"Nothing Can Impede Serenity" [an NCIS / Fringe Crossover Fanfic]

Sadness hung over the Washington NCIS Headquarters like dark clouds, and Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs' team felt its effects, even Anthony DiNozzo, the class clown. Better known as Tony, he had lost many men in his line of work, but Caitlin Todd, who he had known as Kate, had been a woman, one that had been a very good agent. Even Tony could admit that.

Timothy McGee was much in the same spirits, which wasn't very spirited at all. All he could manage to think about was how the team, the family, would never be the same again, and it didn't seem the least bit odd to him that Tony wasn't cracking any kind of clever jokes about McGee's choice of leisurely activities, which were primarily writing fiction and playing computer games, nor did it seem odd that Tony wasn't making any references to old movies.

The two of them did nothing but sit at their desks as the rain fell outside, sounding like small pellets of glass hitting the window. Even Abby Scituo, the forensic specialist, didn't have a lot to say, and she was usually as chipper as a bird on a rainy morning, and it was a very rainy morning. She may have been wearing a bit more eyeliner than usual, and her hair was tied in pigtails on the sides of her head, her black short-sleeve shirt depicting a very large white skull with crossbones on the front. Abby was sitting at Gibbs' desk, and about ten minutes passed between their arrival and Gibbs' entrance into the room.

“Gibbs,” Abby said, looking up from his desk as he neared. She had perked up a bit.

“Abby,” he said. He wasn't really a man of many words, and if the black blazer that he frequently wore didn't ward people off, then his steely blue eyes usually did. However, he had a soft spot for Abby, who was very much like a daughter to him, him a father to her.

She stood up from the desk and looked at him intently.

“Abbs?” Gibbs said icily. “What is it?”

“I know that I'm going to sound crazy,” Abby proposed, “but there may be a way to bring Kate back.”

Unsure of what to say, Gibbs simply waited for her to continue, and she cleared her throat before continuing.

“For years now, there have been scientific indications that parallel universes are out there. You know, like, other worlds that have other versions of people, people like you, me, McGee, Tony, and, well, you know, Kate.”

Understanding was now recognizable on Gibbs' face, and his frown line became much more pronounced than it already was.

“Abbs,” he said calmly, “you're right. It is crazy. Kate's gone, and that's something that we have to accept. Our job now is to find Ari.”

“But Gibbs,” Abby began, but she was cut off by McGee.

“Abby,” he said, standing up from his desk and approaching the two of them at Gibbs' desk, “even if accomplishing something like that were possible, and I'm not saying that it is, it wouldn't be our right. That Kate would belong there. Besides, it would fundamentally rupture the nature of the universe as we know it.”

“I know,” she said, although she sounded desperate, “but I don't necessarily want to steal her. I just want to tell her everything that I never got the chance to, and we wouldn't do it alone. In fact, we couldn't, but I found someone who could, someone who has.”

Both Gibbs and McGee looked beyond puzzled while Tony stayed at his desk, observing with interest but remaining silent.

Abby lifted a manila envelope from Gibbs' desk and took out a printed sheet of paper, a profile. She handed it to Gibbs, and McGee took a peek at it from Gibbs' side.

“His name is Dr. Walter Bishop,” Abby explained as the two men looked the profile over. “He can help us.”

“Abbs,” Gibbs said patiently, “this guy was incarcerated in an institution for seventeen years.”

“Yeah,” Abby said, nodding, “I know, but he works for the FBI, specifically Fringe Division, with his son and a female agent named Olivia Dunham, and apparently, he has been really helpful.”

“What you're suggesting is beyond insanity,” McGee argued, looking at Abby with both care and confusion. “Abby, I miss Kate, too. We all miss her, but this is crazy.”

“McGee,” Gibbs halted.

“But boss,” McGee started, but Gibbs cut him off with a glare that said more than enough.

“I'll make a call and set up a meeting,” Gibbs said to Abby, handing Bishop's profile back to her. “In the meantime, take it easy, Abbs.”

Smiling, Abby put the profile back in the folder.

“Thanks, Gibbs.”

He nodded, and she left the room, heading to the elevator.

“Boss,” McGee reasoned when Abby was gone, “you can't possibly believe this is possible.”

“No,” Gibbs replied, “no, I don't, McGee, but if going to see these people is going to make Abby at peace, then I'm not going to deny her that. We need her.”

McGee nodded and returned to his desk.

Gibbs went to the NCIS conference room and picked up the phone, dialing the number of one of his best friends, FBI Agent Tobias Fornell.

“Tobias,” he said after Fornell picked up, “I have a favor to ask.”

“Why does that not sound like a very promising proposition?” Fornell asked.

“It can be whatever you want it to be, Tobias.”

“What is it?”

“I need you to tell me what you know about a branch of the FBI,” Gibbs explained. “It's called Fringe Division.”

“Honestly, Gibbs,” Fornell argued, “what would you expect me to know?”

“Well,” Gibbs reasoned, “whatever you don't know, I'm sure you can find out.”

Fornell sighed and then finally said, “I'll see what I can do.”

“Thanks, Tobias.”

The line went dead, but about a half-hour later, as Gibbs was at his desk, Fornell called back.

“Fringe Division's small,” Fornell explained, sharing what he had learned, “very small. It's basically run in a lab in the basement of a Harvard building by an FBI agent Phillip Broyles, used to be a colonel. His team consists of Agent Olivia Dunham and two consultants, Peter Bishop and his father Dr. Walter Bishop. They're assisted by Agent Astrid Farnsworth.”

“What is their purpose?” Gibbs asked.

