'Fringe': Finale Part One

“Fringe.” Season Finale. Part One.

Though did anyone else think it felt more like a season premiere? I know “Fringe” was taking a more “get-to-it” attitude this year, but it’s almost like they overshot and here we are in Season Three.

Up to this point, we’ve only had vague glimpses of the Déjà Vuniverse. It started with Olivia’s flashes last season, building up to her meeting with William Bell. This year, we’ve had just as few peeks at the other side, until now. 

We start off in Fringe Headquarters, and before you can even realize that A) there isn’t a Fringe Headquarters and B) the location titles aren’t in fancy 3D, Charlie Francis walks in the door. Yep, we’re over there. Where technology is far advanced and fashion sense is far behind. I know the Fringe Division on the other side is more militaristic, but berets? I can live with everybody in the G.I. Joe action figure costumes, but I have to draw the line at berets.

Our Fringe team on the other side consists of a Charlie Francis filled with arachnids, a brunette Olivia, and some other guy. They have a van and a bunch of cool toys, and they’re plugging holes in the fabric of reality. Making split-second decisions on whether or not to quarantine an area, killing thousands. Including themselves. 

But again, before you can even register that they had Nixon on their half dollar and that the guy covered in tumors seems familiar, we see what caused this near-quarantine. The Walter, Olivia and friends from our universe are also on the other side.

Then wham! A couple blimps and the alternative universe New York City skyline and roll opening credits.

Now that’s an opening! I could write my entire Show Tracker just breaking down that opening. Heck, we even got the opening credits from the other side. Red instead of blue, and variations in the Fringe technologies listed. The one that caught my attention was “First People.” What does that even mean?

I still have 50 minutes of “Fringe” to talk about.

After Walternate showed up in Peter’s hotel room last week, Peter agreed to return with him the other side. Olivia and Walter accepted his decision, until they get a sketch of a machine that could use Peter to destroy both universes. So they go to Massive Dynamic for a refresher course in reality hoping and put together a rag-tag team of misfits to make the leap. 

The misfits are other test subjects from Walter and Bell’s Cotexiphan experiments and past “Fringe” baddies. At least Nick “telepath” Lane and James “tumor” Heath are. I’m not sure about Firestarter. Walter leads them and Olivia through a bit of meditation that allows them to slip into the other universe. Unfortunately, since all three of the companions spent the night before over-using their powers, the crossover isn’t a fun experience.

While Olivia’s team walks three miles and slowly dies, Peter’s having a much better experience over there. He gets to eat bacon and talk to his dead mother. These are the scenes that ground the episode. They might be out of pace with the action and drama pouring out of every other moment, but there was weight and emotion. Bravo Joshua Jackson and Orla Brady. Bravo.

And there’s still so much more to talk about: the Department of Defense headquarters near the unoxidized copper Statue of Liberty, Olivianate’s boyfriend and strange tattoos, Walter getting shot and stumbling into the hospital, William Bell appearing just in time to play peeping Tom, and Walternate’s awesome-looking doomsday device (which has a piece that looks an awful lot like the original Xbox). 

Hopefully the second half of the season finale will have fewer exciting details so I’ll be able to talk about all of them.

The Super Easter egg – During a conference call a couple weeks ago, “Fringe” show runners Jeff Pinkner and J.J. Wyman hinted at an Easter egg hidden in the season finale that hints at a story that won’t be addressed for quite a while. Any guesses? Maybe the line about Lincoln, the other guy in their Fringe Division, and his father being a “jurist.” Or even that giant map in Walternate’s office. I’m hoping it’s “First People.” I still want to know what that means.

Astrid Action – Our Astrid was nowhere to be seen, but Astridnate was crunching numbers to figure out whether or not the alternate Fringe Division should wipe out a big chunk of Brooklyn. Even if she’s wearing one of those berets I hate, she’s still kicking butt.

Spot the Observer – He didn’t make much of an attempt to hide this week. You think a guy who makes a living blending into the background to watch history events would be able to drop a piece of paper and escape unnoticed. He must have wanted to be seen because when the Observer hides, he really hides. I’m still trying to find him in last week’s episode.

-- Andrew Hanson

Related:

"Fringe": Ferguson's Disappeared!

Jeff Pinkner and J.H. Wyman sing the praises of Thursday night's "Fringe"

Complete "Fringe" coverage on Show Tracker

Photo: The Fringe team travels to the alternate universe. Credit: Fox Television

Comments

[Nate]

I loved the opening, and I'm glad to see William Bell back (and I believe this is Leonard Nimoy's farewell to acting - that's a nice get!). I really like the new world and I'm not sure how Fringe can come up with better CGI than Lost (hello ScyFy-esque magic cave and Playstation I submarine!) - I mean, is Fox News bringing in so much revenue Fringe has a bigger f/x budget?

But, I was disappointed that Fringe followed its habit of introducing interesting characters (usually villains), just to kill them off immediately. I know it would make it a completely different show, but how can you introduce your own X-Men (or W-Men, for Walter) Team and kill them all within 30 minutes?! I didn't catch that by over-using their powers they somehow diminished them, but still - we caught some interesting bits of character there (Carcinoma Man doesn't trust Walter, the romance between the pyro no one remembers and the Feel My Pain ... Literally Guy) and it seems like a waste to kill them before we even get to the second part of the finale. I was more interested in their 10 minutes of screen time than I ever was in Heroes. I feel like the producers missed a good chance to create their own Lone Gunmen there (as long as you forget about the Lone Gunmen spinoff show).

Has anyone else noticed the go-to method of showing we are in an alternate reality now is by showing we never let go of Hindenburg-type airships? We may have had Razor cell phones in the 80's, but it still takes us 30 hours to fly from LA to Chicago against a strong wind!

[bettye198]

Brilliant show. Its all about the writing and the casting. I think John Noble is way overdo for an Emmy. What story in his face with emotion! And his characterizations of each emotion! I will agree with all of the above. We dissected each thing, as we TIVO'd the episode to look at the parallel Universe changes. Kudos to the details writers! My only wonder was seeing the parallel in that big domed place and then hidden to the side were the old characters. How did they get there? Threw us right away, unless they landed there from the gate. Now this show is exploding with energy and using the inuendos from the past is genius. I wait for the ET's involvement, hopefully soon.

[Angel G]

The Firestarter is from S1:E19, "The Road Not Taken". This is where we find out Harris was a bad guy and olivia had every reason to treat him like scum.

As for Lincoln, when he comes forward on the bridge and sees who he shot, he says "Nick...?" I take this to mean that there is a Lincoln somewhere on our side that we have not yet met, but he had some sort of history with ZFT? Might need to look at the list of names on the day care wall to see if a Lincoln is listed.

As for Astrid, am I crazy, or did her eyes go a weird color when she was number crunching? Maybe it's just me, but it seemed to me that al lot of make-up/special effects were spent on peoples eyes this episode (girl at the hospital, Susan Pratt getting more bloodshot throughout episode).

[Niko]

bettye198: I think they landed there immediately, since it's the same building as where they came from in our side, thus the place almost being quarantined...

[susan]

I always watch TV with the Closed Captioning on (got loud dogs) and when the alternate universe's Olivia was talking the screen read "Bolivia: ....." That cracked me up.