Fringe - "Five-Twenty-Ten" (5.07)

"Five-Twenty-Ten" is a very good episode of Fringe. At the conclusion of the episode the first time that I watched it, I was so impressed that that was pretty much the point at which I had decided that this was, so far, my second favorite season of the series (my top favorite being season 2, which isn't going to change, I don't think; phenomenal season). I was very excited when I discovered this episode title because the series brought that combination of numbers - 5-20-10 - into the fold almost three years ago when Walter, during "Jacksonville" (2.14), reveals that that is the combination that he and Belly used for just about everything, and 5-20-10 also ended up being the date of the season 2 finale. I do admit that I had expected there to be a significance of the numbers revealed in this episode, and that does not happen; instead, they are simply a very small part of the story, as Walter struggles to remember the code as he tries to open Belly's safe. Was it just me, by the way, who expected Olivia to remember? Olivia was with Walter when he revealed the number, and we all know how amazing her memory is, especially in regards to numbers. She did not remember, however, and I have to admit that I am a bit disappointed by that. It was, indeed, a long time ago, but it still would have been a perfect opportunity for her ability to come into play, and it can't be suggested that her ability was due to Cortexiphan because she displayed it earlier in the season, which, of course, makes you wonder why Redverse Olivia does not share the ability. I, however, digress. I also find it odd that Walter seemed to easily remember the code in "Letters of Transit" (4.19) to open the vault at Massive Dynamic that contain the pieces of his brain that had been removed, the same code, but had trouble remembering it now, since, then, he was practically gone.

The very beginning of the episode is somewhat similar to something that we see in "The Plateau" (3.03) because in that episode, Milo does something similar; he, on a city street, sees possible course of events that would happen as a result of certain actions taken and maps probabilities out. A lot of us even wondered after that episode aired if Milo had some sort of connection to the Observers since he seemed to have such a similar ability. Something that I find odd about this scene, though, is that there are scattered conversations upon which Peter is picking up, and while they seem to be totally indistinct, I had captions on when I watched the episode on television, and the captions were revealing what the people were saying. It didn't seem to be anything significant, just everyday conversation, but I wonder why the captions were revealing statements that were being made when, to our ears, it's indistinct. It's probably not important at all; I just wanted to point it out. During this scene, though, something else comes to mind that I have pretty much been wondering since "Letters of Transit" (4.19). What do civilians think the Observers are? Are they aware of the truth, that they're from a future Earth? Are they aware of the technology in their heads? Do they think, since they call them Invaders (don't get me wrong; they are), that they're aliens? This season has done a lot to show us how the Invasion has affected our Fringe Division team (Etta's death, Peter's conversion to Observerdom, etc.), but it has done little to show us how it has affected civilization, and that's why, as the civilians carry on conversations and the driver gets annoyed with Peter during this scene, that comes to mind.

One reason that I really like this episode is that it offers up a great deal of answers. We finally learn why Belly was with the team when it was ambered, and it was because the team needed him in order to access the storage space because they needed the two Beacons that were there. Belly, apparently, betrayed them once again, and that's why Walter was unconcerned for him when they left him behind in the amber. I am also now convinced that when Walter, in "Letters of Transit" (4.19), reminds Astrid of what Belly did to Olivia, he is referring to season 4 events and her ultimate activation in "Brave New World" (4.21/4.22), since there doesn't seem to be any evidence of him having inflicted any more direct harm onto her beyond that point. I wonder if we will see Belly again by the end of the season; I definitely think that we will. I also wonder if any of what Walter "remembers" about Belly having betrayed him which ends up being a movie called Marathon Man that he is actually remembering is actually accurate. We also got a more concrete answer about what the function of the Beacons is, and, as Walter says on the tape that they play, they help the Observers locate points in space and time. That must be how they're not only able to travel through time but also can hop universes. There are, unfortunately, many questions on my list of unanswered questions to which I don't think we will ever get answers, but at least some big questions are being answered this season, such as the Child - a very major one.

