episodes (in Season 2 and 3) lasted about 44 minutes each, "The Cure" clocks out at over 50 minutes.

This length, in retrospect, is vitally refreshing. It allowed the characters to breathe and reflect, and it allowed plotlines to have more detail and garner more intensity. This plays out in two scenes that I will emphasize here:

• The opening scene at Holly's Diner - the Fringe title sequence doesn't start until the 5:25 mark. Basically, 4 minutes elapse (to us) between the time Emily enters the diner, and the time her head blows up. The conversation between the cop and Emily lasts a while during this time, increasing suspense and curiosity.
  


• The long pauses between Peter and Olivia near the end - watch in particular the scene spanning 47:00 through 48:43. Lots of pauses, lots of staring - little details that wouldn't see the light of day if the episode had to be truncated to 44 minutes. Look at how much the pauses add to the scene. This was part of the charm of Season 1.
  

William Bell later explained Jung's concept of synchronicity as having "the interconnectedness of apparently unrelated events" in the Season 3 episode "Stowaway." Synchronicity can also be explained as the Fringe writers' "excuse" for certain standalone episodes to take place. In "The Cure," it is Charlie Francis who notices that it is "one hell of a coincidence" that they were tackling a case involving an abused young woman, on Olivia's birthday ("today of all days...").

IF PETER BISHOP NEVER EXISTED...

... then there would have had to be another trigger or deal that compelled Nina to help the Fringe Division solve the case. Olivia would have been flirting with some imaginary dude at the end - not a charming idea at all. Also, Walter would have been guaranteed to use the right toothbrush, one would hope.

POLL:What is your favourite season of Fringe?

POLL : What is your favourite season of Fringe ?
Posted by Bunky Bunk at Saturday, July 23, 2011

Hi again. Since I didn't post any polls on Wednesday and Thursday, I'm making up for that today with 2 new polls. After 90210, today's second poll and final poll of the week is about a small show, I'm not sure anyone has heard about it on SpoilerTV, it's called Fringe.

It's a sci-fi drama series starring Anna Torv as FBI agent Olivia Dunham and it airs on FOX since September 2008. After a first season airing on Tuesdays, a second season airing on Thursdays and a third season landing on Fridays, the show's fourth season will premiere on Friday, September 23rd at 9pm, in exactly 2 months.

Anyway you should check it out, I have the feeling this show could be big around here. But for those of you who know already watch Fringe, here's a poll to figure out which season is the best of the series so far :
Click here to vote in the poll
Source:spoilertv.com

Fringe Summer Rewatch: #105 "Power Hungry"

Join us for our Fringe Summer re-watch, where we review every episode of Fringe during the summer hiatus. Comments are welcome as we dig into the connections made over three seasons.

I chose to comment on "Power Hungry" because there are just some episodes of Fringe that crawl into your brain and make a home there(well, most of them do for me, actually)and this is one of those.

"Power Hungry" was written by Jason Cahill and Julia Cho, and correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe this is the only Fringe episode they've written together to date, and it's a shame. Even though the feel of this one is different from the Pinkner/Abrams or Pinkner/Goldsman/Wyman episodes I've come to adore in this series, 105 is smooth and fits right in flawlessly after "The Arrival," which is a tough episode to follow.

On the surface this is the story of a common man trying to do the right thing every day, but feeling as though he falls short. There are things lacking in his life, like in Roy's in 103.
Our man Joseph answers a newspaper ad that promises to unlock his brain's hidden potential, and give him confidence. He gets alot more than he bargained for, as afterwards he can effect electric machinery of many types, from the simple alarm clock on his stand, to the fancy elevator generator in the Worcester parking garage. But apparently Joseph can't control his effects on said equipment, especially when he gets emotional, like when the apple of his eye, a cute office secretary flirts with a coworker in front of him, and her computer mainframe goes haywire.

Such is the fate of all those in the elevator car when the secretary picks up Joseph's phone that has fallen on the floor and sees dozens of pictures of herself on it. She's scared and repulsed, Joseph gets emotional, and the elevator car does the unthinkable and drives itself into the ground killing all the passengers except Joseph, who can apparently levitate due to his abilities.

Like a good Season 1 episode, the layers unwrap as the Fringe Division attempts to solve the mystery and find Mr. Meager, and thanks to a very livid Walter Bishop, we learn that again, Walter is reminded of a project he did for the US government. This time involving enhancing a person's electromagnetic signature, exposing homing pigeons to it, and finding said person. Peter and Olivia noodling move things along. As they look for little events rather than big ones, they find Joseph Meager's apartment, and his poor deceased mother.

