"Gene's Dream / The Perfect Woman" (Tales from the Fringe #5)

If you have not yet read this comic but would like to read it, then please don't read any further, as this does contain spoilers, even though not having read this really doesn't put you behind at all as a Fringe fan, as this comic holds almost nothing that is valuable. This is, by far, the worst comic book so far out of either Fringe series. I feel like this comic was created entirely as a filler. "Let's see, we are saving Olivia for last, and other than Olivia, we are covering Peter, Broyles, Astrid, and Nina. Who else to cover besides Gene?" It would have been utterly awesome, however, if we had been given a comic about the Observers, or about Sam Weiss, or even about someone from the Other Side. Lincoln Lee would have been really neat. Don't get me wrong; I love Gene. I mean, how could you not? However, this comic is pretty much a complete waste of time, and the only reason why I am even reviewing it is because I am a man of consistency; it wouldn't feel right to skip over it. Before I start talking about this ridiculously useless comic, I will give my Bunsen Burner rating, which is the lowest rating that I have ever given anything Fringe related - two mercows. Needless to say, I was not happy with this comic.

 

The first half of the comic is titled "Gene's Dream" and obviously gives us a story involving Gene, Walter's cow (only Walter could get away with having a pet cow in Boston, Massachusetts), but Walter and Peter are in this story, as well. Walter says goodnight to Gene and tells her not to get into any food, so, of course, that is exactly what she does. She gets into the fridge and pilfers some Chinese food, and she consequently has a dream that involves the corpse of Dan Gillespie (a reference, obviously, to "Fracture") attacking her, and chaos ensues. The following day, Peter finds Gillespie's crystallized ear in Gene's droppings, which suggests to us that it is possible that it was not a dream at all, which is utterly ridiculous, even in the world of Fringe. I think that it is much more likely that Gene got hungry and wasn't satisfied by the Chinese food, so she went for seconds, her seconds involving Gillespie's corpse. I do appreciate the reference to "Fracture" (2.03), but that is really the only value that this story has. All we learned is this random little mishap that occurred one night in the lab, but we don't get anything meaningful or anything that gives us any insight whatsoever into the story of Fringe. It is quite frustrating, and while I wasn't expecting much from a comic about Gene's dreams as it was, this was even worse than I was expecting.

 

The second story is titled "The Perfect Woman,"and I actually disliked this story even more than I did the first. A man is conducting some sort of science experiment, and someone is willing to kill for it (someone that I, at first, thought was Mosley from "The Arrival" (1.04), but his hat doesn't have the green-green-green-red sequence). That person does, in fact, kill for it, killing the man's daughter but failing to kill the man, who survives. The surviving man conducts the experiment on his deceased daughter, apologizing to her for her need to be his first subject. Ultimately, we see that the experiment involved turning her into some sort of sea creature, so she looks like some sort of hybrid between Ursula the Sea Witch and a mossy mermaid, and she gets her revenge by killing the man who killed her, saying that she bets that he didn't think that he would ever be seeing her again, yet here she is. The ultimate fate of her father is not revealed, but his experiment was apparently successful, and she becomes, as the title suggests, "the perfect woman." Yes, we see the traditional Fringe concept of human experimentation, but I still was not happy with this.

 

First of all, why? Why is this important? Why did we need to see this? I want to feel rewarded for spending the extra money as an exceptional Fringe fan, and usually, I do. For example, prior to "The Bishop Revival" (2.13), I already knew that Walter's father had been a Nazi spy. I also have a lot of insight regarding the days that Walter and Bell were lab partners that someone who merely watches the TV series does not have, and I also know how Astrid was hired as an FBI agent - a very cool story, indeed. This entire comic, however, was pretty much useless; I don't feel enlightened at all, and that is why my Bunsen Burner rating is so low. Even when it has come to episodes that have not been all that great, I was given something. For "The No-Brainer" (1.12), I met the mother of Carla Warren, the lab assistant who was killed in the lab fire, and that story involved Walter and Peter growing closer. For "Night of Desirable Objects" (2.02), I met Sam Weiss. This was just utterly useless, and plus, would someone please explain to me how a cow got into a fridge? The art was great, especially when it comes to the first story (Walter looked exactly like Walter, even though Peter wasn't quite as great), and Gene's art was fantastic, as well. Needless to say, though, out of the twelve total Fringe comics, this is, by far, my least favorite.

Fringe - "Do Shapeshifters Dream of Electric Sheep?" (3.04)

Before I discuss this episode, I would like to warn those who have not yet seen it that if you read any further, you will come across a great deal of spoilers. Don't read this if you haven't yet seen the episode. Okay, well, now commencing, this was, by far the best episode of the season so far, in my opinion. There is so much action in this episode, so much that goes on in a single episode, so much revealed, and I am very pleased with it, ultimately giving it 9.5 Dinosaur Cookies. At the very beginning of the episode, Bolivia and Peter are trying to guess as to the attributes of the couples surrounding them, and in regards to one particular couple, Peter says, "They haven't slept together yet. You can always tell when a relationship is about to take that next step," and the two of them exchange awkward smiles. At that point, I knew that the two of them would be sleeping together very soon; I totally saw that coming. I was still taken aback by the ending of the episode, though, because I wasn't expecting it so soon. I am also taken aback by the number of Fringe fans who are horrified by what happened at the end of the episode. Peter thinks (we can assume, anyway) that Bolivia is Olivia, and Bolivia, especially now that Newton has challenged her, is going to do whatever she can to ensure Peter's trust. The question is (which is the Poll for this week; please do vote), is Bolivia truly falling in love with Peter, or is it all a show?

