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“I love you Dad.”

Words not even heard, but rather mouthed during the chaos of the final moments of FRINGE, that for me, said it all.

In the end, FRINGE was always about family, the relationship between an estranged father and his son as they struggled to understand each other and rebuild their family. Through 5 seasons, 3 timelines, 2 universes, and 1 almost big bang universe creation (orchestrated of course, by William Bell last season),  Walter, Peter and Olivia have always managed to save the day and keep their family together, finding love through all the hard times. And I enjoyed the idea that their bond, their family, is what ultimately saved the day, as it inspired September to not only have a son, but to love him and protect him as Walter did for Peter.

So I know it’s been about a season and a half since I’ve recapped, but in honor of FRINGE, let’s just pretend we’re in an alternate universe in which I never stopped writing recaps, and this is the just the last one in a long line.

For me, the highlights of the finale were the Walter moments, when he was essentially saying good-bye to his family and friends, without actually letting them know that they’d never see him again. Especially heartbreaking to me was the scene with Astrid in the amber, when she showed Walter  that Gene the cow had been saved in the amber. (I love the idea that the cow was still alive and in the lab) When she speaks to Walter optimistically about how once the plan is finished they’ll be back in the lab again drinking milkshakes together, I couldn’t help but feel profoundly sad for Walter, who didn’t want to ruin her hope, yet knew that would never come to be. And then when he finished the scene by (finally) saying Astrid’s real name, and complimenting the name, I’m not ashamed to say I got somewhat choked up.  And when Walter and Peter watch the tape with Walter’s farewell, I was amazed at Joshua Jackson’s performance, the sadness and yet acceptance at the inevitable, and the burgeoning respect and love for his father, who had grown so much over the course of the series. And it tied in perfectly to the end, when Peter sees Walter leading Michael into the wormhole, and Peter alone knows what Walter is doing. And he mouths “I love you Dad,” not only encouraging his father for his ultimate sacrifice to save them all, but all calling him “dad,” which meant so much to Walter, and told him that Peter fully accepted him and forgave him for everything that had happened.

Walter’s sacrifice was, to me, the perfect bookend for the series, as everything that happened occurred because of his original sin of crossing universes and abducting Peter. In the end, he crossed yet another barrier, but this time to save the world, fully knowing that he would have to give up life with his beloved son to do so. Plus, it gave consequences to the final solution to the Observer problem, making it a happy ending but making it so the characters earned that ending by losing one of their own. And the final image of Walter, holding Michael’s hand, an old man and a little boy walking through a portal, was a phenomenal final shot for the man, harking back to him leading young Peter through the original universe hopping portal, another subtle call-back to the lore of FRINGE.

And there were many call-backs in this finale, and I loved them. From going back “over there” to see Lincoln Lee and Bolivia, to Gene the cow, September’s friend December, the butterflies attacking the Observer, the bloody 6 fingered hand imprint on the wall, all the way to the strange black pod being used to subvert the wormhole to send Walter and Michael to the future. It was subtle and clever, and I loved that they did it this way, instead of just having a bunch of cheesy flashbacks to previous episodes like so many other shows do during their finales. And my favorite callback, Olivia and cortexiphan. It was such an integral part of the show for 4 seasons, and then it disappeared this season, and I was so glad for one final appearance in the finale. I loved that they showed off the full range of Olivia’s abilities, from jumping between universes, to blowing out lights, and my favorite, her telekinesis to kill Windmark. I am incredibly happy that they let Olivia kill the man. She was always THE badass of the show, and I love that she used what she once thought of as her weakness (her childhood trauma and testing) to destroy a man who had always lorded over them how much more powerful he was than everyone. She was the one who remained in control after Windmark killed Etta, she was the one who had to be strong for her family, and I love that in the end, she was the one who got their revenge by viciously crushing the bastard between 2 cars. That was one of my favorite moments.

I do still have a couple of questions. There’re kind of nitpicky, but I think they’re valid issues I have with the end. Why did September just give up on the plan when Walter disappeared? The episode showed that he could clearly build the machine himself, he had the boy, why did he need Walter? Also, why couldn’t September just go with Michael into the future? Why would he want to be separated from his son? I know they said that Walter demanded that he be the one to go, but it still doesn’t make a lot of sense to me.

My other question is regarding the White Tulip. How did it get to Peter at the end? It clearly had to have been Walter that sent it to Peter, as September  had no idea what had happened to it, but how did Walter send it back in time to be delivered to Peter? Or, on another note, maybe I’m reading the situation wrong. The white tulip was a symbol of God’s forgiveness and love for Walter, perhaps it was a higher power that delivered the tulip to Peter at the end, knowing he would have a tough time of it once he discovered that Walter had disappeared from the timeline.

Yet, I still think the series ended incredibly strong. They came through on their premise for both the show and the final season, while also finding clever ways to call back to much of FRINGE lore and history. The series felt cohesive and well made, and I will proudly recommend it to anyone looking for a smart sci-fi show with a lot of heart. I’m going to miss FRINGE, but I’m glad that TV can still produce such excellent shows. I look forward to the next addicting show…

FRINGE RECAP:

S4 E4 SUBJECT 9

“Please help me, Doctor, I keep seeing into the future!”

“Ah. And when did this start?”

“Next Tuesday.”

As always, don’t read this recap unless you’ve seen the episode, as there is a major spoiler involved.

I’d like to think that my return to the world of FRINGE recaps spawned the resurrection of Peter Bishop the following episode, but clearly it was just really good timing on my part. With the return of Peter I’d say we’re finally getting to the meat of the season, and ending the introductory 1st act of the season (it’s been this way for the past 2 seasons. For example, Season 2 the “first act” episodes of the season involved all 4 episodes until Olivia finally remembered what she and Bell spoke about. And in Season 3, the intro “first act” episodes were all those until Olivia returned home.)

