Not so common sense, apparently.

Still undecided as to why I joined this site in the first place; really ain't got time for this. she/her Iantonia (the reader, commenter, and addicted bookmarker) on ao3

[candlelightreader]

Back after a long three-week travel for work and leisure. Ready to catch up with the Fringe rewatch!

Fringe rewatch

S1 e15 Inner Child

I have a great feeling about sporting the Observer this time! Ha!

Wait. Did the kid use some sort of telepathy to make sure the worker could find him?

The episode has some solid X-Files vibes.

Charlie's assignments continue to be unclear...

Broyles's patience with Walter is rather admirable. I guess being a soldier prepared him well.

There is something so frightening about this guy just snatching his victims off the street in broad daylight. Horrifying.

Oh the never-ending endorsements...

Rachel was a great character. She also comes across as hiding something for some reason.

Walter's craziness makes me wonder why no supervillain has ever kidnapped him to force him to come up with some tech that could make them rich. Then I think about the fact that, for all intents and purposes, the only reason the FBI can even work with him is because of Peter.

Michael being an empath is fascinating, especially as we layer find out this is particularly indicative of how different he is from the Observers.

There is something really nice about Olivia coming home to people. As a loner, I would be quite stressed and think she should be too, but I do like how it bookends the episodes.

Polivia Report

Takes a while for Polivia moments this episode. When Olivia comes to talk to Walter at their room, they share a look after one of Walter's comments.

Continuity

The action figure scar reminds me I need to know all the ways being from a whole other universe affects Peter.

Give it up to the capacity for the show to take place in large part in the cold months and to look it. They actually look cold and the outside always actually feels and looks like proper winter.

Most Rewatchable scene 

Peter and Olivia talking always cheers me up. It is wild how little they actually interact directly, or solo.

Best quote 

Peter: "Walter! Olivia is here. She wants to talk to you!"

[...]

Walter: "Peter why did you not tell me Agent Dunham was here!?"

What aged the best 

This is a solid episode, from the writing to the portrayals. But I guess the overall continuation of the Michael arc is the best, because its eventual resolution is well constructed.

What aged the worst 

The trope of a predator hunting women for sport and brutalizing them is so tired.

Dion Waiters/heat check performance 

Michael carries the episode really well.

Half-assed internet research 

The glyphs spelling Walter makes me realize this is very much a Walter/little Peter nod, as well as a nod to the fact that Walter and Michael will eventually be the only ones in the universe to know what happens in the end.

Unanswerable questions 

Is it possible Olivia connects with kids well as an adult in an extension of her connection with other kids when they were part of the Cortexophan trials?

What is up with the yellow? Is it related to the trials? Or just a random fact about Olivia?

Does the child's dropping expressing when he sees his 'dad' because he is angry or otherwise feeling negative, or is it just because it is his resting face? And does the lack of a smile from the child (we know the Observer couldn't) just his resting face and not an indication of his emotions?

Walter writes his notes on the same typewriter that was used for the ZFT manifesto.

That neutral halo will get do much mileage!

Who won the episode? 

The Child/Michael arc. All of it works so well! If you know the plot holes, keep them to yourself.

That Guy

That guy from the CIA is such a that guy!

Picking Nits 

The first Artist's kidnapping we see: May this kind of naïveté never find me. Wanting to be helpful is one thing. But I hope that, in reality, a woman like her would ask herself how he typically navigates without help. Because why go about such a task unless he can do it themselves?

The writing is often so annoyingly on the nose. Yes, please, open with Olivia being great with kids and then show how she also connects with Michael, suggesting she's just that good.

I, for one, think that the kid would fit into Astrid's petite clothes better. Ha!

Olivia being a badass is done rather unrealistically. Once again, at a major control point, she has to run after the suspect alone? How many cops does one need to open a van door exactly?

What happens the next day?

Not really sure. Nothing of substance. Everyone's plot lines are pretty tidied up.

