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Tag: J.R. Orci

Fringe: The Human Kind Is An Emotional Wreckage, But There Is Hope!

Hello Fringedom!

We have returned from the hiatus to a fantastic Fringe episode with lots of confrontation, between POlivia, most importantly. The episode deals with the things that make us what we are, like faith.

Either having faith in an unseen God or in us and our own potential, it is one very important thing that moves people, which motivates people to doing whatever is needed to be done. We cannot think of faith without thinking of hope and it all leads us to how we face things in life, how emotionally we react to things because that is all we do, it is all we are.

All our thanks to the great folks at FOX Broadcasting and Joel H. Wyman’s team for all you have done for Fringe. Thanks also to Give Me My Remote for the nice video with Mr. Wyman (above).

The promotional sneak peeks for next episode “Black Blotter” look great! Walter is about to take the team off to another LSD adventure again, this time in 2036!

The Human Kind:

The episode deals with how the Human Kind deals with difficult situations. Some of us lose faith quickly and get to live negatively; others are able to see the light in the darkest places. Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson) and Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) have lost their daughter twice, they have dealt with it their own way but it is in this episode that they are brought together.

Peter had a piece of tech that makes The Observers what they are in his head and Olivia builds walls around her heart, both of them unintentionally getting themselves apart little by little despite Walter Bishop (John Noble) and Astrid Farnsworth’s (Jasika Nicole) help.

What is more effective? Keep going with the plan that nobody understands and has been futile ever since or fighting equal by equal with the Observers by implanting their tech? After everything Peter has been through, at first I would pick the second too, however what change would killing Windmark (Michael Kopsa) bring to the whole picture?

On the other hand, with the plan, we have a chance of getting rid of all of them. The problem is that in the midst of the sorrow and grief for Etta Bishop’s (Georgina Haig) death, Peter got himself blinded. I gotta point out here that Josh as an Observer is simply flawless!

In the first scenes, we see Olivia in her car looking at a man cleaning the walls off her daughter’s RESIST posters. That’s when Anil (Shaun Smyth) arrived to deliver to her the same piece of technology Peter had implanted in his head.

She knows what Peter did and is on her way to stop him, but what I really hoped for was that she would implant herself too and be one hell of a couple fighting like bosses against the baldies. They would have had no chance if that had happened. LOL

By the time Olivia arrives in the lab, Walter has already recovered one more tape from Amber. Walter’s discovery ultimately leads the team to learn they must travel to Fitchburg where they have to acquire an industrial-sized magnet and she tells them about the piece of Observer-tech she got from Anil.

Walter can learn how to get Peter back by running tests on the porcupine brain to learn how it works. It was one of the funniest little moments in the episode when Astrid asks him whose brain he intends on using to test that tech! In the mean time, Olivia left to Fitchburg to retrieve the magnet.

When Olivia arrives in Fitchburg, she sees a little girl and it made me instantly think of ZFT and its chapter about ethics which stated that kids were to be protected as Walter reads in season one’s The Road Not Taken: “Our children are our greatest resource. We must nurture them and protect them. We must prepare them, so they can one day protect us.”

Which is what Etta did for her parents, she fought for them when they were gone, she made POlivia very proud of her and she gave up her life fighting to save them, to save the world. I think that Darby did not mean anything in that sense at that moment, however it is a nice touch to have Olivia interact with Darby (Eliza Faria), is not it?

There in Fitchburg, Olivia meets Simone, played by Jill Scott. Ms. Scott is beyond a doubt the Jazz Diva as Lori referred to her in her latest review about the previous episode. I knew who Jill Scott was when I read she was cast for this episode, but as a musician only. I was impressed by her acting given the shortness of her part…

She rendered an outstanding performance that made me cry, made me believe they actually have a chance against the Observers. Really, it is more than how I am describing here, far more. I saw such a huge big hope in her eyes it was brilliantly done.

The moment Carlos (Claude Duhamel) tells Simone that a woman is looking for a magnet, the surprised look on Simone’s face was amazing, even better as they talked about how everyone else had lost faith when she was still holding on to the hope someone would come to the magnet that would help the grayish man save the world.

Simone started guessing things about Olivia’s life and it was done with so much brilliancy, so naturally. It was funny because Olivia has moved things with her mind, she has lit things on fire and she found it hard to believe the woman was able to foresee things.

Back in the lab, Walter and Astrid were running test in the porcupine brain with the Observers’ tech and learned that the device increases the neural activities to achieve the full potential of the brain with super high level thinking.

As the tests continued, Astrid realizes it would create new ridges in the brain overriding the areas responsible for emotions. The scene was cut back to the Fitchburg field and one little talking between Simone and Carlos got me intrigued because she did not have a good expression on her face, maybe she was just worried about the fuel or she had something to do with the ambush on Olivia.

Right after that, she offers Olivia a glass of water a few moments before Darby mentions that everybody is talking about the fact that Olivia is on reward wire and the bounty on her.

Of course it gets Olivia scared and on the defensive against Simone. She asks her what is in the water, like sedative. Hurt, Simone drinks the water and comes to the conclusion Olivia has no faith and says she lost someone. Olivia disbelieving her is knocked down, so to speak, as the woman starts giving details no one would know about who she had lost. “But you lost your daughter… Twice”

Peter is thinking he has conned Windmark. But he was caught up by Windmark as he is far more experienced with the reading of futures. He made adjustments of his own to whatever Peter was planning so this way he found Peter.

The scene when they fight was excellent; Peter killed one observer (Charles Zuckermann) and kicked Windmark’s buttocks despite the dirty way he played Peter forcing his daughter last thoughts in his head as a way to ensure his weakness. At the end, I bet Windmark thought like “well, he is not that weak”.

Olivia said that people assign meaning to things without meaning to Simone and it is exactly what that other observer told Peter some episodes ago.

Remember An Origin Story? He said that Peter took the decisions he took based on the observation of a fly and Olivia has this same feeling now. It is not just numbers, Olivia…

I really wish I could hug the Fringe writers right now as well as Anna and Jill for their scenes, they were done so perfectly!!!

Peter says there is no reason to be afraid of what he has been through, suppressing the emotional memory is no big deal, right? It means he would forget how it is to be married to Olivia Dunham, how on earth can he say such thing?

It is a big deal, it is Olivia Dunham we are talking about, and forgetting what it feels like to wake up next to her every morning is just… unbearable!!! And this change would be permanent… I wonder if avenging Etta would be that important if it means losing everyone else.

More unfortunate surprises crosses Olivia’s way, she cannot get a break, can she? On her way to Anil’s place to hide the huge magnet, Olivia found what looked like a car accident. If it was me, I would have accelerated and run over that scene.

I found it suspicious the moment I saw that! But Olivia has a golden heart and she stopped to check it out. It was a trap and she fell into it. Two guys ambushed her in order to assault her, she tried defending herself, but she was punched in the face, it was so horrible, I cannot even… The men were planning to deliver her to Windmark.

If anyone thinks they would let Olivia go easily, were wrong, so wrong… She did something with some material in the room she was locked I still do not fully understand.

She managed to shoot Briggs (Kett Turton) in the head and well as Stratton (Nathan Dashwood), I think that after dying twice, she has learned her lesson to be more prepared, such a MacGyver like spirit!

It is time for a talk face to face between POlivia. Olivia tried to put some sense into Peter’s Observer-head, which was difficult, but not impossible. It was very similar to a season four episode, I do not remember the name, I think it was a Short Story About Love when Olivia remembered Peter and everything they lived together in the previous timeline.

Now it is Peter who needs remembering and as they talked, he started recalling the memories and the love they share. It was enough for him to decide for her, for the love of his life. He chose Olivia instead of avenging Etta’s death through that wrong way which I so much loved.

Peter could as Olivia herself said, think ahead of everybody but the fact that she paid him this visit, had nothing to do with that except the love she had for him, and he needed to face the facts, looking at her. If he had not removed that thing from this head, it would mean good bye to anything he had ever felt for her or anybody.

Peter would become like Windmark, he would see things, memories like those from Etta Bishop’s (Georgina Haig) and it would mean nothing, he would not be able to understand it. It does not matter how good it feels to be able to manage numbers well and manipulate time, if you do not have the most important thing in life, the memories of how you feel about your daughter.

Watching this week’s episode, recalled me another episode from season three. On the 14TH episode from season three, called 6B, we were presented with the Merchant’s love story.

Alice (Phyllis Somerville) and Derek Merchant (Ken Pogue) had been married for 40 years. After his death, Alice was heartbroken, so heartbroken she could not get up from bed and that’s when she started seeing her dead husband’s ghost. At the same time really strange events started happening in the building leading everyone else to believe it was haunted.

They have no Physics’ knowledge so they assigned meaning to what they could not explain. Hello Simone, should have rang bells right here!!! The thing, she was not seeing a ghost. It was in fact her husband’s doppelganger from over there and the explanation is that they were emotionally quantum entangled and if she had not let go of him.

Besides unintentionally having caused the death of 6 people who had fallen through the balcony, a vortex would have been opened which would have swallowed up half of Brooklyn.

I found it would be worth mentioning, because of what Peter told Alice to help her understand she had to let Derek go which did not help at all. Peter told her to look around and see that she had memories all around her and she should do anything to keep that, the memories given the fact that it was not his husband she was talking to.

Even though she she refused to listen. She only let him go when a huge difference between them came to light, this Derek she was talking about had had daughters, but Alice never gave birth. To sum up, Alice ended up talking to Olivia; she said that if the impossible is possible, who is to say they will not see each other again?

Here is my point bring up the story from 6B, Peter had a major role in helping Olivia get her stuff together and breaking free from the damage the Altlivia’s (Anna Torv) vagenda had caused her life and mostly to her relationship with Peter. She had told him that she was terrified that she would not be able to fix this thing and she was stopping them from being together, which was true and he helped her through it, despite being the problem on the question in her mind. Is not it what she did for him in this episode?

At the end, she was there and got him out of that dark place. It was really awesome to see that now Peter is in Alice’s place, refusing to let go… I love, I freaking love this show and its full circle story arcs!

My thanks to Kenn for video embedding and Lori for final proof of my review. As always, we appreciate you visiting the WormholeRiders News Agency!

