Fringe was admittedly already one of my all time favourite shows before tonight, but even if it wasn’t, I would still have felt that it was absolutely awesome. Coming out of a ratingwise dire, but creatively brilliant season 3 that ended with the disappearance of one of the show’s main characters, I was wondering what Fringe was going to look like in season 4.
Fringe has once again reinvented itself. This episode largely took the viewpoint of Ourverse Lincoln Lee, who has been a stranger to the Fringe division, but is still a familiar face to Fringe fans, as we have all come to know Otherverse Lincoln Lee as a member of the Otherverse’s Fringe team. By telling a story from Lincoln’s perspective the show managed to provide a good entry point for new viewers as well as a compelling story for long-time Fringe fans. Also we didn’t get too much interuniversal interaction, though it became pretty obvious that the two Fringe divisions do not trust each other.
The absence of Peter was prominent in the whole episode and I wasn’t surprised that the “man in the mirror” that had scared Walter so much turned out to be none other than Peter himself. Walter may not consciously remember his son, but I have a feeling his horror about seeing this strange man came from his subconscious recognition of Peter.
What amazed was that there seemed to be some flirting going on between Olivia and Lincoln. I am wondering, if Walter had never crossed over and brought Alt-Peter to our side, would Lincoln have been the man for Olivia? The Observers are apparently working on restoring everything to the way it was supposed to go, but the one that was supposed to erase the last traces of Peter’s existence from time decided not to follow his orders. He contemplated on whether or not to flip the switch against the backdrop of what appeared to be a church. Maybe I’m overinterpreting here, but I took it as a sign that this Observer believes in Peter, maybe even believes that the timeline is better of with Peter being in existence. A risky choice and one that will no doubt have tremendous ramifications.
If you would like to read more of my reviews, feel free to go to http://thetvaddicted.wordpress.com/
Thanks to http://www.fringebloggers.com for the nice screencap!
Fringe has once again reinvented itself. This episode largely took the viewpoint of Ourverse Lincoln Lee, who has been a stranger to the Fringe division, but is still a familiar face to Fringe fans, as we have all come to know Otherverse Lincoln Lee as a member of the Otherverse’s Fringe team. By telling a story from Lincoln’s perspective the show managed to provide a good entry point for new viewers as well as a compelling story for long-time Fringe fans. Also we didn’t get too much interuniversal interaction, though it became pretty obvious that the two Fringe divisions do not trust each other.
The absence of Peter was prominent in the whole episode and I wasn’t surprised that the “man in the mirror” that had scared Walter so much turned out to be none other than Peter himself. Walter may not consciously remember his son, but I have a feeling his horror about seeing this strange man came from his subconscious recognition of Peter.
What amazed was that there seemed to be some flirting going on between Olivia and Lincoln. I am wondering, if Walter had never crossed over and brought Alt-Peter to our side, would Lincoln have been the man for Olivia? The Observers are apparently working on restoring everything to the way it was supposed to go, but the one that was supposed to erase the last traces of Peter’s existence from time decided not to follow his orders. He contemplated on whether or not to flip the switch against the backdrop of what appeared to be a church. Maybe I’m overinterpreting here, but I took it as a sign that this Observer believes in Peter, maybe even believes that the timeline is better of with Peter being in existence. A risky choice and one that will no doubt have tremendous ramifications.
If you would like to read more of my reviews, feel free to go to http://thetvaddicted.wordpress.com/
Thanks to http://www.fringebloggers.com for the nice screencap!
Oh yes, the observer (is it september, right?) is really kinda going rogue. And I love it.
ReplyDeleteA great episode overall, pure Fringe strcuture, where the mystery and the case are really the focus, and the rest (the story arcs, the relations) gravitate around it. That's one of the things I love about this show, it knows when it's good to return to the basics, and in this premiere, it was to me the best idea.
And there was Joe Flannagan! that's always a plus.
Great episode, it stayed true to its roots and opened the possibilities. It wasn't a shell shock of revelations, but sure did open the way to know what is to come. BUT, I hope that they don't drag the Peter mistery too much that it eats the whole season.