[cansu-m]

[morganathewitch]

Bokträd, Nävekvarn Sweden.

[candlelightreader]

Fringe rewatch

S1e14 "Ability"

You have to wonder if the lawyers was really that clueless.

Olivia asking for Walter to explain again what he made seems like a very clumsy exposition method. She is much more intelligent than that, no? Could she not have come to the conclusion herself and ran it to Walter instead?

Is the two dollars bill still a thing or is this a sign that this is not our universe? [Edit] Turns out it is indeed a thing but there are so few in circulation that there is a whole urban legend around them and most people have never seen them. This all according to Wikipedia.]

I may never want to eat coffee cake ever again.

You have to love the fact that my book seller guy just met the woman he well make a coffee table out of.

Fuck Harris, as ever. His first time on screen, he commits an HR violation by implying that Jones only wants to talk to Olivia because she's pretty (and he makes this implication by suggesting she's whoring herself like a stripper). He is such a pain that when you put him up against Jones I'll choose Jones and day that ends in y. And why can a government employee afford a $1000 watch, anyway?

That FBI man died a horrific death. At least the vendor died immediately. The agent had some hope.

It's a little too bad that Olivia never got a chance of developing her powers in this universe or after the reset.

Nina is back and back on her BS. That's why we love her.

Peter was so wrong! Olivia's fake trick was so unconvincing. But even if Jones had bought into it, the fact that none of the others reacted at all made it so obvious! They shouldve gasped at least moderatedly at managing the impossible.

Copaganda watch

Wow you really gotta love Olivia implicitly threatening Loeb with prison rape. Wtf. He is scum but the trivialization of rape is more horrible.

#AbolishPrison

Observer watch

[Insert "I know him" Elf gif]

Funny how, when he is seen early enough, then I can relax the rest of the episode.

Polivia Report

"You're always a little weird!" Oh we are so on! You will not convince me that Peter was doing more than being nice to Rachel while waiting for Olivia to be ready!

Can we talk about how the book man clocked them immediately?

Olivia's suits and shirts look better now! No more big collar stuff!

Olivia telling Peter "I knew you could do it! I'll see you soon" feels so much more intimate than usual. This was a great episode for showing how Peter and Olivia make each other better.

My theory remains stronger than ever: the reason Olivia was able to turn the lights off was because Peter was there. The prospect of him dying terrified her more than her own death.

Astrid and Walter's exchange was one of the better exchanges in the episode and that they will have. The camaraderie and the respect showcased are nice.

Continuity error

Does Olivia truly need to go to NY for that conversation with Nina? Seems if she wanted to let Nina lie to her face she should've just given a phone call. And, as always, tell us how they go for NY to Boston so quickly.

Most Rewatchable scene 

One of the few Fringe events I can stand to see.

Olivia and Peter's scenes are really great. All of them. But the best one may be her begging him to get in touch with his weird friends.

Best quote 

Olivia telling Peter "I knew you could do it! I'll see you soon"

What aged the best 

Jones as a villain.

The fact that they don't overshoot with Olivia's powers. I think they played it well by not giving her superhero powers. She had abilities but there were severe limitations on them, which never transformed them into deus ex machina capacity.

What aged the worst 

Harris. I can't wait for him to be killed off soon.

The NY-Boston travel thing demands major suspension of disbelief.

Heat check performance 

Jones kills the villain game. Despite how cold and calculated he is, you manage to glimpse the conviction and principles he has. I truly appreciate him as a villain, though I feel for the torment he causes our faves.

Half-assed internet research 

The glyph spells out 'Olivia'. Very fitting.

The next episode clue is some ridiculousness.

The deleted scene deserved to be cut. Everthing about it we learn later. But it would have been nice to hear what Olivia thought of the fact that Jones clearly knew her before they met.

The featurette with Lance Reddick (RIP) bring up great points. The Loeb thing did establish that we should not trust anyone, no matter how close. With that, Broyles in the other universe will become a traitor, or at least will be blackmail to become one, and he always toes a fine line even when good, as we see in s5. In many ways, Walter is untrustworthy as well.

