Fringe Summer Rewatch: #306 "6955 kHz"

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.

When this episode first aired, all I could remember was the last scene from Do Shapeshifters Dream of Electric Sheep, hoping that someway, somehow, Peter and Altlivia were interrupted. Alas, that would not be the case, and we’d even get some conception from the deception in the future…

A Pawn’s Eyes are Opened

So, Alternate Olivia gets a first-hand look at the hopeless (not frustrated) romantic in Peter Bishop, when he playfully gives her a clue about something special in the Entertainment section of the newspaper - U2 tickets. This is all in addition to an impressive breakfast-in-bed.

As he spoke to Walter on the phone, her face showed some degree of uneasiness. The Secretary's son was genuinely sweet, and obviously very much in love with her alternate.

As the case involving people losing their minds to retrograde amnesia unfolded, she saw that Walter was a broken man, especially compared to the Secretary Bishop she knew. I’m not sure if she later used the pastries and kind words as a clever deception, or if maybe she was generally liking him. It seems her words in her diary (Reciprocity) about Walter being brilliant might have proven this to be the case.

Apparently Walter’s words about helping innocent people sunk in to her, because she told her shape-shifter accomplice:

Altlivia: I think you've done enough. We've got their attention. There's no need to hurt any more innocent people.

Joseph Feller: What do they say on this side? ‘All's fair in love and war?’ If they were in our shoes, they would do exactly what we're doing.

However, Peter would show that this viewpoint was false:

Altlivia: If you knew that only... one of our worlds could survive and if it was up to you, and you alone, to defend your side... You'd have no choice, right? I mean, you would have to do what you had to do... no matter the cost to protect... our world. 

Peter: There are billions of innocent people over there... just like here... people with jobs, families, lives. I got to believe there's another way. And whatever my part in all of this is... I got to believe there's another way. There's always hope, right?

Olivia also mirrored Peter’s viewpoint in Entrada, as she pleaded desperately with Broyles to help her:

Despite what you think, my universe is not at war with yours. This all began because a man came over here to save a boy and twenty-five years later, I came back to save that same boy. But if you let me die, then we will strike back and we will fight. But if you let me go, both universes can survive. There must be another way and I promise you I will find it. 

Yet when Walternate pulled all the stops and activated his machine, Peter was forced into a decision that went against his words. He had to do what he had to do.

There is another way… still yet to be found.

The Road to Forgiveness

This is an episode that is heavily Peter/Walter centric. I appreciate their dynamic as one of the main attractions that I have for the show. Walter fussed over Peter as if he were still a child, instead of a man in his early thirties. This would start to change.

Walter once told Peter that he his biggest problem was his lack of commitment. In this episode, Peter is committed to Olivia, albeit the wrong one, and he worked on trying to figure out the machine. Walter was not happy with Peter’s choice, telling him one of my favorite Walterisms:

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

The tension between Walter and Peter only escalated, each taking the opportunity to snipe at the other. Yet Walter later acknowledged his son’s intellect concerning the number stations, only to have the moment spoiled by Peter’s discovery of Walter’s tampering with his machine diagnostic efforts.

Some viewers express discontent with the fact that Peter never said the exact phrase “I forgive you” to Walter. Peter has always let his actions speak louder than his words, and the road to forgiveness took some time. I feel any less would have been the real shortchange. When Peter came back Over Here, he told Walter that although he could not see things his way, that Walter’s actions to cross universe twice in order to save his life meant something. This was a start. In this episode, the "Bishop Boys" come to an understanding and begin their unification.

In this episode, Peter expressed his commitment to learning about the machine. Walter told him that he was “Playing with fire,“ alluding to the story of Prometheus.

In the Harvard Yard scene, Nina Sharp reminded Walter that he was being hypocritical when it came to Peter’s work with the machine. Walter confided his fears to her:

WALTER: If only one world can survive, then it stands to reason that Walternate will use Peter to ensure that it's his world that does. But he has already built as much of the machine as he can. He gave the blueprints to Peter and asked him to complete it... even though... this... could kill him.

NINA: I remember, Walter, but who says this is the only outcome? It's a drawing, not destiny. Even if you're right about Walternate's plan, I mean, you don't know if he'll succeed. And given the stakes, won't Peter need your guidance more than ever?

In mid-season's The Firefly, September told Walter that there are many possible outcomes that may come to pass.

This line is one we may want to take to heart as the fourth season starts:

Walter... one of the things I have most admired about you is your optimism. Don't become a fatalist now.

Once it became apparent, thanks to Astrid, that the machine parts were buried all over the world, Walter decided to support surprised Peter with the quest.

The First Glance at The First People

Markham explained that the numbers were heard even before the radio was invented. I am assuming after learning the origin of the First People in The Day We Died, that they set-up the number stations so that someday, the machine parts would be found. I remember all of the speculation about these so-called people. Looking back, it was pretty funny. I certainly had a “you’ve got to be kidding me” moment when it was revealed who they really were…

But it’s not so funny when put into the perspective of this episode. Peter read parts of the book to Altlivia:

So according to this... something happened, some sort of cataclysm that so completely decimated the first people, they were just wiped out of the historical record.

