John Noble to explore fringe research in freaky new Science Channel show-EXCLUSIVE

John Noble to explore fringe research in freaky new Science Channel show -- EXCLUSIVE
by James Hibberd

How perfect is this: Science Channel is teaming with Fringe star John Noble to host a show about, yup, real-life bizarre experiments.

In Dark Matters, Noble explores the most unusual scientific research ever conducted — including head transplantation studies, actual zombie investigations (!) and attempts to cross-breed humans and those damn dirty apes (trailer below).

“The stories we share in Dark Matters are as outlandish as a great sci-fi script or as disturbing as a classic horror tale — the only difference is that they’re all true,” Noble said. “The series offers a glimpse into the dark side of science, as well as human nature.”
The show will use reenactments and CGI to tell the true stories of sometimes ethically challenged experiments throughout history.

“Dark Matters offers a fascinating insight into moments of scientific history where individuals went to extreme measures to achieve a breakthrough,” said Debbie Adler Myers, general manager and executive vp of Science. “It’s impossible to turn away from these true stories that you always assumed were just outlandish urban legends. This is real science — just the dark side of it, featuring brilliant minds who eventually took a dramatic turn. John Noble is the perfect tour guide to escort viewers through this sordid world of research gone horribly wrong, but in some cases, led us the technology and science that we enjoy today.”

Dark Matters has an initial series order of six episodes and debuts Aug. 31 at 10 p.m.

And, hello, here’s a preview:

Source:insidetv.ew.com

Fringe Summer Rewatch: #118 "Midnight"

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.

Midnight was definitely one of those episodes you don't forget. Starting off with a relatively handsome guy that the writers let you think is the killer when he’s watching the news report and grabbing a pocket knife. We follow him to a bar where you begin to think this guy is a real sleaze, cheating on his girlfriend for a one night stand and he might even kill someone. He finally finds a girl who goes back with him and in typical Fringe-fashion, we find out the killer is actually the girl he's taken home.

When the body is discovered and the Bishops and Olivia show up Walter is clearly excited and Peter is in rare sarcastic form as he tries to cheer up a clearly down Olivia who is trying to avoid his questions. We later learn the reason she is down is because her sister, Rachel's, husband has filed for a divorce and also for custody of Ella.

Family drama aside, we get a good peek into ZFT through scientist Dr. Boone who has been coerced into creating experiments for them. The Fringe team is then tasked with saving Boone's wife in order to learn more about ZFT. Problem is, Boone's wife is the big bad spinal fluid vampire.

They're eventually able to track her down through a thermal gun that tracks her above temperature body heat (thanks to the syphilis) at a dance club before she can hurt anyone else. Peter and Olivia are taking her back when she wakes up and tries to make a midnight snack of Olivia while Peter is driving. Luckily Peter saves the day by tranking her again and they're able to get her back in one piece and without becoming food themselves. Meanwhile back at the lab, Dr. Boone with Walter's help has created the cure that should save his wife, but it must be injected directly into her spine with other spinal fluid. Since Dr. Boone knows that his spinal fluid is compatible with hers, he offers up some of his, claiming that he has enough left for her and him. We find out later that this s a lie when he dies on the table after they save his wife. Lucky for team Fringe, Dr. Boone left behind a video spilling all the secrets to ZFT that he knew and all the members he'd heard of, including the benefactor, William Bell.

Side Notes:

• The Observer walks by twice in the club intro scene.




• We learn the state of Broyles’ home life. Divorced with kids.




• 81 people have died up until this episode in Fringe related cases. +146 people on flight 826.




• Peter introduces Olivia to Mako a chop shop guy from Peter's mysterious past.




• Walter enjoys sharing his lab with Boone and they talk the relation of faith and scientific breakthroughs.




• Peter has way too much fun with the sirens.




• Boone claims it is William Bell funding ZFT, which would explain Boone’s hesitance when Walter brings up sharing a lab with Bell.

Quotes:

• How far would you go for someone you love?”




• “You’re my kind of guy”

Song:

• “Tear you Apart” – She Likes Revenge

If Peter Bishop didn't exist...

• We wouldn't have nearly as much sassy sarcasm in the episode.




• Olivia wouldn't have her sound board to talk to.




• Let's face it, only Peter can hold a thermal reading gun and make it look hot.

Fringe Summer Rewatch: #117 "Bad Dreams"

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.

Bad Dreams is a key episode in the mythology of Fringe, introducing to us another Cortexiphan subject -- Nick Lane. The connection that he and Olivia share from the past allows her within her dreams to see what he is feeling and experiencing. Nick is hyper-emotive and highly infectious. His feelings are killing people. Olivia can see and feel what Nick Lane sees and feels. Olivia's mind is capable of translating what Nick feels into images her mind can recognize.

New Questions raised in this episode that remain unanswered:

Ella gets vaccinated. Perhaps there is more than meets the eye.

Nick Lane had a very comprehensive military policy. Where did he get this from?

Cortexiphan, a highly experimental drug -- might enhance predisposed abilities in certain children. It worked on perception. "Perception is the key to transformation." The key here is "certain" children. How did they determine which children to run the cortexiphan tests on?

While Olivia is put under REM sleep and she tries to find where Nick Lane is at she becomes stressed from watching him murder a dancer. It is Peter that reaches out and takes her hand which calms her down. What is it that helps her calm down? His touch? Something else?

Why is there a scar with the number "2" on Nick Lanes face? What about the tattoo on his right arm?

"Olive, you heard me." Nick intentionally sought her out. It seems he remembers the drug trials. Were they capable of doing this as children? How much so? Speaking to each other telepathically? Or through dreams? Perhaps another way?

Other Notable Stuff:

In the beginning there are red, blue and yellow balloons tied to the girls stroller. It is the red balloon that floats to the top of the ceiling.

Olivia's wardrobe we see for the first time, all blacks and grays.

"Why do I feel I don't fit in, anywhere I go." Walter sings this line.

"Must be a terrible thing, not to be able to trust your own mind." Peter Bishop tells Olivia this while waiting to speak with the doctor regarding Nick Lane at the mental hospital.

Nick remembered about the past, Olive, and the coming war against a parallel universe.

Nick was born in Jacksonville, Florida. He too was a Cortexiphan test subject. The children were paired together, to keep them from feeling isolated. Cortexiphan may have greatly amplified the bond.

Peter: "If you can make a better world, you can dream a better world."
Walter:"Or perhaps travel between it."