Omg the theories by the cast about The Pattern! Acevedo, Reddick, Jackson were on point. But I can't believe that no one listened to Jasika Nicole! It would've been so cool to make her Bell. I guess in way that did come to pass when Bell hijacked Olivia? I wonder what Torv and Noble had to say.

I was today years old when I realized I did not know Walternate is who wrote the ZFT manifesto. All this time I thought it was blue verse Bell!

Unanswerable questions 

Is Jones implying that he knew Olivia as a kid or something, or simply that he was watching he before he went to prison? What does he mean by he could've killed her "long ago"?

Did I miss it? Why only focus on Olivia when there were other Coterxophan trial kids?

Was Nina hand fixed because she talked to Bell? And in that exchange did he tell her to tell Olivia about Jacksonville?

Who won the episode? 

Polivia.

That Guy

Harris and Jones actors.

Picking Nits 

Harris is a walking HR violation, yet Olivia is the only person who ever pushed back? What are the men around him doing? And how exactly was Broyles his friend exactly? They should've done a better job of sending that friendship.

The science of the orifice drug is wild. How do creating extra skin to cover the plastic? Disgusting either way.

The cut scene raised great questions that the episode doesn't address. It asks the question of Olivia's fated encounter with the Pattern, but the story wasn't wanting to answer them.

What happens the next day?

Peter tries to get Olivia to go for drinks not only to celebrate the difficilt few days, but to stop her feeling sorry for herself after Jones escapes again.

[michameinmicha]

Stumbled upon this random ship (in a fandom im not active in myself) that has like 150 works on ao3 which are all from just two people gifting each other fics about this pairing back and forth and theyve been doing it for 3 years... i think thats true love probably

[poison-ivy-on-drugs]

[godh8er-deactivated20220626]

how could op just leave out the resolution like dat

[flamingtoads]

[dilf-din]

The most important thing you can do in this life is write hyper-specific fanfiction for you and six other people. Don’t believe anything else you read.

[candlelightreader]

So you know how Bobby says in that one episode that when he moved to LA he did all the touristy things to get familiar with the city? That was a great reason for him to know the trivia he recited but... I'm now imagining a freshly landed Bobby--still struggling to string together two days sober, not able to hold a real smile for anyone--on one of the tour busses with a bunch of euphoric tourists being told a bunch of random Hollywood facts. Just imagine.

[molabuddy]

does anyone else think about how the sky can literally rock any colour it wants to

[molabuddy]

red, orange, yellow? sunset/sunrise

green? the rarest and not one ive seen personally but it can happen

blue? classics of sky

indigo? violet? twilight babyyy

pink? also shows up at sunrise/sets

black? night. get goth with it

white? grey? her clouds

[molabuddy]

do you love the Fucking colour of the sky. bitch

[candlelightreader]

And just the caleidoscope of when there are aurora borealis!

[candlelightreader]

Fringe rewatch

S1E13 "The Transformation"

Lol I completely thought I was restarting the pilot episode once again. Also, is it me or should the cold open have included the plane crash, rather than having the crash be the first scene instead.

You have to appreciate how much the snow features in the show. They are not afraid to actually be outside. But is it me or does it make no sense for the plane to have flown right over the kids coming from soccer when the team look completely frozen at the crash site? Of course, nighttime is colder, but it seems like a much colder night than the daytime scene suggests.

I think I'm hyperfocusing on all of this to distract away from the fact that this is a John episode. I just can't! I'm bored just thinking about that whole arc. John is like am ex to me too. I just want to move on with my life, not think of him any further. I am simply unmoved by the goodbye. It is not the payoff they think it is.

Charlie when he repeats "his memories"... 😄 He is unequivocally her best friend because anyone else would be calling HR and reporting Olivia for mental breakdown.

The shot with Hicks being interrogated and Olivia in the background is very nice. Also, had me thinking of Mindhunter Torv for the first time during this rewatch.

