Apple TV has become one of the few places where good science fiction drama series can not only be created, but thrive since the recent dearth of such programs on United States broadcast television. With the final episode of recently completed season two of The Ark, no science fiction programming is available until Alien Earth premieres in 2025 on Hulu and hopefully FX Networks.
Thankfully streaming services such as Apple TV have filled the broadcast television science fiction void with series like Silo, based on the successful novels by Hugh Howey. Following their success of For All Mankind created by Ronald D. Moore and the fabulous Foundation series based on the famous Isaac Asimov novels Both series have been renewed for a fifth and third seasons respectively.
Now comes Silo, created by Graham Yost who is well known in the science fiction community for his time as an executive producer for the great Falling Skies series that encompassed five fabulous seasons from 2011 to 2015.
Image courtesy Apple TV
Silo begins it’s second a season on Friday November 15, 2024 after a well received season one. The series stars Rebecca Ferguson (Mission Impossible series) as Juliette Nichols, Tim Robbins (The Shawshank Redemption) as Bernard Holland, Harriet Walter (Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens) as Martha Walker, Common (Rapper) as Robert Sims, David Oyelowo (Star Wars: Febels) as Sheriff Holsten, Billy Postlethwaite (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny), Angela Yeoh (The Batman) as Deputy Molly Karins, and Will Patton (Outer Range) as Deputy Marnes.
Image courtesy Apple TV
This superb science fiction series features a large ensemble cast that makes the dystopian drama of life underground both frightening and exciting in a place where mining minerals is mandatory.
How do we know? As seen in season one, children are observed drawing with colored chalk that is made from mined gypsum. Everything the survivors deal with to survive including food production that must occur inside the Silo.
Subsequent to a past apocalypse on the surface that has apparently poisoned the planet, sets the tone for Silo making it a very believable science fiction story.
Mining is only part of what these survivors of humanity have to do to survive where the inhabitants deal with extreme stress of living in a confined space that causes some to go crazy and seek escape to go outside “Outside” even if the only job available is to clean the view plate portal.
Image courtesy Apple TV
In the first season, to establish the observed results of going “Outside”, several characters are killed off before Juliette is somewhat accidentally involved to investigate the phenomena. As viewers learn, going “Outside” results in deaths of all who want to do so. This is due to the deficiencies of the “heat tape” used to seal the hazmat suits that apparently the secret mayor Bernard Holland and his team know about. When people want to go Outside, they are always granted permission to “clean” the view plate windows people on the inside often look through.
Image courtesy Apple TV
Of interest is that living underground ensures one thing, that some will want to escape the tyranny of Mayor Holland, forcing him to ensure they never return to upset the balance of life in the Silo. Mayor Holland’s struggle is his obsession to stay in control of everyone the Silo. This drama declines in season one when the slowness of these details falters as he must decide who will be eliminated by sending them “Outside” to certain death.
As thrilling as season one was for humanity living in such an underground sanctuary, season one story arc was a bit slow as viewers internalized the characters and their lives. None survive the ordeal of going “Outside” until Juliette uses non defective “heat tape” she found that properly seals her hazmat suit.
Image courtesy Apple TV
This is how we are ultimately introduced to the main character of the series, Juliette Nichols, a technical expert and computer hacker who successfully escapes the tyranny inside and and doesn’t perish “Outside” in the process of seeking freedom.
The tagline “Julliette Lives” is the set up for a superb season season two of Silo that begins in only ten days on Apple TV!
One thing is certain in season two, just like season one; Silo inhabitants are convinced that they must avoid going outside. The exception is Juliette Nichols, the hacker who beat the odds by having non defective “heat tape” to protect her from the poisonous atmosphere when Mayor Bernard Holland orders her “Outside”.
“Julliette Lives” is where things start in Silo season two. Based on the latest chapter adapted from Hugh Howey’s popular book series, the action picks up right after the season one cliffhanger. Season two introduces Steve Zahn (War For the Planet of the Apes) as a survivor named Solo from another Silo when Julliette sees there are more than one Silo and take refuge in one.
Image courtesy Apple TV
If everything in season one was about the few souls who are searching for the truth, while Mayor Holland and his gang are about hiding the truth from the inhabitants, in season two viewers learn what happens when political power changes hands.
As for the supporting cast, other than who we see in the season two trailers, it is not known if we will see all of the season one ensemble cast who were at the point of rebellion when Julliette escapes the Silo. IMDb shows only that the Juliette character is scheduled for nineteen episodes. Season one hinged on Juliette’s plowing forward to find out what lies beyond. Based on the five minutes sneak peek released by Apple TV, where a rebellion has indeed broken out, Juliette will likely devote her efforts to learning about building communication with the other Silo’s survivors.
The first few minutes of the sneak peek finds us with a torch carrying young person running past signs that are reminiscent of the Fallout series that took the world by storm. It is also similar to the dystopian Snowpiercer series that completed a fourth season thanks only to AMC which brought the third season Warner Discovery (TNT) cancelled series to viewers for closure.
In the extended five minute trailer, the rebellion in the past at other Silo leads to the death of everyone who went to the surface. Juliette finds their skeletons on the surface as she heads to another Silo to meet the new character.
Image courtesy Apple TV
In Juliette’s mission to learn what else of humanity has survived outside her own Silo, she meets the new character named Solo, portrayed by Steve Zahn. Zahn realistic acting takes the science fiction dystopian drama in a new direction by being someone who appears to be nice guy from an abandoned Silo raising the question; are there any other active Silo’s? Or is Juliette’s that only one that is still fully functioning?
Image courtesy Apple TV
While Juliette will apparently invest much of her time in the first episode investigating the rebellion that occurred in the other Silo, she will also literally be building a relationship with Solo after leaving Mayor Holland behind to deal with a potential rebellion, Zahn’s arrival will undoubtedly provide a refreshing perspective juxtaposed against Juliette’s world where the people she knew that escaped only wish in their dreary lives to only get outside to clean a Silo portal window.
Since becoming interested in Silo as a series, I can offer that Apple TV science fiction series have proven to be desirable dystopian worlds to explore and invest time in since it is unique from other worlds such as Snowpiercer and Fallout.
Image courtesy Apple TV
The adventure is about what people seeking to escape their own lives in real life reality. What is fascinating is that Juliette Nichols and her new pal Solo, who promises to provide additional perspective, will also perhaps some much needed comic relief. No doubt they will explore the other Silo in detail to reveal where the series is going.
Since the other Silo rebellion is from that appears to be a failed experiment, it should reveal what the Silo’s are really all about. This factor is similar to Fallout where the world fell apart with only a small percentage of the world’s population surviving to enjoy the spoils of their protected shelters.
The season two questions that arise are;
Will the new rebellion end up the same way as the skeletons found near a tattered flag on the surface? How many of the season one characters will join the rebellion or will they perish as in the past? Will Robert Sims question what Bernard Holland has been brainwashing everyone with? And critically, will Juliette be able to help her former friends to avoid the horrible fate of the other Silo(s) as she learns about the truths of the outside world?
Image courtesy Apple TV
As we prepare for Silo season two, Graham Yost, in his genius at story telling, will provide viewers many other avenues of discovery that are just up ahead for all the survivor’s (if any) in all the Silo’s.
Clearly as the dystopian adventure unfolds, viewers will be impatient biding their time for other doors of knowledge to be discovered that have yet to be opened to learn the chapters of the past history regarding the Silo’s. This factor will deliver excitement since there is so much more story to tell. No doubt viewers will be waiting in eager anticipation to learn what is coming in each new episode!
We will be back to continue our analysis of Silo in the future during season two. In the meantime, please feel free to share this article with your friends, co-workers and or your family!
We look forward to you visiting our dedicated review and analysis web site here in the future! Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit TeamWHR on X, or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. I and TeamWHR look forward to Seeing You on The Other Side!“
On July 22, 2022 Team WHR was very excited as we prepared to visit the Paper Girls on Prime Video Press Room. Paper Girls is a science fiction series we have waited six years years to learn about after the Comic Book version received the Eisner Award for Best New Series in 2016! The comic book series began publication on October 7, 2015 and concluded on July 31, 2019 after thirty hit issues, shortly before the television series began production at Amazon and Legendary Studios.
Image by Kenn for WormholeRiders News Agency
Originally published by Image Comics, the Paper Girls has been brought to our screens on Prime Video by the comic book creators Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang, the Eisner Award winning series is a fabulous science fiction time travel production starring Fina Strazza as KJ Brandman, Camryn Jones as Tiffany Quilkin, Sofia Rosinsky as McKenzie ‘Mac’ Coyle, and Riley Lai Nelet as Erin Tieng as the twelve year old Paper Girls who are catapulted in time from 1988 to 2019, back to 1999 and then 1974 to face extreme danger to their lives, and those that they encounter in time.
Image by Kenn for WormholeRiders News Agency
Our heroes find themselves caught in a temporal war between two factions that seek to control the fate of humankind throughout time.
A shadowy group known as the Old Watch, who controls the technology over all time periods, operates from apparent safety, controlling time from being changed in the past from a distant future. The Old Watch seeks to avoid any changes in the timelines of the past that could adversely impact their dominance over time.
Image by Kenn for WormholeRiders News Agency
The Old Watch is hunting down a group that is seeking to overthrow their iron fist control over time against known as the Standard Time Fighters Underground or STF Underground who we meet via a humble and friendly, but seemingly less than formidable character named Larry Radakowski portrayed by veteran actor Nate Corddry.
The STF Underground as a rebel force is seeking to subvert the Old Watch paradigm consisting at first of Adina Porter who stars as the Prioress who we see in six of the eight episodes, and Jason Mantzoukas, known as Grandfather, a rather nasty character who appears in the last three episodes.
Image by Kenn for WormholeRiders News Agency
During our time in the Press Room, courtesy of Wolf-Kasteler Public Relations, we were delighted by the enthusiasm of the four young actors and the creators.
Each actor in the Paper Girls series is excellent in their roles. Each of these wonderful actors shared details about how they learned details about the 1980’s and the late 1990’s, how excited they were to share their adventures with viewers, how they were hired for their roles.
We note the similarities to the The End Of Eternity and fringe (discussed below), that the creators were familiar with, and how they all look forward to a potential second season of Paper Girls on Prime Video!
Image by Kenn for WormholeRiders News Agency
Unfortunately, after spending truly quality time with the cast and creators, we learned subsequent to our Press Room Paper Girls visit that our HD video camera’s high definition external microphone had failed causing the loss of all forty plus minutes of audio on the video. We were gutted to learn of this development.
We therefore include an outstanding interview segment with the cast from Screen Rant below for your enjoyment.
Back to The Future, The Time Machine, The End Of Eternity, Fringe and Paper Girls:
Image courtesy Amazon Prime Video
Unlike the Back to the Future movie series where meeting one’s self in an alternate timeline could destroy the fabric of the universe, our journey with the Paper Girls heroes goes across time from 1988 where we meet older versions of the Paper Girls. Fortunately, no such universe destruction occurs. Specifically, we meet Ali Wong who portrays the adult version of Erin, Sekai Abenì as the adult Tiffany, Delia Cunningham as the adult KJ, and Kellee Stewart as Dr. Carol Quilkin, who we learn is the inventor of time travel utilized by the Old Watch. We also meet various members of the Paper Girls families in the future timelines that affect the final outcome of events.
Purchase The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov at Amazon!
Readers and entertainment viewers have always enjoyed time travel adventures beginning with The Time Machine written by H.G. Wells in 1895 and popularized in the 1960 movie version directed by the legendary George Pal. In this classic, the protagonist escapes the past to save the future of humanity enslaved as breeding stock for the evil Morlock’s who eat them!
Paper Girls story arc is somewhat leveraged from the classic science fiction masterpiece novel The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov that was published in 1955. Although it was attempted to be brought to the movie screen several times, with protagonists similar to the STF, The End Of Eternity never was produced either a movie or television program.
Instead, a hit television series, Fringe (2008 to 2013) by Bad Robot Productions, produced at Warner Brothers, envisioned a future where a nefarious group known as The Observers made changes in the past to ensure their own survival in the future. This including bringing their own temporal agents and supplies from the future, traveling through time to enslave humankind in the present.
