What happened?
There have been a series of murders by brain-freezing Over There, but a break in the killer’s identity have posed the notion that they can get his counterpart from Over Here to provide insight into who he is, and more importantly where he is. Olivia takes Dr. John McClennan to the alternate universe, working alongside her counterpart Fauxlivia and other members of Fringe division there.
The investigation does lead them to find the killer Alt-John, whose deep unhappiness went unaddressed in comparison to Dr. John McClennan who had more love in his life. Unable to cope with his new sense of conscience, the killer commits suicide, but having performed the brain freezing technique on Dr. John his memory has been irreparably damaged (and thus his awareness of the alternate universe erased).
Meanwhile Walter has taken to covering all reflective surfaces and playing loud music to try and block out Peter. However, alone at night in his room, Peter’s voice can be insistently heard, telling Walter he is right there with him.
Thoughts
I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. There was an assurance about the whole thing that really shone through – from the acting to the pacing to the themes being explored. For what fundamentally amounted to mostly a standalone episode, too, and early on in the new season as well (when most shows usually trot out their weaker stuff) it was quite the pleasant surprise.
I really liked the dynamic between Olivia and Fauxlivia. The previous episode set up the antagonism between the two of them, but it was good to see that it had shifted by the end of this episode. Olivia’s more serious manner and rare smiles were more understood by Fauxlivia upon hearing that she had been abused by her stepfather and then subsequently killed him.
When the two of them are together on screen it’s easy to tell them apart, even if they have the same clothes and the same hair colouring. Anna Torv’s performance(s) are excellent, with her Fauxlivia’s cocksure ease with a smile and relaxed posture making her the more ‘fun’, but she’s not quite as ‘good’ as our Olivia. (I liked the bit where Olivia’s photographic memory trumped Alt-Astrid’s 13-hour analysis!)
I also liked how anatagonism between Over There and Over Here wasn’t quite as pervasive as the interactions between the two Olivia’s in the previous episode might have suggested. Both Broyles and Lincoln are alive in the other universe, and were far more accommodating and accepting of Olivia. Indeed, I got the impression that Alt-Lincoln and Olivia may be on course for some romance of their own.
Astrid made a remark to Olivia about their Lincoln being cute, which Olivia fired down. That might turn out to be ironic. But it was Lincoln, who we know has a major thing for Fauxlivia, making his remarks about liking blondes that felt loaded with potential. Considering that Fauxlivia in this version of the universe remains with Frank then it puts her off-limits; Lincoln certainly seemed friendly enough with Olivia and I can’t help but feel that this was all deliberate.
This is what I mean about how the episode had a confidence about its execution; comfortable with this array of characters. Barring a little bit of exposition from Walter at the beginning about the history of this universe to fill in one or two gaps Fringe has just got on with telling its story, sure that the audience will be capable of going along for the ride without having every detail painfully signposted.
The plot of the episode, as they tend to do in Fringe, fed back into the themes at play. John McLelland the killer was a man that had suffered as a result of what had happened to him as a child, but we could see from his alternate what a difference some love and compassion could make. (I’ll be honest, though, some of the memory flashbacks we saw in the barn totally went over my head. Either I missed something or it was badly edited.)
Clearly there’s parallels to be drawn with everyone and this world where Peter no longer played a part. Whilst for the likes of Alt-Broyles and Alt-Lincoln it’s worked out well (they’re alive!), Olivia is detached, Walter is a mess, and Olivia’s baby is non-existent. There is some give and take between what has been gained and what has been lost, but it seems to me that there are plot threads being picked up here (like Alt-Lincoln and Olivia’s potential romance) that suggest this universe, the one we are seeing, will be one that persists even after Peter returns.
The way I see it, Peter ought to eventually ‘pop’ back into existence, and although he will have full memories of the other universes, the other history, everyone else won’t. Peter could very well, once more, be a man out of place in the world. His voice at the end was certainly stronger, almost like he was able to see Walter. Is he only able to contact Walter? So far that seems to be the case – or it might be that Walter is the only one that is receptive to the loss so much that he alone is the only one wrestling with what no one knows they once had.
Two last points to make. The first, I am liking how Lincoln Lee may assume the role of new ‘wrong name reference’ from Walter. It used to be Astrid – getting called all kinds of things that weren’t her name. Now Walter, it seems, may refer to Lincoln by different kinds of presidential names other than, of course, Lincoln. It’ll be amusing to see that take shape (and, again, is another seed being planted to suggest this is a universe that is here to stay for a while).
Last point: I have absolutely no idea what the episode title means. By the time you’re reading this I’ll have probably read other stuff and found out but, right here and now, I don’t have a clue.
What was the best part?
A strong episode for Olivia and Fauxlivia leads me to conclude that the best part of this episode was their little chat in the car. For one it showed that Fauxlivia had softened her exterior a little to try and understand Olivia better since she was the one that offered her the ride and, by the end of the journey, I think it’s fair to say that her impression of Olivia has been suitably altered. There’s a reason Olivia is colder and more uptight – childhood abuse, killing her own stepfather, not to mention the Cortexiphan trials! I don't think they're going to be best friends, but the antagonism should certainly have eased.
What do I think will happen next?
Walter has surely got to start seriously investigating ‘Peter’ rather than trying to hide away from it. This might mean him reaching out to Walternate to aid him? Seems unlikely, considering how vocal he is in his dislike and distrust. But then I figure that this initial hatred will be part of his character arc and must surely soften and lead to acceptance as the season progresses in a similar manner to Olivia and Fauxlivia.
I also expect Alt-Lincoln to start making moves on Olivia. This will surely complicate matters further between those two, Fauxlivia and Peter (when he eventually shows up!).
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