Believe it or not, Olivia has bigger problems than Nina and her gang of knockout-gas-toting minions. She’s also dealing with the fact that she’s going to die. And not in a vague, existential, “we’re all going to die someday” way, but in a concrete, the-bald-guy-said-so-and-so-it-shall-be kind of way. I had to give her props though, because she handled the news relatively well. She and our Olivia do have a lot in common, after all. Remember that time our Olivia munched on a piece of toast while she nonchalantly informed Peter that the man she had seen in her dream was the man who was going to kill her? Olivia is pretty used to almost dying, but it still must be difficult to hear that your fate is sealed and there’s nothing you can do to avoid it, which is basically what Peter said when he unknowingly told Olivia that the Observer’s word should be taken as fact. (Score one for the King of Tact.)

Emily’s visions of death presented an interesting counterpart to Olivia’s struggle with the news of her own impending death. Throughout her history of predicting people’s deaths, Emily had never been able to stop one. She believed that everyone’s deaths (at least the ones she saw) were set in stone—even her own. Olivia and co. proved her wrong when they managed to stop a man from blowing up a courthouse and killing dozens of people, using Lincoln’s canine-like ability to sniff out explosives, Peter’s convenient radio detonator savvy, and Olivia’s impressive powers of persuasion. (Side note: These guys really do make a great team, but they need to have more adorable bonding moments, like Peter and Lincoln when they went to the Altverse. Is there a special Fringe Division team-building seminar they can go to? They can practice their trust falls and learn how to create a secret password so they can check and see if their partner has been replaced by a shapeshifter.)

The primary storyline this week, although it seemed unrelated to the arc of the second half of the season (I don’t think anyone so much as mentioned David Robert Jones), actually included some important developments, particularly for Olivia. First, it addressed the concept of predestination with regard to death. When Emily told them she had never been able to save any of the people in her visions, it seemed like Olivia would suffer the same fate, unable to prevent her own death as it was foretold. Then, when the gang saved the courthouse from exploding like it did in Emily’s vision, there was a glimpse of hope that maybe our fates are not as unchangeable as it had appeared, that maybe Olivia would survive, despite the Observer’s warning. The whole episode seemed like a way for the writers to establish that Olivia’s fate could go either way. She might be able to avoid her predicted death, like the people in the courthouse, or she might be a victim of destiny, and die exactly as the Observer told her she would, as Emily did at the end of the episode. Having set precedents for both possible outcomes, the writers have ensured their creative freedom, while still maintaining a level of surprise so the audience doesn’t know for sure whether or not Olivia will live to see the end of the season. (Well played, Fringe writers.)

Emily’s story also featured the recurring theme of child experimentation (specifically by Massive Dynamic). Olivia saw herself in Emily because they were both traumatized by their experiences as test subjects for Massive Dynamic. She confronted Nina about it, accusing her of continuing their experiments years after she had promised Olivia they would end it. Nina defended herself, pretending to be concerned for Olivia, since she knew how much damage had been done to her when she was a child in the Cortexiphan Trials. I kind of can’t believe Olivia didn’t see Nina’s true colors at that point, but I guess when you’ve grown up loving someone like a mother, it’s hard to believe they could be a completely different (and extremely evil) person. The hardest part was at the very end, when Olivia and Nina sat down for a heart-to-whatever-Nina-has-where-her-heart-should-be, and Olivia told Nina that when she was facing her death, what struck her was the thought that she wanted Nina to know how much she loved her. (Oh! The agony! I just want to take Olivia by the hand and then hug her for about three hours.) That was so hard to watch, knowing that Nina is still experimenting on Olivia, and apparently in cahoots with David Robert Jones. This Olivia and our Olivia may share the same DNA and fondness for light blue button-downs, but they differ greatly when it comes to their intuition. I really believe that our Olivia would be able to sense Nina’s evilness, but maybe that’s just because our Olivia is innately distrusting of Original Nina. For now, though, we’re stuck with this Olivia, and she’s the one who’s going to be devastated when she finds out that the closest thing she has to a mother makes Mommie Dearest look like mother of the year. I just hope that when things hit the fan, Lincoln is there for Olivia to give her the support she needs. And by “support,” I mean sex.

Photo Courtesy of FOX

On the one hand, it’s nice to see a familiar (if extremely ugly) face from a past season. On the other hand, I wish it didn’t have to be David Robert Jones. I was kind of hoping never to see him again after he died in Season One, but I guess it’s only fair that if we get to see Charlie again, that we also have to put up with the reappearance of some less likable characters from Fringe’s past. Jones marked his dramatic return with a reminder of just how psychotic he really is. When AltLivia and AltLincoln came to take him into custody, Jones gave them a severely disturbing demonstration in his underground lab, followed by a nice little monologue about his twisted take on one of Fringe’s central themes: a parent’s love for their child. He basically called himself the father of his new race of shapeshifters, and then he killed one of them while AltLivia and AltLincoln watched. He pointed out that if he’s willing to kill something he loves, imagine what he’ll do to everyone else. Frankly, this seemed like a lot of trouble to go to just to prove that he’s super crazy.

