Saturday, February 25, 2012

Fringe: Season 4 Episode 14 - The End of All Things


WOW!! Just WOW!  That is what good television looks like people.  If anyone out there thought season 4 started off slow, I would think a majority of them should feel that it's all paying off now.  The show-runners and writers are weaving a pretty brilliant story for us throughout this season.  This episode was very poignant in advancing the season's story as well as the entire series story.  Questions about the Observers that we have had for years have finally been answered.  It seems like the answer for what they were was one of various theories we've been throwing around.  But WHY September has been so invested in the Bishops?  We only knew half of the story.  I just love when things come together folks.  And things came together in a fantastic way.  And now, I just hope that this show can get a proper send-off before abruptly ending at the end of this season.

Speaking of which, for anyone on Twitter, there is a campaign going on during the airings of each episode (and a little before too).   It's an effort to get certain Hashtags trending and prove that there is a large and loyal fan base watching Fringe live.  A few shout-outs to Nissan Leaf (a sponsor of Fringe) were thrown into the tweets too.  Pretty clever.  There are explicit instructions on how it should be done, so I will link you over to Fringenuity if you'd like to get involved.  In case you want to know how effective it is....#LoveIsTheAnswer was the top trend last night nationally and across the globe while Fringe was airing!  Pretty darn cool.  So, if you want to help out in 4 weeks when Fringe returns, the Fringe fandom would be most appreciative!   We'll have 8 straight weeks to get the SUITS' attention!

Enough advertising for now.  Let's get into the recap!

Fringe Case of the Week

Well, there wasn't really a "case" per say to discuss this week.  I think we've been detecting the pattern lately for this show.  We'll get a purely mythology based episode that will drive the story forward, and then we'll get a few "myth-a-lone" episodes that take place during that phase of the story.  So, we have reached another milestone event where we really pushed the story forward in leaps and bounds.  The driving force of this story was behind the kidnapped Olivia and "one of the" Nina Sharps.  Wow, my theories last week were a little ridiculous in hindsight.  It was a straight-up kidnapping of Olivia at the gas station.  And the 2 Ninas thing, well yes, one of them probably is a shapeshifter as was pointed out to me. But, I don't think anyone saw (until during this episode or if they read some hinting spoilers) the little twist coming in that regard.  

So, to keep our objectives separate here, I'll just do a brief recap of what happened in this episode and we'll dive into some thoughts below.  Basically, Olivia was being TESTED by David Robert Jones and his henchmen.  He wanted to bring out Olivia's cortexiphan abilities.  We were reminded of David's tests of Olivia in season one during the episode "ABILITY".   David's plans for Olivia were cut short in the original timeline because of his death in the universe doorway.  But it would appear in this revised timeline that his goal for Olivia still continues.  And he feels that Olivia's abilities are just cracking the surface.  (Note: this Olivia is still retaining knowledge of OUR Olivia from the first 3 seasons so she remembers diffusing that bomb in season 1 and all of the other times she has used her abilities)  



Jones knew that emotional ties is what has caused Olivia's abilities to be used before so he attempted to torture Nina Sharp in front of her.  The problem was, Olivia didn't really remember her emotional ties to Nina in this timeline.  It's all a vague memory.  But she knew enough from Nina's lies to figure out she was not the REAL Nina Sharp!  But she still spilled the beans that she needed Peter to activate her abilities.  

Meanwhile, Peter, Lincoln, Broyles, and Walter were busy trying to figure out how to find Olivia.  Broyles and Lincoln tried interrogating the REAL Nina Sharp even though they thought she was a shifter.      Peter and crew eventually had a run-in with September who still was suffering from a gunshot wound.  Long-story short, Peter got a brain dump of information from September when he entered his mind.  September disappeared before we could determine his fate.  Peter followed September's directions to "go home" literally and was kidnapped by Jones' goons.  



Olivia then was able to successfully user her abilities but more intensely than ever before.  She knew that Nina was a fraud and she electrocuted the henchman in the room with Peter and Nina and what not.   CRAZY!!  Jones and "Shifter" Nina were able to make an escape through the "universe" door that Walter created.  But there was some gun play and a seizure for Olivia first.  It would appear that for now Jones got what he wanted.  Olivia's powers are coming to fruition.   






Peter rescued the girl, but then realized that he had to distance himself from her to get back to "HIS" Olivia and accomplish a very important goal.  HMMMMM 

Observ'er'ations
Glyph Code: UNITE - Unite Peter and Olivia?  Unite the 2 universes?  World Peace?  Pretty central Fringe theme, but considering the recent clues have been foreshadowing the next episode a bit, there might be more to it.  Thanks for Fringepedia for the screenshot! 

