Okay—cards on the table, I was a Religious Studies minor, so I’m probably a little more interested than you are in the religious undertones of this (and every) season of Fringe. But let’s start with the obvious use of Olivia as a Christ figure. Last season we saw Peter make the ultimate sacrifice to save the world as he willingly stepped into the Machine in order to save the universes from crumbling. This season it was Olivia’s turn to play the savior, although her sacrifice wasn’t exactly voluntary. She didn’t exactly have time to give herself up for the good of humankind before Walter shot her in the head. Bell may have been the one playing God (or, according to him, being God), but it was Walter who took matters into his own hands by killing his and Bell’s creation (Olivia). What struck me most about Walter and Bell’s relationship in this episode was the dichotomy of God, how Walter and Bell took on the roles of creator and destroyer. Bell wanted to create a new world—destroying two of them in the process. Walter wanted to save the worlds, but to do so he had to destroy Olivia, who is essentially a creation of his and Bell’s through the Cortexiphan Trials. Walter and William Bell are two sides of a coin. One saw what he was becoming and took action to prevent it (by asking Bell to remove part of his brain). The other used the knowledge they had acquired to help prolong his life after being diagnosed with cancer, managing to overcome nature, if only for a few years. Though Walter has caused his share of destruction with his God-like attempts to overthrow the natural order (see the damage wrought in the Altverse), in this instance, he became a proponent of creation through destruction, or the continued survival of both universes through the (temporary) death of Olivia.

Olivia’s death at Walter’s hand brought to mind another Bible story: Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac. God asked Abraham to kill his only son as proof of his faith in God. Just when Abraham was about to kill his son, God stopped him and told him that he had sufficiently proven his faith. When Walter shot Olivia in the head, he had to have faith that her brain would regenerate itself. The tricky part is that by playing God, Walter was essentially demonstrating his faith in himself, or rather in his own scientific knowledge and his and Bell’s success in making Olivia into a Cortexiphan-powered super-human. Walter’s faith was rewarded with the resurrection of Olivia, and, much like Abraham, the promise of thousands of descendants (if by that you mean “at least one awesome granddaughter”). This show has mastered the art of juxtaposing science and religion. The world could really learn something from Fringe in that regard.

I must admit, at first I was completely and utterly shocked when Walter shot Olivia. My faith in him wavered for a second, and in that moment I felt completely betrayed by Walter. Then I connected the dots between the regenerative lemon cake from the previous episode and Olivia’s Cortexiphan-filled brain, and I realized what a brilliant but risky plan it was. Even after realizing that she wasn’t going to stay dead, my heart still broke for Peter, who has now had to watch the love of his life die in two consecutive season finales. And even though she came back to life, it’s got to be scarring to watch your father shoot your girlfriend in the head. These three are going to need some serious family therapy after this. Actually, they probably needed family therapy before this … but in any case, they all lived happily ever after! Even Astrid! I loved how the season ended with the four of them—the original Fringe crew (minus Charlie, I guess)—together, alive, and happily celebrating the news that Olivia is pregnant. It was so beautiful and nostalgic and perfect … which was completely unsettling. How often does Fringe leave you with a happy feeling at the end of its seasons? I mean, I love Fringe like it was a chocolate peanut butter pie in a crust made of bacon, but their finales generally leave you with a feeling more akin to having your heart scraped against a cheese grater.

There was a vaguely ominous final scene, which made it clear that our beloved Fringe characters will most certainly not be retiring by the beach anytime soon. September made a brief visit to Walter in the lab to announce, “We have to warn the others. They are coming.” I of course assumed he meant the British, but upon further reflection, I feel like that might not be whom he was referring to. Are we to assume “they” are the Observers? Coming to take over the world? Are “the others” that they’re warning the people of the Altverse? (Please, please, please say yes. I miss them so much.) All I know is that Season 5 is going to be mind-blowing.

This season has been very much about people trying to play God. We had the man who tried to create “A Better Human Being” in the episode of the same name; we had the man who thought he was the Angel of Death in “Making Angels”; and of course we had Bell, who tried to create an entire world of new, “better” creatures. (Though, why a winged porcupine person is an improvement, I still don’t understand.) But scientific hubris leads to the idea that some people are better than others, which can eventually turn into totalitarianism when the “better” people decide it’s in everyone’s best interests to control everything and everyone. Based on what we saw in “Letters of Transit”, this is where we’re headed. The Observers seem to have Bell’s “I am God” mentality, but without his creative vision or misguided sense of improving of the world. They rule because they can, not because they want to make the world a better place. Unfortunately for the Observers, there are still at least four people—and a very smart cow—who are ready to fight them for the hope of a better world.

