Fringe - Season 2 (1 Viewer)

[Will_B]

How much of the first season, if any, is arc? When I first tuned in to the show it didn't seem to have any long arcs, but then I caught an episode about parallel Earths which looked interesting. But I don't want to waste $ on season one if they didn't get into the long arcs until later.

 

[Spero D]

I really enjoyed tonights ep. Though it didn't advance the mythology to much (though I bet that tracking device will come into play down the track), I really enjoyed the character moments between Walter (John Noble doing some impressive work) and others (From Astrid to Peter). A moving ep IMO.

 

[Josh Dial]

I also enjoyed this episode (though I am a big fan of the show in general, anyway). My guess is the tracking device will come into play in either the midseason or season finale, with Walter getting lost/taken in the other dimension.

 

[Joe_H]

This is actually the first episode of the show that I've enjoyed in a while. Though, hasn't Walter ever heard of GPS instead of a device which just seemed to beep as he got closer to him? ... Wait, dumb question, of course he hasn't.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

Quote:Originally Posted by Joe_H )

Regards,

Joe

 

[Lou Sytsma]

Very cool episode tonight. The blow back moment between Walter and Peter is going to be intense given how close they have grown this season.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

"You want something to calm you down, maybe a Valium?"

"Good idea. I don't do enough Valium."



I love Walter.

So, does everybody think the arc was advanced enough this week? Very poignant, seeing Walter look at his dying brain cells with their precious memories. It does seem that at least some of those memories did transfer from his brain fragments to his own brain. I'm also confident that Newton didn't get all of the information that he needed from Walter. (Otherwise the story would be pretty much over and the bad guys would win.) No surprise that it was William Bell who removed and hid the fragments of Walter's brain.

Broyles' comment at the end brings up one of the one major mysteries that hasn't really been touched on. "There is only one Walter Bishop." He seems to be right, too. But why is there only one Walter Bishop? What happened to the Walter of Earth II? For that matter, why does there seem to be only one William Bell?

Regards,

Joe

 

[Josh Dial]

Originally Posted by Joseph DeMartino



Broyles' comment at the end brings up one of the one major mysteries that hasn't really been touched on. "There is only one Walter Bishop." He seems to be right, too. But why is there only one Walter Bishop? What happened to the Walter of Earth II? For that matter, why does there seem to be only one William Bell?

I don't remember if I posted this in this thread, or the other (there is more than one of everything), but I theorized that Walter's transgressions on the other side included not just the kidnapping of his son, but perhaps the murder of "himself." Perhaps Bell did the same thing, but took it one step further, and usurped the position of the other side's Bell.

Another possibility is that the Bell we have seen *is* the other side's Bell, and he's pulling the wool over the eyes of everyone at Massive Dynamic (among others).

 

[Greg_S_H]

Maybe there are special people who only exist in a single reality and thus are able to pass through unscathed. If so, I'd guess Olivia, Walter and Bell are like that. Or, maybe their others have all died like Peter, allowing them to pass. This is based on not remembering if there are fatal consequences to others passing through. If so, maybe that has something to do with this guy having to be a frozen head.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

Originally Posted by Joseph DeMartino


So, does everybody think the arc was advanced enough this week?

Broyles' comment at the end brings up one of the one major mysteries that hasn't really been touched on. "There is only one Walter Bishop." He seems to be right, too. But why is there only one Walter Bishop? What happened to the Walter of Earth II? For that matter, why does there seem to be only one William Bell?

Regards,

Joe

Yes I did Joe. Much better this week.

I think you are taking Broyle's comment too literally. It is just a figure of speech. Also, how would Broyles even know there is no Walter on the other side?

If the other side is an alternate parallel Earth then it is possible that counterparts on the opposite sides are dead.

 

[Sean Bryan]

Maybe there are special people who only exist in a single reality and thus are able to pass through unscathed. If so, I'd guess Olivia, Walter and Bell are like that.

You couldn't have an alternate Peter without an alternate Walter.

Also, wasn't there an episode when Olivia was flashing back and forth between the two parallel universes, and she had interaction with "alternate" Broyle (didn't she observe that the office was arranged differently), and he knew her? I think I'm remembering that right. So I'd say alternate Olivia exists as well.

 

[Joseph DeMartino]

I think you are taking Broyle's comment too literally. It is just a figure of speech. Also, how would Broyles even know there is no Walter on the other side?