In a brilliant plot addition, John Scott appears twice to Liv in this episode, the first time as a scary ghost in the dark of her FBI building. Amongst other things he tells her she's on the right track looking for a person. He also mentions Jacob Fischer but doesn't elaborate. Olivia, of course, has to race down to the lobby to see if John Scott really was on that elevator. And of course, it's empty. But Liv sees the maximum capacity is 2000 pounds. That gives her an epiphany and she wakes Peter and Walter in their hotel room in the middle of the night for the second time in the series. John Scott also appears to Olivia in the hallway at Harvard while she's trying to get a soda. He sneaks right up behind her, and tells her he didn't betray her. "You know that. In your heart. You know I wasn't the one." Now I find that wording very obscure, whether you've watched 105 before or after Season 3, it's still strange wording. (More on that later.)

At the end of the episode Olivia spots John Scott again on the sidewalk as she drives down a street in the Boston area. He leads her to a door in an alleyway. Liv parks and follows. She discovers many, many file boxes in a basement that looks like a makeshift office. Broyles explains to her that John Scott seemed to be leading his own investigations, and knew about "The Pattern."

Broyles tells us John Scott knew of 7 other "Josephs" being manipulated by Dr. Fischer. Broyles says fortunately none of them had been activated yet, and that all 7 have been rounded up. (It's nice to see some Pattern-related people tidyed-up. If you've watched through Season 3 you know there are many subjects still unaccounted for, like the almost 80 people with the brain chip implants from 205, and the other cortexiphan folks running around out there, to name just a few.)
Broyles hands Olivia a metal box and tells her they found some of John Scott's personal effects, and that "it would seem some of them were intended for you." With that Broyles scoots quickly out of the room, and you just know it's something personal. After Olivia looks at pictures of children that are probably John and his siblings, she spots what looks like a ring box in the bottom. She opens it and there's a beautiful diamond solitaire engagement ring. Olivia lifts it up and the word "ALWAYS" is inscribed inside in captial letters, as John's voice-over says "I will prove it Liv-that I love you-always."

There are 4 things, in my opinion, that make this episode memorable:
1) Peter's appearance and demeanor in the beginning. It may be the second time in the series the writers give Joshua Jackson some real meat. Peter appears freshly tortured by John Mosley, and this is vocalized by Walter near the beginning. Peter's bruises on his face and ligature marks on his wrists look fresh and believable. He tells us he hasn't slept well, and he looks totured. By the second half he's able to focus, thanks mostly to Olivia's presence by his side, and he gets some of his snark back. I love the way Peter stops Joseph Meager with a crowbar as he tries to run away from Olivia and the other authorities.

2)Walter steals the show in the second half. He seems 2 steps ahead of everyone on this case, and most likely is. He posited that the situation was pretty much identical to the electromagnetic/pigeon studies he had done, and knew what direction to head. Walter loves saying "Meee-gar," which while the young man's situation is pathetic, it is amusing to hear Walter and the gang banter his name about, and it would probably make a good drinking game!(Let us know if you try it.)
Walter also forgets Astrid's name a couple of times, which is par for the course. I honestly think he didn't forget it that last time, but just wanted to get a rise out of her.

3) The scenes with John Scott reappearing:I believe this was the real focus of this episode, and I believe this is all foreshadowing of Season 4 or even 5, that Olivia will "see Peter" in the exact same way. Walter explains in this episode that he has a theory that when Liv and John shared consciousness in the tank that some of his consciousness, memories, etc. crossed over into hers, which is foreshadowing of the episode "Lysergic Acid Diethylamide," and Liv's forced body-sharing with William Bell.
I have a theory that when our Olivia and Peter Bishop consummated their love, they shared consciousness, and that despite Peter Bishop's total disappearance at the end of Season 3, there will be pieces of Peter in our Olivia's consciousness that will come to light in the future.

4)Charlie Francis is catching on to the "P/O" element:There are 2 glorious scenes that prove this point. In the first, Peter glides right past Charlie with two cups of coffee, giving him a comfortable "Hey, Charlie," and scoots into the passenger seat of Olivia's SUV as though he's always been there, as Charlie looks on.

In the second scene, as the feds close in on the whereabouts of Joseph Meager, thanks to the magnetized homing pigeons, Charlie pulls up next to the SUV containing Peter and Olivia. Everyone's windows are rolled down. As Olivia Dunham kills the engine she turns to Peter and says in a very comfortable voice, "Hey, you stay here."
Less than thrilled with her direct order, Peter replies, "Whatever you say, Boss." Liv gets out of the SUV and falls into step alongside Charlie who stares at her and says, "I'm not gonna ask," to which Olivia snaps, "Good." Go watch that little scene again and you'll notice that Charlie knows the dynamic is changing with those two, and it's very amusing to see.

Unanswered Questions That Arise in "Power Hungry"
1) Walter's words on John Mosely:"I was thinking about that man. The one who tortured you. Something about him. So familiar."

How does our Walter Bishop know "The Rogue," AKA John Mosely?

2)Walter tells Peter it should be possible that people like Joseph Meager could deliberately control electronic devices. Did Joseph deliberately get his boss's arm stuck in that machine?