“To investigate the scientifically unexplainable,” Fornell replied, and Gibbs could hear typing on a keyboard. “Dr. Bishop has a history involving the use of Fringe Science. He was placed in a mental institution for manslaughter. His lab assistant, Dr. Carla Warren, was killed in a lab fire.”

“So, this is a legitimate FBI operation?” Gibbs asked.

“From what I can tell, yes,” Fornell said impatiently. “Gibbs, why are you looking into this?”

“If I need anything else,” Gibbs dismissed him, “I'll let you know. Thanks, Tobias.”

He hung up the phone, and finally, Tony spoke up from across the room, still sitting at his desk.

“Boss,” he said quietly, “what's going on?”

Gibbs sat up from his desk.

“We're going to Boston,” he said, as if it had already been made clear. “That's what's going on.”

The next day

“Harvard?” McGee asked incredulously. The three of them were around Harvard Yard, heading toward the building directly in front of them.

“Yep,” Gibbs replied, “in the basement.”

“A lot of hot stuff around here, Probie,” Tony teased McGee. “You sure you can handle it?”

McGee glared at him. “Tony, not now.”

“What?” Tony responded defensively. “Boss, you said this guy, Dr. Walter Bishop, was locked up for seventeen years in the loony bin.”

“Show some respect,” McGee countered.

“Enough,” Gibbs said, concluding the argument.

McGee and Tony ceased their bickering, and the three of them, now inside the building, headed down the stairs until they found a young woman sitting with a young man on a bench outside of a room. The woman was very beautiful, wearing a woman's black business suit, her long blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. The man was also very attractive, with short brown hair and a small amount of facial hair, wearing blue jeans and a black leather jacket over a striped blue and white button-up shirt. The two of them had obviously been talking, but they immediately stood up when they saw the three of them approaching.

“Hi,” the woman said, smiling pleasantly and extending a hand, “I'm Special Agent Olivia Dunham. Agent Broyles told us that you'd be stopping by.”

Gibbs shook her hand. “Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs, and this is my team, Timothy McGee and Anthony DiNozzo.”

“So, have you, uh, Dunham yet?”Tony asked Olivia, his head gesturing toward Peter.

Olivia began to say something, but McGee cut in, which wasn't entirely necessary, because the cold, angry expression that Gibbs had on his face was certainly far from unbeknownst to Tony, and although Tony was a little more focused on Gibbs at the moment, the man standing with Olivia didn't look too happy, either, looking at Tony like a vile creature.

“Don't mind him,” McGee said.

“I'll try not to,” the man said coldly.

“You must be Dr. Bishop's son,” McGee said, trying to change the subject, as well as the mood, for that matter, “Peter Bishop.”

“That would be me,” Peter said as he walked toward the door and opened it, stepping in. “Come on in. Welcome to the creep show.”

“Oh, oh!” Walter yipped. “Our guests are here! Here, here, I made muffins!”

Walter had a tray of blueberry muffins and offered the muffins to the NCIS team, Tony taking one as he received another cold glare from Gibbs.

“Sorry, boss,” he said, his mouth full.

“I spent all morning make sure that the recipe was right,” Walter said excitedly, an older man with short curly gray hair, with cream-colored pants and a red button up-shirt on under a cream-colored overcoat.

“So,” Peter interjected, “how can we be of service to you gentlemen?”

“Well, honestly, we're not sure that you can be of any,” Gibbs replied, “but we have a member of our team back home, Abby Sciuto, who seems to think that you can be of some.”

“How so?” Olivia asked curiously.

“Well,” McGee said straightforwardly, “this is probably going to sound insane, but she seems convinced that you know something about a parallel universe.”

“We don't mean to waste your time,” Gibbs added, “but Abby's invaluable to us, and we just lost a team member, Kate Todd. Abby is probably taking it the hardest out of all of us, and we need her to be focused, especially now. We simply figured that we could calm her down a bit by seeing you.”

“Gentlemen,” Walter replied, setting the tray of muffins down on a nearby table, “what she says is true.”

“Excuse me?” McGee asked, taken aback.

“However,” Walter quickly added, “we cannot do what your friend is asking.”

“Well,” Gibbs said, “she seems to think that we can, and-”

“It is possible, yes,” Walter said with a dark tone, “but to do what you are asking would cause even more damage, and taking your lost friend could cause some serious problems. You don't even know that your friend would be there. She could have died there, too.”

“Even more?” Tony inquired.

“Excuse me?” Walter asked.

“You said even more damage,” Tony explained. “What did you mean by that?”

“Gentlemen,” Walter said swiftly, changing the subject, “We cannot help you.”

“Listen,” Gibbs pleaded, “if what you're saying truly is possible, she simply wants the chance to see her one last time. That's all we're asking.”

Walter remained silent for quite some time until Peter stepped forward.

“Walter?” Peter asked him. “What are you thinking?”

“The window,” Walter said simply.

“What?”

“The window,” Olivia said, nodding, her arms crossed, “the one that he showed me when he told me about you.”

The NCIS team exchanged glances, aware that they were being kept out of the loop in regards to whatever Fringe Division was talking about at the moment.

“That would be correct,” Walter said, glaring seriously at the NCIS team. “Gentlemen, we may be able to help you after all. I'll tell you how to operate the window, and I will give it to you so that you can bring it back to your friend, but you must return it, and you must not allow anyone else to see it.”

Gibbs nodded. “Okay.”

Walter nodded, as well, and with that, he walked off, Peter first looking at the NCIS team and then following Walter.

That night

The NCIS team waited until everyone had left the office, and once they had, Gibbs entered, having brought the window up the stairs from the team's van. Only the city lights from outside and a few desk-lamps illuminated the office.

“Gibbs,” Abby questioned, standing to McGee's right,“what exactly is this?”