Also, I’d like to agree with a number of commenters on the internet who’ve been angry with FOX for their FRINGE promos giving everything away, as I never believed for a second that the blue energy blob was some random astral projection of another cortexiphan kid, and it was entirely because of the promos declaring the “return of Peter Bishop.” Figure it out FOX, don’t hurt a struggling show by blowing all their big surprises.

CHRIST… NO, IT’S PETER

So I noticed a lot of religion sprinkled about this episode. From Walter’s stigmata wounds after his hotel room freak out, to Peter’s resurrection from the water, even to the fishermen who found him and carried him ashore. I’m not sure if it’s some not-so-subtle foreshadowing about Peter’s role this season, though if it is, I wonder who would be the devil in this metaphor.

But it is good to see Peter, and I’m glad his return didn’t just magically return everything back to normal. Otherwise all these episodes introducing us to the new timeline would have been a waste. Don’t get me wrong, I suspect we’ll all be back in the original timeline before this season is finished, but I wouldn’t expect it till the end of the season. My last question for the Peter section is this: could the time he spent in the machine, which seems to operate outside time and space and universes, be what allowed him to survive his erasure and break back into the universe?

ERES TU MI NINA?

First of all, it was good to finally see Nina and Massive Dynamic again, especially since they had become such an integral part of the show over the years. It was odd to see the angry relationship between Walter and Nina (though I suspect he blames her for Peter’s death since her interference shattered the cure vial and forced Walter to kidnap Peter, which of course led to the boy’s death in Reiden Lake on their return to our universe in this timeline… Looking at that past sentence, I’m beginning to see why some people claim FRINGE has gotten too complicated for the casual viewer, ha).

I am very curious about Nina’s new relationship with Olivia, as it seems as though they have known each other a long time in the new timeline. Could Nina have somehow been the one to find Olivia after she ran away (and potentially killed her step-father) and then raised her to adulthood? That would certainly explain any coolness she feels toward Walter, as she would be blaming him for messing with those children in the trials, one of whom she then had to take care of.

Also, in Nina’s introduction she is lecturing some folk at Massive Dynamics about the moral implications of their nanotechnology, which was odd as it had nothing to do with the plot of this week’s episode. Could this be some kind of foreshadowing?

REMEMBER, REMEMBER – THE WAR OF SEPTEMBER

Is September declaring war on the Observers? Aside from disobeying their orders to destroy free-floating Peter from the timeline, he was right there watching as Peter was reborn, and he did nothing. Which brings me back to my theory that the villains of the seasons are going to be the Observers themselves, with September defecting to the FRINGE team. Perhaps Peter is meant to do something that will negate the Observers purpose, and rather than allow that to happen, they’ve instead chosen to erase the problem. And September, having saved Peter a number of times and watched him and his family all this time, has sympathy for the mortals, and decides their lives are worth more than the uncaring Observers. I dunno, but it would make for a cool arc this season.

MISCELLANEOUS

First off, is William Bell dead in this timeline? And if he is, doesn’t that mean that Walter owns Massive Dynamic still? And if he’s not dead, where is he? I sincerely hope we get more answers about the new history of the Fringe Department and Massive Dynamic soon.

Next, Did Sam Weiss’s drawings of the machine have pictures of Olivia and Peter in this timeline? It stands to reason that the answer would still be yes, which makes me wonder why no one has recognized Peter from those drawings.

Ok, that’s it for this week. I’m a little perturbed that we have to wait 2 weeks for the next FRINGE, (just play the episodes after the baseball game! It’s not like the ratings are that high anyway) but I’m excited to see what direction the show takes now that Peter is back. Keep watching and spreading the word!

FRINGE SEASON 4: RECAP 1

S4: EP3: “Alone in the World”

“What did the mushroom get invited to all the parties?”

“Cuz he’s a Fungi!”

Welcome back to my Fringe Recaps, and more importantly, to another year of FRINGE! I apologize for the delay in starting the recaps this year. For any who worried that I too disappeared from the space-time continuum after last season, rest assured I’m still here. Just…lazy. Very lazy.

Anyways, I’m switching up the format this season. Instead of random Simpsons quotes that vaguely line up with the theme of the episode I’m recapping, this season I’m going with terrible jokes…. that vaguely line up with the episode I’m recapping.

Ok, let’s get to the recaps and theories…

This week was the third episode of the season with little to no mythology, aside from the running story of Peter popping up in the heads of those he loves. As such, I’m not going to spend a lot of time going over what exactly the cases were about these past three episodes, and instead focus on what little mythology we have seen, and my current theories.

PETER-ING OUT

Ok, so we know Peter has been “erased” from the timeline. But as of this past episode, we now know how. It seems the Observers only needed Peter to create the bridge between universes, and now don’t want him around. He’s dead because September didn’t jump into the lake in 1985 to save him (ironic also because September also interfered with Walternate’s experiment to prevent him from making the cure, making me wonder if he appeared in that moment not by accident, but precisely to stop Walternate from saving Peter.)

However, the fly in the ointment of the Observer’s plan is September, who doesn’t seem to agree that Peter should be erased. We’ve seen him directly disobey orders from the Observers to permanently erase Peter, thus leaving the door open for Peter to break through back into the timeline. What’s September’s plan? Will he become a fugitive Observer like August from season 2?

The real question I have is… where is Peter then? Is he just a disembodied spirit? Or is he in some pocket Universe? Or could he be Over There somewhere, breaking through as Olivia used to when she was first discovering her powers? Or an interesting theory I read (from EW’s Doc Jensen, the man who now recaps FRINGE and used to recap LOST), is Peter somehow within the powerful and altered minds of Walter and Olivia? Could her cortexiphan enhancement and Walter’s sliced up brain somehow prevent them from being entirely altered by a shift in the space-time continuum?

WHERE’S  WALDO- I mean WALTERNATE?

Where is our villain from the past 3 seasons? Does anyone else think its odd that he has not yet appeared in a new scene this season? Is he still plotting against our universe? Is his hatred of Walter even more now that Peter died in Walter’s cross-universe trip instead of just being kidnapped?