Observer(s) Spotted!  Boy, were they ever!  The observers took a pretty central role in this week's episode.  We spotted 4 Observers including December as they searched for September.  They are aware now that he allowed Peter to "resurface" in this timeline.  They are not sure why he did it though, but know September must "face the consequences".   Right now, we can only assume that the gunshot is related to those consequences.  But we have yet to see that gunshot play out.  
  • September appeared to Walter and Peter with said gunshot.  This could be before or after he already appeared to Olivia in the opera house from September's point of view.  I'm inclined to say after.   His first words were "his goals are the same" referring to why David Robert Jones wants Olivia.  So therefore, whatever Jones had in store for the universe(s) in season 1, are back in full force this season in this timeline.   (sidenote: I'm still not fully convinced this is a different timeline than the one we've seen for 3 years, but this episode did a really good job of making me want to believe that.  Even if Peter now returns to his original timeline, I will not feel like this season spent in a revised timeline was a waste of time.  Very important events transpired to impact the original timeline.  But, like I said, I'm not fully convinced.  Some of Jones' comments in the beginning of the episode seemed pretty cryptic about answers still to come.  For the sake of keeping things straight though, I will continue to refer to this as the "Revised" timeline) 
  • September was clearly dying from his wounds.  But Peter knew that he held very important information to what was going on here.  He knew he had to convince Walter to let him enter the observer's mind.  After a slight hesitation, Walter agreed to this.  And then Christmas for Fringe fans came early! 


  • So September and Peter meet in September's mind at the beginning of TIME.  We witness the big bang.  September said he was privileged to witness it as he will also witness his own end.   All Peter wants to know about is where Olivia is.  But September is more concerned with giving Peter valuable information before he dies.  



  • He explains who the Observers are.  His name September is a code designation he was given as part of the science team he is a part of.  The Observers are a group of scientists from many generations in the future.  They are evolved humans.  They are one of countless possible futures for humanity.  Their technology has allowed them to travel within and outside of time so that they may observe their beginnings.   FIRST of all, WOW!  I mean, I think we had speculated that Observers may be from the distant future but just hearing September explain it was awesome!   The other theory that was going around in our discussions was that the Observers were the FIRST PEOPLE. A technologically advanced group of people from the distant past.  But once we found out that Walter, Astrid, and Emma were sort of the "FIRST PEOPLE" because they sent the machine from the future back in time, that eliminated the possibility of the Observers being them.   But it is interesting that in both cases we have people from different timelines in the future going back and affecting the past.  I seriously doubt that the thematic relation there is a coincidence. 
  • Peter calls September out on doing "more than just observing."  September acknowledges that he did.  It was an all an attempt to rectify a mistake he made in the past.  This part of the story we already knew.  September was observing the key event of Walternate making a cure to save Peter.  But Walternate spotted September and missed seeing his cure come to fruition.  But Walter from our side was "observing" as well and knew that he must get involved.  He crossed worlds, Nina lost an arm, he took Peter back to our world to cure him.  But they nearly drowned until September interceded and saved them.  (not in this revised timeline of course)  The results of September interfering with history were catastrophic.  The fabric between universes has been deteriorating ever since.  The Alternate RED World has been suffering the most.  It spawned a war between universes blamed on one Walter Bishop.  But, in September's eyes, it was all essential due to his mistake.  September was at that lab desiring to witness the event because it was important.  Peter was/is very important.  This is why he had to stop him from drowning.  



  • But September then said the war between universes drastically altered destinies and brought about a CHILD that was not meant to be.   NIIIIIICE!!!  I kept wondering how Peter would find out about Henry (last week's glyph) and this is like the BEST way imaginable that it could have come up!   The look on Peter's face was awesome.  (Maybe I'll throw Joshua Jackson into the "needs an emmy for this show" to join his already deserving peers in Anna Torv and John Noble)    September said Henry's birth was to the WRONG Olivia and due to a series of circumstances that never should have transpired.   The event would have irrevocably altered everything which was to come.   (As a sidenote: Remember all of the doubters who thought FRINGE was becoming too much like a Soap Opera last year when we found out Fauxlivia was pregnant with Peter's baby?  Remember all of the doubters who thought that this new timeline was a ridiculous idea?  Have the writers not yet earned everyone's trust that it will all come together!?  This is amazing!!)  


  • Peter's eyes are lit up and he is so happy that he "HAS" a son.  But September told him he "HAD" a son.  When he made the sacrifice to step into that machine, he was not the only one who ceased to exist.  Henry did too.   I've been asking all season, if this is the real timeline then where on earth is Henry?   September thought that Peter and Henry disappearing from existence that that would be the end of things.  But he says he was wrong.  Peter has managed to return.  (wait a minute, wasn't that due to September not "fully erasing him" earlier this season?  Maybe the fact that Peter was still lingering about was what gave him pause from eliminating him)  
  • September sees this as an opportunity to put things right.  We see the REAL Olivia appear before them.  September says that SHE is the one.  And you can tell from Peter looking at her that he knows it too.  The child is meant to be born from THIS Olivia.  This MUST happen so that everything will be as intended.  So, it would appear that at least for things to transpire the way the Observer(s) want them to (at least September), Henry must be born but born by the correct pairing of Peter and Olivia.   

  • Then something happens and the "Structure" they are in in September's mind begins to collapse.  September cryptically says "they are coming."  EH??  September said that he needs him to do something for him.  But Peter insists that he will not go anywhere until September tells him where to find the Olivia in this timeline.  September tells him to GO HOME.  He says it multiple times.  We find out it was literally what he needed to do to find the Olivia in this timeline.  But he also said he needs to find a way to return to HIS Olivia.  And he suggested to GO HOME.  So, either he is saying that this IS the true Olivia or his way back to his Olivia is somehow to "go home."   Obviously, all very cryptic right now.  But totally awesome!   And comforting to know that one way or another we will see our original characters again.  If it's in this timeline or Peter's revised timeline or some "UNITING" (glyphs anyone?) of both timelines.  