“You'll see, Abbs.”

“Tony,” McGee said, turning to face Tony to his left, “I just wanted to say that you were pretty well-behaved today; I'm proud of you.”

“Thanks, McGoo,” Tony replied, “I figured that I'd give you a chance with that smoking hot blonde, even though you didn't even have a fighting one.”

McGee shook his head, annoyed, but he couldn't help but smile.

Gibbs stood the window up in front of Tony's desk so that Kate's desk was seen through the window, and then, he turned the switch on and backed up, standing right next to Abby, who, looking through the window, gasped.

“Wow!” McGee exclaimed. “Boss, this could change the world. Do you realize what this is?”

“Yes,” Gibbs said, nodding, “I do, but you heard what Dr. Bishop said. We are bringing this back to him tomorrow.”

McGee continued to shake his head in disbelief.

On the other side of the mirror stood Kate, standing next to her desk putting a black jacket on. She was dressed in black leggings with a red skirt and a black and red top, her hair pulled up in a ponytail behind her head. She was smiling broadly at the team, and Abby cried, “Kate! It's me!”

“She can't hear you, Abbs,” Gibbs told her, placing her hands on her shoulders. “It's just a window. I know that this isn't exactly what you wanted, but it's the best we could do.”

It then became clear to them that she was not smiling at them but instead at who had been across from her on the Other Side, as he could now be seen in the frame, having approached from his desk.

“I can't believe it,” McGee said, and Tony was speechless.

Kate and Tony, who was dressed in a black suit and red tie, were hugging. Kate's smile was utterly forgettable, beautiful, and as the two of them kissed and then walked away, Abby was thinking that it was no different than it had been there.

Fringe - "Subject 13" (3.15)


"Subject 13" is definitely one of the best episode of the series so far, and I know that I don't speak prematurely when I say that. We get so much backstory, more than we get in "Peter" (2.15) even, and we finally get something for which I have been waiting quite some time, and that would be an episode exploring Olivia's childhood. After having seen "Peter," I expected us to see another 80s episode called "Olivia," and although that's not exactly what happened, I'm satisfied all the same. What is ultimately key in this episode is that Olivia and Peter met when they were children, but it really surprises me that that surprises so many people didn't see that coming.Fringe fans, for quite some time now, have been speculating that the two of them met when they were children, because it would be inconceivable that they wouldn't have met, and, in fact, although we don't yet have this information, I think that the Peter that died was given Cortexiphan when he was very young. If Olivia and other children were given Cortexiphan when they were very young, why wouldn't have Walter tried Peter? Maybe he did, and it didn't work? I don't know; it's obviously all speculation, but I love throwing ideas out there; that is, after all, what this website is all about.

When I first saw the sneak peek that showed us Peter walking out on the lake trying to break the ice, I was shocked and horrified; I couldn't believe that he had tried to kill himself, but obviously, we now know that that is not quite what he was trying to do. He thought that that would bring him home, which it obviously would not have done. Now, something that I had not considered (silly me) before listening to the Fringe Podcast's episode regarding "Subject 13" is that this episode takes place six months after "Peter," and we know that for two reasons. Firstly, the episode was originally titled "Six Months Later," a title that I actually prefer (just because the "Subject 13" title implies that the episode is about Olivia, when really, it is about Peter, too), and secondly, Elizabeth explicitly says that it has been six months. Here is the problem, however; the lake is still frozen over, and that is incredibly unlikely. Also (something that I noticed myself), the video footage that Walter documents for Bell is dated April 1, 1985, which would mean that "Peter" takes place in 1984, not 1985, which we know it doesn't. Firstly, we know from "There's More than One of Everything" (1.20) that Peter died in 1985, and secondly, the "Peter" episode tells us that it is 1985.

Let's also not forget the fact that the actor and actress who played young Peter and Olivia were much too old. Peter was born in 1978, and Olivia was born in 1979, which means that they should have been approximately six and seven, when they were clearly pre-teens. I absolutely love this episode, but I almost had to knock it down a bit from my rating of 10 Tormented Tweens (which I ultimately did not) because of all of the annoying continuity errors. As for Peter and Olivia not remembering having met when they were children, however, that is not a continuity error, and it surprises me that people are perceiving it as such. We have had so many clues that Peter's memory has been altered somehow. In "Dream Logic" (2.05), Peter says that when he was about nine years old (if I am getting the age right), Walter conditioned him to stop having nightmares, and he even says in "The Man from the Other Side" (2.18) that being from the Other Side must be why he can't remember his childhood. We also already knew that Olivia doesn't remember much, because in "Jacksonville" (2.14), she says that she usually has a freakishly good memory but that she doesn't remember anything that happened at the Daycare Center. Obviously, their memories were altered.

Additionally, Olivia having set the room on fire is not the same incident that we see happen at the end of Season 1 and in Season 2 on the VHS. In that recording, Olivia was much younger, and she was not in the same room. Additionally, Bell was there; this has obviously happened on different occasions, which I think could account for part of the reason why Walter orchestrated what happened in a locked room (leading to the "Please let me out!" parallel to "Over There, Part 2," of course); he knew he was running the risk of that happening again, and he didn't want anyone to get hurt, but don't get me wrong; I am not defending Walter's actions, because this episode emotionally stirred me beyond words; it disturbed me. Obviously, I knew that what Walter put these children through was terrible (especially her, apparently), but I never knew that it was this bad. I mean, he forced her to run on a treadmill, he locked her in a room and turned the lights off, and then turned the lights back on to show her the "corpse" of Nick Lane. When I first saw this scene, I shrieked, turned away, and cried, because it was that difficult for me to watch, and it's still difficult. Olivia had a difficult life as it was, having to deal with her stepfather beating her, and now, Walter was emotionally tormenting her.