Feel free to share this article by clicking the social media icons below. You can visit me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars here. In any event, the WormholeRiders will look forward to Seeing You on The Other Side on Twitter to tweet about Fringe!

Thanks for reading!

Raphael

December 13, 2012
Fringe: Five Twenty Ten Means 5x20x10 is The Combination That Will Save the World!

Hello Fringe fans.

Heck of an episode, huh?

Well, let me say that I am still conflicted about what Peter is doing. On one hand I can completely understand, but on the other, he is doing himself and the team a grave disservice.

There are all kinds of clichés that come to mind when thinking about this episode. “If you can’t beat them join them” or “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer” are the two that stand out the most for me. Let’s hope in the end, Peter knows what he truly is doing.

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The three week hiatus will be tough, especially knowing that by the time the next episode airs, Fringe will be finished filming…for good. The promo looks kick ass! So great to see our old team doing what they do best, and let us all hope that Polivia will reign supreme.

The one thing I am most excited about is the fantastic jazz diva Jill Scott who will be playing an Oracle. Ms. Scott is a huge Fringe fan, from what I hear! Ari Margolis had mentioned on twitter that season five episode eight (The Human Kind) had some of his favorite Peter and Olivia moments. Let us all hope that Mr. Margolis is correct in that regard. I am!

In the videos included below courtesy of FOX Broadcasting, Anna Torv mentions how Olivia is worried about Peter and the changes in him. She worries that she is losing him as Blair Brown shares her thoughts about “Valuable Resources” a bit further down my review!

Jasika Nicole discusses “Connecting The Dots” in Fringe while Joshua Jackson is featured in two videos discussing how he emulates The Observers and the “Dangerous Game” Peter Bishop is playing with them.

Five Twenty Ten:

Now on to the review…I was particularly impressed this episode by how Peter (Joshua Jackson) was manifesting his Observer traits so quickly. I guess working on the set with them for five years now; you pick up a few things. This episode is chock full of fabulous performances, but Josh is the stand out. The others are just as good (when are they not?), but again, Josh makes this episode his own. The slight head tilt and the way he speaks are direct signs that the Observer tech has taken hold of him hopefully not completely.

It does get a little creepy though when he starts to see through the Observers eyes and can hear the conversation between two other Observers. His eaves dropping aids him in his later plan, but it also leads me to believe that he may not be in complete control. I have a feeling that what he is “seeing” is what he wants to see not what actually happens.

I may be wrong, but the plan does not play out exactly as he remembers. That blank stare of his is eerie, but again he does a great job at conveying his lack of emotion.

I have said it in a past reviews how showing no emotion goes against the grain of everything an actor is taught. To be able to not show emotion in your scene is a true test of an artist and his/her craft. Bravo to Josh for falling into that category.

It is a little weird that Walter (John Noble) does not really notice the change in Peter; I guess he is too concerned with his own change that is happening to notice. It is sad, though, because as we will see later in the episode how he is turning back into the man he used to be…the not-so-good man and Peter is no better than his father…

When Olivia confronts him in the lab about leaving without her, she already suspects something is amiss. She knows Peter better than anyone and you can see it in her eyes that she is worried. Anna Torv has great body language and great emotive eyes, which is why she has always been such a great actress.

I love that Peter tells Olivia “I’m fine” which is normally her answer for when things are NOT fine. It seems the shoe is now on the other foot and Olivia knows it.

It is great to see the cast assembled around the television partaking in another one of Walter’s video tapes. It makes me smile that our team is still able to stay intact even through these dire circumstances. The lab has always been a sanctuary for all of them at one point or another. All we need is Gene the Cow unambered and the lab will be complete!

As I have mentioned in a previous post, I love that in this season the writers are bringing back old familiars from past seasons, from the past Fringe cases. The cylinders have always played an integral part in Fringe history and the Observers. I wonder what will be brought back next.

The reveal of what and why William Bell’s (Leonard Nimoy) hand was in Walter’s possession is finally clear. It does not surprise me though that Bell had betrayed them for his own purposes. I had a feeling that we will see him again and that he played a part in the invasion. John Noble as usual is wonderful in this scene; his heartbreak at the betrayal by his best friend is evident.

Nimoy is another actor who speaks volumes with his eyes who I hope will be featured before Fringe season five concludes.

The interesting thing about this scene is Walter mentions another man with an accent who was torturing him for information! Although Astrid informed him that the story was from the movie Marathon Man, I suspect that Walter may be telling somewhat of the truth…only time will tell.

I love that the posters of Etta (Georgina Haig) are a constant reminder to her family not to give up the fight. It is the one thing that keeps them going, to know that she didn’t die in vain.

Upon arriving at the storage facility, we see the utter decimation that happened and hope that the team can come up with a way to get into the storage facility. Of course with some fancy calculations they do…it’s Fringe after all, they will always figure it out.

I must mention one thing that I have absolutely loved about this show from the beginning. The writers, and not of just this episode (the wonderful Graham Roland) but every writer in general always seem to inject a bit of humor into the episodes. That humor always finds its way via Walter Bishop. John Noble takes those little morsels and makes them his own; he leaves these indelible marks on every Fringe fan and in every episode.

No matter how dire the situations, how dramatic, scientific or horrendous, Walter’s sayings (or Walterisms) lighten up the show and give it that humanity that has become synonymous with exceptional television.

Nice save, Peter…when he ‘sees’ where the door are supposed to be from his newly found ability, he covers it up by saving “From an engineering point of view” instead of the truth. Olivia notices immediately his body language and his stance; she notices the blood coming from his ear and calls him on it. Once again, Peter has an answer for everything; a little too easily explained which sends sirens and red flags in Olivia’s brain that something is indeed wrong.

Peter’s plan with the briefcase backfired the first time, which is why I mentioned earlier about how he ‘sees’ what he wants to see and not how things really happen. It is a scary thought that Peter is becoming like them, but in a way it gives him the advantage…or does it?

He has to be careful with Anil (Shaun Smyth), because he suspects something is wrong with Peter as well. He knows what Etta’s death did to him and is worried that it is throwing Peter deeper and deeper into the place he should not be going. Anil was a friend to Etta just like he is a friend to both Peter and Olivia, so I bet he feels responsible to her to keep them safe.

It saddens me to hear that Peter is lying to Olivia about his motives for meeting Anil. Peter has been doing a lot of lying lately, ever since he inserted that Observer tech into his body. Then again, Peter used to lie for a living; I guess old habits die hard. Still, the situation is not good when he lies to the woman he loves about his intentions. Olivia’s eyes speak volumes to him about her look of worry, as she should be. Her gut is rarely ever wrong and I suspect that it is screaming at her right now.

It is also so great to see Nina Sharp (Blair Brown) again; it wouldn’t be Fringe without her. She does play a crucial role in this episode as does William Bell (Leonard Nimoy), though not physically but indirectly. The scenes that she has with Walter (John Noble) and Olivia (Anna Torv) are wonderful. She is one of those actresses that is always great to watch because she can say so much with just a look.

Her joy at seeing Olivia again is counterbalanced by such sadness in her eyes about Etta and what pain Olivia went through. It’s a great scene with them. She shows a side of her that is normally not shown, but it nice to see. You can see the pain that she is in because of Olivia’s pain.

The scene in the garage with Walter is wonderful. I like how she asks him about his demeanor since having the parts of his brain implanted again. I know that Nina is not only concerned, but fishing to see if that man she knew before is back. I love what John Noble does in this scene.

I love that he shows his humility by blaming the man he was before and vowing to never go back there. I like how he used the phrase that he wanted to “walk with the gods” as most megalomaniacs tend to do. He has Peter to keep him from becoming that man again, if Peter doesn’t beat him to it.

Creepy creepy creepy is all I have to say about the scene between Peter and Anil where he is telling him what he should have seen. Bravo to Josh again for his robotic like movements and his almost lack of emotion. I am glad that the tech hasn’t taken him completely over yet…or has it? The perplexed look on Anil’s face is great, he has a suspicion that something is not quite right.

Peter’s skills as a con come in handy when stealing the car, but it seems the Observer tech is affecting him on a level he never anticipated…watch out Peter, it can only get worse before this all is over with.

The scene in the restaurant reminds me of two things, one is my favorite Fringe episode ever (Brown Betty) and Mad Men. The sleek look of the restaurant and the hat check or in this case briefcase check girl is very much keeping with the themes of both. The banter she has with him is also very reminiscent of the film noirs and the brilliant dialogue that would be bandied about between characters.

I don’t know why there aren’t more scenes between Astrid (Jasika Nicole) and Olivia (Anna Torv)? The two actresses are great together and it shows. In the few scenes that they have had together through the course of the series have always made me grateful that they cast an actress who has the ability to be the calm in everyone’s storm. Astrid is one of the few people who can truly be the constant for everyone else’s chaos.

The compassion that Astrid always has for the plight of Peter and Olivia is wonderful, she has always been a champion of theirs. Astrid has also always given Olivia hope when Olivia has doubted her relationship with Peter that is the kind of person Astrid is. She sees the pain in Olivia’s eyes when she says that she is losing Peter. Astrid’s eyes are so warm usually, but this time, she feels the pain Olivia is in and is worried about her friend…both of them. Jasika is so great as well, because despite the fact that she is most of the time shadowed by the three main characters, she still shines in her own right. She holds her own very nicely against John, Josh and Anna!

Things start to get a little hairy for the team as the episode progresses. It comes down to the wire where they have to get into that storage facility without detection. When Nina voices her fears to Walter about having Peter be his safety net isn’t enough John Noble is brilliant.

It is interesting to me that Nina is talking about how much she tried to hold onto William and how much she loved him, but that wasn’t enough. Once William tasted what it was like to be a god, all hope was lost. It is parallel to what is happening to Peter and Olivia, her immense love for him and fear of losing him may not be enough to save him. That is the price of genius I guess, the price you pay for wanting to be a god…

John is so brilliant in this scene! His words are vitriolic, they cut Nina to the core and he is brutal, but brilliant. That is what made Walternate such a great character as well, Noble was able to inhabit both completely separately, but now they are seeming to be almost melding together. Nina confirms her hunch, he is becoming the man he used to be…and that is not good at all. It’s bittersweet how Walter still holds onto the notion that Peter’s love will save him from becoming that man again, just as Nina confirmed to him that he was. Walter’s hope (there is that word again) is heartbreaking because it may not happen, we may lose both Bishop boys in the process.

