I’m always thinking time-travel in these scenarios. I’m thinking the pieces of the machine were, for whatever reason, sent back in time millions of years ago by the Observers? Or, maybe the Observers have just been around that long.
Also, if the alternate universe has split from our own at some point in the past, perhaps the pieces exist in both universes. If that’s the case, then I’m thinking the other side had discovered these parts years ago, and are trying to make heads or tails out of it all. Only now, is our side discovering it. How Peter is linked to it, I have no idea. Perhaps he’s the cause of our universes splitting, and the Observers know that. Maybe the machine will repair the damage created by Walter, instead of destroying it.
The pieces must be from a third party. And the only third party we’ve been introduced to so far has been the Observers (who have been around in human history for centuries or more, and can quote people they interact with as they’re saying it).
I’ve been thinking more about Peter, and the watcher letting Walter save him when he was small. Doesn’t the watcher do it because Peter is supposed to be important? Back last season I thought it was because the machine was designed around him, but what if it’s not that, but that he is one of those “fortold to hold this destiny” sort of characters that the watchers were simply waiting to be born? I’m not a fan of the whole chosen one who has been prophesied cliche, but I guess it makes at least as much sense that the machine has been waiting for the right person to come along and power it as it would having a machine designed to be powered someone specific.
I think Fauxlivia tipped her hand with Nina Sharp, too - she’s far too, well, sharp to let a discrepancy like Fauxlivia not feeling comfortable talking directly to Walter go by. I also thought it was interesting that Fauxlivia assumed Astrid’s code-breaking abilities from the other universe, and she came up with them in this one, too.
The look on Nina’s face made me think she’d talk to Walter or Peter about Oliva not seeming normal, but instead she just goes ahead and convinces Walter to let Peter work on the machine.
So either she has her suspicions and is holding back, or else she’s just shrugging them off just like Peter is.
Anna Torv was a guest on The Tonight Show tonight. I thought I’d mention it because she happened to use “Fauxlivia” to refer to the parallel-world version of her character. Not an official seal of approval, but it did indicate that it seemed to have come out on top in the battle of the competing names. (I always thought it was the best one of the lot.) Also, her Australian accent is surprisingly not that strong. And, damn, she looked hot.
Anyway - hello everyone! We’ve been feverishly catching up on Fringe, and we’ve finally arrived at the current episode.
How about this idea? The First People (possibly the Observers*) built The Vacuum, but it caused a giant accident that split a single universe in two. The accident also caused pieces of the machine to be scattered between the two universes. There may be a multiverse aside from these two, but the red and blue 'verses are not naturally occurring, and since they started out as one, that’s why people can travel between them, and why the barrier is degrading, endangering redverse. The Vacuum can only be used by someone who is from both halves of the universe. Peter is the only person who’s spent years in each universe, and maintained molecular stability (or whatever phlebotinum they said prevents him kersploding like Bell did). Therefore, Peter is the only person who can operate The Vacuum.
Does it destroy one universe, meld them together keeping elements of each, or possible fully realize each 'verse as a separate, stable entity? I think the answer depends on how much lead time the writers have before the show is eventually cancelled.
Let’s not comment about it in this thread to keep from spoiling people who’ve only seen up through the 11th, but* is* there a thread for last week’s episode? I can’t find one.