Speaking of mentally unstable father figures, Walter was particularly Walter-like this week (and by “Walter-like” I mean like our original Walter). He spent the episode making Parmesan ice cream in the lab and giving Gene a good grooming. After last week’s episode, it became clear that this Walter is still haunted by his guilt regarding his failed attempt to save Peter, as well as his part in his wife’s suicide. That’s a lot of baggage for one man to handle. (No wonder Walter isn’t exactly president of the Sanity Club.) He made some great strides this week when Altverse Elizabeth paid him a visit. She appeared in his lab looking like an angel, with rays of light framing her face, and for a second it looked like Walter really thought she was his Elizabeth. Her first words to him were, “I’m not her,” which snapped him back to reality. (Or as close to reality as Walter gets.) But even though she wasn’t his Elizabeth, she was still able to help Walter find forgiveness.

Unlike our Walter, who was constantly striving to earn Peter’s forgiveness (for never being there when he was growing up, for taking him from his rightful universe, etc.), this Walter is seeking forgiveness from God. In the original timeline, Walter asked God for a sign that he’d been forgiven for his violation of the universes. That sign was a white tulip, which Walter found in the Season Two episode of the same name. In this timeline, however, Walter never received his sign of forgiveness. This is just another one of the many things that distinguish this Walter from ours. Elizabeth told Walter that she forgave him, and if she can, then God certainly can. I guess in this timeline, Elizabeth is Walter’s white tulip. Hopefully her forgiveness can help Walter begin to forgive himself, not just for taking her son, but also for not being there for his Elizabeth when she was still alive.

The wonderful thing about our Walter is that he’s so easy to connect with, partly because he rarely hides his emotions. His character is so tragic and so well intentioned, you can’t help but feel everything he feels, from paralyzing grief over everything he’s lost, to effervescent joy at the prospect of a strawberry milkshake. Until this episode, I had never felt this connection with the new Walter, but watching his face fall when he came to the realization that Elizabeth wasn’t his wife, my heart just broke for him. (Side note: how is it possible that John Noble has not won an Emmy? Seriously. It’s unbelievable.) I found myself instantly invested in his redemption, which seems to be tied to his involvement in helping Peter get back home.

Walter and Elizabeth’s scene easily won the Tearjerker Scene of the Week award, but Walter’s late-night visit with Peter was a close second. He showed up on Peter’s doorstep (which was really the doorstep of their house in the original timeline) to tell him that (a) his mother is a wonderful woman (all versions of her), and (b) he would help Peter get back to his world. He explained to Peter that he had lost everyone he loved, and he understood how Peter must be feeling. Peter seemed so genuinely happy to have Walter finally warm up to him, and to have his help in getting home. In fact, this is the first time I remember seeing Peter give us a real smile (not that mildly amused smile he sometimes gives Olivia when he’s obviously thinking about all the things he’s done with her pre-reboot doppelgänger) since he arrived in this timeline. He told Walter, “I just spent the last several days with the other Walter, and I was very surprised to learn that he is not the man that I thought he was. But I am not at all surprised to learn that you are.” I just about lost it at this point. Peter and Walter’s relationship has always been one of my favorite parts of the series, and you could tell that Peter seemed so relieved to finally have some semblance of his father back. Who would’ve thought Peter would have two supportive fathers in this timeline!

Peter changed a lot this week. Last week his mantra was, “This isn’t my fight,” and he seemed determined not to get involved in the various inter-universe squabbles and shapeshifter drama of this timeline. But he had a change of heart this week. My first suspicion that Peter might actually care about this timeline and its inhabitants was when Olivia was chasing after Jones, about to go through the portal. Peter was shouting into his walkie-talkie for her not to follow him across, because if it closed on her, she’d be killed. Luckily she slammed on the brakes in her SUV just in time for the portal to take off the front of the car. Peter breathed a sigh of relief when he heard her voice on the other end of his walkie. He’d been acting like he wasn’t particularly attached to these rebooted versions of his loved ones, but when this Olivia was about to die, he was genuinely concerned for her safety. Then, later on, when Walternate held the first meeting of Team Universe (all assembled at a shiny table, sitting across from their doppelgängers), Peter announced that he’s the “variable” that Jones didn’t account for which would ultimately allow them to take him down. (Way to be modest, Peter.) So the gang’s all here! Prepare for Team Universe’s impending domination … the only obstacle of which is the fact that Alt-Broyles is apparently working with Jones … and Nina is doing something sketchy to Olivia to make her “ready” for something. But I’m sure they can work around that.

If last week’s episode was all action, excitement, and car chases, this week’s episode focused mainly on character development. Walter joined in on the fun, and Peter finally embraced (more or less) his position on Team Universe as their secret weapon against Jones. Probably the most important development, though, was the news that AltLivia dumped that floppy-haired loser she was dating, and AltLincoln has been her “shoulder to cry on.” Finally! Ugh, Frank was the worst. And I love that our Lincoln was totally playing wingman for his alter-ego, asking AltLivia why she found it so ridiculous that he assumed they were romantically involved, which they obviously should be, considering they have more chemistry than a Mentos and a bottle of cola. Now where was I before I got sidetracked by my swooning over LincLivia? Oh, right, wrapping things up …

This episode really set the stage for the second half of the season. Now that we’re somewhat settled into this new timeline, we can begin the process of taking down the King of Creepers, David Robert Jones (again), and hopefully fixing the Machine so that Peter can maybe someday get home. As much as I miss our Olivia and Walter, I can’t help but feel that, like Peter, I’m getting attached to these new ones, and I’ll be pretty sad if and when we have to leave them. Which leads me to my proposition for Season Five: the Rainbow Universe—where all the various incarnations of our beloved characters can coexist peacefully, and all the Lincolns can counsel each other on the Art of Wooing Olivia Dunham. Sure, they’d all have to be branded with which universe they’re from to prevent any more identity theft (cough, AltLivia, cough), but all in all I think it would make for a wonderful world, or at least a really entertaining sitcom.