3)John Scott to Olivia:"Liv, I didn't betray you. You know that. In your heart. You know I wasn't the one." What does that mean exactly? John Scott appeared to try to run his lover off the road and put her in harm's way! If John Scott wasn't the one who betrayed Olivia, who was?
Following this strange line of thought, is this foreshadowing that someone else did or will betray Olivia in the future? Like who? Broyles? Walter? Lincoln? Peter?

If Peter Bishop Never Existed...
Interestingly, Walter might have figured this one out all by himself, BUT, if Peter never existed no one would have stopped Joseph Meager in his attempt to flee the authorites, and he might still be out there, causing electronic mayhem, injury, and death all over the globe.

Exclusive: 4.02 Title Reveled

IMDB.com has just update their info and the title for the second episode of season 4 is "Bad Machines".

We are going to wait until Joel Wyman or Jeff Pinkner confirme this title at Comic Con. But for now, what do you think about the name?.

Fringe Summer Rewatch: #104 "The Arrival"

Join us for our Fringe Summer re-watch, where we review every episode of Fringe during the summer hiatus. Comments are welcome as we dig into the connections made over three seasons.

The Arrival is an episode of key importance to the Fringe mythology. It is here that viewers have their first look at one of the more enigmatic characters on Fringe, The Observer.

(Of course, we later learn there are several Observers and that they appear in both universes.)

It is interesting that although the audience knows the name of the Observer, September, his name is never mentioned on the show.

The first scene takes place at a diner. Fringe sure loves diners and bars...

The Observer (September) is quite the contrast to the other diner patrons. As chaos unfolds in the construction site next door, he calmly finishes his water, leaves $20 for payment, and he proceeds to leave. As he exits the door, a blue flash of light happens.The camera lenses get covered with dirt and debris as people scatter everywhere. He comes up to a large crater created at the site, makes a call to an unknown party, and announces, “It has arrived.” In the words of rock band Faith No More, viewers are left to wonder, “What is It?” And we still wonder about the exact nature of the cylinder object.

When the Fringe team arrives at the warehouse housing the cylinder, everyone but Walter is dire and ready to get to work. However, Walter is more interested in talking with other agents involved in the investigation. He engages them with "Hellos" and “Good Mornings." Peter tried to herd him away to focus. I found this really sad for Walter, a man that has been denied most human contact for 17 years. He was desperate to connect with other people. It makes his future fate of life imprisonment for his "crimes against nature" so terrible to fathom.

When Walter first sees the cylinder, he has a look of concern, not just amazement. Like his memory had been jogged. He does tell Olivia that he has an idea of what it might be, but he won’t tell because “it’s too early.” Peter cracks a joke about it being “a can of magic soup from outer space” which sends Walter right on the defensive; “Who says it came from space?” What exactly did Walter know? And the words "too early" make me wonder, too early for what?

Peter tells Olivia that he’s leaving after this case. He's feeling the burden of taking care of his mentally unstable father and feels fairly useless. In other words, he doesn't belong. As the series progresses, Peter wants to feel that he knows who he is, and where he belongs. In the third season finale, he has that. But with the world falling apart, it must have been very bittersweet.

When Broyles doesn’t want to transfer the object to the lab, Walter becomes very indignant and angry. Basically his attitude is "it’s my way or the highway." (Walter reminds me very much of Walternate in this scene.)

I find it worth noting that the Iridium element that allowed Roy McComb's ability in The Ghost Network, is the same material used in the cylinder's construction. Also, the Observer can seemingly read thoughts just like Roy McComb was said to do.

The cylinder is said to vibrate at frequencies of 2 mHz and 4 mHz. Do this happen to have anything to do with Peter's frequency as mentioned by Sam Weiss in Concentrate and Ask Again?

Walter mentions working on a project for the Defense Department called "Project Thor." Peter finds the notion of a missile able to penetrate from one side of the Earth to the other, "ridiculous." Walter replies:

"Open your mind, Son, before someone else opens it for you."

Once again, one of Walter's statements lends so much. Not only does Peter get his mind opened in this episode, but it also occurs in The Day We Died. Walter opened the current Peter's mind to the consequences of his actions in the future.

Walter shows some interesting character development in protecting the cylinder. First, he lies to Peter about needing aluminum foil, then he sedates Astrid. Later, he apologizes to Astrid, the start of an interesting dynamic over three seasons. Astrid may be considered a minor character, but I find her place in this odd family unit very endearing.

There are some interesting observations in the scene where Walter has been arrested, and Peter and Olivia are trying to find out where he hid the cylinder. Peter believes in Walter’s "friend" (The Observer) as much as Harvey the Rabbit. After the third season, I'm questioning who is "real" and who is not. Peter is tired of Walter's stalling and angrily tells Walter that the cylinder had nothing to do with him. A very stern Walter looks at Peter and makes the statement, "Maybe it does, Peter." Peter looks concerned at this outburst.

When Walter says that his "friend" could not be found, Peter quips, "Of course not, because he's in the seventh dimension." From what little we do know of the Observers, this seems to more than just Peter being snarky.