During this conversation, Peter also says, "Unless you put yourselves in another person's shoes, I don't think you can really judge their situations." This mirrors what he says to Walter in the second season finale, "Over There," which is that he is trying hard to see Walter's side of the story, so when he says this to Bolivia, is he consciously talking about Walter, or should he be practicing what he is preaching? Walter is especially hilarious in this episode. At Massive Dynamic, after losing his cool with his class, he decides that it is hot in the room and that it would therefore be appropriate to take his pants off, and Nina's reaction ("Uh, sorry to interrupt.") is priceless, as is Peter's explanation that Walter is "trippin' his brains out." I would like to add, by the way, that like the crane in episode 1.04, "The Arrival," the computers in the room in which Walter is teaching say Massive Dynamics, with an "s." If you don't know that story, that was what it was to be called originally until the "s" was dropped, so I don't know why it's there now. Walter apparently notified a Desk Attendant at Massive Dynamic that an "Astro" Farnsworth would be arriving, and despite what some fans seem to think, the scene that follows is not the first time that Walter has gotten Astrid's name right. Although she doesn't hear him because it's actually September to whom he is speaking, I believe that the first time is at the end of "The Road Not Taken" (1.19).

Then, there is the scene in which Walter gets something to eat after Bolivia convinces him to do so even though he is not hungry, and Astrid points out that he said he didn't have an appetite. Walter tells her that he is "eating for comfort." This then results in a conversation between Walter and Astrid in which Astrid points out that Walter loves animal cookies, and Walter grumpily says that no, he doesn't like them, Belly did, and that he only eats them in his honor. He then says that Belly believed that dinosaur cookies (which I would have thoughtdo exist) were a better idea, which also was pretty funny, especially when he uses his "Waltery" tone of voice, amused and entertained. We also get quite a bit of character development from Walter in this episode. I was, at first, very surprised that Walter is not only comfortable working at Massive Dynamic but wants to work there. However, I got thinking about it, and this would, of course, be the case. We first see in "Of Human Action" (2.07) that Walter is jealous of what he sees at Massive Dynamic, jealous of Belly. Now that Massive Dynamic is Walter's, it would only make sense that he would want to embrace it. Additionally, he showed a great deal of courage (as it was clear that he was reluctant) when he attempted to take out the Shapeshifter, Ray Duffy, and I couldn't believe that Walter was assaulted so badly; that was a first. I wonder if Ray recognized Walter. Had he ever met Walternate?

We learn in this episode, although I guess it's not all that important, that Shapeshifters apparently do not have a pulse, and I can't believe that all this time, Van Horn has been a Shapeshifter. It certainly shocks Broyles, and when Newton shoots Van Horn in the left eye, we see what is probably the most emotion that we have yet seen from Broyles when his eyes widen and he shouts, "No!" At first, I thought that it was really Van Horn who had been hit, that it was a Shapeshifter who had hit him and then replaced him, so I was confused, but no, Van Horn, even when we first meet him in episode 2.06, "Earthling," has been a Shapeshifter all this time. Additionally, I would like to express my opinion that the actress who played the part of Patricia Van Horn (Shannon Cochran) is not a very good actress, unless, of course, Patricia Van Horn is a Shapeshifter, as well and was putting on a show. The promo for this episode was definitely cleverly edited to make us think that Peter was going to find out who Bolivia is this week, something that I didn't fall for. In the promo, Bolivia approaches Peter and asks him what he found, and he shows her a photograph of Olivia. Looking suspicious, he says, "It's you." Obviously, it was very misleading, and I knew that it was when I first saw it. During this scene, though, when Bolivia is on the phone with Newton outside of Van Horn's office, telling Peter that it's Rachel, I can't help but wonder how it is that Peter doesn't hear her.

Obviously, Redverse Olivia's operation here is still in effect, and the team does not know the truth. However, Peter finally questions changes in her personality, and it's about time. For example, in this episode, Bolivia tries to convince Broyles not to bring Patricia in to help them, and she says, "I don't think it's a good idea. Imagine the panic if she talks to the press." That is not Olivia, and Broyles should be wondering why she is different, too. In episode 1.06, "The Cure," Olivia interrupts Emily Kramer's wake, despite Peter's objections, because saving Claire Williams is more important to her than maintaining peace in the Kramer household, and that wasn't just because of her birthday. That's how Olivia is; she will do whatever it takes to get the job done, and Broyles has both scolded and praised her for this. Olivia most likely would have been the one to suggest bringing Patricia in, not to say that it's not a good idea because of the press that they might have to deal with as a result. Surely, Broyles thinks that something is up with her. Peter, much like Darrell of the Fringe Podcast sore of argued, tells Redverse Olivia that he has been trying to come up with ways to explain the sudden differences in her personality, and she doesn't follow up on this. Does he now suspect that she is Redverse Olivia? Well, unless he is falling in love with Bolivia and doesn't care where Olivia is, I doubt it because he hasn't brought it up with Broyles or anyone, and he sleeps with Bolivia at the end of the episode.