I love how Walter refers to Astrid as Agnes. I can't recall if he has ever called her that before, but he just doesn't stop with the A names (and sometimes others such as Claire), and as I have said before, I definitely think that he does it on purpose. I am really happy that Astrid is finally out and about with the team and isn't back at the lab where she is alone. Maybe, that's because of the vehicles of Loyalists that show up just outside of the lab early in the episode and they finally decided to be smart and not put Astrid in danger, especially since she was attacked near the end of the last episode. I am also really happy to see some "girl" moments between her and Olivia; they are great together, and they really do not share enough scenes together. The most memorable one that comes to mind is when, during "Marionette" (3.09), Olivia is suffering a great deal and asks Astrid how Peter and Redverse Olivia were together. Astrid tells her that Peter seemed really happy but tries to comfort her by reminding her that Peter thought that Redverse Olivia was his Olivia - her. They really do need more screen time together, as I have always said that I would have liked to have seen the two of them as closer friends, and in this episode, once again, they discuss Peter, with Astrid counseling Olivia, Olivia saying that she is fearful that she is losing Peter. It's funny, too, because Anna Torv and Jasika Nicole are actually really great friends. I also love the look on Astrid's face when she tries to touch Dr. Hastings' devices and he scolds her; that is so hilarious.

Walter makes his usual drug reference when he points to a location nearby the storage facility and says that he used to drop acid there while he watched ships dock. His humorous lines usually are drug-related (or food-related), but they're still always funny, especially when, as he does in this case, he says them so nonchalantly. I am so happy that we get to see Nina again and really wish that Blair Brown (as well as Lance Reddick) were still series regulars. It seems as if FOX, knowing that this is definitely the last season, didn't put as much funding into this season, since neither Blair Brown nor Lance Reddick are series regulars anymore and have been featured on the show so little; it is a shame. Wyman and the gang were most likely forced to cut people that they could afford to for the sake of the story due to such limited funding. It's awesome that, under the persistent circumstances, Fringe has managed to survive on FOX for five seasons, but I have still always gotten the impression that FOX's heart hasn't always been in this series. I say that because I (used to) watch other FOX shows, such as 24, House, and New Girl, and while advertisement for shows such as Bones and House receive(d) a great deal of advertising attention during commercial breaks, Fringe was and is very seldom advertised during commercial breaks. FOX just didn't seem to have its whole heart into it, but I do profusely commend them for keeping it on for five seasons, at least, and I am grateful for that; it has certainly been a longer ride than many, including cast and crew, probably expected it to be. Blair Brown even said recently that she didn't even initially expect FOX to pick the pilot episode up.

Nina is back, and, as I said, it is so good to see her, especially since there are so many good scenes with her. She sees Olivia, and they share a really special moment together, even though it would have been even better if they both shared the same memories. The dialogue between Nina and Walter is absolutely phenomenal; it's such good writing. Walter asks her if she sees the old Walter in him, the cruel, callous one, and she says that she does not, but then, later, Walter tells Nina that Belly never loved her, that he didn't love anyone, and Nina says, "You asked me if I saw him in you; I just did," and she proceeds to tell him that the Walter that she knew would never say something so cruel. It's just such a good scene, although I interpret what Walter says during that scene a bit differently than Nina does, although I understand how it would be difficult not to take something like that personally when someone whom you love is the topic of the conversation. Walter does, indeed, say that Belly never loved Nina, but he also proceeds to say that he never loved anyone; his anger is directed toward Belly because of what he had tried to do to Olivia, how he had betrayed the team, not Nina, and that is totally reasonable to me. Later, though, Walter finds a photo of Nina in Belly's safe, and since it was locked up, Walter deduces that the photo was obviously important to Belly and he obviously did love Nina, so he meets up with Nina, shows her the photo, and apologizes, which is also a great scene. He, also, of course, asks her to remove the pieces of his brain that Etta and Simon put back in because he doesn't want to push loved ones away.