What I'm curious to know, though, is if the trials were simply still continuing or if Walter reopened them to try to get Peter home. It looks like only Olivia's consciousness crosses over, because when she briefly crosses over and sees the zeppelin, her stepfather does not seem to have perceived her having disappeared when she comes back; that is so strange. I don't know how many people caught it, mainly because I have no way of knowing how many Fringe fans areAlias fans, (If you have never seen Alias, I strongly suggest that you do see it, because it's incredible. Both J.J. Abrams and Jeff Pinkner were heavily involved in it.) but we do get a littleAlias nod in this episode, which is the tower that Walter demands that Olivia put together even though she can't figure out how to put it together. It's funny, because I have always said that the Cortexiphan trials remind me of Project: Christmas. There is also a great deal of red and blue in this episode; there are the red and blue bins in which the children keep belongings, there is the painting in the office, and there is the monster that Olivia drew, which is red and blue. Additionally, there is a frog on the desk in the office, which I think may have been a way to confirm the theory that the frog glyph represents Olivia, so there are definitely plenty of Easter Eggs to go around in this episode.

Yet another is the significance of the White Tulip, which was, of course, introduced in the "White Tulip" episode (2.17). In this episode, it represents something a bit different, but, of course, the implication is still there, since this episode is all about the actions that Walter takes that will lead to his seeking forgiveness later in life. In this episode, Elizabeth (May I just say that Orla Brady is a brilliant actress and that she is amazingly beautiful?) tells Peter to imagine the world the way that he wants it to be, and this is definitely a parallel to the Season 1 tagline, "Imagine the Impossibilities." Also, are we to believe that Peanut M&Ms did not exist on the Other Side in 1985? Peter apparently had never had them, and what kid has never had Peanut M&Ms? This is at least the second time that we have seen M&Ms on the series, as the other instance of which I am thinking is in "Inner Child" (1.15), when Olivia tells the Child that she didn't like yellow M&Ms when she was a child because they reminded her of medicine. Is that supposed to mean anything? I just love how Peter, as always, is there for her and helps her emotionally, just like he does now. In Season 1, when Peter tells Olivia that he is there for her and she says that she knows, does she, perhaps, subconsciously remember how he was there for her as children?

This episode plants a lot of seeds, which is another reason why I love it. It, of course, plants the seed for the Polivia relationship, but it also plants the seed that grows up to be Walter's position as Secretary of Defense as well as his anger. In 1985, he was Architect of the Star Wars Defense System, and this is obviously how he later became Secretary of Defense. I think it's also now safe to acknowledge why Walternate chose to use Shapeshifters as soldiers, since Walter went "over there" and pretended to be him. Elizabeth, angry and frustrated, suggests that maybe the man who stole Peter was an alien and/or someone who had the ability to "take on any shape he wanted," which is obviously what planted the seed in his mind. Bishop Dynamic, interestingly enough, was (is?) located exactly where the Daycare Center is located on this side, and I wonder if it is still open. My thought is no, just because Walter, as he says to the other Brandon in "The Plateau" (3.03) that he is still a scientist but that he has a much larger laboratory; he most likely does not need Bishop Dynamic anymore. Additionally, Peter says to Walter in this episode, "I am not your son!" which, as we know, he will say again approximately twenty-five years in the future.

So, Walter now knows that what he did has caused damage, it would appear, since he says as much to Elizabeth. Did Carla finally convince him, or did he realize as much on his own? Did he know before even going "over there" that he would cause damage but didn't care because he was too fixated on saving another version of Peter? Something else that the Fringe Podcast pointed out that I didn't catch (believe it or not) is that near the end of the episode, no one seems to find it odd that it is snowing in Jacksonville, Florida, but I digress. I had a pretty good feeling before having seen this episode but after having seen the promo that Olivia crossed over as a child and met Walternate, because that's why he refers to her as "the girl." I think that that is why Olivia is a member of Fringe Division; I think that after having met this Olivia, he sought out the Olivia "over there" and watched her and then took her under his wing when she was ready. This scene is a bit haunting, just because I came to the realization that Olivia unknowingly helped start the war, that this is what set everything in motion, and it really makes your head spin when you think about that, and if you haven't thought about that, I strongly urge you to watch the episode again.

In a way, it helps me better understand Walternate, because he probably would have assumed that that little girl knew that Peter was taken and that as a woman, she has always been aware of it, too, and that that is why Peter is on her team. Now I understand that when he tells Fringe Division on the Other Side that they are "monsters in our skins" and "cannot be trusted," he probably wasn't lying; he probably believed that. Additionally, since this Walter was aware of his side and since this little girl was reporting to him regarding what she saw "over there," Walternate probably thought that they were planning some kind of war. However, it is still difficult for me to feel much for him, because none of that justifies locking Olivia in total darkness without even a willingness to listen to her side of the story, and it definitely doesn't justify efforts to take out billions of people, nor efforts to use your son (the very son that was stolen from you in the first place, mind you) as a weapon, killing him in the process (as I'm sure we can assume would happen). Yes, the area is definitely grey (or, at least, a lot more grey than it was), but what I'm looking at, primarily, (since Walter himself made some terrible, terrible decisions, as we see in this very episode) is what kinds of men they eventually turned into, because life is all about choosing the right path.

