Fringe Season Finale “Brave New World Part 2”

Now that is how you do a season finale, and if that had been the series finale it would have been equally satisfying.

I don’t even know where to start, I suppose a big thank you to everyone at Fringe who repaid fan loyalty with such a satisfying episode. It resolved many issues and gave everyone a lovely close out scene, Broyles gets all the funding he needs and a promotion, Nina is officially a part of the team, Walter and Astrid share red licorice and Peter and Olivia get the happiest of all endings, a baby.

I am quite sure the final scene between Walter and September was filmed after it was announced the show was picked up for a final 13 episode season. We have our set up for the end, the Observers are coming, we know from the time jump episode that in 2036 Etta was 3 when her parents (Olivia and Peter) went missing. Peter was encased in Amber and we all assumed from that episode Olivia was dead.  Tonight we learned that the bullet she was wearing around her neck didn’t kill Olivia, but that doesn’t mean she isn’t dead.

Will the show jump ahead to Etta’s third year, will we see the resistance, and the team being confined or will we jump to 2036?  So many possibilities, I can’t wait for the fall.

Was it me or did it seem like there were quite a few Star Trek, Wrath of Khan references in last  night’s episode. Bell creating the universe and the opening shot of the dinosaurs roaming reminded me of the Genesis project, shooting Olivia, reminiscent of Spock‘s line to Kirk, “the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. or the one”, and Bells speech to Walter totally reminded me of Khan’s speech to Kirk. Khannnnnn!!!!!

Josh Jackson has done some of his best acting work during this season of Fringe and last night was no exception, his reactions to Olivia being shot and watching Walter save her were incredible.  There is a rule they teach you in acting class on day one, 98% of acting is re-acting, it is obvious Mr. Jackson learned that lesson very well.  Emoting is easy when you are talking, it is what you do when you aren’t delivering your lines that really matters.  Thats when you have to dig deep. I hope that Josh is submitted along with John Noble for Emmys this year and the academy finally takes note.

I really liked super hero Olivia, catching bullets was a neat trick, sorry she lost her powers. Was Jessica Nina’s daughter, or was that just a misdirect that could be explained away by her wonky brain when they were reviving her.  And of course the line of the night, goes to Walter, after he shot Olivia and told Peter they could save her Peter said “but she’s dead”, Walter responded, “when has that ever stopped me”.

I am not going to recap the episode, there are quite a few online just Google it, my favorite site for recaps and forum discussions is Television Without Pity, check it out. If you like your TV with a bit of snark, this is is the site for you.

Fringe “Nothing As It Seems”

The Porcupine Man returns to is from a season one episode called “The transformation”, and like that episode last nights, “Nothing As It Seems” was a solid Fringe outing.

There is a clear connection in last night’s episode between the Fringe division heroes and the case they’re working.  The porcupine men return from a season one episode called “The Transformation,” Olivia and Peter investigate two men who’ve used science to turn themselves into monsters. They are just the tip of the iceberg, they’re part of a cult that is obsessed with “the guided evolution of man”—or “mutation by design.” Eventually they grow wings, which they use to fly around to plastic surgery clinics, where they steal the human fat that they need to feed on.  I know Fringe definitely knows how to bring the ick and the ewwww every week.

This week’s episode doesn’t pack the emotional punch of last week’s revelations or the Peter/Olivia reunion, but it does has some nice moments and of course as expected angst due to Olivia’s new situation. 

Olivia, has been meeting with a therapist to determine if she can get return to active duty in Fringe Division, her fading memories pose a bit of a problem. After her meeting Broyles informs her that she got 40% of the details of her life wrong.  The look on Olivia’s face is so sad, will she eventually lose all her memories even the new ones, will the season end with her in a catatonic state Peter by her side.

Caught in the middle of all of this is Lincoln Lee, who sees his chance with Olivia fade with each passing moment, as he realizes she doesn’t remember conversations or moments they once shared. He keeps the pain to himself, but the sadness in his eyes betrays the pain of his heart.  At one point Peter asks “should we discuss it, or pretend we already did”. The tension between the two men who now have to work together since Olivia is on suspension can be cut with a knife. Do you think Lincoln wishes he could mutate into something or someone else?

Be careful what you wish for, Lincoln is pricked by one of the porcupine men, and becomes infected. Lucky for him Walter has a cure, a nasty tasting and smelling wheatgrass concoction. Poor Lincoln, he just can’t catch a break.