  • There were other interesting things that happened after Peter woke up out of his mind merge.  September disappeared before we could officially say he was dead.  Something tells me we will see him again.  Either to see how he got shot or even after this moment in time for him.  But, he was pretty clear in knowing that he was dying.  I still cannot give an official RIP to September.  It's too difficult!  We will see him again.  I know it. 

  • Also, Astrid noted that she thought it was weird that when September disappeared the Tray pushed over.  Everyone thought it was bizarre that she was focusing on that when a man just disappeared before their eyes.  But, the fact that they brought it up makes me think it might be important.  

  • Also important to note.  Broyles brought Walter and Peter up to speed on September's earlier appearance to Olivia and how he told her that she's going to die.  Walter hypothesized that the kidnapping might be the moment that September was referring to.  But, considering she survived that and it didn't look like Jones was planning to kill her just yet, I'm guessing no.   But, we have now seen that the effects of the cortexiphan abilities cause Olivia pretty intense seizures.  And she's probably going to be forced into using the abilities on an even more intense scale eventually.  Perhaps the man with the X on his shirt will be present for this unforeseen event?   And do we think it's a coincidence that Walter referred to September on his "mind converging computer" as "Mr. X"???   (that just came to me as I was typing this by the way)  


  • And for one final OBSERVER bullet, I must say, that whole scene between September and Peter was one of the best scenes of this series, 4 years in the making.  The reward in waiting for it was definitely worth it! 
Walterisms
  • When Walter wasn't sure whether the Observer's DNA makeup was similar to humans, Peter said that it was because HIS Walter told him that once.   Walter said something like "Well, I guess I should have no reason to doubt myself."   Classic! 
  • When Peter, Astrid and Walter were going through the analysis of the video "bug" from Olivia's apartment, Astrid requests a pause because she has to pee and doesn't want to miss anything.  Funny in itself, but Walter's response was brilliance.  "I've had the same issue for the past 10 minutes!"   


Food of the Week
  • I can't even tell you exactly what it was.  But it sure looked like rainbow sprinkles (or jimmies depending where you're from) on buttered or iced toast.  Looked kinda good, I'm not gonna lie! 

Olivia's Abilities and Peter

I just thought it was worth restating Olivia's comments that any time she has used her abilities Peter has been present.  I put that to the test in my head and here's what I found.
  • Diffusing the bomb in season 1.  Peter almost left but returned to witness her turning it off.  CHECK! 
  • Olivia trying to get the typewriter on OVER THERE to type through her mind.  She couldn't until she met up with Peter on Liberty Island.  And then Astrid reported it started typing "Be a better man than your father." CHECK! 
  • Being the "CROWBAR" in allowing Peter to get into the machine proving that the machine was built for both Peter and Olivia to activate together.  CHECK! 
  • Crossing universes to save Peter.   Well, she had the help from her Cortexipals to get over there and the intent was to SAVE Peter.  So HALF CHECK! 
  • Future Olivia uses telekinesis to prevent one of Walter's boxes from hitting the ground.  UNCHECK.   But that was the future and she had perfected her abilities.  


To Be or Not To Be Our Timeline 
In the ever evolving saga of "what universe is this, REALLY!?"  I wanted to point out a few more things from this episode.  Since they're going so far out of their way to make us think this is indeed a different timeline, I wanted to point out the things that continue to make me consider "alternate" (pun intended) views.
  • Jones' comments in the beginning of the episode seemed to make me think he knew something about what was going on.  But it could be me just looking too much into things.  He admitted he was confused when Olivia said that she had already seen him die.  He said this is the 2nd time someone said that to him.   
  • But then he also stated that she has been receiving side effects from the cortexiphan injections.  But that she had already received the injections as a child.  Now, I could go back and read my recaps from earlier this season, but I thought we found out that Walter did not inject cortexiphan into Olivia back then?  I thought they had never heard of cortexiphan?   Ok, nevermind.  I went back to my recap.  Apparently, Olivia was part of the experiments but she was the only one who claimed never to have side effects.  (side effects she certainly is feeling now with possibly a whole brain transfusion of memories and seizures)   Man, this show is really on top of things!! 
  • Okay, so maybe Jones' comments check out a bit for a revised timeline.  Don't you love how I didn't edit my thoughts above as I came to this realization?  I like you all to see the inner workings of my brain sometimes.   But there are still things I question. 
  • September didn't really refer to Peter being in a new timeline.  He said that Peter RETURNED and that Henry still doest not exist.  So, there is a chance that the timelines will somehow MERGE/UNITE or something like that.  It would be interesting if Fauxlivia got a sudden rush of memories of having a son that doesn't exist anymore.  Could make for some interesting drama.  (and more soapy stuff that everyone loves!)  
  • Anyway, the other weird thing is that SHIFTER NINA (or Bad Nina, whatever she is) has the robotic arm, but REAL Nina had a biological arm.  Now, it might makes sense that a revised timeline Nina would have a human arm.  Maybe things transpired differently and she didn't chase after Walter who crossed universes to save Peter.   But, then why would Jones have knowledge of Nina WITH the robotic arm to make a shifter that looked like that?  Why would he be appealing to our Olivia's memories with that little bit?  
  • As a sidenote on the whole shifter thing - Broyles did bring up to the REAL Nina (who he thought was a traitor) that she'd be dead if there was a shapeshifter of her roaming around.  That's either a clue that the rules are different for 2.0 shifters or this BAD Robot Arm Nina is NOT a shifter and something else entirely.  Perhaps a Nina from a different timeline too?   Hmm, maybe that would suggest that David Robert Jones is from a different timeline and just interfering in OUR timeline!!   Woaa, see how I just made that sidenote related to this subject?   Inner workings of my blogging brain at work once again!   You all are so fortunate to read these ramblings of an insane TV watcher! 
  • One more thing to note.  Facial Recognition of the man found on the camera footage (injecting cortexiphan into Olivia came in and recognized him as Leland Spidey (I may have that name totally wrong but it's what I heard).   The weird thing to note is that this man died 3 years ago.  Hmm, 3 years ago?  You mean the last time we saw David Robert Jones in our timeline?  I've searched IMDB for this actor but he's not on the latest episode yet and I can't figure out what his character's name actually is so I came up empty.  But perhaps there's a chance this man has been on Fringe before?   And perhaps he died along with our David Robert Jones?   This could serve as a clue that we're dealing with Jones and his crew and Nina Sharp from a different timeline interfering in OUR timeline.  They could be from the other universe.  They could be all shapeshifters.   But, I'm kind of liking this whole "invaders from a different timeline" angle!  We'll see what happens! 
I'm about to get fried and I don't even know it!