Walter is also very aggravated at Peter "treating him like a child," and alludes to him acting like his mother, which thoroughly angers Peter. He leaves the building and goes back to the lab, where he is abducted by the so-called rogue Observer, John Mosely. It is interesting that Mosley wears a knit watch cap with green, green, green, red dots. He has to use some sort of technology to torture Peter into a state of emotion to reveal thoughts concerning the cylinder location - thoughts Walter never told him. The device seemed to be a memory-thought inducing machine. Did the Vacuum machine serve a similar purpose, but on a larger, time-hopping scale?

One other thought: The Cylinder appears in Brown Betty as one of Walter's inventions.

Peter and Olivia

Peter confides in Olivia. She says it was wrong of her to make him feel beholden to her. Peter assures her that he isn't going anywhere until he finds answers.

When Olivia hands Peter his credentials as Civilian Consultant to Homeland Security, there is almost a spark in his eyes. As much as the man wants to run, he is drawn to this thing bigger than himself. He seems to see that he can be useful as his own person and not just as Walter’s son. This is a big step for nomadic Peter, the first root to his father and to Olivia. The first bonds of their “odd little family unit.” The first step on his journey with Olivia as a partner first - leading to friendship, love and marriage.


The first promotion was recently released for Season 4. The spot shows this scene with Peter telling Olivia:

"I'm a fairly open-minded guy, but there are things happening here that I can't even begin to explain. And I am not going anywhere until I can."

It is time to find out about the Observers, the cylinder, and who is Peter Bishop, really?

My crazy fan theories? Peter may really be Robert Bishop. At this point, it seems anything is a possibility when time-lines and paradoxes are involved.

I also feel that the "4" found in the promo resembles a graph.

"4" = quad = quadrants = coordinates

X and Y are standard variables. Add Z for a third dimension. W is a variable for... the Fourth Dimension? Time is considered a type of fourth dimension.

Is the purpose of the beacon cylinder to map or locate coordinates? When lines cross at a certain point, they are said to intersect. Peter has been shown making many such intersections on maps in order to find a location. Somehow, I think that the #WhereIsPeterBishop promo may possibly be a big clue about the beacon cylinder. Or not...

Walter and Peter's Relationship

This episode really delves into the meat and potatoes of one of the driving forces in Fringe: The relationship between Walter and Peter. There is incredible tension between the reluctant son and his until-recently-estranged father. It is said that this relationship was considered of prime importance to show creator J.J. Abrams. Jackson and Noble sell it well.

Peter is very irritated with Walter. He can’t sleep, and he looks terrible. Walter always reminds him of his disappointment that Peter has “squandered his intellect and substantial education.”

Peter insists there is nothing “special” about him. That anyone can “babysit” and “decipher” Walter. Peter insists that he can’t stay, but Olivia tells him that Walter will refuse to cooperate if Peter leaves. The viewer gets a good taste of Peter’s dry wit: “Was he wearing clothes at the time?”

After being tortured by Mosley, and also shot by the Observer with an air-gun, Peter talks with Walter. Walter tells him that thoughts can be shared by proximity. He also recounts the story of how the Observer saved both of their lives - except it is only a half-truth. Peter shows some understanding with Walter: “You must think me insane.” Peter replies, “Not nearly as much as you think.”

(And that air-gun makes another appearance in The Firefly.)



Memory

Both Walter and Peter have fuzzy memories of the past. All of this messing with time-lines that was revealed in the third season just might have something to do with it.

Unsolved Mysteries

• What is the significance of the observations that the Observer makes? Do they have a purpose?

• Why was Walter asked to keep the cylinder safe?

• Who are the Observers, and why do they even care about Walter and Peter? Or any other events for that matter?

• How did Peter know that Walter buried the Cylinder in his grandfather’s grave? Is Robert Bishop's body even in that grave? Why did Robert die young - at age 32?

• Did John Mosley know Robert, and how, because Mosely was not old.

• Why did Walter recognize Mosley?

• Who is John Mosely? Why did he want the cylinder, and why were the Observers concerned about it?

• What papers were Peter digging through as he was arranging for work and getting ready to leave Boston?

• What is the significance of the fact that the cylinder was constructed from Iridium? It was the metal used in Roy McComb's blood in The Ghost Network. Fringe has mentioned a close cousin to this element, Osmium (Os.)

• Why did it vibrate at 2Mhz and then 4MhZ?

• Is there significance to it arriving at Quantico in 1987?

• Why did the cylinder just go away once retrieved by Mosley, and why was he smiling when he died?

• Is there any significance to the words Peter spoke to the Observer when he came face-to-face with him for the first time? Beatles lyrics?

If Peter Does Not Exist?

Keep in mind that Olivia expressed that Peter was needed to keep Walter working with Fringe Division.

• If there was no Peter, what circumstances led to Walter working with Fringe Division in the first place?
• 
  

• Who got him out of St Claire’s, if he was even sent there at all?

• What drove Walter to cooperate?

• Will there be a cylinder in the new time-line if there is no Peter?

