# Fringe May 6,2011 "The Day We Died" (Season Finale) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 7, 2011, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fringe-may-6-2011-the-day-we-died-season-finale/581047 "2011-05-07T03:33:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fringe-may-6-2011-the-day-we-died-season-finale/581047/81 "2011-05-13T19:17:38Z")
> [@tanstaafl](#): > > At the end of the first season finale Olivia finds herself on the Other Side for the first time and in William Bell’s office. She glances at a newspaper there that has a headline about construction being completed on the new Capitol. > > The producers apparently created actual copies of the newspaper that were given out at a press event and they included a lot of other differences between the worlds. One of them was that JFK survived the assassination attempt in Dallas and was still alive, so the divergence point goes back at least that far. > > Given that they still use zeppelins on the Other Side I would guess that the Hindenburg never crashed there either. I don’t know that they have ever said what the divergence point was or how far back it is. Actually, I think that’s one of those things we just really shouldn’t think too much about. Agreed. It’s one of those things that nags me though. FANWANKERY: Despite the similarities, there’s some major difference that would have affected the lives of many of the main character’s ancestors, even if the branching off point was only a few hundred years ago, to the point where it’s highly unlikely that any of the same people would’ve been born. A zeppelin arriving late 65 years ago, could’ve caused a chain reaction that never allowed Walternate to have been born – that is unless the Observers had influence over the course of both histories to make sure certain people existed (which we know they’ve been hanging around for a long while). So, maybe that’s it. Interesting how the 9/11 attacks still seems to have happened, but instead of the Towers falling, Flight 93 succeeds in hitting the Capitol (ostensibly situated in the combined states of West Virgina and Virgina: The District of Virgina). Also, they must’ve coated the Statue of Liberty in something to keep the copper from oxidizing. Perhaps I’m biased, but I like its patina. > [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > Considering the differences in the [US Map](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_YPCf8JFgUdI/S_gPc9AjOFI/AAAAAAAANBA/XquWeHNUDyU/s1600/USAlternateMap.jpg), the divergence point has to go pretty far back. > > Obviously, the two universes are deeply connected though. I mean, it can’t just be coincidence that both Olivias, despite living completely different lives both end up as Fringe agents. Right. That map is cool to inspect though. Where’s the rest of California! o\_O ETA: And HEY! Canada took our Upper Peninsula!!! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fringe-may-6-2011-the-day-we-died-season-finale/581047/82 "2011-05-13T20:11:05Z")
> [@OpalCat](#): > > Potential spoilers, but here is an interview that some may find interesting: > [HitFix Interview: Jeff Pinkner and J.H. Wyman discuss the ‘Fringe’ finale and future](http://www.hitfix.com/blogs/the-fien-print/posts/hitfix-interview-jeff-pinkner-and-j-h-wyman-discuss-the-fringe-finale-and-future) That was a good read. No _real_ spoilers, per se, just some affirmation on how the writers and producers are handling the story, and what they are aware of from the fan-base, as well as how to make planted seeds (whether fully planned or not) pay off in future episodes. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fringe-may-6-2011-the-day-we-died-season-finale/581047/83 "2011-05-13T20:29:30Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > Right. That map is cool to inspect though. Where’s the rest of California! o\_O Sunk into the ocean, I’m guessing. Also, I wonder since there’s no Washington, D.C. and no Washington state maybe Washington was never the president over there. ---
**Author:** ![beartato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9d8465/32.png) [@beartato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beartato)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fringe-may-6-2011-the-day-we-died-season-finale/581047/84 "2011-05-13T20:41:45Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > Sunk into the ocean, I’m guessing. > > Also, I wonder since there’s no Washington, D.C. and no Washington state maybe Washington was never the president over there. I was thinking the same thing. Interesting that (presumably) you’ve got BC in Canada and Southern BC in the US. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fringe-may-6-2011-the-day-we-died-season-finale/581047/85 "2011-05-13T21:02:31Z")
> [@tanstaafl](#): > > At the end of the first season finale Olivia finds herself on the Other Side for the first time and in William Bell’s office. She glances at a newspaper there that has a headline about construction being completed on the new Capitol. I thought it said something about Obama moving into the new White House. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fringe-may-6-2011-the-day-we-died-season-finale/581047/86 "2011-05-13T21:18:39Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > ETA: And HEY! Canada took our Upper Peninsula!!! :mad: Can’t tell on that map, but does that mean we got to keep the Toledo Strip? ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2011, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fringe-may-6-2011-the-day-we-died-season-finale/581047/87 "2011-05-13T21:19:18Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > I thought it said something about Obama moving into the new White House. [Yep, it’s the White House.](http://images.buddytv.com/articles/fringealt3.jpg) And the guy in the episode where the alt-universe building crossed over confirmed that the Pentagon and the White House got attacked. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2011, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fringe-may-6-2011-the-day-we-died-season-finale/581047/88 "2011-05-14T01:45:18Z")