If you haven't seen the film Along Came a Spider (based on a novel by James Patterson that is a million times better than the film), then I apologize, but I really do want to make this connection. I will do my best not to spoil too much by avoiding the character's name. When we learn in that film who the "baddie" is, Alex Cross (played by Morgan Freeman) points out a time at which that character had a clear shot at the then perceived "baddie"'s car but hesitated. I wonder if that kind of situation will play out when Bolivia is compromised. Will Peter return to the time at which Redverse Olivia had a clear shot at Newton and his car but hesitated? Redverse Olivia, though, with her command ("Keep your hands where I can see them!"), certainly is a good actress. The scene that directly follows says something to the viewer that I didn't hear the first time that I watched the episode. When Redverse Olivia calls back to Peter, lying, saying that she can't find the disk, she and Newton exchange facial expressions that say, "You know what we have to do now." First of all, Newton can't survive without Mercury fixes, and second of all, he can't afford to be compromised, so he has to "self-destruct," which really disappoints me, because now the showdown between Olivia and Newton that is foreshadowed in episode 2.10, "Grey Matters" ("Now I know how weak you are.") isn't ever going to happen. In a word, it is disappointing. I feel like he has just been effortlessly dismissed now, the same as Jones was.

Unfortunately, though, it was only a matter of time before something like this happened. You have two allies, and one of them has to pretend that the other is her enemy; she has to stay on task, and her task is infiltration, so their paths were destined to cross this way eventually. I just wasn't expecting it to be so soon, and I wasn't expecting Newton to die as a result. How does he die, exactly? What exactly does Bolivia give him? It looks like a computer chip, and I am guessing that it is some sort of self-destruction device designed in case it is ever necessary to exterminate a Shapeshifter. Unfortunately, I doubt that we're going to get too much more insight into what that mysterious "suicide pill" is. Sort of like he did our Olivia, Newton tells Bolivia that she is weak and that her weakness, her emotion, will be her undoing. What are we to make of this? Does this mean that she will turn? I'm not so sure anymore because without Newton, would there then be a "bad guy" here? Anyway, we learn from this episode that Shapeshifters are clearly capable of emotion, as Ray shows us, and I love the monster analogy that he makes when he speaks to "his" son. He tells him that sometimes, monsters can be your best friends, and the child says, "But you're my best friend." As sad as it is, especially since Newton kills Ray for his unwillingness to let them go (which I totally saw coming), it is also kind of funny, because it's like, "So, do the math, kid."

The title is derived from the Phillip K. Dick novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (adapted into the film Blade Runner), and if you read about the novel, you will definitely see the parallels.There was an Easter Egg in this episode that I caught; Walter is working on the twenty-third floor of Massive Dynamic, and twenty-three is a LOST number. I also find it interesting how during Nina's conversation with Peter near the beginning of the episode, she refers to Walter as Peter's father twice, and neither time does he correct her and say, "He is not my father." I guess that this is evidence that he has grown since he discovered the truth, that he has, to an extent, forgiven him. Ultimately, I find this to be an incredibly powerful episode, especially the ending. Within the last minute or so, there is absolutely no dialogue, just music, and it is powerful. Sure, there were a couple of aspects that I found to be a bit predictable, and I don't like the fact that, like Jones, Newton is dismissed, but something that I was just recently saying to my boyfriend (who happens to be named Ray) is that the writers of this show make a lot of decisions that I wouldn't make, but it's going to be an incredible show no matter what. We now have a little bit of a hiatus for the next couple of weeks, but be sure to tune back in on November 4th (according to FOX) for episode 3.05, "Amber 31422," which will return us "over there," at 9/8c on FOX.

Fringe - "The Plateau" (3.03)

If you have not yet seen this episode of Fringe, then, please, do not read any further, as this does contain spoilers. I didn't think that this episode is as good as the last one, but it was still great, following a great pace this season with which I am very happy. Over the summer, as I seem to say a lot, Lance Reddick said that this season would be a lot more mythology-oriented than last season, and so far, I can definitely agree with that. Sure, it may be that the "science" involving Milo Stanfield is seemingly "stand-alone," but I don't see Milo's story as being the primary story here; the primary story is Olivia's brainwashing procedure, and just as I thought, she is definitely not faking; she really does think that she is Bolivia. First of all, Bolivia's personality is definitely there (she is all smiles and bubbly, for example, and is wearing light colors such as white and lilac purple), and Olivia would have no way of knowing how to play Bolivia's part. This is why I can't understand how Peter doesn't realize that who he thinks is Olivia is actually Bolivia; Bolivia doesn't play the part of Olivia very well at all. When Olivia first walks into Fringe Division, I wondered if maybe, after all, she is faking, because a look on her face kind of says, "I can do this," but then she recognizes Charlie (I think it is appropriate to call him Charlie at this point and not Scarlie, because for all intents and purposes, he is Charlie) as being someone who owes her $70.00; she knows details that she shouldn't know but that Bolivia would know.