Peter’s plan is diabolical, he used an old Fringe incident from the pilot episode and it certainly was a jaw dropping scene (yes, pun intended). I am glad to see that the old Fringe is back in this episode, the creepiness hasn’t been there for a while and it feels right seeing it again, as gross as it may have been. The hat in shambles on the ground is a priceless reminder that means Peter is catching up.

Once again, as in previous episodes, music plays a part and again John is brilliant! Walter’s comment about Belly stealing his record collection among other wrongs he did to him is perfection. Walter no doubt misses not only this David Bowie (who shares his real name with a villain from Fringe) album, The Man Who Sold the World, but I am sure a number of other fantastic and eclectic albums as well. Bravo to the writers, again, for infusing music as a driving force in this and many other episodes. Am I the only one not surprised that Walter loved Bowie?

The discovery of the safe is a coup for our team, yeah for them. Now all they needed was to open it, Walter to the rescue. Apparently Bell had the same combo for everything, “terrible memory…too much LSD” only one problem, Walter forgot the combination. I had forgotten that the combination was mentioned before in the Jacksonville episode, but Olivia apparently forgot it too, which is not like her.

I almost expected Peter to go Observer on him and recite the combo to him, thankfully he didn’t. What was found in the safe were two things of great import, “to guard the things he loved most” as Walter mentioned. The picture of Nina proved Walter wrong about Bell’s feelings for Nina, he did indeed love her.

The something else that they find in the safe helps them find the cylinders, upon Peter touching it; they appear from underground, where it seems they like to reside. Maybe it sensed the tech in Peter’s body or he just got lucky, either way it was another piece to the intricate puzzle. Finding the clues for whatever it is that will defeat the Observers reminds me (and I am sure I am not alone in this) of the Doomsday machine. The pieces that finally came together to create the machine and what it was ultimately used for makes me think about the same thing for Walter’s plan.

When Peter hands one of the cylinders off to Olivia and says to take her car, he uses the word ‘logical’! I laughed out loud at that because it was clearly a nod to Nimoy and his iconic character (who rarely showed emotions as well) Spock. That set a huge alarm off in Olivia, so much so that she confronts him later. Kudos to the writers for paying homage to one of the greatest science fiction shows ever, Star Trek, a show that was, like Fringe, ahead of its time.

I think it is very sweet that Walter brings Nina the picture that William had of her in the safe, it is his olive branch in a way. His concerns for himself are evident, he confessed to her that she was right, love wasn’t enough for her to save William and it may not be enough to save Walter and Peter. Walter begging Nina to help him reverse the effects of his brain matter being inserted again is sad, but John again is brilliant. His fear of losing everything is visceral, as only John can make it. The desperation in his eyes is heartbreaking.

The last two scenes are my favorite, it’s Josh and Anna and what they do best. It is alarming to Olivia when she sees the boards with all of Peter’s writing on them, her hunch was right and she hates it. When Peter finally confesses to Olivia that he has the Observer tech it is the worst possible scenario imaginable.

The part when Peter starts saying the same thing as Olivia is right out of the Arrival episode, another great one from the first season. Olivia is clearly shaken to her core, she is scared and fearful beyond belief, she cannot lose Peter, he is the only thing holding her together right now, her tether to the world.

Walter’s chest of treasures is their only hope of saving what is left of the universe. It is sad to know that right now he doesn’t remember, but all will be revealed. Patience is something that the team has scarce little of and hope is their only weapon right now.

The ending sequence is great. How the song “The Man That Sold the World” illuminates what is going on in the story as it is intercut with Windmark’s (Michael Kopsa) and Peter’s predictions at the same time.

Walter’s letting the music wash over him as he always does in times of despair, it is his saving grace, the one thing that he can count in to give him peace. The lyrics to the song are very revealing about coming face to face with the man that sold the world, which I suspect is Bell…only time will tell. Then Peter loses a bunch of hair…not a good sign, not a good sign at all.

I just hope that the remaining episodes will be as amazing as the first seven have been. I am looking forward to the final journey of our beloved Fringe team and see how once and for all the Observers will be defeated. For now all we can do is wait, only time will tell…let’s hope it’s a happy ending. I do hope and keep my fingers crossed that there will be a movie (maybe several) in the future. I hope you enjoyed my review, I would love to hear your comments. Stay strong during the hiatus…re-watches help.

I hope you enjoyed my review and my previous news articles about find memories of Fringe at San Diego Comic-Con 2012 and I thank you for visiting WormholeRiders News Agency.

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“!

Until next time,

Regards,

Lori

November 23, 2012
Fringe: Through the Looking Glass and What Walter Found There? A Pocket Universe!

Hello Fringe fans. Heck of an episode, huh?

Well, let me say that I am still conflicted about what Peter is doing. On one hand I can completely understand, but on the other, he is doing himself and the team a grave disservice.

There are all kinds of clichés that come to mind when thinking about this episode. “If you can’t beat them join them” or “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer” are the two that stand out the most for me. Let’s hope in the end, Peter knows what he truly is doing.

In this video Anna mentions how Olivia is worried about Peter and the changes in him. She worries that she is losing him…

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The three week hiatus will be tough, especially knowing that by the time the next episode airs, Fringe will be finished filming…for good. The promo looks kick ass! So great to see our old team doing what they do best, and let’s all hope that Polivia will reign supreme. The one thing I am most excited about is the fantastic jazz diva Jill Scott will be playing an Oracle. She is a huge Fringe fan, from what I hear! Ari Margolis had mentioned on twitter that Season 5 episode 8 had some of his favorite Peter and Olivia moments. Let’s hope he is right.

Now on to the review…I was particularly impressed this episode by how Peter (Joshua Jackson) was manifesting his Observer traits so quickly. I guess working on the set with them for five years now; you pick up a few things. This episode is chock full of fabulous performances, but Josh is the stand out. The others are just as good (when are they not?), but again, Josh makes this episode his own. The slight head tilt and the way he speaks are direct signs that the Observer tech has taken hold of him hopefully not completely.

It does get a little creepy though when he starts to see through the Observers eyes and can hear the conversation between two other Observers. His eaves dropping aids him in his later plan, but it also leads me to believe that he may not be in complete control. I have a feeling that what he is “seeing” is what he wants to see not what actually happens. I may be wrong, but the plan does not play out exactly as he remembers. That blank stare of his is eerie, but again he does a great job at conveying his lack of emotion.

I have said it in a past reviews how showing no emotion goes against the grain of everything an actor is taught. To be able to not show emotion in your scene is a true test of an artist and his/her craft. Bravo to Josh for falling into that category.

It is a little weird that Walter (John Noble) doesn’t really notice the change in Peter; I guess he is too concerned with his own change that is happening to notice. It is sad, though, because as we will see later in the episode how he is turning back into the man he used to be…the not-so-good man and Peter is no better than his father…

When Olivia confronts him in the lab about leaving without her, she already suspects something is amiss. She knows Peter better than anyone and you can see it in her eyes that she is worried. Anna has great body language and great emotive eyes, which is why she has always been such a great actress. I love that Peter tells Olivia “I’m fine” which is normally her answer for when things are NOT fine. It seems the shoe is now on the other foot and Olivia knows it.

It is great to see the cast assembled around the television partaking in another one of Walter’s video tapes. It makes me smile that our team is still able to stay intact even through these dire circumstances. The lab has always been a sanctuary for all of them at one point or another. All we need is Gene unambered and the lab will be complete.

As I have mentioned in a previous post, I love that in this season the writers are bringing back old familiars from past seasons, from the past Fringe cases. The cylinders have always played an integral part in Fringe history and the Observers. I wonder what will be brought back next.

The reveal of what and why William Bell’s (Leonard Nimoy) hand was in Walter’s possession is finally clear. It doesn’t surprise me though that Bell had betrayed them for his own purposes. I had a feeling that we will see him again and that he played a part in the invasion. John Noble as usual is wonderful in this scene; his heartbreak at the betrayal by his best friend is evident. He is another actor that says volumes with his eyes. The interesting thing about this scene is Walter mentions another man with an accent who was torturing him for information! Although Astrid informed him that the story was from the movie Marathon Man, I suspect that Walter may be telling somewhat of the truth…only time will tell.

I love that the posters of Etta (Georgina Haig) are a constant reminder to her family not to give up the fight. It is the one thing that keeps them going, to know that she didn’t die in vain.

Upon arriving at the storage facility, we see the utter decimation that happened and hope that the team can come up with a way to get into the storage facility. Of course with some fancy calculations they do…it’s Fringe after all, they will always figure it out.

I must mention one thing that I have absolutely loved about this show from the beginning. The writers, and not of just this episode (the wonderful Graham Roland) but every writer in general always seem to inject a bit of humor into the episodes. That humor always finds its way via Walter Bishop. John Noble takes those little morsels and makes them his own; he leaves these indelible marks on every Fringe fan and in every episode. No matter how dire the situations, how dramatic, scientific or horrendous, Walter’s sayings (or Walterisms) lighten up the show and give it that humanity that has become synonymous with exceptional television.

Nice save, Peter…when he ‘sees’ where the door are supposed to be from his newly found ability, he covers it up by saving “From an engineering point of view” instead of the truth. Olivia notices immediately his body language and his stance; she notices the blood coming from his ear and calls him on it. Once again, Peter has an answer for everything; a little too easily explained which sends sirens and red flags in Olivia’s brain that something is indeed wrong.

Peter’s plan with the briefcase backfired the first time, which is why I mentioned earlier about how he ‘sees’ what he wants to see and not how things really happen. It is a scary thought that Peter is becoming like them, but in a way it gives him the advantage…or does it? He has to be careful with Anil (Shaun Smyth), because he suspects something is wrong with Peter as well. He knows what Etta’s death did to him and is worried that it is throwing Peter deeper and deeper into the place he should not be going. Anil was a friend to Etta just like he is a friend to both Peter and Olivia, so I bet he feels responsible to her to keep them safe.