We now know what Seamus Wiles did not: The First People came through a wormhole to the past. The cataclysm had its roots in the present.

Memory

A couple of thoughts concerning memories:

Walter said that, "The human brain is a miracle... a most resilient organ... a storage unit for everything you have ever known... seen, or felt. It's all still in there, whether or not you are conscious of that."

I wonder if this memory can “echo” across time-lines?

Walter made a statement to Astrid that seemed innocuous at first. But, as usual, some of his lines say a bit more than originally believed.

I simply meant that to break the code you would have to think like they did, and they lived millions and millions of years ago.

Considering Astrid was one of the First People…

Unanswered Questions

This episode was fairly well wrapped up by the season three finale arc, which explained the origin of the First People Book and the First People’s quest to bring the machine back to the past.

If Peter Bishop Was Not in the Equation…

At this point, I don’t think any of these events would occur without Peter’s presence.

'Fringe':New Pics! New Clues?

Fringe fans, pull out your magnifying glasses: It's time to analyze the cryptic new promotional images Fox has created to help launch the sci-fi saga's fourth season premiering on Sept. 23. Each shot features a cast member either on a curving pathway or on the steps of some ziggurat-like structure. In the background: A structure (Fringe division's Harvard HQ?) trapped in a bubble embedded with near-subliminal triangles. Above: Blue sky and puffy clouds. My Doc Jensen brain whirs with possibilities.

I see encoded allusions to Stephen King's Under The Dome, multiverse or ''bubble universe'' conjecture (also see: chaotic inflation theory), the surrealist paintings of Salvador Dali and Rene Magritte, and of course, The Celestial Sphere of the Great Pyramid. (Look it up! I'm sure it explains everything. That, and The Dark Tower, too.) You'll notice actor Seth Gabel in the mix; look for his once-recurring character, Agent Lincoln Lee, to get more screen time this season. We should brace for a terrifically trippy season that'll play with notions of reality, eternity, and all of Fringe history as we know it. Do you see anything that hints at a resolution to last year's cliffhanger question: Did Peter Bishop eradicate himself from reality by traveling through time? Post your own oddball observations in the comments!

Source:entertainmentweekly

Fringe Summer Rewatch: #305 "Amber 31422"

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.

When Amber 31422 first aired, I remember the reception being shaky. However, I really enjoyed this episode and do not feel it is a “throwaway” episode in any way. In an overall story involving doppelgangers, the tale of identical twins made me think about the nature of what makes us who were are. Plus, the similarity in the twins-switch versus the switched Olivias was engaging. I really enjoyed the performances by real-life twins Shawn and Aaron Ashmore. I also appreciated one of the many callbacks seen in Fringe: Walking through walls was used to steal hidden objects from vaults belonging to Walter in the Season One episode, Safe.

Olivia was fully immersed into the life of her counterpart from Over There. Walternate had no problem in fooling Olivia in a quest to find out how she was able to safely cross into his universe. Of course, in his viewpoint, Olivia was an invader and enemy. Yet I found it difficult to feel sympathy for him because he also treated the Olivia from his own world as a pawn. His Olivia was sent blind into another world, with no knowledge of Waltenate’s intentions for that world - or for his son. However, she was eventually able to see just how wrong she was treated by Walternate. Walternate used both of the Olivias’ desires to be heroes to his advantage.

The Weight of the World

This episode showed some more of the consequences of Amber protocol, particularly the loss of many lives. Yet, there was a terrible secret that was kept from the public: Those trapped in Amber were not dead, merely in a state of suspended animation.

Walternate felt the loss of something precious. His son. He also described the first time he had to initiate the Amber protocol, and the date stuck out to me: October 17, 1989. The date of the earthquake in San Francisco, which in our world was important. In the episode August, the parents of Christine Hollis died in the earthquake. The observer August watched her all of her life, and he fell in love with her - he protected her with his very life.

Walternate told Broyles a statement that pretty much encapsulates his character:

Nature doesn't recognize good and evil, Phillip. Nature only recognizes balance and imbalance. I intend to restore balance to our world. Whatever it takes.

Unfortunately the true “balance” meant the survival of both worlds, as Peter came to find out before blinking to wherever he is - or isn’t…

While I truly can not feel complete sympathy for him, Walternate's heart-felt issues concerning the magnitude of Amber dispersal did show a soft side to the man. Truly, it would be awful to have to do terrible things to some families, so that the greater good could be accomplished. Walter would face some of these very hard facts in 6B when he had to grapple with the same reservations about using Amber as Walternate did. Even to the point of Ambering Olivia and Peter, if it came down to it.

How Far Would You Go?