Photo Courtesy of FOX

Peter’s New Year’s Resolution is to get back to his world, and his prophetic pancake dream in which Walter uttered the words “I’ll get this infernal machine working,” (referring to the waffle machine) gave him the idea of asking Walter to fix the real infernal Machine in order to help Peter get back home. When he approached Walter about the plan, all he got in response was Walter’s guilt-ridden recollection of his wife’s suicide (which served as the perfect reintroduction for Elizabeth Bishop, who popped up in the Altverse). In short, Walter wouldn’t help Peter because the last time he tried to save a Peter Bishop, he ended up losing his wife, his career, and his sanity. On the one hand, I can’t blame Walter for not wanting to help Peter, but on the other hand, what has he got to lose this time?

Inspired by a glimpse of Walter’s reflection in a mirror (recurring symbolism alert!), Peter came up with the idea of crossing Over There to meet with Walternate and ask for his help, which, if our experiences with the original Walternate are any indication, was a terrible idea. On the plus side, it involved a fun new inter-universal mission for Lincoln and Peter, who are my new favorite TV duo of all time. It also had the added bonus of requiring our Lincoln to impersonate his Altverse doppelgänger, which was, in a word, marvelous.

Allow me to take a moment (or twelve) to appreciate the fabulousness of Lincoln Lee. Remember that time he brought Olivia chicken soup and it was the cutest thing anyone has ever done in the history of the world? Seriously. That is the best use of chicken soup on television since the “Flu Season” episode of Parks & Recreation. (Ben + Leslie 4eva!) And the way Olivia tousled his hair to make it look more like AltLincoln’s? I mean, for Lincoln and Olivia that’s like the equivalent of second base. I was so overcome by my love for Lincoln Lee that I composed a Haiku:

One has nerd glasses.
The other has attitude.
Both are wonderful.

(Look for my collection of Fringe-inspired poetry to be published in the coming months.)

I love seeing the contrast between our universe’s Olivia and Lincoln and the Altverse versions of them. AltLivia and AltLincoln are all spark and sizzle, with a familiar repartee, all within the context of a well-oiled partnership. Our universe’s Lincoln and Olivia have more of a subdued mutual intrigue thing going, where they’re both attracted to each other, but they’re so timid they’re not really sure what to do about it. It’s like watching two kittens sniff each other and then run back to their respective hiding places. Except Lincoln and Olivia are actually cuter.

The real star pair in this episode, however, was Lincoln and Peter. Those two have great partner chemistry, and this episode proved that they could easily have their own action movie franchise spin-off if Fringe ever gets canceled. As they prepared to cross over to the other universe, Lincoln was understandably nervous, but Peter had some encouraging words of comfort for him. Their conversation went a little something like this:

Lincoln: “What happens if this portal closes while I’m only halfway through?”
Peter: “Don’t worry, it’ll just cut you in half. P.S. I totally killed a guy that way one time.” (FORESHADOWING: Remember David Robert Jones, who Peter sliced in half in the Season One finale? That’s going to be important later.)

After successfully crossing over without losing any limbs, Peter and Lincoln emerged from the opera house, and Lincoln was stopped in his tracks by the sight of the Twin Towers still standing. (Even after two and a half seasons of the Altverse, it’s still a stunning and haunting sight.) Peter was all business, telling Lincoln, “Hey Scarecrow, come on. The flying monkeys are coming.” This of course triggered my own crippling fear of flying monkeys, because I saw The Wizard of Oz way too young and have never been able to look at monkeys the same since, winged or not. And also, why is Lincoln the Scarecrow? Is Peter implying that he needs to find a brain? Personally, I see Lincoln more as a Cowardly Lion type (and I mean that in the most affectionate way possible), but he’s certainly gained a bit of courage since joining the Fringe team. Peter is obviously Dorothy, and Walternate is perfect as the Great and Powerful Oz. But enough Wizard of Oz metaphors; let’s switch to Star Wars.

In order to get into the Liberty Island facility, Peter and Lincoln pulled the old Wookiee prisoner gag, with Peter as Chewbacca and Lincoln as Han/Luke impersonating a stormtrooper. Obviously Lincoln had been in a fair number of elementary school theater productions in his day (which makes total sense) because he nailed his performance as badass AltLincoln. He barely batted a beautiful feathery eyelash when the guard asked him for his Show-Me. Once they got inside, though, Peter realized that Lincoln and Olivia were running Operation Ulterior Motives, which could completely foil his mission. (I bet Dorothy and Scarecrow never had these problems.) They didn’t have a lot of time to argue about it, because guess who showed up? AltLincoln! (And some other people with guns.) But most importantly, Lincoln and AltLincoln came face to face for the first time. It was just like the recurring dream that I have, except that both Lincolns were fully clothed.

At this point, the tone of the episode went from Wizard of Oz/Star Wars to full-on action movie mayhem, with Lincoln playing the part of the “this isn’t what I signed up for” new kid on the job, and Peter as the “I’m too old for this stuff” seasoned veteran. In typical action movie fashion, Peter and Lincoln were being taken to a secure location when their driver received a mysterious phone call, which lead him to execute some extremely dangerous traffic violations, and also shoot his partner. In the chaos of Lincoln and Peter’s escape, Lincoln shot the agent, and then became frozen in shock. Peter, being the grizzled veteran, asked for his gun and told him, “We’re doing this my way now.” (When exactly did Peter become Bruce Willis? Not that I’m complaining.) As it turned out, “Peter’s way” involved making a run for it while Lincoln stuck around to distract AltLivia and AltLincoln, which he did by telling AltLivia that Peter said he could trust her, that she’s “a good person.” AltLivia looked absolutely disgusted by this comment, and the idea that Peter seems to think he knows her. (If only she knew about the whole baby daddy thing in the original timeline.)