Photo Courtesy of FOX

The Fall Schedule:

Sunday:
7:00: The OT
7:30: The Cleveland Show
8:00: The Simpsons
8:30: Bob’s Burgers
9:00: Family Guy
9:30: American Dad

Monday:
8:00: Bones
9:00: The Mob Doctor

Tuesday:
8:00: Raising Hope
8:30: Ben & Kate
9:00: The New Girl
9:30: The Mindy Project

Wednesday:
8:00: The X Factor

Thursday:
8:00: The X Factor
9:00: Glee

Friday:
8:00: Touch
9:00: Fringe

Saturday: Sports

Midseason:

Monday: The Following
Tuesday: The Goodwin Games
Wednesday & Thursday: American Idol
Friday: Hell’s Kitchen
Saturday: Cops

The New Shows:

Ben & Kate is a comedy about an irresponsible man helping his sister raise her daughter, starring Dakota Johnson (The Social Network) and Nat Faxon (The Cleveland Show).

See more at the official site.

The Following is a drama about a serial killer, his fans, and an FBI agent, starring James Purefoy (Rome) and Kevin Bacon (every movie ever).

See more at the official site.

The Goodwin Games is a comedy about adult siblings trying to fulfill the terms of their father’s will, starring Scott Foley (Felicity), Becki Newton (HIMYM), and Jake Lacy (Better with You).

See more at the official site.

The Mindy Project is a comedy about an ob/gyn, starring Mindy Kaling (The Office).

See more at the official site.

The Mob Doctor is a drama about a young Chicago doctor indebted to the mob, starring Jordana Spiro (My Boys).

See more at the official site.

(Photo courtesy of FOX.)

(Image courtesy of FOX.)

At the beginning of the episode, Peter and Olivia were lying in bed, perusing the real estate section of the paper when Olivia asked if the listing Peter was reading had a nursery. Peter seemed so surprised, but then his face broke out into the biggest grin, and they snuggled some more before they both got called in to go examine lots of charred corpses. This is the perfect example of why Olivia later confessed to Peter that she’s afraid they’ll never be able to have a “normal” life, which seemed to make her doubt their potential future family. (Shouldn’t Etta be born any minute now if we’re keeping with the 2036 timeline? I kept expecting Olivia to announce that she’s already pregnant.) Peter held her and told her that they would figure it out together, reassuring her that, “After all we’ve been through, I will not lose you again, Olivia” … which is exactly the kind of thing the writers would have Peter say right before he lost Olivia again. Because if there’s one thing the writers of Fringe are good at, it’s ruining Peter and Olivia’s happiness. (Not that I’m complaining; their reunions make it worth all the heartbreak.) Between that line and Bell’s apparent fixation on Olivia as a part of his master plan, I can’t help but be extremely worried for Olivia in the finale.

It doesn’t help that September already told her that she dies in all possible timelines. Plus, in “Letters of Transit,” Walter made a reference to William Bell having done something to Olivia, which I’m assuming has to do with her Cortexiphan abilities. This whole episode was a series of tests of Olivia’s powers, from the nanites to the rooftop fight with Jones. I was really surprised to see that a) Olivia was able to absorb the heat from Jessica’s nanite-induced heat wave (what’s up, Charlotte from Lost?), and b) that Jessica didn’t die, because for some reason, after watching her on Lost, I now automatically assume that when Rebecca Mader is on a show involving time travel, that she’ll end up dead. And yet she survived, thanks to Olivia’s shiny new powers. That was nothing compared to how she handled Jones on the roof though. I love it when Olivia gets to save her man … especially when she does it without a gun! I’m not sure how she knew that she’d be able to do it, but she just put on her ass-kicking face and got to it, taking down Jones by manipulating Peter’s body. I’m assuming she has to have a connection with someone to be able to go all puppet-master on them. Or do you think she could do it with anyone if she tried hard enough? It’ll be interesting to see how her newly discovered abilities factor into Bell’s presumably evil (or at the very least, misguided) plan.

I can’t believe Jones is dead. (Again.) After all the inconveniences he’s brought on us, plus his weird vision of “New Earth” with all his genetically-enhanced flying porcupine species and whatnot, now he’s gone? Just like that? I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel like I have a case of whiplash from all the chaos happening in the past few episodes. Bell and Jones … in cahoots? It’s just so strange. And now that Jones has been “sacrificed” (loved that chess metaphor, by the way—and the misleading “sacrifice a Bishop” line of thinking), is Bell a villain to be vanquished, or a misguided friend to be redeemed? I’ve heard a few theories that Bell is doing all this to save the world from the bleak future we saw in “Letters of Transit”. This seems like a plausible explanation for Bell’s actions so far. Or, you know, he just wants to take over the world. Basic super villain stuff. It could be that, too. But I doubt it.

