"The Calling / The Weapon" (Tales from the Fringe #3)

I am much more pleased with this comic than I was with the last one, which I felt gave us little to nothing in regards to Broyles' background. The only way that I could see that comic being rewarding to someone is if that person had not seen "Earthling" (2.06), but I'm assuming that someone who likes Fringe enough to buy the comic books probably watches the series every week. This comic, however, is very rewarding, the first half, anyway (the second doesn't half much to offer, in my opinion). We get quite a bit of information in this comic regarding Astrid's background, and we learn something that I was actually wanting to know - how did Astrid secure her position? I know that my boyfriend was wondering, because he was suspicious (and surely still is) of her, but after reading this comic, any suspicions that I may have had have been put to rest; I no longer think that her motivations are faulty, since she seems to have been legitimately hired by the FBI. Then again, if you've seen Alias, then you know that sometimes, things are not as they seem.

 

If you have not read this comic yet but would like to read it, I strongly advise that you don't read any further, as this does contain spoilers. In the first half of this comic (titled "The Calling"), Astrid is building a device, a device to pick up on transmissions, and she says that she is doing so for a school project (she is still in college, as I'm sure you figured out yourself). She eventually picks up on a woman crying for help, and consequently, Astrid calls the police. The police, however, don't believe her, so they bring her in for questioning, and when they realize that they're not going to get anything out of her, they set her for free for the time being. It isn't long, however, before Astrid realizes that she has been Punk'd. She has been played the whole time by the FBI, as a way to test her abilities and see if she was worthy of recruiting, which, as it turned out, she was. I really love the line, "Everything else we can teach, but not being an agent - that's who you are, Astrid Farnsworth." It, to me, suggests that perhaps, Astrid is of more importance than we have been led to believe thus far.

 

Something that made me think, though, is why this hasn't been revealed in the series so far. I mean, I understand that this story was probably made up on the spot and that the writers hadn't thought of it previously, but when you put yourself in the world of Fringe or in any story, for that matter, that doesn't play a role. Being "in the zone" requires dismissing the fact that a story is a story that has been written but instead a real world, so what we're going to think about here is why characters have behaved in particular ways, since Astrid, of course, is not a character in a TV series; she is real. I see this as being a big deal, what happened to her, so you would think that she would have told Walter this story at some point. Perhaps, she was told that it was completely classified and that she couldn't share it with anyone? Perhaps, this comic doesn't prove that her intentions are good at all; perhaps, this comic suggests the possibility that she was hired by someone who claimed to be the FBI but was not, and therefore, she hasn't told the team this story, because it would be proof that she works for another agency. Alias, much?

 

The second story is titled "The Weapon" and is a very Fringey story, but I can't say that I liked it all that much. It's very complex and difficult to follow, and it took me a little while to get a bit of a grasp on it. The weapon seems to be this baby, which kind of reminds me of the young child in "Run Away," the second story of the third comic in the first series of comics, and the red-headed woman who infiltrates the facility seems to be the baby's mother, who is then killed in order to contain "the weapon." The scene in which the woman finds the baby's bedroom really reminds me of both Alias and LOST, which both have nearly identical scenes involving a baby's bedroom having been uncannily provided by "the enemy." I wonder who exactly tried to contain "the weapon." Was it some branch of the government? If so, does it not play into the conspiracy that we see unfolding in the second season premiere, "A New Day in the Old Town" (2.01)? At any rate, I enjoyed this comic, especially Astrid's story. I like how we see some of her typical characteristics, such as naivety when she says, "It's a school project. I didn't think I needed a permit." Overall, I give the comic eight corrupt toy stores.

"The One That Got Away / Nonfiction" (Tales from the Fringe #2)

This issue features two stories, the first titled "The One That Got Away," which is Broyles-centric, and the second titled "Nonfiction," which, although seemingly "stand-alone," definitely gives us quite a bit to think about, but before I talk about the stories in depth, be warned that this does contain spoilers, just in case you haven't read the comic yet. "The One That Got Away" unfortunately kind of disappoints me, because it leaves me wantingmore, a lot more. I was hoping that I would get some insight into Broyles' character that I didn't already have, but I don't feel like I learned much of anything. What we do learn from this story is that Broyles used to have a partner named Corrine, but something Fringey happened to her, which left her severely deformed (her bandages reminded me very much of Jones' bandages in "There's More than One of Everything," the first season finale, episode 1.20). However, this is nothing conclusive. Why, exactly, is she deformed? Does it have something to do with the "Earthling" case? Why aren't Broyles and Corrine partners anymore? Is it because of what happened to Corrine? That only brings me right back to my original question - what did happen to her? All we know is that she suffered from something related to Fringe Division, but we don't know what or what, if anything, it has to do with this particular case.

 

Surely, you can see what I mean when I say that I am left wanting more. I already knew from "Earthling" (2.06) that Broyles' wife left him because of his obsession with the case involving people turning into dust. I already knew, or at least assumed, that he missed a lot of important family events because of his devotion to the job. None of that is news to me, and I was hoping for something to really make me drop my jaw, or at least learn something new about Broyles, something conclusive. The last comic is much different because it answers something for me that I had been wanting to know - how did Ahmed from episode 2.03, "Fracture," become deformed, and what did Peter have to do with it? This, however, is just ultimately disappointing, especially since it is about Broyles, someone about whom we don't know that much to begin with. The story focuses on the little that we do know and gives us very little else. At any rate, I am also very disappointed with the artwork, not because it's bad but because once again, our character doesn't look like, well, our character. He does, however, look strangely like an Observer in certain scenes.