Peter and Olivia
  • We should make it very clear that right now Peter is convinced that this Olivia is not HIS Olivia.  He has seen a vision of his Olivia in September's brain.  He promised himself he'd never make the same mistake again.  He is now determined to "GO HOME" as September instructed.  Of course, he may already be home but he metaphorically has to find his way home for him and all of his friends.  

  • We should note that Lincoln's feelings for Olivia have not subsided either.  He is a little angry with Peter for "projecting" his memories on Olivia.  He insisted that it is not HIS Olivia.  In the beginning of the episode, Peter wasn't sure that was true.  In the end, he was.  
  • Meanwhile Olivia has full awareness of our Olivia and is head over heals in love with Peter.  She has a little bit of heart break as Peter walks away in the end determined to find his way home.   

This all sets the stage for the next phase of season 4 which is unfortunately 4 weeks away!  I know a 4 week hiatus isn't good for a show that is already on the verge of extinction.  But, the way I look at it is that it had to happen at some point anyway!  And we're getting 8 straight when it comes back!   That's pretty awesome.  And we have plenty to discuss in those 4 weeks so don't hesitate to drop your thoughts in the comments below.  Also, think long and hard about getting involved with the twitter campaign I referenced at the top of this recap.  Anything we can do to ensure a 5th and final season would be a wonderful thing! (hey, I'd love to dream for seasons beyond 5 but I'm a realist!)    So, with that, I will bid adieu.  Check out my recaps of Alcatraz and The Walking Dead in the meantime, as well as discussions in the comments on countless other shows too.  Hope you enjoyed my ramblings and I'll see you in 4 weeks! 

End Credits
  • This season I am recapping FringeTerra NovaThe Walking Dead and Alcatraz
  • WATCH NBC'S AWAKE NOW!!  It will officially begin March 1st at 10pm.  But you can already watch the pilot episode!  It's available for free online, on iTunesHuluAmazon Instant Video, and probably other On Demand services too!  I was blown away by the pilot and recommend you watch! 
  • Other shows that are being discussed in comments recently:  Sons of Anarchy, How I Met Your Mother, Once Upon a Time, American Horror Story, Dexter, Chuck, Shameless, Mad Men (March!!), Game of Thrones (April 1st!), among others.  Feel free to join in!
  • See trailers for the Mid-Season shows I'm looking forward to: Awake and Touch.  
  • As always, there are other shows that I watch as well and would be happy to discuss with all of you in the comments of any of these blog posts.

29 comments:

Ronn said...

When are we going to ran out of our admiration to this show? damn.

Okay, so it looks like we're eating our words, that this is really a different timeline, yeah, after all those were still predictions.

Too much people is different from the original timeline to make it the same. I was thinking that where Jones and Nina went to was our original timeline.

BUT STILL, could they spent like more than half of a season to a universe/timeline that's not the original? eventhough of course it's still a story connection right.

Having Olivia activated his powers could mean she could help Peter got back to his timeline/universe.

And yeah finally we got our Observers explained moment. Which makes me think where is Sam Weiss now? Argh.

Time to sleep.

Anonymous said...