So let’s talk about those final minutes of the episode, during which Walter and Astrid visited a sketchy warehouse that Walter believed might hold some clues as to Bell’s current state of not-deadness. They met up with some unfriendly men with guns, and just when you thought it was going to get ugly, it did … but not in the way I expected, because apparently Astrid is a freaking black belt or something! I was stunned by her awesome fighting skills. She and Walter almost made it out of there, but then Astrid got shot (!) and William Bell showed up as Walter was cradling Astrid on the floor. WHAT IS HAPPENING ON THIS SHOW? I feel like I don’t even know anything anymore. Is Astrid dead? She can’t really be dead, right? I don’t think I’ve really processed that ending yet, but it was sufficiently shocking. More than anything, I think it served to make me appreciate Astrid more, because the thought of watching the show without her just feels … wrong. It’s hard enough not to have the Altverse anymore, but Astrid has been a part of Fringe from the beginning. Maybe she’s not the flashiest character, and she’s often relegated to the background, or doing all the unpleasant tasks like frog wrangling and anal examinations of corpses, but she is without a doubt a core part of Fringe. I’m glad she got a chance to shine this season—especially with her alter-ego in “Making Angels”—but I hope she’ll survive the finale and keep shining on, helping to make the future we glimpsed in “Letters of Transit” become a reality.

Photo Courtesy of FOX

“Worlds Apart” set the stage for what’s sure to be an epic two-part season finale. Frankly, I was a little too distracted by Peter’s inexplicably sexy plaid shirt to really focus on the specifics of what was going on, but Olivia’s childhood pal and fellow Cortexiphan kid Nick Lane showed up in both universes—causing trouble in one and wearing sweater vests in the other. One of the best scenes of the episode (and very classic Fringe) was when Walter was hooking up AltNick to his fancy science wires and whatnot, and then he was like, “Have you ever tried LSD?” all nonchalant and Walter-like, and sort of tricked him into taking a dose of the hallucinogenic drug. Who knew LSD was so crucial in the process of saving the world? Using Olivia and AltNick’s Cortexiphan/LSD connection, they were able to find and apprehend non-sweater-vest-wearing Nick Lane before he caused another earthquake. Except, oops—the earthquakes still happened anyway. Without being able to stop the earthquakes from destroying both worlds, the team had no choice but to close the bridge between the universes. But at least we got some heartfelt scenes between the Bluniverse and Altverse characters before they bid each other farewell.

The scenes between the two Olivias brought tears to my eyes; they were so sweet and genuine, and it was great to see the two of them kind of give each other the proverbial nod before parting ways. Altlivia’s confession that she misses rainbows was the most vulnerable we’ve seen her since Lincoln’s death (*whimper*), and Olivia seemed as surprised as we were. Then, when they were saying goodbye, Altlivia told Olivia that there are a lot of things she admires about her, and Olivia told her, “Keep looking up after it rains,” which is something that only Olivia could say without sounding like a Hallmark card. (Actually, Walter could’ve pulled it off too.) It was such a perfect moment of recognition and appreciation between these two awesome women, who are so similar and yet completely different.

The Walters had an even more emotionally intense final scene together. Walternate tried to tell Walter how special their son is, and Walter ran out of the room. (I can’t blame him. Talking about your feelings is hard, especially with someone who has your face.) Walternate joined him in the hallway, where they both sat with their backs against the wall, looking like reflections of each other. Walternate knew Walter was worried that when they turned the Machine off, Peter would disappear from existence again. In another surprising moment of honesty and support between doppelgänger pairs, Walternate told Walter that he wouldn’t have been able to make this decision 25 years ago, but he has finally reached a point of acceptance that he can let his son do what needs to be done to save the world. This is the same decision that our Walter had to make in the original timeline, which showed that he had finally become a “better man.” More than any other scene, this proves that the Walter of the rebooted timeline is now essentially our original Walter. And I’m glad Walternate was there to point out to Walter how far he’s come.

Neither Peter nor Lincoln had doppelgängers to aid in their personal reflection before leaving them forever, but they did have each other, which seemed to highlight the parallels between them. Peter told Lincoln that he’s come to believe that, “Home is where the heart is,” which inspired Lincoln to follow his heart (which Altlivia must have in a jar somewhere) to the Altverse for good. Peter seemed to really respect Lincoln’s decision, but he was also sad to see Lincoln go (which just further proves my theory that they are secretly in love). And as devastated as I was to see Lincoln leave, it was the right choice for him. With Lincoln’s decision to move to the Altverse, it seems more like he’s replacing Peter than replacing AltLincoln (*sob*). If the Altverse is a reflection of the Prime Universe, then Lincoln and Altlivia would be the Altverse equivalent of Peter and Olivia. Both Peter and Lincoln had to literally move to a different universe to find their Olivia. But hey, no one ever said love was easy, especially not on Fringe.