In this episode, Walternate, as promised, tells Colonel Broyles why he is keeping Olivia here. He says, "If we can learn what she already knows," and Broyles finishes his statement by saying, "We can begin to defend ourselves." The key word here is begin. Walternate, as we saw in the season 2 finale, is a liar, since he obviously has not told Broyles about the Shapeshifters. I find that interesting because he seems willing to tell Broyles everything else. What assurance does he have that Broyles won't tell the rest of the team the truth? Is he even telling the truth as to why he is keeping Olivia here? Why doesn't Walternate just tell everyone what he is up to? What does he fear? Is it because he knows that what he is doing is immoral? Is it because he figures that they will react the same way Broyles has, that they won't be on board with the idea? It's obvious to me that the writers want us to like Lincoln Lee and Charlie (who, by the way, is still injecting himself with something; this must be why he was bald in the second season finale, after all). They don't want us to see them as "bad guys." Walternate is another story, but the team is made up of good people (not Bolivia so much, though). Charlie, for example, is suspicious, and I think that it may be him (and possibly Broyles, too) who will help Olivia. At the end of the episode, Olivia is on the ground, gasping for air, and Charlie comes to her rescue. Foreshadowing, perhaps? That really would be beautiful. Charlie helped her once by telling her that "you're going to be fine," and now, he helps her again, in a matter of speaking.

It is confirmed in this episode that on the Other Side, technology is so advanced that pens have become obsolete. This is why Milo uses the pen to cause the murders; he knows that the pen will grab attention. I noticed, by the way, from spending some time in The Fringe Podcast chat room Thursday night that I was not the only one who was reminded of the Observers, and my boyfriend said that he reminded him of the Observers, too. During the scene in which Milo's sister tries to get him to come to his senses, he finishes her sentences, knowing what she was going to say, and, obviously, this is something that we have seen the Observers do. Is this what the Observers do, analyze every piece of data and then map out probabilities in their head? After Fringe Division arrives to the "scene of the crime," if you will, Lincoln Lee says, "No sign of environmental degradation." So, I guess that that gives us a little more insight into what caused the Blight and why coffee is so rare. Additionally, as we learn in this episode, avocados are rare, too. I find it interesting that in certain areas, the quality of the air needs to be checked before it is decided whether or not additional oxygen is needed. Is this due to the "environmental degradation"?

The Ivan Medical Group brought two thoughts to my mind - Massive Dynamic and INtREPUS Pharmaceuticals. As far as INtREPUS is concerned, as I have said before, it's very possible that INtREPUS is linked to Massive Dynamic somehow, as it has been featured in two episodes, episode 1.06, "The Cure," and episode 2.16, "Olivia. In the Lab. With the Revolver." In this episode, Ivan's goal was to increase intelligence, and what I couldn't help but think is that isn't this, more or less, the goal of Cortexiphan? Is the Other Side building their own soldiers? My understanding is that the Other Side's version of soldiers was the Shapeshifters, but perhaps there is more to their agenda than just the Shapeshifters. At the beginning of the episode, Blair Brown's name is listed, so I was expecting to see her, and I was so excited. I thought, finally, alter-Nina! However, no, we did not see alter-Nina in this episode. I was expecting to see her when Olivia and Charlie go to Ivan, thinking that maybe she owned that place, but nope, no Nina, needless to say. It's more likely that Blair's name is listed just because she is considered to be part of the "main cast." I wonder how long alter-Nina is going to be held off, because unless she is dead (which would be disappointing), we're going to have to meet her, eventually. On this side, Brandon works for Nina, so since he works for Walternate on the Other Side, does Nina work for Walternate, too? Is she who was communicating with Gnarlie via the typewriter at the beginning of Season 2, who is communicating with Bolivia via the typewriter now?

In this episode, despite the fact that Walternate insists that the "treatment" being given to Olivia will work, that she will eventually reach a "plateau" and will, at that point, for all intents and purposes, be Bolivia, Olivia seems to be coming around a little bit. She sees Peter and Walter, which, I think, is her unconscious trying to tell her who she really is. Her memories are merging, and that brings me to my prediction, my theory, if you will. I think that eventually, Olivia will come completely around and know who she really is, but she will remember having been Bolivia, so she will use what she learned during that time to pretend to be Bolivia until she can make it back here, which Charlie may help her do. Based on the ending of this episode, it would seem that she is now confused, unsure of who she is, but I do think that her identity as Bolivia will hold a little while longer. I love Peter's line at the end of the episode when Olivia tells him that he isn't real; he says that "real is only a matter of perception." That is definitely a memorable quote. Overall, it was a pretty good episode. We definitely got an intense and creepy soundtrack this week, if nothing else, and I give it 7.5 hallucinations.

Fringe - "The Box" (3.02)

If you have not seen this episode of Fringe yet, please be advised that this does contain spoilers. The fringe science in this episode is something that I find to be very cool and very interesting. At the very least, it's a relatively creepy episode, and two scenes come to mind when I say that, the first being the opening scene, when you see the people in a trance, bleeding out of their orifices, and the second being the scene in which Blake's blood is seeping underneath the door, and Bolivia tries to distract Peter so that he doesn't see it (just how did she end up preventing him from seeing that, anyhow?). The main attraction for me as far as this episode is concerned was finding out how the relationship between Peter and Walter has changed, and it definitely has. I am very glad that the storyline wasn't just thrown out that window. To all of those who thought that that arc was over, think again.