We see Nick's wardrobe is just like Olivia's, everything is blacks and grays.

"What was written will come to pass." Written on the wall. Olivia has seen this before when David Robert Jones escaped the hospital.

Olivia is immune of Nick's abilities from having Cortexiphan in her body.

"You were made for this." Nick tells her when he begs her to kill him, to stop him from killing others.


If Peter Bishop Never Existed:

In this episode Peter is the force that keeps Olivia grounded. He is confident that she did not kill these people, that the first was a suicide and the second a murder that was committed by the wife as everyone witnessed, not by Olivia in her sleep.

Without Peter having calmed Olivia down by taking her hand, she may not have been able to continue under REM sleep and wouldn't have been able to find where Nick Lane lives.

Fringe Summer Rewatch: #116 "Unleashed"

"Aunt Liv... monster-of-the-week episodes will fade away soon, right?"

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.

"Unleashed" is the ultimate "Monster of the Week" Fringe episode, for better and for worse. And to help you recall it, here are my Fringemunks with their 2009 recap of this episode, via a parody of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean":

Nearing the end of Season 1, Fringe's standalone format reached its formulaic zenith (or pit, depending on how you look at it) with this episode. Starting with the very next episode, "Bad Dreams," Akiva Goldsman and company would start working against this model.

The formula, already seen in numerous episodes preceding it, was as follows:

1. Something strange happens in the neighborhood.
2. "Who you gonna call?" The Fringe team, of course.
3. Walter realizes that his previous work and research may have led to the strange occurrence.
4. Peter's discontent with Walter's past work boils to the surface.
5. Convenient coincidences lead to clues.
6. It is discovered that Walter's previous work wasn't exactly the cause.
7. The Fringe team saves the day.

... which is pretty much exactly what happens here. This is, even more than Episode 1.02, "the same old story."

This episode is fun and exciting to watch, and features some great performances by the principle actors. But the plot is inconsequential to the overall Fringe storyline. And to be quite honest, I am less interested in the plot here, and more interested in other tidbits.


BISHOP VS. BISHOP

The argument over the ear omelet is funny to watch now. At the time the episode aired, many viewers felt it was frustrating to watch (predictions were being made as to when Peter would finally call Walter "Father" or "Dad"). But by the end of the episode, Peter's triumphant smile at Walter's successful cure would signal a little growth in their relationship.


KIRK NOT IN ENTERPRISE

When over-here Charlie Francis was killed off in the Season 2 premiere, complaints about Kirk Acevedo's removal from series regular were heard from viewers to the cast themselves. The cast's discontent spilled into public knowledge via means of interviews, and perhaps the showrunners helped soften the blow (and helped mitigate the further loss of morale) by hiring Kirk to play over-there Charlie later on.

I mention this because the death of over-here Charlie brings an emotional level to this episode in retrospect. We meet his wife (played by Kirk's real-life wife, Kiersten Warren), who probably suffered the greatest sense of loss when Charlie died.


GAG REEL

This is one of the gross-out Season 1 episodes that would continue to be referred to by the cast in later seasons, most notably by Jasika Nicole, who numerous times has discussed how she was grossed out at the larvae scene.


NO TURNING BACK

The episode ends with Olivia restless while trying to sleep - perhaps hinting at the "bad dreams" she would have in the next episode. Or perhaps it embodies where Fringe was at this point in time - restless, knowing things will change, and knowing that things will never be this way again.


IF PETER BISHOP NEVER EXISTED

Without Peter, the episode's events could have unfolded pretty much in sequence, as Peter's existence was inconsequential to what happened. Peter served as a sounding board, sarcastic commenter, comic relief, and a voice of encouragement - but not as a vital element to the standalone plot.


... So, Ella, to answer to your question: monsters aren't real, sweetheart. At least not every week. And thank goodness.

Fringe Summer Rewatch: #115 "Inner Child"

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.

Inner Child was an episode that threw all of us for a loop in season one. We’d gotten so used to gory episodes with bodies being put the through the metaphorical and physical ringer and our favorite fringe team trying to solve the murder. Outside of having an innocent, albeit weird, looking boy, there was an “old” case of Olivia’s that was reopened involving a killer known as the artist, but these are perhaps the least disgusting bodies we've seen so far.

The show starts off at a construction site with a demolition crew checking each part of a building for squatters before the wrecking ball goes through the building. Two men are just leaving the building talking about their plans afterward when one of them pauses, looking very confused. He then makes an excuse to back track to an area he wasn't sure they thoroughly checked and after looking more closely he discovers a cavity. Inside the cavity is a wild looking boy who is half starved and has never seen daylight.

At the same time as Olivia is notified that past unsolved case has been opened, Broyles puts the Fringe team in charge of finding out where the boy came from. At first Olivia spends most of her resources trying to solve the case of the Artist, working tirelessly to find clues and follow evidence to solve the case and the boy recognizes this and tries to help her by giving her hints and clues. It takes a mention from Walter about how he theorizes that the boy is an empath picking up on her feelings mostly and only wants to help her to wake her up more to the boy who's mystery she is supposed to solve. The boy senses her guilt over the matter and her desire to keep him safe and to give him a good home and helps her out one last time. This ends up being the final hint they need to save the latest victim from the Artist's planned fate. Olivia then begs Broyles to pretend to lose the boy so that the CIA won't take custody to run tests on him and for him to be put with a family so he could have a normal and happy life, despite his bizarre past. Broyles eventually agrees and I think looking back this is a big hint to what Broyles is really like. After having given his word to the CIA agent we would expect him to deny Olivia's request, but he doesn't, and I think this reflects Broyles soft spot for children and also for Olivia whom he is growing fond of despite their rocky start.

Things of special notice:

• The striking similarities between the boy and the Observers. Both their appearance and methods of relating to others. He even writes like the observers; not in the foreign language, but without looking at the paper.


• Olivia should've maybe considered going into a children's division with as good as she is with not just Ella, but other children as well. The found boy is only the first of several examples of how easy it is for her to relate to children and make them feel at ease.


• The child's first encounter of sadness and anger is through Olivia when she hears of the boy being taken away and the boy goes into a panic attack that only she can bring him down from. He obviously isn't used to feeling such strong emotions which begs the question how long has he been hidden and alone?

References:

• Amala and Kamala, the feral children of India. http://www.learninginfo.org/amala-kamala.htm
  

Unanswered Questions:

• How many others are there? The CIA agent suggests that this boy is only one of several that are already undergoing tests.