It was an emotional goodbye, to say the least. Even in their rebooted states (actually, especially in their rebooted states), these characters have become such a wonderful and important part of Fringe, now it seems impossible to imagine the show without them. After three seasons of having two universes, I’m not sure I can adjust to just one again. The only bright side to the end of this episode was that, after turning off the Machine and closing the bridge, at least Peter was still in existence. That would have been really awkward if he went poof again. Walter looked as relieved as I felt, and he patted his son on the should and told him, “I think I shall miss them … more than I imagined.” You and me both, Walter.

Photo Courtesy of FOX

First, let me just get my fangasm out of the way so we can get to some coherent observations: OH MY GOD YOU GUYS PETER AND OLIVIA HAVE A DAUGHTER. I CAN DIE HAPPY NOW. As you can see, I’m pretty excited. There was a lot of speculation about Haig’s character before the episode aired, but I think all of us Fringe fans knew deep down that she couldn’t be anyone other than Peter and Olivia’s daughter. Fandom, meet Henrietta Bishop — she’s got her mother’s eyes and her father’s attitude. I know I shouldn’t be surprised, because, hello, look her gene pool, but Etta is seriously awesome. When she busted in on the Observers’ speakeasy soiree and saved Rick the pimp before one of the Observers could finish “wiping” his mind, it reminded me so much of Peter and Olivia. She was totally unflappable in the face of the gaggle of Observers, and she wasn’t afraid to drop just a hint of sass — in true Bishop style.

Let’s do some math here: Etta said she was four years old the last time she saw her parents. If we assume that they were separated about a year or two after the “Purge” in 2015, that would put Etta’s year of birth at about … 2012 or 2013? Soooo I’m hoping Olivia will announce that she’s pregnant at some point before the season ends. I can’t believe my beloved Peter and Olivia made a baby! Is it weird that I’m this invested in a fictional relationship and their resultant progeny? Never mind, I already know the answer, and I don’t even care. I was completely in awe during the final scene between Peter and Etta. All Peter’s years of daddy issues, and now he finally gets to experience them from the other side! They’re so adorable I could cry! When we found out that her name was Henrietta, I seriously lost it. Henry the cab driver’s legacy lives on! (And also baby Henry, obviously.) It’s all so perfect! Except, of course, for the fact that their daughter is living in a terrible world where the Observers run everything and you can’t even drink a cup of coffee. But other than that, it’s beautiful and wonderful and I love it.

Etta is lucky enough to have inherited some aspects of her mother’s special abilities so she can block her thoughts from the mind-reading Observers. This is a handy skill to have when you’re involved in the Resistance movement. She and her partner Simon found a way to remove Walter from the Amber popsicle he made himself into for some as-yet-unknown reason, and of course Walter’s first order of business after telling Etta that she’s pretty was to ask about food. And that’s why, if I was a character on this show, I would be Walter. Because I’m obsessed with food, and I’m easily distracted by shiny objects. (Also, Walter seems almost as invested as I am in Peter and Olivia’s relationship.) Luckily, they still have Red Vines in 2036 (phew!) so Walter’s hunger was satiated. Unfortunately, Walter was even crazier than when we left him in 2012. How do you fix a mad scientist’s brain? Create a serum with parts of his brain kept in storage at Massive Dynamic, of course. Etta took this all in stride (she really is her parents’ daughter), but Simon was understandably confused by the whole piece-of-Walter’s-brain aspect of the plan. Come on, Simon—this is Fringe. Brains are just par for the course.

Despite his bewilderment at the whole situation, I have to admit Simon handled himself pretty well. Having played Desmond on Lost, Henry Ian Cusick knows a lot about seeing the future. Another thing Simon and Desmond have in common is that they’re willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good, whether that means enduring a burst of magnetic energy to unlock the Island’s reset button, or getting encased in Amber to save Peter. I know it was only one episode, but I was already totally in love in Simon (though that might have something to do with Henry Ian Cusick’s beautiful face/hair/voice) so I was really moved when he freed Peter from Amber. I hope if and when we revisit the future they find a way to get Simon back. Although, a statue of Henry Ian Cusick encased in Amber would look great in my foyer. (Just kidding … I don’t have a foyer.)

In addition to new characters Etta and Simon, we saw some familiar faces in the future, including a haggard-looking Broyles, and Nina Sharp, who appeared to only have one working limb in 2036. Nina and Etta seemed to have a pretty close relationship, which makes me wonder if Nina knows who Etta’s parents are. She also mentioned something about the Fringe team having already saved the world from the Observers once before, albeit at great cost. Will we see this happen in the finale? Or (knock on wood) in Season Five? I think this was a really cool way to tease a possible story line for the fifth season. The Observers have always been in the background, but as we saw in “Letter of Transit”, they make for great villains.