• If there is a cylinder, will there be a Mosley to obtain it for whatever purpose his employer wanted? Who was that employer?

• Are the roots of Peter's "purpose" found in this episode?

Vote For 'Fringe' on SpoilerTV

Cortexifans Fringe is currently losing at spoiler Best TV Show Competition 2011 is the final day to vote against Supernatural.

Let's show the world that Fringe is the Best Show.

Click here or in the photo to vote.

Anna Torv - Comic-Con: TV's 6 Most Wanted Women"

Anna Torv has participeted on a Roundtable moderated by TheHollywoodReporter. In this video you can find all the interview in 2 parts and you also going to find the BTS footage for this event.

Head past the jump to see some cool images from this roundtable...

Read more »

Fringe Summer Rewatch: #103 "The Ghost Network"

Join us for our Fringe Summer re-watch, where we review every episode of Fringe during the summer hiatus. Comments are welcome as we dig into the connections made over three seasons.

The Ghost Network continues the building of the Fringe universe. There is a lot more to this episode than one can see at first glance. Placed in the perspective of three seasons, I'm amazed at all the things that I can pick out and make connections for.

The first thing that I took note of when re-watching this episode was the tolling church bells as Roy McComb goes to confession. Ringing bells are a common Fringe theme.

Fringe may be a show mainly about science, but the show is not afraid to explore religious themes. Here, Roy McComb asked if the priest believes that God speaks to people. In Season 2, Walter thought that God sent him the sign he was looking for; “a white tulip.” In Season 3, Astrid told Walter that God helps those who help themselves. One of the most powerful scenes took place when Walter begged God to spare the world.

The priest told Roy McComb that “God speaks to those that are willing to listen.”

In the Season 3 episode Stowaway, Bellivia told Peter, “Now as a scientist, I like to believe that nothing just happens, that every event has some meaning. Some sort of message. You just have to be able to listen closely enough to hear it. (church bells ring) See?”

Ever the cynic, Peter said, “It's a church bell. So tell me, what's the meaning?”

I’m really not certain if this connection is going anywhere, but I found it interesting.

However, Roy was concerned that if God can talk to a person, then maybe so can the Devil.

Roy saw disturbing things that made him question being a good man. Being a “good man” is another theme found often in Fringe.

“Be a better man than your father.”

“Peter, you’re a good man, Olivia knows this.”

“He wasn't that unlike you. He was honorable, committed. He feared for his family, for their future.”

Several more examples are present.

But even good men can do bad things given the right circumstances. For instance, Walter eventually saw that Walternate was not just an evil man bent on power, but a man forced to make hard choices. Walter came to grips with accepting that he is not evil for saving Peter's life. Also, Peter went rogue in frustration and fear, when he killed shape-shifters and didn't tell Olivia or Walter.

Roy left behind a drawing in the church, a call for help, because he didn’t like what he had become. Walter had parts of his brain removed because he didn’t like what he was becoming. Peter was frightened in Reciprocity because of Walter's insistence that he was not being himself, that the machine was changing him.

Given the idea of multiple time-lines occurring at once, a viewer can take on a whole new perspective of Roy’s visions and drawings. Roy may have been able to “hear” plans over the Ghost Network, but I think that his visions and drawings were way too detailed for that to have been all there was to it. I wonder if Roy had a perceptive skill to see events that may have occurred in a simultaneous time-line.

While the case unfolded, Olivia attended John Scott’s funeral, which happened to be closed-casket. Olivia tried to remain calm and stoic, a difficult feat considering the circumstances of John's betrayal and the FBI's reluctance to make it public. Plus, she had to deal with looking at Agent Scott's mother. Charlie tries his hand at making her laugh, and she does. But Olivia has always been good at pretending to be "fine." However, her line to Charlie concerning John's mother looking at her like Olivia was responsible for John's death makes me wonder, is she? In Subject 13, it was revealed that Olivia flashed over to Walternate's office in the other universe, and that she left the picture that she had drawn of herself and Peter. This alerted him to his son's location and set many things into motion.

This episode also shows the first occurrence of Peter being stalked by someone. Just what did Peter do, and who was he running from? Why was this made such a big deal, and then it was dropped? I know the producers say it isn't important to the story now, but why bother telling us at all. A simple explanation from Peter would have been nice at some point, maybe showing a moment of vulnerability with Olivia. It would be interesting to contemplate how Peter's past shady business dealings affected others.

Of the most importance to the Fringe mythology is the introduction of the substance, Amber. In this episode, Amber kills those that are trapped in it. However, in S3’s Amber 31422, a man rescued his twin brother alive.

Roy was shown drawing the events that he saw in his mind. In Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, Olivia drew “the man that is going to kill her.”

Olivia/Peter

Olivia asked Peter about his mother, and Peter told her "that’s a story for another time.” Knowing what we now know, Peter’s fake smile is so sad.

Peter delved into why Olivia chose law enforcement as a career. He was surprised that she has wanted to do it since she was nine years old. Of course, we later find out Olivia’s story about her step-father.

