Fringe Catch-up
So, I was the furthest thing from productive yesterday and caught up with Fringe. And I developed a few theories and questions, and discovered some new revelations.
The season is good so far. Like, really good.
We have the two universes "working together" now, but so far, there hasn't been much focus on red!Olivia (red for her universe color and also her hair) and her 'verse beyond a rather abrupt beginning with the two Olivia's bickering and the serial killer episode, which, even then, barely had red!Olivia in it. We haven't seen Walternet, yet. The only thing is that these new shape shifters may be linked back to him. Who knows. Canon has seemingly been completely re-written as Peter never grew up to be a man and everything was as how it was meant to be before the Observer intervened and saved Walter and (the then alt!Peter) from drowning.
And I found myself thinking, wow. For the first time ever, a show has retconned nearly their entire plot...but the retcon itself is actually in character with the show, rather than an excuse or a poor excuse for writing.
It wasn't until after Peter came back, and after he says he doesn't belong there that I realized it's possibly another universe. Potentially. Or, simply an alternate timeline. Thus, the amberized opening credits don't suggest a righted set of universes, but another timeline...which, basically results in yet a second reality. In Reality One, we have the blue and red universes. Reality Two is the adjusted or "fixed" reality where the two universes existed as they were originally meant to. This does, theoretically, fit with other time-based stories such as Timescape where in scientists send information back in time to stop the end of the world, but by changing that future outcome, they don't save their own reality, but rather, create a split off reality where they do save the world. The original timeline trying to save itself still ends up dying.
That seems to be what Peter believes or what the show is suggesting. But then...if Peter "goes back" to his original timeline instead of staying in the one I assumed was simply a righted reality, that suggests Reality One will still end. They fixed their problem (the tears/destruction of their universes), but the only way to do so was to create a timeline, an alternate reality, where the events leading up to the tears didn't happen (or to some less extreme and stopped...because our one trip to the Reality Two's red!verse, we still saw amber...which is why I'm partly not convinced Peter needs to get back anywhere, because if Peter died, there wouldn't have been further tears in the fabric of the universes, right? Or they simply kept happening until the bridge was built to mend them...hmm.). So, if Peter goes back...he goes back to a doomed reality. Those universes can't repair themselves except by creating a new timeline reality. Just like in Timescape, the original still ends. Unless...the amber 'verse is another reality entirely, and not a new reality created by Reality One's attempt to fix itself.
Do you think the writer's think as hard about this as I do?lol What are your thoughts?
All the confusing what-timeline/reality-is-this stuff, I just have to say. I LOVE LINCOLN. Like, I remember liking him in the blue!verse before he died. And red!Lincoln, well, I always liked him better than the other red!verse doubles. But amber!Lincoln? He's just the sweetest, cutest thing ever. Before Peter came back and made his timeline comments, I was all, I hope Olivia and Lincoln have a thing and get married and have a kid all before Peter gets back and then Peter gets back and after some drama they become a happy threesome. Because I have shipped Olivia/Peter since episode one, but the writers are hitting it out of the park on amber!Lincoln. HE'S AWESOME. And I'm all about the threesomes. (Peter/El/Neal, duh, also Tony Stark/Pepper/Steve Rogers anyone?!) And so when I saw Lincoln at the diner, I was at first all, Olivia, don't you dare not go and then they broke into her house and all I can think about is, poor Lincoln is going to think she ditched him and WHHHHHYYYY SHOW!?!?! I want amber!Olivia/amber!Lincoln so bad.
Also...I wonder what Nina is doing to Olivia. Keeping her universe walking abilities at bay? Keeping her memories supressed (i.e. this is blue!Olivia, the world wasn't retconned, and thus Peter isn't in the wrong 'verse? Although that doesn't explain why Lincoln isn't dead then.)
And why did Peter give Lincoln new glasses? I feel like I'm forgetting some significance to that? And dude, either way, the thick black ones were so much cuter.
Finally, I kept wondering why Peter doesn't try to find the Observer. Obviously, the one has kept him alive despite orders not to. I feel like at least trying to seek him (them) out to get an answer would be something Peter would do.
(On a side note, why did Joe Flanigan have to die in the first seven minutes of the first episode? SO UNFAIR.)
In conclusion: LINCOLN, SHE DIDN'T STAND YOU UP!!!