My best theory this season is that the bad guys of the season will be the Observers, based on their Peter erasing policy, but I wonder if there will be some kind of alliance between them and Walternate, with Walternate playing them for information he needs to exact his vengeance.

RANDOM THEORIES

I now wonder if the Observers are afraid of Peter for some reason, if maybe he becomes a huge threat to the timeline either due to his own connection to the machine or because he incites the FRINGE team to war with the Observers. I don’t know, but since the Observers can see the future, I can’t help but feel they have a good reason for getting rid of Peter.

How is Alt-Broyles alive now? How did things go down when Walternate kidnapped Olivia, and how did she return without Alt-Broyle’s help? (or if he did help her, does this mean Walternate did not choose to kill him?)

That’s it for now folks, stay tuned for more recaps, as I should be able to get back on track now. Sorry for the short recap, but we haven’t been given a lot of new information just yet, and I’m still gearing up for these.

Also, for anyone who hasn’t heard, I recently published a book, and I would appreciate your patronage in purchasing one (its also an ebook if you don’t wish to buy a hard or soft-cover).

Keep watching, and spread the FRINGE word! They need all the viewers they can get if they’re gonna get renewed for a 5th season!

FRINGE RECAP 20

Season 3: Episode 22 “The Day We Died”

“Don’t let Krusty’s death get you down, boy. People die all the time, just like that. Why, you could wake up dead tomorrow! Well, good night.”

First off, a hearty apology for the lateness of this recap. I know I said it would be done by the end of May, but at least I’m only 3 days late. Also, this recap will not have the customary sections with titles, as the damn titles usually take the longest to come up with, and I am trying to get this out quickly because of how late I am.

Looking back weeks later at the last episode of the season, I cannot help but feel that FRINGE has entered an entirely new realm, not unlike LOST after the crazy finale of its 5^th season. Back then, the big worry was that the timeline had been completely rebooted, and that everything we had learned about the characters had been, well… lost. Fortunately, the producers assured us this would not be so, and the season began with the introduction of the sideways world and all the weirdness associated with that.

Now, on FRINGE, we are faced with a similar situation. If Peter does not exist, then everything we’ve seen on the show is now moot, from a certain point of view. On the plus side, there is a huge difference between the reboot on FRINGE and the potential one on LOST. Which is this: despite Peter’s erasure from the timeline, we KNOW that the machine was still built. We know the Walters still learned of alternate realities and have a strong dislike for each other, and its safe to assume that Walter still crossed to the other side for some other reason, which explains why they are still speaking about working together to fix the chaos in their universes.

All of this boils down to the fact that much of what we’ve seen will still have occurred, just with slight variations. I’m sure there will still be callbacks to prior cases and that there will still be consequences for choices made in past episodes. And to be honest, I’m actually excited about this storyline. Clearly, they’ll have to bring Peter back, but for a while, it might be nice for them to continue the mythology without Walter’s guilt every time he sees Peter or the romantic filler between Olivia and Peter. If Peter was the ‘heart’ of the show, this means, for a few episodes at least, we’ll be treated to the nitty gritty bare bones of FRINGE, which could be exciting and intense.

As for the rest of the episode, I do have a few thoughts. Number 1, I really enjoyed the actress who played Olivia’s niece in the future, and I hope they find some way to bring her back in the future.

Next, I love that I called the fact that the First People might be time-traveling versions of our FRINGE team. I am curious about whether we’ll ever get an episode detailing their exploits, which I think would be really cool to see. And I also wonder what else they might have done in the past that could come into play later in the series.

Cyclops Broyles almost made me laugh, but in the end I kinda thought the weird eye was cool, though I wish we could have seen more of what it could do. I heard that the whole ‘Detroit’ adventure he and future Peter allude to is still something that might happen on FRINGE, with the executive producers specifically saying that they know exactly what happened in Detroit, and it may or may not explain why Broyles lost an eye.

I was kinda disappointed that the big ‘death’ they hinted around about all season was just future Olivia, as we all know she didn’t truly die, and I felt somewhat cheated. Sure it was sad, especially since she and Peter never got to have a child, but I knew they weren’t going to keep the show in the future, which meant she would of course still be alive in the past. I did kind of like the idea that she would master her telekinesis, even if it was a cheesy effect. I hope as the series progresses they don’t lean too hard on Olivia’s ‘powers’ for plots, but I would like to see more of what she can do.

Did Walter’s trial bother anyone else? I mean, I kinda of hoped we’d learn about some new atrocity he had committed that they put him on trial for, but to find out he had been in prison for over a decade for trying to save Peter’s life and accidentally causing the apocalypse just seems a little odd. Though now that I look at that sentence, perhaps causing the apocalypse is just cause for throwing a man in jail. I am curious about whether it was foreshadowing for a future FRINGE plotline where we actually see a similar case brought up and the FRINGE team has to defend Walter.

So two of the “fringe” terms in the opening credits were Water and Hope. I read an interesting recap earlier this month where the author speculated on the meaning of these words, especially in light of Peter. He recalled how Jean Grey was brought back to life in the comic books after the Phoenix Saga, claiming that she had been unconscious in a psychic cocoon beneath the water in New York Harbor. The recapper then theorized that Peter might be similarly brought back into the FRINGE story, having been somehow frozen and hidden beneath the water outside Liberty Island. I’m not entirely sure I buy into it, but I agree it is an interesting theory.

The other great theory I read recently came from Damon Lindelof   (one of LOST’s exec producers), who, after tweeting about how much he enjoyed FRINGE and its finale, said he guessed, “Joshua Jackson might be shaving his head next year.” Now, bear in mind, though some of the writers and producers of FRINGE still keep in touch with Damon, he is NOT privy to the secrets behind the scenes of the show, and this is just his guess, but I think it would be very cool if Peter became an Observer next season. First of all, it’d be cool because of the time travel possibilities. If Peter was an Observer, he could go back and visit all the pivotal moments of FRINGE that he is no longer a part of, and thus show us, the audience, how they still transpired without him. Secondly, it’d be cool because it would give us more insight into the Observers as they “train” Peter and explain who they are and what their mission is.