Copaganda mess: there is no way it was ethical to delay the treatment (regardless of the fact that it doesn't work anyway or the threat these people my pose to the public). Rights are only for innocent people and anyone with good vibes only? Ya... no.

I continue to struggle with how Olivia always goes off on Broyles. I don't think she ever has those types of exchanges with the other men: Charlie, Peter, or Walter. Now, eliminating Walter, I think she has the most confrontation with Peter, while with Charlie you have more of a docile dynamic. Either way, her being forceful with them always comes off as peer to peer, normal interactions, especially because she is practically always right in those exchanges. But with Broyles, she has this habit of jumping the gun for no apparent reason, especially given that Broyles has been more than accommodating, has been incredibly supportive of her, and the fact that she is under his command. There is a hierarchy there, whether we like it or not. And this makes the writing come across as problematic. But I guess she doesn't care much for protocol, so why start now?

Astrid to the rescue! Now, is she right? Is Olivia such a great judge of character?

Observer watch

It would've been nice to see an Observer on the flight, right?

I very much missed his being in the field! I thought he'd be in the hotel lobby... Woops.

Polivia Report

When Olivia asks that they cut open Hicks' hand, you can see Peter radiating with concern. It seems they may have cut more of them making eye contact.

Peter helping Olivia out of the tank and her reaching for him for comfort. There is a great amount of trust between these two. I would pay money to get a sense of the narrative from Peter's point of view.

BREAKING: This is the undercover episode! It would even more tropeworthy if they were a couple, but I'll take this! Peter certainly plays off her really well, and is very protective. I still, however, really fail to believe Joshua Jackson as a baddie. He just doesn't have the edge (with his little cheeks)... The other guy, though, is really believable as a villain.

Continuity error

Fandom has, I believe, declared that this was a retcon of John's arc. It is pretty clumsy as such, because if he was indeed a triple agent, then why did he try his most to run Olivia off the road in the pilot? And why murder that man in the hospital in cold blood?

Most Rewatchable scene 

The look between Olivia and Peter when she decides to go undercover is quite something.

Best quote 

Peter to Olivia: "Being fearless doesn't mean you're being safe."

What aged the best 

The Polivia of it all.

Olivia calling the shots is really cool. Scully walked so thay Olivia could run!

What aged the worst 

On that flight, in 2026, at least one person or more would have filmed porcupineman! It is hard to believe this scene is less than 20 years ago. It felt pile a scene from the 90s. In fact it reminded me of Die Hard 2, when John McLean's wife is on the flight. 😄

Dion Waiters/heat check performance 

The guy they meet while undercover was the best character actor this week. Really convincing as a shady guy.

Half-assed internet research 

Not much really. We already know this episode connects to the rest of the capsule in hands episodes, as well as the fact that this incident will happen again once Peter resets the universe, and that Bell will bring back porcupineman later still.

Unanswerable questions 

What is John's consciousness and why can it see her? Or can he see her? Is it in her head or in hers? What kind of science would explain the transmission of John's memories into Olivia? Is this the precursor to the tech that Bell will end up using to occupy Olivia's body? Finally, if it is a memory, why are Olivia's questions so difficult to answer and not so straightforward?

If Hicks was dozed around the same time as the other guy, wouldn't they have expected him to have suffered the consequences already? Wouldn't Conrad immediately suspect Hicks has sold out already?

Who won the episode? 

Us. We're rid of John! 👋🏼

That Guy

The Conrad guy was underutilized yet he's a pretty familiar character actor.

Picking Nits 

This was a heavy tonal shift. Suddenly, this episode made the show a spy thriller. While it's fine as a one off, it shows the experimental nature of the pilot season.

As I keep noting, I am all for JJ as Peter... But I just don't buy him as an edgy conman. They should've kept it at the nerdy conman area, rather than try to make us think he has this dark side.

What happens the next day?

I sure hope Olivia takes a nice weekend off, at the very least.