Who's still watching? Thoughts? Comments?
The season is good so far. Like, really good.
We have the two universes "working together" now, but so far, there hasn't been much focus on red!Olivia (red for her universe color and also her hair) and her 'verse beyond a rather abrupt beginning with the two Olivia's bickering and the serial killer episode, which, even then, barely had red!Olivia in it. We haven't seen Walternet, yet. The only thing is that these new shape shifters may be linked back to him. Who knows. Canon has seemingly been completely re-written as Peter never grew up to be a man and everything was as how it was meant to be before the Observer intervened and saved Walter and (the then alt!Peter) from drowning.
And I found myself thinking, wow. For the first time ever, a show has retconned nearly their entire plot...but the retcon itself is actually in character with the show, rather than an excuse or a poor excuse for writing.
It wasn't until after Peter came back, and after he says he doesn't belong there that I realized it's possibly another universe. Potentially. Or, simply an alternate timeline. Thus, the amberized opening credits don't suggest a righted set of universes, but another timeline...which, basically results in yet a second reality. In Reality One, we have the blue and red universes. Reality Two is the adjusted or "fixed" reality where the two universes existed as they were originally meant to. This does, theoretically, fit with other time-based stories such as Timescape where in scientists send information back in time to stop the end of the world, but by changing that future outcome, they don't save their own reality, but rather, create a split off reality where they do save the world. The original timeline trying to save itself still ends up dying.
That seems to be what Peter believes or what the show is suggesting. But then...if Peter "goes back" to his original timeline instead of staying in the one I assumed was simply a righted reality, that suggests Reality One will still end. They fixed their problem (the tears/destruction of their universes), but the only way to do so was to create a timeline, an alternate reality, where the events leading up to the tears didn't happen (or to some less extreme and stopped...because our one trip to the Reality Two's red!verse, we still saw amber...which is why I'm partly not convinced Peter needs to get back anywhere, because if Peter died, there wouldn't have been further tears in the fabric of the universes, right? Or they simply kept happening until the bridge was built to mend them...hmm.). So, if Peter goes back...he goes back to a doomed reality. Those universes can't repair themselves except by creating a new timeline reality. Just like in Timescape, the original still ends. Unless...the amber 'verse is another reality entirely, and not a new reality created by Reality One's attempt to fix itself.
Do you think the writer's think as hard about this as I do?lol What are your thoughts?
All the confusing what-timeline/reality-is-this stuff, I just have to say. I LOVE LINCOLN. Like, I remember liking him in the blue!verse before he died. And red!Lincoln, well, I always liked him better than the other red!verse doubles. But amber!Lincoln? He's just the sweetest, cutest thing ever. Before Peter came back and made his timeline comments, I was all, I hope Olivia and Lincoln have a thing and get married and have a kid all before Peter gets back and then Peter gets back and after some drama they become a happy threesome. Because I have shipped Olivia/Peter since episode one, but the writers are hitting it out of the park on amber!Lincoln. HE'S AWESOME. And I'm all about the threesomes. (Peter/El/Neal, duh, also Tony Stark/Pepper/Steve Rogers anyone?!) And so when I saw Lincoln at the diner, I was at first all, Olivia, don't you dare not go and then they broke into her house and all I can think about is, poor Lincoln is going to think she ditched him and WHHHHHYYYY SHOW!?!?! I want amber!Olivia/amber!Lincoln so bad.
Also...I wonder what Nina is doing to Olivia. Keeping her universe walking abilities at bay? Keeping her memories supressed (i.e. this is blue!Olivia, the world wasn't retconned, and thus Peter isn't in the wrong 'verse? Although that doesn't explain why Lincoln isn't dead then.)
And why did Peter give Lincoln new glasses? I feel like I'm forgetting some significance to that? And dude, either way, the thick black ones were so much cuter.
Finally, I kept wondering why Peter doesn't try to find the Observer. Obviously, the one has kept him alive despite orders not to. I feel like at least trying to seek him (them) out to get an answer would be something Peter would do.
(On a side note, why did Joe Flanigan have to die in the first seven minutes of the first episode? SO UNFAIR.)
In conclusion: LINCOLN, SHE DIDN'T STAND YOU UP!!!
Who's still watching? Thoughts? Comments?