Ok, that’s it for this recap, and for this season. Spread the word over the summer, make sure to remind people that FRINGE beat the Friday night death slot, and has full confidence that it can maintain its standard of excellence for next season. It’s been fun recapping, and I look forward to the fall when we can start again and get some much-needed answers.

FRINGE RECAP 19

Season 3: Episode 21 “The Last Sam Weiss”

“Okay, don’t panic! Remember the advice Dad gave you on your wedding day. [Flashback of younger grampa in a tuxedo] ‘If you ever travel back in time, don’t step on anything. Because even the slightest change can alter the future in ways you can’t imagine…’”

Jesus, that was a finale type ending, not a second to last-episode of the season ending! I honestly have no idea where they’re going with the finale now. But I am thoroughly enjoying the ride. This entire season cements my belief that FRINGE is not only my favorite show, but the best sci-fi show on TV right now.

I loved the call-back to Olivia’s heightened senses when she sensed the sizzle of the lightning inside the museum before Sam could hear it, as well as the call-back to the telekinetic powers she showed in season one when she turned off the lights on the box.

This truly has been a linking season showing us why Season 1 was necessary.

While I enjoyed this episode, it was most definitely a bridge episode, which means there were a lot more set ups and questions than answers, which is to be expected. Still, as mentioned above, the end was shocking, and I know we’re in for something special with the season finale.

RISE OF THE MACHINE

How did Walternate hotwire the other machine with only chromosomes from baby Henry’s blood? Why would the machine work without a person in it? Or did they have someone in it? (potentially Fauxlivia, as punishment?) How much more does Walternate know about the inner workings of this machine?

And while we’re on the subject, just what the hell is Walternate’s plan? Isn’t he experiencing the same destruction on his side? How does he plan on controlling which side is destroyed?

And the Machine is indestructible? Then how was it broken into pieces and scattered across the world? Or does he mean that its indestructible when activated?

DANGEROUS MINDS

Ok, what was with Peter’s amnesia thing? I hope it’ll be explained somehow, maybe part of the whole time-travel thing that happens. Walter talks A LOT in the episode about the instability of Peter’s mind following that blow. Does that lead into why the machine takes him through time? Because he was unstable he couldn’t focus on creation or destruction and instead broke though the time-space continuum? I had thought that with the flashback shots as he entered the machine they were telling us that Peter was focusing on our World and preserving it, but now I’m very confused as to the point of those flashbacks. Are we done with the present story? Will everything next season take place in the future or the past? Was that some kind of story-capper?

And honestly, you’d have thought Walter and Olivia would’ve known better by this point than to leave Peter alone in a hospital. Once again he disappears and they have to chase him down.

THE TIME MACHINE?

What if the whole point of the machine was always to work as a time machine? It creates/ destroys worlds by allowing one to travel to the past or future and alter time, thus creating new realities and destroying the pre-existing ones. If every universe exists solely because different choices were made, than it makes sense that you could destroy and create new universes by changing the decisions made by people in the past.

And while we’re talking about the future, was the building behind future Peter supposed to be the new World Trade Center? I’m assuming it was, and I really like how they’re using the towers to orient the viewer as to where they are in time/ space (universe-wise). To me at least, it was pretty clear that Peter ended up 15 years into the future of OUR universe, and not some conglomeration of the two universes. I know we saw that there was a militarized Fringe division like Over There, but the logo was different, and Over There they had no 9/11 Tower attacks. Hence, they must have been in our universe.

Also, did anyone else catch the wedding band on future Peter’s finger? Did he marry Olivia? Or maybe Fauxlivia?

WEISS GUYS

Random thought I had while watching the episode: Is Sam Weiss named after Samwise Gamgee from LOTR? It just seems so close.

Sam specifically says the machine is not a doomsday device. Does this confirm that it’s a time-travel device?

Sam says the device was “Built for Peter, only he can operate it”. Who built it for Peter? The First People? Why? What if the “First People” are time-traveling versions of our FRINGE division who go back to before humans existed and built this technology to go home?

Ok, so Sam isn’t a first person, but his family has been researching them for generations. How did they get introduced to the First People? Does he know of any First People? Since we know now that Sam isn’t a first person, does this lead more credence to the theory that the Observers are the First People?

Finally, Sam used his Newton’s cradle one last time tonight at the end of episode. What does it communicate? What didn’t he tell Olivia and Walter?

MISCELLANEOUS

What significance does Peter’s coin play? Clearly, it’s there for a reason and I demand to know what. Unless its set-up for the final plot twist of the episode…. Something like Peter returns from his time-travel trip, only he no longer has the coin because he’s not OUR Peter, but rather a Peter from yet another alternate dimension. (ha, if true, we could tell people that Fringe now has 3D)

Ok, that’s it for the week. Enjoy the finale! I will be taking my time in posting the final recap for Season 3, especially as I have all summer to wait before season 4 begins. Don’t worry, it’ll probably be up before May is over, though I’m not making any promises.

FRINGE RECAP 18

Season 3: Episode 20 “6:02 AM EST”

“‘When I was a boy I really wanted a catcher’s mitt, but my dad wouldn’t get it for me. So I held my breath until I passed out and banged my head on the coffee table. The doctor thought I might have brain damage.’

‘What’s the point of this story?’

‘I like stories.’”

The countdown to the season finale begins! I honestly got the chills during this episode, and I’m happy to report that I haven’t been this excited for a season finale since the LOST Season 5 finale. Stuff is finally happening, and I can’t wait to see where it leads.

On a random note, I love that the guy who plays Sam Weiss is so bad-ass on FRINGE, and also hilarious as the drama teacher on COMMUNITY. If I wasn’t paying attention, I probably wouldn’t have noticed they were the same person.

And also, the opening of this episode was incredible.. What a great way to get the ball rolling, and establish the apocalypse chill factor. As you can tell by the intro alone, I am very excited about this episode, and as such, this is gonna be a long recap. Enjoy.