[candlelightreader]

"Fringe" rewatch

S1 e12: The No Brainer

Lol this episode is so of its time it's almost painful! A teen speaking on the phone, Single Ladies... At the same time, give how the compute has turned into a brain melting machine, this was quite prescient.

I wonder why the Fringe team was not called to the teen's crime scene? Seems like seeing him sitting at his desk is pertinent?

This episode is continuing with the wet, disgusting causes of death. Can't wait till we are back to drier, less disgusting weapons. The killer here is such an idiot. Beyond killing people, but not mixing it up with random people to avoid people making a connection between his victims.

Is it me or did Olivia have a 'rapport' with that car dealer...?

Astrid to the rescue! Always glad to see Astrid given more lines and space. Very odd though to suddenly make her very adept in a random field just as it is needed.

Peter's shoddy connections are one of my favourite aspects, especially because it doesn't need much of an explanation. For some reason, though, I really still can't find it believable that Peter was some sort of tough guy. He just doesn't fully sell it to me.

Fuck Harris. That's all I have to say about that asshole. (But wait why is he going at Olivia? If he has issues with the spending, he should go after her direct supervisor, not her. She's just an agent. This is all so gross.)

Olivia is 100% given so much more depth with her sister and niece! On rewatch, it is such a great addition to help develop her character. There is a question about whether they were only meant to be present for this episode, only for the writers to decide to keep them. Of course, they also help develop Peter's character and the Polivia of it all.

Olivia doesn't speak to her neighbours or doesn't see them enough to speak to them. Noted.

Peter's overprotective nature begins to take shape here. It must be a Bishop trait, but it is uncanny how all Bishops continue to send themselves into walls because they insist that they know better than their loved ones.

I always fall into a debate with myself with these types of plots: on the one hand, can't trust law enforcement, so I wouldn't sell out my father no matter what they present me with; on the other hand, I am not gonna protect your wrongs just because someone is related to me, with not melting my friends' brains.

Finally! Broyles finally raising the issue of Harris's vendetta is so necessary.

Observer watch

I have gotten good at missing the Observer but great at guessing which scene he was likely in. I guessed it was during the rush to save Ella, but I was looking away from the screen.

Polivia Report

Is Walter's opening rant about reproduction a nod at the developing Polivia?

Peter and Olivia with Ella as foreshadowing for their own daughter.

Polivia as partners starting to take clear shape. We love to see it.

Olivia confronting Peter over the mother wanting to see Walter is such a critical moment. She trusts in their relationship enough to confront him on something that is largely not her business, and he trusts her enough to give her a minute to explain herself.

Peter dropping in on Olivia while a little drunk, later at night... this ain't just a partner and coworker thing!

Continuity error

Would have been useful to kill off Harris with the brain melt. Just sayin'.

Most Rewatchable scene 

Walter meeting Jessica Warren. Two vet actors just schooling everyone.

Very honorable mention: Peter at Olivia's doorstep.

Best quote 

There are a lot of deep lines. But frankly, this is best best:

Walter: I wonder if they sell cars here with those seats that warm your ass.

What aged the best 

The decision not to make Peter and Rachel happen, but to acknowledge it later as a way to reinforce that Peter never had eyes for anyone but Olivia.

What aged the worst 

Harris.

Dion Waiters/heat check performance 

You-know-who. I want to punch him every damn time.

Half-assed internet research 

A closer look at the Observer shows he is clearly photoshopped in.

Unanswerable questions 

Why are the fringe stuff not being sold, passed on, or attracting the attention of the military more directly? These are the kind of thing that the C*A was love to use in their nefarious missions, yes? Can you imagine the military having access to this compute virus? This is especially more prominent given the budget issues Harris raises and the fact that in the flashbacks we are told that Walter reached out to the military to show the window to the other side. Yet it takes till season 2 for Broyles to present fringe tech to a government panel.

Who won the episode? 