• Who put the boy into the cavern?


• How old is the boy? Walter theorized that he is "much older" than he appears and that he could not put an age on him.


• What medicine did Olivia have to take as a child that was yellow?


• What role does the CIA have in Fringe related cases and the Observers?

And lastly, If Peter Bishop never existed...

This episode really didn't have much Peter drama in it, but they might not have discovered the relation between plastic and cow's blood without Peter's meat packing facility experience. I guess Walter may have done some more strange stuff to the boy without Peter there to supervise if Astrid wasn't able to stop him.

Fringe Season 3 Finale - Part 1 of 2 - Slip Up Or Set Up?

Hey everyone!  Hope you are having a pleasant summer.  FringeTV is doing an episode rewatch of the entire series in the run up to the Season 4 Premiere but unfortunately that is more than I can take on at the moment.  I really wanted to do an article or two about the state of series after such a unique finale.


So here it is.  At least Part 1.  Enjoy!

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Ever had one of those experiences where you walk out of a movie or concert feeling so transcendent because you have just experienced something amazing?  You cannot wait to share the experience with your friends.  But when you do, you get a big shock.  


Most of your friends hated it.  Or had problems with it.  


Something you felt was brilliant, others detest.  Is there anything more deflating?


Deflated is how I felt about the general reception for the Fringe Season 3 Finale.  However, my opinion of the S3 Finale has not wavered.  I found it, and still find it, a bold and exciting direction for the show to take into Season 4.  


The removal of Peter not just from the events of the timeline of the past 3 seasons but Existence itself is unprecedented in serialized television.  The implications and possibilities of the removal of Peter for the next season are mind boggling.  Yet a lot of the feedback from fans and TV critics has been negative.  


As I read the feedback and the reviews certain issues began to repeat.  The main one, naturally, is the fate of Peter. Is he gone for good?  Is Josh Jackson done with Fringe?   Such reactions are understandable given the unique storyline Fringe has sprung upon its viewers. 

The removal of a main character from a TV series is absolutely unsettling.  It is meant to be.

The obvious answer is Peter will be back.  

For me, the more pertinent questions are:

1) How will Peter be reintegrated into the timeline?  
2) Will the new timeline Peter created allow both universes to survive?  
3) Did Time, like water finding the easiest path to flow, reconfigure itself as expediently as possible by removing the source of irritation?  ie Peter?  Is that correction a long term viable one?


Let us call the timeline we are familiar with in, 'The Day We Died,' the Prime Timeline.  It is not a timeline with a viable future.  The red universe is gone and our blue universe is dying too.  So the Prime Timeline is a dead end.  Peter came back to the present and built a bridge between the two universes. The result was a new timeline was created.  A new timeline with a chance to correct things. A new timeline where Peter Bishop does not exist.  

That is the sacrifice Peter made; most likely unknowingly. 


After the confusion about the removal of Peter, the next big complaint was that the future we were shown and the characters that inhabited it was a world many did not care about.  Here the complaints do carry weight because of the rushed nature of the finale.  More time was needed to build up the emotional ties for the audience.  The previous two episodes could have been compressed into one or one and a half installments and the extra time freed up would have been beneficial to the finale.


This is speculation on my part but it is possible that part of the lack of investment of the Prime Timeline is that is far too reminiscent of those Star Trek - The Next Generation or Voyager episodes involving time travel.  What worked beautifully in, ‘Yesterday’s Enterprise,’ later became a repetitive story device.  A future would be shown where cataclysmic major changes such as the destruction of the vessel and crew would take place.  Only to have it all undone by the end of the episode.  So any buy in by the audience was quickly dissipated and by the third or fourth of fifth time this trick was used the reaction became boredom.  


But that is not the case here with Fringe.


The end of the two universes is still in play.  Peter may have built a bridge between the two universes but the characters left behind have to be willing to cross not only the spatial gap but the philosophical differences it represents.  And yes it is sure to play out that the future world and destruction of the two universes will be prevented.  But that is a logical extension of any story where we expect the protagonists to triumph.  The two universes are still headed to their respective dooms at the start of Season 4.


Where the finale faltered was by not having the actions of the future characters tied to the events that caused Peter to leap into the future using previously setup antagonists.  In, ‘Yesterday’s Enterprise,’ the Picard Enterprise is fighting a war with enemies well established in that franchise.  A war the Enterprise C should have prevented.  In the Fringe future, the team is fighting a new entity that we have no pre-existing investment with. Ah, where was Mr. Jones, or even a, ‘Don’t Trust,’ Sam Weiss when one needed them?  A storyline tied to the Machine is what would have brought that needed emotional heft to the world of Fringe in 2026.

The drama for the next season should be how difficult will it be to prevent this mutual destruction. Especially with one of the major players no longer in the picture; Peter.  The journey next season should not only be a technological challenge but an opportunity for major character journeys and re-evaluations.  Without Peter, who will take his place in the Machine?  We know the Machine is going to be built and sent back in time based on the rules of Time in the discussion Walter had with Peter after Olivia’s funeral.  So someone has to take Peter’s place.  Is it Olivia?  Or will a paradox arise when the realization that the person needed is nowhere to be found?  To see the fallout with the remaining regular cast and how they have changed, and not changed, in a reality without Peter will be fascinating to see.

---

This concludes Part 1.

Look for Part 2 next Friday.  In it a further exploration of Peter's removal from the Prime Timeline will offer some, hopefully, new concepts for everyone to mull over.

Fringe Summer Rewatch: #114 "Ability"

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


Ability is one of the key episodes to the Fringe mythology, and the episode specifically builds upon the background of Olivia Dunham. It’s often cited as a favorite episode, and for good reason. I feel this is where Fringe gripped me for the long haul.

Viewers return to Germany and Wissenschaft Prison for a visit with Mr. Jones. Jones uses Walter's technology to escape from prison by teleportation.

Walter’s discussion of Dis-Re made me think of a few things. Although Jones just used it as a teleportation device, Walter said that it’s intended purpose was to travel through time. Peter’s present consciousness was ported to the future in The Day We Died. Did Walter at some point actually use the Dis-Re to visit the future or past?

Olivia’s meeting with Mitchell Loeb drops a few more bread crumbs. This is where the phrase “what was written will come to pass” was introduced. Nick Lane would use this phrase later in Bad Dreams. After Season 3, I wonder if Jones and his group knew that time-lines were being altered, and set out to stop it.