That may have been the "Best Episode Ever".
Great recap Mike. Above and beyond the normal so it validates why I thought it was the "BEE".
Great to learn the story behind the Observers and that they are human and not some alien race. That rules out a lot of possibilities.
I am still not figuring out how we can't be in the same time line just altered due to Peter's absence. It will be interesting to see how it works out.
Awesome to see Olivia get her freak on!!! Maybe Jones should be worried about her power being greater than his ability to control her. (I sure would be).
The only issue I could find was with Septembers explanation that "his being there when Walternate changed the time line is the root of all the problems". Hell, if I knew that I (I being September) just f'ed up the entire time line by causing Walternate to miss the test results, I might have considered just saying to him - "check the results of the test you are performing again" before I left. That would have fixed everything. Instead he let the problem compound itself.
Still, great episode and it was so satisfying to finally get more info on exactly what the nature of the Observers were.
I am guessing the writers and producers are hoping for a definitive answer from the network during this 4 week break. THat way they can decide what those last episodes are going to need to entail..
Bill B

Bill B

AUStarwars said...

excellent episode, glad my last two big theories (Shifter Nina and Observers=First People) are coming to some sort of fruition ;-)

I think the big point to the whole show is "why" is Peter important, and that is still the huge mystery..clearly saving his life was the right thing to do, but you are still missing the big part..its not Peter who is important, its Henry..

this is EXACTLY like in X-Files where Mulder and Scully's son was the key to everything in the end, not Mulder himself, so the whole point was to bring them together to have said son..

similarly, the whole point of all of Fringe is to have Peter and Olivia have Henry, which will somehow lead to the Observers future..since activating the machine ultimately changed all of that, i cant believe that the goal was to get Peter to activate said machine

though is does seem odd that Peter from the Red Universe was supposed to procreate with Olivia from the "Blue Universe" to have Henry, but I guess he is probably the first, if not only, "child of both universes"..

that must be the key, Henry is a child of both universes but since Fauxlivia had the child, he ISNT actually one in the "normal" timeline..so as a child of both (if he really was) he would be some sort of peace maker between the universes, thus UNITING them

maybe im rambling like Mike, but think about it, im making sense (as usual) ;-)

Re: why not just tell Walternate to turn around..im guessing its related to having that Peter have to meet the other Oliva/rules of their scientific mission

Mike V. said...

Hey guys, sorry for the delayed responses! But thanks for your early commentary! Glad everyone enjoyed the episode. Surprisingly, Jeff "Doc" Jensen wrote a piece saying how disappointed he was with it. But, I guess if something gets hyped up too much, people are bound to be disappointed. Okay, to responses!

@Ronn - Totally agree, the show continues to impress and rewards people for their patience! Like I mentioned in the recap, it does really seem like it's a different timeline, but I'm still not sold. I know my new theory that Jones and Evil Nina are versions of themselves from a separate timeline messing with OUR timeline is a stretch...but right now I kinda am digging it. lol

As for Jones and Nina going through that Dimensional doorway...I figured that was just going to "OVER THERE" like it has always done before. But...interesting that maybe it could cross timelines too....you never know!

I was trying to make peace with the fact in this recap that if this truly is a different timeline that it was time well spent regardless. Peter has come across many revelations while he was here and they all seem to serve a purpose for FRINGE's LONG-TERM goals. So, I think it could be worth it. But, I still will continue to explore the possibility that we're already in our timeline. There are enough clues to keep me considering it.

Good point with Olivia and her powers. Of course, they'd need her help anyway to activate that machine. STILL a big clue that we are in the same timeline. The machine is still built to work with Peter. And NO ONE has mentioned how the machine united the 2 universes in this "timeline"....makes me think that they don't remember...it just kinda happened. Of course, Olivia with the new/old memories should remember now.

Hmm...Sam Weiss...it seemed like they tied his story up in a neat little bow in season 3. He was the last in a long line of Sam Weiss's present merely to have the knowledge of the FIRST PEOPLE and their machine. I would love if they expanded his role in the future though!

@Bill - Thanks for the props on the recap! I did feel the need to go above and beyond for this one as it was ONE OF if not THE best ep ever. The past 3 episodes are all candidates for some of the best of the series so it's a tough call!

Agreed Jones should be worried about unleashing Olivia's inner monster. lol

Good point about September not telling Walternate to turn around. I like AUSW's explanation of that. There might be something to the fact that a person from each universe conceives a child. But, if that wasn't the original timeline that September wanted to observe, I'm not sure when he would have come to that conclusion. Then again, the Observers exist outside of time so maybe he could have come to that conclusion instantly and resist the urge to tell Walternate to turn around.

Mike V. said...

As far as a definitive answer on Season 5, as far as Pinkner and Wyman (showrunners) have said they are writing towards a "SEASON" finale. I'm sure they're already close to completing the final episodes. It's usually way ahead of when we're seeing them air. Anyway, their stance is the same as with season 3. They claimed that season 3's finale could have acted as a series finale if it needed to be. They wouldn't have changed anything in it. So, we just would have been left with the massive cliffhanger of Peter disappearing. But, at the same time...he had bridged the 2 worlds in an effort to start repairing the damage. So, one arc was closed and a new one was hinted at getting started. So, I can kinda see their point but it's definitely not full closure. That makes me feel like season 4 will end with a cliffhanger regardless of if it's the last season or not. But, I have a lot of faith in WB coming to the table with an offer that allows them to at LEAST get 12 more episodes so they can have their even 100 for syndication. I would think FRINGE lends itself to syndication better than LOST even if it does have a bit of a serialized aspect. Most of the episodes still have case with a start and end so they could potentially air out of order or without people having to watch them all. Just makes good business sense. Plus, Fringe's SOCIAL/CULT following has to be good for business too even if the live ratings aren't there. I would guess digital sales and DVD/Blu-ray sales do well too. And definitely International Viewership/sales. So...we'll see if all of those factors pay off and give us one more season!