To what I am referring, of course, is The Fringe Podcast having said last last season that they were a bit disappointed that in the second season finale, everything was tied up. In "Northwest Passage" (2.20), Peter goes to the Other Side, and in the second half of the finale (2.22), he is brought home. Therefore, yes, Peter is no longer on the Other Side, but that does not mean that that arc is over. First of all, he still has issues that he needs to work out with Walter, and second of all, we don't know that Peter isn't going to end up over there again; that could, after all, be why Bolivia is here, and speaking of her presence here, don't get me wrong, she annoys me to no end, and I want her to go back where she belongs, but she is funny; you have to admit that. It is very entertaining to see how strikingly different Bolivia is from Olivia, and Bolivia, as we saw from the second season finale, is very, very confident and seemingly fearless, whereas Olivia is quite the opposite; she is doubtful and incredibly fearful. Bolivia's smug and confident personality is fun to watch, especially since we are not used to seeing that kind of acting from Anna. I love how she asks Newton, "Who's Bono?" pronouncing it "Bo-No." I guess that U2 doesn't exist on the Other Side. It figures, though, that the Other Side would have the technology to remove Bolivia's tattoo. One theory that I remember positing at the end of the last season was that our team will discover that Olivia is actually Bolivia by noticing the tattoo, but that possibility is now ruled out.

I love how Walter calls Astrid (who we get a lot more of in this episode than usual, thank God) "Aspirin." Sometimes, I really do wonder if he does that on purpose. He knows Astrid well enough by now to know her name, and the two of them are very close now. He spends more time with her than he does anyone on the team, and why in God's name would he mistake her name for "Aspirin"? I think that, sometimes, he just likes to bust hump, and I absolutely loved the music scene in which he sings Mozart. When Astrid thinks that he has brain matter on his tie, for a second, I thought that when he licks it off, it seriously was brain matter that he licks off, and I shrieked in horror until he clarifies that it was actually raspberry jam. Then, of course, we once again hear the song "Crazy," which is the second time that we have heard it in this series. The first time is the opening scene in episode 1.04, "The Arrival," when we first meet September, except that time, I believe that it was Willie Nelson's recording that we heard, whereas this time, it was Patsy Cline's recording. Peter says that in all the time that he has known Olivia, he has never known her to be a big fan of music, and this is merely one of many clues that should be transmitting to Peter but, for one reason or another, are not. Throughout this episode, all I kept saying (out loud, mind you) is that Peter is incredibly stupid. How can he not see that Olivia is different and put two and two together? He hasn't even mentioned to her that she isn't behaving like her usual self.

I really like how this episode refers to episode 2.05, "Dream Logic," in the scene in which Bolivia is reviewing Olivia's file and is watching a video in which Olivia gives a report regarding Dr. Nayak. She then comments on Olivia's photographic memory, saying that she doesn't know how she's going to fake that (which I think confirms that Olivia's memory is Cortexiphan-induced), so this could be a hint as to how the Fringe team is going to realize that she is Bolivia, not Olivia. I did notice what is hopefully not a continuity error, though; after Bolivia tells Peter that the past few weeks have been difficult for everyone, but in "Olivia," Lincoln Lee says that it was only a few days ago that life was good. Are we facing thatmajor of a continuity error, or is it simply that what we're seeing on the Other Side and what we're seeing here are not on the same timeline, that some time has passed since "Olivia"? For example, when we return to the Other Side next week in episode 3.03, "The Plateau," will we be jumping back in time a little bit, or will it simply be that that much time has passed since the season premiere? I'm not sure, but I really hope that that is not a continuity error, because that is a pretty dang big one to not notice and let slide, and it's really going to bother me if we do find out that it was a continuity error. Let's keep our fingers crossed, shall we?

Another storyline that this episode follows is Walter meeting Nina at Massive Dynamic in order to discuss William Bell's will, and this made me ask myself, when did Bell write this? When he discovered that he would be helping our team retrieve Peter, was it his plan all along to sacrifice himself for the cause? Did he, essentially, know that he was going to die? If not, when did he write it? Did he leave the rights to Massive Dynamic in that safety deposit box for Walter when he was here, or did he have someone else, like Nina, do it for him? I suppose that those questions really aren't important in the grand scheme of things, but it mostly just made me wonder whether he intended to sacrifice himself in order to retrieve Peter or if it was, as we previously believed, a spur of the moment decision. If you haven't read the latest comic book, I apologize, but I don't really see how I can discuss this scene without bringing in the comic, because the comic, more or less, confirms that Nina and Bell had had a romantic relationship and that she was mothering his child until she lost the child, a real tragedy. I bring this up because it really puts a lot of weight on what Walter says to her when he hugs her, that Belly's death must be especially difficult for her. Anyway, what's most important is that, yes, Walter now owns the most powerful company in the world, none other than Massive Dynamic; that really caused my jaw to drop to the floor. My boyfriend said that we are screwed, although "screwed" was not the word that he used, exactly.

The Silent but Deadly Weapon, which Peter realizes is part of the Doomsday Device, really reminds me of Alias. If you haven't seen Alias, I strongly suggest that you go Netflix it (or whatever you have to do) right now, because I guarantee you that you will love it. There are quite a few parallels between Alias and Fringe, as I'm sure you have noticed if you have seen Alias. The whole idea of Peter having been destined to fulfill this prophecy, a prophecy that involves an ancient artifact, is very reflective of Alias. Perhaps, Milo Rambaldi created the Doomsday Device. Wouldn't that be something? Anyway, this episode also makes me think about the Beacon from "The Arrival" (1.04). In that episode, the Beacon finds its way up through the ground and, as we discover, is vibrating at a different frequency. In this episode, the Box is also dug up. I really do think that the Beacon is part of the Doomsday Device, that it was sent here by Walternate. We know that it had to have been pretty dang important in order for September to call someone and say, "It has arrived." Something that I do question is how this arc involving Bolivia being here is going to be resolved. I really hope that she isn't going to die, but I really don't think so. I think she's going to make peace with Olivia and move away from Walternate.

