Fringe goes back in time to when Olivia and Peter first meet

Fringe took a trip to the 1980s in “Subject 13,” and, for me,  it was filled with memories; but those were overshadowed by the heartbreaking childhoods of Peter and Olivia. I had the opportunity to see the episode early, and one of the big questions I had was how did Peter and Olivia meet, yet not remember each other? My guess at an answer was that we meet many people in our lives and we forget most of them. Do you remember the kid you played with at the park, you know, that one day to never see them again? I watched the episode again live and followed the live tweet event with Fringe Executive Producers Jeff Pinkner and J.H. Wyma, and, Pinkner answered this question saying they don’t remember each other because of “repressed childhood trauma”, which makes more sense because previously Olivia didn’t remember working with Walter at all.

This episode stood out for me because of the attention to detail. Yes, your television probably looked a little less than HD tonight; that was intentional. The 1980s references were spot on, as well. The casting of young Olivia (Karley Scott Collins) and young Peter (Chandler Canterbury): perfect! I didn’t miss Anna Torv or Joshua Jackson at all (though I’m glad they will be back in two weeks).

Poor Olivia and Peter. We knew she had a rough childhood, since she was in Walter’s program and had lost her mother; but, add on to that being abused by her stepfather. Also, we were previously weren’t  let in on how her time with Walter and the other special kids really traumatized her. Not only did she cross universes back then, but she also could create fire. Heartbreaking.

Just as heartbreaking was seeing Peter deal with his kidnapping and leaving his mother, father and all that he knew for a place that was different, though had people who looked like and pretended to be his mother and father. To see him rebel against what was logical, yet maintain he is from “the other world on the bottom of the lake” and “I’m not crazy” was amazingly strong-willed. It’s no wonder he blocked it all out.

When we learned that Walternate drew the line at testing on children, it brought up the question of whether Walternate was bad and Walter was good. We knew that Walter had done extensive testing on children, which had horrible consequences for them. I was relieved to learn that Walter had limits too. When he threatened Olivia’s stepfather, that was the caring Walter we have grown to love.

And, Walternate — from seeing him so in control in the present day to seeing how much of a mess he was back then — awesome. Yes, it is horrible he was such a mess, but I can see how be became so enraged at our universe and determined at all costs to get Peter back. His desire to destroy the world that took his son away makes sense. And, I almost feel for his cause.

I’m not sure what to make of Elizabeth Bishop — in either universe. Over there, we saw in the previous flashback episode that she knew that Walter took Peter. So, why is she holding out on that information? She can see how upset Walternate is and how he wants some kind of answer. She wants to make sure her marriage is intact for when Peter returns, but yet is keeping secrets.

Over here, Elizabeth was adamant that Walter find a way to return Peter; but, within a couple days, she says she won’t ever leave Peter and doesn’t want to let him go. It was the beginning of her down spiral of drinking and ultimately suicide. Though, I didn’t really get a feel for the why with her.

My absolute favorite moment was when Olivia was talking with Walternate; I didn’t see that coming. That reveal has such a huge ramification for what comes next. Walternate now knows where Peter is and this sets into motion the real conflict between the two universes. Loved it!

If you can’t tell, I loved this episode. When I first watched it, I wasn’t sure why people were hyping it up. But, having watched it a second time, I got it. Here are a few of the references if you missed them:

• Over there — Brooklyn Dodgers not Los Angeles Dodgers.
• Over there — Red Lantern not Green Lantern.
• Peter didn’t have a baseball glove? Not a rite of passage over there?
• Battlestar Galatica game, Rubik’s Cube, Missile Command, Joust.
• Walter recorded Subject 13 (Olivia) on his “new” Betamax.
• Jaws (and considered a scary movie).
• The puzzle that frustrated Olivia, same as in Project Christmas from Alias.
• Walternate worked on the shuttle program in Jacksonville, FL and the shuttle was red.
• Bishop Dynamic — where Walternate worked.

“Elizabeth, It’s me. I know where our son is. I know where Peter was taken.” – Walternate

Clacked by Carla Day
on Feb 25, 2011 @ 23:54 EST5EDT