Fringe Episode 405: "Novation"

Tonight on Fringe Friday is the long awaited fifth episode of season four "Novation".

SOME THINGS ARE NOT MEANT TO BE TAMPERED WITH

In the aftermath of recent shocking events, things really escalate when the translucent shapeshifters return. As the threat and circumstances intensify, a former Massive Dynamic scientist Malcolm Truss enters the fold. Meanwhile, Nina Sharp pays Walter a visit in the lab.

Chat live during the episode, then after the show discuss the episode here in the comments, and get more information:

• "Novation" episode page on Fringepedia
• "Novation" transcript on Fringepedia
• "Novation" screenshot gallery at FringeFiles
• "Novation" promotional photos at FringeFiles

Also, don't forget to check back here after the episode for Observer sightings, Glyph codes, and other Fringe Easter Eggs.

How do you rate the Fringe episode "Novation"?

FringeTelevision LIVE Chat Room for "Novation"

Tonight is our weekly LIVE Fringe chat for the Fringe episode "Novation", where we play "spot the observer", and "What's the glyph code?", plus discuss the action on the show.  
 
Reminder: this season we have our own new and improved chat room at chat.fringetelevision.com

Come join the fun, and don't forget to enter our Watch Fringe LIVE And Win Contest tonight!

Watch Fringe Live And Win Contest #405

We have a whole batch of new prizes for our weekly Watch Fringe Live And Win! contest.

The winner from the last episode is Janet Dung from CA. Janet will be receiving a copy of "Fringe: The Complete Third Season" on DVD, compliments of Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Marketing Group on behalf of Fox.com/Fringe. Congratulations!

The current list of prizes includes:

• 5 Black "Fringe" T-shirts (size M only)
• 1 Gray "Save Peter" T-shirt (size L only)
• 5 Fringe "Lenticular" notebooks (cover change between Walter/Olivia and Walternate/Fauxlivia)
• 5 Fringe Travel Mugs
• 5 Fringe LED flashlight keychains
• 2 Fringe mousepads
• 1 Fringe Season 3 DVD set

Two new changes to the contest from now on:

1. You will be able to choose the prize you want (while supplies last)! If you want that "Save Peter" shirt, you probably better win it tonight...
2. We are opening the contest to Fringe fans all around the world. You no longer have to be a US resident to win, however if you do win and you live outside of the US, you will be responsible for paying for the shipping.

Don't forget to Watch Fringe LIVE tonight and come back here to enter for your chance to win!

Rules:

During tonight's episode of Fringe, follow @FringeTV on Twitter, and post a tweet that says:

I entered the "Watch Fringe Live And Win!" contest at @FringeTV http://bit.ly/WatchFringeLive #fringe

to enter the contest. So you don't have to miss a single minute of Fringe (or any commercials ;), we will start the entry period 1 hour prior to the east coast episode airing (8pm EDT), and close it 1 hour after the west coast episode airs (11pm PDT).

To be eligible to win, you must tweet the exact messages above with no changes.

The winning names will be selected at random from all eligible entries.

Happy Fringe Friday and good luck!

Click here for step-by-step instructions on how to enter.

Read more »

Fringe Early Buzz: "Novation" Previews

Here are some early reviews and interviews for tonight's Friday Fringe episode "Novation":

TVLine.com: Fringe Cast Previews Peter's Return: 'It's Certainly Not the Reunion He Wished For'

He’s back! Peter Bishop has returned to Fringe, and there will be plenty of fallout starting with this Friday’s episode (Fox, 9/8c). What does this homecoming mean for the members of the Fringe division? And how has Peter’s absence changed them? TVLine got the scoop  from the cast on each character’s reaction, during a Vancouver set visit arranged by Warner Bros. TV. More...

LATimes.com: Josh Jackson on Peter Bishop's return to 'Fringe'

"Fringe" made a gutsy move at the end of Season Three. Plenty of shows kill off characters in a season finale, but how many can say they completely erased one of their main heroes from all of existence?  Not only did ‘Fringe’ delete Peter, but the show also kept him deleted. Olivia, Walter and the rest of Fringe Division spent the beginning of Season Four in a world with no Peter Bishop, so when I got a chance to talk with Josh Jackson about Peter’s return to "Fringe" this week, I asked if the rest of the cast teased him about basically getting to sleep on Season Four. “I don’t know if it was teasing,” Jackson joked, “as much as a lot of dirty looks.” - continue...

PopMatters: 'Fringe': Classic Realism in a Postmodern Space

“Novation”. the title of the new Fringe episode, is an obsolete word for “innovation”. to make something new or to renew. It’s an apt word for Fringe, because this is a series that has renews itself regularly, this season by removing Peter Bishop’s (Joshua Jackson) identity and making him a stranger to all but himself. This is a kind of archetypal nightmare touch: you return to father and lover and they don’t know you; no one knows you.- continue...

Fringe Ratings: How to Overcome Nielsen Invisibility

Everyone knows that TV shows live or die by their Nielsen ratings. A month into the season, several shows have already been axed due to their lack of performance in the ratings system, and several more are in imminent danger. Many argue that the system is antiquated, and that in this fast paced digital age people are consuming their entertainment differently. No one I know has ever been, or ever met a member of a Nielsen family.