The ZFT manifesto was introduced here as well. One of Peter’s 'weird connections' reoccurs several times in the series. The rare and used book seller, Markham, was able to find the rare ZFT manuscript in a short amount of time. He obviously had several dealings with Peter. Markham even owned a copy of the First People’s book. How did he even get a copy?

When Olivia speaks to Jones after the raid, one sentence sticks out to me:

“Don’t worry, Ms. Dunham. If I wanted to hurt you, I would have… long ago…”

The ZFT excerpts are of great interest going into the fourth season. At first, I thought that the ZFT section read by Walter was describing the parallel (red) universe. But his mention that the beings' history is slightly beyond ours doesn’t make sense. The Observers may be these beings? Or the First People? (Walter? Peter? Ella? Astrid?)

We think we understand reality. But our universe is only one of many. The unknown truth is that the way to travel between them has already been discovered - by beings, much like us, but whose history is slightly ahead of our own. The negative aspect of such visitation will be irreversible both to our world and to theirs. It will begin with a series of unquantifiable natural occurrences - difficult to notice at first - but growing, not unlike a cancer, until a simple fact becomes undeniable. Only one world will survive.  It will either be us - or them. 

Olivia’s first try at the light box test was mirrored in The Last Sam Weiss when she tried to use the quantum entangled typewriter.

Olivia: So, I am supposed to just turn these lights off by looking at them. (Ability)

Olivia: No, it’s ridiculous, and even if it was possible, manipulating a light is nothing compared to manipulating the machine. (The Last Sam Weiss)

It is striking that Jones knew about Olivia’s treatment with Cortexiphan. Of course, Olivia is the most reluctant “recruit” of them all.

Jones is so happy to see Dr. Bishop. Later it is discovered that he despised Dr. Bell (There is More Than One of Everything) I wonder if something happened between Walter and William Bell that may have provoked Bell to remove parts of Walter’s brain…

After Olivia was successful in diffusing the bomb, Jones was happy and called her “My girl.” I’m one of the fans that has the suspicion that Jones may be someone important to Olivia, possibly even her real father.

Peter/Olivia

Of course, the biggest thing to note here is when Peter came back as Olivia was trying to diffuse the light-box bomb. He could have died along with Olivia, but he did not abandon her. With Peter present, Olivia was able to turn off the light box.

It has not been explicitly stated on the show, but several occurrences over the series have led to the belief that Peter must be present for Olivia’s abilities to work, in addition to heightened emotion such as fear and love.

Examples include, the Jacksonville “almost kiss," Peter/the apartment glowing in 6B, the typewriter in The Last Sam Weiss, and also Olivia's telepathy used in The Day We Died.

Some fans, including myself, believe that Walternate had to separate Peter from Olivia in order to kill her. Otherwise, she could have used her abilities to stop the bullet or to remove the gun from his hand.

Unanswered Questions

• Who is Olivia to Mr. Jones?
• 
  
• How long has Jones been keeping tabs on Olivia?
• 
  
• Was Sanford Harris’s group at odds with those that Jones was involved with?
• 
  
• Did Sanford Harris send Olivia on the raid to prevent her from helping Jones?
• 
  
• Who is the ZFT really describing?
• 
  
• Who devised the box of tests? Walter or someone else?
• 
  
• What were the symbols on the cards found in the box?
• 
  
• How did Jones and his people know about the Cortexiphan drug trials?
• 
  
• Did Jones know that Olivia would be needed as the "crow-bar" that could turn off the vacuum machine?
• 
  
• What exactly were the effects of the Dis-Re on Jones, who exhibited superhuman strength to escape from the hospital?

If Peter Does Not Exist?

It seems this war between worlds was in the making long before Walter stole Peter from the other universe.

• Olivia was treated with Cortexiphan at age three, before Walter crossed into the red universe and stole their Peter Bishop. Bell supposedly discontinued the trials. If Walter had no need to try and return Peter to his world, would Olivia have gone on in life without any further notice of the Cortexiphan?

• Since there is seemingly a grounding/activating link between Olivia and Peter, could Olivia even use her abilities at all without him?

• The ZFT manuscript was retrieved as a result of Peter's weird connection. Would there still be a way to find a copy?

• Would there even be a reason for the light box test, without Peter and the machine?

Joshua Jackson Shares His Favorite Peter Theory At Comic Con

Fringe Summer Rewatch:#113 "The Transformation"

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.

If you look around enough on the internet you'll find different people's comments regarding the Season 1 episodes. Surprisingly, some say they aren't too fond of them, and I find that hard to believe when you consider episodes like "The Transformation," which is one of my favorite Season 1 episodes. It has it all really-drama, scifi, fantasy, action, and romance.

"The Transformation" was written by Julia Cho and Zack Whedon, which is interesting, because it has a bit of a Pinkner/Wyman feel to it, in my opinion.

The Title and Possible Meanings
Let's look at the title. "Transformation" implies something changes from a former thing to a new thing. A definition I found on the internet is "a change in form, appearance, nature, or character."(That is a very interesting definition. Hold on to that one for Season 3.)

In this episode, poor Marshall Bowman transformed into something nasty, out-of-control, and deep-fried. His colleague, Daniel Hicks, started to transform but the process was aborted by the antidote. He survived thanks to the quick thinking of Dr. Walter Bishop, and the Peter/Olivia undercover team. Olivia Dunham transforms, in this episode, from a woman in love to a woman who loved, lost that love, and found some form of closure in her heart.
Something to ask yourself is, did Olivia Dunham's opinion of John Scott transform? From a traitor to his country and lover, to a confessor of secrets, and a man who truly loved his woman(even though it appeared he ran her off the road?)? We'll get back to that in a bit.

Olivia and Charlie Intereactions
If you loved Olivia's previous Season 1 conversations with her partner Charlie Francis,(and by the way, the more I rewatch these episodes, the more I miss our Charlie)you'll love what she tells him here. She barely looks at the manifest of the deceased passengers from Marshall Bowman's flight before she gets images of Marshall and Hicks talking with John Scott in her head. Olivia tells Charlie "I think this is our guy." Charlie asks her how she could know that and she replies after a beat, "Call it my gut." Charlie gives her that look, and walks off. This happens again not too much later when Charlie hands Olivia everything they have on Marshall Bowman, including pictures of his US clients. Liv focuses on a picture of Daniel Hicks and the visions start again. This time of Hicks telling John he needs to line up the money soon. She tells Charlie that Hicks was the guy Marshall Bowman was flying in to meet, and that they need to bring him in for questioning. Charlie again gives her that look. He calls her on it, and she explains that she and John shared consciousness and that some of his memories are still in her head. Charlie tells her he'll bring Hicks in for questioning. "That's it?" Olivia asks him, waiting for him to comment further. Ever the gentleman, Charlie Francis bows out gracefully, "Despite the thousand questions I have in my head right now. I'm going to bite my tongue."