It's funny how Walter's personality is changing and it scares him, but Peter's personality is changing and he embraces it; I think that the writers want us to see that parallel, especially since, as Walter tells Nina before he asks her to remove those pieces of his brain, Walter is relying on Peter to help prevent him from becoming the man that he was. We really start to see Observer mannerisms as he talks to Anil, and Anil, who doesn't even know Peter as well as most other characters do (which is probably why Peter seems to not feel a need to inhibit his Observer mannerisms when he is around Anil), even begins to see changes and become concerned. Near the end of the episode, we see that Peter seems to have fully embraced Observer mannerisms and begins cocking his head like one and speaking like one, and now, it is around Olivia as he reveals to her that he has planted the technology in his head. Josh Jackson does a great really great job here. It's just odd, though, because he tells Olivia that Etta will be avenged, but that is indicative of an emotion. He also smiles at the Etta RESIST poster near the beginning of the episode, another example of emotion, not only happiness at the thought of her but the drive for revenge. This final sequence is just awesome and had my heart pounding, and it's so great because of the David Bowie song "The Man Who Sold the World" overlaying the scene, and when his hair begins to fall out, I was so crazy with excitement. I love this episode because of this awesome final scene, the answers that we get, and the callback to the pilot episode as Anil takes some Observers out using the same skin-melting technology that we saw on Flight 627. I am also going to count having seen peppered raw meat as another possible answer because I think that the purpose of showing that to us in this episode is to say that it's the technology that inhibits taste. I give "Five-Twenty-Ten" 9 pilfered David Robert Jones records, due to Belly discovering David Bowie records that Belly had apparently stolen from him, a very funny scene.

Fringe - "Through the Looking Glass and What Walter Found There" (5.06)

I like "Through the Looking Glass and What Walter Found There" but honestly expected a little bit more out of it. The promo at the end of "An Origin Story" honestly made me expect a bit more, but I ultimately give the episode 8.5 acceptable losses. This episode is a bit lacking for me, and I, therefore, feel that a rating of 8.5 is a bit high, but there are reasons that I couldn't bring myself to drop it any lower than that. For example, season 1 leaves us with a major question that is unanswered, and that is the identity of the Child from "Inner Child" (1.15), and finally, we receive confirmation that he, indeed, is an Observer. This is something of which most of us were already sure, but it was still very rewarding to finally receive that confirmation, to know for sure. The actor playing the Child is not the same actor as the one who played him during "Inner Child" (1.15), but that does not bother me because that is completely understandable; they probably needed him to be the same age, and obviously, the first actor would be older by now. Did we learn everything about the Child? No; we still don't know why he was underground or how he had been there for so long without aging. We also see in this episode that the writers are not just going to dismiss Donald, that he is going to be important and that we are going to see more of him, and that is always good. Someone called into the Fringe Podcast and suggested that he is the same Donald that we see in "August" (2.08), no longer dead because he didn't die in this timeline, and that is a good theory. I am really happy that the writers aren't just throwing us curveballs, that they are going to reward us for standing by. I just really hope that we are going to learn of the significance of Rogue/Mosley because he certainly remains a major mystery.

I really love how at the very beginning of the episode, Walter sits down for a new tape, and on the tape, Walter says, "Hello, it's me, but you know that already." It sort of reminds me of when Walter, during a season 1 episode, says hello to Peter and says that it's him, his father. This tape is really quite funny, such as when there is a man behind Walter on the bus, a man who is staring at him, and Walter turns around and says, "May I help you?" Another funny part of the tape is when Walter completely stops what he's doing, sees a pastry shop, and says, "Is that raspberry filling?" There is an incredibly beautiful scene between Peter and Olivia near the beginning of the episode when Olivia says that it's fine that Peter goes to Etta's apartment but that she wants to go, too, wants to be included. "I want to understand what you're going through," she says, "and I want you to understand what I'm going through." This is a very beautiful scene, but at the same time, it drives me crazy that Peter is lying to her and continues to do so throughout the episode. We have seen a lot of secrets on Fringe. Firstly, Walter kept Peter's identity from him for so long, or place of origin, as would probably be more accurate, and when Olivia found it, she kept it from Peter as per Walter's request. Then, Peter killed Shapeshifters, and the reverse happened; Walter knew, but Peter told him not to tell Olivia. Now, of course, Peter has implanted Observer technology into himself, and he is keeping it from everyone. The reason that I bring all of this up is because I think that these secrets help illustrate moral differences between Peter and Olivia and possibly even who loves the other more. During the one time that Olivia had to keep a secret from Peter, doing so tore her apart; she hated it, but when we've seen Peter having to keep a secret from her, it doesn't seem to bother him too much.