So where does this leave us in the present? I almost completely forgot about David Robert Jones while I was watching this episode because I was so engrossed in this huge new problem of the future. Jones looks like small potatoes in comparison, I have to say. This episode left so many questions about the future, like why is William Bell in Amber with them? What did he do to Olivia? Are the Altverse characters still alive in 2036? Is Broyles going to help the Fringe team now that they’re un-Ambered? Where does Nina get her wigs? If the Observers run the world, why do they still dress in suits and ties? (I’m just saying, if I was in charge, I’d be wearing my yummy sushi pajamas every day.) What do you think, Fringe fans? Was this episode epic enough for you? Frankly, I really don’t know how it could have been more so. Fringe really only has one setting, and that’s epic.

 Photo Courtesy of FOX

At first glance, Altlivia seemed in pretty good spirits for someone who’d just lost her partner of six years. She was happy to help Walter look for clues regarding the mysterious deaths occurring in the Bluniverse, and she even smiled a few times. Then we saw her sitting on the floor of her apartment in the middle of the night drinking Frank’s leftover booze and staring at the remnants of AltLincoln’s locker. Walter—wearing only in a silk robe (and did I see some rhinestones on it?)—found Altlivia in her distraught condition and offered to make her some eggs. I couldn’t believe how quickly Walter warmed up to Altlivia, considering they haven’t exactly been friendly in the past. But between her vulnerable state and the fact that she reminded Walter of our Olivia, he seemed ready to forget the past and be a source of comfort to her when she had no one else (except for Lincoln of course, whose presence is probably as unsettling as it is comforting to her). Of course, now that Walter has bonded with both Olivias, this is going to lead to some seriously awkward family dinners, especially for Peter. But hey, awkwardness is the price you pay for not being able to tell the difference between your soul mate and her sassy doppelgänger. (Someday I’ll let that go, I promise.)

Another Altverse character that I was surprised to end up sympathizing with was AltBroyles. I had been assuming up until this point that he was either a shapeshifter or just plain evil, but I had completely forgotten that in the original timeline he had a chronically ill son. Here in the rebooted timeline, his son is still sick, which is the perfect weakness for David Robert Jones to exploit. After all, “Love makes us vulnerable. But it also makes us human, I suppose,” as Jones told Broyles. Who knew David Robert Jones was a philosopher in addition to being a megalomaniac? I guess every super villain is entitled to have a softer side …  AltBroyles’ softer side was on display this week as well, as he played the beaming father with his endearing young son. I’m so used to seeing AltBroyles with his signature look of authoritative stoicism that I almost didn’t recognize him with all the smiling he was doing in this episode.

AltBroyles was torn between doing the right thing and helping Jones in exchange for medicine for his son. One of the major themes of Fringe has been fathers making sacrifices for their sons, usually with severe moral implications. Lucky for AltBroyles, he was in the company of an expert on breaking-the-rules-to-save-your-son: Walter Bishop. When AltBroyles asked Walter if he would do it all again, Walter told him that, had he asked that question several months ago, he would have said no. But having met Peter and built a relationship with him, he wasn’t sure he would do anything differently. In the end, AltBroyles made the right choice. Instead of placing Jones’ frequency-altering Amphilicite bug on the Machine at Liberty Island as Jones had requested, AltBroyles turned himself in to his necktie-wearing alter-ego in the Bluniverse. I was surprised and impressed that AltBroyles decided to come clean. I guess he must have figured that if Jones destroys the world, his son will die anyway. Hopefully with him and Meana in custody, we can try to avoid that.

That was the other startling revelation of the episode: Walter came to the conclusion that Jones’ frequency-scrambling thingamabobs were part of his master plan to—drumroll please … collapse both universes. Frankly, that’s like the least creative evil plan I’ve ever heard. “Destroying the universes”? Really? That’s it? What does that even accomplish, DRJ? What world will you rule over if you destroy them all? Who will you mess with? What about your precious tea? There are so many flaws in this plan. I’m not sure why or how Jones is planning to collapse the two universes, but I’m not okay with it. We didn’t will Peter back into existence and have our Olivia restored just so some guy who looks like he got hit in the face with a frying pan could destroy both the worlds that we love. Now, if Jones wanted to reboot the timeline again so he didn’t exist instead of Peter, I would totally be on board with that plan. Then we could do this all over again—but without AltLincoln getting killed. It’d be like Groundhog Day: we’ll just do it over and over again until we get it right. If it takes ten seasons, so be it. Hear that, Fox? TEN SEASONS OF FRINGE. Fingers crossed.