 

The second story is titled "Nonfiction," and this is definitely my favorite "stand-alone" comic book story to date. I found it to be incredibly intriguing and kept me on the edge of my seat, wanting to know what was going to happen. The first observation that I would like to make, as I always do when this happens, when the opportunity presents itself, is that Emerson says that he has been the night watchman for the library for forty-seven years; of course he has. The number "47," for those of you that don't know, is a number that shows up quite often in J.J.-related works, most notably Alias since it actually plays a major role in the plot itself, which is why I think that just about every "47" mention since has been a "nod" to the show. Anyway, for a while, I was wondering if maybe Elizabeth was the Elizabeth, as in Peter's mother Elizabeth, but this is ruled out when we learn that she was born in 1981, which would obviously make her way too young to be Peter's mother (Elizabeth Bishop had to have been born in the 30s or 40s). So, then, I thought that the "nonfiction" room must have been an archive of Cortexiphan subjects, but this is not confirmed to be the case either.

 

As interesting as I found this story to be, however, it got to be predictable near the end. As soon as Tom reads Elizabeth's future, about how she is going to be killed by a man that she knows, I thought, don't try to save her, because you're going to be the one that kills her! Of course, this is exactly what happens - the action that Tom takes to prevent Elizabeth's death is exactly what causes it, which is bitter irony if I've ever seen it. This story has so many unanswered questions, which I guess is good - what was the "nonfiction" room? Why were there books in there of people's lives, foretelling their futures? Is it a place where Observers store books that they have written about people (something that the guys with black coats really make me ponder)? If so, why are these people important enough to document? Surely, they are not Cortexiphan subjects, because there aren't that many Cortexiphan subjects in existence. Why is Tom's book in flames at the end? What did Emerson know about the "nonfiction" room? How was he involved? Ultimately, I give this comic seven and a half nonfiction books, having enjoyed the second story much more than the first.

Interview with David Wu, Producer of the Fringemunks Project

Q: What is the earliest age that you remember having a passion for music?
A: Age 3. People may be surprised that I have memories from that far back, but I do. I remember banging my hands on the piano, trying to communicate to people (namely my parents) that I wanted to learn how to play the instrument.

Q: What instruments do you play?
A: Piano/keyboards, primarily. The bulk of my extra-curricular efforts throughout my school years involved trying to become as good of a pianist as I could be, with much classical training. All the instruments on my recordings revolve around a piano or keyboard track. I'm not a drummer, but I am a very good drum programmer on MIDI-based recordings. I own an electrical guitar, but I am still a novice at that instrument - yet, I do on occasion feature myself using my Fat Strat on some recordings. But nothing I do compares to what I can do using a piano.

Q: What are some of your favorite musical bands/artists, and why?
A: My favorite rock bands are The Beatles and R.E.M. I grew up listening to The Beatles, and by 5th grade in 1989, I knew every one of their songs by heart. All of their albums are brilliant, and I enjoy their evolution as a band - they never repeated themselves, and they (as much as they could) kept things fresh throughout most of the phases of their time as a band.

In the early 90s, I didn't care much for R.E.M. - but it was during my college years that I bought Automatic for the People, saw them in concert and became a fan - since then, both Michael Stipe's lyrics and the musical arrangements/production of the songs have become a major portion of the soundtrack of my life. They also evolved through the years, and I enjoy how they make a conscious attempt not to pander to the industry or to pop culture - they pave their own path. They are the ultimate do-it-yourself band. I had the honor of meeting R.E.M. guitarist Peter Buck a few times as well; he lives here in Seattle.

That's not to say I'm only into rock music - I'm also into Motown, R&B, country, New Jack Swing from the late 80s and early 90s, classical, jazz, and hip-hop.

Q: What about Fringe captivated your interest?
A: Fringe was the first current show that I followed on a regular basis in a long time. I remember watching some promos for the show in the Summer of 2008, checking out a few Fringe-related podcasts, and I figured that it'd be a series that I would actually watch. By the third episode of Season 1, I was hooked. I enjoyed the way the stories were told, and how detailed they were - and also how any fan could continue to study each episode and develop theories throughout the weeks and months.

Q: Where did the idea of speeding up your voice originate?
A: I can't say I was a huge fan of Alvin & the Chipmunks, although I did listen to a fair share of their music growing up. My family has a few Chipmunks Christmas vinyls, and even a cassette tape of The Chipmunks Sing the Beatles' Hits. In the 80s, with some small boomboxes that I had lying around the house, I used to experiment with the speed of cassette tapes - the faster they were played, the higher the pitch - and the slower they were played, the lower the pitch, etc. I also liked slowing down the records to half-speed to hear the vocals as they were actually recorded.

When I bought my studio setup in the 2000s, I had to somehow communicate my music to those who were going to be singing the songs, and to do that I had to sing the songs. Yet, I don't like my singing voice, so I figured that a good way to "disguise" my voice was to slow down the instrumental, sing on top of that in a slower speed and lower key, and speed everything back up.

When I wrote the lyrics to my first two Fringe parody songs, I knew I wanted to 1) record them, and 2) not use my actual singing voice. Thus, the Fringemunks were born.

Q: Are there any usual musical goals that you set out to reach during the Fringemunks writing and recording process? If so, what are they?
A: Great question. My goal is simply to recap each episode in a succinct and memorable way. I think the secret to the project's "longevity" (if one can call it that in just under two years of existence) is that I consciously try to make each song different from the last, both aesthetically and lyrically. If I try to keep on being "better" than the last song each time, I would ultimately fail.

Q: Did goals change between Season 1 and Season 2? If so, how?
A: The goal remained the same, but I did have less time in Season 2 to work on the songs, just due to my overall personal life. (In fact, as of this interview, I'm still 4 songs short of completing the Season 2 recaps.) I think if one compares Season 1 and 2 for the 'munks, one can hear that I took more risks musically in the latter season, and I think my studio mixing improved. The Fringemunks project is a bit of a great workshop for me, musically, as I'm able to experiment while knowing that there is an audience for the songs.