He wouldn't. I didn't mean that Broyles was implying anything about Walter and Walter II, just that his comment caused me to think about the issue.

I had also considered the possibility that Walter killed his doppelganger on the other side. And that he, Bell or both may have actually originated on the other side and replaced "our" versions of them at some point. And yes, we definitely saw Olivia flashing back and forth between her lives on both sides, her consciousness actually moving between the bodies of Olivia & Olive in the two realities. She may be unique in this respect.

I'm also trying to remember what, if anything, we know about either Mrs. Bishop, especially the circumstances and timing of their deaths. That has to play into Walter's actions, and his madness. I think I'm going to have to add season one to my Netflix queue.

Regards,

Joe

 

[Mikah Cerucco]

It was nice to see the acting change during the small moment when Walter's brain was reintegrated.

I hate to armchair quarterback, so rather than thinking of a solution to Olivias dilemma after the episode, I was trying to solve it in real time just as she was. I didn't come up with anything except these questions:
1) Why would the guy save Walter even after he escapes? At that point, he's free and is not required to do anything.
2) What if Olivia never catches him? Would he still have somehow called her, or let Walter die?
3) If letting Walter die is a valid option, how can you trust the guy to save Walter, and thus, why let the guy go? In other words, in the worst case scenario, the decision is to let go a possibly critical person in the upcoming war and having Walter die anyway.

Of course the real problem is, that's not exactly the decision presented, especially in the context of the show. Walter was saved, so the decision (the easier decision) was let the guy go to save Walter. I liked the episode, but I just think it would have been just a tad bit deeper if it were clear she realized she was letting this guy go for only the possibility of saving Walter. Ultimately, she would have decided the same thing, but the gravitas would have been amped just a bit more.

 

[Josh Dial]

Originally Posted by Joseph DeMartino

She may be unique in this respect.

Perhaps not unique, but rather part of a small group. After all, she was tested by David Robert Jones, and ultimately passed as a result of being a cortexiphan test-subject.

 

[Greg_S_H]

Originally Posted by Mikah Cerucco
I liked the episode, but I just think it would have been just a tad bit deeper if it were clear she realized she was letting this guy go for only the possibility of saving Walter. Ultimately, she would have decided the same thing, but the gravitas would have been amped just a bit more.

I think that was understood. She knew she could get on the other end of the phone and have him say, "Have fun at the funeral!" It was either a sense of honor on his part (which would go along with his, "Sorry about leaving you in this state" and the mental patient saying they were unfailingly polite), or maybe he thinks Walter will still be of some value but was willing to risk the asset in order to make a getaway.

 

[Ken Chan]

Originally Posted by Mikah Cerucco

1) Why would the guy save Walter even after he escapes? At that point, he's free and is not required to do anything.

His "word" still has to be good, in case he is caught again. It's to his advantage to play by the rules until the final moment of total victory, so he can manipulate "honorable" people along the way. Of course, he also has to consider how having Walter still around might affect his plan.

 

[todd s]

Sorry if this has been discussed. But, the bad guys whole plan is to be able to open the doorway to the other universe. Alright, but haven't they been doing that already? And Olivia has been there and back.
Thanks!

 

[Mikah Cerucco]

I remember a scene where a typewriter and/or mirror were involved and they were getting answers or instructions that way. In other words, there definitely wasn't an easy portal. As for Olivia, she has traveled to the other side, but wasn't that under the control of Bell? He would obviously have Walter's method, but he's not going to share that with the people looking to invade our side.

 

[David Forbes]

I loved how Walter became much more forceful and almost threatening when his "complete" brain was working while they pumped him for info about the door. His voice and entire demeanor were different. A nice look at the Walter who originated a lot of this science back in the day before he went crazy and had his brain sliced apart.

I also think doppleganger Walter is the lead bad guy on the other side, pissed at having his son taken from him and hell-bent on getting him back.

 

[Josh Dial]

Originally Posted by David Forbes

I loved how Walter became much more forceful and almost threatening when his "complete" brain was working while they pumped him for info about the door. His voice and entire demeanor were different. A nice look at the Walter who originated a lot of this science back in the day before he went crazy and had his brain sliced apart.

I agree it was very entertaining. Noble was channeling some Denethor there, I thought.