As with most Fringe episodes, all roads lead back to Massive Dynamic and eventually Dr. Jones, who is behind the mutation project.

The best moment of the episode belongs to Walter (of course), he brings a box of presents into the lab, they the birthday presents he bought for Peter. He said it helped him deal with the loss of his “Peter”, a bottle of beer when he turned 21, a girlie mag called Hump when he turned 16.  Peter shows his gratitude by hugging Walter, Walter doesn’t hug back, but the tears in his when Peter steps back say it all.  I have said it before, not since the Courtship of Eddie’s father have I loved a father son relationship so much.

Next Week:

Fringe “A Short Story About Love”

Fringe, I love you, I have been loyal to you and supported you and you have repaid me with the perhaps your most beautiful episode to date.  Just like a fine wine, or a gourmet food I had to keep going back to the last five minutes and re-watching, savoring each moment of the most beautiful reunion in TV history.

Last night’s episode was filled with so many beautiful moments, the imagery (white tulips), Walter‘s hilarity (“beaver hunting”), Lincoln Lee‘s heart quietly breaking it made the case of the week more palatable. It would be very easy to say that the writers showed us the agony and the ecstasy of love in very black and white terms, but long time viewers of Fringe know it is not that easy.

We also know that when we get something as good as, “she is your Olivia”, they are going to break out hearts again by seasons end. Bastards.

The COW follows Anson Carr ( Michael Massee) a badly scarred (looks like burns) serial killer who kills the male half of loving couples through dehydration, think sun dried prunes. Anson extracts their pheromones, which he combines with castoreum, he uses this mixture to seduce their wives immediately following their funerals.  After the kiss, he wraps their heads in plastic wrap and smothers them. Why does he do this? He wants to distill the essence of whatever it is that makes people fall in love with each other, so that the whole world can share the kind of in-it-until-the-end-of-time romance that Anson himself has never known.  Last night’s episode was truly icky, the best or worst of the ickiness, watching Carr clean out the dehydration chamber.

Peter is about to leave town on a bus headed for New York, Walter calls him back when he realizes the Observers did something to him when they took September out of the lab after the performed the mind meld.  The implanted something in his eye, that would eventually seep into his subconscious. I another cringe worthy moment, we watch as Walter removes the disc from Peter’s eyeball with tweezers.  Its an address, Peter sets off on his quest.

When Peter finds the address, it is the Observer’s apartment. He finds a briefcase containing the tolls we have seen the Observer use of the previous scenes. One device is a GPS locator that keeps beeping, he follows it to a giant drill bit is sticking out of the ground. Peter takes back to his house, (cause that is what I would do, it could explode, but oh well) It turns out be a beaso which brings The Observer back to this plane of existence.  The Observer gets to finish telling Peter what he didn’t in last weeks episode. 

And this is the big moment, Peter is already home, ( a lot of people in the forums already guessed this) he was restored to this universe because the attachment between him and his family and friends was too strong. “I believe you call it… love,” The Observer says, very Wizzard of Oz, but I love it anyway.

The bigger moment, Peter and Oliva run into each other’s arms at the end of the episode, complete with big smoochy kiss and handheld camera circling them.  I know my happiness won’t last for long, but I will bask in the glow of the moment.

A couple of other moments worth mentioning

• Scooby Doo on the TV behind Walter while he is working in the lab
• the idea that Walter has a hidden nanny cam in a Teddy Bear in the lab to spy on the cleaning crew
• Peter munching on snacks while he works on the drill bit just like Walter
• Walter tells Peter, “You’re a better man, than I”, Peter remarks this is a something he has heard before
• Nina tells Oliva MD just go a patent on speeding up time ( has this show done a time jump yet)

Next week it looks like we are dealing with some freaky experiment Dr. Jones created. There are 8 episodes left until the end of the season and possibly the end of the series. I really don’t think Fox is going to cancel this show, it will give it a fifth and final season.

Fringe “The End Of All Things”

Last night’s episode of Fringe, “The End of All Things” is about as good as it gets for winter finales. It should be shown to all those who study the craft of making TV as an example of how it should be done.  The episode answered questions spanning multiple seasons, it left a few un-answered, like who shot September and opened up enough new ones to see us thru the final eight episodes of the season and possibly series finale.