Q: Is there anything different that you would like to do, any new steps that you would like to take, for Season 3?
A: I'm still determining that right now. All I know is that I'm leaning towards continuing the project as far as I can. I think that much of my style from this point forward depends on the storylines that will be told for Season 3 - if there's a lot of switching back and forth between parallel universes, it may be a challenge to recap any episode from just one character's POV - and I may have to adapt to a different lyrical style because of that. (95% of the songs are sung from one character's POV, at least up until now.) Musically, I intend to keep on evolving - and I think the "unknown" is both scary and exciting.

Q: Would you like to discuss your recently released album, Orbiter? What about the upcoming Fringemunks' Greatest Hits compilation? How will you go about choosing music for it? Will there be anything new on it?
A: Orbiter consists of 10 new songs I wrote and performed for piano, and it showcases my more serious and reflective approach towards music. Each song means something to me, and the album as a whole tells a story - but whatever that story is, is mine. The basic premise is that I am telling the story of an entity that has been in motion for a while, much like a space shuttle orbiter in motion - whether or not that entity realizes it. And throughout that motion, things happen to that entity, and the entity reacts. And now, perhaps the orbiter is ready to land and move on to other phases in its life cycle. It's very abstract, but I wrote the songs from emotions within, hoping to evoke emotions without.

Anyone listening to it can interpret the album or any of the songs in their own way - in fact, I want them to. I hope the listener will just read the titles of the songs, feel the songs, and reflect.

The upcoming best-of collection for the 'munks will be a decent way for me to combine the cream of the crop of the 45-or-so songs in existence, and have it available for existing fans, and also use it as an introductory tool to potential fans. I may have one or two new songs for the collection, but I haven't decided. The ones I choose will be the songs that I feel are the best productions. I do know that I won't be presenting the songs in a chronological order - I intend to make the songs flow like an album.

Q: Would you care to elaborate on the Bloody Rare collection? Is there anything in store for that in the future?
A: Bloody Rare acts like The Who's Odds & Sods or The Beatles' audio Anthology - it's a place for me to place songs that aren't episodic recaps of Fringe, and also outtakes from those episodic recaps. I needed a convenient way for me to present such songs on the website and on iTunes (for me and for all) - otherwise, they'd just be floating around. I chose the title because "Rare" indicates rarities, and "Bloody" indicates snapshots of songs that had yet to be completed. I like the album cover a lot - it's meant to be a splash of blood that looks like the shape of a Fringemunk. I think as long as I have outtakes I'd like to share, or a non-Fringe-related song, I'll just add it to the Bloody Rare collection.

Interestingly, the biggest Fringemunk "hit" so far is "The iPad Song," which was originally recorded specifically for this album.

Q: Are there any other musical projects besides the Fringemunks on which you are working? If so, would you like to offer any information about it/them?
A: I don't have too many projects planned or lined-up at the moment, but I do know that I want to continue evolving. For instance, you probably won't hear me do another Orbiter-type album any time soon. I may do an electronic album of sorts. Not sure I want to do any more parody projects, because I don't want to be known as "the dude who creates cool parodies." All I know is that whatever I get into next, I want it to be daring, different, memorable and original.

"Tomorrow / Lost Time" (Tales from the Fringe #1)

I have really been looking forward to this comic for quite some time now, and I am very excited to finally have read it, but before discussion of this comic begins, I find it important to advise those who have not yet read this comic against reading any further, as this does contain spoilers. The first half of the comic is titled "Tomorrow" and revolves around Peter in Iraq. When I first found out about this comic and how it was about about Peter in Iraq, I instantly assumed that we would find out why Ahmed's face is scarred so badly (in reference to "Fracture"), and I was right. Peter is torn between two promises that he has made to people, the problem being that he can only keep one. Will he help a young man named Malik who is being forced to commit suicide, or will he seize an opportunity for a very highly paid job? Unfortunately, he chooses the job, and Malik dies as a result while his brother Ahmed is left badly scarred. I was very excited to have seen that I was correct in assuming that this comic would explain why Ahmed is scarred, but the comic's ending is an incredibly downer and depressing one.

 

I love how we see Baghdad, Iraq in the sky in the same block-lettered font as locations are presented to us in the TV series, but as far as graphics are concerned, I do have a complaint, and that is that I definitely think that a much better job could have been done on Peter, because I don't think that Peter's character in this comic looks a whole lot like Peter. The dialogue, his mannerisms and his clothing are all right on, but not his appearance. Anyway, after Malik explains his predicament to Peter, Peter tells him that he can help him get out of the country, and that makes me wonder just how much power Peter has and how he acquired it. He also says, "I know something about saving face and looking out for loved ones," which makes me wonder what he means by that. I definitely get the impression that that line was intended to serve a function, but I'm not sure, because we don't know of any specific time prior to the pilot episode that Peter looked out for a loved one. Perhaps, he is speaking of his mother, Elizabeth Bishop? I can't think of anyone else to whom he'd be referring when he says that. We do know that Peter had a good relationship with his mother, especially since Walter wasn't much of a father to him.

 

In "Ability" (1.14), Olivia teases Peter about his "weird connections," and she is definitely right. Peter desperately speaks to an unidentified man that he knows in order to help Malik; Peter always has his "weird connections" on which to rely, but it isn't long before he receives an opportunity for a job, a job that we see him negotiating in the pilot episode. A bartender, who is another one of his "weird connections," tells Peter that "a couple of guys came in here today looking for a contractor to run an oil line. I told them about you. They want to meet." This is what Peter decides to do, ultimately breaking his promise to help Malik, and this is why Ahmed is so bitter in "Fracture" (2.03), why he questions whether or not Peter cares about lives. It can totally be understood now, and like I said, I had a very strong feeling that this comic would help us understand that. I feel sorry for those Cortexi-Fans who don't read the comics, because they really are rewarding in a lot of ways; they give insight into matters that the TV series does not. For example, it will most likely never be explained in the TV series what happened to Ahmed, because that is the purpose of this story.