Joshua Rose made a mistake and paid for it many years. But as he said, he never gave up. He wanted to do “one good thing,” so he made sure that he was trapped in Amber at the end, so that his brother could rejoin his family in peace. Danielle Rose had mentioned that Matthew had complete awareness the entire time he was trapped, and that his last fearful thought was stuck in his mind. At least in the end, it seemed Joshua was stuck in a thought of happiness for doing the right thing. Once again Fringe shows how far one would go for those he or she loves, and this is another example of “being a good man.”

Two People Who Look Exactly Alike

The key to projection Peter’s statement to Olivia concerning the Rose twins being comparable to her situation with her alternate is the word “Look.” He also brought up an example of two twins that Olivia knew in school, one being smarter than the other. In other words, same packaging, but different contents.

In the case of Joshua and Matthew, they may have been genetic copies, but otherwise were very different. Joshua exhibited a capability with technology whereas Matthew was an accountant.

It is a terrible thing to look like a killer. Joshua, posing as his brother Matthew, told Olivia and Lincoln:

JOSHUA ROSE: My-- my brother-- ripped families apart, okay? Mothers and husbands trapped in amber because of the crimes he committed. He'd know better than to contact me. Do you have any idea what it was like for me when Joshua's face started showing up on the news? I mean, every time I went to the market, to a movie, take my kids to Little League... people would look at me and see him.

OLIVIA: That must have been very difficult for you. 

JOSHUA ROSE: You know, just because we look alike, it doesn't mean we have anything in common.

Walter spoke about Walternate in The Day We Died:

Imagine coming over here to try to save the world... only to be stuck here when your world was destroyed. Not to mention having the same face as the most reviled man in the universe.

When Olivia came back from the other side, she had to come face-to-face with the revelation that she was essentially replaced. She dallied back and forth thinking that her alternate was Peter’s preference. It really hurt when she told Nina Sharp, “She’s like me, but better.” Olivia discounted herself so much.

It must have been terrible for Danielle Rose to live with a man that looked exactly like her trapped husband. After all the time he was gone, they were able to pick-up where they left off, still very much in love.

For All Intents and Purposes?

The personality of our Olivia peaked through the attempt at making her just like her alternate.

• When she was investigating Joshua Rose’s apartment, she noticed the sound of leaking gas, but Lincoln and Charlie did not. Was this an example of acute hearing exhibited by Olivia in prior episodes? 

• When Olivia figured out that Matthew was being played by his brother Joshua, she was very tenacious with Broyles. Very much like the Olivia Dunham we knew from the Pilot episode and the early part of season one. She simply would not take no for an answer. Alt-Astrid seemed taken aback by her relentless drive. 

• She also exhibited the kindness that I love in Olivia. When she saw Matthew Rose’s son, she wrapped up her investigation, knowing full well what had really happened.

What is Real?

Projection Peter made another appearance, and explained to Olivia that pills would not make him go away. Olivia told him that he’s “not real,” to which he smiled. I’m fairly well-convinced that Olivia’s visions of Peter will have far more significance in season four. One of the lines in The Firefly seemed to be a bit of Peter being sarcastic with Walter but did this line mean more?

 WALTER: Peter. You're up early.

PETER: Oh, no, I'm still asleep upstairs in my bed. You're just talking to an astral projection of me.

Unanswered Questions:

Did Lincoln Lee lose family/friends to an Amber quarantine?

Walternate mentioned to Broyles a breach in Harvard yard. Did this have anything to do with Walter in our universe?

Did the other Olivia receive a phone call from Rachel about the call with Ella? It is odd that nothing ever came from the sudden call drop due to Olivia crossing back Over There.

If Peter Was Removed From the Equation...

Olivia was Over There because of Peter. The events that caused the breaches in the universe may have still occurred without Peter. So, if Olivia wasn’t Over There…

Joshua Rose might have been able to avoid detection and avoided encasing himself in Amber if our Olivia was not on the case.

Charlie and Lincoln may have died in the blast at Joshua Rose’s apartment.

Fringe Summer Rewatch: #304 "Do Shapeshifters Dream of Electric Sheep"

Join us for ourFringe 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. 

"You know... sometimes... monsters aren't all that bad. Sometimes... if you get to spend some time with them, they can be very surprising. They can be, um, incredibly sweet and pure and capable of great, great love. And then, one of them might actually become your very, very best friend." - Ray

"Do Shapeshifters Dream of Electric Sheep" was an episode of deception and close calls.  We start off at a restaurant with Peter and Olivia laughing and playing a game after they've already finished dinner.  The game is: who/what other people are which in my opinion is kind of ironic as they're trying to see past the exterior of their fellow restaurant patrons to who they really are when the biggest fraud in the room is Olivia (who is wearing bright blue).  When they go to leave, Olivia asks for a moment to use the bathroom and we see that it is getting harder for her to keep up the charade with Peter.