Jessica Warren! The whole time she is poised to be this antagonist, and her presents hangs over the whole episode as something ominous, then it turns out to be a red herring. A solid B plot.

That Guy

The killing dad, a very familiar character actor on procedurals.

Picking Nits 

This might be the most telegraphed plot ever. Just dropping hints like hammers every other scene, 'Ella is a liar so I won't believe her later when she's attacked', 'Greg is a teenager so mom won't pay attention when he fails to respond to her, even though he seems like a good kid,' etc.

Ugh. Harris.

What happens the next day?

As we later find out, Rachel shot her shot and Peter shot her down. The end! 😄

[ambernotember]

for bathena five sentence challenge: ‘I love watching you do that.’

i think it’s important that we remember that they are, canonically, freaks <3

“I love watching you do that,” Athena said, lounging back in her patio chair.

Bobby looked at her over his sunglasses. “Hosing down the patio?”

“Getting things wet,” Athena grinned.

“I am going to assume you forgot you asked me to stop by,” Hen said from the doorway to the kitchen. “Here’s your tent, thank you, goodbye, never let me hear that again.”

“You’ve heard worse!” Athena called after her, laughing as she heard the front door slam behind Hen.

“Not from me,” Bobby said, looking at his wife.

“No, but don’t worry, we’ve done worse than anything she’s heard.” Athena winked at him.

✨ Next five sentences meme ✨

[fringelol]

Elizabeth Bishop: Be a better man than your father

Elizabeth Bishop: ...

Elizabeth Bishop: *whispers* because he stole you from another reality and broke the universe as we know it

Peter Bishop: What

Elizabeth Bishop: What who said that

[itsatorchwoodthing]

THEY PUT UP A PLAQUE FOR IANTO!!

source

[candlelightreader]

Fringe rewatch

S1 e11 - "Bound"

And thus my girl Olivia begins her career as a professional kidnapee...

Some of yhe kidnappers did not want Olivia to know who they were, meaning they expected her to get out or to let her go, yes? But how and why? Anyway, gotta give it up to how gender means that Olivia was underestimated by the whole team of kidnappers. And especially thanks to thay last guy who notified her instead of shooting her in the back. (Lol) The whole thing is clearly we orchestrated, however, as we'll discover with Harris too, soon. It is a good thing they did not account for Olivia's cleverness.

I realize that one of the hardest thing to do during rewatches is sit through the worst of a character's moments. You know how bad it's going to be and that's jsut worse than when you're watching it for the first time. This is a long winded way to say I can't possibly hate Harris more. I could puke! The whole arc could be the subject of a dissertation on misogyny. I can't even look at him. Without looking at the original air date, I am guessing that this episode was the first after the holidays hiatus. Because that whole exposition speech from Harris was nauseating, narratively speaking and in-universe. I'm very glad the whole arc ends quickly and decisively. Looking back, Harris is clearly so guilty.

With that said, I am really glad Broyles stands up for Olivia. It is such contrast to the pilot. Did Broyles change his mind during the events of the pilot? Has it been gradual? Certainly, the way he attacked Nina in the last episode (or previous before) showed that he's ready to go to bat for her. She certainly is very comfortable with him. I, like Broyles, don't appreciate how she enters his office... When Olivia thanks Broyles, it made me realize that it will take till s5 for them to share a hug.

Poor Charlie. To some degree, it is clear more and more that Olivia and him are really being detached. Because I don't quite understand how you can set up the fact that he knows about her stepfather stalking her and has a cute nickname for her (Livy), and yet doesn't know she has a sister named Rachel? Why wouls she never have told him this? Or, why could he not have guessed, being a cunning investigator and all. I'm not sure if it's meant to be bad writing, or if it is intentional to say he is not as close as it was previously indicated. This is after setting up during last episode that Olivia considers that she has no (best) friend.

(See, as someone who really hates room temp water, I would not have been killed like that. 🙂‍↕️)

Peter and Walter have been ramped up as comic relief and I do like it.