Click to learn about Fringe
The Paper Girls group Old Watch is somewhat similar to The Observers in Fringe and The Eternal’s in The End of Eternity that used Time Kettles to travel back to the past to make major to minor adjustments in the timeline to keep things the way that The Eternal’s wanted them to be. In fact, the final scenes of Paper Girls show what appear to be Time Kettles, or Time Ships that travel to the past and the future.
Years later, Isaac Asimov wove The End Of Eternity story arc into his broader Foundation Series by hinting in the Foundation’s series of books, set in a universe where Eternity had once existed, but was destroyed by one of The Eternals (Harlan from The End of Eternity). This led to an all human galaxy without time travel that ties out with the protagonist Harlan’s final actions in The End of Eternity. Fringe follows a similar good ending where evil members of The Observers are defeated.
Paper Girls Across Time:
Image courtesy Amazon Prime Video
In Paper Girls, the story arc generally follows the concepts from the terrific thirty episode comic book series, but with modifications that do a nice job of adapting the concept to the small screen. In season one, we find a similar conundrum where our heroes get caught up in the temporal war.
Near the end of the series they are taken aboard the Old Watch Time Ship controlled by Grandfather to have their memories erased, and to be subsequently reinserted into their past lives as if nothing had ever happened in the first place. However, our heroes memories are not erased and they end up in a time period before they were born!
Without revealing major spoilers since we believe this superb science fiction adventure series should be watched by the viewers themselves, we will not publish a blow by blow, scene by scene review of the Paper Girls, but we do include some favorite moments from the series that do not reveal the overall series story arc.
Instead, we will say that the eight episode series sets up the time travel adventure nicely in episodes one through four, explodes into action in episode five, returns to a slow boil in episodes six and seven and then blows the viewers mind in episode eight.
In the final superb sequences of episode eight, with the help of the Prioress, who has reconsidered her role in the Old Watch, helps Mac and KJ escape in a time ship to an unknown destination in time. All four were supposed to be aboard, but the Prioress is shot and Erin and Tiffany stay behind to help her.
Image courtesy Amazon Prime Video
Subsequently, after using future medical technology that begins to heal the Prioress after she was shot by one of Grandfather’s minions, Erin and Tiffany escape the Old Watch in another time ship as Grandfather rushes to stop them. Erin and Tiffany find themselves at a drive-in movie theater that appears to be showing the 1974 film The Longest Yard, some twelve years before they were born in an earlier time period!
Image courtesy Amazon Prime Video
The final scenes in the excellent eighth episode sets the foundation for a season two that is rumored to have begun production in late June of 2022 according to a source that we cannot confirm at this time.
Although a Paper Girls season two has not been officially announced as renewed by Amazon Studios, the final scenes set up a great cliffhanger opportunity for launching a second season which we hope will be announced in the near future! In the meantime, we include the Paper Girls panel from San Diego Comic-Con 2022 for your enjoyment courtesy of Magic In the Numbers!
We at Team WHR will be back in the near future with more of your favorite entertainment convention, television series and movie analysis. In the meantime, please feel free to share this article with your friends, co-workers and or family and leave your comments! We look forward to you visiting our dedicated review and analysis web site here in the future! Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit Team WHR on Twitter, or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. I and TeamWHR look forward to Seeing You on The Other Side!“
Debris creator J.H. (Joel) Wyman certainly deserves an A PLUS for this two part episode in specific, and the series in general, for producing an extremely high quality science fiction series being televised weekly on our screens in 2021.
Thank you Mr. Wyman and NBC Universe Entertainment Television for bringing Debris to science fiction admirers for our mutual viewing pleasure in the United States, and hopefully around the world in the very near future!
“I Am Icarus” is the second part of a terrific two part episode that began with “Do You Know Icarus?”, where the fabric of the universe is unwinding or is inadvertently being ripped apart by a young man named Shelby (Keenan Tracey) and his sister Kathleen (Jessica McLeod) who witnessed the alien object land in the ocean near their home. Shelby and Kathleen unwisely elected to investigate the Debris, setting in motion a series of unintended consequences with potentially devastating results.
The damage is becoming manifest in “I Am Icarus” from a phenomena referred to in the episode as “Bilateral Deviation” that could cause fracturing to, or even the complete destruction of various realities residing within the Multi-Verse.
Click to purchase The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov at Amazon!
Regarding Multi-Verse theory, the term was coined in 1895 by the American philosopher and psychologist William James. Since that time there have been many scientists, famous authors, movies and television series have postulated what it is all about.
The question for science to discover and prove, is it real, what versions are there of it, and could the Multi-Verse be impacting all of us even is we are not aware of the causes and implications thereof?
Respected scientist and author Isaac Asimov wrote a best-selling science fiction book in 1955 called “The End of Eternity” which featured time travel to go back in history and make changes to obtain a future desired reality change ordained by the ruling class.
Click to read our feature articles about Fringe. Image courtesy Warner Brothers
Before Debris, other great science fiction series, Fringe produced at Warner Brothers Television, created by J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci and J.H. (Joel) Wyman who served as executive producer and writer, (and is the Debris creator as mentioned above), also dealt with alternate realities and the so-called desired outcomes sought by some of the nefarious “Observers” as they were known in the series.
During a successful five year run on FOX television in the United States, ”Fringe” trimmed all the branches that featured the evil “Observers” at the end, and each team member went on to live happy lives.
Prior to that, another beloved science fiction series, Stargate, specifically In the Stargate SG-1 series, produced by MGM Studios, featured episodes over a twelve year television run, that dealt with alternate realities using a “Quantum Mirror”, or even the Stargate itself.
In Stargate SG-1, the hero characters travel to, observe, and in some cases alter reality that caused people to be erased or changed as if they never existed in the eyes of the person(s) from the reality they originally came from.
The 2008 movie Stargate Continuum, in effect, the final episode of the series, featured an erasure of former Stargate Command events caused by a super villain name Ba’al (Cliff Simon) in his quest for dominance across all realities that utilized a Stargate.
However, using one aspect of the Multi-Verse theory, the original timeline would still exist, so that who and what the heroes fought was a villain in a separate reality within a different Multi-Verse timeline.
A more contemporary example is The Avengers movies infinity War and the sequel Avengers Endgame, where the villain Thanos, used the “Infinity Stones” to change reality by erasing fifty percent of all living beings with devastating consequences for those who were erased.
Thanos, thinking it was the best thing for everybody, did so in order that the remaining living beings would be grateful and happy to live in a universe that was not as crowded before he wiped out half of everybody in existence. Thanks Thanos! NOT!
Image courtesy J.H. (Joel) Wyman on Twitter
In this iteration of a different Multi-Verse theory, somewhat similar to “I Am Icarus”, Captain America trimmed all the alternate reality branches save one; he stayed in the past and lived a happy life marrying his fiancé at the time, Peggy Carter and all was still well in the present reality with the deafeat of Thanos.
In this outstanding two part episode conclusion, written by Kyle Lierman and directed by Padraic McKinley, the Multi-Verse story arc follows the branch trimming theory to restore reality to what it was before Shelby and Kathleen triggered the reality changes.
Things really get dicey in “I Am Icarus”, but end up successful, avoiding permanent damage to the space time continuum.
Subsequent to reaching a crisis point of no return, reality appears to have been restored by our heroes before it could destroy everything in all adjacent realities! To reiterate, Team WHR is hoping that NBC will renew this superb science fiction series by J.H. (Joel) Wyman for several more seasons!
Keenan Tracey as Shelby, Jonathan Tucker as Bryan Beneventi/ Image by James Dittiger, courtesy NBC
The episode begins with Bryan (Jonathan Tucker) and Shelby having just been reality shifted again when Bryan jumped in the ocean to try and stop Shelby during his own quest to be rejoined with his partner Finola Jones (Riann Steele) who was no longer in their reality.
As the story arc unfolds, it becomes obvious that Shelby and Kathleen found, and together subsequently used, a large hollow circular piece of alien Debris in the ocean near their home just off the coast of a city called Oceanside, located in Washington State. After their first use of this very large piece of Debris, Shelby’s and Kathleen became separated from each other’s alternate realities!
This particular piece of Debris is the perhaps the most insidious and dangerous of all that we have witnessed to date. The alien object, having the capability to shift people across realities, to nearby parallel universes, or other realities in the Multi-Verses, can send them back in time to a starting point where many things may be, or are the same, but many things may be, or are different.
Bryan is trapped in an alternate reality and Grace becomes Finola’s partner. Image courtesy NBC
Bryan, in various realities is sometimes with a partner named Grace (Aliyah O’Brien) who has been with Bryan for five years in this reality. Grace plays it by the book, trusts her partner Bryan, but is loyal to Craig Maddox, who ordered her to stop Bryan at all costs, shooting and injuring him just before the last reality jump took place..
The Team WHR theory is that the Aliens may have used the “Multi-Verse Pod” to go back and correct their mistakes made during their travels to Earth in the past. We assume that the aliens had been properly trained to avoid the situation that became manifest in the exciting two part episode with Shelby and Kathleen.
Just as people on Earth make decisions in their lives that affect their future, now Shelby and Kathleen, but without the proper alien Debris training, are making decisions that have disastrous consequences for not only their reality, but potentially for all the adjacent realities!
Kathleen appears in an alternate reality. Image courtesy NBC
In this case, Shelby’s sister Kathleen was not really erased. More accurately, she was trapped in another parallel or alternate reality when Shelby was thinking about how his life would have been had Kathleen not been born when he was inside the Debris under ocean near his home.
POOF! No more Kathleen in Shelby’s reality and visa versa!
Enter Finola Jones of MI6 and Bryan Beneventi of the CIA who now work together as a close knit team in an organization named Orbital. Orbital is tasked with finding and neutralizing Debris from the crashed alien spacecraft which broke up in orbit sending alien objects all over the United States and perhaps elsewhere on the planet too.
After a rocky start due to their superiors Craig Maddox (Norbert Leo Butz) and Priya Ferris (Anjali Jay) who were keeping secrets from each other while each working their own agendas, Finola and Bryan developed a professional trust. Things seemed to be wonderful…
Until Shelby tries multiple times to correct his mistake. He visits the Debris again and again to return to the reality where his sister is. Panicked that he never had a sister in each new reality he ended up in, he keeps trying, but things get worse with each attempt, including changing realities, never finding Kathleen, and a dozen new partners for Bryan who keep showing up at his house!
In an alternate reality, George Jones is working at Orbital. Image courtesy NBC
Shelby, who recognizes Bryan in each new reality seen so far, failed each time because he withheld information from Finola, Bryan and Finola’s Orbital founder and scientist father George Jones (Tyrone Benskin), about exactly what transpired the first instance, that both he and his sister had been messing with the Debris that caused what George referred to as Bilateral Deviation.
Depending on the realities visited during the two part episodes, George is either dead, having been killed by Bryan in the “Influx” raid, or is alive and is working at Orbital. The “George factor” may have an influence on future events in episodes leading up to the season one finale.
Use of the Debris causes the participants to move back in time and relive portions of their lives that may not be the same reality they were in depending on what they were thinking and feeling when the Debris activated in each instance of shifting realities, thereby changes the reality for the person(s) who activated it.
Jonathan Tucker as Bryan Beneventi. Image by James Dittiger, courtesy NBC
As a result of not telling the truth out of a fear that Orbital will confiscate the alien artifact, Shelby actions may result in him never being able to rejoin his sister Kathleen again because they are now in separate realities.
Each instance of using the Debris, without knowing exactly how to operate it, is causing the fabric of the space time continuum to rip apart. The situation becomes desperate when people in the nearby realities are actually able to see the others within the parallel universe realities.
Bryan, fully aware of what is happening since he was with Shelby during the last reality jump, returns with Grace to Shelby’s home. While Grace works on setting up measurements of the Debris near their SUV, when the door opens, no Shelby!
In this reality, Kathleen has appeared at the front door in near tears. When Bryan asks for Shelby who is no longer in Bryan’s reality, Kathleen breaks down and tells Bryan the truth!