 

The second half of this comic is titled "Lost Time" and doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. In the story, a teenage girl named Nikki is spending time with her boyfriend who offers an unknown drug to her. She accepts, and consequently, she suddenly finds herself living the life of an assassin. "Code 47" is the usual Alias nod, which is funny, because only seconds prior, I was thinking about how the assassin kind of looked like Jennifer Garner and how her use of stealth to infiltrate the building reminded me of Alias (Elektra also crossed my mind). The ending doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, though. The assassin is supposed to kill a man who then hits her with his car after she goes back to being herself again, and he calls it "karma." I don't know how to draw a conclusion from that. Did Nikki switch consciences with someone, or did she travel to the future, where she saw herself as an assassin? I'm not sure; this half of the comic really doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, very confusing, indeed. It is a very complex story that you have to think long and hard about, which I have, and I still don't fully understand, but I think it is, in fact, intended to leave us to draw our own conclusion. Ultimately, I give this comic eight femme fatales.

Fringe - "Over There" (Part 2) - Season Finale

 

As always, I warn those who have not seen this episode of Fringe yet to not read any further, as this does contain spoilers. This finale is mind-blowing, like the first part, and I give it ten secret herbs and spices. Something that now comes to mind after having seen the season 2 finale is the ending of episode 2.03, "Fracture." I don't think that it was our Walter that the Observers were watching, that was said to be dangerous; I think that it was Walternate, and speaking of Walternate, I find it very odd that the nickname doesn't ring a bell for Olivia when Bell brings it up, since Walter surely uses the nickname when he tells her the story of Peter's origin in episode 2.15, "Peter," but maybe he didn't, or if he did, then maybe she forgot. Last week, I wondered if the nurses at the hospital who attend to Walter when he collapses would recognize him as their Secretary of Defense, and this week clarifies that they did indeed. They recognized him as Walter Bishop, their Secretary of Defense, and Bolivia, obviously confused by this, mentions it to Walternate. Something that I find rather odd is that Peter doesn't immediately refer to Walternate as "dad." He refers to him as "Mr. Secretary," and that is to be expected; even though Walternate is really Peter's father, Peter doesn't know him as his father, and that is exactly what leads me to my point, which is what I find odd. Before Olivia and Peter finally kiss, he then refers to him as "my father." Why the sudden change, I wonder, especially considering the fact that he just discovered that his father has fatal plans for him?

I find it so funny when Bell tells Olivia that on the Other Side, the Fringe Team answers to Walter, and she is shocked, repeating his name incredulously. Then, when Olivia goes to Walter's hospital room and Walter wants to make sure that Olivia really is Olivia, she says, "Come on, Walter, we don't have time for this," and Walter, relieved, says, "It is you; that's wonderful." Olivia proceeds to ask Walter if he can walk, and he says, "I can dance if you like. They have absolutely fabulous drugs here." This was an incredibly dark (no pun intended) episode, so a little humor every now and then has its use, as does the recent episode "Brown Betty" (2.19). I am so angry with Peter, though, for saying what he says to Bolivia, which is that he likes her hair better. I could have killed him. Anyway, something that I noticed about Bolivia is that she doesn't tend to use contractions very often; she's very militant. For example, when Walternate confirms that he didn't tell Bolivia that the "invaders" would be them, she responds with, "No, sir, you did not." She stands, walks and talks like a soldier, which demonstrates that Fringe Division on the Other Side is much more organized and much more "official," if you will, which makes a lot of sense. We have seen, in Boston, the effects of Quarantines, so the need for Fringe Division would be much greater on the Other Side, as Fringe events are a lot more obvious. Now, it makes sense why Olivia sees Boston on fire in "The Road Not Taken" (1.19), but the question is, why did Boston need to be Quarantined? Who was crossing over? Bell, perhaps?

The KFC scene makes it bluntly clear that Olivia, Walter and Bell are eating KFC, which is definitely pure product placement, especially considering the fact that there were KFC commercials during the breaks. During this scene, Bell says to Walter, "We've accomplished a lot together, Walter, but she may be our greatest achievement," which, of course, is in reference to Olivia. I love this quote and I also hate this quote. My reasons for loving it should be quite obvious; it's memorable. However, I also hate it, because even after Olivia gives him a piece of her mind in episode 2.04, "Momentum Deferred" (which actually happens right in between "There's More than One of Everything" and "A New Day in the Old Town"), he still says something that suggests that he sees her as a successful experiment and not a human being. He speaks like exactly what he is, which is a zealous scientist. I find it interesting how on the Other Side, Charles Lindbergh either didn't have a son or his son was never taken from him, since Bolivia doesn't know what Peter is talking about when he compares himself to the "Lindbergh baby." Peter tells Bolivia that Olivia is "a lot like you," with which I wholeheartedly disagree, but I think that the striking differences between the two have already been discussed in detail. Peter, obviously in love, says in admiration that Olivia is "always trying make up for something, right some imaginary wrong. Haunted, I guess," and Bolivia's stoic response is difficult to interpret. I don't know what she thinks of that, but considering the fact that she later tells Olivia that she is nothing like her, perhaps, like me, she disagrees.
 

