Fringe Review: More Answers, More Questions. Wash, Rinse, Repeat.

In anticipation of the return of Fringe, I did some reading in order to refresh my memory about what happened last fall. What I came up with is this: although we had some of the finest guest performances of the entire series, there was little else to write home about.

Peter (Joshua Jackson) returned, which was sad but sort of anticlimactic, since no one remembers he existed before, or seems all that interested in figuring out where he came from/helping him get back there. There are the new human-hybrid shapeshifters, but not much storytelling time has been devoted to them in recent weeks, either.

Which is not to say I didn’t enjoy the fall. I did. I’d even go so far as to say they were some of the best written and acted episodes of the series, and the subtlety in each and every facet of this show astounds me, both as a writer and a viewer.

The winter premiere finally moves us forward, in several respects, and drops the kind of last minute bomb lovers of the series have come to gleefully anticipate. Peter decides, after another heartbreaking dream in which he’s back with a Walter (John Noble) and Olivia (Anna Torv) who not only remember him, but love him, to take matters into his own hands. After one last unsuccessful attempt to convince Walter to help, in which the old scientist tells the devastating story of the death of Peter, his wife, then the second Peter, our Peter (that’s a lot of Peters) goes to Olivia and asks for her help.

He wants to cross over into the other universe and ask Walternate for help.

If you’ll recall, the FBI in our world blames Walternate and his staff for the hybrid shapeshifters, but Peter is adamant that it’s none of his business, and that Walternate might be the only person in either world who can help him return to his people.

Olivia tells him Broyles (Lance Reddick) will not allow him to use the open bridge, but then remembers the device Walter used to kidnap him all those years ago. Olivia reveals they have it in storage at Massive Dynamic, and not only that, she has a handy requisition form.

The fact that she knows this and can go retrieve it without anyone asking questions suggests one of two things. A, lazy writing or B, this Olivia is far more embedded in Massive Dynamic than we’ve realized up to this point. Since Fringe isn’t known for lazy writing, I’m going to guess B for now, but I suppose we’ll just have to wait and see. After all, we still don’t know what Nina was up to in that fall finale, gassing Olivia’s apartment and breaking in to inject her and everything.

Note: In the context of this conversation we realize Olivia has never (and doesn’t realize she has the ability to) cross between universes without any help.Peter provides the rest of the necessary information to make their mission a reality, like the soft spot in the theatre where they can cross over and the idea to bring Lincoln (Seth Gabel) along so they can walk into the alternate Department of Defense without arousing suspicion. Olivia and Lincoln have their own agenda, which is gathering intelligence on the shapeshifters that they can use to confront Walternate.

In spite of Peter’s best laid plans, he and Lincoln are apprehended and nearly killed by one of the agents taking him back to headquarters – back to Walternate. Peter suspects the Secretary ordered his death.

Happening concurrently are some stirrings of unrest in the alternate universe, with Walternate keeping Altlivia and Other-Lincoln (do we have a cutesy name for him yet?) in the dark about the details of certain investigations. When Lincoln and Peter are caught (and Peter subsequently escapes), Lincoln begs his alternate self and Altlivia to at least check out his story before tossing him in the clink for the rest of his days, because it’s clear there are people embedded in the Fringe Division who are no longer loyal to upholding the law. He ultimately secures her help by saying “Peter says at the end of the day you’re a good person. You’ll do the right thing.”

I still have such mixed feelings on which Olivia I prefer.

Peter goes to the woman who, in this world, would be his mother. She immediately recognizes him by his eyes, like Walter did. With her help he makes it alive to see Walternate, who at first seems intent on killing him but eventually softens, believing Peter when he claims to not have a dog in this fight, but only wants to return home. He agrees to help if Peter will take a message back to the other universe for him first, and convince the team in our world that the universes need to work together.

Because Walternate did not create the shapeshifters. They are infiltrating his universe as well, though, and have replaced officials in several branches of government – including Fringe Division.

And guess what else?

Alternate Broyles is one of them.

And guess what else?

The mysterious, evil, and uber creepy David Robert Jones (Jared Harris) is back.

But that’s not all. I promised you a bang at the end, and here it is:

Our beloved Observer (Michael Cerveris), the one who saved Peter not once, but twice, pays a visit to Olivia. He’s bleeding from the chest, apparently in mortal distress (can Observers die?), but before he does their trademark disappearing act, he tells her one thing.

That he’s looked at every possible future, and no matter which one comes to pass, one thing is certain: she has to die.

What does that mean, fellow Fringe watchers? What has changed? Who shot the Observer? What is Jones up to? Do we like/trust Walternate in this timeline? If this Olivia dies, that doesn’t mean every Olivia dies, right? RIGHT?

Good heavens, there are just so many questions. I very much hope that, if Fox decides not to renew the show for a 5^th season, they give the writers plenty of notice so they can wrap up all of these loose ends.

For now, what are your theories?

Season 4, Episode 8 “Back Where You’ve Never Been” (original airdate January 13, 2012)

Fringe airs Friday nights at 9/8c on Fox.

Photos courtesy of Liane Hentscher and FOX