THE WEISS MEN

Thank GOD Sam Weiss is back at last! But what was with the bowling ball communication system? Was it Morse Code? What about The Newton Cradle on Sam’s desk?  Once again, is it Morse code? I read in another recap that the largest Newton’s Cradle in the world was made with bowling balls, so I wonder if there’s some kind of connection there.

William Bell met Sam Weiss first. Interesting. And Bell trusted him explicitly. Which is odd considering the hidden message anagram on the chalkboard during the Season 2 finale, which specifically said, “Don’t trust Sam Weiss.” Was Bell duped by Weiss? Or were they co-conspirators?

Now, at first I wondered if Sam was writing in the same language as the Observer, and then I read smarter people than me who noticed that he was writing calculus formulas. Regardless, it still looked like the kind of notebook we saw the Observer writing in, which brings up the question yet again, ARE THE OBSERVERS FIRST PEOPLE!?! Will we find out more about the First People during these final season episodes? Or will we have to wait for season 4?

And in the scene when he was gazing at the sky, was Sam using the same kind of window that Walter invented back in the 80s? The one that allowed him to look Over There?

And final question: where is Sam taking Olivia at the end? And what did Olivia see under the door? It may have just been Sam’s shadow, but to me it almost looked like a ghostly shape, or a shimmer of something from the other side.

NIGHT TAKES BISHOP

“Give him the keys and save the girl.” I love a good callback, even to something that we all knew was coming. But now I wonder, why did the machine repulse Peter? Is that what the Observers wanted to happen? To remove Peter from the equation? And what about the picture of Peter in the machine? Was it simply that he was not ready to enter, so the machine knocked him away? Does he need some kind of mindset to properly meld with the technology?

And why can’t they wake him up? Where is his consciousness? Are we going to have another consciousness sharing storyline where him and Olivia meet on the astral plane or something to discuss what needs to happen? I hope not, as I don’t think we have time for that with only 2 episodes left.

LOOK SHARP

Jesus, Nina looking worried and anxious really gets my hackles up. If she’s nervous, bad shit is definitely going down.

“Tell Walter it’s on.” I love that I read another re-capper who thought the same thing as me about this line: clearly she’s not just talking about the machine. I hope she and Walter had some kind of back-up plan, maybe one that Walter didn’t entirely agree with, and she’s now telling him that time is up, and she’s going to do it regardless.

And about damn time she told Olivia everything. I don’t know why she didn’t try to pump Sam Weiss for more answers earlier. I still believe Nina knows more things than she’s spoken of, especially in regards to what Bell told her. I just hope she’s around long enough to inform the rest of us of what she knows, as the producer’s have teased a death in the finale arc, and Nina is definitely on the list of characters who might go.

OH, HENRY!

Henry is the baby’s name? Henry Bishop? I get that the cab driver helped save her life and deliver the baby, but I thought he was more of an Olivia (as opposed to Fauxlivia) friend. Especially as Fauxlivia didn’t meet him until the day the baby was born.

Anyone else think that it’s really sad that Fauxlivia still cares so much about Peter. She’s on the top of my list of people that might die, to atone for all she did to help Walternate. She may die stopping Walternate’s machine, sacrificing her life for Peter and her child.

Are Fauxlivia and Lee an item now? I definitely got a very relationship-y vibe at times. Especially with her comment about how she can only trust Lincoln. What about Charlie?

And finally, with Walternate still Over There, will it be up to the Fringe team Over There to save the day? That would be really interesting if the heroes of the finale were the new Over There characters. Which does make me wonder: when did Fauxlivia become a hero?

And final note on the Over There storyline; Fauxlivia in a cell is an AWESOME callback to the end of Season 2.

MISCELLANEOUS

So on the topic of character deaths, could Olivia be the one that’s going to die at the end of the season? Is that her task as our world’s protector? They keep showing us her and Peter happy, which is never a good sign in a tragic drama. But would they kill Olivia? Or Peter for that matter?

I thought the callback to white tulip was very interesting. That episode, if you recall, had a lot to do with time-travel, and the “sign from God” that Walter received was really just a time-traveler sending a message and pretending to be God. Which made me wonder about Peter and his “Fate,” and why he would be linked to the machine. Perhaps FRINGE has more time travel in mind for the future. Maybe Walter and Peter travel back to when the machine was first designed, and Peter imprints himself on the technology, thus explaining why it only reacts to him in the present. I know they did time-travel on LOST, but I can’t help but feel it would be a lot more interesting if done the FRINGE way.

Final note, sheep were the first things attacked by a vortex on our side. Coincidence? I read an awesome recap where they mentioned how no sheep exist “Over There.” I have no theories as to what importance sheep may have in the balancing of the universe, but I wonder if it might be significant.

Ok, that’s it for this week. Can’t wait for Friday’s episode, though I dread the summer hiatus and the months of no FRINGE and no recaps.

Ah well, enjoy the end of the season!

FRINGE RECAP 17

Season 3: Episode 19 “Lysergic Acid Diethylamide”

“It’s like something out of that Twilight-y show about that zone.”

Spectacular episode.

Well worth the 2-week wait. However, as I look at the fact that this was episode 19, I cannot believe there are only 3 episodes left this season. It seems these episodes are going to be tying up A LOT of the loose ends as this season wraps up.

I really enjoyed all of the homages in this episode, from Inception to the Walking Dead shout-out with the zombies on the rooftop. I’m not even sure LOST could have gotten away with all the craziness that’s perfectly acceptable on FRINGE.

JOKES? DON’T MIND IF I DO

Astro and Wally – my favorite moment from the episode, especially Walter’s expression when she called him Wally. So glad that Astrid had more face time this week, she’s an amazing character (though I do worry that she would also be a great character to kill off.)

In a close second for my favorite moment this episode – When everyone becomes a cartoon, and Walter has a thought bubble that says: “How Wonderful!” I laughed a lot at that one. I know it’s kinda dumb, but it was just so in character for Walter and so random at the same time.

