FRINGE RECAP 10
Season 3: Episode 12 “Concentrate and Ask Again”
“Boy, I know you can read my thoughts. Meow meow, meow meow, meow meow, meow meow, meow meow, meow meow, meow meow, meow meow.”
This week’s episode definitely felt like another bridge episode, which may be a definite negative with other shows, but with FRINGE it still meant we were in for a great ride. From the book ending Nina Sharp scenes to the continuing pangs of the Faulivia invasion (which I’m glad is now tied directly into the mythology and is not just some sappy romantic side-plot), this episode moved fast, and even with all the mythological implications it still had a case for our characters to work on, which I’m always happy to see in FRINGE.
NOT A CORTEXI-FAN
First off, this section heading has become my favorite of any I’ve used so far in these FRINGE recaps. I don’t know why, maybe I’m just crazy, but it makes me laugh every time I read it.
Anyway, in regards to said cortexiphan, I really like when they call back to all the kids that Walter and Belle experimented on, especially as it opens up a lot of possibilities for future episodes and seeing more of these kids and their abilities.
I do wonder why Olivia didn’t try to persuade the mind-reader to allow himself to be taken and helped by the FBI, like they did with the other cortexi-kids the Fringe team encountered (empathy guy, fire girl, cancer guy), as they all learned to control their abilities with the government’s help.
Also, I would really like to know what question Walter thought to the mind-reader at the end, and what the answer was, because in the looks they exchanged right after the assassins were killed, its clear something was expressed. One recap I read stated that he was pretty sure it was a silent apology from Walter, but I can’t help but wonder if it was something else. Maybe Olivia wasn’t the only one interested in Peter’s thoughts, and Walter had been wondering something like, “Will he [Peter] ever forgive me for what I’ve done?” Just something to think about (no pun intended)/.
OLIVIAS TWIST
In regards to the big reveal that Peter still has feelings for Fauxlivia, I had a feeling this was going to happen from the moment Fauxlivia was arrested and told Peter how the assignment had become personal for her. While last week I commented on Olivia’s thoughts about how she and her doppelganger, so similar mentally and emotionally, would obvious fall for the same guy, it’s just as obvious that he would fall for both Olivias for the exact same reason. However, I don’t think Peter at the moment is thinking that he wants to get back together with Fauxlivia. I think something else would have to happen for him to reconsider that. Such as….
Is Fauxlivia pregnant? The Observer hinted at it a few episodes ago, and now I’m thinking it more and more likely, especially as it would make for a really good reason for Peter to want to be with Fauxlivia (wanting to be there for his child and be a real father as he never had). And with next week supposedly taking place Over There, I can’t help but wonder if perhaps we are going to be seeing Fauxlivia taking some kind of pregnancy test.
As for our Olivia? Is she dooming her world by holding on to her anger at Peter? While I can see her point, and understand why she’s angry and everything, I think its about time she start to get over it, especially as Peter’s made every effort to show her that she’s the one that he wants, and that he wouldn’t even be Over Here if not for her.
SHARPER THAN SHE LOOKS
While I was excited to see Nina examining the First People books, I couldn’t help but think: It took you that long to figure out an anagram Nina? She’s the head of Massive Dynamic for Christ’s Sake, she should be smarter than that.
And while we’re on the subject of Sam Weiss, how the hell did she meet him in the first place? There’s a flashback story I wanna see, as I’m sure it’ll also entail some of the other secrets Nina and Belle kept, as well as give some insight into just how many men Nina had a relationship with. I mean, did she really have feelings for Belle, Walter and Broyles? And which of them did she hook up with?
One other question I have with her is, and this is a big mythology question, how many Fringe teams have her and Broyles been involved with? Either in the 1st or 2nd Season I clearly remember a board meeting with upper level government officials (and Nina!) in which they discussed the current Fringe team and “hoped it would last longer than the others.” Who were these others? What happened to them? And why does Nina have such a vested interest in the whole Fringe department? (Besides hooking up with Broyles)
WEISSING UP
It’s about damn time we saw Sam Weiss, we’re more than half-way through the season and I’ve had just about enough of this “will they won’t they” crap about Peter and Olivia and Walter’s whole guilt trip, I just wanna know more about these First People!
I loved how Sam knew exactly what was going on as soon as he realized that Nina knew he wrote those books, and seemed to be all caught up on everything that was going on. Does this mean there’s some kind of First People network spying on the whole Fringe team? Or, if Sam is a First Person, are they somehow psychic, and able to see the future and the past as the Observers do? I want answers FRINGE producers!
Also important, did Nina seem at all surprised that Sam was a First Person? I think not (although, to be fair, we’re still not sure ourselves, as him having wrote the books doesn’t necessarily prove he’s a First Person). She seemed more interested in why he wrote all the books and what they meant than in what he actually was, which makes me wonder if Nina knew all along about the First People and who Sam was. Perhaps this was why Nina sent Olivia to him last season?
My last question of this section, what was the point in writing all those novels in different languages? Was Sam trying to ensure that Peter could be born in a handful of nations and still be able to find a copy of the book he could read?
MISCELLANEOUS
There was a point in the episode with Broyles mentioning something about setting up a quarantine zone, which made me wonder if it was foreshadowing, or just playing with words? I thought it was great as it definitely reminded me of what the Alt-Fringe team did, and made me wonder if perhaps someday soon (if the machine is at least partially used against our world) our Fringe team might be amber-ing some areas to protect the fabric of our universe.
This was kind of an Astrid light episode, perhaps I was wrong about her impending doom? I’m not sure, but I do enjoy her screen-time and I hope she’s featured a little more in the alt-universe episode.
Also, I am damn excited that next week is in the alt-universe. I’ve been wondering how things have been faring Over There ever since Walternate killed Alt-Broyles, and I’m really looking forward to seeing how things are developing with Fauxlivia. (MY first guess, I think she might be the new head of Alt-Fringe)
Ok, this was kind of a random moment, but when mind-reader man was hearing Walter’s thought, I distinctly heard Walter say: “You assume that we were the first homo-sapiens?” When did he say this? Is this foreshadowing that Walter knows something about the First People that he hasn’t revealed? Or was this a part of Walter’s old personality that he lost; First People knowledge that was destroyed with his missing brain matter?
Alright, that’s it for the week. Keep watching, keep reading, and keep praying for FRINGE to get renewed!
NICHOLASGRAFF.com 