Meanwhile, Peter went to see the rebooted Altverse version of his mother, who, in a surprising turn, was actually glad to see him. (That must have been a nice change for Peter.) She knew who he was when she looked into his eyes, and from that point on she seemed determined to protect Peter from Walternate’s men. Peter’s reunion with his mother delivered the emotional punch of the episode, and it was all the more powerful because of Peter’s somewhat less-than-warm-and-fuzzy interactions with both of his fathers.

Despite Peter’s insistence that Walternate was trying to kill him, Elizabeth was certain that it was all just a misunderstanding. Walternate and Peter had a dramatic private meeting, in which Walternate called in Brandon and then TOTALLY TAZERED HIM, thereby revealing that Brandon had been replaced by a Shapeshifter. Walternate said that he’d suspected Brandon of being a Shapeshifter for weeks, but it was hard to be sure, on account of Brandon’s natural creepiness. Then he told Peter that – wait for it - he is the only person he can trust. Um … what? Is this Walternate actually not evil or something? Or is he just way sneakier at being evil? MY BRAIN HURTS. To top it off, after the whole circle of trust thing, Peter told Walternate that he’s not the man Peter thought he was. Walternate responded, “You’re exactly the man I thought you would be.” Are Peter and Walternate actually (gulp) bonding?! What is this world? Everything is topsy-turvy!

If that wasn’t enough of a shock, Olivia got an ominous visit from The Observer, who unfortunately did not drop by to give her the winning lottery numbers for the coming week. His news must have been really important, because as he was delivering it, he was bleeding profusely. He told Olivia that he had seen all the possible futures, and in every one of them, Olivia would have to die. Really, Observer?!? You couldn’t find a single timeline where Olivia lives? That is so discouraging. Olivia can’t die. She’s Olivia Dunham! Oh, speaking of people who can’t die, remember David Robert Jones? As the final scene revealed, he’s still alive in this timeline! And up to some very nefarious plans, I might add. Someone better put the kibosh on that ASAP, guys. I vote we put Peter and Lincoln on the case … assuming they’re not too busy auditioning for the next Die Hard film.

Photo Courtesy of FOX 

“[It's] a thrilling new series that follows a unique trio investigating the mystifying reappearance of 302 of Alcatraz’s most notorious prisoners and guards, 50 years after they vanished.”

You can get a better feel for it in this promo:

I’ve actually had a chance to see this pilot; there’s a lot of potential, but I’m not completely in love with it yet. It’s definitely a cross between serial and procedural (much like Fringe). I happen to prefer a heavier emphasis on the serial aspect, so I’ll reserve my judgment until we get deeper into the mysteries surrounding The Rock and these inmates.

Alcatraz premieres tonight at 8/7c on FOX, and on CityTV in Canada.

Photo Courtesy of FOX

It doesn’t start until March 19th, but it’s definitely worth putting on your radar.

Photo Courtesy of FOX

This week’s Fringe begged the question of what it means to be seen. As it turns out, it means a lot. Sure, you could spy on anyone you wanted, sneak into the movie theater, and you’d never have to worry about keeping up with the latest fashion trends, but what’s the point if you can’t have any friends? Eugene, the freak-of-the-week (I’m sorry, I mean genetically-challenged-subject-of-the-week), was so lonely that he started killing people for their pigment, poisoning himself in the process. But he managed to obtain enough pigment to give himself a minute-long elevator ride with his pretty neighbor every day. Later on, Eugene showed off his meaner side, holding Olivia at gunpoint while he gave her a speech about how our existence is validated by the recognition of other people, making an invisible existence essentially pointless.

In the end, Eugene died happy because he was finally acknowledged as a human being, not just a science experiment. That day, he barely made his elevator ride with Julie, who spoke to him for what appeared to be the first time, telling him that she was worried he wasn’t coming. He was so shocked, and presumably unaccustomed to being addressed by beautiful women, that he wasn’t able to get out more than an awkward “no” in response to her question, along with his name. She told him her name was Julie, and then she got off the elevator. When the elevator doors closed, Eugene collapsed, finally succumbing to the deadly effects of his re-pigmentation. For him, it was worth it, just for that moment of recognition from the woman he had loved from afar. She saw him, and that was what mattered.

Despite his homicidal hobbies and his general lack of social skills, Olivia was sympathetic toward Eugene, possibly because she, too, was experimented on as a child. I think Eugene helped Olivia to better understand the importance of connecting with other people, an area in which she has been somewhat lacking. She had the epiphany this week that maybe it’s not normal to keep all her feelings about the weird stuff she deals with bottled up inside and not talk to anyone about it. Poor Olivia … she was so concerned about her abnormalities that she asked Nina if she thought the Cortexiphan Trials might have stunted her emotions. I just wanted to hug her and tell her that she’s perfect just the way she is. Also, I think she should consider getting a pet to provide some much-needed companionship. (And to alert her when strange men in shower caps are outside her door getting ready to gas her apartment.) Or she could just adopt one of Walter’s pets. So far he’s got Gene the cow, Yoko invisible mouse, John the visible mouse, and an eight-hundred-dollar octopus. (I loved when Walter defended his extravagant purchase of the octopus by saying, “Tell Agent Broyles that … science has no price tag!” Well said, Walter.)