As for our Olivia being on the Other Side, I have a feeling that if anyone on the Other Side is going to come to Olivia's aid, it's going to be alter-Broyles. Recalling back to the end of "Olivia," he doesn't seem to be okay with Walternate's method, and based on the promo for next week's episode, I don't think that that is going to change. I think that alter-Broyles is going to come to the conclusion that Walternate is far too extreme in his methods, and he's going to try to devise a plan to set matters straight. I think that the same is true of Bolivia, that she is going to come around when she realizes that Walternate is corrupt. Speaking of her, though, the very last scene in this episode kind of annoys me because I feel like we have been left with that kind of cliffhanger far too often, one in which someone from the Other Side is here, communicating with the Other Side via the typewriter. Last season, episode 2.02, "Night of Desirable Objects," ended with Gnarlie communicating with the Other Side via the typewriter, and the second to the last scene in the second season finale was Bolivia communicating with someone on the Other Side via the typewriter. I just feel like that is wearing out its worth, but I am concerned about Peter being "actively engaged" and am curious to know what is meant by beginning work on Walter. Ultimately, I really, really enjoyed this episode, and I give it 9 Raspberry Jam-Stained Ties.

Fringe - "Olivia" (3.01) - Season Premiere

After having seen the third season premiere of Fringe, I am burdened by a vast array of mixed emotions that don't want to wait to be resolved. Before I say anything about the episode, though, I would like to do my usual and provide a spoiler alert; if you haven't seen this episode yet, then please don't read this until you have. Okay, well, after having seen the many promos and sneak peeks, I had a general gist of how this episode was going to unwind, and I therefore was a bit disappointed. When I saw the first scene, in which Olivia is being questioned by the psychiatrist, I was not the least bit surprised that that was the first scene because after having seen that from the promos and sneak peeks, that's the scene with which I was expecting it to open. I agree with Clint of The Fringe Podcast, in that after seeing the second season finale, "Over There," this is not the path that I was expecting the third season premiere to take. What I was expecting, what I was hoping for, was for her to, yes, escape, but to do so in a much more epic way. The second season finale ends with Olivia trapped on the Other Side in a dark, windowless cell, and she was terrified. The last time that we saw Olivia terrified in a dark room was when she was a child, and consequently, she set fire to the place. That is what I was hoping to have happen in this episode, but that part of the mythology is still being dragged out, which is a bit frustrating.

How she does escape, though, really reminds me of how she escapes from Loeb in "Bound" (1.11). She convinces the man giving her a spinal tap to let her sit up since she is thirsty, and she therefore breaks the glass over his head, beats her captors up, and runs out of the place. I remember being disappointed with that because at the end of "Safe" (1.10), she is napped, and the series then went on hiatus for almost two months; then, when it came back, Olivia set herself free within the first fifteen minutes. Obviously, this is a bit different because she is not free, and she is, in fact, trapped on the Other Side, apparently now believing that she is Bolivia, which drives me absolutely insane, but she escaped from her cell. I can't believe that it is working; how, exactly, is she going to regain her memory? When will she regain her memory, and when she does, will she remember being Bolivia? Will Bolivia's memories remain? Over the summer, I saw an interview in which one of the cast members (I can't remember which one) said that Season 3 is really going to be about Olivia discovering herself, learning more about herself, and right now, I don't see how that is possible since she technically isn't herself.

I do feel an undying need to talk about the amber, especially since that is what the glyphs spelled during this episode. It is a pretty epic scene, but it kind of confused me, because I thought it was decided in "Over There, Part 1" (2.21) that a Quarantine was not necessary, and initiating one was therefore abandoned. Is it because Walter, Peter and Bolivia returned to our side, something that Walternate was not anticipating (unlikely since he asked Bolivia very early on to switch places with Olivia)? Also, in "Over There," it seemed to me like Fringe Division was responsible for initiating Quarantines, but in this episode, it seemed to be just your everyday street cops. Do they work under Walternate's provision, as well? If so, he seems to have a great deal of power, too much, in fact. Once again, we see Olivia demonstrate an incredibly powerful memory. First, she memorizes the code in order to escape from Walternate's facility, and then, she memorizes every bit of information on Henry's Show Me. It is a bit murky, though, because I have to wonder, whose memory skills were we seeing - Olivia's or Bolivia's?

I really, really liked Henry, but unfortunately, I don't think that we will be seeing him again. I think that he is purely an episodic character, but he is very likable. What hell Olivia put him through, the poor guy. However, there is definitely much sympathy to be had for Olivia, as well. There are three different scenes that especially made me feel really sorry for her. The first is the scene in which she talks about Peter to Henry, a scene that makes it very clear that she misses him. The second is the scene in which she walks into the bathroom stall and cries. Lastly, I felt really sorry for her when she discovers that Massive Dynamic doesn't exist on the Other Side, and she says that she is stuck there (the blimp crossing overhead is an epic scene). Something that doesn't make any sense to me, though, is that she expected alter-Nina to help her, had Massive Dynamic actually existed on the Other Side. If it had, alter-Nina would not have been this Nina, so why would she have helped Olivia? What help did Olivia expect alter-Nina to be? How did she expect her to help her return home? I wonder how she will get home. The only way that I can think of is our Fringe Team getting another group of Cortexiphan subjects to repeat the whole process over again, but that would be kind of dull and boring. Been there, done that.
 