The episode was written by David Fury, the man responsible for writing some of the best episodes of  Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, 24 and Lost, it is no wonder this a stand out.

Lets re-cap shall we.

Dr. Jones,perhaps Fringe’s best villain to date is holding Olivia and Nina captive, he is trying to “activate” Olivia’s powers. He is torturing Nina, hoping that Olivia’s love for her as her adoptive mother will kick start her abilities. Apparently that only happens when someone she loves is in danger.

The other Nina Sharpe, who at this point, we believe is evil and has been injecting Olivia with cortexiphan is being interrogated by Broyles.  She insists she is innocent.

In the lab, Peter is trying to get information from a memory card he found in a hidden camera in Olivia’s apartment. Walter is having a snack, he is eating toast with candy colored sprinkles, I love Walter’s snacks and his love of sugar. It makes this former sugar junkie giddy from the thought of a contact high.

The moment we have all been waiting for happens, the Observer, September pops into the lab, literally. unfortunately hs is shot and dying. The team, Peter, Walter, Astrid, Broyles and Lincoln get him on the table but he seizes before he can tell them anything that will help them find Olivia.  The only choice is to have Peter enter his mind, a mind meld if you will. Walter warns if the Observer dies while Peter is in there he could die too. Peter doesn’t care he must rescue Olivia.

Ok, so here comes the meat of the episode and a few answers. Basically September screwed up many years ago and he has been trying to fix things ever since.  When BlueWalter was working on a cure for BluePeter, September showed up in the lab and distracted him, as a result he missed the cure and BluePeter died. September then went to RedWalter and got him to cure RedPeter, BlueWalter brought RedPeter to his time were eventually RedPeter would meet and fall in love with BlueOlivia. Apparently their babies are the key to everyone’s survival. Problem is BluePeter mated with RedOlivia and they had a baby instead, little Henry. Who we found out last night ceased to exist when Peter was erased at the end of last season.

In one of Josh Jackson‘s great moments, the look on his face when he found out in a 10 second span, that he had a son and then didn’t, was a great acting moment.  The look in his eyes, it said it all. So sad for Peter.

Peter has to get back to his time and BlueOlivia, they have to have babies and the world will be right again. Unfortunately September gets pulled away before he could tell us more.  September’s last words to Peter are “go home”.  When Peter reappears in the lab, September has vanished and he tells the gang he is going to his house. Maybe September meant he should literally go home, so he does.

While all this was happening, we found out that the Nina being held with Olivia is really evil and in league with Dr. Jones. She must be RedNina.  The only way to activate Olivia is to kidnap Peter, since the only time she has used her powers was to protect him. So they do, they hold a knife to his throat and she activates, electrocuting the bad guys and saving Peter. 

Jones and Nina get away of course, because we still have to find out who or what is pulling Jones’ strings. You know things on Fringe are never as they appear.

In the end Peter tells Olivia he has been projecting BlueOlivia onto her and it wasn’t right and he must get back to his quest. He must go home.  She has feelings for him and isn’t too happy about being dumped.

The show is off for four weeks, then returns for 8 straight episodes. I suspect we will hear in the next four weeks if it will be renewed or not, it doesn’t really matter the creative team behind Fringe always treats their season finales as series finales. I suspect this year will not be any different and the final 8 will be a truly satisfying ride.

Did you watch? What are your thoughts?

Fringe – Tonight’s The Night

“The End of All Things” airs tonight at 9pm on FOX, we have been promised a “game changing” episode and a heartbreaking ending.

When last we left the team, Olivia had been kidnapped and thrown in a cell with Nina, presumably Mr. Jones is holding both. We also learned that the cortexiphan that was under lock and key at Massive Dynamic had been replaced with a placebo. That means, Mr. Jones had replaced Nina with an evil Nina who had AmberOlivia injected. Was it these injections that gave AmberOlivia BlueOlivia’s memories? Perhaps we will find out tonight.

Henry, Peter’s son with RedOlivia returns tonight, and Peter goes into the mind of an Observer to learn more. But will he like what he learns? Since we already know that Olivia has to die in every reality, does Peter have to let AmberOlivia die to save his son.  I feel a Sophie’s Choice moment coming, which as we all know is heartbreaking by definition.

OR, another theory, Peter has to die, because we know his existence has screwed everything up. Either way someone dies tonight, and I wouldn’t put it past this show to kill off Peter or Olivia especially if it is going off the air. When they return in a  few weeks we only have 8 episodes left, it’s not unreasonable to think we could close out the final 8  without Anna or Josh.