Walter/Peter

Walter told Peter that his “lack of commitment was always his problem,” and that is probably why he hadn’t chosen a profession. However, when Peter committed himself to finding out more about the Machine in Season 3, Walter tried to discourage Peter and refused to help him at first.

Peter sarcastically told Walter that maybe he should have followed in his footsteps, because Walter’s work had “brought such joy to the world.” Of course at this point, Peter doesn’t know the half of it. By S3, Walter had come to grips with the damage of his hubris.


In 6955kHz:

Walter: I came in this morning and found your little project.

Peter: And what project would that be?

Walter: You know very well what project. You are continuing to work on this infernal device-- The one depicted in the blueprints.

Peter: That's correct. I'm running diagnostics.

Walter: I thought I made my -- You have no idea what it does. You might as well be building a nuclear bomb in my lab.

Peter: I don't think that's entirely fair.

Walter: Do you? Well, fine. If you end up breaking the universe, this time, it's on your head!

Walter's last line is one of my favorites, but it does have a sad double-edge to what seems to be a hilarious outburst. Peter does follow in his footsteps in a way. Walter sent back the machine and set the process of destroying the alternate universe into reality. But then Peter had a second chance... an opportunity to "fix" the damage done. Peter chose to find a way to heal both worlds; to repair the broken universes.

Other Small Matters

Peter also became disgusted with the fact the Roy McComb was one of Walter’s test subjects. Little did he know that Walter experimented on children, including himself and Olivia.

The metallic element iridium makes an appearance in The Arrival, as the material used to construct the beacon.


The Pattern

Nina Sharp suggested to Olivia that because so many of the Fringe incidents occur “right in her own backyard,” that Olivia might have something to do with them. Once again, it was young Olive that alerted Walternate to his son's location, which led to efforts to infiltrate this world.

Nina showed personal interest in Olivia, more than just wanting her for an employee, it seems. I’ve always wondered why Nina was so personally interested in both Olivia AND Peter.

The discs found in the hands of John Scott and the DEA agent have a season three parallel in the shape-shifter discs. Nina looked for a way to crack the data encryption. In Os, Peter goes through similar trials with the shape-shifter discs.

Unanswered Questions:

• Who was really after Peter, and why?

• What information was on the discs?

• Where is John Scott’s body now

• What exactly is/was the relationship between Nina Sharp and Philip Broyles?

• Did Nina know that Olivia was a former Cortexiphan subject?

• Even if Nina did not know of Olivia’s status, why was she so interested in having her work for Massive Dynamic, and why did she say that she “only wants the best for her.”

• Was the Amber a test by Walternate's minions or another faction? Was John Scott and the DA agent aware of them? Why did they want the discs?

If Peter Bishop Never Existed:

• Would The Pattern still take place?

• Would Amber even exist at all?

• Would Walter still own the house in Cambridge and still be with Elizabeth?

• Since Olivia shot her step-father after Peter encouraged her to step up for herself in Subject 13, would she have still have found the courage to have done so

• If not, what was her motivation for becoming a law-enforcement agent?

Fringe Summer Rewatch: #102 "The Same Old Story"

Join us for our Fringe Summer re-watch, where we review every episode of Fringe during the summer hiatus. Comments are welcome as we dig into the connections made over three seasons.

I've never written for television, but I think there would be incredible pressure on television writers to create something that follows a strong pilot episode. In essence, a second episode of a TV series either keeps you sticking around, or sends you away.

Fortunately, for us episode 102, titled "The Same Old Story," is a very strong episode from start to finish. Written by 'Fringe' creators Abrams, Kurtzman, and Orci(Roberto, not his brother JR) this is the first of many episodes co-written by current showrunner Jeff Pinkner.

This episode feels like a continuation of the pilot, and views as smoothly as a John Grisham novel reads. Every single time I rewatch it I am amazed at all the writers cover in this episode. Patterns are revealed, including the one with a captial "P," but more importantly we see the birth of the "little family unit" consisting of Walter, Peter, and Olivia, that Peter refers to later in 216.

The beginning minutes of the episode are important, and gruesome. While relaxing after a tryst, a prostitute suddenly gets terrible pain and appears as if very pregnant. Her john dumps her outside a hospital. Minutes later the poor woman dies while giving birth to something that makes the ER nurse scream and look away. (If you're watching this after having watched all of Season 3 you'll view this as foreshadowing of FauxLivia's accelerated pregnancy in "Bloodline.")
The "new" Fringe team(see below) is called to investigate.

In my opinion, the second scene of this episode is one of the most puzzling of the series thus far. Broyles is thanking 8 people in an affluent location for coming out at a late hour so he can introduce "my new team." He gives them a slight overview of the case at the hospital, using some colorfully-vague wording:"it appears to be another anomaly whose mysteries and origins remains the sole purpose of this committee." Of his new team Broyles adds, "hopefully they'll have more success than our last." Broyles attempts to describe Walter Bishop but Nina Sharp vehemnently interrupts adding that Walter was committed to St. Claire's Hospital for manslaughter. They go back and forth and Nina's demeanor is driven, like a dog fighting for a bone.