When we see some sort of surveillance device scanning Walter, I was totally reminded of Person of Interest, and I can't remember whether or not the same thought occurred to anyone else. I was in the Fringe Podcast chatroom the night that this episode aired, but as always, I only check it during commercial breaks and then after the episode is over so that I can submit my Bunsen Burner rating, so if anyone said that that scene reminded him or her of Person of Interest, I didn't see it, and I can't remember if Darrell of the Fringe Podcast said so during the podcast episode (I don't mention Clint because I don't think that he has seen Person of Interest). The woman in the apartment reminded me of a Borg with her strange electronic eye device, and I know that I am not the only one who thought so because Darrell said the same, and I doubt that that was a coincidence because the Borg are directly referenced during the premiere episode when an Observer says that "resistance is futile," and Etta says that she is pretty sure that she has heard that before. Another entertainment link that my mind linked (which I did see others say, too, in the chatroom) is to Inception when Walter and Cecil walk upside down through the hallway in the pocket universe, and speaking of the pocket universe, I love the scene right before the opening theme when Walter does his crazy, unnecessary dance before entering the pocket universe and just disappears through some sort of wormhole when he does enter it; that is definitely such a cool, crazy way to open the episode, and I love that scene.

Cecil is one factor of the episode that brings it down for me. He is a throwaway character who serves no purpose other than to show us that time works differently in this pocket universe, since he has been there for twenty years or so even though it has only been five days for him. I immediately knew that he would be redshirted because (a) he immediately smells like an episodic character, and the team wouldn't leave him in the pocket universe, and (b) he wouldn't have had anywhere to which to return, and I couldn't see him following the team around. Walter says that he couldn't have survived five days without food or water, and initially, I wasn't sure if this were true because I have heard stories of people going weeks without food and surviving, but this actually is true, as Walter says food and water. I did a bit of research, and while it's true that humans can live for a few weeks without food, we can only live three to five days without water. It is a shame that Cecil, who only wanted to escape the pocket universe so that he can return to his family, learns that (a) about twenty years have actually passed, and (b) that means that his family is probably dead, but as I said, I saw it coming. Initially, I thought that Walter being so cruel, such as when he refers to Cecil as an acceptable loss, was only because he was extremely determined, and while he is determined, we learn that that is also because his old personality, the one that existed prior to pieces of his brain having been removed, is resurfacing, and he's becoming more like Walternate (I think that that is the "him" to which he refers at the end of the episode), and it's so sad that Peter, in an effort to console him after Walter heartbreakingly says, "I'm losing the man that you helped me become" (did anyone else find it odd that Walter called him Pete?), says that he won't let Walter lose himself and then calls him dad, something which has always been a prelude to tragedy in the past, so I am definitely scared.

As aforementioned, we finally learn that the Child from "Inner Child" (1.15) is, indeed, an Observer, and we learned this due to the fact that there was an oxygen deprivation tank in the room where Walter left the Child. We still don't know why he was underground when he was discovered in "Inner Child" but no matter because I strongly believe that we will; this episode ends making it clear, I think, that we haven't seen the last of him, that he will come back into play, especially since he is apparently such a crucial part of the plan to defeat the Observers. The underground discovery leads me to two possible conclusions (although what is actually true probably won't be either of these). The first is that that is where the Child went as a result of having been stowed in the pocket universe, but there are problems with this. (a) It still doesn't explain how he could have been there for decades without aging, and (b) Walter gives us the impression that that case did not happen in this timeline, so why would the Child have gone back to a different timeline than this one? The other possibility that comes to mind is that the Child is actually a young version of September, and the underground area that we see in "Inner Child" is where he was put as a result of having been locked out of the universe by the other Observers during season 4. This still doesn't explain why it was another timeline to which he was sent, but his agelessness could be due to technology that the Observers have; maybe, when an Observer is locked out of the universe, they cannot age, and maybe, the arrival of the Beacon during "The Arrival" (1.04) was September being sent to that underground area, but then again, that can't be because he had been there for decades (obviously, I am using this episode review as a thinking pad; forgive me). I don't know; those are just some thoughts.