I love how at the end of the episode, this Walter threatens Olivia's stepfather (I guess this is what was meant when we were told that we would be seeing him this season, and if so, then Fringe Bloggers, you were a little misleading.), because she was ultimately his only hope, and it led to Peter having to stay here. This, of course, turned into a disaster, a war, but it showed strength on a level, because he realized that he could not use Olivia for his own means any longer. Was Olivia's experimentation stopped at this point? Yet another seed that this episode plants is Elizabeth beginning to drink, which I'm thinking is probably the beginning of the end for her. This really is a tragic episode, because you know going into it that it's not going to have a happy ending, but as I said, I absolutely love it, and I disagree with Clint of The Fringe Podcast. I think that the child actors (Karley Scott Collins as Olivia and Chandler Canterbury as Peter) did a fantastic job, especially Karley as Olivia, who I felt really captured Olivia's mannerisms. I just wish that they had been younger, and I wish that Quinn Lord had played Peter again. John Noble is once again excellent, and I was really happy to see the retro intro again (although I was expecting it to have red in it). Overall, this is a fantastic, memorable episode, for sure.

Fringe - "6B" (3.14)


"6B" is a pretty decent episode, and I give it 7.5 Disappointments Due to "Guest Starring Seth Gabel" Not Meaning THIS Lincoln. At the very beginning of the episode, I saw "Guest Starring Seth Gabel" and got so excited because just a few weeks ago, Wy-Pi said that we would see the Lincoln Lee on this side very soon, so when I saw that, I thought for sure that we were going to meet him, but nope, the episode shifts "over there" at the end of the episode, which is so disappointing. Early in the episode, I developed a new theory, one that I am surprised I have never developed before. For a very long time now, Walter has shipped Polivia, and if we are to believe what Sam tells Nina at the end of "Concentrate and Ask Again" (3.12), maybe that was intentional, an effort to save this universe as opposed to the other universe. It's really funny how we still see Walter and his food preoccupations persist, since when Peter tells him that his attempts to help him and Olivia only made the situation worse, Walter says that he should have tried a different kind of food. It's always good to see character consistencies throughout the series, and it is also good to see parallels being drawn; this series is a lot more fun when there are character consistencies and parallels.

There are many parallels in this episode, especially to episode 2.14, "Jacksonville." To begin with, Olivia runs away, scared, when she kisses Peter, which is kind of what happens in "Jacksonville," and she also sees him glimmer, which she does in "Jacksonville." In addition, Walter angrily and sarcastically suggests that they hook Olivia up again and terrify her in order to get her to identify objects from the Other Side, which is obviously the plot of "Jacksonville." In "Jacksonville," Broyles says to Olivia that there are times in which the only choices you have left are bad ones, which parallels what Olivia says in this episode about the possible need to Quarantine the apartment complex; she says, "I understand this is a last resort, but it's a bad last resort," and it was Broyles himself who had to make a very difficult decision in this episode. Once again, we hear that "there's got to be another way," which seems to be a key line in the season, since this is, I believe, the third time that we have heard it so far. Brandon works under Walter in this episode, referring to him as "sir," which is obviously yet another parallel being drawn, since, needless to say, Brandon works for Walter on the Other Side and always addresses him as "sir," and this Brandon, for some reason, behaves a lot like the other one in this episode.


Additionally, every fourteenth episode so far has dealt with a building being evacuated for some reason, starting with "Ability" (1.14), in which a building needs to be evacuated due to a bomb, then "Jacksonville" (2.14), in which a building needs to be evacuated because it is being sucked into the other universe, and now, "6B" (3.14), in which a building needs to be evacuated so that it can be encased in Amber 31422. There are definitely plenty of parallels to go around, which I very much appreciate. Did anyone else, by the way, notice the green-green-green-red sequence of dots on the equipment used to initiate the Amber 31422 gas? I don't know what to make of it, but I noticed it. Walter, which is what I was afraid of, seems to be turning into Walternate, which causes me to believe that he is successfully beginning to grow some of his missing brain cells back. He is very impatient and is even incredibly harsh in correspondence with Astrid, which is not like him at all. He takes on the role of a leader and gives orders, and like I said, we are seeing the old Walter, Walternate, which I don't like at all. This is what I dreaded when I saw him ask Nina for assistance with growing his missing brain cells back in "Reciprocity" (3.11).


Although I feel incredibly sorry for Mrs. Merchant and really, really like her, I don't know how I feel about this whole idea of the universe being damaged because of a strong emotional bond shared between two people on opposite sides, assuming that I am even understanding that correctly. It makes no sense; what would emotions have to do with the fabric of the universes? I just find it utterly ridiculous and actually had to knock my rating down just a tad, from a 9 to an 8.5, just for that reason. The reasons behind my rating still being relatively high, though, are (1) everything else about this episode is incredibly admirable, and I don't feel that that one aspect is bothersome enough for me to give it a low rating, and (2) the writers, as they have pointed out, are planting a lot of seeds for events to come, so this very well could be something that will eventually make sense in the long haul, and I'm going to be patient. I also don't understand how what was happening in the apartment complex had anything to do with appliances turning themselves on (was Mrs. Merchant's husband doing that?) or with people falling to their deaths through the floor of the deck, even though the floor stayed intact. It simply makes no sense to me at all.

Peter and Olivia finally try to fix their relationship in this episode, and although there are still some issues, such as Olivia's fear (another character consistency that I was happy to see), ultimately, they seem to be successful. What Peter says to Olivia near the beginning of the episode, which is that he thinks about her counterpart because he finally had the opportunity to see what a relationship with her would be like, is so unbelievably sweet, and if I had been Olivia, I totally would have dropped the issue right then and there, because that would have been enough. I just hope that he means what he says, because if not, if he legitimately does have exclusive feelings for the other Olivia, then I am going to hate him, not only for lying but for jumping in bed with her (which, by the way, means that this Olivia is now pregnant, too; I guarantee it). I really love the kissing scene (especially with the Velvet Underground playing underneath it), but I couldn't understand why the FOX promo didn't show the kiss, since the Canadian City TV promo did. That's something that is going to attract viewers, something that we need, and FOX is getting lazy again; I watched House on Monday night, as I do every week, and not once during that whole hour was Fringe promoted.