It looks like Eugene inspired Olivia to try to forge a connection with another human being, specifically Lincoln Lee, who is similarly awkward and just about as adorable as she is, so it’s perfect! She ran into him in a diner on her way back from picking up her pain medication for her migraines (thanks a lot, Nina), and they were both more than a little flustered at seeing the other in some form of casualwear instead of their usual matching blue button-downs. My favorite moment between them was later on, when Olivia was struggling to open her bottle of pain pills and Lincoln took it and opened it for her. When she protested, saying that she could do it herself, he responded, “I know you can, but you don’t need to.” I don’t know why, but this small interaction gave me the sense that if they were together, Lincoln would be able to appreciate Olivia’s strength and her independence, while still giving her the love and affection that she deserves. I was a little dubious before, but I think now I’m on board the Lincoln-Olivia love train.

The only thing cuter than Lincoln and Olivia in this episode was Lincoln and Peter. Lincoln paid Peter a visit, and Peter was grateful to have someone treat him like a human being instead of just a Fringe event, as he dubbed himself. Lincoln couldn’t hide the fact that he’s a little bit in awe of Olivia. He told Peter, “I’ve never met anyone like her before,” which was pretty ironic, considering Peter has met two other Olivias very much like this one, not to mention the fact that he’s slept with both of them. Lincoln is an amateur when it comes to falling for Olivia Dunham. Peter and AltLincoln should give him some tips. Not that it would help very much, since they’ve all loved different Olivias. (Seriously, on what other show can you find this level of complexity in the romantic relationships?) Peter clarified this fact, telling Lincoln that this is not his Olivia. (I guess you only make that mistake once.) So it didn’t seem quite as weird for them to be discussing Lincoln’s increasing attraction to her.

At some point Peter must have decided that, since he doesn’t have anything better to do (aside from trying to get back to his original universe and shopping with his babysitter, Agent Tim), he’s going to play matchmaker for Olivia and Lincoln. Step one: new sexy nerd glasses? I didn’t really understand that. I thought Peter’s gift to Lincoln would be some token of insight into Olivia’s mind and soul, but I guess Peter just thought these new glasses would bring out Lincoln’s eyes? I don’t know. Maybe I’m missing something. It’s still cute. Anyway, everything was going according to plan until Nina interfered and derailed their three a.m. diner date. Pardon my abbreviated text speak, but, WTF, Nina? I mean, I expected her to be bad, but I didn’t expect her to be that bad. And I certainly didn’t expect her to be the biggest cock-blocker of the season. You’re killing me, Nina. What is with the serum? Is it a Cortexiphan follow-up? Is it supposed to enhance any powers that Olivia might have in this universe? Is Nina working with Walternate? Most importantly, has anyone invented a time machine yet so we can time travel to January and see the next episode of Fringe? That promo had me tingling with excitement for the return of AltLincoln. Only seven weeks to go! Feel free to start counting down.

Photo Courtesy of FOX

The episode began with Peter’s dream, in which he and Olivia were snuggling together in a park while Walter enjoyed some quality time on the swing set. (Please let this be a preview of the Purple Universe.) Then he got slapped back into reality with the realization that he’s still alone in a cell, and his father and girlfriend don’t know who he is, or even like him, for that matter. The contrast between Dream Olivia and this world’s Olivia was pretty stark. When she reluctantly sought his opinion about the latest Fringe event, Peter was all, “Let’s talk about my feelings,” and Olivia gave him that look she’s so good at—you know, like she’s sort of confused by your stupidity, and a little offended by your presence – and basically said, “Let’s talk about the case, weirdo.” No bonding for you, Peter. Geez, it’s even harder to get to know her this time around.

A little later in the episode, Olivia briefly lifted her moratorium on touchy-feely talk to ask Peter about the other version of herself. She said she could see the way he looks at her, and guessed that she was important to Peter. He responded, “She was. She is.” This phrasing struck me for two reasons: one, he said “she” not “you” – which seems to indicate that Peter has come to terms with the fact that this Olivia is not the Olivia he fell in love with. (I guess Peter learned his lesson after the whole Altlivia fiasco, so he won’t be transferring his feelings onto this Olivia 3.0.) Secondly, he corrected himself, first using the past tense, but then changing it to the present. It sounds like Peter might be a little disheartened, but he hasn’t given up trying to restore the original timeline. Either that, or he’s accepted that he’ll never see Originolivia again, but she’s still important to him.

The Fringe event this week was a series of time bubbles where small pieces of the world flashed back to the way they were four years ago. This posed a small problem for, say, a highly populated underground tunnel that wasn’t built four years ago. (Was I the only one who laughed when Olivia said that hundreds of people in the tunnel would drown, and Broyles’ immediate reaction was to send Lincoln down there? I mean, he’s only been on the job for eight weeks; how did Lincoln end up with Titanic duty?) Olivia was convinced that Peter was somehow connected to these anomalies, and ultimately, she was kind of right.

While everyone else was working on trying to figure out why these time bubbles were appearing, Walter sat in the corner listening to “Too Much Time on My Hands” by Styx. (Get it? “Too much Time…”?) Peter lamented to Olivia that Walter can’t even look at him. The tables have turned in this father-son estrangement. After years of resenting and ignoring his father, now Peter knows how it feels to be on the other end. It’s devastating to watch, especially considering how much progress they made in mending their relationship in the original timeline, but in a way, it’s beautiful because you can see Peter starting to appreciate his father more, and understanding a little of what it must have been like for Walter when his son wouldn’t even call him “Dad.”