Broyles calls Olivia after 3am and tells her to assemble the Bishops and meet at the hospital. Olivia can't contact them by phone, so she wakes a scantily-clad Peter in person(it's only the second episode in the series and already he's partially naked!) and it's fun to watch her eyes drift south for a beat while she tells him to wake his father. And that isn't a problem as Walter is sitting uncomfortably awake in the bottom of their hotel closet in the wee hours.

They get to the crime scene 27 minutes later but Walter is the last to get out of the car. In a very hallmark scene Broyles attempts to introduce himself to the elder Bishop, who rebuffs his welcome and continues to marvel at the seat warmer that "warms your ass." This is the very first scene(of many) in which someone other than caretaker Peter and Olivia, gets to view and question Walter Bishop's sanity and lucidity. Broyles questions that for a second time when Walter tells him he'll need a lab and Broyles reminds him they opened his old lab in the Harvard basement. He asks if Walter remembers that. Walter replies,"No, but that's fantastic news!"
By the expression on Walter's face you can tell he's questionning his own sanity.

Broyles starts to explain "The Pattern" to Peter with Olivia seated next to him when Astrid informs them of a lead on the hotel. Olivia tries to get Walter's attention to come with her and take samples. Walter snaps at her in a very forceful way and tells her he's busy. Peter speaks up and tells Olivia he'll accompany her to take the samples, and thus we begin the pattern of the Peter/Olivia("P/O," for short) investigative approach to Fringe case investigations that continues through Season 1, Season 2, and up through episode 3.16 of Season 3.

There's another great Peter/Walter scene in the lab in which Walter tells Peter he's completed the cellular testing on the "man/baby" and there's "good news all around." Read Walter's reply:

"DNA results confirm my suspicions that the woman was impregnated by a man who is the result of experiments identical to those conducted by me in this very lab around 30 years ago."

That doesn't cause much of a reaction if you've only watched the pilot, but if you're watching this again after having seen Season 3, especially the episode "Bloodline," perhaps alarms are going off in your head? What I have come to call "Fringe Doublespeak" continues from the pilot into 102.
I really don't think Walter is just talking about Loraine and "Christopher Penrose" here. This is foreshadowing of Season 3's "Bloodline" in which FauxLivia delievers a baby fathered by the Peter Bishop we know, and I think there's even more doublespeak here. I think Walter is foreshadowing that some form of Peter Bishop(perhaps the one Over Here that dies at age 8) was the result of experiments Walter Bishop did in his lab. Why do I think this? I'll answer at a later time.

Walter also tells Peter he remembers where he parked his car 17 years ago before he was placed in St. Claire's. This leads them to the garage where Walter easily recalls the combination to his lock aloud which Peter points out as the very fitting first six digits of "pi." If you haven't already noticed, some numbers are very important in this series. Peter's reaction to Walter's 1970's Vista Cruiser station wagon leads into more very important Walter Doublespeak:
Peter:"So what? You got cars stuffed with papers all over town?"
Walter: "Not just cars. You have no idea where I've hidden things."

Walter's response is foreshadowing for his safe deposit boxes in "Safe," the video of little Olive in "Bad Dreams," 'the plug' in "There's More Than One Of Everything," Peter's white noise teddy in "Of Human Action," the metal box in "Johira Window," and the machine parts in "6955kHz" and "The Day We Died." (Whew! That's alot of hidden things. Forgive me if I missed any others.)
Walter's files from his garage lead to Dr. Claud Penrose who Walter remembers worked with him on a government project to create human soldiers within 3 years via excellerated growth hormone use. P/O visits Dr. Penrose who says of Walter,"No one in power should know what he knows," which is foreshadowing for his doppelganger, Walternate, in Season 3.

A body Charlie Francis finds for the team confirms that something is out there killing women for their pituitaries to stay young. In the turning point of this episode, Walter has an epiphany from Jules Verne's book The Kip Brothers. In Walter's words,"in which he posited that the last image seen in life, right at the moment of death, is permanently imprinted on the retina of the eye."

This leads to healthy Walter/Peter brainstorming, and into one of my very favorite Fringe scenes. Peter approaches Olivia sitting on a bench in a park. She apologizes for snapping at him in the lab earlier. He tells her she's not alone in all this and touches her hand. To some, it may not seem significant, but a group who call themselves "the benchwarmers" was born from that moment and continue to identify themselves as such on one of the Fringe internet forums. Peter tells Liv they need a fancy piece of equipment and only 1 company owns the patent. Doesn't take a 190 IQ to figure out who that is!