Kathleen takes Bryan to the front room where the fabric between the realities is nearly nonexistent. Exterior views of the house depict a glowing reflection from the various realities materializing. Grace, his new partner comes into the house and sees the disaster unfolding and wants immediate extraction of the Debris.
Garfield Wilson as Gibson, Riann Steele as Finaola Jones. Image by James Dittiger, courtesy NBC
Bryan and Kathleen cannot allow this to happen. They need more time to figure out what is going on, so they jump almost together into the alien artifact, resetting the timeline again. This time around, Finola returns with a new partner named Wilson (Garfield Wilson) and Bryan becomes trapped with Shelby in the same alternate reality.
In the meantime, Kathleen convinces Finola to listen because she knows Finola’s fathers name whom she contacts for guidance since he is the head of Orbital in this reality. This time around, the windows between the realities are so transparent that the four can write notes to each other while George figures out, and tells Finola about Bilateral Deviation. George explains that the problem was caused by Shelby and Kathleen jumping individually and that all four of them must reality jump at the same exact time to return things to normal to cancel out the Bilateral Deviation.
The four do so with Shelby and Kathleen able to get back together in the original reality. It seems that Bryan and Finola have returned back to working together in a reality that appears to be the same before the first time they went to the house. When Finola and Bryan come to the house, they do not remember anything that has happened.
With reality fixed Shelby and Kathleen are back together. Image courtesy NBC
Why? Because it never happened! Got that? This is because Shelby and Kathleen, who remember everything, are back together BEFORE they ever visited the alien reality time changing artifact. Shelby and Kathleen invite them in the house to tell them what has been happening with the Debris.
As the outstanding two part episode concludes, interesting things happen that setup the next three episodes leading to a season one finale.
First, we are with Craig Maddox who answers the phone in his office. Unlike the previous episode where Craig went to see his wife Julia (Jennifer Copping) after receiving the same phone call to try and save their marriage subsequent to the devastating accident Jullia had that crippled their son Dario (Christian Rose), Craig does not do so this time around.
Only a subtle reality change, but a change nonetheless. Craig arrives home and he finds their divorce papers on the kitchen table. Jennifer Copping is set to reprise her role in the season one final, so we will have to wait and see if our theory about any impact from the subtle changes to the reality we witnessed become relevant or not?
Anson Ash is planning his escape. Image courtesy NBC
Second, danged Anson Ash (Scroobius Pip), the captured “Influx” operative is observed in his cell in a dungeon of some sort at Orbital when the guard comes to collect his food tray. Anson makes a fuss and deliberately grabs the arm of the guard on purpose for an extended period of time as he did with Finola is an earlier episode to establish a mental link or bond.
When the guard goes to activate the combination lock on the area where Anson is imprisoned, Anson is somehow able to either read the guards mind or can see through his eyes as he keys in the code for the combination lock. No doubt this factor will be used by Anson to escape and return to his “Influx” organization members.
All of this will certainly play a part in the season one finale with Anson back on the loose, and subtle reality changes in the timeline which this reviewer has a theory about; that George Jones never died in the subtly changed reality, is still the head of Orbital, and Craig Maddox works for him!
We shall see!
We are certain to learn more next week! Make sure to watch Debris on NBC or you can watch the next day on Peacock TV. See you then!
As we proceed to the future with Debris in our thoughts, Team WHR will return with more analysis of our favorite series including select science fiction book and television reviews. We look forward to you visiting our dedicated review and analysis web site here in the future!
Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit WHR on Twitter, or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. I and TeamWHR look forward to Seeing You on The Other Side!“
Well Fringe fans this is it, my very last Fringe review, ever.
Sad, I know, it has been an incredible journey these last five years. We have seen characters come and go and return again. We have seen shapeshifters, parallel universes, things that no human being should ever bear witness to.
We have witnessed what a family is, both on screen and off. Fringe has become, to quote The Sopranos, Family. Redefined.
I hope that you loved this final episode as much as I did. Honestly I did not know what to expect.
Like everyone, I had heard various Fringe rumors about maybe a time reset was going to happen, and if so that means that Peter (Joshua Jackson) may disappear, that Henrietta Bishop (Georgina Haig) may not be able to be restored to Peter and Olivia (Anna Torv), that Walter would make the ultimate sacrifice, or perhaps worst of all that all the events that unfolded in this final season would have been moot.
I always had faith in Joel Wyman and the others involved that when they said they penned a love letter they meant it. To me this last episode was not only a love letter, but a culmination of everything that made Fringe the groundbreaking, brilliant, funny, edgy, suspenseful, etc show that it has become.
There has not been a show like this before and have I have feeling there never will be another one like it. There will also never be a fandom like this again, passionate people that are the lifeblood of this show. Joel and the rest of the cast have always expressed their love and gratitude to us the fans and we whole heartedly accepted it with open arms.
I will warn you now, since this is my last Fringe review, I may get a little emotional, which is warranted considering the epicness of this last episode. I have used that word epic over and over not only in my reviews but on my twitter account as well when describing this show. When I use words like epic or brilliant I do not use them lightly, I really mean them. So please forgive me if I go a little overboard with the usage of both words.
Now…on with the last Fringe review…The opening scene with Donald/September (Michael Cerveris) and December (Eugene Lipinski) is interesting, but it sets up what is to come. I also think that it is a set up in a way of possibly a continuation.
When Donald says “If our plan doesn’t succeed they will cease to exist” it makes me think that this has always been planned out. That this already happened before and that due to the reality changes that the Observers are a part of, they need this to go right this time.
When Donald asks December “After all this time, the feelings you had for these people, the feelings we all had, they have not grown in you?” I know he was talking about the original 12 Observers. The ones that had started it all and the ones that were closer to what Michael (Rowan Longworth) is than Windmark (Michael Kopsa). I do believe that is why December and September always had a soft spot for the Bishop Boys and Olivia.
“When we first came here we did not know the true nature of our expedition” September tells him. It freaks me out to see this scene again, because again, it is a sign that this all happened before, that the original 12 were sent back to fix the problem or to make sure this time that the plan went right.
I am going to be quoting a book that was recommended to me by Kenn (it has since become a favorite of mine) called “The End of Eternity” by Isaac Asimov. This book is chock full of very Fringe like references, including Observers, time shifts, alternate realities, etc.
It is the one book that has allowed me to understand Fringe a bit more. If you have not read this book I highly recommend it. The reason I bring this book up is my previous statement that both December and September knew the consequences of what would happen if their plan did NOT succeed, hence the changes. They need to get it right this time, for humanity sake or it would surely be an invasion all over again, but maybe worse.
“Destiny can be changed” Donald reminds December and it already has been, a few times, why not one more (or a few more) times. I love that September makes the justification that the people of this era are worth saving. That is the nature and reason for the reality changes, the book talks about that, too.
Walter (John Noble) and his comment about a cancer inducing cell phone is hilarious. It must be so frustrating being a genius when everyone else around you is so dumb!
I am certainly going to miss his Walterisms, they are such a part of the Fringe lexicon that I have uttered a few in my everyday life. That is the brilliance of John Noble, he has such a wonderful way of making things his own and putting his signature on them. There will certainly be a void of that kind of wit on TV.
Uh oh Broyles is all I can think when Windmark appears in the garage. I love that Broyles is always walking that fine line between both worlds. Lance Reddick does a great job at making you understand why he is doing what he is doing.
Whether it be his Alt character helping Olivia (Anna Torv) escape from the Alt universe in the Entrada episode while he sacrificed himself, or his trusting Etta (Georgina Haig) and her ability to teach him how to block the thoughts from the Observers. Broyles has always been a moral character; you know how to perceive things by how he perceives them.
The gang returning to the lab with Michael (Rowan Longworth) in tow looks like a family vacation gone awry. When Olivia asks Donald why Michael stepped off the monorail, his answer is short “Apparently there was a reason, there always is” again reminds me of what he said to December about why these people should survive, why time should be reset.
It is sweet to see Michael’s reaction to the static on the computer screen. It is such an innocent one, he is smiling, and it almost makes you think that he sees something that we do not.
Often it has been said, in paranormal studies, that “white noise” actually is living. It has voices and shapes that we normally miss. Leave it to a child to make us aware of such things, their imaginations and emotions are deeper than those of us adults. Deeper and more real because of the purity of them, they have not been corrupted by life and such to warrant bad feelings.
When Donald had said that the initiating reactor core has been deteriorated and enlisted help “from my time” makes me think that this plan has already happened and that the shift is almost in place to make the REAL change. He needs it to make it became THAT reality. Asimov’s book again comes into play here, again, with the time shifts and the changing of realities.
I love hearing Walter explain to the others what the purpose of the device is that Donald is building. It is always great to see him when he gets into his scientist role; it brings out that wondrous part of him, with a side order of mad genius. John Noble always makes science fun and easily accessible. It is no wonder he is also the host of that great TV series Dark Matters on the Science Channel (shameless plug, I know, but worth watching).
As I mentioned in a previous post about Michael being the Archangel, Donald confirms it. He says that when he gets to the year 2167 Michael will change the course of human evolution.
Just as Archangel Michael changed the course of his destiny and that of the chosen ones. Just like Olivia changed the course of her history and timeline, just like Peter did and ultimately just like Walter did.
It comes full circle, like it was always meant to be this way, that Peter (Joshua Jackson) was always supposed to meet Olivia (Anna Torv) that they were always supposed to fight for a greater cause.
This was always supposed to happen, maybe it got a little of track, but these people were always meant to do what they were destined to do; it just needed a little tweaking.
The way that Donald looks at Walter when Astrid (Jasika Nicole) asks how he will know who the scientist is, is again a sign that this plan was always in motion. Walter has a look of knowing a look of acknowledgement like he knows the answer but is not willing to volunteer the answer.
I love that Broyles knows he has been compromised by how he notices the gloves on his dash. He does the right thing by leading them on a wild goose chase. It is unfortunate that he cannot be there to help them, but he also does the right thing by sacrificing himself again for the greater good. “The most important thing is the plan” is what Broyles stresses to Olivia, no matter how much she protests. That is one of the many things I love about Broyles, moral to the end.
This next scene with Peter (Joshua Jackson) and Walter (John Noble) is by far the best scene ever filmed in Fringe history…in my opinion. There was a picture if this scene posted on Facebook and twitter and now we know what it was a part of. The emotion in this scene is outstanding, John Noble has never been better and I do not think he will ever be able to top this scene.
Watching this again it make me realize that this is not only a scene between a father and a son, but two men, two actors who have grown to love and respect each other as a real father and son. The love and respect that they both have for one another in unquestionable, them saying goodbye was for real and I am sure that both Josh and John will never again experience anything quite like it.
Watching John Noble in this scene is astonishing; again a word I don’t use often but when I do its meaning is perfect in this scene. There are a few times in my life as a director when I have been rendered speechless by an actor, whether I was working with them or watching them on screen, this is truly one of those times.
The raw depth and immense power of John and his emotion is so powerful that he floored me, literally. I was so moved that my floor was littered with used tissue after tissue.
THAT Ladies and gentlemen is what acting is…living in the moment, feeling it from your toes to your head and extending out to everyone around you. The fact that John has been snubbed time and time again by the major awards is a tragedy, but also a blessing. A blessing to us fans who can selfishly hog him and his talent all to ourselves. We can say “I have witnessed perfection and his name is John Noble.”
Josh is fantastic in this scene as well, his love for this man is evident, not only in real life but on the show. Josh truly did find a father figure in John as did the rest of the younger cast. He was saying goodbye to Walter and to John at the same time; his emotion has never been more real than in this scene.
This is the purest Josh has ever gotten, not even when Olivia (Anna Torv) was shot and killed or shot again, not even when Etta (Georgina Haig) died or his upon seeing his mother Elizabeth (Orla Brady) again. This is what real love, respect and friendship is folks and Josh and John are showing us in spades.
It is hard for me to really expound on this scene any further, watching it is the only explanation needed. That alone will give you the answers to the question of what is brilliance and talent and I say to you…this, this scene is.