Photo Courtesy of FOX

Call me crazy, but I can’t help but think that Altlivia’s relationship with AltLincoln helped shape him, or at least motivated him to become the man that he is. Looking at the Lincolns’ lives now, she’s the one big difference between the two of them. Our Lincoln met his Olivia five years later, and he lost her after a few short months, putting him back at square one in terms of meaningful relationships. I don’t know about you, but if I’d had a saucy redheaded partner/best friend/object of my unrequited love for the past six years, I’d probably be a different person than I am today. The people we love shape who we are. We saw how Olivia was different without ever having met Peter (granted, there were some other differences as well), and we’ve certainly seen Peter change over the course of the past four years of knowing Olivia, as well as reconnecting with his father.

When he was trying to convince Broyles to let him cross over to deliver the files on Jones, he said, “I don’t have anywhere to be,” by which he of course meant that he didn’t have any obligations (since he was apparently opting out of Grazing Day), but on a deeper level, he really doesn’t have anywhere to be. He has no place in this world. With Olivia’s memories of him wiped, he has no one to tether him to the world. For some reason (probably the fact that I’ve watched the birth scene in “Bloodline” way too many times) when Lincoln said, “I don’t have anywhere to be,” it reminded me of AltLincoln’s line in Season Three’s “Bloodline” when Altlivia makes him promise that he’ll stay with her until she delivers the baby, and he smiles and tells her, “There’s no place else for me to be.” AltLincoln has a place in his world, and that place is with Altlivia. She is his tether, while our Lincoln floats around like one of those inexplicably numerous blimps in the Altverse.

Based on the dopey smile on our Lincoln’s face when Altlivia flipped her magic hair at him, I think he felt more comfortable Over There with her than he does in our universe. Then again, he did almost get turned into a porcupine last week in the Bluniverse, so who can blame him for enjoying a break from—to quote Xander Harris—“being everybody’s butt-monkey.” For those of you who didn’t watch Buffy: number one, what’s wrong with you? And number two, a “butt-monkey” is a person with consistently bad luck who suffers humiliating fates such as being seduced by Incan mummies, getting syphilis from disgruntled Native American spirits, or being infected by genetically mutated porcupine monsters.

Due to his floating, un-tethered butt-monkey status, Lincoln could really relate to the Batman-like (or Mantis-like, if you’re from the Altverse) shapeshifter whom they encountered while investigating a series of murders of some seedy people. Canaan, as he was so biblically named, was one of the first of Jones’ new breed of shapeshifters. Apparently he wasn’t a total success, so Jones abandoned him, just like his girlfriend had done, taking her son with her. Canaan’s description of the unforgettable “bright lights,” the people who shine like stars, made me feel for the sad, lonely shapeshifter who had once been a man. More than that though, it made me feel for Lincoln, because I could tell that his feelings mirrored Canaan’s. He “wanted to be needed,” wanted to be one of those bright lights like AltLincoln or Altlivia. Lincoln had his “face yourself” moment of clarity after the botched assassination attempt on Canaan (by Jones’ order). He threw the shapeshifter against a fence and told him, “You can keep waiting for someone else to define you, to give you your place in the world, or you can decide that you’re not just someone’s broken puppet anymore. CHOOSE!” And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what I call a character defining moment. Lincoln took AltLincoln’s advice and made the choice to be who he wanted to be. And apparently he wants to be that person in the Altverse, where he offered to stay and help Altlivia avenge her partner’s death (*sobs*).

I wish I could say I was more moved by the final scene between Altlivia and Lincoln. The moment she heard his voice, Altlivia looked up with a brief look of hope on her face, like for a split second she thought maybe it was her Lincoln. I have to confess, I thought the same thing until reality set in and Altlivia and I both realized that it was just the other Lincoln. He quickly became aware of how painful it must have been for her to see his face, but it seemed to offer her at least some semblance of comfort because she asked him to stay. Lincoln originally ventured to the Altverse to try to find his place in the world, and he ended up finding it. My question is, if everything is in its “right place,” as the title of the episode implies, does that mean we’re preparing for some kind of Lost-esque sideways universe group consciousness shift? Because as exciting as that sounds, I only care if it means we’ll somehow get AltLincoln back, and that seems unlikely. But I can’t afford to step outside of my bubble of denial, because to actually accept that AltLincoln is really gone would probably ensure that I would cry through the last five episodes of the season, not to mention a good portion of my daily life for at least several weeks. One final thought: Seth Gabel was absolutely phenomenal in this (and every) episode. Much like with Anna Torv and John Noble’s dual performances, it’s easy to forget that the two characters are actually played by the same actor. I just hope this wasn’t the last time we get to see Gabel as AltLincoln.