It saddens me to hear that Peter is lying to Olivia about his motives for meeting Anil. Peter has been doing a lot of lying lately, ever since he inserted that Observer tech into his body. Then again, Peter used to lie for a living; I guess old habits die hard. Still, the situation is not good when he lies to the woman he loves about his intentions. Olivia’s eyes speak volumes to him about her look of worry, as she should be. Her gut is rarely ever wrong and I suspect that it is screaming at her right now.

It is also so great to see Nina Sharp (Blair Brown) again; it wouldn’t be Fringe without her. She does play a crucial role in this episode as does William Bell (Leonard Nimoy), though not physically but indirectly. The scenes that she has with Walter (John Noble) and Olivia (Anna Torv) are wonderful. She is one of those actresses that is always great to watch because she can say so much with just a look.

Her joy at seeing Olivia again is counterbalanced by such sadness in her eyes about Etta and what pain Olivia went through. It’s a great scene with them. She shows a side of her that is normally not shown, but it nice to see. You can see the pain that she is in because of Olivia’s pain.

The scene in the garage with Walter is wonderful. I like how she asks him about his demeanor since having the parts of his brain implanted again. I know that Nina is not only concerned, but fishing to see if that man she knew before is back. I love what John Noble does in this scene. I love that he shows his humility by blaming the man he was before and vowing to never go back there. I like how he used the phrase that he wanted to “walk with the gods” as most megalomaniacs tend to do. He has Peter to keep him from becoming that man again, if Peter doesn’t beat him to it.

Creepy creepy creepy is all I have to say about the scene between Peter and Anil where he is telling him what he should have seen. Bravo to Josh again for his robotic like movements and his almost lack of emotion. I am glad that the tech hasn’t taken him completely over yet…or has it? The perplexed look on Anil’s face is great, he has a suspicion that something is not quite right.

Peter’s skills as a con come in handy when stealing the car, but it seems the Observer tech is affecting him on a level he never anticipated…watch out Peter, it can only get worse before this all is over with.

The scene in the restaurant reminds me of two things, one is my favorite Fringe episode ever (Brown Betty) and Mad Men. The sleek look of the restaurant and the hat check or in this case briefcase check girl is very much keeping with the themes of both. The banter she has with him is also very reminiscent of the film noirs and the brilliant dialogue that would be bandied about between characters.

I don’t know why there aren’t more scenes between Astrid (Jasika Nicole) and Olivia (Anna Torv)? The two actresses are great together and it shows. In the few scenes that they have had together through the course of the series have always made me grateful that they cast an actress who has the ability to be the calm in everyone’s storm. Astrid is one of the few people who can truly be the constant for everyone else’s chaos. The compassion that Astrid always has for the plight of Peter and Olivia is wonderful, she has always been a champion of theirs. Astrid has also always given Olivia hope when Olivia has doubted her relationship with Peter that is the kind of person Astrid is. She sees the pain in Olivia’s eyes when she says that she is losing Peter. Astrid’s eyes are so warm usually, but this time, she feels the pain Olivia is in and is worried about her friend…both of them. Jasika is so great as well, because despite the fact that she is most of the time shadowed by the three main characters, she still shines in her own right. She holds her own very nicely against John, Josh and Anna!

Things start to get a little hairy for the team as the episode progresses. It comes down to the wire where they have to get into that storage facility without detection. When Nina voices her fears to Walter about having Peter be his safety net isn’t enough John Noble is brilliant.

It is interesting to me that Nina is talking about how much she tried to hold onto William and how much she loved him, but that wasn’t enough. Once William tasted what it was like to be a god, all hope was lost. It is parallel to what is happening to Peter and Olivia, her immense love for him and fear of losing him may not be enough to save him. That is the price of genius I guess, the price you pay for wanting to be a god…

John is so brilliant in this scene! His words are vitriolic, they cut Nina to the core and he is brutal, but brilliant. That is what made Walternate such a great character as well, Noble was able to inhabit both completely separately, but now they are seeming to be almost melding together. Nina confirms her hunch, he is becoming the man he used to be…and that is not good at all. It’s bittersweet how Walter still holds onto the notion that Peter’s love will save him from becoming that man again, just as Nina confirmed to him that he was. Walter’s hope (there is that word again) is heartbreaking because it may not happen, we may lose both Bishop boys in the process.

Peter’s plan is diabolical, he used an old Fringe incident from the pilot episode and it certainly was a jaw dropping scene (yes, pun intended). I am glad to see that the old Fringe is back in this episode, the creepiness hasn’t been there for a while and it feels right seeing it again, as gross as it may have been. The hat in shambles on the ground is a priceless reminder that means Peter is catching up.

Once again, as in previous episodes, music plays a part and again John is brilliant! Walter’s comment about Belly stealing his record collection among other wrongs he did to him is perfection. Walter no doubt misses not only this David Bowie (who shares his real name with a villain from Fringe) album, The Man Who Sold the World, but I am sure a number of other fantastic and eclectic albums as well. Bravo to the writers, again, for infusing music as a driving force in this and many other episodes. Am I the only one not surprised that Walter loved Bowie?

The discovery of the safe is a coup for our team, yeah for them. Now all they needed was to open it, Walter to the rescue. Apparently Bell had the same combo for everything, “terrible memory…too much LSD” only one problem, Walter forgot the combination. I had forgotten that the combination was mentioned before in the Jacksonville episode, but Olivia apparently forgot it too, which is not like her. I almost expected Peter to go Observer on him and recite the combo to him, thankfully he didn’t. What was found in the safe were two things of great import, “to guard the things he loved most” as Walter mentioned. The picture of Nina proved Walter wrong about Bell’s feelings for Nina, he did indeed love her.

The something else that they find in the safe helps them find the cylinders, upon Peter touching it; they appear from underground, where it seems they like to reside. Maybe it sensed the tech in Peter’s body or he just got lucky, either way it was another piece to the intricate puzzle. Finding the clues for whatever it is that will defeat the Observers reminds me (and I am sure I am not alone in this) of the Doomsday machine. The pieces that finally came together to create the machine and what it was ultimately used for makes me think about the same thing for Walter’s plan.

When Peter hands one of the cylinders off to Olivia and says to take her car, he uses the word ‘logical’! I laughed out loud at that because it was clearly a nod to Nimoy and his iconic character (who rarely showed emotions as well) Spock. That set a huge alarm off in Olivia, so much so that she confronts him later. Kudos to the writers for paying homage to one of the greatest science fiction shows ever, Star Trek, a show that was, like Fringe, ahead of its time.

I think it is very sweet that Walter brings Nina the picture that William had of her in the safe, it is his olive branch in a way. His concerns for himself are evident, he confessed to her that she was right, love wasn’t enough for her to save William and it may not be enough to save Walter and Peter. Walter begging Nina to help him reverse the effects of his brain matter being inserted again is sad, but John again is brilliant. His fear of losing everything is visceral, as only John can make it. The desperation in his eyes is heartbreaking.

The last two scenes are my favorite, it’s Josh and Anna and what they do best. It is alarming to Olivia when she sees the boards with all of Peter’s writing on them, her hunch was right and she hates it. When Peter finally confesses to Olivia that he has the Observer tech it is the worst possible scenario imaginable. The part when Peter starts saying the same thing as Olivia is right out of the Arrival episode, another great one from the first season. Olivia is clearly shaken to her core, she is scared and fearful beyond belief, she cannot lose Peter, he is the only thing holding her together right now, her tether to the world.

Walter’s chest of treasures is their only hope of saving what is left of the universe. It is sad to know that right now he doesn’t remember, but all will be revealed. Patience is something that the team has scarce little of and hope is their only weapon right now.

The ending sequence is great. How the song “The Man That Sold the World” illuminates what is going on in the story as it is intercut with Windmark’s (Michael Kopsa) and Peter’s predictions at the same time. Walter’s letting the music wash over him as he always does in times of despair, it is his saving grace, the one thing that he can count in to give him peace. The lyrics to the song are very revealing about coming face to face with the man that sold the world, which I suspect is Bell…only time will tell. Then Peter loses a bunch of hair…not a good sign, not a good sign at all.

I just hope that the remaining episodes will be as amazing as the first seven have been. I am looking forward to the final journey of our beloved Fringe team and see how once and for all the Observers will be defeated. For now all we can do is wait, only time will tell…let’s hope it’s a happy ending. I do hope and keep my fingers crossed that there will be a movie (maybe several) in the future. I hope you enjoyed my review, I would love to hear your comments. Stay strong during the hiatus…re-watches help.

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Kenn

November 12, 2012
Fringe: “An Origin Story” Means Emotions May Be The Biggest Problem At War!

Hello Fringe fans!

What an episode we had last week, huh?

The most heartbreaking point of the story told here so far, the death of Etta Bishop (Georgina Haig) and how the Bishop family dealt with it. This tragic circumstance has motivated the Fringe Team to fight even harder to defeat the invaders of Earth, The Observers.

The battle continues in this weeks episode with a long title “Through the Looking Glass and What Walter Found There”.

An Origin Story:

In the fifth episode titled “An Origin Story” and right in the first scene the pain was there right before our eyes as Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson) found Etta’s secret storage of C-4 explosives, weapons and other things while Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) was asleep.

One nice thing that we noticed when he found his daughters stuff was the recognition of himself through his daughter smartness for having such a cute safe in her house, yes, I said cute because any weapon against Observes deserves such a description; those cold hearted motherless sons of very good nice parents that have never ever had anything to do with dirty prostitution.

As Peter was going through Etta’s stuff, Olivia woke up to an adorable and heartbreaking moment with her husband.

You know I am quite sick of the word heartbreaking because of what they have faced this season is far worse that heartbreaking! It is a whole new level of heart-wrenching which was shred to pieces over and over again in a way that cannot ever be healed.

This is how POlivia is at the moment and I guess pretty much everyone feels exactly the same. I happily have no idea what it is like to lose a child and as far as we have seen on the show, Walter destroyed one universe to save his son which ended badly.

A war had started and it caused Peter to erase him from the timeline unaware of that. Right now, Peter lost his child and what he will do to avenge her death is a question I am most curious to know about.