There are some scenes that are so beyond any words when you watch them, to describe them using primitive language is futile, feeling is the only way you can experience the powerful meaning. This is that scene, if no other scene is ever filmed again in regards to Fringe, let this be the beacon, the guide, the shining light of what Fringe is, has been and ever shall be…
Okay, now that I have sufficiently cried myself silly again watching this scene, let’s talk about the paradox that Walter mentions. Again I must go back to Asimov and what he says about paradox “in every apparent paradox of time travel, reality always changes to avoid the paradox and we come to the conclusion that there are no paradoxes in time travel and that there can be none”.
Reality has to be reset and Walter knows this, hence what happens at the end of this episode and why it is so significant that we are hearing this now. Walter mentions how nature abhors a paradox; it has to heal itself (reset itself if you will). It is so brilliant that Joel had picked up on this; I suspect that he has read Asimov and incorporated the paradox and reality changes because of him.
Asimov also writes about reality “With an infinite number of Realities there can be no such thing as determinism”. Sound familiar? September said something similar to Walter about why he cannot know the absolute outcome because nothing is determined. The mere definition of determinism is what has been a thought line in Fringe from the beginning. Real is just a perception, as has been mentioned time and time again and has always been in the background somewhere.
It is so sad when you see the final fate of our friend and fellow Observer December (Eugene Lipinski). His death was not in vain, he died to help the team. This may be a weird coincidence, but it seems that every death of a significant character in this season has served as a reminder of what is at stake, what the team is fighting for. No death has been in vain, it has been the catalyst and what will finally drive the fate of the team.
When Windmark gets his hands on the reactor it is not a good sign, but then you know that fate has another chance to rear its head. Never count out our team; they are never down for the count. With all the references to realities, time travel and the shifting of realities, I cannot quote all of the time Asimov uses these to make my point in Fringe, so I will ask that you read the book and understand what I mean.
When you see Broyles get caught by the Observers that is when the episode shifts. The stakes have now become higher and things are at the most dire. It’s getting real people!
Leave it to Olivia to go to Michael to figure out the plan. Maybe they do really have a connection after all. They are basically the same, in some weird way, both anomalies, both children that possessed something far greater than ever imagined, both children that essentially changed the realities and timelines.
“Because it’s cool”…oh Walter, how we are going to miss your little Walterisms. I suspect that Fringe fans all over the world are uttering this as I type this!
It is another one of the many, many cool ways that Fringe has become part of our everyday lives.
I absolutely love love love the scene with Jasika and John when she shows him Gene. It again is a true testament to the friendship and special bond John and Jasika have formed over the five year run of the show. It is also so incredibly beautiful that he FINALLY acknowledges her real name and how beautiful it always has been. John, you kill me, literally kill me!
I love that Windmark tells Broyles about the original twelve that arrived and that there assignment was to observe. Something strange happened…Hmm, I wonder what could that have been? “They succumbed to irrational emotions,”…no Windmark, they were just being human!
It is such a great scene, because Windmark thinks he is superior to Broyles when as Nina (Blair Brown) pointed out in the Anomaly episode that the Observers are the primitive ones and we are the advanced ones, well we eventually learn to be more advanced thanks to Michael. “I believe you call it hate” states Windmark, “the feeling is mutual” Broyles retorts! Match point to Broyles!
The beautiful scene in the car between Peter and Olivia is what Anna and Josh do best. They have always had an uncanny ability to be perfectly intimate with the world watching. They are great at dropping the fourth wall and making the private public, which is why they are one of the most epic couples in TV history.
Their hope (that word!) of seeing Etta again is closer than before. It makes me happy that their fight was not futile, that the hope Olivia had that she would be able to finally be the mother she ultimately wanted to be. It is such a sweet thing that Peter gave her the bullet that truly did save the world!
Now we are at the part that for me becomes the locomotion to the end. It is so fraking cool what happens to the Observers that enable Peter and Olivia to conquer. Again the old school Fringe is harkened back to. It was so great to see some of the past cases come back to life, albeit a bit gruesomely, but still neat to see again.
I love that Donald volunteers to go to the future in Walter’s place. It is a very noble thing to do. I love that throughout the run of the show Michael Cerveris has always been a favorite of mine. This multi talented man has shown us his true colors and I for one love it. You always knew there was something different about September and that is one of the reasons he became one of my favorite characters.
So when September told Peter “It must be difficult to be a father” all those years ago, he knew in some weird way that feeling. Now as Donald he knows it with every emotion he has, he knows what Walter felt about Peter. “It’s about changing fate, it’s about hope” well said Donald! That word again is the theme, sometimes it is all you have to hold on to, that is what gives you strength to carry on.
Let the Fringe freak fest begin! The floodgates are now open! Here comes the pain! I was cheering loudly when the plethora of old Fringe events started spreading like wildfire. It was so great because it reminded me of all the past episodes and seasons and how extraordinary this show is and will always be.
When I saw the six fingered hand, I thought to myself, The Princess Bride, which I have referenced before in my posts. Remember him? Christopher Guest played him well…but I digress.
Let’s fast forward to the last ten minutes of this episode. These scenes are the most crucial to me; it is what we as a fandom have finally been waiting for. It is not only the final battle, but the final chapter in the wonderful love letter that Joel has penned for us the fans. From the gun fight which reminded me of an old western film to the floating Observer (Walter was right, it is cool!), Fringe has always had the makings of epic television.
Watching these scenes again I am filled with the excitement that I was the first time I watched the episode. How edge of my seat I was hoping and praying that the plan goes perfectly. It is such a great treat to watch it again and still feel those emotions surge in my body!
As Peter and Windmark battle, the thoughts that went through my mind were “the plan will work, I know it will,” but there was still a glimmer (yes pun intended) that it may fail. Bite my tongue, I know but then again it’s Fringe, anything can happen.
Ironic that Windmark had Olivia by the throat much like he did Etta? What follows this scene is perhaps my favorite Olivia scene ever. It is what Olivia was meant for, what she was born for, what William Bell (Leonard Nimoy) had said time and time again she was used (I hate to use that word, but it fits) for. She was always the strongest one as Bell mentioned, kept Peter by her side, but Nina reminded her that she always had an incredible capacity for compassion.
It was Olivia’s capacity for feeling that made both Walter and Bell use her…Nina (Blair Brown) said that Bell needs something from her. Just like they need something from Michael, he is the chosen one as well. It is the reason Michael has always had a strong connection to Olivia.
She is the chosen one as Bell states. She has always been afraid of her abilities, but Nina again pointed out that Olivia always had the most extraordinary gifts, the only thing she denied was knowing, she’s had the power all along…(Wizard of Oz reference again).
Damn I love this show). “Olivia is an uncertainty engine, every breath she takes brings us closer to nirvana, and with every beat of her heart she tears the world from its hinges. She is the redeemer” Bell said, about Olivia and in this scene she proves it.
When she sees the necklace strewn across the ground, I bet Etta flashes through her mind, her baby girl, her “perfect little soul” her second or in this case third chance to get her back. I love this scene, Anna is extraordinary.
It reminds me of a Phoenix rising from the ashes, the power she posses to inflict the final blow. How fitting is it that Windmark is crushed, literally and figuratively, by Olivia. That she was the redeemer; she did have the power the whole time. The fear and love she has always possessed have been her triggers and the cortexiphan her weapon.
When Donald/September got shot I guarantee you there way collective screaming and flailing across Fringe fandom, but remember this is Fringe, everything happens for a reason. It was sad to see Donald meet his fate, but it was also I suspect the way it was always meant to be. The tune that Michael plays is Greensleeves and the significance is perfect in this situation. It is as it always has been how it was fated to be.
It started with Walter and a boy, it will end with Walter and a boy. It is because of the immense love that Walter had for Peter and it ended with the immense love Walter had for Peter.
It came full circle again; Walter saved a boy…again. It was such a beautiful scene with Josh telling John he loved him, I bet that was genuine! As I am watching Walter walk off into the proverbial sunset, I am tearing up, but not from sadness, from joy! He finally became the better man…this time.
Remember Walter is not dead, he is in the future. Something John Noble said in the last Noble intentions that makes me think we will not only see him again, but the cast possibly in a movie.
He had mentioned that because Walter is in the future, for a while, he may miss his family and want to come home for a bit…there is always hope.
And so brings us to the end…or rather the beginning again, of a whole new life. A rebirth of sorts, a chance for all of them to start over. As I watch the end I cannot help but feel a swell of emotion. I write this through blurred vision, because of the tears in my eyes.
The ending is perfection. I had told Kenn that there were two places that the reset would happen, either Etta’s birthday party or the park and I was right on one. I am so glad to see our beloved Bishop family intact again and enjoying their third chance at happiness. How does the saying go, third time is the charm?
Olivia finally has her third chance, she finally feels like the redeemer Bell always said she was. She is at peace, I believe, finally having her life, love and daughter back where they belong. Peter with Etta is so amazing; he has such love for this little girl. Josh is great, so tender and loving!
No comes the conclusion to the longest love letter in history. The shot of Peter (Joshua Jackson) looking through the mail is great. You can see a letter or ad that says “Thanks for the support” which I think Joel put in there as a thanks to all the fans that have supported the show through the five year journey.
What really, though, is the ultimate “We love you” to all the fans is the symbol that has meant so much in the Fringe world and to us fans around the world. The White Tulip, the symbol of solidarity, of forgiveness, or what a son means to his father and what this show has meant to all of us. The look that Peter/Josh has in his eyes leads me to believe that this saga is not over that we may (fingers and toes crossed) see a movie in the future as John Noble hinted at during SDCC 2012.
Well, my fiends I will share this quote from Peter Pan “Never say goodbye, because goodbye means going away and going away means forgetting” so instead of saying goodbye to Fringe, I will bid see you again.
I want to take this opportunity to say thank you to all the fans I have become friends with over the years. I want to say thanks to Kenn, Managing Editor of Team WHR for allowing me to be a part of this amazing team of people that covered this amazing show.
Most of all I want to thank every single person ever involved in Fringe; you have brought me such joy, such happiness, such laughter and such tears. It is because of you that I found my creative life again and that means more to me than you will ever know.
On one final note about the series and the time reset, I will conclude with an Isacc Asimov quote here for the last time:
“Reality has a tendency to flow back it its original position.”
Please feel free to leave a comment here or If you prefer, you may also click the social media icons below to share this news article or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit me on Twitter by clicking the links or images avatars in this news story. See You on The Other Side“!
Welcome back Fringe fans for our final series of reviews in this timeline,
How does one write about the apparent end of Fringe during ones final analysis for such an epic science fiction drama series that has brought excellence to our screens for five years?
Was it The End of Eternity as this reviewer has written about previously? Or is it simply a new beginning for a franchise that could to be headed to the big screen deserving of Academy Awards to atone for the many years of being snubbed by the Emmy’s?
This editor believes this is the case. In my opinion, and many others whom we have consulted with, Fringe movies loom in the future. The only question is when “Fringe Movies” will actually enter our timeline!?
With a focus more in the present timeline, the Fringe creators recently sanctioned products including September’s Notebook created by Tara Bennett and Paul Terry set for publication in March of this year!
Although not actually revealed in “The Recordist”, the end of the current Fringe eternity began with the return of September (Michael Cerveris) to the series story arc when we met, with fleeting glimpses what seemed to be a new character. Then referred to as Donald, who appeared at a remote mountain encampment, the final foundation was set.
“The Recordist” featured a well known and much admired actor Paul McGillion as Edwin Massey. Massey had laboriously recorded all of human history since the invasion of Earth by The Observers in 2015.
Massey related that Donald, whom we now know is September, had been captured by The Observers subsequent to when “Donald” had visited their remote encampment on a secret mission.
The Fringe team went on a field trip to track down clues revealed in Walters Betamax video tapes (I loved that video format, so superior to VHS as Walter confirmed during the series).
Olivia (Anna Torv), Peter (Joshua Jackson) and Walter (John Noble) met Massey discovering a high energy mineral needed for Walters plan to stop The Observers per the Betamax video cassette “bread crumb” he had left behind before being ambered in the year 2015.