MIND THE LAB, ASTRID

I never realized that alt-Broyle’s death hit our Broyles so hard, especially if he’s still thinking about it all these months later. Was this whole scene of him talking about death with Astrid some kind of foreshadowing? I already said that I suspect they might kill off Astrid, but maybe I’m wrong and they’re gonna kill Broyles? Or maybe he will send Astrid on a mission wherein she will lose her life. It would certainly fit with what Broyles said about him “being death.”

Was there a spark between Broyles and Astrid? Am I the only one who noticed that? I know Broyles is supposed to be hooking up with Nina, but aside from ONE kiss at the beginning of season 2, we really haven’t seen them interacting at all since. It might be kind of interesting if Broyles and Astrid had a fling, especially Walter and Olivia’s reaction to it.

A BEAUTIFUL MIND

I was a little unnerved with some of Walter’s dialogue with Peter once they entered Olivia’s mind. When he said, “Cortexiphan subjects were “designed that way” – a.k.a. wanting to blend into the background, I couldn’t help but cringe at the objectification of Olivia and those children. It was almost like seeing a part of Walter’s dark side that they always hint about, especially since he supposedly cares so much about Olivia. Aside from that darker turn though, I really enjoyed the banter about how everyone on the street was dressed in drab, dark clothes like Olivia, as I had been thinking it as well.

Was it Olivia’s mind that transformed everyone into a cartoon? Or was it Bell’s psyche that generated their animated counterparts? I ask because when Peter leaves Bell and enters Olivia’s house at the end, it goes back to live-action. And then once he and young Olivia return outside with Bell, everything is a cartoon again. I kind of like the idea that Bell’s mind is that weird, and psychedelic.

GENTLE REMINDERS

So great hearing Walter and Peter discuss Olivia’s mind-meld with Jon Scott from Season 1! I am really enjoying how often the current episodes call back to things that happened in previous seasons. Makes a lot of the more boring “case” oriented episodes from season 1 seem a lot more interesting now that we know the technology used in them will eventually return as a plot point. For example: The episode where a man impregnated a hooker who gave birth an hour or so later to a rapidly aging child plays right into the whole Fauxlivia accelerated pregnancy storyline.

I also heard something about the pale, mute child from season one potentially being a young Observer? I heard one of the executive producers mention that in an offhand way, and I wonder now if it might be true. Does this mean there are female Observers for them to pro-create with? What ever happened to that kid? Since the two Observers whose names we know are August and September, are there only 12 Observers, each named after a month? I sincerely hope this is answered this season, but I have a feeling that, like the smoke monster on LOST, they are saving the mystery of the Observers for the show’s end game. I just hope we get more resolution than we did for old Smokey.

DO YOU MIND?

Why did it suddenly become Christmas time in Olivia’s house when the bad men arrived? I wonder what the significance is. And also, what happened to her real dad? They moved to Jacksonville because he was in the military and was, as Peter said “an important man.” And yet she had a stepfather in the flashback this season. Did her real father die? We haven’t seen him Over There either, so I’m guessing he’s dead. But who was he? What was his job? Could he have been in some way linked to the FBI or previous Fringe departments? Could he have sent Olivia to Peter and Bell knowing she was a cortexiphan candidate?

In regards to the final moments of the show, when Olivia calmly tells Peter that man is going to kill her, I have a few theories. One is that the man is going to kill Fauxlivia. Our Olivia saw this happening and assumed it was she and not her doppelganger. My other theory is that he will kill Olivia, and it will push Peter to enter the machine in order to recreate both Universes with Olivia alive and well. Just some thoughts, but I did love that moment.

MISCELLANEOUS IDEAS FOR MY OWN PIECE OF MIND

When Peter, tripping on LSD said, “I think he’s an Observer,” (in regards to Broyles) I thought it was an interesting point. Especially as Broyles appears to have been wrapped in all of this for a long time, and as Peter said, he is bald.

And my most random thought while watching the episode: Is there any chance that Olivia might be pregnant with Frank’s child (Fauxlivia’s ex-boyfriend)? It would kind of be ironic, and give yet another layer of drama to the whole Olivia, Fauxlivia, Peter, Frank and Lincoln love pentagon.

Ok, that’s it for the week. Looking forward to seeing how this season plays out, and still so psyched that FRINGE was picked up for its 4^th Season! See you next week!

FRINGE RECAP 16

Season 3: Episode 18 “Bloodlines”

“It’s not easy to juggle a pregnant wife and a troubled child, but somehow I managed to squeeze in 8 hours of TV a day..”

After this amazing episode, I am incredibly annoyed that FOX won’t air another episode of FRINGE until April 15^th. That is a really long time to wait, especially as the season is now coming to a close and huge things are happening.

Only on FRINGE could we find out a character is pregnant one week, have the child be born 3 weeks later, and still find it totally believable. I understand that it would be tough to have an action/adventure sci-fi show where the main character is pregnant, (well, at least her alt universe self), but it borders on ridiculous that we only see Fauxlivia full-on pregnant for about 3 minutes, and yet still buy into the whole story. What can’t FRINGE do?

SIX FEET UNDER

When Olivia was having the kid, I paused the TV, turned to my roommate, and said, “They’re gonna kill her. Her death is going to be part of the reason why Peter returns to the alternate universe.” Obviously, I really thought they were going to kill Fauxlivia. It would’ve been such an interested way to go, especially if the people who abducted her were from our world, as I suggested last week. But part of what makes FRINGE amazing is that it doesn’t take the obvious path, and constantly surprises us.

I do want to know if Walternate’s team was going to kill Fauxlivia? I mean, it’s clear that he values the baby’s life, but did he want her to live? Was the whole point to get the baby out of her before the disease killed it? Or was it to accelerate the pregnancy and save both mom and baby? If the former, does this mean Walternate still plans on getting rid of Fauxlivia? And even weirder, when did Fauxlivia become such a sympathetic character that I don’t want to see get killed? Wasn’t she one of the bad guys like 8 episodes ago?

