Fringe is quite simply one of the best TV shows of recent years. Admittedly it’s not to everyone’s taste, but for those that are fans of the genre you could hardly ask for more. From universe-jumping shape-shifters to time travelling future humans intent on our destruction- we’ve certainly been on a unique and often disturbing ride. John Noble and Anna Torv have particularly shone with the demanding nature of their roles, focusing the story on their complex relationships rather than the events surrounding them. This was arguably the main cause of its downfall in these dark times in television reliant on instant gratification rather than anything more complex and revealing. Those expecting a different monster every week soon turned off as things became less formulaic leaving the remaining fans fighting to keep the show on air so it could reach its conclusion.
Well, they got their wish and this week sees Fringe finally come to an end. The latest season has been the perfect swansong, and if recent episodes and trailers are anything to go by we’re in for a real treat in the finale. In build up to the climax (the first part of which airs Wednesday at 10pm on Sky1 followed by a two-part finale simul-casting with America Friday night from 1.10am) we take a look at the questions, themes and people we’d like to see some resolution to before we bid them a fond farewell. Whether or not we get answers to everything I’m sure the final episodes will be ones to remember and, personally, I’m just looking forward to seeing how they’ve felt they should end the story.
There’s not long to go, but in the meantime all we have is wild guesswork so grab a red Licorice twist and a root beer float, and click next to get started.
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Spoilers
Question 9-Very legit question.
8- The Alt universe is not fixed (the bridge was fixing it until shut down) but there will be no further damage. Walternate and Walter had a touching season 4 finale moment, I don’t think there is any more ill will. Part of the series finale takes place in Alt Universe.
7- Signs and interviews say that Bell will not factor into the finale. Or if he does in name only. The William Bell of the Alt Universe died young. Bell-prime probably crossed over to take advantage of the Alt universe greater technology. The tear was a result of Walter.
6- Explained in last episode. Quick version is that scientists in the future developed a way to increase brain power by sacrificing certain emotions. After a while humanity saw emotions as a weakness and got rid of all of them for the sake of smarts. Yes Windmark has a boss, in the future. There agenda, as told, is to repopulate the past since the future is over polluted. Female Observers have not been seen, but might not be needed since new Observers are genetically grown in tubes.
5- Some legit questions. Mr. X was revealed. It will Bell (I believe). Peter has no son in the alt universe because of the timeline being erased. Alt Olivia should be with Lincoln now since he crossed over.
4- Olivia burned out all her powers at the end of Season 4. Although it look like Cortexiphan might make a comeback in the series finale.
3- I “think” the Pattern was David Robert Jones using fringe events to weaken the barrier between universes so he could cross over. The issue is resolved though.
2- Much of September’s motivations were given in the last episode.
1- Same with this, all last episode. The boy, named Michael, is Donald’s son. He was born in a lab like all new Observers are. He, for ease sake, is a mutant. Born with both emotions AND even greater intelligence then what the observers have now. Anomaly’s are usually terminated. Donald/September, having refound emotions through watching Walter, hides Michael so he would not get killed. He is also the biggest part of the Plan. The plan being to send Michael to the future when scientists first realized that shutting off emotions increased intelligence. The scientists would see that with emotions humanity can be ever greater then imagined. Thus Observers as we know it will cease to exist.
When was this article written? Seems a lot of the questions were answered in the latest episode.
This article is written ahead of the final three episodes…. beginning tonight on Sky1 in the UK…. If you’ve ‘somehow’ managed to watch tonights episode ahead of its broadcast then i imagine some things have started being answered.
“The Boy Must Live” already aired last week here in the US, which is what is being referred to as the latest episode and which presented answers to some of the questions brought up
5.11 and the Boy Observer are deus ex machina, no answers, just rewrites.
Season 5 is a total rewrite most of all of Olivia Dunham as a central character, chosen one, savior, Wyman has turned her in Peters wife, and at the very end she gets the cortexiphan as if it is a Red Bull and gets something to do, which is just getting the boy back, nothing to the big story.
The Biggest question is : Why has Wyman sidelined Olivia???
I watched Fringe because of Olivia, great character and in the pilot we got these questions around her:
-uncle and the canu
-green and red and the sign
-Nina and Broyles both interested in Olivia
-why was she sent to the warehouse
-Why was she important to Bell and Walter (I hated S4 finale Olivia as ultimate victim)
-Who was her father, her mother, what was her childhood like etc.
Every now and then we got some info on Olivia, but I wanted her backstory told, I wanted a real story arc and a relationship between Walter and Olivia, a confrontation, as Walter abised Olivia as a child, and damaged her for life, it ruined those children.
Noble did not want to play that side of Walter, see how quickly Walternate became Walter regular,
AltLivia was a great chance for Anna to get away from the bad writing she got for Olivia, as Olivia was made more and more passive, AltLivia got to be herself , the Bamf, strong, assertive and pro-active woman that Olivia used to be, before the Peter crap.
Instead we got Walter and Peters backstory over and over, Everything has been told about Peter, he got multiple scenes with and about his parents and past, Walter had multiple scenes about his son, Bell , wife and even an entire episode about grandad Bishop.
But nothing like that for Olivia, not even a great relationship, like she could have had with Charlie. Anna and Kirk loved working together, Kirk had a regular contract.
Instead Olivia has been sacrificed on Peter, most of all since season 4.15, and completely in season 5.
Olivia has been so badly written in the Olivia and Peter thing, in S3 between 3.11 and 3.16 she was being ridiculed by Peter and being lied to by Peter, but had to offer herself like a litlle girl
S4 being dumped by Peter 3 episodes in a row, and in 4.15 she just had to give up her life and being for Peter,
S5 she is just Peters little wife.
Marionette was the only wel written Olivia and Peter episode, and that shoud have been the end of it, Olivia should have been allowed to move on.
I loved Olivia from the start, I loved that she was the introverted woman, emotions under the surface,
Her being abused and damged was never a written story-arc, but from those few facts we got the entire depth of Olivia thanks to Anna Torv, awesome actress, never getting the credit.
If all trace of the Observers is erased, how can Peter be saved by September when Walter brings him back at the lake?
Supposedly because the time reset happened from the moment the Observers first attacked (so they could play that bit with Peter Olivia and Etta in the park)….. So that’s the point at which the paradox begun, anything that happened before that would already have happened, so wasn’t deleted….
Also, along the timeline during season4 onwards, Peter wouldn’t have been saved at the lake, he’s only around now because he was thought back into existence…
It’s a fair point though, the reason I love all the time travel Sci-Fi is the way each authors applies the rules differenty…. Terra Nova and Continuum have both dealt with similar issues in very different ways recently,,,, think it’s one of those things you have to let the creators take some artistic license with
Supposedly because the time reset happened from the moment the Observers first attacked (so they could play that bit with Peter Olivia and Etta in the park)….. So that’s the point at which the paradox begun, anything that happened before that would already have happened, so wasn’t deleted….
Also, along the timeline during season4 onwards, Peter wouldn’t have been saved at the lake, he’s only around now because he was thought back into existence…
It’s a fair point though, the reason I love all the time travel Sci-Fi is the way each authors applies the rules differently…. Terra Nova and Continuum have both dealt with similar issues in very different ways recently,,,, think it’s one of those things you have to let the creators take some artistic license with
About September and the observers, i have one other question, does anyone remember that September was “caught” by William Bell with a special sign in the end of Season 4? if he can catch September easily by this way, then Walter or William can do the same thing to other observers and defeat them. Why not?