As we reviewed previously here at WHR, we speculated that Donald was September, but “The Recordist” episode did not confirm September was alive as a fact until his return in “Anomaly XB-6783746” via the memories imparted from the child Observer Michael (Rowan Longworth) after he was secured in “Black Blotter”, when as you may recall Walter decided to take a little trip via LSD!
We include an edition of “Noble Intentions” courtesy of FOX Broadcasting that chronicles the memories imparted to Walter from Michael, the Child Observer.
The Boy Must Live:
After a bit of work in the former Harvard University lab to locate September, between Walter and Peter with the ever able work of Astrid (Jasika Nicole), in this episode we finally learn about Donald (September) and what happened to him since his disappearance at the hands of evil Observer Overlords from the year 2609.
With Peter’s, Astrid’s, and Olivia’s help to monitor the experimental events, and as Michael looked on with curiosity, Walter Bishop entered “The Tank” in the laboratory to isolate the important memories imparted to him by the Child Observer Michael (Rowan Longworth) in “Anomaly XB-6783746” in order to locate September in the year 2036.
In a truly humorous moment, well beyond anything ever contemplated on “Naked Tuesdays”, where Walter at least had an apron to cover his vitals, Olivia opens the tank in the lab only to find Walter stark bare ass naked in the process of searching his thoughts about September.
This fun scene brings us a moment of levity in the serious story arc full circle. One can only assume that it must be “Naked Tank Tuesday” in the year 2036! Even Olivia smiles at what they have discovered, Walters nakedness notwithstanding!
Subsequent to discovering enough clues from “Naked Tank Tuesday” to locate September, Walter dons some clothes to cover his fine physique to lead the Fringe team on the search for September in 2036.
In a number of memorable sequences, Peter and Walter chat about why he is so sure about things, including Walter remembering that he does not really enjoy “public displays” of affection and not using public restrooms to “go number two”. Peter’s growing love for his father’s eccentric nature is displayed lovingly with a wonderful smile.
We are suddenly taken to the year 2609, the central nexus of The Observers strangle hold on humanity. Now one may ask, why did The Observers Commander (James Kidnie) or delightfully evil Captain Windmark (Michael Kopsa) and other implied higher Observer authorities simply not kill September after his meddling with time without their explicit approval?
For those who read and follow the time-line psychology ripple effects of changing events or people as eloquently depicted in Fringe and by Isaac Asimov’s novel in “The End of Eternity”, the answer is simple. Well almost.
As discussed between Captain Windmark and The Observers Commander in “The Boy Must Live”, in order to not disturb the certainties of the reality they have created wherein they are the dominate species across the universe, certain individuals cannot be eliminated or they risk that the entire equation of time could unravel. September is one of those individuals in this reviewer’s opinion.
Now you may hypothecate; WAIT! Other of The Observers, their Loyalists and quite a few resistance humans have been killed. Why did these events not impact the timeline?
Although not delineated directly, the Fringe creators require viewers to think about serious consequences of ripples in time across realities from changes. This reviewer believes that this may have been partly responsible for lower ratings because Fringe as a story, took much thought to internalize. This factor was also responsible for the initial lackluster reception of the novel “The End of Eternity” that later went on to become a cult classic.
Nevertheless, the epic nature of the program can be understood as follows; One must assume that if a person was killed “out of order” in contravention to The Observers philosophy of “Everything In Order”, then a viewer should assume that the Observer command nexus in the year 2609 would have dispatched other Observers to fix or “patch” the timeline to restore 99.9999% infinity likelihoods just as what was performed in The End of Eternity to ensure the future eventualities desired.
More on these complex factors later in my analysis.
Walter, Olivia, Peter, with Michael in tow find September at an apartment after leveraging Walter’s memories ascertained in the tank.
September, in turn, obviously is quite happy to see Olivia, Peter, almost the entire team, and Walter in specific for reasons we learn in major reveals in the series story arc.
We were thrilled to also see an emotion of joy on September’s face when he sees the Observer Child is with the team.
Michael is later confirmed to actually be September’s son Michael. September opens a cigar box to retrieve a tiny music box which plays the memorable song “Greensleeves also known as “Who is the Child” when the tiny handle in turned.
A most appropriate selection by music composers Chris Tilton and Michael Giacchino in the opinion of this reviewer that is featured in episode.
After relating what had happened to themselves, our heroes learn that September had been stripped of the technology implanted in his skull which allows The Observers to traverse time across multiple alternate realities with causation by making minute adjustments in the time-line.
The ultimate purpose is to ensure Observer dominance across all realities to within 99.9999% infinity percent likelihood as discussed above.
We learn that September was punished for his many instances of meddling with the plans of the Overlord Observers to ensure their dominance across all time and in all universe possibilities.
Logically we must assume that after his capture and punishment, September was deemed to be harmless by The Observers without his enhanced abilities.
This proves that The Observers, the season five antagonists, are not all powerful. By not monitoring September more closely, thereby making a major mistake, especially considering the perseverance of Walter and our heroes of the Fringe Team in the year 2036, the quest to destroy their slavish, albeit intellectually developed society will become realty.
In the process we learn that September chose his name, Donald O’Conner, from a favorite movie he and Walter had once watched together; “Singin’ in the Rain” (1952).
One is also left to ponder another interesting theory. Did Walter name “Gene the Cow” to honor Gene Kelly who starred in the 1952 award winning film enjoyed by September? This reviewer find this theory to be highly likely.
As Olivia and Peter listen with great emotion on their faces, they find out, among the many details Walter did not remember, despite having many “feelings” imparted by Michael, that this included all the details of “the plan” to stop The Observers from manipulating all time and universes.
Powerless, September, had been inserted into the year 2036 where he could be “observed” by Captain Windmark after his capture and punishment.
September then began life as a normal human believing that his plans with Walter twenty-one years previous in the year 2015 to save humanity would never be realized.
In a major reveal about what has transpired over the past five (season) years, September shared how it all happened.
In stunning visual effects sequence reminiscent of “The Matrix” (1999), September reveals how Michael was created from his own genetic material in a vault of young Observers. The chilling scene delighted this reviewer to no end.
Michael, September’s progeny was deemed flawed by the genetically fascist Observer hierarchy of the year 2609. The result was that Michael’s maturation was deliberately stunted.
Although not depicted in the episode, September informs our Fringe Team heroes that he took the boy from the year 2609 and hid him in the past of the year 2036 to hopefully be found later by Walter, Olivia, Peter and Astrid.
During the meeting in the year 2609, we learn more about the weakness of The Observers. Although seemingly firmly in control, they are not capable of predicting all possible outcomes, and in fact are afraid of the consequences of making any additional changes to eliminate “the resisters” as the Fringe Team is referred to.
The Observer Commander relates to Captain Windmark; “we are not prepared to deal with a readjustment of probabilities”. The Observer Commander is obviously referring to the killing off the Fringe Team and or Michael, the “defective” Observer Child.
To his displeasure, Captain Windmark is forbidden from going back in time to kill them all. This is the next Observer weakness that is revealed.
Although The Observers have invested nearly five centuries from 2167 to 2609 to “breed out” emotion in favor of intellect, the Observer Commander detects something is wrong. Captain Windmark states “the idea of ending their existence consumes me”.
As we know from being emotional human beings in 2013, obsession is a destroyer of many aspects of humanity. So it will be with The Observers. Obsession causes people to make mistakes and or draw the wrong conclusions from history that ultimately leads to serious errors in judgment.
When the Observer Commander states “they are insignificant”, we know that our heroes can leverage their arrogance to ultimately win the day!
With a segue back to the Fringe Team at the apartment, now with September restored as an ally, we discover “The Plan” is to take Michael to the year 2167 on the 28th of February, and introduce him to The Powers That Be (TPTB) of that era. All of history, past, present and future would be radically altered to benefit humankind.
By offering a different alternative in humanities future decision making process, with proof they do not have to sacrifice human emotions for intellect, the result would cause the evil of The Observers as we have known them, to never become manifest, to never exist!
Brilliant move in the story arc by the creators!
We move in the episode to a rather touching tender sequence whereby Olivia and Peter discuss that if the plan succeeds, and the timeline is reset, that they will be restored to a point in time before the invasion with their daughter Etta (Georgina Haig) when she was young. Olivia is optimistic, while Peter says they have a long way to go to succeed.
At this point in the series, our Fringe Team Leader Lori theorized the time reset result would be in the park in the year 2015 with young Etta when she was playing with Peter and Olivia during a family picnic.
The episode moves quickly as Captain Windmark returns to the year 2036 plotting obsessively to learn all about and track down September who has unfortunately been tagged with Observer chip “784651”.
Captain Windmark’s intent is quite clear. Although he is not actually disobeying direct orders from his superior, The Observer Commander in year 2609 by track downing his obsession in the past, Windmark is absolutely determined to kill our heroes in the year 2036 to achieve his goals.
September thinking carefully ahead of their arrival, has removed his tracking chip before leaving his apartment. September’s foresight is correct, he has setup a booby trap with an Observer tech quantum bomb at the apartment for Captain Windmark and his Observer minions whom he is certain will try to find him there.
In another wonderful sequence involving foot tapping to jazz music, The Observers are affected by a somewhat reflex human emotion, rhythm. September almost succeeds in killing Captain Windmark and his two Observer minions.
Windmark and his main minion escape, however one of The Observers is apparently killed unable to dematerialize quick enough as the Observer bomb from the future vaporizes the entirety of September’s apartment.
The episode winds down as our heroes gather the parts September has stashed in the year 2036 to complete the device to establish a wormhole and send Michael to February 28, 2167 to reset the timeline, but not without consequences.
September and Walter are at a warehouse gathering the requisite parts. Walter recalls a partial memory imparted by Michael.
Walter, with September’s prompting understands that he will have to sacrifice himself by accompanying Michael to the year 2167.
September fills in the missing memories and discusses “A White Tulip”, its importance and the strength given to Walter over the five years of Fringe. Tears well up in Septembers eyes as they discuss the events of past that have brought them here.
However, while the White Tulip is seen by Walter in his mind, it is missing from an envelope in September’s Notebook.
The poignant scene provides a startling revelation of the Fringe series mythology now made manifest, the existence of his, “September’s Notebook”, which is seen on screen in September’s hands!
This fantastic book that contains the secrets of the series mythology is created by Tara Bennett and Paul Terry, whom we had the honor to interview on WormholeRiders You Decide Sunday February 03, 2013!
In the final hectic moments of “The Boy Must Live” episode, evil Captain Windmark tracks our heroes down on a local commuter train.
Aware of the importance of their freedom to complete “The Plan”, and for reasons not explained in the episode, Michael makes a sacrifice allowing himself to be captured by Captain Windmark in order to allow the others to escape!
As Captain Windmark takes Michael into Observer custody, an evil grin of revenge and retribution spreads across his face, all we see and hear is; “Hello” as the television screen fades to black!
Michael Kopsa is absolutely delightfully creepy as Captain Windmark, superbly delivering his final line in “The Boy Must Live” episode. This reviewer says simply; Bravo Mr. Kopsa, BRAVO!!
Our Team Leader Lori will be writing the last two reviews of the series to be posted in rapid succession after this analysis. Lori will include interesting quotes from The End of Eternity novel to dovetail our belief that Isaac Asimov’s book was an inspiration for Fringe.
Just remember, #ItsNeverOver when it comes to altering the timeline, meaning this reviewer believes Fringe will return in movies as changes ripple across our timeline to become reality in the future!
Please feel free to leave a comment here or if you prefer, click the social media icons below to share this news article.
Or as many of our readers and visitors often do, visit WHR on Twitter, or visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story. I and Team WHR look forward to Seeing You on The Other Side“!
As we approach the end of one of the most epic science fiction dramatic television series produced within the past quarter century, we take pause to remember those whose contributions have made the Fringe series one of the most beloved in all of televised entertainment history!
WormholeRiders therefore pays tribute to some of the dozens of lesser known, albeit crucial crew members who toiled tirelessly for Fringe in general, and “Black Blotter” in specific. Each exquisitely made the series come to life before our very eyes on our television and or computer screens over the past superb five seasons coming to close in January 2013.