More Glass Disks
Another fun thing in 'The Transformation" is Walter finding one of those glass disks in "fried dog man's" palm, which makes you think instantly of the one in Gloria Mendoza's palm in episode 103, "The Ghost Network." Olivia tells Peter about this(honestly, I'd have thought she'd told him before this) and Peter asks her if she thinks Bowman was some kind of agent. Which segues into one my favorite scenes, the one in which Charlie and Olivia interrogate Daniel Hicks.

Interrogating Hicks
Daniel Hicks is pretty cool and calm in the interrogation room of the Federal Building. He tells them he's in the inport/export business, of 18th and 19th century furniture. Charlie smoothly asks Hicks how he knew Marshall Bowman. Hicks says Bowman was his banker, and asks if he is in some kind of trouble. Then we see Peter and Walter observing the interrogation behind the 2-way mirror. Walter pipes up excitedly and says to Peter, "This is wonderful. Don't you agree? It's just like a good detective movie," which, if you've seen through Season 2 should make you think of the wonderful episode, "Brown Betty." Charlie asks Hicks if he's heard of Flight 718. Hicks tells Charlie the one where the plane crashed. Olivia pushes a picture of "fried dog man" in front of Hicks and tells him it's Marshall Bowman. Hicks gets a weird look on his face, studying the picture, and says, "I..I don't understand." Then Liv launches into it, telling him they think he knows exactly what happened to Bowman. She says they think he and Bowman intended to distribute a deadly virus, "and this is the unintended result."

Hicks still denies any involvement, but then his nose starts bleeding. Fortunately for Hicks, and for us, Walter's very lucid and even as Charlie yells toward the mirror for Peter and Walter to get a box of tissues, Walter tells Peter tissues won't help that he needs sedatives, "Now!"

Everything gets crazy as Hicks stands up, yelling "I need help." He proceeds to fall backwards and convuse on the floor. Walter and Peter rush in and Olivia asks Walter what's wrong with Hicks. He tells her he thinks it's the same thing as what happened to Bowman on the plane.

As Peter rushes through the first aid kit, he pops the top off a syringe and hands it to Walter who says, "I might be able to suspend the process." In a very un-Olivia fashion she grabs Walter's arm and shouts "No, not yet. Not until he talks."Peter gives her a glare and Hicks yells "Please!" After some more uncomfortable back and forth, Hicks gives up the name "Conrad," right before Walter injects his neck. Hicks falls back into another seizure that makes Peter say, "Oh, I don't think that's working," right before Hicks passes out.

Even More Glass Disks
Back in the lab, Olivia picks up one of Daniel Hicks's hands as Walter tells her he's not sure his antidote will work before Hicks tranforms. Olivia tells Walter to cut open Hicks hand so she can see if there's a disk inside of it. Peter gives her another glare, and Walter being Walter says, "I like cutting." The next thing you know, Olivia places Bowman and Hicks' disks on Broyles' desk and reminds him they've seen one of those before. She asks if the NSA ever figured out what they were for. Broyles tells her they were used for data storage. Then Olivia demands that John Scott's body be exhumed, as she believes there's one in his palm as well. Broyles starts to tell her his body can't be exhumed. Liv goes nuts and yells that she doesn't care about the red tape involved. Finally Broyles gets her to stop reacting and tells her that she can't dig up John Scott's body and that Mendoza's disk never went to the NSA. Hmm.

Broyles and Nina Fess up
We join Broyles and Olivia in a hallway of Massive Dynamic in the following scene. His explanation for their being there is interesting:

"One of the advantages of being the Defense Department's biggest contractor is that Massive Dynamic has money to develop technologies generations beoynd that of the US governament. So when we were unable to retrieve the information off the disks, I requested Nina's help."

If you've watched through Season 3 you should be thinking of Peter's conversation with Olivia regarding trying to get information from the shape-shifters' disks at the end of "Os." Everything really does seem to come back to Massive Dynamic, doesn't it?
Nina Sharp steps up to them and greets them. Then she says something quite curious to Olivia.

"For what it's worth, it was not my decision to keep this from you." As Nina says this she gestures with her hand toward what appears to be a highly-secure area of Massive Dynamic. Nina puts her palm on a keypad on the wall. The familiar glyph "leaf" that represents the letters "A," "B," 'G," and "H" in the Glyph Code depending on where the little yellow light is, pops up and the door opens. Poor Olivia finds herself staring at her dead lover as Nina and Broyles look on. Nina tells them they found a similar glass disk in John's palm with data that seems to implicate him in some kind of bio-terrorist cell. Broyles adds there were references to Conrad, but not enough to know his real name. Olivia gets frustrated as Broyles tells her a French informant told them there was a major weapons sale going to happen in Chicago, and the seller's name is Conrad. Olivia calls the lab and asks Peter if Walter's there, and you get the sinking feeling you know why. She tells Peter they've learned that Conrad will be selling the virus.
She also tells him if she's right and John was working with "these guys" he has it in his memory, "which means that it's in mine." Of course Peter puts two and two together and reminds her how dangerous this is. Liv ignores his comments, and tells him to have Walter prep the tank.

Olivia's Third Time In The Tank
Again, Walter Bishop is incredibly lucid as he navigates Olivia through John Scott's drug-superimposed memories. And this time Peter is there from the start to share in the fun. He gets to hear Olivia tell them she sees she and John at the hotel they used to go to. He gets to hear her shout and see her heartrate shoot upwards as John sees her and tries to move toward her. Olivia asks John straight on about Conrad and the weapon sale and it seems as though John's not going to cooperate. Poor Peter gets to see the monitors go bonkers when Olivia shoots John in her vision. He tells Walter they need to get her out right away, but Walter says it's too dangerous, that she's too far under.

