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However, putting aside this episode's plot failure, it was still a good episode with some memorable moments. Of particular delight was seeing the relationship between Olivia and Walter explored in the new timeline, as Walter left his laboratory for the first time in years (to prove to Olivia he's improving as an out-patient, having realized she has the final say on his fate regarding an assessment of his mental health). John Noble was once again brilliant throughout, especially when Walter flew into a bizarre rage while staying at a hotel and being unable to control his mysophobia. It was great to see Olivia acting as both Walter's friend and guardian out in the wider world (developing a slight father-daughter vibe), and with Walter knowing she has such power over him it was excruciating to see him try and keep his sanity in her presence...
As I said, it was a shame the core to this episode wasn't more involving, because it had good moments and appealing interactions. But it mainly existed for one purpose: to return Peter. By the end of this episode, he's unexpectedly surfaced in Reiden Lake, where he drowned as a boy in this altered timeline. I was expecting Peter to be absent from the show a good deal longer, and don't really understand how he's managed to return (considering nothing Olivia or Walter did seemed to aide that process), but hopefully the next episode will enlighten us. (To be honest, I'm not expecting a plausible explanation for anything involving Peter's situation this season, so my expectations are prudently low.)
At any rate, it should be interesting from a character standpoint to see how everyone reacts to Peter's outrageous claims to be the adult son of a little boy who drowned, from an alternate universe where he survived. I wonder if Peter has been living in a third dimension separate from the two we know, which might explain the source of those new shape-shifters introduced in the premiere? As I've said for a few years now, it seems plausible to have the two universes unite to fight a common enemy. Might that enemy be from the future, given the time distortion that went with the blue energy that signaled Peter's attempt to communicate? We'll have to see what Peter's story is next week, but knowing Fringe the details will be sketchy at best, or he'll be unable to remember too much about what happened to save the writers a big headache.
Asides
- Is it even worth mentioning that Cameron James was a nod to director James Cameron? Everyone knew that, right?