Click here to see all whom have made Fringe an excellent entertainment product!
Image courtesy Ari Margolis of JonXProductions via Twitter
The music selected for Walter’s LSD “trip” is the centerpiece of his altered mental state that reinforces an adventure in the episode that makes “Black Blotter” so worthwhile. Special kudos to Chris Tilton and Michael Giacchino for their delightful music score, and for selecting wonderful background music for “Black Blotter” including Donovan (Hurdy Gurdy Man) and Steppenwolf (The Pusher). Included above, these epic 1968 hit songs accurately reflect “Black Blotter” from the era of LSD!
For retrospective regarding this analysis, back in 2009, when WormholeRiders was a fledgling news agency, a single web site with a single blog, this reviewer called “it”; that wormholes, time paradoxes, alternate realities and universes would be the fundamental premise well beyond the first season of Fringe.
A few said this reviewer was wrong, some said this reviewer was, in fact, crazy. Time itself has edified this reviewer’s belief that the series creative genius’ had planned carefully in what has proven to be precisely that edification.
Image courtesy Joel Wyman via Twitter
Late in 2010 and early 2011, when the two “sides” or realities of Fringe fought each other, this reviewer postulated the opposing forces of Olivia/BOlivia, Broyles/Alt-Broyles, Nina/AltNina, and most critically, Walter/Walternate would join forces to fight an even more evil third enemy.
Not one to bother TPTB Executive Producers, over time I had sent a series of single tweets to Joel Wyman regarding this subject matter. He responded with what I thought it would be?
I answered with two words; “The Observers”, but that I would not say more to avoid spoiling.
Mr. Wyman responded with two words of his own; “Much appreciated”. And so it has become with The Observers in the 2036 timeline.
Only because this reviewer had read a similar tale known as “The End Of Eternity” by Isaac Asimov, was the insight I learned remembered, not for any other reason.
Fringe admirers learned in the recent past via discussion at San Diego Comic-Con and Twitter from creative genius Joel Wyman that seven (7) episodic seasons were planned. This reviewer stands by his belief that Fringe will not end after only five (5) television seasons on FOX Broadcasting.
While this reviewer may prove to be incorrect in this regard, it is hard to believe that Warner Brothers and Bad Robot will abandon one of their most respected and creative franchise endeavors.
This reviewer fervently believes that Fringe will continue on the big screen (movies), with direct to DVD mini-series, be picked up by a new network (Science Channel?) or a combination of all three to bring the adventure of seven contemplated seasons full circle.
Black Blotter Primer:
The reveals within the “Black Blotter” episode are many. Flashbacks are utilized via Walter’s use of LSD to identify key elements from the first four seasons that hold the answers to understand the 100+ episode journey that is Fringe.
At episodes end, new and compelling questions are presented that cement the solid foundation being laid by Fringe Executive Producer Joel H. Wyman.
How will Cecil (Zak Santiago), who was with “The Child Observer” from the “Pocket Universe” dovetail this finding in “Black Blotter”?
What does Walter learn on his LSD “trip”? Will the “acid” open memories that lead to the answers to defeat The Observers domination of the Earth in this altered reality timeline? Can his grand daughter Etta (Georgina Haig) be saved (restored)?
In a major reveal within “Black Blotter”, does anyone doubt that “Michael” the young Observer is the child of September (an homage in my opinion to Michael Cerveris) from the year 2036? Will Michael eventually once again alter the time line to save Peter (Joshua Jackson), Olivia (Anna Torv) Walter (John Noble), Astrid (Jasika Nicole), Broyles (Lance Reddick) and the irascible Nina Sharp (Blair Brown) from death at the hands of The Observers?
From the earliest fond memories of Fringe in our minds, all have wanted all our heroes to survive. But will they? And by what mechanism will this become manifest? Which, if any, of our heroes will be the ones that remember everything that has happened when all is said and done? To the point: Will any of them remember anything?
And what of another beloved series character, bowling alley manager Sam Weiss (Kevin Corrigan)? All have desired to learn the fate of Sam Weiss. Did Sam perish fighting to support the resistance leading up to the events in 2036? In “Black Blotter” we will find the answer to this question in a somewhat shocking, yet bittersweet discovery.
Walter’s memories, brought to the surface by ingesting “Black Blotter” LSD, revolve in part around those of Elizabeth Bishop, his wife. Elizabeth Bishop (Orla Brady) graced the series five times previously in “Peter” (2010), “Over There Part One” (2010), “Subject 13” (2011), “Back to Where You Have Never Been” (2012) and “Enemy of My Enemy” (2012). Each is critical is in this reviewers opinion, becoming the crux of “the what”, and “the why” of all that is about to happen in the closing episodes of season five.
Not to spoil for those who have yet to experience Fringe, one should never forget that it was “our” Walter’s tampering with the timeline, bringing alternate Peter to “our side” of the universe that set the stage for what was to occur over the course of all five seasons.
Walter’s intervention, to stave off his broken heart over the loss of their son, ultimately led to his involvement with David Robert Jones (Jared Harris), the ZFT manuscript planted in the 1930’s, Walter’s dubious association with William Bell (Leonard Nimoy) and multiple interventions by The Observers who at first seemed benevolent visitors to the Earth.
All of these situations occurred in attempts to restore or maintain the timelines in “balance”. This leads to the theory that such interventions are what shifted The Observers from being benevolent watchers of the timeline to The Observers of 2036.
Led by the evil Captain Windmark, brilliantly portrayed by Michael Kopsa, one must ask, was all of this the reason The Observers became the radicalized invaders of our fair planet? And just how and why did they become so selfish and evil? Was a reality change the ultimate cause?
Could all be restored if the cure for “his own” Peter could be made available in the past, obviating Walter’s original universe reality crossing expedition? Would such eliminate the revenge driven character “Walternate”? Would such a “fix” allow Walter and Elizabeth to lead normal lives in both realities, each with their own Peter?
Would such a solution also free Peter to not become the subject of cross universe adversarial situations that brought Earth to the attention of The Observers in the first place? Or were The Observers watching anyway as this reviewer suspected long ago based on a novel by Isaac Asimov that I had read in my youth?
What of Olivia and Peter? Will they be the only ones to remember everything when order to the universe is restored? How will it all be accomplished? With only four episodes of the fifth season remaining, read my closing theorem at the end of this analysis and then… we shall see Fringies, we shall see!
More on these topics later in the theorem section at this reviews analysis and contemplated conclusions.
Before beginning my analysis of “Black Blotter”, we include, courtesy of FOX Broadcasting, the latest promotional trailers for the next episode “Anomaly XB-6783746”. Written by talented David Fury, we are about to learn the Fringe story arc’s final foundation, setting up the final three episodes that will air in January of 2013.
Black Blotter:
The episode opens with Astrid waking to the sound of Donald’s radio emanating signals for the first time since the Fringe Team of 2036 had been monitoring his radio.
Accentuated in “The Recordist”, The Fringe Team is searching for answers to locate the missing pieces of the puzzle required to put an end to the slavish conditions perpetrated on humanity by the evil that has become manifest on Earth in the form of The Observers of that future era.
In the underground Harvard facility of the year 2036, Walter’s laboratory appears to be a fantasy landscape of surreal proportions. The genius of the “Black Blotter” episode is that the viewer must ascertain if what we “observe” is real, or if the scenes we witness exist only in Walter’s mind?
One of the opening sequences great lines is when Walter says Astrid’s hair is so “beautiful”. Packing a pistol, Astrid knows something is up since she had just been sleeping on her hair! Based on the dreamlike visage on Walter’s face we suspect far more than a few puffs of “Brown Betty” are at work in Walter’s mind!
This discovery becomes a challenge as Olivia and Peter awake only to find that Walter has taken an LSD “trip” with “Black Blotter”. In order to expand his mind, we find out Walter’s purpose is clear; He needs to unlock the secrets in his mind for victory over The Observers to restore humanities timeline to what it needs to, should be, or what it will become after The Observers, invaders of Earth, are vanquished.
Before the LSD that Walter has taken is definitely confirmed, we segue to Peter and Olivia intimately chatting in the bedroom. Peter shares with Olivia that he still has headaches after the removal of The Observers “tech” from his brain.
Although Peter is returning to normal, as evidenced by his once again growing intimate relationship with Olivia, Astrid interrupts their moment together to alert them that Walter is up to something. Of course he is!
More humor is injected in the opening scenes as Peter asks Walter if he is “tripping?” The two word response from Walter “most definitely”, with a near “sh_t eating grin on his face” accompanied by two visions tells the tale! The first being a “Tinkerbell” like PIxie juxtaposed with the return of key series characters.
One key character is none other that Dr. Carla Warren (Jenni Blong), part of Walter’s LSD hallucination visions down memory lane. Fringe admirers will recall this character from two past episodes; “Jacksonville” (2010) and “Peter” (2012). “Black Blotter” represents the third episode where the Dr. Warren character, killed in the lab fire, will play a pivotal role, at least in Walter’s mind.
Without delving into the past story arc too deeply, recall that it was Dr. Warren who played opposite Nina Sharp (Blair Brown) during the early days of the Cortexiphan trials warning Walter what he has planned would likely damage the space-time continuum.
Among other things, including trying to stop Walter from crossing into the other reality via the wormhole Portal he had constructed to “save” Peter for himself and Elizabeth in “our” reality, we learn at episodes end, this seesaw battle for Walter’s inner conscience will become paramount to what has to be done to save us all from the evil that has become The Observers.
As “Tinkerbell” lands on Walter’s finger, Astrid tries to ask if Walter knows what the radio signal mean’s? A bit entranced by the vision on his finger, Walter is not quite oblivious, but almost.
Floating in and out of lucidity, Walter shares with Peter, (as Astrid and Olivia look on) that 2036 Nina had promised to removed the portions of his brain that made him like Walternate after his LSD “trip” to recall what he cannot otherwise remember.
In the meantime, a clue is offered; Walter continues to “see” “Tinkerbell” and Dr. Warren which he observes flying around Peter’s head. Dr. Warren tells Walter that the other “he” knows things. We can observe by the look on Walter’s face he is afraid of the “other him”, Walternate!
During this sequence Walter sees a dimensional aperture (a wormhole gate or portal) frozen in time wherein “Tinkerbell” splits into two version of herself, one Blue (a bit green really except for the wings), and one Red as the Red “Tinkerbell” flies through what appears to be a portal between realities.
Clearly this is an homage to the “Blue Verse” (good) and “Red Verse” (evil) which dominated the Fringe story arc in previous seasons.
The conundrum within “Black Blotter” is that Walter knows he has a “dark side” in what appears to be his dual personality often alluded to in the past or other timeline realities via the Walternate characterization.
One must contemplate; is this where the knowledge and memory of Sam Weiss also resides? Walter realizes the knowledge to defeat The Observers that the Fringe Team needs is in the “Walternate” side of his personality. Walter is rightfully terrified of the “other Walter” submerged within his tormented soul.
As Walter has long feared in the 2036 timeline, and why he desires Nina Sharp to remove portions of his brain when the mission to eliminate The Observers is complete, is that the “Walternate” in him will potentially take away his son Peter and what he, Walter desires to be, a non aggressive personage of good intentions and spirit.
Without much delay Olivia and Peter go off to find the source of the radio signal using technology provided by Anil (Shaun Smyth).
Among several dead bodies including The Observers and Loyalists, what they discover are the bones of the Sam Weiss” behind the wheel of a large utility van.
Using the resistance radio triangulation technology from Anil, Peter and Olivia travel to Willington, Connecticut to the source of what appears to be the signal. Calling Astrid back in the Harvard laboratory, the discovery of skeletal Sam Weiss produces no recollection of him in the 2036 timeline for Astrid or Walter, at least not yet. Peter and Olivia discover the utility van is not the source of the signal, only a relay station.
Sharing a tender kiss in the woods, it is here they confirm the find. The weathered bones of Sam Weiss in the utility van are verified from the discovery of a driver’s license. Dead from a firefight some ten to fifteen years previous, the bones of Sam Weiss lead, via a cable, to a solar powered radio relay repeater.
