GOOD NEWS: FOX renewed Fringe on March 25 for a fourth season. WAHOOO!!!!!!! Kudos to FOX for doing the right thing. It’s the very least this network can do for the fans of this great show, especially after the way it screwed over Firefly and Dollhouse. That aside, would it be too much to ask FOX to move it out of its Friday night time-slot, which is the kiss of death?
After the WTF moment last week with the soul of William Bell (a role previously played by the now-retired Leonard Nimoy) taking up residence in Olivia’s (Anna Torv) body, we head back Over There where Fauxlivia (also Torv) undergoes a test to see if she has viral propagated eclampsia, which killed her sister and niece in childbirth. She is then kidnapped and her pregnancy is accelerated. However, Fauxlivia is concerned about her baby’s welfare, afraid she has the virus, which is confirmed to her mother (Amy Madigan) by the OB-GYN.
Rushing to Fauxlivia’s rescue are Lincoln (Seth Gabel) and Henry the cabbie (Andre Royo), who encountered the real Olivia at the start of this season and has expressed his concern for Fauxlivia. The two deliver Fauxlivia’s baby, a boy. For a moment, the creators had the audience fooled that Fauxlivia died in childbirth for a moment, but in the next she showed some signs of life.
By the end of the episode, Lincoln and Charlie (Kirk Acevedo) learn more about the alternate reality, that Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson) is the father of Fauxlivia’s baby, and that Walternate (John Noble) has been holding out of them. Thus, the seeds of distrust are planted.
The real twist is the epilogue where a blood sample from the baby is drawn and given to Brandon (Ryan McDonald), one of Walternate’s scientists. Brandon is the one who developed the procedure to accelerate Fauxlivia per the orders of Walternate in what was a very hush-hush job. Turns out that the virus couldn’t accelerate at the same rate the pregnancy was accelerated, which was the reason why Fauxlivia and her baby survived.
Torv is really getting a chance to stretch as an actress this season, playing three characters: Olivia, Fauxlivia, and Bellivia (William Bell inhabiting Olivia’s body). The way she emulated Nimoy last week was dead on. The way she portrayed a desperate woman trying to get away from her captors this week was very believable – you felt for her. She should really get nominated for an Emmy for her work on this show, she really should.
In the next episode, we return to the prime universe, where Peter and Walter (also Noble) tap into Bellivia’s head via LSD. Looks pretty cool. What’s infuriating is that it’s three weeks from now. Thanks, FOX. Much appreciated.
Shame on me for thinking momentarily that they were going to kill Fauxlivia as a means for her child to end up in our universe with Peter and Olivia. That would have been too easy a way to get around all the conflict that can arrise down the road. I was getting ready to be mad but then Fauxlivia woke up.
I can see how some people are flipping between liking and hating Walternate, but the truth is he saved Fauxlivia and her baby, he had to do it quietly because the procedure is obviously dangerous but he has several objectives here: Save the universe, keep his "bloodline" going and eventually get his son back, the latter of which he knows he needs a healthy and alive fauxlivia to do. He is obviously in the loop when it comes to the pregnancy, so it's likely he knew the results of her VPE test before anyone else and initiated the procedure immeaditaly to avoid the potential and likely abortion that Fauxlivia was looking ready to go through with. John Noble is also getting his fair share of acting excercise this season with his portrayal of two characters that couldn't be more different, but the writers are very very clever, they have managed to evoke sympathy for the bumbling (our side) Walter though his prime as a scientist was spent as a monster testing on children and ultimately creating the instability between universes which threatens all existence as we know it! And they've also managed to paint Walternate as a bad guy even though he's the one who had his son stolen and was left with the bulk of the side effects of moving between universes, which he was able to deal with at the cost of many public casualties. He is passionately opposed to testing on children and determined to find a solution to all problems his world faces yet he is man enough to know when sacrifices must be made for the greater good.
The lines begin to blur indeed!!!!!!!
Love this show and actually moved between universes with my excitement at hearing it was renewed for a 4th season!!!!!
Wow....I can actually thank FOX for something. Great episode. I just started watching this show again. I watched when it started but, gave up on it because it was on FOX. They just don't give thees kind of shows a chance. While I agree with the Firefly thing. Dollhouse....was good. The show could get a little hard to follow. Terminator started to get really good and they pulled it. I still hate FOX.
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Great episode. With the early episodes they managed to get me to care about the Fringe team over there. With the flashback episode they made me sympthize with Walternate (Now gone), and with this episode they really made me feel for Fauxlivia. Curse this show and it's awsome writing and creative department. I can't believe how blurred these lines are now. The only thing I know is that Walternate and Over there Brandon are evil and must be stopped. I also love how Charlie and Lincon are aware things are up. COme on guys!!
And hats of to Anna Torv. She is rocking out three characters and is doing IMO an Emmy worthy job with it. And again I have to say how Happy I am that I get to enjoy this series for at least another season.