Pan over to Senator VanHorn who is buying lemonade from a stand run by two neighborhood girls who know him buy name.  When he drives off he is too distracted with the sight of the girls in his rear view mirror and is broadsided by a truck and rushed to the hospital.  Broyles meets up with Patricia, VanHorn's wife and he demands to know what is happening to his friend when they hear gunshots.  Broyles rushes to help only to discover Newton stealing VanHorn before accepting that he won't be able to escape and take the Senator with him and shoots him in the eye before making an escape out a window.  Broyles goes to VanHorn's side and is shocked to see that VanHorn is a shapeshifter and not the friend he had known for so long.

Walter has his first day at “work” at Massive Dynamic and our first taste is of Walter lecturing a group of scientist while “tripping” and also stripping.  Peter and Nina interrupt before he gets too carried away saying there's a case.  They meet up with Broyles who relates the details, but Walter (who does his best working while tripping out) is still high and tells Olivia, “Your hair is like gold diamonds in the right light”, perhaps a play on the glimmer from the other side as he’s staring at her hair.  Olivia takes an out and calls Newton to ream him for his mistake when he fires back that he's pretty sure Peter is onto her already or will be if she doesn't start playing her part better and though she seemingly brushes off his accusation, she seems slightly shaken at the idea of her cover being blown.

While Olivia and Peter are searching Van Horn's office he finds a suitcase with the background of every fringe agent and the panic is really beginning to set in for Fauxlivia.  They meet up with Broyles to discuss the ramifications involved with this discovery and end up at Massive Dynamic.

Newton wakes a sleeping shapeshifter from undercover and gives him the mission of stealing a shapeshifter-VanHorn’s body from the 23^rd floor of Massive Dynamic.  This shapeshifter, named Ray, is posing as a family man with a wife and a seven year old boy.  He’s been undercover now for five years with the family and appears to be attached to the family, especially when Newton orders him to kill the family when he’s finished.

It begins to hit home to the Fringe gang that the shapeshifter infiltration could be worse than they thought and Broyles has authorized tests for anyone high enough in the government.  We discover that Walter has found a way to get the answers they need, simply by asking shapeshifter Van Horn who is having a reaction to pictures of Van Horn’s wife.  Walter theorizes that the shapeshifter had to pretend to have an emotional connection with VanHorn’s wife to make it believable and ended up falling for her, making the emotional attachments real.

Ray talks to his “son” before leaving to do his job and they discuss how monsters aren’t all bad and sometimes they are capable of great love and good. 

Patrician VanHorn talks to the shapeshifter who has posed as her husband and she tries to get a reaction from him and once she begins talking about the family they begin to map out the activity to the base of his spine.  When she talks about forgiveness, he seems to wake, repeating a code of sorts that ends up being information about their anniversary.   Peter ends up pulling the plug on the shapeshifter when Patricia begins to freak out over the words he’s saying.  Olivia then receives a text saying that they need to leave the floor in 15 minutes before the body is taken care of and talks Walter and the others into grabbing a snack at the cafeteria for a break.

When in line for food Astrid mentions animal cookies and how Walter loves them, but Walter is adamant that it was William who loved the snack and not him and goes on to talk about how a stegosaurus’ was William’s favorite dinosaur and then freezes up when an idea hits and he tracks back to the 23^rd floor, meeting Ray in the elevator who looks as if he might make the switch for Walter’s body but changes his mind as they get to the floor he’s supposed to end up on.  That could’ve been one more person just playing a role.  The shapeshifter kill the security guard and only knocks Walter out after Walter tries to kill the shifter with a knife.  This makes me think maybe there are orders to keep Walter alive out there, because the shapeshifters have been more than ruthless in the past and this change doesn’t seem likely if there wasn’t.

Meanwhile, Peter and Olivia are talking and he poses that Patricia must’ve have noticed something was off with her husband after two years of the switch, just like how he had noticed the changes in Olivia since they had come back.  Originally watching this scene I could’ve sworn Peter had figured it out and he really did just like Fauxlivia more than the original, but it later becomes clear that he didn’t know.  He does claim to like the changes he’s seen and how it’s not bad, just different.

When Peter and Olivia realize that Walter isn’t with Astrid, Peter panics and they rush to get to the 23^rd floor when the shapeshifter exits the elevator just as they are entering it and Peter is the one to notice the mercury blood on the elevator buttons and make the connection.  They split up so that Olivia can “follow the shapeshifter” and Peter can check to see if Walter is okay.  When Peter finds Walter unconscious and dazed the relief Peter feels and shows is just an example of how far they have come already since the end of season where Peter was still angry with Walter for what he did.  After Peter goes through the security videos they track down who it was that stole the disc.