I think you're right about the name, but I could be wrong, my name memory isn't always the best. I always thought this observer had sort of a soft spot for Peter and Walter. Why though, I can't say.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, they shouldn't drag the Peter mystery too long, that would just annoy me. Fringe has always been pretty fast paced though, so I have faith they'll get this out of the way soon!
How I see it is that Walter did indeed drag Peter over to this side as a child (explains why the Walter's hate each other) but that when they had the car accident the Observer never saved Peter. Walter spoke about some people dying twice and I think he referred to his son. Great great episode though and I think Peter will be back in a few episodes even if the greater mystery isn't solved yet
ReplyDeleteI had the same feeling about Olivia and Lincoln. The chemistry between the character leaks from the screen at the end of the episode... it will be interesting to see this evolution once Peter-in-whatever-form reappears in Olivia's life.
ReplyDeleteI'm very very excited about the addition of Lincoln Lee to the main cast. I can't wait to see where the writers take us next!
ReplyDeleteHere's my (snarky) thoughts on the season premiere:
http://theoncominghope.blogspot.com/2011/09/fringe-neither-here-nor-there.html
Surprisingly I loved it. I went into it thinking my Lord can I handle Peter not being in it. Sadly, I can say yes. I was happy that Astrid went out in the field but also still had a chemistry w/Walter. I kept wondering how that would work. Now I know. Very pleased w/the results.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't too excited about Lincoln taking Peter's place. Of course, this is bias. Met him at Comic Con. He was very shy and seemed to be overwhelmed by all the screaming fans. Not that it had anything to do with the show but it was a first impression. I really felt sorry for him. I was happy after last night he did great. I actually like Lincoln and I think this is going to work.
I figured Walter was seeing Peter. Although his fear of Peter doesn't make sense to me at all. You would think Walter would be more curious than terrified.
Lastly, it wasn't hard to guess, at least for me, that the observer wouldn't pull the switch. That part of the show wasn't exciting for me. This observer has a very weak spot for Walter. I am hoping we find out why at some point.
The one thing I don't want to see again is Peter and Olivia starting their relationship again. It was painful enough the past seasons. There is hope! Since the writers handled Astrid and Walter so eloquently. I am really hoping they do the same w/Peter and Olivia. Only time will tell.
Can't wait until next Friday.
I took the church that the Observer was somewhere near Harvard university.
ReplyDeleteIt is September!
ReplyDeleteYou could be right about the observer's soft spot for Walter and Peter. It happened before that a observer developed "feelings" for someone and changed an event.
did anyone else notice a picture from the ASSASSIN'S CREED:BROTHERHOOD game on Walter's computer screen(it's the scene where there is a body found in a car)??this pic appeared(on the game) during one of the Clusters(don't remember which one).does anyone know the lable of the pic?
ReplyDeleteAlso the FRINGE images make the word ''APPEAR''
All this story of "he never existed" is a trick. He just died when still a kid.
ReplyDeleteI don't think there was any flirting between Olivia and Lee or that his temporality disappearance changed the fact that Olivia and Peter are meant to be together. That's what fate it is.
good point!
ReplyDeleteI didn't think there was any flirting between Lincoln and Olivia whatsoever. It is good to see him as a regular though. He's a great actor, and will do well (entertainment-wise) in Peter's place for the time being. Disregarding the not-flirting between Olivia/Lincoln, it DID get me wondering if Olivia might become romantically involved (even briefly) with someone else before Peter's return? Could add an interesting dramatic dynamic between the two.
ReplyDeleteAlso I do have a question: So which is it, Peter "never existed," or he died since September didn't intervene? If he didn't intervene, wouldn't that mean Walter would've died too? I think Peter never existed at all, not to anyone in Ourverse.
it sounds like he died again as a boy?
ReplyDeleteI read somewhere that it was gonna last about 5 episodes
ReplyDeleteHope that is no longer than that, unless there is a twist involved.
ReplyDeleteYeah well this could be a problem of semantics. Did he "never exist" as in died as a boy, or "never exist" as in was never born? Hmph.
ReplyDeleteI thought Walter said that Peter died twice? So wouldn't that mean that both Peters died as children?
ReplyDelete