When Walter finally caved and agreed to play nice with Peter (by which I mean, stand in the same room as Peter while still ignoring him), he discovered the origin of the time bubbles, which turned out to be a machine in somebody’s basement. (Hmm … a machine with the power to alter the time-space continuum … Where have I heard that before?) “Somebody” turned out to be Raymond Green, played by Stephen Root (whom I will always think of as The Stapler Guy from Office Space), a man trying desperately to manipulate time so that he and his wife could live together happily in a time when she didn’t have Early-onset Alzheimer’s.

The present timeline showed Raymond’s wife with limited lucidity, occasionally asking Raymond who he was, or whether she’d done the Christmas shopping yet. Raymond used the brief time bubbles to watch his then-brilliant wife work on the equation needed to create a permanent time chamber four years ago. Think The Notebook, but instead of a book filled with the story of their love, the Greens have a notebook filled with complex Physics equations that could tear the fabric of time.

It was heartbreaking to watch Raymond jump from the present to the past, where he told his wife how much he appreciated her constant reminders. I guess it’s easy to write it off as nagging, until your significant other can’t remember to do it anymore. The parallels between Raymond’s story and Peter’s were painfully apparent. Both Peter and Raymond are struggling with the pain of loving a woman who doesn’t remember them. (Although, in Peter’s case, he has acknowledged that this Olivia is not the woman he loved.) In the end, it was Peter who had to suit up with the Walter Bishop Faraday Harness (patent pending … also, Lost reference for the win!) and cross into the time bubble to turn off Raymond’s machine.

Understandably, Raymond was not too keen on this plan. Peter was about to go all Britney Spears and smash the machine with a baseball bat, but Raymond pointed out that the whole block would evaporate with them if he did. Raymond’s wife, finally aware of what he’d been doing and what the future held for her, tried to reason with him, and she was able to convince him to turn off the machine if she wrote down the rest of the equation in the notebook so he could try to build the time chamber again. Raymond begrudgingly accepted, and the two shared a tearful goodbye. Peter let them have a second together, but then he was like, “Look, I know how hard it is to kiss your lady friend goodbye before altering the flow of time and space, but Lincoln’s about to drown, so let’s get a move on, shall we.” Sure enough, just as the tunnel walls were about to collapse into nonexistence, letting the water drown everyone, the machine shut down and my beloved Lincoln Lee was saved (along with all those other people in the tunnel that no one cares about).

Meanwhile, Raymond opened up his wife’s notebook only to find that she’d pulled a fast one, blacking out all of her equations and leaving nothing but a brief note at the end, telling Raymond that she loved him, and that he should live his life instead of trying to recapture the past. This is the point at which my tear ducts became a bit disheveled, so to speak.

I couldn’t help but wonder what the conclusion of Raymond and Kate’s love story means for Peter and Olivia. Is that to say that Peter should stop trying to restore the original timeline and just “live his life” in this new universe? Personally, I’m still hoping Peter finds a way to get Originolivia back, or at least merge her consciousness with New Olivia so that Peter can have the reunion he deserves. But there will be plenty of time for that later. After all, that’s what season finales are for.

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Despite Peter’s return, this is certainly not the Fringe we knew and loved before the reboot of the universes. I think Peter put it best when he said, “Just like old times … sort of.” It was sort of like old times because Olivia was all prickly and skeptical towards Peter, like she was when they first met. Surely Peter can warm her icy heart again? It only took him two seasons last time, but it should be faster the second time around, right? Let’s hope so. I’m tired of Peter and Olivia being apart – geographically, emotionally, and/or metaphysically.

Like us, Peter has a lot to learn about this new universe he’s created. One of the things I suspect will shock him the most is the fact that Nina adopted Olivia and her sister after their mother died. This is, in my opinion, pretty much the randomest thing that’s ever happened on Fringe (and that’s saying a lot). But it will be an interesting addition to the show, considering the heavy father-son theme of the first three seasons. Another difference addressed in this episode was William Bell, who was apparently much more humble in this world, because he gave Dr. Truss this spiel about how “some things are not ours to tamper with … some things are God’s.” Umm … what? So, Olivia is a horseback-riding stepfather-killer who grew up with Nina Sharp, and William Bell was a modest, vaguely religious scientist? This world is so weird.

Peter and I (by which I mean we, the audience) aren’t the only ones with a lot to learn about this new universe. The Fringe team in this world needs some schooling as well. Lesson number one: how to identify a Shapeshifter. For example, if your girlfriend is acting skittish and wearing a sweater she has previously claimed to hate, she’s probably a Shapeshifter. Also, if a Shapeshifter “escapes” under mysterious circumstances and leaves a (possibly wounded) agent behind, this is clearly a trick, and the Shapeshifter has now assumed the identity of the aforementioned agent. I was extremely frustrated when Olivia proved to be completely ignorant of this Shapeshifter rule of thumb. Everybody knows you ALWAYS double-check your agents after they’re involved in the pursuit of a Shapeshifter. Sigh … I guess this rebooted universe didn’t have the whole Charlie Francis incident as a learning experience. Still. Common sense, guys! Use it!