Meanwhile Newton is waiting for Ray back at the house and asks why he didn’t shift after he’d been told to and Ray said it was unnecessary and that he had gotten the disc anyways.  Newton tells him that he already took care of the family and Ray freaks out and Newton says that he was lying.  He goes on to explain how he couldn’t understand Ray’s attachment to the family and asks Ray to move on to another life.  When Ray refuses Newton kills him on the spot and drags his body into the trunk of his car.  Peter and Olivia arrive at that moment and a car chase ensues.  Newton’s car flips in a tunnel and they’re able to apprehend him, but not before Fauxlivia steals the disc from him.

Fauxlivia brings Newton a chip and he lectures her on how she's not willing to cross the last line to make her cover stick and Olivia is unable to deny it and she leaves him before he continues.  Newton slips the chip into his mouth and begins convulsing and dies in his cell.  Fauxlivia send Peter a text that they need to talk at her place.  When he arrives at her place she tells him that she lied and that doesn't want to talk and they proceed to make out against the wall and we find that she isn't so unwilling to cross that line as she thought.

Unanswered Questions:

• Why did the shapeshifter not kill Walter?
• Did they end up getting the disc from Ray who was still in the truck?

Side bits:

• Check out the song "Alive" by Superchick if you're interested, as all I can think about during this episode is this song and it sounds ever so Fringe-esk.

If Peter Bishop never existed...

Walter may not have found his focus he needed to get the case solved and Fauxlivia would have one less person to convince that she was our Olivia.  Fauxlivia definitely wouldn't have had to sleep with a Bishop... or would she? Okay, I'm done cringing and laughing now, but in all seriousness, we wouldn't have a baby Henry after their wild time between the sheets.

Exclusive:Fringe Season 4 Promo Poster Revealed!

Today's News: Our Take Exclusive: Fringe Season 4 Promo Poster Revealed!
Sep 1, 2011 05:00 PM ET
by Damian Holbrook
Fringe: Where is Peter Bishop?

Right here, folks! In this exclusive first-look at Fringe's Season 4 promo poster, fans finally get proof that the producers won't be playing games with our hearts by keeping Josh Jackson's recently evaporated character out in the ether for too long. In fact, as you can see from this Escher-meets-action ad, our boy is clearly back and seems poised for action alongside Liv, Walter and a lot of expectations when the show returns on Sept. 23 at 9/8c on Fox.

"This season we have earned [the right] for Peter to be more self-actualized," says executive producer Jeff Pinkner. "He's a huge component and key to the really big stuff we're [doing]."

Phew! So now that we know that, who has a theory about the fallen cubes imagery? And how excited are you for "Fringe Fridays" to fire up in three weeks?
Source:tvguide.com

Exclusive First Look:Fringe World Is Shattered!

Exclusive First Look: Fringe World Is Shattered!
Get More: Exclusive, First Look
Matt Webb Mitovich

Any speculation that life (lives?) on Fox’s Fringe will never be the same is confirmed by the brand-new key art for Season 4 — and TVLine has your first look at the conversation-starting imagery.

As seen below, the Season 4 poster features series leads Joshua Jackson, Anna Torv and John Noble, their characters’ worlds seemingly “shattered” by the events of the May finale, in which Peter joined the two universes with a portal room, only to then cease to exist. Oh and hey, there’s also a few Observers… observing.

More to the point, the poster promises a “New Beginning” for Peter, Olivia and Walter — and a storyline that enters “New Dimensions.” Check out the image (CLICK TO ZOOM), then share your latest expectations for the out-of-this-world-and-that-other-world drama, which returns Friday, Sept. 23, at 9/8c.

Source:tvline.com

Fringe Summer Rewatch: #303 "The Plateau"

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 have often reread my progress reports and seen the illiteracy, the childish naivety, the mind of low intelligence peering from a dark room, through the keyhole, at the dazzling light outside. I see that even in my dullness I knew that I was inferior, and that other people had something I lacked - something denied me. In my mental blindness, I thought that it was somehow connected with the ability to read and write, and I was sure that if I could get those skills I would automatically have intelligence too.


Even a feeble-minded man wants to be like other men.

                                                             - Flowers For Algernon

The thing about Fringe is that every time I watch it again, I find things I missed before. Doesn't seem to matter how many times I've seen it, the ever expanding story adds new layers to all that's gone before, and re-watching inevitably uncovers some new connection that I never expected. The Plateau seemed fairly straightforward the first time I saw it, but having seen it several times since, I've found that I'm still making those connections – and I may never make them all.

In a nutshell, our story is that of Milo and Madeline (“sounds like a children's book.”) Milo was born severely mentally deficient, with a measured IQ of only 65, but his little sister adored him anyway. They liked the same cartoons, played the same games, and she looked after him when their parents were gone. But she worried for him, that he'd end up getting hurt, that he'd never be really happy. And so she tried to help him, with tragic consequences. The experimental neorotropic treatment she volunteered him for turned out to be far more effective than anyone had dreamed, and the once helplessly disabled boy became a super genius with a mind capable of impossible calculations, literally overnight. Much like Charlie Gordon, Milo enjoyed his new intelligence, dazzled at the bright new light shining into his once dim world. But unlike Charlie, Milo's stunning IQ wasn't going to revert on it's own; it was to be taken from him. And Milo resorted to murder in order to keep it.