All of these things made that Greek sentence he learned from his mother sound very loudly in my head, has he not understood one word of that sentence?

When we got to see Olivia, I had to look somewhere else, I could not look at her, it was so painful There was pain all over her face despite the fact that there were no words said. I have said to some friends that I refuse to believe POlivia is going through all that and somehow they will get Etta back later on, they have to. It does not matter what anyone says, I will hold on to the so called blind hope until the end.

The Observers came from the future to do the business we have seen they do. It was very cool to see them get their things from the future through those black windows (wormholes) to accomplish their goals, then those white huge boxes came out of that window floating.

I was like NO WAY? The effect it had when the boxes fell on the ground was also super cool; the curiosity is killing me about what the heck was on the other side of that wormhole.

At first, when I watched he promo I thought It was Over There and the hopes of seeing Altlivia, the absolutely sexy hot, red head Anna Torv and Agent Lee (Seth Gabel) but now as we know it was the future… WHAT THE HECK?! Seriously awesome!

The window they opened reminded me of season one’s window opened by David Robert Jones (Jared Harris) who was on the hunt for William Bell (Leonard Nimoy) and to do it he had shot Nina Shark, sorry, Sharp (Blair Brown) to get a power cell from her mechanical arm.

The huge difference was that we could actually see things over there, as if we were looking through a window and in this one the Observers have opened. All we could see was black probably because back in season one, the opened wormhole was both at the same time, here and over. They are different from what happened in this episode which was a connection between present and future.

The scene of Walter Bishop (John Noble) asking POlivia to keep Etta’s perfume which helps him cope with the loss remembering her as a little kid was rather simple and awesome at the same time. Right after that, Peter got a call from Astrid Farnsworth (Jasika Nicole) that led to some Walter/Astrid greatness involving a propane tank plus an ethanol gallon in Amber very close to the tapes they need which unfortunately made it impossible to retrieve more video tapes for now, all due to Walter’s cooking habits.

Olivia got a phone call too, but from Anil (Shaun Smyth) to tell them about the Observer’s dirty work. The thing is, the baldies have brought these white huge boxes from the future to build their pollution machine to make the air breathable to them.

Of course the resistance wanted to attack the next one, even though it will not be possible unless they can read that weird language the Observers write on their note pads. They also showed who they got as hostage, a baldie!

As far as I am concerned, they have worked hard and they have gone nowhere, but lost Etta.

So I agree with Peter. It is not the time to be all careful and afraid; they have to do something big like shoving an anti-matter thingy up inside a place you would not like to know. An idea that sounded possible and more effective, they would try to turn those wormholes into black holes which would cause massive destruction on the other side.

Walter explained it well, though I did not buy his idea I do not know why, it sounded like he wanted Peter do something he knew would not work or it was something else entirely. I just know that it looked weird.

As Olivia herself pointed out that there was one problem. How would they get close enough to throw the anti-matter bomb inside the wormhole? This was a problem given the fact that it was full of Observers and Loyalists around. Olivia was really worried about the whole plan, but it was not all.

She was really afraid of losing Peter, too, given the danger of the plan. It was difficult to put the plan into action, because the cube the resistance got from the Observers was deactivated and he needed the captured Observer (John Prosky) help to activate it.

This scene was absurdly interesting and just WOW, Peter was reading him this time, the talented gambler was back and he managed to build the cube without a word from the Observer.

Everything seemed to be working perfectly well despite the interference from an Observer, Peter threw the bomb at the hole and it exploded which made all white boxes come back to the hell where they had come from; however it did not work at all.

While they were escaping believing the plan had worked, Anil, Peter and Olivia spotted another portal with those white boxes coming out of it. FAILURE, again. There was one sentence Olivia said about the gun she used to shot the Observer while he tried to stop them from exploding the wormhole, she said “Yes, it is that type of gun” and this gun was created by Bell, remember Brave New World parts one and two?

Bell surely had some knowledge about the Observers’ technology at that time. It is all interesting because for the whole time, he knew stuff but to what length did he know things? The questions are endless.

The participation of John Prosky as the captured Observer was absolutely crazy awesome. His speech about the ant colony and how Peter feels about he Observers was amazing.

Peter was oblivious to his limitation refusing to acknowledge the Observers superiority in power, and it led me to think about the perception of things that we have had on season five so far. There has been some anomalies this season, I do not know how, it is so hard, to put them to words.

What if the whole thing is some sort of shared consciousness of the characters with September (Michael Cerveris)? It would mean that none of this has already happened but yet, it will happen. We know for sure that September is a friend to them and it is undeniable that these Observers would smash humanity in a blink of an eye, though WHY have not they done it? WHY is the resistance so active?

The Observers do have the power, the means, anything necessary to wipe mankind off the planet and they have not done it. Maybe what is happening here is what happened in Lysergic Acid Diethylamide back in season three, but longer. My point is, September knew they had no chance against the baldies and maybe helping them see what he must have experienced so they would have a chance. It sounds too absurd to say that, but I do not know what to think anymore.

The “poker” game between Peter and the captured Observer was simply magnificent, but the fact that it was the game of one player due to the fact that even arrested, tied and unable to do anything, the damned observer was still in control of himself and in part, of the situation. Was he being read by Peter and as said, afraid?

Or was he just pretending, manipulating Peter because you know, we are always looking for a pattern everywhere even if there is no pattern at all, looking for a meaning where there is none?

It made me feel like we have no way out of this, and it is all lost. Frakking Observer! Based on the observation of a fly, Peter took the decisions he took regarding building the cube up solely from his intuition and knowledge about engineering which came from the future, a very distant future, by the way. Too much in my head.

Remember the conversation between Peter and Olivia about the fact that she was afraid she might lose him? Walter listened to it and as the biggest POlivia shipper of all time, he found a way to help them out with a tape from one of Etta’s birthdays before the frakking invasion which Olivia refused to watch at first.

The conversation he had with Olivia was the most important thing that has happened so far in season five. Olivia had dealt with her pain building walls around her heart once and Walter himself broken the whole universe because he could not cope with losing a son.

He also mentioned vengeance from his evil doppelganger Walternate. They have to deal with it together otherwise what Olivia fears the most is gonna happen, they will lose each other and it just cannot happen. I cannot understand what the Awards people must think what good TV is.

Maybe their minds are full of stupidity and their way to judge what is good and bad is just craptastic. I am not sorry if I offend anyone, I am sorry I do not feel sorry.

This TV show and its cast have been slapped in the face throughout the years and I just do not get it. The scene between Olivia and Walter was just super awesome, why cannot they see the talent here?

At this point, I am not sure of anything else; one thing did scare me. Peter told the Observer if he had that tech inside him, he would be ten times what the bald one is. SCARY!

By the look in the Observer’s face, what did he read there? Have I understood what I…? No! Not possible that Peter is actually thinking about it. However as it turns out, he did it. Peter took the tech out of the Observer’s head and inserted into him to my absolute shock, I mean, has he lost his mind completely?

If I could, I would have screamed at him DO NOT FRAKKING DO THIS FRAK FOR FRAK’S SAKE, but unfortunately, Olivia’s call came a bit late as she said she needed him to come home in one of the saddest scenes ever as she was crying her heart out as she watched her daughter’s birthday party video tape.

He already had the thingy inside him and Gene in heaven protects Peter from what I think will happen now. Did you see the look in his eyes?

Has Peter gone completely powered up Observer mode angry-mad bad-ass? Smokes come out of my head.

Maybe it is all happening, and Peter will become a rough, cold hearted Observer, but it does not mean it is all lost. The Observers are emotion free, right? The do not have hearts.

If it is all caused by tech that takes all emotion from them, it does not happen smoothly. I’d like to believe that there is a crack in all things for obvious reasons.

Remember Sheriff Mathis played by the great Martha Plimpton, right? In season two, episode called Northwest Passage?

You just need to find a crack in the darkness so the light will get in and this whole thing was not mentioned one, but throughout the whole series.

We are led to think about it in minimal pieces of dialogue or in major ones like in the ditto episode or like in the fourth season, episode One Night In October that even with having his mind completely erased by his counterpart, Professor McClennan (John Pyper-Ferguson) still had in his heart the thinking about darkness and light taught by Margery (Julie Schnekenburger).

Do you remember when Broyles (Lance Reddick) told Olivia about the indelible mark, an imprint people leave on our souls so big it cannot be erased and it changes us forever, if it is all happening for real, then this is how Peter will be saved if what I think happens to be true, which I hope is not the case at all.

I also hope that no one helps The Observers like seen in the Reward Wire videos by FOX Broadcasting!

My thanks to Kenn for video embedding and Lori for final proof of my review. As always, we appreciate you visiting the WormholeRiders News Agency!

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Thanks for reading!

Raphael

November 8, 2012
Fringe Turning Point: The Bullet That Saved The World…and Shattered My Heart at the Same Time!

Well Fringe fans, this past episode rendered me shocked and speechless.

My tissue box is minus a dozen or so tissues and my heart is broken. For everyone that has seen this episode you clearly know the reasons why.

Fringe has pulled out all the stops and then some, as I stated in a previous review, they are definitely going to go out with a bang and not a whimper.

This episode proves it in spades. I know that the remaining episodes will be a tour de force for everyone involved including the gifted and gorgeous Georgina Haig in her role in Fringe below.

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Before I start my review, let me comment on that intense promo for next week’s episode. It is clear that Peter has only one thing on his mind and when he gets it set there is no changing it.

An Origin Story will also give us a chance to see our beloved Polivia reconnect over the loss of their most precious soul. I for one cannot wait, it will be epic!

The Bullet That Saved the World:

Now, on to the episode, I like how it starts with Peter (Joshua Jackson) siphoning gas from a car and then heading into a pawn shop. The items that are shown are definite reminds of my youth and of the bygone era that I am sure Peter longs to get back to. If Walter had entered that pawn shop, well, the phrase kid in a candy store would be an understatement.

The shop clerk (H.A. Hunter) is trying to get him to buy other things than what he came in for, typical. Peter has his mind set on one thing and one thing only, he just wants to get that thing and get out. The Observer reads him, but Peter tries his hardest to fill his mind with random thoughts so that the Observer won’t know his true intention.