Samantha and her husband are the kind of villains I prefer. Unlike that idiot Harris that is just so all encompassing. The couple gives Bonnie and Clyde join a cult, and that it just pretty fucked, but in a very rich and nuanced way.

Walter realizing that Samantha Loeb died is really great acting.

Polivia Report

Peter asking Olivia if they have to bring his dad after she tells him she's coming to get him. Gold. Peter is clearly deep into falling for her, and starting to admit it to himself. She has only barely begun and definitely cannot allow herself to recognize it yet. The whole John affair is yet to be truly resolved yet, so that's understandable.

The ship era is in full gear! And Walter, as ever, is the Number #1 member.

Continuity

I didn't pay close attention, but is the same science that grows the viruses the same one they used to on the baby that aged too fast?

Walter's notes always make references to literature, especially the classics. Yet you really don't see him quote much of those during episodes. I find it a little... disjointed.

Most Rewatchable scene 

The "I care about you" scene.

Best quote 

Olivia: Who cares about me?

Peter: I care about you.

...

Walter; She is beautiful isn't she?

Peter: Who? *Staring at Olivia*

Walter: The slug. *smirk*

...

You know he was really worried when you were gone.

...

I was worried too.

Thanks, Walter.

But not as much as him of course.

Walter!

It's true!

Honourable mention:

Peter: And you think I'm the guy to break the law for ya.

Charlie: Uh...

Peter: No I am the guy to break the law for ya

What aged the best 

Rachel and Ella in Olivia's life.

What aged the worst 

Harris as an archetype is horrific, especially because it is too close to reality.

Dion Waiters/heat check performance 

Harris actor makes it difficult to rewatch this, despite the great Polivia of it all.

Half-assed internet research 

Have to look up the Observer... Completely missed him and don't see how i could've seen him from that far tbh.

I was right! This episode aired on january 20th, whereas the last one aired on December 2nd. They were doing a major recap for the audience. I don't remember this hiatus but it's a pretty good (read annoying) cliffhanger.

Unanswerable questions 

On a podcast, I learned that, back in the day, people speculated that Rachel was a plant too. The way Olivia gets the impression that she's hiding something does raise red flags. After all, we never find out what it is that made her feel a little off, since the biggest skeleton in her closet was just her ex. Is this a lose thread like the many they don't tie up?

Who won the episode? 

Polivia.

That Guy

Harris actor. Always plays a corrupt or suspicious character.

Picking Nits 

This episode really doesn't work in the age of cellphones...

How do they explain her being adbucted by ghosts? Wouldn't CCTV alone help prove she was pursued and taken out of her car?

What happens the next day?

I wonder what they wanted to convey with Ella and Olivia being the last shot there.

Anyway, I am thinking that at the end of that episode, Peter sits Walter down and begs him to tone it down with his shipping. He has to bribe him, of course. Perhaps some rooter float?

[candlelightreader]

Fringe - rewatch

S1ep10 - "The Safe"

It occurs to me that they missed an opportunity to make an Observer apparition via a painting. Later, when we discover that they have been around throughout time, it would make sense that there would be a scene where one is visible on a mundane painting from like the 16th century or something.

The whole science here, for once, makes sense to me. The idea of a machine that can vibrate solids to the point of turning them liquid or plasma feels right.

On the robbery... How did they figure it to be a better idea to leave a whole entire human stuck instead of the rope? You have to be an idiot, surely.

The establishing shot of them entering the bank is really good. They have very nice walks. Love that.

Wait. Did I miss the Observer in the hardware store?

Peter's rage at Walter is so justified. Walter somehow managing to make us feel sorry for us is really something too. I sympathize with Peter more, but can't help to feel for Walter. At the end of the day, Peter and Walter's up and down, hot and cold relationship is so good. It is gaining in depth.

Gotta give it up to Raoul's wife to find it in her to ask Olivia if she's alright when she's the one who just received a blow. She shouldn't be having to deal with someone's psychosis why still reeling from learning your husband was murdered.