After examining the surroundings, Peter and Olivia determine the signal is located elsewhere. A quick segue finds Walter chatting with Dr. Warren where he seemingly discovers a notebook journal beneath the floorboards.
Thanks to the hallucinations from LSD, Walter’s memory envisions a younger Nina Sharp. She and “Tinkerbell” caution Walter to not consult the documents in the notebook journal.
As Walter heads out for to join Olivia and Peter in a taxi, Dr. Warren is mentally in tow. In his mind Walter had apparently escaped from Astrid in the taxi outside The Observers Headquarters in New York City. Not really!
In “reality”, Astrid has taken Walter to link up with Peter and Olivia, but not before thumbing the notebook to find a number of his inventions as well as two words; “Black Umbrella”, which become important a bit later in the episode.
Despite being “high as a kite”, Walter is concerned he is following the path of what the “Walternate” personality really wants him to do, once again find a young Observer Child who may hold the answers the Fringe Team needs to set thing right.
With a segue to the next sequence, Walter and Astrid link up with Peter and Olivia. This reviewer very much enjoyed seeing all four of the team back together in action!
After an exciting Fringe Team firefight dockside, eliminating some of The Observers minions, the four heroes head to an island where the radio signal is emanating from.
But not before Walter “sees” “The Emerald City”, another homage to “The Wizard of Oz” which our Fringe Team Leader Lori has postulated previously in her analysis of the genius of the Fringe series that utilized familiar works of entertainment to “ground” the audience within the story arc.
The island, sans the Emerald City observed in Walter’s mind, is the originating source of the radio signals. Once on the island our heroes are suddenly confronted by veteran character actor Tom Butler portraying Richard.
Richard is accompanied by his his wife Carolyn (Maria Marlow) and a surprise with Michael (Rowan Longworth), appearing as “The Child Observer” reprising his role as we have seen previously in Fringe (more on this subject later).
Michael “The Child Observer” has not aged a day in the twenty years since he was secreted away for his own protection until retrieved by Walter after first being previously secreted in the “Pocket Universe”, but only if Walter can remember the password to do so.
In a sequence that is really homage to Monty Python, a delightful animation scene is used to illustrate the inner workings of Walter’s mind. Accentuated by “Black Blotter” LSD, a visual of the “Black Umbrella” and a key unlocking a tree appears in Walter’s mind. Heck, we even get to see Walter ride “Gene The Cow” just like he is the “The Wizard of Oz”. Well, he darn well is, isn’t he?!
Walter leaves the LSD hallucination vision, quickly snapping back to reality uttering the “Black Umbrella” password. We observe “Tinkerbell” the Pixie who claps, while Walter smiles wryly (literally painted on his face).
Recall that we heard the password earlier in the taxi cab when Walter was “with” Dr. Carla Warren.
A suspicious Richard and Carolyn, who have been protecting an “item”, are now prepared to turn over the young Observer Child named Michael subsequent to when the “Black Umbrella” password is provided by smiling Walter.
In several touching sequences, Richard and Carolyn surrender Michael to the 2036 Fringe Team noting his purpose is for something “really important”.
Admirers of full circle story arcs, and Fringe fans alike, will recall Michael is more than familiar. Michael, The Child Observer, is the same child from season one episode fifteen “Inner Child” and the same person whom had been stored in Walter’s “Pocket Universe” from season five episode six “Through the Looking Glass and What Walter Found There”.
In the closing sequences after leaving the island, Olivia makes hot chocolate for Michael, “The Observer Child” while Peter watches closely. Michael remembers Olivia from the previous timeline.
Peter is curious how such is possible, wondering how can this be? Olivia knows Michael must be special recalling that The Observers internalize time is a different fashion than human beings.
In the final moments, we find Walter “coming down” off his “Black Blotter” LSD “trip”. Walter is back in the underground laboratory at Harvard. Visions of his wife Elizabeth are superimposed on the wall to reflect his thoughts.
Walter recalls several memories of arguments from his past that led to this timeline becoming manifest. One is with his wife warning him about going to get Peter from the alternate universe reality stating “some things are only for God”.
Dr Warren also appears using Robert Oppenheimer’s prophetic words to warn Walter that he will become “The Destroyer of Worlds” and “There Has to be a Line” not to be crossed. The memory flashbacks include Walter crossing through the wormhole on his mission to get alternate Peter, completing the full circle arc within “Black Blotter’.
Finally, after Dr. Warren states “the journal doesn’t matter” after Walter apparently decides to incinerate the notebook which contained recollections of all of his various inventions and devices.
This includes the scenes of the inter-dimensional Wormhole Portal that set everything in motion from the original Fringe timeline where it all began not so very long ago.
As we watch Walter pour lighter fluid and apparently set the journal notebook aflame in a Pyrex laboratory container, a younger Nina Sharp and Dr. Warren’s final words of opposing debate are foreboding visualizations from Walter’s memories; “it’s too late, now that you remember all the things you are capable of…” with young Nina Sharp retorting “Walter you got the boy back, you have to continue, you have to keep fighting…”
We are suddenly confronted with a shocking reality. As the camera pans back, we “Observe” the Pyrex container is empty, containing only the burning lighter fluid as the words of Dr. Warren echo in our minds; ‘You’ve Been Him Longer Than You Have Been You!” an echo of a metaphor rippling across the timelines.
Throughout the course of “Black Blotter” viewers were led to believe Walter’s journal notebook was “real”. Not so. The notebook, just like the “Tinkerbell’s”, Elizabeth Bishop and Dr. Warren, and all the rest were not in the “real” world.
Each was a visualization of Walter’s memories that he had been experiencing the entire episode courtesy of the mind liberating tendencies of “Black Blotter”. Walter IS the notebook journal!
All are, and have been, his memories of what he needs to remember in order to accomplish the mission in 2036. Each of these memories, across several timelines, have been freed in Walter’s mind. Viewers and Walter himself stare dumbfounded at his other self… It’s Walternate!
Interrogative Theorem:
We will “Observe” an entirely restored Walter soon? Will such a day be one to rejoice, or a day to chill our Fringie souls? Further, across five seasons, have we ever really witnessed just who the “real” Walter truly is, Walter or Walternate?
Is he not both? Time has proven he is, and always will be, Walter and Walternate! Was all well until the diverging timelines took place when September (Michael Cerveris) observed Peter and the Fringe Team’s activities in 36 episodes over the past five seasons?
Did this earlier Fringe event cause the dual personalities to generate the spilt creating the two distinct characters that were always there to begin within one soul in one reality?
Will Fringe admirers continue to connect with, and admire Walter amid the dire current circumstances and realization that he is, and always was Walternate? How will Walter and all of these factors manifest themselves in the final four episodes of season five?
Will the separate realities that were also part of a larger homage in “Black Blotter” to the entire series play a role in the final episode to bring closure to the viewership? Or will the series creators eliminate not only The Observers, but put the multiple timelines to rest with a return to an “original reality” before it all began?
In the epic science fiction novel by Isaac Asimov, “The End of Eternity”, this was the path chosen for the stories protagonists Noys Lambent (Olivia in Fringe), and Harlan (Peter in Fringe). They were the only ones to recall everything, but with no way to alter it when “The End of Eternity” became manifest after those in “The Hidden Centuries” prevailed over the evil and perversion of those who had altered reality to favor their matrix of existence to the detriment of humankind and all other life forms.
As Noys and Harlan began a new life free of “The Eternals” (equivalent to The Observers in Fringe), Laban Twissell (analog to Walter in Fringe), had to be destroyed because he too had an evil dark side like Walternate once he was revealed as the creator of the “Time Kettles” (like Walter’s wormholes in Fringe), which had originally empowered The Eternals to become evil and corrupt from power over all others lives.
A reality reset to its original shape was the only viable option to Asimov’s “The End of Eternity”, a single novel that needed to have a neatly wrapped conclusion in a world prior to the establishment of the multi-verse as hypothecated in modern scientific theories.
This reviewer’s theorem is that the brilliant creators of Fringe need not end the franchise at this time with a neatly wrapped “package” tying up loose ends. Much remains to be explored in a world with “Endless Possibilities”.
Specifically; what caused the radicalism from the seemingly benevolent nature of The Observers on Earth (like September) to the ruthlessness of Captain Windmark? How was September and those of his ilk overthrown? Did a reality change threaten The Observers existence, leading to the radical and tyrannical world of 2036?
Or must we accept that these intriguing potential stories were abandoned (passed over and pulled into a shortened fifth season) when the series ratings added overwhelming financial complexity to the contemplated sixth, and alternate fifth seasons?
This reviewer cannot speculate on this final hypothesis opined in the previous paragraph at this time. However, sometimes in business, financial considerations force compromises that “pull in” a future “reality” well before its time.
What this reviewer can say at this time is this:
Much more can be, and remains to be explored if another network (e.g. The Science Channel) picks up the Fringe franchise. Or perhaps Bad Robot and Warner Brothers will elect to pursue a direct to DVD or big screen strategy?
How would this be accomplished? By leaving season five with a huge cliff hanger! This could “plow the field” with new “seed corn” for more of the enjoyable alternate realities that are what Fringe is all about!
And here is where we must leave our analysis for now. The next four episodes will tell the tale, wherein only time will tell what reality will ultimately become manifest.
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It truly has been a long summer. One that I will never forget, first I was able to get my Fringe fix on by going to Comic-Con 2012 and now by partaking in the brilliant first episode of the fifth and alas final season of one of my favorite shows ever.
The last panel at Comic-Con was bittersweet for all involved. It will be heartbreaking to say goodbye to this show, but it will live on forever.
To say that this season will be hard to watch is an understatement; it will be hard, but also exhilarating at the same time. I have a faith that Fringe will definitely go out with a bang and not a whimper.
The preview for next week’s episode looks intense, with some hint of humor of course, provided once again by Walter Bishop and his acid line. Leave it to Walter to always infuse humor in this show. More fun is Georgina Haig discussing her role and joining Fringe.
With each episode that airs we get closer and closer to that final one that will be the end…for good. It can be a little heartbreaking, but also memorable. I am so thankful to the powers that be that gave us this fifth and final season to let the swan song happen. I found it interesting that this episode was directed by two directors, Jeannot Szwarc and Miguel Sapochnik both fantastic film directors, it certainly shows in this episode.
Transciliense Thought Unifier Model 11:
Now…on with the show. This first episode, as I stated, was amazing and I suspect that it will only get better and better. I love that the episode starts with such a wonderful memory of the Bishop family being happy and carefree.
The little girl they picked to play Etta as a child is perfect. She is such the perfect combo of Peter (Joshua Jackson) and Olivia (Anna Torv), although I do think she looks more like her dad…
As the scene progresses this innocent scene gets shattered by the appearance out of nowhere (literally) of The Observers and the havoc that they unleash on the unsuspecting people in the park. The utter fear and terror on Peter and Olivia’s faces is frightening.
Once again Josh and Anna do what they do best, as we will see later on. The opening scene makes me think of the Nazi’s storming into any number of European cities during World War II and just devastating the lives of everyone around them.
In this episode I think that Joshua Jackson has done some of his best work. I will mention this later on, but it is nice to see him being able to use those great skills he has acquired over his many years acting. The scene when Peter wakes up from that nightmare, he realizes that he was just a dream, but goes and checks up on Etta (Georgina Haig)…such a dad thing to do.
It is great to see Peter playing the dad role, because now the shoe is on the other foot. For so long he had been the son, now HE is the father and can relate somewhat to how Walter feels towards him. This scene shows the dynamic between fathers and sons is vastly different than between fathers and daughters. Peter understands in a way what Walter went through in the fact that he has lost 20 plus years of Etta’s life, so he now has to make up for it and he intends on doing just that.
The egg sticks are, well quite frankly, gross! To think that may be what we have to look forward to in the future is scary, I fear if they did that to eggs, what they did to bacon! When Walter enters, without pants, it seems like a normal day for the Bishop clan. When Walter is lucid he is LUCID, no holds barred. I love that Peter says that no one wants to find Olivia more than him, well maybe Etta.