GET SMART

I’m happy that Lincoln and Charlie are finally beginning to question Walternate, for Fringe agents they sure took a while to figure out the whole alt Olivia thing. With this new knowledge I am now almost 100% certain that they’re going to be allies with our Fringe team at some point in the future.

Do they suspect that Walternate killed Broyles? Or do they just think Broyles is on some extended assignment in the other Universe?

Also, is Walternate going to have to kill Lincoln now that Lincoln knows his secrets? I mean, we know the man is ruthless, why is he keeping Lincoln around even though he knows so much? Perhaps Walternate has his own plans about another agent swap, and has just learned that the Lincoln from our side has recently made contact with our Fringe team…

SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN

Could Walternate also speed up the growth of Fauxlivia’s child as he did the pregnancy? Wouldn’t it be the same thing? If so, does this mean we could have a teenage son for Peter to deal with before the season is out? Or even weirder, what if the kid aged too much and died within a few weeks. That would be odd. But if the 9 months of growing within the womb were reduced to a few days, it would make sense that they could speed up the kid’s life the same way, much like that infant baby from season one that was born and died a minute later, looking like an old man.

More importantly though, will Fauxlivia’s baby be able to activate the machine? Would Walternate sacrifice his own grandchild to destroy the other world? Or will he use it as bait for Peter? Will Peter enter the machine in order to prevent his offspring from being forced inside? We’re getting down to the wire here, and I really want to know what will get Peter inside that machine, as I’m sure he’s “fated” to do so.

FAMILY MATTERS

For some reason I’m beginning to wonder where Fauxlivia’s mother might be a villain, she just seems too innocent and one-dimensional. So many shots of her just walking around thinking, and even some shots of her that look downright devious. I mean sure, she seems like a loving grandma now, but what if she has some kind of crazy back-story with Walternate? What if Fauxlivia’s mom was in league with Walternate, and has been ever since she helped convince our Olivia that she was Fauxlivia?

Next, did Fauxlivia realize that Lincoln said he loved her? Does she realize he actually means it? Will that be the great couple Over There, Lincoln and Fauxlivia? I think they match well together, but I’m not sure if she has even considered poor Lincoln. But then again, did she really consider Peter as datable before she allowed him to knock her up?

And finally, what’s the name of the baby? Will it be Peter? Or how about Philip (Broyles’ first name)? I only ask because they didn’t reveal it this episode, and made kind of a big deal about what it would be.

MISCELLANEOUS

Will alt-Astrid join the crew working against Walternate? Or will she remain loyal to her boss? Is there some secret history to alt-Astrid? What if she’s so smart because Walternate tinkered with her brain while she was a child, making her into the kind of robo-smart yet somewhat awkward person she is? What if his experiments on young Astrid are why Walternate will no longer allow experimentation on children?

Ok, that’s it for the week. Spread the word, keep watching, you know the deal. FRINGE comes back April 15^th, good luck being FRINGE-less for two weeks. It’ll be tough for me.

FRINGE RECAP 15

Season 3: Episode 17 “Stowaway”

“Suppose we’ve chosen the wrong god. Every time we go to church we’re just making him madder and madder.”

Finally I feel I like I have some good FRINGE theories, as this episode had a lot to say. However, though I thought it was a good episode, the numerous religious overtones were worrisome in a show where almost everything is explained by fringe science.

The stuff I really liked? I thought it was awesome to see Lincoln Lee from our side, as I had a feeling he would be popping up at some point this season, and I’m hoping this is the beginning of his integration onto our Fringe team. I also liked the subtle comic book allusion I found. The woman in this episode is named “Dana Grey.” I think this is an allusion to the infamous “Jean Grey” from the X-Men comics, who has famously died several times, always being brought back to life by the writers. Layers within layers, this is the stuff I love about FRINGE.

GENESIS OF BELL’S EXPERIMENT

As my roommate pointed out, why would anyone ever drink tea with Bell again after he revealed that he tricked Olivia into drinking the soul magnets in her tea? I was slightly worried at the end of this episode that Bell was trying to trick Peter into accepting his consciousness, which I still think is a possibility (of course, he never would have told Walter this). Think of it, Bell knows Peter is the key to the machine, and we still don’t know what exactly Bell’s motivations or loyalties are. It could very well be that Peter only enters the machine because he is not in control of his own body, that Bell is driving him to activate the machine, which would explain why it still happens despite Peter’s will to go against Walternate’s plans.

This of course leads to my next question, which is: Can anyone host Bell’s mind/soul? Or was Olivia ideally suited because of her cortexi-brain. If so, is there a chance that Bell will become a split personality of Olivia’s permanently?

LEE’S ACTS

So at one point I had suggested we might send our Broyles Over There to impersonate his other self. With Alt Broyles dead that doesn’t seem likely any more, but I do wonder if we were introduced to Lincoln specifically so they could use him to impersonate his alternate self at some point in the future.

I also think it’s interesting that they only brought in Lee once Olivia’s body was taken over by Bell, meaning that no one on our side recognizes him as the Fringe agent from the other side. Olivia would have immediately seen Lee and told Peter that Lee was in charge of the Fringe team Over There.  I think once Olivia comes back and sees that they worked with Lincoln, she might be the one who suggests her and Lee go Over There to impersonate their other selves.

My alternate theory is that our “Lee” is really Lee from Over There, who was sent here by Walternate to spy on the Fringe Team. He didn’t show up until Olivia was taken over by Bell, because she would have been suspicious of the timing. Either way, I just hope we see more of both Lees in the future.

OLIVIA’S EXODUS

When the church bell rang, did it accidentally unseat Bell’s control over Olivia’s body? Or did it just wake her up, causing a struggle between her and Bell over who is in control? Or did Bell try to use the church bell to transfer his soul to another vessel, and he’s now worried because it didn’t work? That somehow he’s now meshed with Olivia’s mind.