Although frazzled, Walter manitains control and demands Olivia move to another place. In one of my favorite Season 1 moments, John confesses to Olivia he had the chance to kill Conrad, but didn't shoot him because he didn't know what he looked like. Olivia asks John who he was working for. Interestingly, he answers "Bowman and Hicks." He tells Olivia that he, Bowman, and Hicks were all undercover agents for the NSA Secret Task Force. Olivia tells him she doesn't believe him, but Scott sticks to his story:

"If we were to take out Conrad there could be no record of our involvement. That's why I couldn't tell you. Even though I wanted to."

Olivia asks him to prove he's telling the truth by telling her where the sale will take place.

John says he doesn't know but that Hicks would know. "He has it right in his hand." Then John disappears although Olivia keeps calling for him. Walter takes a look at the montors and tells Peter they need to get her out of the tank. In the blink of an eye, Peter yanks the doors open and drags her out. Astrid injects dextromethorphine via airgun into her leg, after which Olivia starts to calm down. In an awesome P/O moment(see pic above) Olivia realizes she's back and in Peter's arms. "Oh Peter," she sighs as Peter Bishop acts on pure instinct. He kisses her head and gathers her to him. "You're OK. You're going to be fine," Peter reassures her.

Olivia's Post-tank Discussion With Peter
Olivia gives Peter the impression they should wake Hicks form his medically-induced coma.
Peter reminds her he could still transform like Bowman did. Olivia reminds him the virus could be being sold anytime and Hicks is the only one who knows the details.
Peter has a very good reply to this. "And you're willing to take John's word that you can trust Hicks?" Peter snorts at his own words and adds,"It finally happened. I'm now referring to a dead guy, who exists only in your mind." Wow! That wouldn't mean much after Season 1, but if you've watched through episode 322 you may be thinking this is foreshadowing of Peter's new role in Olivia's head(And I'd be willing to guess you may be correct. We shall see!)

It would have been really fun to hear Olivia's response to Peter comment, but just then Walter interrupts their conversation to yell, "Boy! I need another bag of Midazolam right away!"
Peter reluctantly goes off to take care of it, and Astrid sticks her nose in.

Astrid Gets Empowered
Astrid, of course, heard the P/O discussion, and says to Liv:

"My mother always says I stick my nose into places it does not belong. I know we haven't known each other that long. But you are one of the best judges of character I've ever met. So I guess the question is, what's your instinct? When you were with John, when you were looking into John's eyes, was he for real?"

Remember, hardly anything in Fringe means nothing. Astrid's words here, after 322, scream foreshadowing, to me, of the likelihood of Peter Bishop, even though he doesn't exist, communicating with our Olivia in the future.

Olivia tells the three of them to prep Hicks, that they'r going to give him the antidote.
Walter looks up from his endless eating to say, "An experiment. How exhilarating!"

A few moments later, as Daniel Hicks tries to come down from his adrenaline rush, Astrid takes control in an awesome Astrid moment we need more of. "We know about the work you were doing with John Scott. Now we need your help."

Shady Deals, Shady Guys, Shady M.O.'s- P/O Style
How can you not love this? Olivia goes undercover as the buyer for the transforming virus.
Apparently Peter offered to come along, and Olivia reminds him as they sit waiting in the hotel lobby, that he didn't have to. He answers her as he sits looking stunning in a suit, "Shady deals with shady guys in shady hotels is my M.O." Ying and yang, if you ask me.

Olivia is communicating with a drugged Hicks via a radio transmitter implanted in her ear.
The seller, Galvin, arrives with his 2 bodyguards. After sizing up each other, they go up to a hotel room. There's alot of fun pomp and circumstance before they get down to business. Galvin has alot of questions for "Susan" and her chaparone, and Hicks only knows the answers to most of them. Galvin asks where Peter met Anderson. Peter clicks into conman mode and gives Galvin a beautifully intricate answer that makes the FBI guy next to Charlie Francis say, "Where the hell did he come up with that?"

Things are going well until Galvin asks "Susan" why Ernesto didn't call him himself to say he wasn't coming. Unfortunately, Walter's anitdote isn't working, and Hicks again starts to transform. Astrid has to knock him out, and the help stops coming. Galvin's phone rings, and he tells Peter and Olivia Conrad's on his way up to see them. Olivia, frustrated, tries to stall for time. Peter senses this and ad libs beautifully. Things heat up as he jumps up, he and Olivia arguing about Ernesto's dirty little secret of being gravely ill. Finally, Liv gives the signal, saying "It's true, he found out the day before Christmas." Conrad comes in and tells them all he just spoke with Ernesto that morning, and that he was fine. He gives the body guards the order to kill Peter and Olivia just as the FBI cavalry rushes in. Before Olivia leaves the room, she bends down to Conrad's ear and says, "John Scott says 'Hi.'"

Olivia's Debriefing With Broyles
Broyles tells Olivia that Conrad was a French citizen named Conrad Moreau. If you've watched through 322 that last name should ring a bell(no pun intended). He's wanted in regards to at least half a dozen biological attacks, "and you caught him," Broyles reminds Olivia. He notices her demeanour and says he thought she'd at least crack a smile. Olivia reminds him quickly she didn't do it alone. After a classic Broyles sigh, he reminds her that as far as the Department is concerned John Scott is still a traitor. That even if he was telling the truth, there's no way to confirm his story. Olivia tells Broyles it's OK because she knows the truth.

Olivia Dunham, Completing The Transformation
Olivia goes back that night to the lab. Walter is the only one there, as Peter and Astrid took Hicks to the hospital to recover. We learn that Galvin's antidote worked, despite the fact that Walter's did not. Olivia starts to ask Walter if he'd do her a favor. Again, a very lucid Walter Bishop interrupts her, telling her that even if she went back into the tank she might not be able to find John, as her brainwaves showed earlier she is successfully purging him and his memories.
Olivia persists, telling him, "The we need to do this now."

Olivia goes back into the tank and quickly ends up on a beautiful dock overlooking a partially -frozen lake. In an instant, John Scott is standing next to her. She tells him they got Conrad.
She tells him she should have trusted him. He tells her it wasn't her fault, that he wanted to tell her, but he guesses he just ran out of time. John pulls an engagement ring out of a box and slides it on her finger in a truly bittersweet moment:

"I know we can't ever be together. Not really. Maybe I won't know the difference. I love you."

They give each other a final kiss, and then John disappears.
Back in the quiet saline tank, Olivia says "I love you" out loud, Walter as her only witness.

Some Interesting Things About "The Transformation"
The image of the plane flying at the beginning of the episode is almost identical to the one at the beginning of the pilot episode.