Apparently, Bell likes Twizzlers, too. Perhaps, he is the one who caused Walter to love them so much. Walter eats them while he conducts autopsies, and Bell eats them while he drives. I guess that Twizzlers are a good multitasking candy. During this scene, we finally see what the Blight looks like, and it's horrendous, incredibly depressing, actually. There seems to be no plant life whatsoever, and the area around Harvard is encased in amber, much like the bus in episode 1.03, "The Ghost Network." Perhaps, the amber encasement is not a result of the Boston Blight but a cause of it. Perhaps, what we see in "The Ghost Network" is an experiment, a way to find out whether or not the gas would work, and when it was discovered that it would, someone crossed over to the Other Side and attacked Boston, using the gas, and that is what caused Fringe Division to Quarantine the area, thereby causing the Blight. If so, then I was right, since quite a while ago, I speculated that the Blight was a result of attacks being made on this side, whereas most people disagreed with me and said that it was a result of the Other Side's technology destroying their environment, and it's looking more like I was right, not that I intend to gloat. I do find pleasure in being right, though. I suppose, however, that it could be a combination of both; breaches cause a need for Quarantines, and Quarantine technology causes Blights.

The scene between Walter and Bell in the alter-lab is amazing and is very emotional. I was aware of this confrontation for quite some time, as it was revealed weeks upon weeks ago that the two characters would confront one another in the finale, and as I assumed it would be, it is amazing. Walter, obviously having remembered what Bell did to him (which answers the question as to whether the final scene of episode 2.10, "Grey Matters," is a flashback or a memory), demands to know why Bell removed pieces of his brain, and Bell attempts to avoid the subject. Bell insists that starting Massive Dynamic was not his idea, which begs the question as to whose idea it was. Walter also reveals that he has known that the Shapeshifters were designed by Bell, which kind of annoys me, because after that, it is not mentioned again, and that seems like a pretty big deal to me. It may be true that that did not confirm that Bell's loyalties have been elsewhere, since he tells Walter that he couldn't blow his cover, that he had to do whatever was necessary in order to earn Walternate's trust, but still, he had a hand in creating the monsters that we have seen throughout this entire season. Like I said, that is a big, if not enormous, deal, and it also annoys me that Walter has not shared this hunch with the team. Also, if Walternate was not successful when he attempted to cross universes, then how come Walter and Bell are? What do they do differently? Is it because they have Olivia? All the same, I got the sense that their efforts to take Peter back to this side brought back the old days for them; after so many years, they were lab partners again.

Another epic confrontation between two characters is that between Olivia and Bolivia. It is a bit comic, because for most of the physical fight, neither of them get anywhere, and that is because they are technically the same person, the same person who has simply led two different lives. It therefore stands to reason that they would have the same intelligence and combat skills. I love how Scarlie tells Olivia that he feels obsolete, which is intended to be reminiscent of the epic speech that he gives in the pilot episode, in which he says, "The truth is, we're obsolete." It's pretty funny when Peter shakes Scarlie's hand with a big smile on his face, saying "Pleased to meet you." Obviously, he has met him before, which is the irony behind it. Olivia, of course, finally tells Peter that she loves him, and the two of them finally kiss, and I saw that coming as soon as she started trying to convince Peter to come back to this side. "You have to come back," she says, "because you belong with me." When Olivia and Peter meet up with Walter and Bell, I find it odd that they don't question why she now looks like Bolivia, but at any rate, this scene asks a pretty big question. Bell says to Peter, "You're holding up better than I would have thought," and Peter says, "What's a little universe hopping between friends?" Bell then says, "That's not what I meant," and Peter annoyingly doesn't press any further. Perhaps, Bell just meant emotionally, since Peter is obviously now aware of his origin. Plus, I would like to mention that Bell's 77 is amazing.

Near the end of the episode, it is finally revealed (sort of) why Bell removed pieces of Walter's brain. Bell tells Walter that he did it, because Walter asked him to do it "because of what you [Walter] were becoming." This asks a rather obvious question; what does Bell mean by this? What was Walter becoming? Hopefully, we will find out in season three, but with Bell dead now, I don't know how. Then again, it's very likely that Nina knows. Anyway, I find it very odd that when Bolivia, Walter and Peter come back to this side, Broyles is still standing there. Was he standing there the whole time? At any rate, his "welcome back" was very comforting to me as the viewer because I was ready to go "home," so to speak. The Other Side seemed so dark, and I thought that an excellent job of portraying the Other Side was done. The universes are very similar but also very different, but the differences got to the point where it vastly outweighed the similarities, and I was ready to come back to this side. Peter ultimately says to Walter that although he can't understand his point of view, he is trying, and the fact that "you [Walter] did cross universes twice to save my life" has to count for something, so I think that it is pretty clear that Peter will be able to forgive Walter. Much like she literally does in "Brown Betty" (2.19), Olivia figuratively mends Peter's broken heart, which is ultimately what convinces him to come back and is ultimately what convinces Peter to figuratively share his heart with Walter, like he literally does in "Brown Betty."

Moving on to the very end, the big revelation, I saw it coming, but my jaw still dropped. I saw it coming, but I didn't want to be right. I was praying to God that I was wrong, that Altlivia did not switch places with Olivia in order to cross over to this side. However, I was right, and the way that it was set up made it rather obvious, in my opinion. I am now pretty sure the the typewriter communicates with Walternate, but, of course, we don't see what Bolivia's orders are, which disappointed me but didn't surprise me. Then again, doors need to be left open for the third season, so maybe I shouldn't say that it disappointed me. My guess, although it's probably rather obvious, is that she has been instructed to try to get Peter back, which would be kind of comical, in a sense, because it really would be a lot like a "Tug '0' War" battle, then. The final scene, anyway, shows us Olivia being kept in utter darkness, completely alone and obviously scared to death. This scene shows us that she is sobbing, begging to be let out of there, and I can't believe it. Are alternate versions of a person truly only slightly different? I don't think that Walter would do such a thing to a person. It is literally mental and emotional torture, and it's possibly physical torture, as well, since it's unclear as to whether or not she is being fed. I can't believe that we are left with this torment all summer long, worrying about our dear Olivia. I wonder if Walternate is trying to scare Olivia so that her abilities will be activated, though, and if so, why?