Genre shows like Fringe exist constantly on the bubble, faithful fans watching and worrying every week over those frustratingly ephemeral numbers. It’s nerve wracking, tiresome and not a little bit insulting to feel that our loyalty counts for nothing because we lack a little black box. But things are starting to change: slowly, reluctantly, the ‘statistical sampling’ system that’s served as TV’s judge, jury and executioner for over half a century is at last being mitigated with new ways of collecting data. Networks are acknowledging that DVR and online statistics carry increasing weight in their decision making processes, scrambling to figure out how to account for the shifting landscape of television viewing to the advertisers whose money really drives the business.

Read more »

Fringe: The Shape Of Things To Come

Fringe executive producers Jeff Pinkner and Joel Wyman talk about the new and improved Shapeshifter 2.0.

Fringe Schedule Update: Only Three More Episodes This Year

The mysterious @MaskedScheduled has confirmed that we will only get three more episodes of Fringe this year (instead of four), due to the preemption by the World Series.

The remaining Fringe schedule for 2011 will be:

11/04 - "Novation" (#405)
11/11 - "And Those We Left Behind" (#406)
11/18 - "Wallflower" (#407) - Fall Season Finale

Fringe will resume with new episodes on January 13th.

Yes, it's very unfortunate, but chalk it up to bad luck. If there hadn't been rain-out on Game 6, of if the Texas Rangers would have won game 6, everything would have continued as normal.

Before the wave of complaints start rolling in, lets be perfectly clear. I am as big of a Fringe fan as anyone, but if I were Fox, I would have done the same thing. Well... maybe I wouldn't have shown a rerun on 10/21, but hindsight is 20/20.

Here's the facts: Although some of you may not enjoy baseball, most people watched the World Series. In fact, Game 7 was the highest rated show on any network this season, pulling in 25.4 million viewers. Compare that to Fringe ratings, which have been averaging about 3 million per episode. Also, consider that the price of a 30-second commercial during the World Series is almost 8 times more than during Fringe ($450,000 vs $57,589). 

Feel free to complain in the comments, but can anyone argue with those numbers?

Now about that almost two month break - breaks happen. There are 35 weeks in a normal television season, and Fringe has a standard season order of 22 episodes. That means there are always going to be 13 weeks of either repeats or breaks. Fringe has always had a winter break, and will actually be coming back a week earlier than I expected.

We will have lots of fun stuff going on during the rest of the season and during the break, so check back often. And don't forget to enter our "Watch Fringe Live And Win!" contest every week!

Beyond The Fringe Comic #2: Chapter B

DC Comics has released the fourth comic in the "Beyond The Fringe" direct-to-digital series.

Beyond The Fringe #2: Chapter B was written by Christine Lavaf, is available now for $0.99 via Comixology.com.

Here is the official description:

Imagine If... Astrid Was A Spy?

Visit another reality where Fringe agent Astrid Farnsworth is not only Walter Bishop's research assistant, but also an undercover spy in the service of someone very familiar ... and surprising!

Order "Beyond The Fringe" here

Fringe:Discuss Why and How Do Olivia and Nina Know Each Other?

It's Wednesday, and time for another installment of our feature, Fringe:Discuss,
where we post a question and ask for your comments and opinions.

It's been 3 long weeks since episode 404, titled, "Subject 9" aired.
In it the following conversation took place between our Olivia Dunham and Nina Sharp:

NINA: So you told me about the Fringe Event, but I think you left something out. It's happening to you, isn't it? (motherly) Now, come on. I haven't seen this much fear in your face since Bobby Hastings asked you to the prom. So what can I do to help you, dear?

OLIVIA: (delighted with her docent) You've done it. Walter thinks he knows how to deal with it. We just need to find the file.


As you can read above, Olivia and Nina have a history in this timeline that they did not have in the one from the first three seasons.

Q:In the newly-established timeline, Olivia and Nina are closer than they were in the previous one.
    Why and how do Olivia Dunham and Nina Sharp know each other? Any theories?


Please post your comments below, and remember, do NOT post spoilers here.
If you wish to discuss spoilers, click on the "Fringe Spoilers" tab at the top of the page and post your spoiler comments there.

I look forward to reading everyone's theories on this interesting turn of events.

Who Is TV's Sexiest Female Sidekick?

TV Fanatics decided on television's Sexiest Male Sidekick last week, and the results weren't even close. Now, it's time for the ladies to represent!

Thanks to nominations submitted by loyal readers, the gorgeous field is set, as the following 10 women hope to earn your votes through their looks, lines and actions. From blowing up baddies to brewing up mayhem, which of these blistering beauties are almost too hot to handle?
 Decide now!

Kono Kalakaua (Grace Park) - Hawaii Five-0
Britta Perry (Gillian Jacobs) - Community
Angela Montenegro (Michaela Conlin) - Bones
Donna (Sarah Rafferty) - Suits
Fiona Glenanne (Gabrielle Anwar) - Burn Notice
Pam De Beaufort (Kristin Bauer) - True Blood
Caroline Forbes (Candice Accola) - The Vampire Diaries
 Astrid Farnsworth (Jasika Nicole) - Fringe
Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski) - Chuck
Bonnie Bennett (Katerina Graham) - The Vampire Diaries


See the TV Fanatic article and vote for Astrid here! Currently, she's in the lead!

Fringe Noble Intentions: Subject 9

John Noble discusses the psych evaluation letter Walter finds in Olivia's jacket, in this latest episode of Noble Intentions, for the Fringe episode "Subject 9".

Fringe: Baseball Happened

Here is a tongue-in-check promo announcing the one-week postponement of Fringe due to the World Series game 7.

Fringe will return on November 4th with the episode "Novation"!
There is a new clip from "Novation" in this video, so you may not want to watch if you are avoiding spoilers.

What did you do Friday night with no Fringe?