Photo Courtesy of FOX

Another notable difference between the case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Porcupine in this timeline versus the original one is that instead of Peter and Olivia investigating together, this time it was Peter and Lincoln (boom chicka wah wah) because Olivia didn’t pass the FBI shrink’s sanity test. We all know Olivia Dunham is above any kind of psychiatric exam. I mean sure, telling someone you’ve recently acquired the memories and consciousness of the version of yourself from another timeline might sound like the onset of schizophrenia, but if that shrink had seen the first three and a half seasons of this show, she would totally understand where Olivia is coming from. As mad as I was at her for putting Olivia on involuntary leave from the FBI, I couldn’t be that upset since it meant Peter and Lincoln got to spend some quality time together. Of course, much of that time involved Lincoln being chased, screeched at, and attacked by a porcupine monster. And that wasn’t even the worst part of his day. Poor baby Lincoln had to watch Peter and Olivia make googly eyes at each other the whole time (which I would have happily watched for the entire episode), and then he was quarantined to the lab after he was infected with porcupine disease. On the plus side, he got to try some peanut butter-covered bacon, which sounds totally delicious in a really gross way. (Side note: Lincoln Lee eating peanut butter and bacon may or may not be a recurring fantasy of mine.)

The saddest part of the episode had to be Lincoln and Peter’s heart-to-heart in the car, where Lincoln confessed that he sees the love between Peter and Olivia as the same kind of deep bond that his late partner shared with his wife. Peter told Lincoln, “You’re a good guy,” which was basically the equivalent of slapping him in the face. It reminded me of one of those movies where the girl has a really good guy friend who is totally in love with her, and when he’s being all nice and understanding, she tells him, “You’re such a good friend,” and he’s like “I hate my life.” No one ever wants to hear that. Especially when they’re on the unrequited end of a love triangle.

From the glass-half-full end of things, at least Lincoln got to show off his awesome delt muscles in his white tank top while Walter sutured up his wound (swoon). And Peter did come to Lincoln’s rescue when the porcupine monster’s lady friend attacked him. As it turned out, these weren’t your run-of-the-mill genetically modified porcupine creatures. These people were part of a radical group who believe they’re going to transform into more “evolved” creatures (like porcupines with wings) and become the next generation of man—“children of the new world”, as the crazy lady put it. At least I think that was the gist. I was kind of distracted by all the sexual tension between Lincoln and Peter and Olivia. Oh, and I think they suspect David Robert Jones might be behind it. Because, hey, everyone needs a hobby, and Jones’ might just be collecting genetically modified creatures like porcupine monsters, acromantula, and whatever else is locked away in that freak show excuse for an ark, which he’s probably going to unleash at some point in his master plan to take over the universe(s). Man, I am not looking forward to that.

It seems like the theme of scientific hubris and the notion of creating a “better human being” that we saw three episodes ago in “A Better Human Being” is shaping up to be a big theme this season (not to mention an overarching theme of the show). More often than not I think we’ve seen that when people think they can play God and improve upon nature, it never really ends well. That being said, I can’t say it wouldn’t be awesome to be able to fly off of a building like that porcupine guy did. Walter better come up with some fairy dust real quick, or they are going to be really screwed when the flying porcupines rise up against them.

But back to happy things … Walter had some wonderful moments this week, the most touching of which was when he pulled out his box full of old birthday gifts he’d gotten for Peter after he died: a magnetic toy, a beer for his twenty-first, a skin mag for his sixteenth. It was pretty much adorable. Even better than Walter’s gleeful giving of his gifts was Peter’s warm reception of them. Having fully accepted this timeline as his home, he smiled at his father and then gave him the best hug I’ve ever seen on this show that wasn’t between Peter and Olivia. It’s so wonderful to have the core Fringe family back together and smiling and hugging and researching Sumerian apocalypse prophecies together. Olivia, Peter, and Walter are really the heart of the show, and having them all back to more or less their original selves is really rewarding. It makes me sad for Lincoln that he’s kind of the second cousin of the family, but I’m hoping he’ll find his place soon enough, because he deserves to feel like he belongs somewhere … and that somewhere is in my bed.

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I have to admit, the whole-sketchy-guy-with-a-skin-condition-killing-people-for-their-pheromones-and-then-seducing-their-wives thing was a little bit weird, even for Fringe (and by Fringe standards, that translates into some seriously freaky stuff). Combined with Peter’s fun field trip to the Observer’s secret lair, it was feeling a bit disjointed. The last ten minutes brought everything together though, in what was definitely one of Fringe’s best endings ever. Then again, I might be a little biased since I’m more invested in Peter and Olivia’s romantic future than I am in my own.