This episode raises even more questions, too. Bell says that they need Olivia to cross back to this side, and they are seemingly able to do it with Bolivia. Does this confirm that Bolivia was given Cortexiphan, as well? If not, then it at least has to confirm that she was given something so that she could safely travel between the universes. If so, then she must not have been aware prior to receiving Walternate's instruction to switch places with Olivia, because we know that she wasn't aware of the existence of the Other Side until Walternate tells her in "Over There, Part 1" (2.21). It's rather obvious that the team will eventually find out that Bolivia is not their Olivia, but I wonder what it will take. Will she and Peter come close to having sex when Peter notices the tattoo on the back of her neck? Will she incidentally slip and say something that she shouldn't or perhaps not have knowledge that she should have? How will Olivia free herself from her pitch black prison? Will she right away, or is this a story that is going to be drawn out for a few episodes? I am hoping that Bolivia will not end up dead, because that would just be so convenient, and although I currently can't stand her, she causes a great deal of dramatic tension that gives the story an incredibly interesting dynamic. For obvious reasons, Peter doesn't have an alternate on the Other Side, and if the same were true of Olivia, I would simply not be okay with that. This season, a shapeshifter pretended to be Charlie (obviously), and that story was resolved within four episodes, one of which Gnarlie doesn't even appear. I am hoping that this story is not handled the same way. Although I want Olivia out of that cell, I don't want Bolivia to be compromised right away, and I certainly don't want her dead.

We don't see Sam Weiss in the finale, but there are two major clues in this episode that pertain to him. First of all, the glyphs spell out WEISS, and second of all, during the scene between Walter and Bell in the alter-lab, a message is written on the chalkboard. The message says, "A demon's twist rusts." I did not discover this myself (I instead read it online), but this is an anagram of "Don't trust Sam Weiss." I don't think that this is speaking to anyone except us, the viewers. David Wu of the Fringemunks has a very interesting theory, one that I'm liking more and more. He thinks that Weiss is really Bell from the Other Side, who is pretending to be whoever this Weiss dude is. Let's not forget what Bell says in this episode. He tells Walter that it seems as if the Bell from the Other Side was killed in a car accident as a young man, and a "car accident" is always the lie, the cover-up story. It was a cover-up story in Alias, and it has been a cover-up story twice so far in Fringe, the first of which being Walter having told Peter that his mother died in a car accident when she really committed suicide and the second of which being the story that Walter told Peter about the "ice incident," if you will. At any rate, I don't believe Bell, regardless of what did happen. Weiss could potentially be a spy, just like this Bell was. I am hoping that in the third season, we will finally find out how he conducts the business card trick in "Dream Logic" (2.05).

Season 2 has been quite a journey. It has had some disappointing moments (one of which was just discussed) but even more rewarding moments. Amongst the disappointing moments are lack of any mention of Jones, ZFT or The Pattern, and the ratio of "stand-alone" episodes to "mytharc" episodes is much higher than that of season one, since "Night of Desirable Objects" (2.02), "Dream Logic" (2.05), "Earthling" (2.06), "Snakehead" (2.09), "Johari Window" (2.11) and "What Lies Below" (2.12) are all "stand-alone" episodes, some more so than others, whereas "The No-Brainer" (1.12) is the only season 1 episode that I would consider a "stand-alone" episode. Another disappointment is that at the end of "What Lies Below," Astrid is clued in to the fact that Peter is from the Other Side, but then, there is no follow-up. We never see her initial reaction when she discovers the truth. Once again, Astrid has been used as a tool but has had very little development of her character, which is incredibly frustrating. Another disappointment that season 2 brings is Jessup. She is uncannily in the first two episodes but then doesn't return, which is beyond annoying. I recently read that we haven't seen the last of Jessup, and I hope not. Her appearance in the first two episodes annoys me, especially since she is seen connecting Fringe events to the Bible.

Overall, though, season 2 is exponentially better than season one. The mythology is more complex, and the character arcs as well as the character development (for most of the characters) is more intense. The season finale is better, and Anna Torv has grown as an actress on such a level that I can't even describe. I was surprised to learn that Walternate is the Secretary of Defense on the Other Side. When Newton calls him Mr. Secretary at the end of "The Man from the Other Side" (2.18), I assumed that it was a codename or something to that effect. I do have hopes and expectations for season three, though. Firstly, I want Jones to at least be mentioned. Seeing him again (I am aware that it would have to be alter-Jones) would be awesome, but even a mentioning would be nice. I still don't fully understand how he was able to blast himself through the wall of his hospital room in "Ability" (1.14). I am also hoping for more information regarding ZFT, what its purpose is exactly and why it kills people on this side. Loeb tells Olivia that Jones is just a part of the army, yet after his death, ZFT attacks seemed to stop. I would also like the story involving Olivia's stepfather to come into play. Season three premieres on Thursday, September 23rd at 9/8c, and I am really looking forward to it; this summer is going to be incredibly painful.

Fringe - "Over There" (Part 1) - Season Finale

I will start this entry, as always, by saying that if you have not yet seen this episode of Fringe, I strongly advise you to not read any further, as this does contain spoilers. This episode, which is the first part of the second season finale, impresses me beyond words, and I am sure that the second part is going to be even better. Everything is top-notch and has an incredibly strong cinematic quality, including the writing, the acting and the direction. This may be one of the best episodes that we have seen yet, as far as overall quality is concerned, if not the best. It feels very much like a film, not an episode of a TV series, which I was expecting (because it has been hyped up as such for quite a few weeks now), but it's even better than I was expecting. It does have a potential continuity error, though. In episode 1.19, "The Road Not Taken," Olivia very briefly pays a visit to the Other Side, and Fringe Division is very similar to this side's department. Charlie is not bald, and he doesn't question why Olivia is blonde. Was it the same reality that Olivia was visiting? It would have to be because first of all, Charlie still has a scar on his face, and second of all, she was most likely designed to look into that reality, not some random one. Hopefully, all of that is cleared up and will make sense by next week. Even so, this is one of the easiest perfect scores (ten bald Charlies) that I have ever given an episode. I am very impressed.

