Fringe: "6:02 AM EST"

Season 3, Episode 20

The beginning of the end takes a good while to get going

“This is my favorite time of day: sunrise. When the world is full of promise.”

-Olivia

So it has come to this. Fringe has spent so much of the back half of its third season telling us that end of the world was nigh, yet very little time explaining how it would happen – or at least very little time correctly explaining how it would happen. We have known – or at least prophecy has told us – two things: 1) That Peter is somehow linked to the Doomsday Device and 2) That the fates of the two universes would depend on which Olivia Peter chose. From there, it has mostly been wild speculation on the part of the fans that has determined how we thought the end was going to go down, the most notable example being the arrival of Fauxilivia’s child, (who is perhaps too-aptly named) Henry. While most people (myself included) thought that Henry’s arrival was meant to factor into Peter’s Choice, it turns out that he was written in as to bring about the destruction of a universe. I don’t particularly agree with a baby being turned into a plot device in such a manner, but I think it’s ultimately a positive sign for what’s to come in the next two episodes. The Fringe writers have subtly been leading us in the wrong direction/have been leaving things ambiguous enough that they are able to subvert the audience’s expectations so that this season’s resolution hopefully ends up being something the fans never expected.

“6:02 AM EST” is the latest is what seem like a long line of table-setters for the season, yet it is a table-setter with a clearer sense of purpose. Whereas all of the previous table-setters had to deal in ambiguous clues, tonight’s entry was about wiping away all of the unnecessary theories, leaving us (or rather the writers) with a clear(er) path to the finale.  Walternate had used Henry to start up both Doomsday Machines – which are apparently linked across universes – machines that now, for some reason, seem to be rejecting Peter. And as both Olivia and Fauxlivia struggle to save both universes, the validity of Peter’s Choice seems less and less certain. (Even though we were supposed to hate her for being a conniving, man stealing skank earlier this season, can I just say that Fauxlivia was a total badass tonight? Cause she totally was.) And what about Walter’s Choice, which was foreshadowed in “The Firefly”? Walter let Peter go (which now he apparently knows he had to do?), and now his son is unconscious in a hospital bed, unable to do anything to or for either universe.

The upshot of all of this is that this first half of tonight’s episode moved quite slowly and deliberately, as the writers had to get all of the pieces in place for the final headlong stretch. I suppose I can’t technically fault the writers for this action, especially not if it means the next two episodes kick some serious ass. And though it appears that this will be the case – the episode really did clip along there at the end – it still frustrates me that it took so long for all of this to really kick in. This maybe it’s the fault of the previews (a TV institution that has become quite irrelevant, but that’s rant for another day), but I feel like we should have already been at that place at the top of this hour (or maybe even sooner) rather than in the middle of it. And I have to wonder: Has the show left itself enough time to play this ending out properly? Because after all the slow-buildup/stalling, I have my doubts.

“Now I have become death, destroyer of worlds”

-Walternate

“God, I know my crimes are unforgivable. Punish me.”

-Walter

Fringe has long dealt in parallels, and since I’m sure you’re fully aware of that fact, it would be a waste of time to list the many examples here. Yet never have the parallels been more explicit – or used to greater effect – than they were here tonight. Though we have had episodes that have covered events in both universes (mostly as coda, though more specifically in “Entrada”), I don’t think there has been such an equality in screen time between the two as there was tonight. The show has often made sure that we understand that neither universe is wholly good or wholly evil; they are inhabited by people, whose actions aren’t always as black-and-white as we might like. And as we are approaching the (supposed) destruction of one of these universes, the show seems primed to pull as much pathos out of the event as possible. It seems that we are going to spend ample time in both universes over the next two episodes, hoping the one side or the other might come up with a solution to avert this catastrophe, hoping that they will reach out to the opposing side in civility, and us never entirely sure in what way it might happen – if at all.

And here is where those parallels come into play. We see both ‘Livias attempt to do what they can in order to stop the destruction of either universe, showing us that both sides can be good and play nice with one another. But the Walter/Walternate comparison holds more potential. We see Walter – in what is just another fantastic, Emmy-worthy scene for John Noble – reach out for God’s guidance in this time of trouble, ready to take whatever punishment it requires to reverse the consequences of his mistakes. Yet Walternate – who was once presented as a rational, thoughtful man – has let his paranoid side get the best of him, as he has been driven practically mad by his desire to save his own universe. It is an interesting juxtaposition that shows us that madness is always dangerous, but its affects on the soul are never quite certain.

There exists a highly antagonistic relationship between these two universe, and with a madman at the helm o f each, it’s practically impossible to determine who will come out on top.

Any other opinions?

Quotes, Etc.:

I suppose it’s not technically that big of a deal, but when did Massive Dynamic Over Here get a hold of the amber? Because I totally do not remember that happening.

Walternate quotes Oppenheimer. Does that mean that he’s one of things that isn’t different between the two universes? Or did Alt-Oppenheimer create an even nastier WMD?

Walter may always goes naked on Tuesdays, but at least he never forgets his slippers.

“As long as there’s no dead bodies.” Way to follow through on your superintendent gig, brah.