Joshua Jackson is great in this scene because you can see his body language change the second the Observer hands him the necklace. His demeanor becomes somewhat confident but with a definite undertone of nerves. This Observer does not seem as vicious as the others, he seems almost passive, which leads me to believe that not ALL the Observers are as bad as we think, September (Michael Cerveris) being the prime example.

Peter’s nerves are clearly starting to surface and that is never more evident than when he leaves the shop and has to literally fight his way out of the situation. He desperately wants to get back to his family. It is always fun to watch Josh be bad ass, it harkens back to his past and all the times I am sure he had to fight his way out of sticky situations.

The clever boy that he is, Peter escapes down a sewer drain, but not without the situation getting dire after a bomb conveniently follows him down there!

Thankfully Peter makes it out alive, a little worse for the wear but alive. I am sure Peter is used to it by now, but it is still great to see him alive and breathing.

Meanwhile back at the lab…another great scene where Walter (John Noble) infuses his humor in the situation. John or Walter I should say always has a way of making even the most drastic situations a bit lighter because if his comments. This episode is no exception as we see in this scene and in some to follow.

The scene in the lab with Peter, Olivia (Anna Torv) and Etta (Georgina Haig) is a wonderful Bishop family moment. The concern that Olivia has for him is evident, even though there is some strain between them at the moment, the deep love they have for each other out weighs that.

I love that Peter again calls Etta kiddo and that he tells her the bumps and bruises are worth it. Any parent would say the same thing; they would gladly manifest their child’s pain if they could. I love that Etta is the one that ends up schooling her parents on how they will learn to deceive the Observers when being read. It shows how the combination of both Peter and Olivia is ever present in their daughter.

Georgina does excellent work in this episode as we will see as it progresses. The doubt and fear that Peter has about the Observers being two steps ahead and not knowing how to beat them, it trumped by Etta and her unwavering hope that they will defeat them…one by one.

Hope seems to be a recurrent theme in these episodes so far and I do not suspect it will be going away anytime soon. It is the one thing that they can hold on to. Sometimes that it all that you need to give you the strength to carry on. Hope is a very powerful thing, it is what saves people’s lives and gives them guts to face their fear head on.

I feel that in this season everyone is at the top of their game; they are the best they can be. Maybe it is because the actor’s finally know the fate of their characters and know how the series will end. The writing has always been brilliant, but again, this season is at its peak, with the loose ends from all the past seasons finally falling into place.

I have a few wild theories that I will pose to you the reader a bit later in my review. I may be way off on them, but in Fringe world, anything is possible.

It was so great to see Broyles (Lance Reddick) again! It wouldn’t be Fringe without him. I just hope we also get to see Blair Brown in the next few episodes, I miss Nina Sharp. The scene with Windmark (Michael Kopsa) in the pawn shop is great. It is a little weird seeing Broyles taking orders from someone else, when we are so used to seeing him giving the orders.

You can see the awkward way that Broyles is around Windmark, Lance pulls this off beautifully. He has a somewhat defeated disposition about him when it comes to taking orders from Windmark. Broyles, however, still has that toughness to him; he always has that authoritative air about him, but also knows compassion and loyalty as we will see later in the episode.

It’s sad to hear Windmark being so technical about the necklace and asking why would Peter come and risk his freedom for something so unexceptional. It makes you wonder just what happened to make the Observers so strict and inhuman. What caused this lack of emotion so much that they have become robotic? We may never find out…but then again maybe we will it’s Fringe after all. It is also sad because it makes me think about how such a small thing like a necklace can mean so much to the person who wears it. How that small gesture speaks volumes about the intention behind it.

The scene at the lab with the team as they are watching yet another one of Walter’s tapes, he mentions a story about how his mother took him on these Manhattan Mystery Tours which makes Olivia hang her head in her hands at the ridiculousness of the story. Hilarious! But Walter being Walter it all comes to a point about where the plans are hidden.

What comes next is very cool and unexpected, leave it to Walter to always be thinking, albeit not always clearly or rationally, ahead. His reference to the detective comics that Walter had as a child makes me think of the “Brown Betty” episode (which as you all know is my most favorite episode ever). Fringe…a full circle show. His mention of Pinkos and the mosquito comment later in the scene are classic Walter answers…brilliance at its finest.

The discovery of the past Fringe cases is so fraking cool! I love how the show always manages to take you back to the past cases, that everything in Fringe is connected. Maybe Walter did know something about what the future held, but again his memories are scattered at best. I love that he mentions that they should make a few Fringe events of their own. The one they chose was from the first season, the episode was call “Ability“. It was a horrific way to die, suffocating to death, no thanks!

Walter and food…I need not go into an explanation on this one, except to say that as usual, his stomach has won the battle and has not ceased to amaze me.

The disgusting but hilarious way that Walter tastes the jelly from the twenty plus year old doughnut hole, well, thankfully I wasn’t eating at the time. Again, I love how Walter or rather John Noble in this case can take such joy in the antics of our most beloved crazy scientist.

The scene with the Loyalist in the room with the Observer was scary, but in a way it was necessary, because it revealed a new aspect to the story. The code word Dove was mentioned, there has been speculation as who the dove actually is.

Some say its Broyles others think it was Etta or just maybe it could be someone else entirely different. The dove has always been a symbol of peace, harmony and hope…there is that word again. It comes as no surprise that Fringe has used this to give weight to the fight that they are currently in.

When the Observer asks Broyles about the relationship that he had with the Fringe team, a red flag went off. It seems that Windmark knows a lot about things that are past and that may be used against Broyles or other team members in the future. It is scary that Windmark has that ace up his sleeve. He is the true definition of diabolical. You can tell that the Observer is trying to read Broyles thoughts, but he was taught well and is able to deflect them.

One of my favorite scenes this episode is watching Walter and Peter play with a homemade projectile gun and he says “Pull!” and launches something in Astrid’s (Jasika Nicole) direction. The giddy look on both Bishop Boys faces is priceless. It is nice to see those wonderful father/son moments that have been rare but always profound. It also shows the hope that they have and the way that they can somehow imbue humor into their grim situation.

The next scene with the two fantastic actresses is wondrous. Those mother/daughter moments are what make it so wonderful to watch. Georgina Haig and Anna Torv have and incredible chemistry, one would think that they could be actual mother and daughter.

It is so beautiful to see Etta explain how she came about the bullet that she wears. I love that Etta says that she wore it to feel closer to her. She clearly had been thinking about her parents and finding them longer than we expected. “I figured it had to be important or you wouldn’t have kept it,” Etta says to her mother.

Oh kiddo if you only knew. Your very existence is due to that bullet and the symbolism of it. It’s even more poignant to hear what Peter called the bullet, a fact that we do know from “Brave New World Part 2“.

Again we see the sheer brilliance of Anna Torv and her aptitude to convey subtly, she has perfected it. You can also see the sadness in her eyes for the past that she remembers and longs for again. The memory of it forever etched in her photographic memory.

After that poignant scene things start to get volatile. The team’s sense of urgency is heightened when they know they have been compromised, thanks to Olivia’s idea of re-ambering the lab, it buys them some much needed time to escape. It also sets them back since now they have to work twice as hard to extract everything that they had to re-amber again. It seems their work is never ending.

When Windmark makes the statement that Etta had hid her thoughts from them and that others may have the ability as well, it is not a good sign. Windmark is onto something he just needs confirmation and he intends to get it anyway he can. He has no qualms about the way he does it, his way or no way.

The Walter electrocution line again, funny, but what follows it is what makes the last 15 minutes of this episode harrowing, heartbreaking, breathtaking and gut wrenching. It is writing like this that always put Fringe in the top notch of exceptional shows.

When Peter and Walter enter the train station and finally find their way underground the x that marked the spot is an age old symbol that was used in the 1940’s “Kilroy was here”…indeed he was. It is lucky for Walter that he used such an iconic symbol to mark where the schematics are.

Peter and Walter are interrupted by an Observer that seems, after being shot by Peter, to be able to teleport preternaturally. Finally escaping to find the other team members our heroes breathe a sigh of relief, if only temporary.

I love that Broyles pulls out a picture of Peter and Olivia from their days in Fringe Division. They were a part of his family as much as they were his team members and colleagues. The schematics look veryfamiliar to Fringe fans.

They look suspiciously like the etchings that were made on the table in Walter’s cell in St. Clair’s, only problem is he cannot remember them. I have a feeling I know why. I will be posting my theories at the end of this review.

The scene with the Broyles and team reunion is so great. It is such a beautiful exchange between Olivia and Broyles, whom she calls “Philip” which I don’t think he she has ever done.

It is so great to hear about how Broyles met Etta and that he had a hunch who she was before she told him. The affection that Broyles had always had for Olivia is definitely shown in his interaction with her. I love also that as soon as he found out who Etta was that he knew he’d join the resistance.

I love that Broyles mentions that Etta taught him instead of the other way around. Like mother like daughter. Some tissues were definitely used during this scene, well worth it though.

The irony of Windmark using the word barbaric to show his disgust for what the Fringe team did is very interesting. He is just as barbaric if not worse when it comes to what he has done to get the information that is needed from Walter or anyone he crosses paths with. Plus what happens in the last few scenes is the very definition and he shows that he is the epitome of the word and then some.

The hardware that Broyles brings to the Fringe team is frightening, but unfortunately a necessity in the war they fight, a fight that ends in the worst way possible. The last scenes are definitely edge of your seat when the team is chased into the warehouse. It was in these scenes that the heartbreak began and ended with the most poignant, gut wrenching, beautiful and utterly devastating loss in Fringe history to date.

Tissues and swear words were used by this reviewer profusely throughout these last scenes, both being strewn in all directions. The gun fight is reminiscent of past Fringe episodes and it always makes for great television. When Windmark asks Etta, while he is chocking her why Peter bought her the necklace, she for the first time lets him see in her mind. A memory of before the Observers invaded, her childhood, the one time in her life when she was happy.

It is a gorgeous scene and Georgina is a masterpiece. She is so at peace in this moment that it is almost surreal. She knows her fate, she knows what has to be done and she is the willing sacrifice. Love, her motivation since she found the bullet, she needed to find her parents, needed their love and to love them.