 

What we first see in this episode is how much more advanced and organized Fringe Division is on the Other Side. In this reality, the government tried to shut it down (referring to episode 2.01, "A New Day in the Old Town"), but on the Other Side, it would appear as if the government gives Fringe Division everything that it needs, which I suppose is probably because Fringe Division is operated via Department of Defense, of which Walter is the Secretary. It even has a really cool logo (see documented photograph below). Also, Bolivia seems so much happier than Olivia. At first, I thought that Fringe Division is trying to help Newton, Walternate and Peter cross back over to that side, but instead, we learn that it is aware of a breach, which, of course, is made by Olivia, Walter, Nick and Sally. Altrid seems to have a much more prominent purpose than Astrid does; she is, after all, doing a lot more than just babysitting an old guy. She is very professional and seems not to be as laid-back or as sweet as Astrid is, which is strange. After seeing the Other Side in this episode, it doesn't seem to be "slightly" different all; it seems to be very different. For starters, it seems to be a good fifty to 100 years ahead of us technologically, and people and their personalities seem to be different, as well.

Walternate, for example, seems to be a lot saner than Walter, and he is also a great deal more professional. I don't see him as the kind of guy who would suddenly develop a random obsession with a food. Olivia sees herself when, from their hiding place, she watches Fringe Division study Heath's body, and she also watches herself through the other Olivia's apartment window (this time while the other Olivia and her partner, Frank, are having sex, which is a little weird), and that has to be strange. I would be freaking out if I were to see myself, but at the same time, it would be exciting to see how different or the same I am, and in this case, I think that the other Olivia is very different from Olivia. The episode is set up in a fashion that is very similar to how Alias episodes were quite frequently set up, with an event taking place before the narrative takes us to a designated point in time before that said event (in this case, thirty-six hours). I am very surprised by Peter's lack of reluctance to cross over to the Other Side. Even after Walternate explains the weight of his decision to him, Peter dismissively says, "Let's go." I understand that he is angry with Walter and is trying to find himself, and I understand that he is finally reunited with his "real" father, but still, it seems to me like he very quickly and prematurely makes a decision, which I fear could cost him, as well as some other individuals.

 

We see Olivia drinking a lot again, and even though there isn't really much anything further to say about that, I just find it interesting that she drinks so much, especially when she is under a great deal of distress, which is especially interesting considering the fact that the other Olivia apparently doesn't drink at all (which, once again, holds weight on the possibility that the two realities are not "slightly" different at all but instead very different). At the end of episode 2.19, "Brown Betty," we learn that September apparently warned Walter of something at one point, and my prediction was that he warned him never to allow Peter to return to the Other Side, and I was correct, with Walter suddenly remembering after seeing the drawing of Peter unleashing some sort of power through his eyes (see documented photograph below), which really reminds me of the drawing of Sydney on page 47, referring to, of course, Alias, something that I do quite often. Walter, in tears, tells Olivia that "something terrible will happen to Peter," and I wonder what exactly that is. Will Peter somehow be a Weapon of Mass Destruction, which will, in turn, kill him? What is the device that is depicted in the drawing, the device that we see Walternate with at the very end of the episode? Will this be used, or at least attempt to be used, to destroy this side?

I love it when, in season finales, we see a sudden and sharp but believable shift in (a) character(s), and in this case, I think that we most definitely do from both Olivia and Broyles. Olivia frequently loses her cool with Walter, especially when his lack of ability to focus acts as a hindrance to quickly solving a case, but in this case, she really loses her cool, slamming her fist on the table and sternly and loudly saying his name in order to get him to focus (which, of course, is, in this case, because he is vehemently worried about Peter). We also see a shift in Broyles. Typically, he defends Nina Sharp, saying that she has been nothing but cooperative in Fringe Division's investigation. However, now, he really goes after her. First, a Massive Dynamic employee says to Broyles, "I'm sorry, sir, I can't let you go in there," and he replies by saying, "Don't even think about it!" He storms into Nina's office and accuses her of "manufacturing weapons for the Other Side. This is a very intense scene, one which ends with Olivia breaking up the dispute between Broyles and Nina and telling Nina that Peter has been taken and that they need her help crossing over to the Other Side, and I can't help but wonder if every season is going to draw close to its end with Nina being accused of something drastic.

 

In this episode, we learn why it is that Bell's health is apparently declining and why it is that he therefore needs an oxygen tank. I was always pretty sure that it had something to do with his crossing over to the Other Side, but apparently, he has done it more than once. Apparently, he has done it several times, which means that in episode 2.15, "Peter," he could very well be on the Other Side already, which would in turn mean that Walter is not the one who is responsible for causing a crack between the two worlds; Bell is (however, Walternate confirms that the Pattern, or should I say Patterns, was/were caused by Walter's theft of Peter at Reiden Lake in 1985, so I don't know). Anyway, I am very surprised that Olivia is not incredibly angry with Broyles. Just now, he tells her that a handful of Cortexiphan subjects have been awakened, which means that all this time, he has kept that from her. If I were Olivia, even with Peter on my mind, I surely would have lashed out at him. What else, I wonder, has he kept from her, and why?