Peter hardly got to leave his cell during this episode, except at the beginning when he made a dramatic exit from a black SUV while wearing an extremely sexy black t-shirt. Other than that, he was confined to Fringe Division lockdown, where he spent his time soldering things, decrypting memory chips from Shapeshifters, and being generally helpful. My favorite part was when he rigged the speaker box to project his voice to outside his cell where the team was having a powwow about how much they suck at taking down Shapeshifters. I also loved Lincoln’s obvious man crush on Peter, as evidenced by his comment, “He seems pretty confident in general.” I think this budding love triangle might have a new angle.

I was a little confused by how uncharacteristically friendly Olivia was towards Lincoln in this episode. Not that she’s not friendly, but they’ve only known each other for like a month or two, and she’s not the most open, warm person. I was mildly disturbed (but not altogether upset) by how cute and smiley she was when she asked him if he wanted to go grab a bite to eat. Lincoln declined obviously, because he was too busy fantasizing about Peter.

Walter was really wrestling with his inner demons in this episode. He still hasn’t forgiven himself for taking Peter from the other universe, and for then letting him drown in the lake. While he tried to explain everything to Walter, Peter figured out that the Observer did not save him from the lake in this reality, so he really isn’t supposed to be here. Towards the end of the episode, Walter and Peter had a touching moment that was almost the reunion we’d been hoping for, but after relishing the gift of seeing his son’s eyes again, Walter refused to be “tempted” by Peter into making the same mistakes that led them here. Rather than let himself be happy at seeing some form of his son, Walter continued to punish himself for what happened in the past.

Walter told Nina he doesn’t deserve the joy he felt at seeing Peter. But you know who really doesn’t deserve this? Peter. Honestly. The guy sacrifices his life to save two worlds, and all he gets in return is a windowless cell, a girlfriend who doesn’t remember him, and a father who refuses to acknowledge him. This guy is having the worst week ever. Things don’t look good for next week either, considering Peter’s discovery that the Shapeshifters are evolving to the point of being able to change their DNA to imitate the people they shift into. So everybody start brainstorming code words so we’ll be able to do hourly Shapeshifter tests on everyone! This season of Fringe is shaping up to be even more like The Twilight Zone than every other season. Hold on to your hats, folks!

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“The Memories in the Shallow Grave” was a run of the mill episode of Bones, with a body of the week and a squintern. The only difference – Brennan is five months pregnant. It was a little weird jumping in on Brennan and Booth 5 months into their relationship/pregnancy, but honestly, the only difference was Brennan cried at the crime scene thanks to her hormonal state, and the two were a little more friendly than usual.

The murder of the week is a woman named Claire, found in a shallow grave on a paintball battlefield. Obviously the first suspect is her husband, a pastor, but he claims his relationship with Claire was nothing but peaceful. The team does a bit of digging, and finds out that Claire went missing for weeks a month prior, and due to a massive case of amnesia, she was unable to remember what happened when she was missing, or what her life was before.

The team investigates her doctor, and he says that she was making a lot of progress, memory wise, but everything has to do with her old life, not the one she was leading while she was “missing”. The doctor suggests that Claire entered a “fugue state” while she was gone; she created a new identity for herself as a survival mechanism when she couldn’t remember anything. Bones takes off to look into her fake life, and as it turns out, she was into some shady business. In fact, she was involved with a robbery and ended up hiding the money she stole while her partner in crime served time.

Sweets, being the supershrink that he is, is all up on Claire’s doctor’s files. It’s Booth however, that realizes that there’s nothing in the files about Claire’s missing time. In addition, there are gambler’s codes for games and buy-ins written all over the pages of her files. Using his detective moxy, Booth realizes that Claire was remembering her missing time, and had divulged the location of the stolen money to her doctor. The doctor, being a gambling addict like Booth was, killed his patient to get the money so he could get into more games after losing all of his money.

With the culprit in cuffs, Sweets turns his shrinky attention to Booth and Brennan. The two have yet to establish a cohabitation situation, as Booth wants a place to call their own and Brennan insists he moves in with her, as the real estate market is crap. Sweets gets through to Booth, and Angela gets through to Brennan, and by the end of the episode, the pair is looking for their own place.

I’ve read a lot of reviews on this episode, and everyone seems thrilled by it. Me, on the other hand, not so much. As a long time fan of the show, I was really looking forward to the courtship and awkward beginnings of the Booth and Brennan relationship. I wanted to see them at work trying to act normal after the spark had ignited, but instead, we jumped in after 5 months together. Logistically, it makes sense since it would be silly to make Emily Deschanel cover her pregnant belly, but as a fan, I was little bummed.

Bitterness aside, it was nice to see them together as a couple. The bickering is the same as when they were partners, but there’s obviously a different level of love behind it now. I guess it’s just going to take me a while to get over the fact that we missed out on the first months of their relationship … I was really looking forward to that. I guess now we can just look forward to seeing them try to evolve into a “normal” family, which should prove to be both interesting and hilarious.

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In the months since the Season Three finale, we’ve all been asking the same question (partly due to Fox’s promos): “Where is Peter?” – and now we finally have our answer. I FOUND PETER BISHOP YOU GUYS! He was just skinny-dipping in Reiden Lake this whole time. What a prankster. But seriously. Even though I kind of knew it was coming, I was still stunned to the point of literal jaw-dropping when Joshua Jackson appeared in the flesh. As I sat in front of my television, rocking back and forth in disbelief muttering, “Oh my God oh my God oh my God,” it occurred to me that my emotional investment in fictional characters may at times border on unhealthy. But I could not have cared less because PETER IS BACK!