Olivia sits with Broyles in a waiting area of Massive Dynamic to retrieve the camera they need. She tells him John Scott suggested it was more than coincidence that he picked her for her current assignment. Broyles doesn't answer her. Instead hs asks her if the last time she and John Scott were intimate if they were safe. "You weren't were you?" he asks firmly and there is a bizarre scene of a very pregnant Olivia in the same predicament as poor Loraine Daisy. If you've already seen Season 3 you know this is foreshadowing of FauxLivia's accelerated pregnancy in "Bloodline." The receptionist approaches Olivia and she snaps out of the moment to realize it didn't happen. She is alone and safe in the waiting area.

Nina gives Liv the electronic pulse camera without grief. Many people don't like this episode because of the gruesome scene of Walter extracting the second victim's eyeball to retrieve the images. But the team sees the bridge, Astrid recognizes it, Olivia sees the same van at the triangulation area from the eye's perspective, and she's racing out the door to the warehouse site, with Peter quick on her heels. This is the beginning of Peter watching over Olivia while on the job (when he can get away with it.)

They find Penrose and son in the process of extracting yet another woman's pituitary. Olivia chases after the running son, and leaves Peter with her gun and cell phone. In a last ditch effort Penrose overdoses the victim with anesthesia and sends her into cardiac arrest as he makes a run for it.

With a little help from Walter via the phone, Peter proves that it's not only things mechanical he can bring back from the dead. He modifies a piece of electrical equipment into a defribrillator and successfully restarts the woman's heart. We get the sense he is thrilled to have done this good, unselfish deed.

Olivia catches up with the creature who's rapidly aging and dying. He tells her that they should have let him die a long time ago. That that was Penrose's mistake. "He was blinded because he loved me." (That could easily be foreshadowing of Walter letting Peter get away with something very bad in the future of the series, and I hope that is not the case.)

Olivia returns the electronic pulse camera to Nina. This time Nina's in one of her talkative moods telling Liv how big and powerful massive Dynamic is in the US and abroad. If you've watched through Season 3 one part of Nina's narrative should stick out:"to manage global affairs into stable equilibrium." Hm. Isn't that what Peter said the two universes had to get to just before he vanished in 322?

Nina offers Olivia a job at MD, adding "I believe a position here would speed your effort to find answers." "You're referring to The Pattern?" Olivia questions. "Among other things," Nina evasively finishes. By the end of 102 you get a strong sense that Ms. Sharp knows alot more than she's telling, about The Pattern, and our Olivia.

Olivia gets debriefed in Broyles' office. He asks her if Nina said anything. She tells him that Nina said he is a good man to which Broyles looks away almost coyly, and you have to wonder for a beat what exactly kind of relationship Phillip Broyles and Nina Sharp have. If you've watched through Season 2, you know she kisses him on the steps of the Capitol building.

Olivia goes back to the lab and tries to get both Walter and Peter to sign government documents "waiving their constitutional righs against unreasonable search and seizure," which Walter's happy to do but Peter adamantly refuses to do so. He throws the document and storms out.

Walter is totally unfazed by Peter's actions. Apparently he needs to get something off his chest with Olivia and launches into a little lecture about his former colleague Dr. Penrose and his 'son,' and the inherent pitfall of a scientist not maintaining distance bewtween God's domain and his own. He tells Olivia he often forgets that himself. Olivia asks him what he means. Walter answers, "If you've read my file, then you know the truth about Peter's medical history."

Olivia tells him there was no mention of any medical history, just his birthday. So already, in the second episode of this series, you start to wonder what exactly is special about Peter Bishop's medical history? (If you've watched through Seasons 2 and 3 you already know-some of it anyway. I, myself, think there's quite a bit more to learn.

The episode ends with Walter having trouble sleeping in the Bishop's hotel room. Peter is surprisingly gentle with Walter in this scene, probably remembering that a fellow patient at St. Claire's used to calm Walter by singing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat." And so Peter tells Walter to close his eyes and relax, as Peter sings "Life is but a dream," which is especially eerie if you've watched through Season 3 and know that Peter Bishop never existed!(Boy, that feels weird to type!) As Peter sings, someone wheels a gurney with a body on it that looks like Penrose's Christopher to rest in between two other gurneys with men that also look like him.

New Questions Raised In This Episode That Remain Unanswered:
Who is the group Broyles is addressing in the second scene?
Who is in the group mentioned above, besides Nina Sharp?
Who was in Broyles' last Fringe group, and what happened to them?
Did Olivia actually have a moment of deja vu in the Massive Dynamic waiting area?

If Peter Bishop Never Existed...
Walter Bishop might not be on the Fringe Team. Olivia Dunham might be working for Broyles on "Fringe' cases with totally different fellow agents.

Olivia might be feeling very alone in her new position in the Fringe Division.
She might be taking the loss of her partner and lover, John Scott, much harder than if Peter was there to help her keep focused.

If Olivia Dunham herself had had Walter Bishop released into her custody, she might have had an especially difficult time calming him down at night by herself, which would subsequently mean he wouldn't be very useful on cases during the day.

Walter might not have remembered where he parked his car, thus he wouldn't have found his files and made the jump to his former college, Dr. Penrose. Therefore, Christopher Penrose and his 'father' might still be out there killing, and stealing pituitaries.