What I didn’t like is, when Olivia first went over to the other side Obama was the real president. When she goes back again with Walter and the others, suddenly he’s only the President in the alternate universe’s version of The West Wing. ---
**Author:** ![AlsoNamedBort](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alsonamedbort/32/3213_2.png) [@AlsoNamedBort](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AlsoNamedBort)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2011, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fringe-may-6-2011-the-day-we-died-season-finale/581047/89 "2011-05-14T01:59:59Z")
> [@Nobody](#): > > What I didn’t like is, when Olivia first went over to the other side Obama was the real president. > When she goes back again with Walter and the others, suddenly he’s only the President in the alternate universe’s version of The West Wing. Did they say that out loud? Because in the picture it looks like someone who kinda looks like, but not really is Obama. [http://mralphafreak.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/fringe-the-west-wing.jpg](http://mralphafreak.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/fringe-the-west-wing.jpg) ETA: And the Alt-Universe guy did say that Obama was president. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2011, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fringe-may-6-2011-the-day-we-died-season-finale/581047/90 "2011-05-14T03:22:05Z")
Oh, OK. If it’s just someone who looks like him, I feel better then. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2011, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fringe-may-6-2011-the-day-we-died-season-finale/581047/91 "2011-05-14T20:55:15Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > Can’t tell on that map, but does that mean we got to keep the Toledo Strip? Considering Michigan’s luck, probably. Maybe we try to get it back, and you damn Ohioans spark whatever goes down in Detroit, causing Broyles to loose an eye (henceforth, jokingly called “Buckeye” behind his back)! Anyhow, if Michigan didn’t get the U.P., it’d only make sense Wisconsin gets it. They combined all the other North/South states, and made Texas into one (and somehow Oklahoma and Kansas becomes Midland). But we loose an entire peninsula?! Double Grrr! See what happens when President Washington never gets elected? Also, I wonder if we ever obtained Hawaii and Alaska? Does this mean Obama is, in fact, not American and Sarah Palin’s Canadian?! ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2011, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fringe-may-6-2011-the-day-we-died-season-finale/581047/92 "2011-05-14T22:19:58Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > \ > ETA: And HEY! Canada took our Upper Peninsula!!! :mad: Well, come on - it’s not like you guys were using it. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 14, 2011, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fringe-may-6-2011-the-day-we-died-season-finale/581047/93 "2011-05-14T23:26:59Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Well, come on - it’s not like you guys were using it. Sure we did! We, uh… Well, it… There’s plenty of times we… Uh… Well, we built that frikkin’ bridge! ---
**Author:** ![beartato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9d8465/32.png) [@beartato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beartato)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fringe-may-6-2011-the-day-we-died-season-finale/581047/94 "2011-05-15T06:52:44Z")
> [@cmyk](#): > > Also, I wonder if we ever obtained Hawaii and Alaska? Does this mean Obama is, in fact, not American and Sarah Palin’s Canadian?! Don’t you dare try to foist that… that… _thing_ off on us. I’m pretty sure she was born in Iowa or Idaho or something. ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2011, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fringe-may-6-2011-the-day-we-died-season-finale/581047/95 "2011-05-15T16:39:20Z")
> [@beartato](#): > > Don’t you dare try to foist that… that… _thing_ off on us. I’m pretty sure she was born in Iowa or Idaho or something. That may be the case, but alas, she still married her husband Todd, who is a native Alaskan. I believe she was appointed Prime Minister in 2009 after the U.P. sank to the bottom of Lake Superior setting off a chain of events where Harper was tragically incapacitated in Amber. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fringe-may-6-2011-the-day-we-died-season-finale/581047.md?page=4)