Why exactly was Scarlie bald in the second season finale? In episode 1.19, "The Road Not Taken," Olivia gets a glimpse of the Other Side, and she sees Scarlie, who has hair. Then, in the second season finale, he is bald, and now, he has hair again. Does it have something to do with the infestation that the team refers to in the second season finale? I think so, because in this episode, after Charlie cracks a joke pertaining to Lee's disfigurement, Lee shoots one back about Charlie having been infested with worms, but why does he have a scar? If you can think all the way back to the second season premiere, "A New Day in the Old Town," Charlie, shortly before he dies, tells Olivia a story about being shot at, so on the Other Side, was he shot in the face, something that left him with a scar? Why did Nick Lane have a similar scar, then, which leads me to another important question - why did Lincoln Lee recognize Nick in the second season finale? Why does Walter want Olivia to believe that she is Bolivia? Is it, perhaps, so that she will help the Other Side travel to this side? Is that how she will return home? It is very disappointing, but not surprising, that Walternate refuses to tell Colonel Broyles (who is hiding from his team his knowledge that Bolivia is actually Olivia) why he is trying to implement Bolivia's memories into Olivia's, but I'm sure we'll find out soon enough. It's probably what I have suggested; that would make sense. Also, take note that Walternate does not seem the least bit broken up that Peter has gone back to this side. Peter was nothing more than a tool, but Walter loves him very much.

Anna Torv truly is a genius when it comes to acting. She is indeed making a case for an Emmy nomination (something that is long overdue to John Noble, as I'm sure that everyone reading this agrees). She is an outstanding actress, and this is exactly what she proves in this episode, and I'm sure that next week will be no different. Next week, titled "The Box" (which, I would like to point out, is also an Alias episode title) looks like it's going to be a ridiculously epic episode, and I am very excited. Was anyone else, however, taken aback by having seen Peter in this episode? In a recent interview, Josh Jackson said that Peter would not be in the premiere, yet there he is near the end of the episode. Granted, it is the very end of the episode, but still, he is in the episode. It's very possible, and easily understandable, however, that Josh confused that scene as an episode 3.02 scene, since it's so short, and that is, in fact, probably what happened. That final scene is so bittersweet. It's adorable how Peter tells (B)Olivia that while he was being questioned, the only thing that was on his mind was kissing her, which he demonstrates by kissing her, but, of course, we know that that is not his Olivia, that that is Bolivia, which is pretty heartbreaking. She is leading him on, pretending to love him since Olivia does, and she seems to be perfectly okay with that. It's just part of the job, right? I wonder how this is going to play out, because both the cast and the crew have hinted at a love triangle between Peter, Olivia and Bolivia, so what exactly will happen when Peter realizes that this is Bolivia? There was definitely a spark in the second season finale. "I think I like yours better."
 

Apparently, Olivia is not a good shot, which really surprises me. Three times, we have seen her shoot a Shapeshifter right smack in the middle of their forehead. I am, of course, referring to "Momentum Deferred" (2.04), when she kills Gnarlie, "Grey Matters" (2.10), when she kills the Shapeshifter making his way out of the back of Newton's van, and "The Man from the Other Side" (2.18), when she kills the Shapeshifter posing as a cop. In fact, the shot that she made in "Grey Matters" was from pretty far away, and I remember thinking then that she was a damn good shot, but I guess that Bolivia is better. When Walternate reviews the footage of Olivia making those amazing shots, though, he comes to the conclusion that Brandon's (I love/hate how he works for Walternate, which makes me wonder if Nina does, too) "treatment" is working, and this doesn't make any sense because how does he know that Olivia isn't a good shot, too? I mean, technically speaking, they are the same person; they just have strikingly different personalities due to strikingly different lives. Granted, Bolivia probably is a better shot due to more advanced training, but how would Walternate know that? Why would he assume that? Also, when Olivia tells the psychiatrist that she works for the FBI, the psychiatrist accepts this. However, Fringe Division is Department of Defense on the Other Side, which is not FBI, correct?

This season's intro does have new fringe sciences listed. What really surprised me is that one of them was not "First People" because it was my understanding that this season, we were going to find out what was meant by "First People." Of course, I'm not saying that we won't find out what was meant by it just because it's not in the new intro, but it does really surprise me that it was not in the intro if in fact we are going to find out what that means. Anyway, the sciences listed in the new intro are pandemic, transhumanism, speciation, singularity, wormholes, reanimation, neural networks (is this like the Ghost Network, I wonder?), telepathy, transcendence, retrocognition and biotechnology. I am also very surprised that "Parallel Universes" is not listed in the new intro because it was last season, and the show is more about parallel universes now than it has ever been. I wonder if next week, we will see even more fringe sciences listed, if these were just exclusive to "over there." I do have to say that I kind of miss the blue intro, and I think that we'll be getting the blue one back next week, since I think that it will be red for the "over there" episodes and blue for the "here" episodes.

