Best episode of the season. Easily.
One of my favorite episodes of Fringe, really. Very well written and a great character based story.
The most interesting thing is that the bombing was foiled by Peter - Peter, who doesn’t belong in this universe, and is thus not bound by its fate. He’s the ultimate wild card. He can change things that are supposed to happen… which means that maybe he can change things that are supposed to happen to Olivia.
Does anybody else here think this episode might perhaps have been an homage to the “Clyde Bruckman” X-Files ep??
I did feel reminded of Clyde Bruckman (my favorite X-Files ep), but overall, the feel was much different, so I’m not sure it was really a deliberate homage.
Anyway, I too thought this was a great episode, and it was good to catch a glimpse of old Walter (“That reminds me, I can’t feel my urine response yet…”).
But in the end, the observer standing across from Olivia’s house, was it a trick of the light, or did he wear a brown coat and hat instead of the usual black? And does that mean he pulled a Gandalf after being shot (assuming it was the same one)?
This is the kind of episode of Fringe that I watch Fringe for - previews for next week look really good - maybe they can pull this out of the abyss.
I didn’t like that the girl had “Love Story” disease–I’m tired of the “you’re in perfect health and beauty until you drop dead” trope. Frankly, I thought killing her off was a cop-out by the writers.
I did enjoy the episode despite that.
In “our” universe, Olivia and Nina weren’t that close, right? Did I miss an episode or something?
When I watched the scene where Walter hypnotizes the girl to go back to remember details from the courthouse, all I could think was somebody spent a lot of money making this scene. The money wasn’t wasted: the scene was quite dramatic and effective. I watched it over a couple of times trying to figure out how they did it. Obviously most of it was CGI, but the people looked real. I’m thinking they mixed a lot of blue screen work with the CGI.
on re-thought -
how did the guy at the end get past security with the bomb attached to his chest?
I get how he got past with the transmitter and the bomb in the truck - I don’t see how he got past with the vest.
Kind of a needless thing unless they are trying to show that it takes both Peter AND Olivia to change things.
The vest bothered me also. I didn’t think the explosives would set off a magnetometer, but that trigger he was holding itself should have set it off.
Personally, I thought Olivia’s monologue was gibberish. The guys was ready to die. He had just tried to blow the whole building and himself. The important thing was that Olivia established an emotional connection to him. Murdering a bunch of strangers was one thing, but killing one person you know was much more difficult. Of course, not all people are like that.
In the new timeline Olivia killed her father and Nina took her in and raised her.
Ah—I’d forgotten that. Good for Olivia-2. 
Thanks!
Wasn’t it her step-father?
Have we seen her actual father ever? I don’t recall.
This is kind of funny.
Fringepedia
So maybe a writer made a slip-up and she should have said she killed her stepfather.
Actually, I’m wondering about two things.
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How does Peter suddenly know so much about the Observers? He seems to have information he didn’t have before about their existence.
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In season 3 the Observers test Walter to see if he can let Peter sacrifice himself. In the end, the sacrifice was that Peter was never born. By changing the timeline Walter would never know of the sacrifice in the first place, so why test Walter?
For # 2, as it was important in that timeline that Walter let Peter do what he did…
But he Walter didn’t know that Peter would be erased as a result.
No, but he did think Peter might die.
Good point.
Great episode, this season is starting to really engage me.
I’m still thinking that this season is showing what took place before Peter returned from the future, in a timeline-twisted, pretzel-like way of storytelling. When he finally gets back he’ll sync up with the moment he disappeared.
One thing I thought I noticed: Peter mentioned the easy-access bridge he made between universes, and Oliva made a “bwah?” expression, as if she didn’t know what he was talking about. Also, they haven’t explicitly shown the coming and going through Peter’s gateway.
How could the bridge exist there, if Peter never existed?
What gateway do you mean?