At the very, very end of the episode, we shift back "over there," and we see Lincoln and Bolivia investigating the same apartment complex, only to find out that there is nothing wrong, despite Astrid's findings that there was something wrong, and I wonder why that is. If there was such a catastrophe here, then why wasn't there one there, especially since, as we have seen, the Other Side seems to be in much worse shape? Someone on Twitter posited the theory that Peter and Olivia's relationship contributed here, but I don't think so, only because they are not separated by the distance of two universes, not now, anyway. I didn't at all care for the title of this episode, since it only seems to pertain to the apartment number. Next week's episode, titled "Subject 13" (originally titled "6 Months Later") looks like it's going to be really, really good, but I'm not at all happy about Quinn Lord being replaced as young Peter, since I was and am very happy with his performance (in reference, of course, to "Peter"). This actor doesn't even really look like him, but the episode itself looks like it's going to be an unforgettable episode; someone's memories have definitely been altered. Stay on the fringe, and remember to watch live, because the ratings need to be back up if we are getting a fourth season.

Fringe - "Immortality" (3.13)

We shift back "over there" in this episode of Fringe, and the episode begins with a scene that I personally love. Bolivia is at an airport (for lack of a better word) and looks out the window as the zeppelin on which Frank is arrives overhead, and she watches the zeppelin with a look of interest, and the lights and everything about this scene just makes it very beautiful. I don't know how much time, precisely, has passed "over there" since "Entrada" (3.08), but Redverse Olivia is attempting to maintain her relationship with Frank, obviously hoping to keep him open as an option, since we do find out in "Reciprocity" (3.11) that she was definitely developing feelings for Peter. I was afraid of this, because I want to like her; she is, after all, another version of Olivia, and I love Olivia. However, I told my boyfriend Ray before having seen this episode (since I knew that we would be seeing Frank) that if she didn't tell him the truth and pretended to maintain a relationship with him, then my Redverse Olivia disapproval would sink even deeper. She even lies to him when he asks about why it was that she was distant before he left. How can she do that and then accept a marriage proposal? Do you think Olivia would do that? I really don't think so.

When Redverse Olivia pours a couple of drinks in the kitchen, one for Frank and one for herself, I, at first, thought that she was drinking alcohol, and my reaction was that she was drinking in Frank's presence, so it would have raised a few questions. Firstly, would it be because she developed a taste of alcohol while she was here, since she most likely found some in Olivia's kitchen? That's a serious question, by the way. Secondly, why wouldn't Frank have said anything? He knows that she doesn't drink. Would it have a continuity error? I really doubted it, because the very fact that that line was written into "Over There" told me that the writers arekeeping track of Olivia's behaviors vs. Bolivia's behaviors; something like that wouldn't have been overlooked, especially since Charlie's infestation is consistent. It was, however, not alcohol, but water. As The Fringe Podcast predicted it would, poor Charlie's team makes fun of Charlie because the case has to do with bugs, and man, are those bugs nasty, especially by the end of the episode when they are ridiculously huge (I also want to point out, however irrelevant that it may be, that Silva looks a lot like Roland David Barrett, the villain from episode 3.09, "Marionette," and I even thought that it was the same guy for a bit, which would have been pretty cool).

Something that I really like about this episode is that even though most (myself not included) would consider this episode "stand-alone," there are elements of even the case itself that really help move the story along, or at least give us some insight into the mythology. For example, we find out that sheep died out ten years ago, and that provides us with a bit more information regarding life "over there," and I would imagine that the extinction of the sheep has a lot to do with the Blight, the same event that we can assume caused the rarity of coffee and avocados. According to this series, sheep are genetically closer to humans than goats, and that really surprises me, because since sheep and goats look more alike (I even used to confuse them when I was a young child), it would seem to make sense that sheep would be genetically closer to goats than humans. I don't know how accurate the science is in this episode, but since Fringe is my favorite series, I tend to make a habit of trusting most of what I "learn" from it. I absolutely love the "bug girl" (I can't recall her name, or even if it was even revealed) that takes a liking to Charlie; she is so funny, and admittedly, Bolivia is really funny, too, when she pokes fun at him (which I guess means that Charlie is not married "over there").

Silva is your typical "mad scientist," incredibly mad with power. Throughout the episode, I couldn't help but wonder where his true intentions lie. Does he sincerely want to save lives (sacrificing some in the process, of course, so don't get me wrong; it's ultimately not noble by any means), or does he just care about power and recognition? I ultimately decided on the latter, because first of all, he demonstrates a great deal of arrogance at the diner, and secondly, his final words before he dies are highly indicative of that. "Make sure they spell my name right." With that, is he successful, and if so, how so? Also, what purpose is there for pretending to have infected Bolivia? Is it just to distract them in order to allow the bugs to take effect, knowing that if he tells the truth, they will attempt to save him? That seems logical, except he says that he doesn't expect any other agents to arrive, despite Bolivia's bluff that some will arrive. Silva definitely engaged me, and I find him to be a very interesting villain, mostly because of that question,what exactly are his intentions? As I said, I think that he wants power, but as a genius, there were a number of ways that he could have acquired it, and he chooses to try to save a great deal of lives.