I really liked the acting here, as it was instantly clear that Olivia was back in control, and when Bell took control once more, I could really see all the work that went into creating the Nemoy impression. As much as I do want to see our Olivia back, I do worry that another actor might not be able to manage the Bell character as well as Anna Torv.

WALTER’S REVELATIONS

If a strong electromagnetic bound could be created within this woman by being struck by lightning (twice!), why couldn’t Walter duplicate this on a much larger scale to strengthen the bonds of the universe, thus reversing the damage he did and restoring both universes to their previous state

Unless that’s what the machine will eventually do despite what everyone thinks. That somehow it will enhance the electromagnetic bonds holding both universes together, thus reversing the decay both sides have experienced. I’ve always said every case reveals something that will be used later down the road on FRINGE, and I think this is what we’re supposed to take from this case. Something to think about it, especially as it might foreshadow some hope for both worlds.

GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ME

Is there a chance our government has stolen Walter’s designs and developed their own way of crossing over? It would explain why our universe is starting to deteriorate so quickly after being relatively stable since Walter crossed over (it was almost 25 years ago).

I just can’t help but feel that especially after they learned that a shape-shifter had killed and taken over the life of a congressman (senator? whatever), our government and our military would have sprung into action and formulated their own plans to deal with Walternate and the other universe. This is also kind of a cool idea because eventually it might pit our Fringe Team against our government, meaning a possible team-up with the Over There Fringe team.

MISCELLANEUS

A lot of fate talk, and about how trying to stay out of the machine will only lead to Peter having to enter it. It kind of reminds me of when LOST used to debate faith, which I think might be deliberate, especially since we saw Hurley last week.

And did anyone else think it was creepy how Bellivia kept coming on to Astrid? I thought so, especially when he and Walter were giggling at the idea of Astrid milking Bell while inside Gene the cow.

Ok, folks, the season is winding down, the shows are getting better and better, and I think the odds are good that we’ll see that 4^th season. Keep on spreading the word, especially if you have any friends with a Nielson box!

FRINGE RECAP 14

Season 3: Episode 16 “Os”

“How is education supposed to make me feel smarter? Besides, every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain. Remember when I took that home winemaking course, and I forgot how to drive?”

Why hello Hurley.

While I thought it was entertaining to see the old LOST cast-member make a cameo this episode, I had hoped it would be for something more significant than Walter’s smoke buddy at Massive Dynamic. Hopefully we’ll be seeing him again, as I definitely got the impression there was more going on with him than we saw.

Back on topic, another good week for FRINGE, and good news is that ratings have still not significantly dropped since the Friday move, though FOX hasn’t made any definite announcements yet about renewal (no worries, it’s still early.)

While I enjoyed the case of this week’s episode, I do wish that the science would have yielded a more definite answer than “our world’s physics are deteriorating.” I’m getting sick of that phrase, and I want to see our mythology advance, which is why I was kind of excited about the ending of Os.

LOOK OUT FOR THE FLYING MONKEYS

I have a hard time believing these kids would just let this random guy inject them with some serum. I understand that they’re handicapped, and that they would really like to walk, but as every 5-year-old knows, you don’t take candy from strangers. Meaning you don’t allow some random guy you met in the gym put drugs into you. Maybe it’s just me, but I thought that should be be obvious.

And with all the dead bodies in that guy’s lab, where were all the police investigations into those murders? I saw at least 5 bodies in there, I would think that would at least spur some kind of cereal killer investigation, especially since they’re all from Boston and all handicapped. I’d think that would be major news.

I dunno, I guess I liked the case this week, but it had a lot of plot holes, and this is without me even going into the whole kid takes off his weight belt to escape and then realizes he’s going to fly away and screams for help nonsense. In my opinion, handicapped people just aren’t this gullible or stupid.

BELL, I THINK I’LL MISS YOU MOST OF ALL

Why is Walter so whiny right now? As far as I’ve seen his brain has yet to fail him on this show, and rarely was Bell ever around when he made his most brilliant inventions (i.e. his universe hopping device) It seems like one visit with Bell last season left Walter envious of the man who still had full mental faculties, and now he’s crippled himself with doubt.

As for Bell’s bell, I have a question. Did Nina never ring the bell after she received it? Seriously? No one rang the bell all this time? Not even for fun? She has two decorations in her office, a bonsai tree and a bell. That tree should only be cut once or twice a year (if I recall my bonsai tree knowledge), which means if she gets bored there’s only one other knick-knack to occupy her time, and it’s the bell. I’m just having a hard time accepting that.

PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE MAN BEHIND THE FEMALE CURTAIN

Ok, so when Olivia spoke with Bell’s accent, my jaw dropped, and I instantly thought JUMPING THE SHARK. Now, I’ve calmed down a little, and I don’t think the Bell accent is as bad as I thought it was. The fact that I recognized the drawling way she spoke tells me that she does a good Leonard Nemoy, though whether it’s going to get old real fast next episode can be discussed next week. I think it was a brave move for the producers and Anna Torv to bring Bell back this way, and I sincerely hope it works out, and doesn’t end up as schmaltzy and cheesy and it has the potential to be.

As for the story of our characters, I do not think Bell is permanently in Olivia’s body. I am curious to see if he has complete control every moment, or if her personality will occasionally be allowed out. Either way, this is a good opportunity for our characters to finally sit down and discuss details with Bell, who until this point has not yet had any quiet time with Walter to go over everything that happened between them.

MISCELLANEOUS

Is Nina still talking to Sam? Her constant checking in on the Peter/ Olivia relationship always reminds me of her initial talk with him, and what else she may have learned.

Also, was Olivia pissed that Peter lied to her about killing the shape-shifters to get their memory chips? Was she mad that he kept a secret lab? I know there’s little chance of getting answers to these questions now that she’s possessed by Bell, but she did look perturbed right before the bell rang.

Ok, that’s it for today, I know this is one of my shorter recaps, but aside from Bell possessing Olivia, not much really happened in this bridge episode, and I’m sure there will be much more to discuss next week.

Keep watching, and keep telling your friends to watch!