# New episode of Fringe tonight - 1/21/2011 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 22, 2011, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-episode-of-fringe-tonight-1-21-2011/568526 "2011-01-22T01:21:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-episode-of-fringe-tonight-1-21-2011/568526/21 "2011-01-23T18:17:03Z")
And really, hadn’t we all gone too long without our regular epidose of Fringe? ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2011, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-episode-of-fringe-tonight-1-21-2011/568526/22 "2011-01-23T19:08:04Z")
Well, it’s a show that really gets under your skin. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-episode-of-fringe-tonight-1-21-2011/568526/23 "2011-01-24T08:04:18Z")
Poor Walter must feel just terrible that his actions started a chain of events leading to the breakup of his favorite band. Yes, there’s all that stuff about touching off a war between alternate universes, but breaking up his favorite band … that’s pretty heavy stuff. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-episode-of-fringe-tonight-1-21-2011/568526/24 "2011-01-24T20:03:58Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Am I the only one that got the Twin Peaks reference? Given post #3, I’d say no. I had to pause the TiVo and explain the reference to my husband. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [January 24, 2011, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-episode-of-fringe-tonight-1-21-2011/568526/25 "2011-01-24T23:59:29Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#): > > Poor Walter must feel just terrible that his actions started a chain of events leading to the breakup of his favorite band. Yes, there’s all that stuff about touching off a war between alternate universes, but breaking up his favorite band … that’s pretty heavy stuff. Well… I think he was more upset that in saving “his” son he’d cost someone else their own son than at just the band breaking up. ---
**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:** [January 25, 2011, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-episode-of-fringe-tonight-1-21-2011/568526/26 "2011-01-25T00:20:09Z")
You know, I took him for his word at first, but what if the Observer was full of shit? He was trying to manipulate Walter, so maybe he just made up the whole story, and the son would’ve been in a car accident regardless of whether Peter had been saved. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-episode-of-fringe-tonight-1-21-2011/568526/27 "2011-01-25T00:23:41Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > You know, I took him for his word at first, but what if the Observer was full of shit? He was trying to manipulate Walter, so maybe he just made up the whole story, and the son would’ve been in a car accident regardless of whether Peter had been saved. Well, apparently there is/was only a single firefly tht night as well - and Peter caught it, this caused the girl to disapear that caused the father to run down the son of the keyboard player that Walter liked. or something like that. ---
**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:** [January 25, 2011, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-episode-of-fringe-tonight-1-21-2011/568526/28 "2011-01-25T00:35:11Z")
> [@simster](#): > > Well, apparently there is/was only a single firefly tht night as well - and Peter caught it, this caused the girl to disapear that caused the father to run down the son of the keyboard player that Walter liked. > > or something like that. And what if that was a total lie? Maybe the car accident had absolutely nothing to do with Peter catching a firefly. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-episode-of-fringe-tonight-1-21-2011/568526/29 "2011-01-25T01:45:56Z")
> [@AlsoNamedBort](#): > > And what if that was a total lie? Maybe the car accident had absolutely nothing to do with Peter catching a firefly. not disagreeing with you - but a series of events all relied on a single firefly - apparently they are quite rare. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-episode-of-fringe-tonight-1-21-2011/568526/30 "2011-01-25T14:25:37Z")
> [@simster](#): > > not disagreeing with you - but a series of events all relied on a single firefly - apparently they are quite rare. They keep getting killed off prematurely. By foxes. ---
**Author:** ![drastic\_quench](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e36b37/32.png) [@drastic\_quench](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drastic_quench)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-episode-of-fringe-tonight-1-21-2011/568526/31 "2011-01-25T16:04:33Z")
> [@simster](#): > > not disagreeing with you - but a series of events all relied on a single firefly - apparently they are quite rare. It’s been [mentioned](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2259/where-have-all-the-fireflies-gone). ---
**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:** [January 25, 2011, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-episode-of-fringe-tonight-1-21-2011/568526/32 "2011-01-25T20:21:11Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > They keep getting killed off prematurely. By foxes. AHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Wait, that isn’t funny, it’s sad. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-episode-of-fringe-tonight-1-21-2011/568526/33 "2011-01-25T20:28:00Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > It’s been [mentioned](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2259/where-have-all-the-fireflies-gone). I did not know that - but if there is only one to be found - and its in Peter’s back yard - what in the world was the girl thinking when she went looking? They would have to be ‘common’ enough for her to think the hunt was worth it. (if there is only one, the chances of them reproducing are pretty much nill) Plus - the events happened back in 1985 - when they were much more numerous - your report is from 1997. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2011, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-episode-of-fringe-tonight-1-21-2011/568526/34 "2011-01-25T21:57:56Z")
In my experience, lightning bugs (as we call them 'round here) often “swarm” in groups rather than being evenly distributed over large areas. When I was growing up, we would sometimes have a bunch of them lighting around our house, but a few doors down there would be few or none. So maybe young Peter caught one that _would_ have been a loner in the girl’s yard. Without that one for her to catch in her yard, maybe she sees a group of them lighting up down the street and heads off in that direction. Lightning bugs don’t have to be rare for The Observer’s scenario to play out. I do kinda like the idea that he made the whole story up to manipulate Walter, but it seems a bit out-of-character for him to flat-out lie. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-episode-of-fringe-tonight-1-21-2011/568526/35 "2011-01-26T01:09:02Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > They keep getting killed off prematurely. By foxes. 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-episode-of-fringe-tonight-1-21-2011/568526/36 "2011-01-26T01:10:11Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > It’s been [mentioned](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2259/where-have-all-the-fireflies-gone). They eat snails and slugs? ---
**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:** [January 26, 2011, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-episode-of-fringe-tonight-1-21-2011/568526/37 "2011-01-26T02:02:58Z")
> [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](#): > > 😕 I assume he was making a joke about the show “Firefly” being prematurely cancelled by Fox network. ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-episode-of-fringe-tonight-1-21-2011/568526/38 "2011-01-26T04:28:03Z")
Thanks for pointing out the Twin Peaks reference. I liked that show but I didn’t pick up on it. Very neat. I was kinda meh on this episode. I’m just about done with the observers and the dual between universes and the weapon of mass destruction. Let’s go back to monster of the week. ---
**Author:** ![Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/a9a28c/32.png) [@Oslo\_Ostragoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oslo_Ostragoth)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-episode-of-fringe-tonight-1-21-2011/568526/39 "2011-01-26T04:36:02Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > I assume he was making a joke about the show “Firefly” being prematurely cancelled by Fox network. :smack: I guess I am not reminded of that enough… ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2011, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-episode-of-fringe-tonight-1-21-2011/568526/40 "2011-01-26T05:44:50Z")
I liked Peter’s explanation about the book. He’s still an idiot for not realizing he was with the wrong Olivia, but at least he knows it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-episode-of-fringe-tonight-1-21-2011/568526.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/new-episode-of-fringe-tonight-1-21-2011/568526.md?page=3)