After seeing an exhibit shortly after this episode aired at Boston's Museum of Science titled "Myths and Legends," the monster Bowman transformed into looks vey much like a chupacabra, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chupacabra, a legendary bloodsucking goat-attacking animal in the Americas.

"The one-half nipple rule" See, you really do learn things on Fringe! Walter tells us the number of young in a litter of mammals is usually equal to half of the number of nipples on the animal.

Olivia gets frustrated when Hicks is unable to give her anymore information. That is very reminsicent of when Olivia couldn't get the answer to the question to "Where does "The Gentleman live? in 107, "In Which We Meet Mr. Jones."

Astrid seems more confident and outspoken in this episode. We need more of that.

Unanswered Questions That Arise In "The Transformation"

-That's the first time in the series(so far) that Walter's antidote did not work. Why did Walter Bishop's transformation-stopping antidote fail?

-What was Marshall Bowman writing on his flight, that included the words "technology" and "dangerous"? To whom was he writing?

-Who put the glass disks in Bowman, Hicks, John Scott's, and Gloria Mendoza's hands?

-Nina Sharp told Olivia it was not her intention to keep "this" from her ie, John's suspended body. Who's idea was it to keep the information from Olivia?

-The Observers in Seasons 1, 2, and 3 refer to Peter Bishop as "Boy." Why does Walter call Peter "Boy" in this episode?

-Conrad's full name is Conrad Etienne Moreau. The "End Of Dayers" guy in 322 is also named "Moreau." Are the two men related?

If Peter Bishop Never Existed...
Would Olivia have tried to buy the virus weapon as "Susan" by herself? During their undercover op things got stressful and Peter had to ad lib to buy time. If there was no Peter, that operation may not have succeeded, meaning Conrad would still be out there making and selling nasty chemical weapons. Also, if Olivia had gone alone, she could have been killed.

Later in Season 1, in "Bad Dreams," we learn Peter has a calming effect on Olivia per Walter. If Peter never existed, Olivia might have had a very difficult time calming down from tank trip #3.

New Interview with John Noble

John Noble talks with Michael Ausiello about Season 4.

Fringe Teaser 2: Where is Peter Bishop?

Here is the second "Where Is Peter Bishop?" teaser from Fox.

Here is teaser #1.

Fringe Summer Rewatch: #112 "The No-Brainer"

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 "No-Brainer" episode doesn't appear to be essential to our beloved series, but it's a well-written and interesting episode.

The Fringe team investigates a series of crimes that turn out to not be Pattern-related(but could have been just the same), and Peter is hit with a situation that tests his ability to do what he thinks is best for Walter.

A nefarious computer programmer named Brian Dempsey designed a computer program that not only kills the viewee, but also turns their brains into awful-looking, liquified goo. First it's a teen-ager in Springfield, MA, then a car salesman in the same area, then a father in Chicago. When the third body is discovered, it's Olivia who conencts the dots, as victim #3 was Brian Dempsey's former boss. Unfortunately, Olivia Dunham has to dance around Sanford Harris again, who is back in Boston and threatening to shut the Fringe Division down if they can't come up with a suspect in the next 12 hours.

There's an interesting subplot that starts out with Peter intercepting a hand-written letter to Walter that turns out to be from Carla Warren's mother. (Prior to this episode, all we know from the 101 episode is that an assistant died in the Harvard lab 17 years prior to Walter's incarceration in St. Claire's.)Peter crumbles the letter and throws it into the lab's trash can as Astrid watches. As soon as Peter leaves, Astrid retrieves it from the trash. After the rotary phone rings on the lab wall scenes later, and Peter tells them it was a student looking for financial aid, Astrid waits until Peter again leaves and gives the note to Olivia, telling her she thinks she knows who was on the phone.

As Peter and Olivia return from examining the second body, Peter notices an older woman standing in the snow near the door to the Kresge Building. He tells Liv he'll meet her inside. Peter approaches the woman and asks if she's Jessica Warren. She acknowledges. A short conversation ensues and Peter makes it clear to the woman that her request to speak with Walter will not be honored.

Somewhere in this busy episode, Brian Dempsey sends his killer program to either Ella's or Olivia's laptop(it's not clear which). The "What's That Noise?" box shows up in the middle of Ella's software. First she yells for her mother, but after she gets told "One minute, Ella," and her mother never materializes, the young girl gets impatient and clicks on the start button. The program goes full throttle and the very creepy hand comes out, but when we return to Ella she looks uneffected. No liquid brains to be found anywhere. Meanwhile Peter has used another of his "weird connections" to discover the real time program is being downloaded to Olivia's internet address. He calls her right away and they both race to get there ASAP. Olivia gets home first and barges into her apartement with her gun drawn. Rachel drops pasta on the floor, shocked and swearing, as Olivia asks if there's anyone else there. Olivia finds Ella staring at the laptop screen, as she tells her niece
everything will be OK. Peter gets there and Olivia asks him to check out the back exit. The level at which Ella seems mesmerized by the screen is reminiscent of the victims of the green-green-green-red hypnosis in 108, "The Equation." Ella wasn't even aware that Olivia had returned home.

Olivia has called Charlie. She explains what she saw and how Ella seemed hypnotized by the images. Charlie goes to call Computer Forensics. Peter is busy entertaining Ella in the living room, as Rachel openly flirts with him. Olivia comes in and tells her sister to get her niece checked out as soon as possible. Ella tells them she saw a hand coming out of the computer. Olivia walks closer to the laptop and sees the green light in the "on" position for the camera. Brian Dempsey is watching her. He
says "That's right, Sweetheart, I'm the one you want."

Despite the busy schedule of trying to solve the case and find Brian Dempsey, Olivia finds a minute to confront Peter in the lab about his impromptu visitor. You can see Peter bristle form the get-go, but he encourages Olivia to give her opinion:"You really think it's a good idea...to put him through that?" Peter asks her.

"Well, I was thinking that it's all unresolved. For him. For her, and I was thinking that it must be hard for her too, to come back to the place where she lost her daughter."

"What's your point?" Peter asks impatiently.

"That you underestimate him, your father-and you shouldn't."

With that Peter practically huffs as he leaves Liv's office. Even Astrid can feel the tension as she comes in at that moment to talk with Olivia. It's really the first bonafide fight I believe Peter and Olivia have, and it's crisp, and genuine-feeling.