Something Windmark knows nothing about and will never know about. “You never know when to give up” Windmark says to her…she is a Dunham & a Bishop they never give up. It was in her DNA the second she was conceived and runs through her veins like her blood.

When Etta was shot, it was truly the shot heard around the world. I can honestly say that I never expected it and worldwide gasp and scream were heard from Fringe fans everywhere. When Olivia utters Etta, it is heartbreaking, she feels it, and she knows in her gut that something is wrong. A mother knows and has an instinct that will always be connected to her child.

The fact that Etta is holding onto the necklace is truly heartbreaking, I am teary eyed just re-watching and thinking about what it symbolizes. It truly is the bullet that saved the world, ironically because it is the catalyst that will drive her parents to continue the fight and avenge her death.

When Olivia, Peter and Walter find her, the flood gates of emotion open for me and I am sure every Fringe fan out there. There are not many shows that can make me cry, but this one managed to do it, this scene in particular. I suspect the finale episode I will be a puddle of snot and tears on my bed, but that is yet to come.

This is probably the most beautiful scene ever filmed in Fringe…so far. The way that Etta has come to terms with her fate, that she is calm and knows that she is leaving her parents after just finding them. She also knows what it’s like to be loved by her parents, to be a family again and to fight side by side with them as she always wanted to.

This scene reminds me of two things, What Edwin Massey (Paul McGillion) said in “The Recordist” episode about cowardice “You are not a coward if you are afraid, you are a coward and you know what needs to be done and you don’t do it”. Etta is her mother’s daughter, she is always putting others above herself, and she sacrifices herself for the good of the resistance.

She knows what needs to be done and without hesitation she does it. She becomes the hero, the martyr, the dove if you will a true testament of her genes and her love for her family. The other is my theory from a past episode regarding the chess game.

Both Anna and Josh astound in this scene. The frantic way they are trying to stop the bleeding and telling her they can get her help is calmed by Etta saying to leave her. The look in Olivia’s eyes is heartbreaking, Anna once again is astonishing, and she is a force of nature.

When Olivia tells Etta “I love you so much” it is profound, she doesn’t say that often and when she does she means it with her entire being. Etta’s response is perfect, “I know”-she always did, but to hear it from her mother, she can die in peace.

Josh is so amazing in this scene, he shows how distraught he is, he reacts the same way he did when Olivia was shot by Walter in season three finale. His world is shattered; again, he has lost her again, his perfect little soul.

No parent should go through that, but he now knows how Walter felt when he lost Peter twice. Walter is also mourning the loss of his only granddaughter, John again and always brilliant.

When the team is not been found, Windmark assumes that because of love they would go back and get Etta, once they investigate and find out they were wrong, they discover two things, they necklace is gone and the anti-matter bomb that she has, with seconds left on it. How Windmark gets out of there is beyond me. From a distance, her family watches and mourns the loss of one of their own, their daughter Etta who is now with her partner Simon Foster (Henry Ian Cusick)…partners forever.

The last scene of Olivia holding onto Etta’s necklace made my cry again. It will truly be the symbol of her undying drive to make sure that Etta didn’t die in vain. The look on Peter’s face as the episode ends is heartbreaking, his world ended the second her last breathe was taken. He will make it his mission for the rest of his life to exact revenge on the people who did this.

The hashtag for this episode was #TurningPoint and indeed it was for the whole team. A lot of fans were hoping that this would be Josh’s episode to shine, but I think the next week’s episode “An Origin Story” will be the one where we really see what Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson) is made of.

I just hope that he uses that brain of his and knows that revenge is never the answer; as good as it may feel. It will definitely be an episode that will be talked about and no doubt will be one of Josh’s best.

Okay…now to my Fringe theories:

I have a feeling that we will definitely see William Bell (Leonard Nimoy) again. I think he has something to do with either the Observers invading or as Walter said to help complete his plan. Bell has been involved with Fringe either directly or indirectly from the beginning. He is definitely a cog in the wheel somehow.

When Bell talked about the Chess game in Brave New World Part 1, he had mentioned that “The most valuable piece is the Bishop and for the game to be won the Bishop must be sacrificed”. I had assumed that the Bishop was Olivia, now I think it was Etta. Bell knew the game, he saw the future, and he had already been there. “The art of chess, the art is knowing when a piece is most valuable (Etta) and then in that very moment, being willing to sacrifice it.

For in the vacuum created by the loss of one that is most precious (Etta’s death) opportunity abounds. Influence maximized and desire becomes destiny (Peter and Olivia’s wanting to avenge Etta’s death). It is a clever way for the writers to throw us off track and then truly reveal what was meant by Bishop being the most valued piece.

I think the parts of Walter’s brain that were extracted are the very parts that contain the information to the schematics found and I do believe that September dictated them to him. The Observers have the ability to cross time and September has always been part of the Fringe team’s life.

He knows their future but cannot tell them, so he told Walter the plan and then slightly changed it so that the events of the future would come back to that plan. There were also theories on Facebook about maybe doing another reset to before the Observers invaded so our team can defeat them before they invade.

Okay, those are my theories, I may be way off or right on the money, only time will tell. Thanks for reading this long review, I would love to hear your comments on it.. I hope you dried your eyes and put your heart back together, until next week…RIP Etta Bishop, you will be missed.

I hope you enjoyed my review and my previous news articles about find memories of Fringe at San Diego Comic-Con 2012 and I thank you for visiting WormholeRiders News Agency.

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“!

Until next time,

Regards,

Lori

October 31, 2012
Fringe: Brave New World Part One – Will We All Survive?!
Hello fellow Fringe fans,

It has been a wild ride that has almost come to an end. In this episode, part one of the two part season finale (sounds better than series finale, does not it?), we get some questions answered and even more questions asked. I am very happy about the renewal even though it is not a full season, thirteen episodes is better than none.

Before we delve into the brave new world, let us take a moment to talk about the epic promo for part two of the finale. Bell (Leonard Nimoy) is back, Olivia (Anna Torv) is activated and someone loses their life…or do they? To say this week will be the longest in Fringe history is an understatement!

Included below courtesy of FOX Broadcasting are the promo trailer. Thanks FOX!
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Editorial – Season Five Renewal:

Before I start with my review,. I want to say thank you to The Powers That Be (TPTB) who renewed our beloved show. The mixed response to the decision of giving us thirteen final episodes and not the full twenty two is interesting to me. Some fans are very happy about the thirteen episodes others are pissed off that we do not get a full season.

My response to the fans that are not happy about it is this…be thankful, it pushes us closer to syndication, which is a huge deal for all parties involved. It also gives us a chance for closure, a chance to finally give us the ending it deserves. That is the one thing that everyone is in agreement on, the fact that we will have an ending. Whether the ending is one that we all love or hate or are indifferent to, I do think that whatever the ending be it will definitely no doubt be extraordinary, memorable, heartbreaking and fitting.

Yes it will be sad to see it end. I will be mourning Fringe as I have been mourning The Sopranos every since it ended. It will be one of the shows that leaves an indelible mark in television history. Shows like both Fringe and the Sopranos do not come along often, but when they do their impact is felt throughout your life and in television history.

This something that should be celebrated it is a benchmark, it’s a notch on a timeline, it is something that should (and will) be talked about for years to come. The love that the fans worldwide have for Fringe will always be there, it has changed lives, brought people together and has forever bonded them together. Fringe is a once in a lifetime show and I for one am glad to be a part of it up until the very end.

Brave New World Part One:

Now…on to the Brave New World, I am extremely happy that this is a season finale and again not a series finale. The only problem with watching Fringe on the night it airs is that I am on twitter and I miss so much, so watching again is a treat. It was as Ari Margolis said jaw dropping and wonderful and amazing and my Polivia heart was soaring.

I loved the usage of the musak version of Billy Idol’s ‘Eyes Without a Face’ it cracked me up!

What started out as a seemingly normal commute day for the citizens of Boston, ended in the most bizarre way.

We begin observing the Fringe activity with Neal (Reese Alexander) getting his usual morning beverage and heading out for his work day when something unusual happens. The other people are horrified by what they see and soon discover that they are afflicted with the same problem. Yikes…my advice, do not drink the coffee it can kill you.

I commend the actors in that scene, it is very difficult to not move in that scene, to become almost statuesque. That is an exercise that is fundamental in acting class and they all pulled it off brilliantly.

The next scene is one that has put a permanent smile on my face. We get to see our beloved Polivia again. I have always loved when we get to see Olivia (Anna Torv) and Peter (Joshua Jackson) being domestic and ‘normal’. It makes their love story that much more real for me and much more epic.

I had assumed that when Olivia had said nursery in response to the number of bedrooms in their future house that she was already pregnant with Etta (Georgina Haig), but apparently I was wrong.

It was a clever way for the writers to give us that little hope and nod to the future, but it still is not quite within their reach yet. Regardless, it is a wonderful scene and as always Josh and Anna play it perfectly. It never seems to fail that their phones always interrupt them, call of duty is never far behind.

Walter (John Noble) and Astrid (Jasika Nicole) at the Fringe event is hilarious. The way that Walter is inadvertently guiding the hasmet guys to where they should be is brilliant. His use of the word “Ninny” is priceless.

I also love the growing relationship between the two colleagues and friends. it is a testament to how incredibly well they both work together and how each of them thinks of the other as family.

The comment about house hunting and a nursery was wonderful because Olivia is pregnant following the time-line of the alternate universe, only slightly offset in our reality!

To digress for a moment…the fact that I found out that Robin Williams is a huge Fringe fan and would love to be in an episode is EPIC with a capital E. How amazing would that be to see him and Walter go head to head as crazy scientists or maybe as a reformed mental patient? I for one would be glued to my television that night. I know that the producers did hear about it and agreed that it would be unbelievable, let us hope we do get to see that before the end of the series.

Now to the next scene which features the wonderfully talented Rebecca Mader! So great to see another LOST alum gracing the screen again. I love how we do get to see some of the other actors from other Abrams shows, the respect is evident.

Rebecca’s character Jessica Holt is great in her scene with Walter, his alien comment again cracked me up. John Noble can deliver lines like no one else on the planet, it is still amazing to me that he has been snubbed time and time again for an Emmy. When Walter asks to take a blood sample and Jessica’s response of the phrase that men always say is great. It gives us a small glimpse into what w find out later on about Jessica’s home situation.