More insight into the mythology of the series is the very fact that Silva is trying to save lives by curing diseases, and time and time again, we have seen evidence that disease is a much bigger problem on the Other Side than it is here, so it makes sense that someone would be trying to alleviate that, which we know that Frank is trying to do, and he was so funny with Alter-Astrid this week. "Where can I get one of you?" Astrid's response is simply hilarious; the expression on her face is priceless, and, of course, Lincoln is so jealous. My previous notion (based on the revelation that he had once kissed Redverse Olivia, unaware, as he claims, that she had had a boyfriend) was that he was, more or less, over how he used to feel about Bolivia, but obviously, he is not. Despite his having promised Frank that he would not ruin the surprise, he does exactly that, telling her that Frank plans to ask her to marry him, and that makes me angry, just because it isn't any of his business and because he isn't aware of her feelings for Peter, but don't get me wrong; Lincoln is one of my favorite characters, so it isn't like I'm really angry with him. It just isn't cool by any means. He is clever to think of doing what he does with the nitrogen, though.

Unfortunately, however, Frank calls everything off when he discovers the truth, and guess how that is? Wait for it. That's right. I was right; Bolivia is pregnant, so in "The Firefly" (3.10), when September tells Peter that it must be difficult being a father, he is not merely referring to Walter. The twist this episode did not surprise me, because when September said that, Bolivia being pregnant is immediately how I interpreted it, and I am really glad to see Bolivia suffering, because she deserves it; she is partially to blame for the pain that our Olivia is feeling right now, so it's only fair, and for that small amount of time that we see her broken down, she totally looks more like her counterpart, so it stands to reason that her parallel is coming to light, which could be why we see her drinking. Walternate tells her that she has whatever resources that she needs, but what exactly are his intentions? Initially, I figured that he is referring to issues such as hospital bills and any needs to take maternity leaves, but after my second time watching the episode, I came to the conclusion that he also has a wagenda (courtesy of The Fringe Podcast) because of the scene before it during which Brandon tells him that he may know how to get Peter back.

Walternate also tells Bolivia that her position within Fringe Division will stay intact, but what does he mean by this? Is he simply speaking to a strong work ethic, assuring her that he will not insist that she take time off? Perhaps, he figures that Bolivia would be worried that her having gotten close to Peter and having had sexual relations with him was a breach of protocol; I don't know, but I wouldn't think so, because I would have assumed that since she was pretending to be Olivia, that would have been encouraged. Then again, Walternate tells his mistress (yes, that's right; yet another flaw to add to his list of many, since he is, after all, married) that he hadn't factored in "the girl," so he must not have known that the two were in love. He also tells her that "he [Peter] was here of his own choosing," which isn't entirely true; Walternate knew what he had just discovered and took advantage of it. I just feel like the writers, despite their having said that they don't want us to see good and evil, are not doing a very good job of portraying any kind of gray area, as Walternate's mannerisms are very sinister, as are Brandon's mannerisms.

We learn in this episode that the final piece of the Weapon was sent over, but who sent it over, and how? Was it the man who administers treatment to the Shopkeeper in "Entrada" (3.08), since he was seen as being in possession of the piece? Is he a Shapeshifter? If so, how did he get that piece over here? We do see a bit of morality shine through Walternate in this episode, since he refuses to administer Cortexiphan to children, but that is just about deconstructed when we see that he is cheating on Elizabeth. I find it really interesting how, twice now, we have seen Walternate repeat words precisely the way that Bell once did. In a previous episode, he says, "Only those who risk going too far find out how far they can go," which Bell once said to Walter. In this episode, we find out that Walternate's notion is that the mind "is infinitely capable at birth," and Nina uses those exact words when speaking to Olivia in "Ability" (1.14), which she says was Bell's theory. Perhaps, Bell shared some ideas with Walternate while he was "over there." I really like this episode and give it 8.5 "In Yo' Face"s to Darrell (listeners of the Fringe Podcast surely get that). It reminds me a lot of the X-Files episode "Leonard Betts" (4.12), because while the case itself is "stand-alone," it leads to a major, startling revelation regarding Scully's health. I give this episode 8 "in yo' face"s to Darrell; he knows why.

Fringe - "Concentrate and Ask Again" (3.12) (Feedback)

Q: "The episode was yet another masterpiece of plot, film, and well, the series continues to define the genre and TV in general, really." -Nxracer Classified 

A: I completely agree with you; while this is far from being the greatest episode so far for me, I think that it is under-valued, and I really enjoyed the episode as a whole, especially since we finally got to see Sam again. What instantly hooked me to Fringe when I began watching in September 2008 is the complexity of the characters, which I feel is far stronger than what I've seen in any other TV series. There is nothing else like it, and it definitely redefines television. Thank you so much for your feedback; please keep sending it in to fringematters@gmail.com.

Fringe - "Concentrate and Ask Again" (3.12)


There are basically three key elements that save this episode, strong enough to give it 7.5 Pleasantly Surprising Sam Weiss Appearances. The first is the very beginning of the episode, during which time we see Nina looking into Bell's belongings, the second is the fact that we meet another Cortexiphan subject, Simon, and the third is the very ending of the episode, when, as my Bunsen Burner rating points out, we finally see Sam Weiss again (the last time we saw him was episode 2.16, "Olivia. In the Lab. With the Revolver."). Other than that, it is an average episode, but I do feel as if, according to the feedback that was sent in to the Fringe Podcast, it is wildly under-appreciated. A lot of fans seem to consider this episode a "stand-alone" episode, and I do not, only because of the Cortexiphan subject and because of Nina's phishing for information regarding the First People. Really, there are no "stand-alone" episodes of Fringe. Even "The No-Brainer" (1.12) involves Walter making peace with Jessica Warren, and "Night of Desirable Objects" (2.02) involves Olivia dealing with consequences of her universe hopping-related injury. The only episode that I could really argue is truly "stand-alone" is "Unearthed" (1.21), which makes sense considering the fact that Season 1 works just fine without it.