 

I love how Heath calls Broyles "FBI guy" before asking if they can have a break; that really cracked me up, and although this really isn't important at all, I wonder whether or not I am the only one who has noticed that lately, Olivia seems to wear a lot more makeup than usual. I really noticed it at the end of episode 2.18, "The Man from the Other Side," when she fetches Walter after Peter wakes up, and I really noticed it in this episode. Like I said, it's not really all that important, but it does demonstrate shifting in a character, which I think is important. Unfortunately, however, I don't know what that shift is. It seems to me like she starts to wear a lot more makeup right around the time that she finds out that Peter is from the Other Side, but considering the fact that that obviously initiated a great deal of distress, you wouldn't think that a stressful situation would cause her to wear more makeup; you would think that a stressful situation would cause her to wear less of it, but then again, I don't know how Olivia would roll as far as a potential relationship between stress and the amount of makeup applied is concerned. Why, I wonder, does she give her mother's necklace to Ella and then hug Rachel with so much emotion? Does she think that she won't ever see them again? If so, why is that? What does she fear is going to happen? I mean, I think I know what's going to happen, but I don't know why Olivia would have had such a fear at the time.

 

My prediction is that since Olivia needed the other Cortexiphan subjects to cross over to the Other Side, she and Walter will now be (temporarily) trapped in the other reality since all three of them are now dead. I also wonder why it is that Olivia is with Rachel and Ella in the first place. I thought that we had already been made to understand that Rachel and Ella are no longer living with Olivia, that they moved out. In episode 2.08, "August," for example, Rachel asks Olivia to babysit Ella, and in episode 2.16, "Olivia. In the Lab. With the Revolver.," Weiss visits Olivia, and Olivia, who has been drinking, is clearly alone. "We should do this more often," Olivia tells Rachel before leaving. "It's nice." I am therefore wondering if it was some sort of sleepover. Anyway, on to much more important matters, Walter is seen smelling Peter's clothes, and here, he has yet another breakdown, hysterically crying, most likely because of both guilt and grief, guilt due to what he did to those children back in the 80s and grief due to Peter being gone. I hate seeing Walter cry. In my opinion, he is a very sympathetic character, and I feel like hugging him every time I see him crying. Why, however, does Heath die? If I am recalling correctly, Nick and Sally say something along the lines of having lost their powers as a result of crossing over, but why would that cause Heath to die of the cancer with which he once infected people, especially since it is on the outside of his skin just like it is on the outsides of the victims' skins in "Olivia. In the Lab. With the Revolver." (2.16)?

 

I find it worth pointing out that on the Other Side, the Statue of Liberty is not green but is instead copper. This is interesting, since in this reality, the Statue of Liberty was originally intended to be copper, and it also does not appear to be located in the same place as it is on this side, but since I don't know that much about the landscape of New York City, especially not that area (since I have yet to see the Statue of Liberty myself), I could very well be wrong. When Walter keels over due to a gunshot wound in his side, I wonder if the nurses who attend to him or anyone else in the hospital recognizes him as the Secretary of Defense; surely, someone must, and how would Walter go about explaining that? Who, I wonder, is Bolivia dating? His name is apparently Frank Stanton, but I am wondering if he will come into play later in the series, become important? I am a bit disappointed, though, since I feel that seeing her with a man whom we've never known before this scene is rather anti-climatic. I would have much rather her love interest have been John Scott (even though I can understand why it would be difficult for Mark Valley and Anna Torv to work together) or Charlie. I immediately noticed the differences, though, between our beloved Olivia and the other Olivia. As previously mentioned, she seems to be much happier, and she doesn't drink. Also, instead of blacks and grays, she is seen wearing a bright blue shirt, and instead of a black bra, she is seen wearing a white one. What, though, I wonder, is up with the tattoo on her and Frank? Does it have something to do with Fringe Division, or did she get herself tattooed willingly?

Here's something that really confuses me, though. In episode 1.19, "The Road Not Taken," the woman who can start fires is named Nancy Lewis, not Sally Clark, and Lewis is also played by a different actress. Now, my guess is that the actress who plays Lewis could not be recast for some reason, and consequently, a new Pyro character was used. However, Broyles introduces the characters to Olivia in a way that would strongly suggest that they are people that Olivia knows. Now, obviously, we know that this is the case when it comes to Nick Lane and James Heath but not when it comes to Sally Clark. It should have been made more clear that this is not Nancy Lewis because until I discovered that her name is Sally Clark, not Nancy Lewis, that's who I thought the character is, and I assumed that a new actress was cast for the part, which I actually would have preferred; either that, or have Sally demonstrate a totally different ability in order to make it clear that she is not Nancy Lewis. Why couldn't Nancy be awakened? Why did a different Pyro have to be awakened, and speaking of the Cortexiphan subjects, why is it that Broyles introduces five of them to Olivia, yet only three are used? Who are the other two individuals, and why are they apparently not important? Also, since Walternate wrote the Other Side's version of the ZFT, I wonder if that confirms that Walter wrote this side's version; that's definitely something to think about.

This episode, as has been said, is epic, and I remain confident that next week, which is the second part of the finale, will be even better. Although I know that some people have had their complaints about the various openings that we have seen, I really like them, and this one is no exception. This opening is almost the same as the usual one except for two differences; (1) the background is crimson red instead of the usual blue, and (2) "Parallel Universes" is replaced with "First People." The only explanation that I can offer for the term "First People" is that perhaps, that is what the Other Side calls people from this side, although I can't imagine why. At this point, I will tell those who prefer to remain entirely spoiler-free to stay on the fringe, since the rest of this entry will contain spoilers pertaining to next week's episode. If you have seen the promo, then you know that we are in for a real treat. Olivia and Bolivia will engage in a rather epic fight, which is crazy (can you imagine fighting yourself?). Due to outside information, I also know that Walter and William Bell will confront each other, and it will be something epic, indeed. I am really looking forward to this, even though I have heard from sources that devastating tragedy is on its way, which obviously scares me. I am sure that, whatever the outcome of that is and whatever the cliffhanger will be, we are going to itch all summer long, screaming in agony for September to arrive (the month, that is). Until next week, though, stay on the fringe.