I find it very odd how Peter is shocked by Walter not remembering the Child from "Inner Child" because there is an obvious explanation - Walter never experienced that case. That immediately suggested to me that at some point during the 2012-2015 span, the timeline was restored to its previous state, but then, Olivia says, "Maybe, Walter doesn't remember the same way we do." That is a vague statement, and purposefully so, most likely, but I can only assume that she is referring to the timeline reset. I also find it odd that Walter would have utilized the Child without Peter and Olivia having known, and we know that that's true because both seem surprised that Walter had, in fact, been utilizing him, and Peter references "Inner Child" to try to help jog Walter's memory, not a 2015 event. Why would Walter, who apparently hadn't even experienced that case, be consulting the Child without Olivia and Peter having known, the only two who apparently had met the Child in this timeline? Another poignant question: since the Child is, indeed, an Observer, does that mean that his memories did not change when the timeline was reset, that he still remembered Peter? It's all very mind-boggling, but I just hope that we find out why he was underground, in that timeline, and why he hadn't aged for decades. I would assume that Observers normally do age since (a) they are of human origin, and (b) they are of different ages; Observers such as December and Windmark, for example, are older. I think that we will get such answers, though; the writers giving us the Child this episode was, I think, intended to say that they haven't forgotten about him, and we realize that he is still a lingering mystery, but don't worry because that mystery will be solved this season, and I can't wait to stick around.

Another reason that this episode loses a couple of points is that once again, Astrid is left alone, and that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. This time, it's even more dangerous than before because it's not like she's hiding underground in a basement that isn't used anymore; she's basically out in the open, and if trouble were to arrive, she would have no way of notifying the team to tell them to get out of the pocket universe. I don't understand why she didn't go into the pocket universe with them; a stakeout just makes no sense, especially since she was left alone. If they had wanted to feel extra safe by having someone watch a window, then either Peter or Olivia should have stayed with her rather than left her alone, and repeatedly this season, we have seen Astrid foolishly left alone in an unsafe place. Astrid is, once again, being marginalized and is not getting the opportunity to do any work in the field, and it's extremely frustrating. Speaking of Observers arriving at the apartment building, though, here's an interesting question that I haven't seen or heard anyone else ask (besides my brother) - why do the Observers need vehicles? We know that they can pop in and out of space and time, so why would they need a vehicle to get from one to place to another? Windmark, after all, whooshed himself out of the building where Etta was killed. That is just very odd. Sure enough, though, Astrid is, indeed, attacked, and while I can only hope that that will teach the team a thing or two about leaving Astrid alone, I doubt that it will. I shrieked, by the way, when that happened, and I also shrieked when an Observer attacked Olivia; the writers, via killing Etta, have basically already said to us that killing characters to whom we are attached is fair game.

Something else that doesn't make any sense is the fact that time in the pocket universe and time in the Blueverse was apparently parallel while the team was in the pocket universe during this episode, even though that was not the case for Cecil. Walter, in fact, had known this ahead of time back in 2015 because he leaves the Child in the pocket universe and tells him that he will be back very soon. Mathematically (yes, I did actually do the math), if the team perceived the amount of time that they were in the pocket universe as being about an hour (which I would say is probably accurate) and if Cecil was in the pocket universe for about twenty years, then Astrid should have been watching through that window for about sixty-one days, and that is obviously assuming that the amount of time that passed in the pocket universe and the amount of time that passed in the Blueverse while Cecil was in the pocket universe is constant, but even so, it still looked to me like Astrid waited the same amount of time as the team was in the pocket universe. As usual, we see a very observant Olivia during this episode. She notices that the small radio, now present in the room where Walter left the Child, was not present in the room in the video, and I wonder how this radio will come into play. Maybe, either the Child or Donald will contact them via the radio? We also see Peter now with superpowers, which is pretty cool, especially when he snaps the Observer's neck after the Observer tells Peter that he doesn't know what he has done and that he has "made a grave mistake," another reason that the episode gets points, and it's also cool how, at the very end of the episode, we see how Observers see, as Peter now sees this way. I also love the fact that the doors in the pocket universe have the glyphs on them (even though I was hoping for a deeper insight into their significance), and I love the Alice in Wonderland references. This is definitely a decent and very trippy episode, but between Cecil being an obvious redshirt, the Child not being fully resolved (even though I know that he will be), and the pocket universe seeming to be an episodic setting (although, who knows - maybe, we will return to it), it's just not one of my favorites.