The irony of the situation is that Milo was now intelligent enough to murder and almost certainly get away with it – if he'd simply killed his victims and dumped their bodies he most likely would never have been caught. It was the arrogance that accompanied his new brain, driving him to kill in the most impossible way, that caught the attention of Fringe division and led to his eventual capture.

But enough about Milo the evil genius, we're in this because of Olivia, and the alternate Fringe team that's begun to really grow on us by now. 

After her traumatic but (apparently) successful brainwashing in her last episode, Olivia is now back at work, secure in her identity – at least on the surface of her mind. She slips with deceptive ease back into the rhythm of her alternate's life, falling into the easy banter that makes the OT Fringe team so much fun to watch. It is so good to see Charlie again.

But her “re”-intergration into her other's working life isn't as simple as it first appears. Broyles, who knows the score very well, is troubled by the deception, worried about his own Agent Dunham, and not at all comfortable with Secretary Bishop's assertion that if her new identity doesn't hold OurLivia will “no longer be necessary.” And Charlie's long friendship with his Olivia is definitely causing him to pick up on a new strangeness. He's suspicious, remembering her desperate assertions that someone was trying to make her believe she was someone else, knowing she has a doppelganger from another world. But she passes his memory test, and when Lincoln dismisses his concern as “nuts” he reluctantly lets it go, for now.

As for Olivia, she's hallucinating people she's never met. Except that one of them is telling her that she has, that she's not from here, that she can't forget who she is, can't forget this. And even though she can't possibly know the man in the pea coat, this is a kiss that makes her ache to remember it, even if it never really happened.

And that, to me, sounds like a potential road map for the beginning of season four.

Parallels:

"We all get really good at pretending that the loneliness isn't there and then something comes along to remind us. I know what it's like to have a hole in my life. It's been there as long as I can remember."

Here she is, popping pills to try to bury the feeling that something is not right here, something is in fact very very wrong. But the pills aren't helping, the feeling won't go away, and Pea Coat Guy, who she knows is Peter Bishop, except that that's impossible, the Bishop kid was kidnapped and probably murdered twenty-six years ago - he won't go away either. He comes to her when she's alone, and sometimes when she's not; smiling at her with warm affection, laughing at her stubbornness, kissing her...

She should want him to vanish forever, but she can't. Because somehow he feels truer than all the things she knows to be true.

Personally, given the quote above, I think the first few episodes of season four are likely to be quite similar in emotional tone, if not in content. Of course that's purely my own speculation. ;)

Another parallel I just picked up on this time around: Lincoln, like Peter, dismisses the oddness in the woman he loves. Even when Charlie confronts him directly with his suspicions, Lincoln considers only briefly before laughing it off as crazy talk, even making fun of Charlie for getting bamboozled by a doppelganger. All of the hints, Charlie's concerns, even his own personal experience with Olivia's ravings, and he still can't seriously entertain the notion that Olivia is not Olivia. Both of them, blinded by love.

And finally in the correlation department, Milo exhibits abilities uncannily like those of the Observers. He's able to do that creepy mind-reading thing, finishing Madeline's sentences for her at every turn. Milo believes he can do this because he can see the most probable outcome of any interaction with his sister, or indeed with anyone. And he can certainly see a million possible outcomes to any given situation, and deduce which one is most mathematically likely to occur. It's not exactly the same thing, but the similarities are close enough to be eerie.

Random observations:

Walternate: "Over time, she will reach a plateau and her new identity will become fixed." And so I believe it does by the end of this episode, except that it's not the new identity that becomes fixed. The Peter Who Wasn't There made sure of that.

"Even a feeble-minded man wants to be like other men" But Milo became something more, or arguably, less, than a man. He consciously chose to reject his humanity in favor of his intelligence, looking Madeline in the eye for the last time before telling her “that's irrelevant now,” in response to her pleading assertion that his family always loved him. And by the end of the episode, he's completely lost to her. Even a feeble-minded man is capable of love. Milo no longer is. I would argue that Charlie Gordon was by far the more fortunate of the two.

“I'm still a scientist Brandon, I just have a much larger laboratory.” - Secretary Bishop

“They're calling these events The Pattern, as if someone out there is experimenting, only the whole world is their lab.” - Agent Broyles

People Over There are well aware of Fringe Division, and they're afraid of them. The receptionist at the hospital immediately asks if they're being quarantined.

Olivia hallucinates Walter giving her the sweetest smile in the hospital, possibly because it reminds her of a mental institution. Subconsciously, she misses him too.