These efforts to liberate that guy from German jail made me think: how was Loeb people recruited exactly? How does the fbi agent get to that point? Like Olivia was wondering, how do these people get recruited, but the fiot soldiers are obvious. The people in power, however, are not as obvious.

Well... It's a good thing Peter forced Olivia to stay for drinks, because then she doesn't say anything about her memory, doesn't speak the numbers, and Peter doesn't connect to theFibonacci Sequence. Now, I don't feel like it makes much sense that Walter is the only person that would use the sequence.

It is quite something that younger Walter thought it would be easier to invent time travel rather than attempt to figure out what a random scientist figured out in 1936 himself.

Polivia Report

I want to know exactly why Peter and Olivia are arguing about best friends and her not having one. Poor Charlie. This, I suppose, establishes to us that Olivia has a sister.

Peter being able to pick up on Olivia not being okay >>>>>>

Looks like Olivia is wrong. She does have a best friend.

Going to a bar in Cambridge!

The joke about remembering faces since "we were kids" is such great foreshadowing. On the one hand, it's true, she has a great memory for more than faces. But on the other, they did indeed know each other as kids and she has completely forgotten about it. As far as we know, they never even find out they forgot.

"Women never have card tricks"... you know, he's not wrong.

Did everyone clock the fact that Olivia is not horrified at Walter's "Do you two need to use the room"?

Continuity

We begin the scavenger hunt trope for Walter treasures. We will be on it again twice: once for the machine for Walternate to cross over, and later for the time travel machine in s5.

Olivia making incredible breaks in the case.

I almost lost it when I saw Walter watching Peter and the coin. The fact that Walter, up until that point, had forgotten his son got sick. Peter is also again faced with a major event in his childhood that he has no memory of. It begs the question: "what even does he remember at all?"

Most Rewatchable scene 

Not even a debate: Peter and Olivia at the bar.

Best quote 

Walter: "Think about 20 years ago..."

He might be high, but he makes a lot of sense.

"You violated the laws of nature, Mr. Eastwick, and mother nature's a bitch."

Overall, really hard to choose one quote in this episode.

What aged the best 

Polivia ❤️

Peter's tough guy interrogation.

What aged the worst 

Being helpful to the FBI without a warrant...

I am sad that they cut the idea that maybe Nina and Philip had a thing. Because the way she cuts him off on the phone is really couple-like.

Heat check performance 

Nina steals the show every time. I do wish we had had more insight into her character, especially before the timeline changed.

Half-assed internet research 

I totally missed the Observer!

Walter's notes are always a delightful blend of science and arts and I for one appreciate this.

The fact that the twins use a similar vibration device in s3 is something I forget, because I have skipped s3 ep1-5 on all my rewatches. I really hate to see Olivia being captive and Faulivia doing her villain stuff.

Unanswerable questions 

What does Peter remember of his childhood at all? Does he even remember anything at all or does he simply remember the mundane?

Why would Olivia get out of the car and run rather than attempt to drive over in to the park instead? She's in a SUV!

Do John's memories blending into Olivia's because they are poking into his brain at MD, or is it simply because time is passing?

Could this be remade as a 10 episode Netflix series?

The whole arc with DRJ for sure.

Who won the episode? 

Polivia shippers but the writing is also slick. For once there are few glaring plot holes, and there is no boring moment. Every scene is really dynamic and you don't get bored (except the visit to the widow before Olivia's moment).

That Guy

DRJ guy of course. I also recognize that doctor at the facility from somewhere, but not sure when.

Picking Nits 

Hum. Not much. But I have to say, I don't know if it is the current times, but I really bristle at Olivia's disregard for procedure. There is a clear framing of the doctor refusing to cooperate as mean and ignorant, when he's right: you're a fed, you need a warrant.

What happens the next day?

There is a hint that Olivia and Peter do not hang out outside of work, until the bad scene. But with the friend conversation, is it possible that they begin to just hang out every once in a while?