Fringe - "An Origin Story" (5.05)

"An Origin Story" is an absolutely phenomenal episode, an episode that is sure to go down as a monumental episode in Fringe history, and while it may seem odd that I say that since I give the episode 9 Peter Bauers instead of the full 10 (a rating which I ascribed to the previous "The Bullet That Saved the World" episode), the only reason the episode has been knocked down by a point is because of how dark it is; this may, in fact, be the darkest episode of Fringe to date, and while that isn't necessarily a bad thing, this episode borderline terrified me and really disturbed me. I, in fact, had a nightmare because of it the night that it aired, and if memory serves me well, Fringe has never caused such a personal episode before, and that's saying something because this is coming from a guy who is a big horror film fan (the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, the Hellraiser franchise, the Saw franchise, and so forth are all favorites of mine), yet this still messed me up, and that could be because even though Fringe can be very twisted, I don't think that I have ever been accustomed to it being this twisted, and I think that it's also because we're seeing one of our "good guys" become very corrupt and murderous because of grief-ridden rage. Peter Bishop is definitely out for revenge, and he will now stop at nothing to defeat the Observers. I have my theories about how all of this might play out, but I could be totally wrong and probably will be because with very few exceptions (such as Redverse Olivia being pregnant back during season 3), I usually am wrong when it comes to Fringe theories. I had thought, for example, that David Robert Jones was Olivia's biological father, and that didn't end up being true.

Right near the beginning of the episode, Olivia comments upon how unfair it is that they just got Etta back only to lose her again, and I totally agree with that, as that was my reaction to the previous episode. Etta's death was and is heartbreaking for that reason, and back during "The Recordist" (5.03) episode, Peter tells Olivia, after she tells him that she had always felt like she wasn't worthy of Etta, that he doesn't know why but their family has been given a second chance, a chance that he is going to take, and that only makes her death even harder to swallow. I love how Peter finds the concealed C-4 in Etta's apartment and says, "That's my girl." This reminds me of David Robert Jones saying the same (only in much creepier fashion) of Olivia after she turns the lights off in the "Ability" (1.14) episode, therefore, in my opinion, giving more weight to my David Robert Jones being Olivia's biological father theory, even though we now know that that isn't the case. This episode is a close examination of humanity and how we deal with trauma differently. Olivia basically shuts down and tries not to respond to it but fails, as she can't help but cry. She is, in a sense, in denial, because she refuses to watch the video recording of Etta's birthday, and I think that her finally deciding to watch it is a sign of an emotional awakening, a rise from numbness. Peter, on the other hand, is filled with rage, and his heart understandably becomes vengeful; this is a man who lost someone whom he held very dear to his heart, right up until the bitter end when she was taken away from him, and even then, he refused to stop looking for her right up until the moment that he had to amber himself. He is shattered, and he deals with pain via anger.

