Yikes Meta! Fringe 2x20 Brown Betty

[kazzy]

I quite enjoyed this episode. In an attempt to explain what I liked about it so much I did a character meta.

If you read it through, I'd love to have some meta/discussion *is hopeful*. Be careful though, it's a long one.

Comments

[ghanimasun]

You make an obvious yet important point with this, this is how Walter sees the characters and what he believes they feel about him and each other. It's sometimes hard to keep than in mind when watching the episode but your analysis lays it out really well.

Walter
I think this is really accurate of how he imagines Peter feels about this and what he thinks he deserves. He knew he stole Peter and he knows he did horrible things but only now is he having to confront it fully. The only feedback he's gotten from Peter has been completely negative when he found out, he has no reason to hope Peter will forgive him. Especially given how cold and unfriendly Peter was towards him when he first got out of the asylum. That took about a year for them to finally bond and become family after that. This is so much bigger so of course Walter is going to imagine Peter's reactions are going to be so much worse.

Peter
Walter is fairly accurate in portraying Peter as innocent in this. He is innocent in what was done to him and what he has to deal with now. Peter obviously has made some mistakes and was probably not doing things on the up and up during his time in the Middle East. But he's not a murderer, or a torturer or kidnapper. Your description of the parallels with Peter's glass heart are brilliant. His heart that he just started to share and grow has been ripped away from him. And everyone involved sees how fragile it is.
I do think Peter will be able to forgive and accept Walter eventually. He seems to have grown so much throughout the show. It makes sense that Walter doesn't see this as possible, but it will probably be due to the others around them (Ella in the case of the story, but also Olivia and Astrid in the show) that Peter will be able to heal and forgive.

Olivia
I think part of the reason Walter imagines Olivia would side with Peter over him is because of the things he has done to her as a child. Olivia hasn't been shy about expressing her anger regarding Walter's experimenting on her and other children, so maybe that's what he's carried over into the story. Also since he observes Peter and Olivia as being good friends and generally have a positive and untarnished relationship, he probably sees no reason Olivia should choose him over Peter should the situation arise like this.

I don't want to make an epic comment on everything you wrote, but I do agree with most of your points on the other characters in the story as well. You make some excellent observations that I definitely hadn't caught on my own!

[kazzy]

It's sometimes hard to keep than in mind when watching the episode

I do think parts of the story itself are distracting from the characters, which at times makes it difficult to focus on the really important parts - particulary if you want to just watch the episode. but if you're up for it, there's a lot to sink your teeth into.

I wanted to say something on what you said about both Walter and Peter, but everything you've said is just so right. It's exactly what I wanted to say.

As for Olivia, you raise an interesting point, which I hadn't considered. Because of course Olivia and Peter's relationship is a positive one, and like you say, untarnished - in direct contrast to Walter's relationship with either of them. And I can see how he might consider she would choose Peter over himself.

I was just looking at it from the point of view that Olivia has been careful to keep out of any previous discord between father and son. And to keep any issues she might have with either one separate from the other. Even after discovering Peter was from the other universe she did keep mostly out of it.

But yeah, loking at it from Walter's point of view I can see how he might think Olivia would side with Peter.