It wasn’t easy, but Peter managed to get himself from nonexistence, to unstable-blue-energy-cloud existence, to an actual physical presence in this reality. It was pretty amusing watching the Peter Cloud chase Olivia around for the whole episode. She was a little freaked out (wouldn’t you be alarmed if your former lover was following you around, causing time effects and throwing metal objects?) but poor misunderstood Peter Cloud just wanted a hug … and to exist again.

I have absolutely no idea where Peter was, or how he got back here, but the only thing I can figure is that Cameron James’ Cortexiphan-induced magnetic energy, plus the electric shock from the power grid, plus the natural energy of Reiden Lake (which we’ve already established as a point of transit between Over Here and Over There) created an opportunity for Peter to zap back into existence again. Broyles told Olivia that Peter was found by a father and son taking a boat ride on Reiden Lake. That father and son could easily have been Peter and Walter in another world, in another time. Remember in “Night of Desirable Objects” when Peter talked about how when he was a boy, all he wanted was to go fishing with his father back when they used to visit their house on Reiden Lake? That lake is like the soup of all the possible futures and pasts that Peter and Walter have had, or could have had. It’s fitting that Peter would be reborn into this reality in the middle of Reiden Lake, since that’s where he died all those years ago when he drowned beneath the frozen lake. And just as the Observer stood by and watched Peter drown then, he watched Peter reenter the universe now. This is the perfect example of one of the things I love most about Fringe: everything comes full circle.

It seems like Walter and Peter’s relationship has also come full circle. At the beginning of Season One, the father and son were estranged, having essentially no relationship at all. As the show progressed, they grew closer and started to overcome the years of resentment and neglect. Before, their relationship was one-sided, with Walter wanting desperately to be close to his son, and Peter holding on to their troubled past. Now, Walter doesn’t remember any of their history together beyond Peter’s death, and it seems Peter will be the one trying to forge a relationship with his father. Hopefully Walter will be open to the possibility that Peter really is his son, and they can find a way to regain some of their memories from the primary timeline. I’ll be interested to see how Walternate fits into Peter’s return as well, since he has even more claim to Peter than Walter does at this point.

Another recurring theme on Fringe has been hospital reunions between Peter and Olivia. They’ve faced their fair share of obstacles, including comas, alternate universes, mind-altering viruses, and more, that have landed one or the other of them in the hospital. Pretty much any time they have a heartwarming reunion after some kind of ordeal, one of them is wearing a hospital gown. When Olivia fought her way back into this universe after being trapped in the Altverse and brainwashed by Walternate (when her visions of Peter were what helped her remember who she really was), she was wearing a hospital gown. When she awoke from a coma that doctors said she’d never come out of after returning from the Altverse, she was in a hospital bed. Hospitals are like Peter and Olivia’s version of “We’ll always have Paris.” It was fitting that their first meeting (or their latest reunion, depending on what reality you’re from) was in a hospital, with Peter looking vulnerable and slightly ridiculous in a hospital gown, and Olivia looking extremely confused. I’m not gonna lie, I would have loved to see them have a naked lakeside reunion instead, with Olivia watching Peter climb out of Reiden Lake in his birthday suit. But hospitals are their thing, so I guess it was cool.

It didn’t really hit me until I saw the preview for next week’s episode, but Fringe without Peter was … bleak. The Lincoln Lees were a nice distraction, and Walter is always good for a few laughs, but ultimately it’s Peter that adds a level of humor and warmth that really elevates Fringe. I’m so relieved to finally have Peter back, even if no one remembers who he is. He should just be glad he didn’t come home to find that Olivia had been sleeping with his morally ambiguous doppelgänger. I bet Peter’s just as happy to have Olivia’s memory of that incident lost forever.

In between all the Peter Cloud excitement, we learned some interesting things about this rebooted reality. The weirdest revelation was probably the fact that Olivia and Nina are apparently very close in this reality, close enough to share a laugh about Olivia’s prom date. I was extremely taken aback by their whole touchy feely sharey thing they had going on, just because that is pretty much the total opposite of Olivia and Nina’s relationship in the original universe. On a related note, Walter hates Nina in this world. I’m trying to wrap my brain around these changes, but I hope we’ll get to see some of the past events that led to these deviations from the primary timeline. It could be related to the differences in the Cortexiphan Trials, which were much less intense compared to the original ones. I guess the doses were so low that none of the kids maintained any kind of power, but some of them were stuck with the nasty side effects, like stress-induced magnetism spasms. Cameron James (Subject 9) told Walter that he wished Walter had at least left him with some kind of lasting power instead of just making him a freak. I suppose this was intended to make it seem like the original Cortexiphan kids were better off than this reality’s test subjects, since they at least had some significant powers, but I don’t buy it. I think they could have either cut out the Cortexiphan Trials altogether from this world (since Walter wouldn’t have been trying to find a way to send Peter back Over There), or made them as extreme as the original Trials. But I guess it’s these small distinctions that make this reality different, which led to other changes like Olivia killing her stepfather and becoming best friends with Nina Sharp.

Fringe reminds me of those cars from the seventies with that metallic paint color that sometimes looks purple and sometimes looks blue, and in a certain light it even looks kind of magenta. Fringe is never the same show at any given point. It’s always changing and evolving, so we’re always seeing it in a different light, whether that light is an alternate universe, an alternate timeline, or an LSD-charged glimpse into someone’s subconscious. Fringe may sometimes do some of the same things, but it’s always in a new way. Even in its fourth season, Fringe is still the freshest drama on television.

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