Walter’s care in handling her is nice. He is gentle and sympathetic, I also like the fact that she is willing to do anything to help them find a cure. The scene with Walter and the vial of blood is very cool. It reminds me of a Shakespearean soliloquy, the way he is handling it and examining it. She will be the willing guinea pig for the mad scientist and his wild theories. The fact that she is a registered nurse and understands the importance of the situation makes her willingness much nobler.

The scene in the lab with the team trying to find a cure for the problem Jessica is having is a great Anna Torv scene. She once again does what she does best, she crosses that boundary between good and brilliant.

This scene reminds me of the X-Men, Rogue (Anna Paquin) and Jean Grey (Famke Janssen) as Jessica’s body temperature begins to rise dangerously high, they are racing against time to stop it. With precious seconds left Olivia grabs her hand and manifests Jessica’s aliment, she takes her pain away. This is why it reminds me of Rogue; she had the ability to temporarily posses the abilities of anyone she touched. Olivia’s ability to do this is as much of a mystery to her as it is to everyone else.

It is great to see Olivia’s abilities surface again, to see her somewhat embrace her ability to a certain extent even though she is afraid of it. It also, though, gives me a sense of foreboding, because as great as it is to see her using her abilities it could be the very thing that could be her downfall. Just like Jean Grey, her abilities could be what ultimately kills her, it could be the one thing that she cannot control, and in fact it would end up controlling her.

Here is essentially a woman (Olivia) who was programmed, if you will, to be a soldier, the one, the strongest out of all the Cortexiphan kids. She was the one that was the leader, it goes back to season two when Bell had pulled her to the alternate universe and told her what her destiny is.

The ability that Olivia has is remarkable, but deadly the same way that Jean Grey was ultimate in her ability, but what happened to her when that power consumed her was drastic. Who Jean was disappeared, who she was became died away, she becomes a weapon and the only way to save her was to end her life…to set her free.

The irony or bittersweet of it all was that the one person who could reach her, the one person that could help her was also the man that loved her, much like Peter with Olivia. Logan made the sacrifice, it nearly killed him in the process but he needed to save her from herself and give her the peace she desired. I have a fear that Peter may have to do the same with Olivia, that the only way to save her is to kill her, set her free. Remember what September said to her…what her fate is…

It is of no surprise to anyone that Jones is once again involved with the nanites and the problems it caused. I think that he did this deliberately, did it to draw Olivia out. I think that it has been the plan all along, get rid of the alternate universe, the distractions.

The scene with Walter and his discovery of the way the antibodies were formed is crucial. Especially since if you look at them they seem to have a little X stamped on them somehow…which goes back to the mystery Mr. X who is the one that is supposedly the one that ends Olivia’s life.

The look on Walter’s face when he finally realizes that it was not Jones, all along, but his long lost partner William Bell, who is the mastermind of this whole scheme. The way that Bell comes back into the picture is great. Aboard that crazy ship of creatures is the man who wants to play god. That laugh that Nimoy has is a dead giveaway and it was so great to hear it first before you get to see him.

I must give kudos to the producers for keeping that secret. It was a brilliant move and I for one loved it. What better way to end the season then to have Bell be the man behind the curtain the whole time.

The scene between Harris and Nimoy about the chess game and the defeat that they suffered if only temporary was brilliant. His explanation of the winning move and the winning game to Jones is diabolical, but perfect, the way he tells him that the Bishop is the most important piece is metaphorical, because it means not only Peter and Walter, but Olivia. She is a ‘Bishop’ if by pure association, she is the one that needs to be sacrificed. Bell talks about patience and how it has been twenty years since his last move, he wanted to make sure that the time was perfect.

“The art of chess, the art is knowing when a piece is most valuable (Olivia) and then in that very moment, being willing to sacrifice it. For in the vacuum created (the machine) by the loss of one that is most precious (Olivia’s death and Peter resetting the timeline), opportunity abounds. Influence maximized and desire becomes destiny (Peter and Olivia’s immense love for one another brought him back).” This speech is a culmination of all that has been happening up until now. How Bell has had this as his plan the whole time, he was just waiting for the right time to strike. The way that the writers have built this awesome bridge to the gap is another one of a million reasons why I love this show.

“The most valuable piece is the Bishop and for the game to be won the Bishop must be sacrificed”-meaning Olivia. She is the one that has to ultimately be sacrificed, the one that will give Bell his power (which were the glyphs for this episode). It also makes me think of episode 419 ‘Letters of Transit” at the end when Walter reveals that something did happen to Olivia at the hands of Bell.

I feel bad for Walter trying to explain that Bell is alive to everyone and no one believing him is so frustrating and John Noble plays it perfectly. It is almost as if he is back at St. Claire’s and that is a feeling he never wishes to have. His refusal to let it go is perfect, he is right, he knows in his gut that he is right, nothing and no one can tell him otherwise and to prove it he goes back to the one place that is his worst nightmare.

The scenes at St. Claire’s are brilliant, John Noble at his finest. The way his demeanor is sitting at his table tracing his hand over his etchings and then when he exits the room is real. You can feel the tension and unease of him. The most brilliant part, though, is when the janitor asks him if he is just visiting or coming back, and Walter’s reaction is visceral his body reverts back to itself when he was at St. Claire’s. That is the stuff Emmy’s are given for…that whole scene from beginning to end is the reason he should get an Emmy.

It is a pleasure to see Samantha Noble as Doctor Benlow in this episode. It is nice to know that the Noble talent has a second generation. John in this scene is hilarious, the way he is snarky towards her and the way he smells and licks the pages of the log book.

It must have been a treat to watch her dad at work, I know it is always a treat for me to watch John work. His end comment of her being prettier than her predecessor is great.

I do have one complaint in the scene with Olivia cutting vegetables; she is sitting down, which is NOT correct. I have never seen any chef that I know (and I know a lot) sit and cut vegetables, it just does not happen.

Anyway, that is the one thing I have a problem with. Her cut finger and the way Peter takes care of her is sweet. His love for he is profound and shows in his actions that have always spoken volumes.

When she explains how she was talking about Jessica and the normal life that she longed for. Of course normal does not exist in Fringe world, but they make do with what they have. Her fear of what she is becoming is palpable, she has this thing inside her that is a mystery to her, but it is the one thing that can possible save her.

She has no idea just how powerful she is, again it reminds me of Jean Grey and the power she possessed was so great that it had to be prevented from surfacing or the fate of the world would be dead. I feel that Olivia has that same power and it will take Peter to stop her from using it, just as Logan did for Jean.

The means to the end was tragic, but necessary, the fate of the world is in danger. Again it reminds me of S2E4 ‘Momentum Deferred’ when Bell tells Olivia that she was the strongest of the Cortexiphan kids, when she needs to keep Peter by her side. Momentum can be deferred but it always must always be paid back and it seems to be doing that now.

The speech that Peter gives to Olivia about all they have been through and he would not lose her again is beautiful. The love he has is absolute and deep, I fear though that something may happen to take her away from him again. This scene is great between Josh and Anna, they have a perfect chemistry on screen. I love how his fingers linger or brush her chin when he takes his hand away, it is very affectionate and makes my point. Epic love stories are always complicated that is what makes them epic, timeless and historical. Boring is never remembered but that kind of love is.

The sun light that destroys the building is cool. I like how it is almost like a beam of light from god coming down and punishing the sinners. Broyles (Lance Reddick) always has the best expressions on his face.

The disco ball comment is priceless, again, another brilliant reason that John’s flawless performance of Walter Bishop is something to behold. He always seems to be just on the surface of crazy, but never quite getting there.

I like the lemon cake scene because it harkens back to my favorite Fringe episode ever. The fact that the cortexiphan is regenerative is exactly what happened in Brown Betty when Olivia was cut by September with that laser and then as Astrid was patching her up, she began to heal…like the wound never happened. That gives us hope that if something does happen to Olivia she will be okay. I mean the only way to really kill her is a bullet to the brain as we saw in the previous timeline.

The peace out and the speech that Walter utters is one of the best that I have seen in a long time. He is so determined to find Bell that he is willing to go it alone. He again proves why John is so freaking brilliant. The fact that he calls Astid, Alex is wonderful and her reaction is perfect. Peace Out Emmy is all that needs to be said.

When Olivia and Peter find the satellites and Peter tells her to turn of the amplifier is sweet. She claims to not know what he is talking about and the smile on Peter’s face is a sign that he loves her very much. Jones and Peter fighting is a great scene, how Olivia connects with Peter and becomes the puppeteer in the fight.

This once again demonstrates Olivia’s abilities and the connection she has with Peter. Her abilities are triggered in the face of fear and love, it is when she is most vulnerable and when she is at her finest. When Jones falls into the satellite and is starting to disintegrate he says that he was the Bishop when I think he is wrong, he was the pawn, the Bishop is still in play.

The ending scene with Walter and Astrid is great, but there is a caution about it. You can feel the creepiness of it. The spaciousness of the warehouse reminds me of mob movies and the place they always take their snitches to beat the information out of them. Meeting the captain and Astrid knowing in her gut that something is wrong is tense; they need to get the heck out of there.

I love that Jasika Nicole gets to be a real FBI for a bit, that she gets to run, fight and shoot. She kicked butt and did it well. She and Walter running through the warehouse and shooting at the bad guys is thrilling…until she gets shot.

I audibly gasped when that happened! Of all the people to get hurt, Astrid is the least expected, and when Walter is holding her and Bell shows up…that is the best. He was right; the whole time when everyone doubted him he was right.

Well, it has been one hell of a season finale, at least part one has. Fandom is anxiously awaiting the second half the season finale and the wait will be excruciating. The final battle begins and a brave new world will indeed be revealed….stay tuned!

Thanks to Kenn for helping with the details and thank you for reading…don’t forget to leave a review. Peace Out!

Thanks to you for visiting and reading my review of “A Better Human Being” while visiting WormholeRiders News Agency.

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 the WHR on Facebook or me on Twitter by clicking the text links or images avatars in this news story and or we will See You on The Other Side“!

Until next time,

Regards,

Lori
May 8, 2012

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