The episode started off with Olivia looking sad and lonely, sitting at a café at a table with white tulips on it. (Recurring symbolism alert!) I know I say this pretty much every episode, but Olivia really has had a rough time these past few months. Being dosed with Cortexiphan, losing her memories, discovering new ones, getting kidnapped by David Robert Jones, having to choose between Peter and Lincoln … it’s a lot to deal with. Despite all these obstacles, Olivia was still conflicted about her dual sets of memories and what to do about them. When she asked Walter to help reverse the deterioration of her memories, she told him it was because she “didn’t want to feel like this anymore.” Nothing like unrequited love to make you to want to forget.

By the end of the episode Olivia had changed her mind, thanks in part to the wife of one of the victims of the pheromone killer, who was really into sharing and told Olivia all about her loveless marriage. Mrs. Sutter confessed that she had basically settled for her husband, who had been her best friend in college and was always helping her “get over a broken heart, from one boy or another.” (Cue a shot of Lincoln’s adorably brooding face.) Olivia later told Nina that she saw herself in this woman, and that they were both people who had let go of the idea of finding love. Olivia decided she didn’t want to be that person anymore, and chose instead to let OriginOlivia’s memories take over and become that “better version” of herself. As sad as it was to see Olivia 2.0 essentially fade away, I couldn’t help but feel proud of her for choosing the possibility of love. The fact that she chose a love that she didn’t even know would be returned proves how much she’s changed. This was the first moment I really believed that she could be our Olivia. And after getting the go-ahead from the Observer, Peter finally believed it too.

Props to September for arranging the best scavenger hunt ever, starting with a clue placed in Peter’s eyeball. That was pretty insane, and I’m really glad Walter caught it so that Peter could find the Observer’s special metal pod that he buried in a park. At first I thought September was just messing with Peter, but then it turned out his hologram actually had some pretty important things to share. Peter was having a temper tantrum because he just wanted to go home, and the Observer was like, “You have been home all along.” And Peter was like, “Say what now?” Then September told him that this Olivia is his Olivia, and you could see in Peter’s eyes that a weight was lifted and the flame of his heart was reignited. (Okay, I apologize for the cheesy metaphors, but I JUST CAN’T HELP MYSELF OKAY.) For the first time in a long while, Peter and Olivia were finally on the same page, and their dramatic reunion outside Olivia’s apartment was glorious and beautiful and I may or may not still be crying tears of joy from that moment. But let’s just pretend I had a more normal reaction to two fictional characters making out.

According to the Observer’s theory, Peter and Olivia’s love was so great that it managed to keep both their essences alive, despite Peter being erased and Olivia being rebooted into Olivia 2.0. Because they’d both held onto their love for one another, they were never truly erased from existence. Does anyone else think September must have like a super romantic backstory with some epic love story that we don’t know yet? He’s the greatest, baldest, most monotone matchmaker in history. There’s got to be some reason for all the hard work he put into helping Peter and Olivia be together. I mean, he visited every possible future to see if Olivia would survive one of them—all in the name of love. Something tells me it’s not just a hobby.

Two other relationships had important developments this week. One was Olivia and Lincoln, who kind of broke my heart this week with all his sad glances. He clearly has feelings for Olivia 2.0, and he’s been firmly against her letting go of her real memories from the start. It was really touching to see him try to be there for her while she was all distraught about Peter’s rejection and the impending loss of her identity. The downside of this whole Peter-Olivia reunion thing is that Lincoln’s love interest has basically been cast to the wayside. I guess it would be weird to suggest that the two Olivias share custody of her body so that Peter can be with OriginOlivia and Lincoln can be with Olivia 2.0? Yeah, you’re right, that’s too much, even for Fringe.

On a happier note, Walter and Peter shared a moment when Walter was extracting September’s clue from Peter’s eye. (Don’t they ever do any normal father-son bonding activities?) Impressed with Peter’s willingness to do the morally right thing and stay away from Olivia, he told his son, “You’re a better man than I.” Peter was taken aback by this because he’d heard it before, only in Greek. His mother used to tell him, “Be a better man than your father,” and it was the same phrase that Olivia spouted inexplicably when she startled awake from her coma at the beginning of season two after visiting the Altverse. Hearing Walter actually say it to Peter felt like he had finally succeeded in fulfilling his mother’s wish for him. In doing so, maybe he became a man worthy of being with his true love.

Now that Peter and Olivia are together and Peter has embraced the fact that this timeline is his home now, maybe those two lovers can combine their extensive knowledge of David Robert Jones and save both universes from his evil plan. Also, maybe we can finally get some good Altverse action. And by that of course, I mean some loving for AltLivia and AltLincoln. At least one of the Lincoln Lees should be getting some. I’m looking forward to an awesomely intense final seven episodes of the season. So until next week, I’ll just keep basking in the glow of the Polivia love story.

Photo Courtesy of FOX