Olivia's hair quite noticeably changes colors throughout the episode. In her first scene at fringe division it's entirely red. In the next scene, investigating the first bus accident it's got the beginnings of blonde

streaks - just in time for her to see Peter across the street. And the blonde streaks are even more evident after she hallucinates her Walter at the hospital. It doesn't stay streaky the whole time though. Maybe it's just the lighting, or maybe it's a visual indicator of the two sets of memories warring inside her.

Easter Eggs:

The clock in Frank and Olivia's apartment reads 8:15 when they're about to have dinner. There's a sign in the background at the third bus accident that reads “Oceanic Plaza.”

There are Tinker Toys in Milo and Madeline's house, a visual throwback to Earthling, where Walter built a molecular model of the ET/Vasiliev entanglement.

There's a leaf on the lampshade in their house as well. And a collage of red, yellow and blue butterflies and tulips on the wall. One of the Tulips is white.

Unanswered questions:

Did Bolivia ever really love Frank? Ostensibly, she slept with Peter as part of her cover, but she readily, and I believe honestly admitted later that it became “something more.” I believe she did love Peter, at least a little, but if she loved Frank, would she have been able to cross that line in the first place? In The Plateau, Ourlivia was adamant that she didn't want Frank to stay, and he was more than a little stung. She also quickly changed the subject when he said that he loved her. Her own personality showing through? Or Bolivia's real feelings?

Would Bolivia recognize that Milo was reciting the digits of Pi?

The Walternate quote above recalls first season references to ZFT and The Pattern. Did those story lines get dropped, or were some of those early cases related to Walternate's war with our side?

If Peter Bishop didn't exist:

Milo, his tragic experiment, and his murder spree would have likely still taken place, but Ourlivia would almost certainly have never crossed over, and the two would have never been switched. Instead, Bolivia would most likely have been killed exactly the way Milo predicted she would. Walternate might still have been seeking to cross over, but it's unlikely he would have had Ourliv to use as a Guinea pig.

John Noble in Science Channel's "Dark Matters" Premieres Tonight

Science gone awry
‘Fringe’ star gets dark and twisty
By LARRY GETLEN

Last Updated: 7:59 AM, August 28, 2011

Posted: 8:26 PM, August 27, 2011


A Russian scientist in 1920s Europe tries to create “an army of ape warriors” -- first by artificially inseminating a female chimp with human sperm, then, when that doesn’t work, by reversing the process, implanting ape sperm into a young Russian woman.

Is there any surprise that the person telling us this gruesome and remarkably true tale is John Noble, the star of “Fringe?”

“It was a primitive attempt at genetic manipulation,” says Noble, who plays genius Walter Bishop on the Fox drama and is also hosting “Dark Matters: Twisted But True,” which premieres Wednesday.


WEIRD BUT TRUE: Noble weighs in..
“We’re far more sophisticated these days in terms of our understanding of the human genome. At the time those experiments were done, they didn’t have that knowledge, so they were just trying to cross whatever they could. It raises the question -- why would you want to do it?”

For each of the show’s six hourlong episodes, Noble brings us three true tales of science gone awry, including a scientist who transplanted the head of one monkey onto another, and a woman who was attacked by her own hands.

The show employs re-creations over Noble’s narrative, and hopes to prompt the viewer to contemplate science’s dilemmas.

“The question is, is there anything we shouldn’t approach? Probably not,” says Noble, whose “Fringe” character discovered an alternative universe thanks to the use of LSD. “There was absolutely nothing wrong with what Einstein did: He found a way to allow other scientists to split the atom, and it was a wonderful, exciting time. That fact that it was used for destruction, it doesn’t take away from [what he did], or make it not legitimate and wonderful

Source: nypost.com

Don't forget to support John Noble by watching "Dark Matters" on the Science Channel http://science.discovery.com/tv/dark-matters/

tonight at 10PM!

Fringe Summer Rewatch: #302 "The Box"

This is not the face of a cold-blooded killer.

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.

For every Olivia lover, there is a Bolivia lover. That's me. And it happened right here.

It's the first mystery since getting back from the other side. Something dug up from the basement of a Milton home, Walter discovers, is emitting ultrasonic frequencies that induced some form of vegetative trance before killing its victims.

We find out it is a piece of the machine Bolivia meant for Peter to find. When the only living witness shows up with it, at Olivia's apartment, Bolivia finds herself in a difficult situation. The look on her face, when Newton suggested he would kill Joe, was transparent. The idea was an unpleasant one. You can almost read the thoughts going through her mind. Newton didn't need to know about him. Now he's going to die because of me. This is my fault. Knowing that there was no way for this guy to get out of this alive, she had to pull the trigger herself. Judge all you want. This was still a mission and she did not take pride in what she had to do. So yeah, she is allowed to say sorry.

In these early scenes, there isn't much pretending on her part, as she approaches each situation with reserve. On the surface, she is essentially Olivia. It doesn't have to be an act. It's a good thing Olivia was not close with anyone around her or she would have been discovered sooner rather than not at all. Bolivia is more or less free to be herself in order to get Peter invested in the machine. She tells him that he can't do that without Walter. I like the scene that follows.