I immediately caught "Dr. Spock" on one of Bell's books at the beginning of the episode, and I can't believe that Bell has degrees from both Princeton
and Yale; he must be a true genius. I had to laugh at the piece of tape on the safe that says, "Stay out - this means you!" Had he been addressing Nina when he wrote that? I think so, because of Nina's line, "You and your secrets." I absolutely love the conversation between Olivia and Nina; that scene gives us such a good opportunity for Nina's character to develop even further, but once again, I have to bring us back to "The Dreamscape" (1.09), because Nina was clearly portrayed as "evil" in that episode, and is the story from that episode ever going to be resolved? That's an episode that is not self-contained and does not wrap up nicely at the end with a bow, and we still don't know what Nina's intentions are. She tells Olivia not to make the same mistake that she did, to ask Peter how he feels, and that really makes me wonder what Bell did to her, besides what we know he did based on what we read in Nina's comic book from the Tales from the Fringe series. I don't think that anyone can deny that Nina is an incredibly interesting character.

Olivia ends up following Nina's advice and tries talking with Peter, since he brought her coffee with milk when, by now, he should know that she doesn't drink it with milk, and it's plainly obvious that it's not easy for her to do this, that she struggles with it, and that's consistent with what we have seen since the pilot episode, which is that Olivia isn't very good at opening up. I love this scene, because she, more or less, freaks out, not sure whether or not she should open up. She does, though, and Peter tells her that he does think about the other Olivia all the time, but only as far as to think about how she betrayed him, all of them, and he promises her that there is nothing there, which we end up finding out is yet another lie. In the episode before this one, "Reciprocity" (3.11), he lies about his having taken out the Shapeshifters, and now, he is apparently lying to her about whether or not he still has feelings for Bolivia, which he does. I
would say that maybe he and Bolivia belong together, since the both of them seem so good at lying, but that would mean Olivia's heart being broken, and possibly the destruction of her world, based on what Sam says to Nina at the end of this episode, and that's if we are to believe him. My stance is that Sam told the truth, but he didn't tell the whole truth.

It annoys me so much how Sam only answers one of Nina's questions instead of both, and that's for three reasons. First of all, I am annoyed by Sam, because he
would do that. Secondly, I am annoyed by Nina, because she should know better than to ask more than one question at a time, because he's going to pick and choose which he wants to answer, and even then, he doesn't answer the question fully. Why does the machine respond to Peter? Are we ever going to be told why? I thought that we were finally getting that answer in "Reciprocity" (3,11), and we didn't; now, we still haven't. Thirdly, I am annoyed by the writers, because they are dragging this out for so long. The secret being kept from Peter last season didn't bother me, because I wanted that to be an "end of the season" deal (which it was), and the drama was very intense, but this is annoying me, because I want to know. Sam's telling Nina that she shouldn't be so sure that Peter is going to pick this Olivia plays into what we learn in the following episode, "Immortality" (3.13), but I will wait until discussion of that episode to talk about that in detail. I am really happy that we got to see him again, but we had better see him quite a few more times before the season is over, because I want answers. Who are (were?) the First People, and what does he know about them? Is he one of them?

I'm pretty sure that I have said this before, but I don't always believe Walter. He claims to have worked with Nixon and that Nixon's wife came on to him, but I think Walter just has a case of a superiority complex. The rooftop chase, in this episode, really reminds me of Smith from "In Which We Meet Mr. Jones" (1.07), who ran across a rooftop and jumped off, only to be shot dead when he pulled his weapon out (which was most likely done intentionally; he knew better than that). In this episode, we also really get a good glimpse of the new Fringe Headquarters, which more closely resembles what it looks like on the Other Side, which is why I don't think that what we see in "The Road Not Taken" (1.19) is a continuity error; I think that Fringe Division "over there" simply didn't have the funding that it does now (even though that doesn't explain the Cortexiphan continuity error). Also, if we are to believe Walter when he says that the reason that Simon can't hear Olivia is that she is a Cortexiphan subject like he is, then we now know that Peter definitely wasn't given Cortexiphan, since Simon
can anddoes hear him. "He still has feelings for her." I wonder if Simon knew who "her" was, because if so, then surely, he knows about the other universe. That's definitely worth thinking about.

I can't remember who pointed this out; I think that it was probably someone on Tumblr, but someone pointed out that every twelfth episode so far has dealt with some sort of virus, and that's true. Additionally (this I actually noticed myself), both episode 2.12 and episode 3.12 involve characters wearing their orange hazmat suits because of the virus. Episode 1.12 ("The No-Brainer") involves the computer virus, episode 2.12 ("What Lies Below") involves the previously dormant virus unleashed inside an office building, and this episode involves one that causes bones to deconstruct. We haven't really seen a whole lot of Broyles recently, and that is incredibly disappointing, because after he lies his alter-self to rest in "Entrada" (3.08), I was expecting a great deal of development from him, which hasn't been provided, but he does, once again, come in contact with Agent Edwards, who, at the end of "Earthling" (2.06), tells him to stay away. INtREPUS is also in this episode, which is where the first victim, Warren Blake, worked, something that I didn't catch until the
Fringe Podcast pointed it out. (It should also be pointed out that he was using an 8-ball, which Ella gives to Olivia in episode 1.11, "Bound.") This episode really comes off as a hybrid between True Blood (with Simon seeming to have the exact same ability as Sookie) and Alias(with Olivia going undercover at a fancy party), and I really appreciate the episode, even though I seem to be a minority in that opinion.