AUSW...I'll post in a separate post.

Mike V. said...

AUSW -

Your theories are CLOSE, but I'll stress the "Some Sort" of fruition part. Because obviously the Observers are NOT the First People! lol But....as I mentioned, there are similarities to their story as to the REAL First people. 2 potentially different future timelines coming back to the past, present and impact those events.

Shifter Nina, I'm not sold on. I think the fact that Broyles brought up that regular Nina would have to be dead was a huge clue to fans. Unless they're setting us up to tell us the rules are different for 2.0 shifters. Or it's a shifter based off of the OVER THERE Nina Sharp. The fact that EVIL NINA has the robotic arm and "new timeline" Nina does not is interesting as well. I've already spatted on my crazy theory that they're from a different timeline...so I'll stop with that. The more I think about it the more holes I find in it. lol

So, I'm confused to why you think I missed the big part. I mentioned in the recap that "correct" pairing for Henry's birth is important, therby implying that Henry is important! If I didn't mention it, I meant to. (Okay, I looked back and I didn't explicitly say that's why Peter is important but I thought it was implied! LOL).

As I mentioned above, I like where you're going with the "child from both universes" angle. He most definitely would be the first. And good tie-in to the "UNITE" glyph. Makes a lot of sense and no rambling in there, except the part where you said I missed something in my recap! :-)

In any case, definitely some awesome reveals in this episode and just a great episode of television in general. I'll be terribly disappointed in humanity if the show gets prematurely cancelled! lol We need FOX and WB to "UNITE" on a goal of producing a quality end to end product!

AUStarwars said...

didnt mean to sound like i was dissing, just meant that the one major overarching things from this episode (next level non surface point) is "peter is important" and now we see why..cause Henry is important (ala Mulder and his son)

Mike V. said...

Yeah I know and it's definitely worth bringing it up. I was just having a little fun with my response! lol

Mike V. said...

http://collider.com/jeff-pinkner-j-h-wyman-fringe-interview/147959/

Great interview with the show runners about the future of fringe in this season as beyond. Their thoughts on renewal, continuity and all fun stuff we discuss all the time. I highly recommend!

Anonymous said...

Great episode and great recap, Mike! Nothing to add on the discussion although I was happy with the explanation of the Observers. Cajun

MJ said...

I'm not so sure Evil Nina is a shifter yet. We still have not been told whether this other alternate world has a Nina or not.

I'm glad I read the comments bef I wrote cause I didn't like that the show was saying that Peter is from Red world and should have lived in red world, but should have a child with Blue Olivia. Left me quite puzzled. Made no sense - but AUStarwars comment that a child had to come from both universes could be true. i had quit Xfiles by the time any child came along so didn't know that.

I'm sure they are purposely giving us reasons to believe that this is our orig timeline, then not - just to keep us going til they reveal it. And I'm happy with that.

I was one of the 'oh no there is gonna be a baby battle' persons and I was glad to see that it never came to fruitition. I wouldn't say that I did not have faith in the writers - all I said was that I would not be happy if they went there at the time.

I guess I don't think that people would feel that 'this was a waste of time' if this is not our timeline so it does not occur to me that if it is revealed to be true that people will be unhappy. the story is the story and if it's being enjoyed then it's not a waste of time.

I was underwhelmed by the Sam Weiss story in the end - thought there would be so much more to it. So I am happy to say that I am not feeling the same way about the Observers.

Jensen said what my husband already did - that the whole long explanation about things being written over other things but that they can bleed through seems to be a pretty big hint as to where they might be going. Was disapointed to read HE was not loving the ep though - cause I sure loved it.

Great to see the old light box again ! LOL And def has to be something to the tray being knocked over when Sept disappeared. I even thought it seemed familiar - nto the tray but everyone seeming shocked that something big occurred and yet one person focusing on a smaller aspect. Not sure though.

And Olivia's seizure is not a good sign.

Whew ! So many thoughts on the ep. And now to head over the TWD to talk about it's fab episode.

MJ said...

Ok - read the article that you linked to. So 'nothing is as it seems'. LOL So probably all our debates will be for naught ! ;-D

Mike V. said...

@MJ

The whole 2 Ninas thing is really throwing me off. ESPECIALLY since the EVIL nina has the robotic arm. Even if there was an Alt. Universe Nina (which we never found out in the normal timeline either), why would she have a robotic arm? The reason our nina had one is from trying to stop Walter from crossing over. But yeah, they have not been clear on her being a shifter yet, so that's why I'm holding out for a different answer. Hence, why I like this whole "invaders from a different timeline" idea right now. If everyone is lucky, I may stick with this one for as long as I did with Ben's childhood friend Annie being Jack's ex-wife Sarah! lol

Yeah...I like AUSW's comments on the situation too. But it didn't make sense since September originally screwed up. But maybe he saw an outcome that was even better with Peter and Olivia's child uniting the worlds and what not. I definitely did not stick with X-Files that long either but I had heard about the child.