If this is the last season, I have not been disappointed, this has been the strongest of the last four. Don’t get me wrong each season had it’s stand out episode, “White Tulip” and “Peter” come to mind, but this season has delivered more save on the DVR to re-watch episodes than any other.

I started re-watching the show from the beginning on Amazon, I wanted to see how the characters and stories have evolved.  It is amazing how much this show has changed, how the creative team took us from “case of the week” to an engrossing study of the human condition. 

Joshua Jackson has demonstrated what a fine actor he truly is, his scenes with John Noble will go down as some of the best father/son interactions in TV history. The anchor of the show is John Noble, the character he has created in Walter Bishop is so multi-dimensional, in a lesser skilled actor Walter could have become a joke, a caricature but Noble has elevated Walter above the fray.

I can’t wait to see what trauma Fringe has in store for me tonight, no doubt I will be shocked and sad no matter what happens tonight.

I hope you watch and come back to share your thoughts after tonight’s episode.

Related articles

• “Fringe” shows the hubris of trying to improve upon God (patheos.com)
• Fringe – Bathroom Breakup (televisionwithoutpity.com)

1/13 Friday What You Should Watch

Fringe is back and it’s my birthday.  Happy Birthday to me!!

A Gifted Man and Blue Bloods is new, enjoy its a great night for TV.

Fringe

Episode: Back to Where You’ve Never Been

Peter journeys to the Other Side to confront Walternate; Olivia receives a dire premonition.

 

A Gifted Man

Episode: In Case of (Re)Birth

Michael and E-Mo clash over a patient’s treatment; a teenager abandons her baby at the clinic after giving birth.

 

Blue Bloods

Episode: The Uniform

Jackie and Danny investigate a murder at a diner, where a witness claims a uniformed officer fled after shots were fired.

 

Supernatural

Episode: Time After Time After Time

The God of Time sends Dean back to 1944 where he is arrested by Eliot Ness; Sam is surprised to see an old friend.

 

The Good Wife – “Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot”

Christine Baranski, this is your Emmy submission episode, you were fantastic. The scene outside with Will, “stop sleeping with his wife”, flawless. 

Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot, or WTF are military call signs, since Alicia was handling a military case it worked. I prefer to think it was no coincidence that the abbreviation is WTF, because last was full of WTF moments.

Lets start with Alicia’s case, she lost, which Lockhart/Gardner has done before, but always for a reason. And this time it was the drone policy of the US, it commented on, but didn’t condemn what some think is a dangerous practice because the rate of civilian casualties is to high.

Wendy Scott Carr is back, and boy is she cold, she is going to do Peter’s dirty work and go after Will.  I have a hard time believing Peter is doing all of this because Will and Alicia are sleeping together. It seems very petty for a man who wants to be governor or senator. I suppose taking down a lawyer who sets up judicial brides makes him look tough to voters. But if it ever got out the man he was after was also sleeping with St. Alicia I think it could bite him.

Favorite parts of last nights episode were Eli and the cheese.  Loved watching him get yanked around by fruits and vegetables and his own food chart was hilarious.  Alicia “locking” Jackie out of her apartment was fantastic, I clapped and let out a gleeful laugh. That woman had it coming.

Worst part of the episode watching Dana and Kalinda flirt it up at the bar, Kalinda had to know she was being played. My girl in those kick ass boots is too smart for that crap.  To add insult to injury watching Cary and Dana have sex, ewww. Cary and Kalinda are made for each other, if only in my mind.

Will has to break up with Alicia, I wonder how he will do it, and if he will tell her its because of Peter’s investigation. The show is back in two weeks and it looks like Grace goes missing. Which would be ok, if for one second I actually believed anything bad was really going to happen to Grace.

If this was a different show, it might have her kidnapped, or killed, which for my money would really throw this show for a loop. It would create a clean slate, Alicia would be so distraught she wouldn’t have time for Will so the relationship would just fade away. It would bring her and Peter back together and it would kick his campaign into high gear. But like I said, this isn’t that kind of show, its not ballsy enough.

Sneak Peak

Fringe – “And Those We Left Behind”

“And Those We Left Behind”, was at times cool science (plausible or not)  and heartbreaking, but overall another solid episode in a stellar season 4. This is the best show on TV and deserves more attention and a bigger audience. 