I am really looking forward to this season as a whole; I think that it is going to be one heck of a thrill ride. We meet Bolivia's mother in this episode (an incredibly powerful scene), Marilyn Dunham, and word on the street is that she will be in episodes 1, 3, 5, and 7, at least, so via Bolivia's mother, I am hoping that an opportunity to explain more of Olivia's past will be seized. Maybe, we can find out who her biological father is, who her stepfather was (assuming Bolivia also had a stepfather), how Olivia's mother died when she was fourteen, etc. Over the summer, Lance Reddick said that Season 3 will be a lot more mythology-oriented, and based on the way it's being staged, I can see that this is clearly the case. Next week's episode looks like it's going to be even better than the premiere, and there are quite a few events that I am looking forward to unfolding. What exactly is going to happen between Peter and Bolivia? How has Peter and Walter's relationship changed? When we see Walter at the end of this episode, he seems to be under the weather (eating the cream from Oreos, of course), so is Peter being hard on him? Something that I remember reading is that this season, we're going to see the Peter that Peter was before he joined Fringe Division, so I'm hoping for answers surrounding Big Eddy, as well. Then, episode 3.03 is titled "The Plateau," but my lips are sealed from here on out, and I close by giving "Olivia" 8.5 Hijacked Taxis.

"Plan B / Knock Knock" (Tales from the Fringe #4)

This has definitely been my favorite issue so far from this series, and it's definitely the one that I have been looking forward to with the most anticipation, but before I begin to discuss it, I would like to warn those who have not read this comic yet that this does contain spoilers. Ever since my boyfriend started watching the series, he has been convinced that the hand in a jar that Walter retrieves from his old car in "The Same Old Story" (1.02) is Nina's hand, and I agreed with him, commending him for such a valuable observation that had not once crossed my mind in the two years that I had been watching the series. Therefore, I was very excited when I discovered that there would be a comic involving the history of Nina's arm, figuring for sure that he would be able to gloat. However, this comic confirms no such thing, which obviously does not rule the theory out, but it is very possible that that scene was intended as nothing more than to demonstrate how much of an oddball Walter is, that that hand could be anyone's hand. Plus, she lost half of her arm, not just a hand. On the other hand (no pun intended), the hand in the jar is a right hand (which is the one that Nina lost), and it also seems to be feminine. There could very well be a great deal to the theory.

 

In the comic, we learn that, for one reason or another (I have no suggestions to offer), Nina believed that she was not physically able to have children and was therefore very surprised when she discovered that she was pregnant. I really don't know what to make of that. Something that this comic does seem to confirm is that Nina and Bell were intimate, since all indicators are that Bell was the father of her child. This has been suggested many times, and the two examples that come to mind is Nina telling Olivia in "Olivia. In the Lab. With the Revolver." (2.16) that she knows what kind of feelings can sprout from a working relationship, and Walter having romantically paired Bell and Nina in his story in "Brown Betty" (2.19). When the doctor tells Nina that she should consult the father of her child, she says that he is "unavailable," which is what she tells Walter in "Peter" (2.15) as to why Bell could not attend Peter's funeral. As I know I have posited before, as well as many other Cortexifans, was Bell traveling between the universes even then? If so, doesn't that mean that Walter is not responsible for causing the damage between the universes?

 

Yet another piece of evidence to support the idea that Bell, even back then, was traveling between the universes is that Nina is surprised when he calls her, saying that she hadn't been expecting to hear from him. When they do meet, though, his behavior is so typical. He basically says to her that although he understands that she wants to have a family, that's not important to him when it's up against science, and Nina even tells him that she won't be a trophy. I was hoping for a twist at the end, to find out that the father was actually Broyles and that she would give birth to Astrid. Wouldn't that be a major twist, and the best part of it would have been that it would have been exclusive to those who read the comics. The ending, however, doesn't make much sense. If the lightning strike was bad enough to kill the baby, then how come it didn't do any serious damage to her? The doctor tells her that the arm saved her life, but I don't understand the science behind that at all. He tells her that the metal in her arm took the electricity and that she, therefore, didn't, but metal is a conductor, so if anything, it should have made the impact even worse, especially since the arm is now part of her DNA. Without the arm, she probably wouldn't have been electrocuted in the first place.

 

Was it just me, or did the suspicious man in the background of the hospital room look suspiciously like an Observer? It does appear as if he is wearing some sort of scarf, which we have not seen an Observer wear before, but, by all other appearances, it could very well be an Observer. If not, then I don't know why else he would be placed so creepily in the background like that, watching Nina and the doctor interact with each other. One final thought is that in the pilot episode, Nina tells Olivia to tread lightly, something that she would tell her own daughter. For quite a while, we wondered if perhaps Nina was Olivia's mother, but, of course, we now know that that is not the case, but now, what Nina said makes a whole lot of sense. Moving on to the second story, there really isn't a whole lot to say besides (a) it is an incredibly creepy story, (b) it kind of reminds me of "The Same Old Story," and (c) I would have liked to understand the science behind it. A pattern of rapid aging occurs like a virus, intentionally being passed from one person to another, and in effect, when a person causes another person to rapidly age, that person reverts to his or her original age. Overall, I give this comic eight and a half selfish William Bells.

"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.