Of course Brian Dempsey can't be found at his house, and is unemployed, so Olivia brings Luke Dempsey back in for more questioning. Harris interrupts Olivia before she begins the interrogation, telling her what to do. The best line in that scene is Peter's as Harris finally leaves Olivia to do her job. "Every time that guy opens his mouth, I like him more and more."

Luke won't give up his father's hangout and asks for a lawyer, as Olivia predicted. She tells Charlie to wait 5 minutes and then let him go. Peter makes a face. "Did I miss something?" he asks. Olivia replies, "Just trust me," and Peter responds with a look that says our favorite conman really wants to.

As Olivia predicts, Luke makes a phone call in the Federal Building for a taxi. She tells another agent she needs to hear the call, and, as she listens in she hears an unfamilair Springfield address repeated by the taxi dispatcher. Just then Peter appears. Olivia tells him Luke just called for a cab. "One guess where it's taking him."
Peter says, "Oh come on. He cannot possibly be that stupid."
Olivia's reply, "He's nineteen." Peter thinks about that for a second and shrugs.

Thank goodness Luke Dempsey did hail that cab. It gives our favorite dysfunctional couple an hour and a half to continue their argument on whether Walter could handle Jessica Warren's visiti or not. And Peter jumps right in where they left off in her office. (You can read the second part of their argument in the "No-Brainer" transcript via the link below.) http://www.fringepedia.net/wiki/The_No-Brainer/Transcript

Peter tells Olivia off pretty well and she leaves it at that, then turns all FBI, telling him to stay in the car, reminiscent of her doing the same in "The Same Old Story," and "Power Hungry."

Peter encourages her to call for back-up, but Olivia doesn't want Harris to have a chance to sabotage things for her. Reluctantly, Peter stays in the car, until minutes later when he hears sirens approaching-probably figuring it's Harris.

Olivia gets all the way into Dempsey's computer lab and he sticks a gun to her head.
He tells her she messed up everything, and points a second gun at himself. Olivia tries desperately to get Brian to look away from his killer program, but he's insistant wanting to finally see what he created. Peter is confronted by Luke with a metal pipe as he enters, and as he tries to negotiate with the youth there's a gunshot. Peter's off like a shot himself to check up on Olivia.
He sees her bent over in the lab and yells "Dunham!You OK?" And Olivia is, but Brian's been fatally wounded and Olivia tries to explain to Luke that he went into a trance and shot himself. Luke tries to run out of the warehouse but is apprehended by Harris and company.

Peter watches as the Feds cart Luke Dempsey away and our favorite smart guy says something pretty stupid. "I don't get it. He knew he was killing those people. Why would the kid protect a murderer like that?"

Olivia answers as though the answer is obvious, "Because it's his father." Wow. If you've watched through Season 3 this is so reminiscent of the conversation between Peter and Walter in 322, when Walter says "I just wanted to say...at the trial, you spoke on my behalf..."

Peter does set it up that Jessica Warren gets to speak with Walter Bishop, and Peter is quite gentle with Walter about it, saying, Now, look..if you need me, I'll be right here," which is almost word for word what he said to Olivia in "The Dreamscape." (It does make you think that Peter Bishop may not be far from his little family after all, doesn't it?) Depsite Peter's earlier protestations, Walter handles himself beautifully, and comforts Mrs. Warren when she cries.
He starts to lead her somewhere in the lab and says "I'll tell you everything I remember about our time together," as Peter watches on, impressed.

The episode ends with Olivia and her sister Rachel talking in Olivia's living room.
Sweet little Ella comes in and Olivia tricks her into a big goodnight smooch.
Rachel escorts Ella to bed when Olivia's doorbell chimes. There at the door stands a slightly buzzed-looking Peter Bishop. Interestingly, Olivia never invites him in, but seems quite curious why he is there.

Peter explains he's had a few and that he walked to her apartment in Brighton. (FYI, that could have been quite a hike if their hotel was in the Cambridge area.) He tells her he may have been afraid to have his father back in his life. Also, Peter says he thought about what it would be like to have Walter speak with "that woman." Peter seems not to be able to finish any of his thoughts, except this one: "I wanted to say that I'm sorry. You were right. Thank you." Wow!
Did anyone see that one coming?

Interesting Things About "The No-Brainer"
This is the second episode of Season 1 that has a big father-and-son theme.
Here a father is doing(and has done) something wrong that is killing people, and the son doesn't know about it. When the son finally finds out, he's shocked and horrified.(Sound alot like "The Man From The Other Side"?) More surprisingly, the son protects "a murderer like that," as I mentioned earlier.

I was expecting some kind of tie-in to Massive Dynamic, and Nina Sharp telling us they knew all about Brian Dempsey's program, weren't you? Doesn't it seem likely that if a rogue computer programmer with an agenda could create something like that, that a multi-billion dollar company trying to control the universe(or universes, perhaps) could do the same? Maybe they already have and we just don't know about that yet.

We meet the first of several of what Olivia later calls Peter's "weird connections" in this episode. A young man named Akim, who is apparently an expert at locating the origin of computer programs-even with damaged hard drives. Peter does coin tricks in this episode also, and produces a coin that makes Akim exclaim, "You could have sold that for a fortune." If you've watched through Season 3 that should remind you of Peter's liberty dollar in "There's More Than One Of Everything," "Peter," and "The Last Sam Weiss." And Peter's reply to Akim is quite interestingly worded: "I kept it to remind me never to wager with anything that I couldn't bear to live without." Wow! If you've watched through 322, "The Day We Died," that makes you think that applies also to Peter's sacrificing himself so that he wouldn't lose Olivia.

Unanswered Questions That Arise in "The No-Brainer"
Why does Jessica Warren, the deceased lab assistant Carla Warren's mother, pick this time to contact Walter Bishop? What were the details surrounding her death in the lab?

How did Brian Dempsey get ahold of Olivia Dunham's email address?

Why did Ella's brains not liquify after viewing the "What's That Noise" program, like the other victims' did? Is Ella a "First Person?"(You'll get that if you've watched through Season 3.)

Peter picks up on Rachel's flagrant flirting with him. Is he affected by it?

If Peter Bishop Never Existed ...
He would not have taken the damaged hard drives to Akim. Therefore, they would not have discovered that the killer program was being downloaded to the laptop at Olivia's web address, and no one would have burst into Olivia's apartment quickly after Ella viewed the program. Would that have made a difference?

Who would have opened the envelope in the lab from Jessica Warren addressed to Walter Bishop? Would Walter himself have opened it? How would he have handled the situation?