I agree with you...they're keeping the "is it our universe/timeline or not" question pretty ambiguous for now. I'm definitely happy with that too, but I like to keep guessing! lol

Basically, when this season got started, it seemed like people were doubting the direction the writers were going. Feeling like either way they went they were going to be "wasting the viewers' time"....that's the reason I brought it up. That and the "soapy baby" thing. That doesn't mean everyone, i.e. you, would feel this would be cause for concern to distrust the writers...but maybe the millions of viewers that have been abandoning the show...maybe it was cause for concern for them. I just thought the people that were left when it moved to Friday last year were the people that were patient enough to stick it out. And the people that are sticking it out are totally getting their investment paid off!

Agreed with the Sam Weiss thing...seemed a little underwhelming...so in that regard, I would like if he came back with more to his story.

Yeah, I forgot to touch on the things being written over other things. That was a good point. I thought it was more to the point of the video feed that had old footage on it. But yeah..it could apply to this whole timeline thing. Good call MJ's husband and Doc Jensen!

If you check out the comments on Jensen's recap...he went off on a guy on the first or second page...ended up having to come back and apologize. Pretty crazy! But, he did say he regretted his opening paragraph of the recap. lol

Can't remember if the whole tray thing (or your observation about the tray thing) happened before or not. But it could have! Agreed with Olivia. Definitely not a good sign. But surely, she's going to live for now!! lol I would hate for only Fauxlivia to survive, even if she's a fun time. lol

Our debates may be useless...but they're still fun to have! Our LOST debates were 90% useless in the long run. But I have no regrets with all of the awesome stuff we all came up with! (and sometimes not so awesome. See: Annie/Sarah comparison yet again lol)

Mike V. said...

Hey Cajun! Somehow your comment was marked as spam so I fixed it. Thanks for dropping a note and for the props!

Anonymous said...

I kind of hope the child (Henry) doesn't have a purpose of "bringing the two universes together". Mainly because it's been done. As mentioned The X-Files but that was also the deal on the original "V" series from the 80's.
I won't believe that these writers are willing to settle for something so obvious.

Bill B

MJ said...

Yeah - Annie being Jack's ex-wife - you were too funny with that.

I had stopped reading reader comments a long time ago so I guess I was less aware of the 'it's a waste of time if blah blah blah' sentiment. I found that so many commenters were just saying s**t to insult or inflame - so I stopped playing. LOL But now I get what you meant.

Lost was the most fun I've had with a tv show ever. I'm curious to see when I re-watch this summer if I enjoy it as much without the blogs to read afterwards as they were part of the original experience for all of us. Also - I was one of those that was not that thrilled with what they chose not to answer. I had no issue with the actual end, and I knew that not all things had answers - but I did expect more of what we watched to have meaning. But I think I'll still enjoy my re-watch.

Ok - so the more I think about this the more boggled I am - so I'm going to try to make this a coherent thought.

Peter is really Red Peter - he's from our orig other side. He never should have been in our (blue) world. It was Septembers interference that caused Red Peter to live in a blue world. So - how can it many any sense when Sept says that Red Peter should impregnate Blue Olivia ?? If Sept had not accidently interfered then Red Peter would never have even met Blue Olivia - so that can't be the correct progression of time.

Mike V. said...

@Bill
I guess I could see why you'd think that way. Of course, it wasn't very obvious to me since I didn't consider it. lol But, even if Henry is important and is supposed to "unite" the 2 universes...that doesn't mean it's essentially the entire point of FRINGE or anything like that. But, this may disappoint some of the more hardcore sci-fans but the science aspect of this show is just a backdrop to the meaningful relationships beween Peter, Olivia and Walter and the surrounding team. It's the same with LOST....really good characters with deep emotional stories and connections....thrown into a mysterious/mystical/crazy story. But, then again, I guess any good sci-fi would have that similarity. My point is....it would make sense if the child of OUR Olivia and OUR (red universe) Peter had some importance on a show like Fringe. But that's just me!

@MJ
Good idea to stop reading comments. It's tough for me to do it because I just feel so inclined to set people straight! (smaller example, see my responses on my own blogs lol...the difference is..people responding here are a bit more intelligent and reasonable!) But, there were even hints of the "waste of time" aspect in some of the comments on this blog too. I even discussed it, but I discussed it from an angle of "how can they do this without us considering this a waste to spend time with this 'new' characters?" And here we are 14 episodes later seeing them tying it all together and it's pretty darn awesome.

Mike V. said...