Both Peter (Joshua Jackson)  and Raymond one of tonight’s guest stars, played by the immensely talented Stephen Root, are dealing with the feelings of loss and loneliness associated with not being remembered by those you love.

For Peter it is Olivia (Anna Torv)  and Walter, (John Noble) at least Olivia is willing to interact with Peter, but Walter has shut him out and when forced to interact, calls him “the subject” . It is hard to watch Peter go thru this, to see the hurt on his face when Walter rejects him. Without the Walter/Peter dynamic of seasons past the show is missing its heart.

Raymond has lost his wife Kate to Alzheimer’s. Before she became ill she was a physicist working on time chambers. Romy Rosemont’s performance is beautiful, it was a pleasure to see her demonstrate her craft as she shifts from healthy scientist to a shell of her former self, through to her final act of sacrifice. Fun fact, these actors are married in real life.

Raymond has taken her work and built a machine that slips time to the day four years ago when she was working on her theory. He needs her to finish it, so he can create a permanent chamber, or bubble if you will, where she is free of the disease.

Unfortunately, what he doesn’t know is every time he does this, it creates a time slip some place else.  A train appears out of thin air almost killing a car load of teenagers, a tunnel that didn’t exist four years ago disappears threatening to take innocent drivers trapped in their cars with it.

At first everyone thinks Peter is the cause, so they bring him into the investigation. He proves his worth not only by solving the problem, but also his willingness to take on the dangerous mission of entering  Raymond’s house at the end to disable the machine. He could blow up, if the Faraday cage Walter built doesn’t work.

Peter and Broyles have an interesting conversation about needing to send Peter back to his reality. It struck me as very Wizard of Oz, and if next weeks preview is any indication, it looks like the gang is going to try to send Peter back by building the machine.

Are we going to come full circle by season’s end, will the second half of the season be devoted to sending Peter back?  The longer he stays the closer everyone will grow and his departure will be bittersweet.  It seems to obvious for the show to go this route, I am sure they will send Peter back but there will be a twist. Nothing is ever easy with this show.

Preview for next week’s mid-season finale is below. The show just came back, how long will it be gone for?

Related articles

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• Joshua Jackson Weighs In On ‘Fringe’ Love Triangle (moviesblog.mtv.com)

Friday Night Round Up – Blue Bloods, Grimm and Fringe

I watched Grimm, Fringe and Blue Bloodson Friday night.

courtesy CBS

First up Fringe, the heart of the show is back, Walter and Peter are back together. But the reunion is bittersweet, Walter doesn’t remember who Peter is, my heartbreak for both of these characters. Walter and Peter is perhaps the best father son relationship on TV.

The last scene between Walter and Peter brought it all home, Peter encouraging Walter, telling him he knows what he is capable of, that support and love that we saw in seasons 1-3.  Walter taking Pater’s face in his hands, still racked with guilt over the boy who died 25 years ago, believing he doesn’t deserve this second chance.  The last shot of Peter alone and abandoned.

Wins, Lincoln, the typewriter and the introduction of time slips. 

Grimm, this week is a variation on Goldilocks. I like this show, but I am hesitant to get to attached.  The ratings were solid and if it holds NBC could pick it up. But I wouldn’t be surprised it it made its way to the Syfy channel for season 2. 

Blue Bloods, so glad my BF and parents go me hooked on this show. This is a text book example of how to execute a TV show.

• strong story telling – check
• liakble characters that you care about -check
• no gimmicks – check
• sold family values – check

Consistency in the action and progression of story from week to week.  My favorite part of every episode is the Reagan family dinner, I feel cheated if their isn’t one.  

Just a few random thoughts on what I watched last night.

Did you watch any of these shows, what did you think?

Related articles

• ‘Grimm’ beats ‘Fringe’ while ‘Chuck’ ratings drop (insidetv.ew.com)

Fringe — Friday Can’t Come Soon Enough and other stuff

Thanks TV Line for the tid bits

To ease the wait, here is a link to the Executive Producers Jeff Pinkner and J.H Wyman talking about Peter’s return and the impact it will have.

click here

Are you a fan of Bones, more specifically the Booth/Brennan romance, then click below to feel the love

Booth/Brennan Romance Music Video

Chase and Taub are finally back on House on

Image via Wikipedia

November 7th click below for a sneak peak

Chase and Taub