The Observer whom is captured by the Resistance, the one interrogated by Peter, says to Peter, "You blame us for her death," and that is an understatement. Peter has every right to blame the Observers; even though it was not that specific Observer who killed Etta (that would obviously be Windmark), this isn't really a witch hunt because it would seem that all of the Observers who are here are here for the same reason - to conquer and destroy, which is honestly not the outcome that I had been expecting of this episode. When I saw from the promo that an Observer would be captured, I wondered if, maybe, we were going to see an "I, Borg" (episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation) kind of scenario in which we would meet a "good" Observer (other than September and the calendared team, that is) who would display individuality and an understanding of the human race, but that is not the route down which we ended up going, as this Observer is just as nasty as the rest, and Peter, by the end of the episode, kills him. Walter, though, seems to be the most sensible of the Bishop family. One can easily tell that he, too, is grieving, but he seems to be the only one in a healthy state of mind, which is ironic; it is very ironic that now, Peter is the one out to cross some lines while Walter is the one trying to talk some sense into him because the reverse of that always used to be true. Astrid (or should I say Abner?) seems sad, too, but I don't think that she has taken it as heavily as the rest of them because she didn't get to know her as well; she spent most of the time that Etta was with them in the lab, and we didn't see many scenes between her and Etta, unfortunately, but I love scenes between Astrid and Olivia because there aren't that many (another memorable one that comes to mind is from "Marionette" (3.09)), but when we do get one, it's really great.

Walter tries to convince Olivia to watch a video recording of a birthday of Etta, and she says, "Walter, I am holding on by a thread." I really like what we see from Olivia during this episode because some people seemed to think that Olivia's reaction to Etta's death at the end of the previous episode was empty and lacked any depth, and while it is true that she didn't really cry, I think that she was in shock, and we certainly do see her cry now. We see that she is in emotional turmoil and is trying to hold herself together until she finally loses it and falls apart at the end of the episode, an incredibly heartbreaking scene especially because of the emotional impact of the video recording (seeing Olivia and Peter happy together like that has been something for which we have been waiting a long time). Walter delivers a beautiful speech to Olivia, trying to console her. He says that he understands the grief of losing a child and says that building walls around her heart, or breaking a universe, or seeking revenge, will not absolve the pain. I love, though, how we do see her a bit vengeful (although not to Peter's extent) when she shoots the Observer who almost bashes Peter's head in with his foot. She says, "Yeah, it is that type of gun," a great line, and it's comical when the Observer tries to catch the bullet but fails. We see during that scene just how physically strong the Observers are, which is pretty darn strong. We learn from this episode that the Observers apparently think of themselves as god-like, at least in comparison to us, and this is evident from the captured Observer's comment regarding their viewing us as an ant colony to be crushed. He also says to Peter (twice) that "you don't even know what you don't know," and initially, this really confused me, but after some thought, it would seem that he is saying that we aren't even aware of the knowledge that we could have but simply don't.

Peter is very close to a Jack Bauer throughout this episode (hence my Bunsen Burner rating), and the only other time that I can think of that we have seen Peter anything like this is during the "Reciprocity" (3.11) when he goes on a Shapeshifter killing spree. I would say that this is far worse, though, which makes a great deal of sense considering how much more personal that this is to him, but both episodes share similar final scenes. Peter, as he cuts the chip out of the captured Observer, asks the captured Observer, who is writhing in pain, if he feels that and then says, "That is the pain a father feels when he loses a child," an incredibly intense scene. It seems, speaking of which, that the Resistance is not going to allow Etta to have died in vain, as they have posted posters of her that have the word RESIST on them.

As much as I love this scene, it seems farfetched that neither Peter nor Olivia notice these as they drive down this alley, nor does Peter notice them as he runs down the alley before Olivia notices them, but I digress. Peter ultimately removes the chip from the Observer, and I wonder if the Observer dies because the Observers can't survive without these chips, and if it's the latter, does that mean that Peter now has to spend the rest of his life with this chip implanted? I doubt that we're going to see him sporting a fedora and a suit (although it's apparent that the writers did have this planned out for a while since Josh Jackson was dressed as an Observer in a season 4 ComicCon video), but I do think that we will see him with newfound Observer abilities. After all, since Olivia presumably doesn't have Cortexiphan left in her system, perhaps, Peter will now be the superhero. I also wonder if the title has to do with something other than Peter saying the Observers origins are human but also has to do with the possibility that Peter having inserted the chip into his neck is what ultimately creates the Observers. I was happy to have seen Walter demonstrate a scientific explanation (I wonder why it didn't work, though - why wasn't the wormhole successfully collapsed?) with toys; that made it feel a bit like old Fringe. This is, again, an excellent episode; season 5 now has me hooked.