I've rewatched LOST a zillion times already...which is why it has taken me so long since THE END to even consider going back. This helped with the blog because I had an enormous wealth of useless knowledge to throw into each recap. lol But, the cool thing for me was....the first time through each ep, I spent too much time thinking about clues, taking notes, etc... I'd still enjoy an episode but the 2nd, 3rd, 4th times?? I was just able to appreciate how good the show was without focusing on the clues/mysteries too much. It is cool to go back though with knowledge of future events and watch things play out. Season 2 is pretty rough on a rewatch (very slow...lol funny that I'm saying that!) but all of the DHARMA stuff in hindsight is pretty cool because we have the knowledge that our crew was back there causing a lot of it. But yeah...I'm positive you'll enjoy it. There are some mysteries that I definitely wish they would have covered. Of course, it's all a distant memory now and I can't remember. I think some of the aspects of the Island I would have liked to be explained more. How Jacob left the island freely, Richard too (when he grabbed the man from tallahassee by causing an accident...not to mention that fateful bus accident to Juliet's ex husband)....even Mr. Friendly said "some of us can come and go from the island".... Why the submarine ride was so bumpy that they had to take a sedative and be strapped in. What caused the dreams and stuff..... I'd probably like confirmation that the ghosts we saw throughout the seasons were definitely "spirits or energy" of those that eventually "MOVED ON" from sideways world (i.e. have become one with the source). I have made that assumption since the finale...but I'd like confirmation! lol I would have liked more of an explanation on Walt's "special powers" other than "he is special".... I would have liked them to explain why he was "taller ghost walt" besides the fact that the actor aged. But...these were all nitpicks...I still loved the show!!


Back to FRINGE with Red Peter and September stuff...I think I just talked about that in my last comment. I'm just assuming that September must have "observed" a new timeline after he interfered that may be better than what was "supposed" to happen. Since he's outside of time...he could have that knowledge and it might be why he didn't tell Walternate to turn around and see that he developed the cure. But that's just my guess!

MJ said...

huh! Guess I didn't remember the waste of time talk here then.

Well - my take on the Observers is that they are not supposed to interfere or change anything, a Prime Directive if you will ;-D

It's a good thought that they say something better so let it play out - but rings false to me. Especially as they have supposedly been trying to set it all right, except Sept who keeps not doing as he is supposed to.

To me - at the moment Sept distracted walternate he tried to just leave. I think he did not yet see the impact and when he did it was too late to undo. But for him to then see a different future and then decide it's better? I don't know about that one.

I don't know but something just isn't right with 2 people who should never had met having to meet, fall in love and have a kid.

I hear ya on Lost - and I do think I will enjoy it. Thanks

Anonymous said...

MJ,
Don't expect too many revelations that you missed the first time. When I re-watched LOST I thought I'd catch things that I missed the first time but, surprisingly, it wasn't as "deep" as I had hoped.

It's still a fun ride though.

Mike V. said...

@MJ
Yeah there were some complaints early this season on the "slowness" of the reveals and then how much time we were spending with this "new timeline"...etc...

Agreed that the Observers are not meant to interfere, but September did...and he chose NOT to fully correct what the rest of the observers were trying to correct in this timeline. Nice Trek reference. lol

But yeah...that's my point. September is going against the wishes of the rest of the observers. In this case, September is kind of working WITH our heroes when the rest of the observers are working AGAINST them to put things back to the way they were "supposed to be".... I don't think the goal of our Fringe team will be in line with January-July (August is dead), October - December. Just September. lol

As for September trying to leave at that moment..you're probably right. I was just throwing out a thought...since they are "outside of time" and we don't really understand how their "technology" works. But yeah..you're probably right!

Something definitely isn't right about it...but I think we're meant to think September is chasing the greater good and the others aren't. That's just the vibe I've gotten from where the show seems to be heading.

@Anonymous - Yeah, I listened to people doing a LOST Rewatch on some podcast and just from listening...I agree. There's not much additional to look into. That's kind of my point of what I said below. The bigger reward I got was just sitting back and enjoying LOST as a great drama/adventure series than getting caught up in the details that had us talking for years. I loved the details, but I also love the show as an example of how to make great television. Sure, I would have loved a couple more answers, but agree...the ride was worth it!

MJ said...

Anon - funny you should say that. When all was said and done at the end of Lost one of the things that made me so sad with so many little threads turning out to meaning nothing at all made me sad because I had always planned on re-watching it and being like 'damn - how'd I miss that' and felt that pretty much would not happen.

Anonymous said...

Interesting article on science fiction shows and their current ratings. Not good news but not surprising either.

http://blastr.com/2012/02/walking-dead-rises-the-ri.php

Bill B

Mike V. said...

Thanks for the link Bill. Yeah, definitely tough to pull off Sci-Fi on network television these days. Even LOST gave off the impression that it did not have sci-fi elements at first...which allowed them to hook their audience in that first season. Once those elements started creeping in...the viewers started running away. lol

MJ said...

Yeah - I'd read that article on Blastr as well.

Too bad we have a whole Sci Fi network that now calls it self SYFY and has been cancelling all it's sci fi programming.

Being Human, Haven, Eureka and Warehouse 13 are all that's left there - and Eureka is ending shortly.

Mike V. said...

That reminds me...I wonder what's going on with BSG - Blood and Chrome centering around the first Cylon War? Is that still gonna happen?

MJ said...

Dang - I'd forgotten all about that. I haven't heard diddly about that in quite a while now.

Mike V. said...

IMDB says 2011 but then somewhere else on the page it says 2013. My guess is this one is in limbo like the Live-Action Star Wars TV series (which we would most definitely have to blog!! lol)

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1704292/

Mike V. said...

Call me crazy but I think this interview with Blair Brown casually revealed some information that has yet to be revealed on the show yet. And it seems to be supporting certain theories that a certain someone brought up on this blog! Read at your own discretion. lol

http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/03/02/fringe-blair-brown-teases/