This episode paid homage to a few iconic sci-fi movies and I will mention them as the review progresses.
It is not surprising that Olivia was the one to go and retrieve the element that Walter needed, because she is still who she is. She has her abilities because of the Cortexiphan that still runs through her. She is fearless and always puts others above her own personal safety.
The funniest part of this scene is when Walter takes a bite out of the egg sticks and then spits it out. The reason I found it so funny is that Walter and food are like conjoined twins, he rarely turns down food and will eat anything (well maybe not Pop Tarts). So to have him spit the egg sticks out means that they are truly foul. His line about ‘What a miserable future’ seems to be thematic in this episode, but like Fringe, nothing is always as it seems.
Josh’s scenes in this episode are definitely powerful. His scenes with Etta and Walter and then finally with Olivia all show the enormous talent this man has honed over his many years as an actor. Fringe is so great to watch, because at times he is often overshadowed by John Noble and Anna Torv, both being forces of nature regarding their acting. I especially love it when he is playing ‘dad’ with Etta. That makes me smile, because we the fans long to see him and Olivia as parents.
The scene when the team goes out to try and find Olivia and we see the devastation that the Observers left behind, it gives me a chill. It almost reminds me of something Walter said in a previous episode about choices and what September (Michael Cerveris) said about possible futures.
The ambered building is great to see, because it harkens back to older Fringe episodes and what we know of amber. The amber gypsies line is funny especially the expression on Walter’s face.
The scene at the black market are great, they reminded me of Blade Runner, especially the Japanese woman sitting in the rocking chair. Leave it to Walter to make a snarky comment about his time in Japan. It is also interesting to see what became of the survivors of the invasion.
What they had to do to survive, again it reminds me of the war and what the refugees had to do in order to survive. The walnuts are wonderful; the fact that it is currency in more ways than one is telltale. Georgina Haig was wonderful in that scene and the next one with Walter. I will expound more on her and her brilliance later…
Walter and Etta sitting and talking is one of a number of scenes that are my absolute favorites. It is such a quiet scene between two fine actors, but also between a grandfather and his granddaughter.
The way Walter is reminiscing is heartbreaking, but brilliant at the same time and that is due once again to the sheer uber-talent of John Noble. It is a subtle scene to behold and with Georgina there to help it along, it brought a tear to many (myself included).
It is not often that a television show can move me to tears, but this episode did, upon the second viewing. I have a feeling that in the course of the next twelve episodes remaining many tears will be shed.
The one thing I found interesting about that scene as well is that Walter says how he will always remember her as a little girl. He said something similar to Olivia, how he will always remember her as little Olive. I think that is always the way that Walter seems to associate with the ‘kids’ in his life, to remember them as more innocent and carefree than burdened by life and the world around them.
I very much enjoyed the scene of Peter and Astrid (Jasika Nicole) looking through the slabs of amber as they come across one that may be Olivia. The look of hope on Peter’s face is wonderful, alas it is not her, but he will not give up!
Now comes one of the strangest, but coolest scenes in the episode. Markham (Clark Middleton) is back! It is so great to see him again! He is one of those characters in the Fringe world that you have grown to love over the years. How creepy (but cool) is it to have him using Olivia’s amber slab as a coffee table? I mean really!
I bet before long there will be one featured at IKEA and every Fringe fan will want one for their house. It is kind of sad, though, because Markham fell in love with Olivia and he knows he doesn’t stand a chance with her as he is what and who he is. It reminded me of Jean Cocteau’sBeauty and The Beast. I also laughed out loud when he starts reciting this false story about how Markham ‘died’ a hero saving children and many people were sad, well done Clark well done.
The look Peter has when he finds Olivia is so wonderful. Again Josh shines in this from the moment he kicked down the door to the way he commanded getting Olivia out of there. Georgina Haig was magnificent when she knelt down and looked at Olivia. Her scene to shine comes soon after this. It really gives her a chance to show the talent she has and that uncanny ability to be both a Bishop and a Dunham.
Etta has waited so long to see her mother, she almost has her family back together, a fractured family that needs one more piece to complete the puzzle. United we stand divided we fall and when the Bishops unite…well let’s just say it is a force to be reckoned with.
I love love love the fact that they had a little nod to one of the most prolific sci-fi writers in the twentieth century…Isaac Asimov. I suspect that he was a BIG influence on Joel and the other writers on Fringe. One book in particular which I shall name later as the season progresses (thanks to Kenn Weeks for introducing me to said book). Walter’s comment about trying his hand at sci-fi writing is fun, not surprising though.
Here is where it gets serious. With an Observer showing up and Etta shooting at him, things are getting a little more volatile. It is great to see Etta channeling her mother in this scene, because the Dunham genes certainly kicked in when she shot at him. Like mother like daughter, she has that fearlessness that Olivia has, that instinct to save others and Georgina does it flawlessly. Walter escapes, but does unfortunately get caught and knowing that resistance is futile; he raises his hands up in surrender.
The scene with Olivia being un-ambered is amazing for all parties involved. Anna Torv is a freak of nature. She is so perfect in this scene that it is astonishing to watch. Her reaction to being out of amber and seeing Peter again is sweet, but what clinches it for me is when she sees Etta.
This is the scene where you really see Georgina’s immense talent shine through. The tears in her eyes as she looks upon her mother for the first time in over twenty years is so incredible, the emotion that she shows on her face and in her body is evident.
When Peter says to Etta ‘kiddo come and meet your mom’ your heart skips a beat. The family is back together, the Bishop/Dunham clan reunited. Peter’s line is so precious, again the typical dad thing to say.
Once again Anna Torv is tremendous in this scene, the way she examines Etta’s face and body, the way she has the look of wonder and love in her eyes is perfection. Anna’s talent for subtly is tenfold in this scene. Her eyes speak volumes, when Olivia says ‘you’re beautiful’ and Etta tells her the same thing it is such a perfect mother/daughter moment.
When she tells her that the last time she saw her she was three years old and not a day goes by that she didn’t think about her. Three years, one month and five days…a line that will become one of the most iconic in Fringe world. The tears that Georgina has in her eyes are perfect, her body language is visceral, and you can see the hesitation melded with anticipation.
When Olivia and Etta are interacting it is such a special scene, the one that I know many fans cited as their favorite and I am sure brought a tear or two. It is such a perfect scene that to explain it more is useless, just watch it and you will understand. One last thing about this scene, you see Peter holding onto his necklace, which I have a theory that it holds his or maybe both wedding rings, there are also butterflies in the background as well.
Now comes acting at its finest, the scenes with Walter and Windmark (Michael Kopsa)are masterpieces. They are such powerful scenes, scary and harrowing and John Noble plays them with perfect pitch. The music in this scene, Zbiginew Preisner’s “Song for the Unification of Europe” is a perfect mix and it fits in well. Walter’s comments about music are right on the money, how many times has music been used in Fringe to help easy someone’s mood.
Music is very powerful and Walter knows that better than anyone. Especially what he says about how music helps you shift perspective as we see in the final scene of the episode. When Windmark brings up hope, you almost think he may have some heart in him, but then his line of ‘nothing grows from scorched earth’ is interesting. That line is proven false as we will see again at the end of the episode.
Windmark’s line also makes me think about how even after a fire there are still things living in a forest that things still grow and hope still thrives, even in the face of utter decimation and destruction. That a phoenix will always rise from the ash, that nothing in Fringe is ever truly dead, that even in the darkest of hours, the dawn will always come. It is almost like reincarnation, it keeps coming back again and again and again.
Now is Josh’s Marionette scene. I use that past episode as a reference because as Anna was astounding in the scene in Barrett’s garden, so is Josh in this one. This is a scene that Josh was born to do, it is proof positive that all his years as a child actor has given way to his enormous talent.
The interaction between Josh and Anna is as it always has been; they have a chemistry that is rare in television. It is the kind of chemistry that resonates off the screen, which screams volumes and has prompted many fan fiction stories.
I know that some people were fearful that this scene means a wrench has been thrown into the machine that is Peter and Olivia. Let me stress to all those worrywarts, Peter and Olivia will prevail. Joel Wyman himself has said that he is the biggest advocate of Peter and Olivia, more so than I think the fans are. Besides epic love stories are epic for a reason.
There is no black and white in epic love stories there is every color imaginable and then some. Nobody wants to watch a boring love story, it’s the epic ones that we remember and that fill history after history of story books. Have faith that this is only temporary that our beloved duo will find their way back to each other, they are twin flames after all and that definition by itself should be good enough.
This scene is both of their moments, but Josh owns this entire scene because every once in a while we get to see him shine. It is so great when he does, because he always seems to be in the silhouette of two immense talents. He has become a very, very good actor. A lot of times when you have child actors that go on to become adults in this business they lose something, their luster or maybe their talent has been tainted by life.
Joshua Jackson has been lucky and held onto that talent he had and has improved upon it exponentially. Especially with this scene, which is such a heart wrenching scene to watch? Here are these two people who are the loves of each other’s lives, who come from two different universes and are one of the most epic couples in television history. Their part of in the lexicon of epic love stories is forever cemented by this and many other past scenes.
This scene proves that just because they are splintered right now, does not mean that they cannot find a fix for their situation. It does not mean that they stopped loving each other; it means that they just needed to do what they do best and be by themselves for a while. It has happened before, when Peter ran away in Northwest Passage or when he gave Olivia time to heal after her Marionette speech in the garden.
It is normal in relationships that are that forged that closely to be able to let the other be. It is what makes them stronger, it’s what will always bring them back, I think their relationship hit a snag and got a little frayed, but their tether is still there, just waiting to be repaired stronger and tighter than ever before.
I know that Peter and Olivia are not as happy as they should be in this scene, but love is fickle and often times painful. It reminds me of the line from Dangerous Liaisons “I’m sorry to say this, but, those who are most worthy of love are never made happy by it… So to hope to be made happy by love is a certain cause of grief.” That is the very definition of an epic love story, it may be tough at times, but worth it in the end, for love cannot exist without pain.
So to conclude this scene, bravo to Josh and thank you for giving us the gift that is you and your amazing talent. You showed us your vulnerability, your pain, your shame, your sorrow and your bravery all in one scene and for this we are truly grateful for it. Thank you for showing us your soul and your heart and giving it back to Olivia, metaphorically and for real soon enough. I know that Etta will have plenty of opportunities for you to protect her, so remember that!
All the scenes with John and Windmark are creepy and brilliant, the control that John has is incredible. Windmark must have ice through his veins, because for an actor to not have any kind of reaction is difficult, it goes against everything you are taught as an actor. Bravo to both for such an amazing job.
The rest of the episode is great, because the suspense and the pace was quicker and the urgency amped up. The strength that they all show in this episode is great and a testament to how talented they all are. Especially Georgina Haig, her talent is immense; she must have studied Anna Torv well because there are times when you cannot tell the difference.
Their Trojan horse idea is great, I love that our heroes in 2036 call them “baldies” too, that cracks me up. What Aneil (Shaun Smyth) said about “killing our enemies is one thing, but saving the world is another” is the perfect reason for them to continue.
Rescuing Walter becomes difficult toward the end of the episode, but luckily it pays off and Walter gets rescued, a little banged up, but still fine. Once back at home (I guess that is where they are) he cannot remember the plan. Windmark must have either erased it or Walter must have himself. Hope it seems is lost…or is it? We do see Windmark watching the rescue unfold on a device that reminded me of Star Wars.
The end is beautiful, when all hope is lost; Walter sees this glimmer on the wall and decides to follow it. It leads him, sans pants again, to a makeshift artistic display with broken cd’s hanging from it. Walter pulls out a bag, inserts a CD and sits back and enjoys the song “Only You” by Yazoo. Perfect end, because he sees hope in the form of a sole dandelion growing out of the scorched earth, the hope and promise that all hope is not lost.
Excellent start to what I assume will be a fantastic end. It will be hard to write each and every review knowing that it will be closer to the end. Thanks for reading and I would love to hear from you!
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We will be back to continue our analysis of Silo in the future during season two. In the meantime, please feel free to share this article with your friends, co-workers and or your family! 