PETER: I feel like I'm stuck in one of those bad buddy cop movies. Like I'm handcuffed to a...

BOLIVIA: ...to a mad scientist who kidnapped you from another universe?

This too would prove to be true and made even more meaningful when she chooses to help people on the other side. And speaks volumes of her good character.

...meeting another Olivia Dunham has made me think about the way I look at the world, the choices I've made.

The gentleman preferred blondes. Somehow when Peter said in "Over There, Part 2" that he liked hers better, did not seem, to me, just about hair colour. Although, in my opinion letting it down did work in her favour. If Olivia did not find Peter, he might have at lease one reason to stay.

Interesting to note, later in the apartment, what Bolivia says to Peter is similar to what Broyles said to Olivia in the first episode.

You can't expect just to go back to the way it was before overnight.

Unanswered Questions:
William Bell's legacy to Walter was Massive Dynamic and the letter. DON'T BE AFRAID TO CROSS THE LINE. Refers to something Bell used to say. Something The Secretary will echo over there in "Amber 31422".

Only those that risk going too far can possibly know how far they can go.

It was William Bell who urged Walter to cross over and it was Walter who thought it was dangerous to do so until he had to cross universes to save Peter. What would have been Secretary Bishop's line to cross? He was first and foremost a scientist, it would have to be about science. Might we find out what he aimed to achieve in Season 4?

William Bell gifted Nina a bell that reminds me of Peter's comments in "The Day We Died".

I didn't say I didn't get my bell rung.

Is this a clue about who Peter is?
What else did Nina get from William?


If Peter Bishop Never Existed...
and a piece of the machine turned up, Walter would have figured out how it was killing people and know how to block its ultrasonic frequency.

New Season 4 Canadian Promo

CityTv released last week this new video to promete Season 4. The promo doesn't contain new footage, but it's a good overview from past seasons 

Fringe Summer Rewatch: #301 "Olivia"

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 season three premiere episode, "Olivia" starts off with our Olivia in restraints sitting across from a doctor asking her questions. Olivia tells the woman that she is from another universe and that the photographs they are showing her of Charlie, Lincoln, even her mother are not people she knows. The doctor asks her why she thinks they would try convincing her she's someone she's not. Olivia doesn't know why but it is certain she is not the Olivia the doctor is telling her she is.

Confusing much? Of course, it's Fringe. We're next shown Walternate informing Brandon that the treatments aren't working and that they should continue with another dose, even if it kills her. His reason: "Somehow, this girl came here. Somehow, she is equipped to move through universes. We need her to help us understand this skill because if we can do it, we can win this war. And if not, soon, there'll be nothing left to protect. Let's try again."

Olivia is then taken from her cell to a lab, strapped down to a table and injects a blue liquid into her. She fakes feeling ill and Brandon orders for her to be unstrapped and to sit up. It is then that Olivia makes her move on a daring escape.

Other things of interest

Alternate Olivia may have won a medal for marksmanship but Olivia has done an amazing job at shooting suspects as well. Even though she mentally thinks she's not that great of a shot -- in "Grey Matters" we see Olivia shoot at the van that is attempting escape. She manages to shoot the driver in a moving vehicle and another suspect in her attempt to arrest Newton (who she temporarily captures).

Henry's words, "sometimes you just got to believe what you can't see." Sounds like a huge clue for season 4 and Peter Bishop.

The sign on the cab reads "DOGS" instead of CATS for a broadway musical over there.

When Olivia is in the cab, she sees an electronic sign for Glatterflug, making daily trips to the moon.

We've seen Glatterflug at least once before. It was the airline used in the Pilot episode.

Questions not yet answered

What kind of trouble was Henry in before getting his life back together? Is there a Henry in our universe?

What does the tattoo on the back of Olivia's neck mean? We've seen it before and now our Olivia has it.

Who ordered the amber protocol at the Opera house? Perhaps it was Walternate? Was there a need for it (breakdown of the universe) or was it because they suspected Olivia could try and get home in the same way she arrived?

Massive Dynamic doesn't exist over there so where is Nina Sharp and what does she do? Does she even exist?

Who owns Glatterflug?

If Peter didn't exist

We didn't see much of Peter in this episode and we certainly didn't see any Peter on the other side where Olivia was at. We did see Peter back in our universe with Fauxlivia.

Had he not existed Olivia would not have crossed over, been captured and held captive by Walternate. Olivia would not have needed to escape and would not have Fauxlivia's memories injected into her. Olivia also would not have met Henry had she not crossed over and escaped.

Is it possible Olivia would have been willing to succumb to some crazy Walter experiment if Peter didn't exist? Would she have willing crossed to the other side for a reason other than Peter Bishop?

New Fringe Promo 4x01 "Neither Here Nor There"

Fox aired today a brand new promo for Season 4, with new unseen footage. Hope you like it.