In the thirteenth episode of the third season of Fringe, the alternate Fringe division investigates a fatal bug infestation that will have disastrous results for people in BOTH universes. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Fringe.
It seems that the writers of Fringe are interested in drawing parallels, in taking this alternate world and building drama and tension that reflects in either identical or inverse ways.
I have to keep reminding myself that this show will never escape its serial format; it seems virtually impossible at this point and the last two episodes are proof of that. Again, I worried about the monster-of-the-week format that we were shown at the end of last week’s episode, but I must start giving the writers credit: they are not ignoring all of the information and drama they’ve dumped on us this season. If anything, they are rapidly answering our questions in a way that I believe is going to leave us utterly unprepared for where the story will go in the season finale. I wonder if they’re also worried about being cancelled, so they’re laying the groundwork just in case, but I’d rather not think about this fantastic show being taken off the air.
For the first third of season three, we’ve been trained to feel ire and distaste for Fauxlivia. In my case, it’s hard not to: Fauxlivia stole our Olivia’s life, ruined her chance at finding love again, and willingly helped Walternate’s plan on DESTROYING ANOTHER UNIVERSE. (For the record, I don’t disagree that there are certainly things to like about Fauxlivia, so STANS, I WON’T FIGHT YOU ON THAT ONE.) Walternate and Brandon are largely the more “evil†characters (to an extent) in the parallel world, while the other characters are much more subtle in their differences. (Astrid fits into neither of these descriptions, actually. That’s because she is FIERCE and THE BEST CHARACTER EVER) So, having said all that, this episode was so well-written that now I feel completely and utterly sorry for Fauxlivia. I don’t necessarily excuse or forgive her for what she did to those on our side, but that image of her in the hospital, clinging to her pillow as she cries, was one of the most heartbreaking things I’ve seen in a long time. The irony here, which exists as a direct parallel to what’s going on with Olivia, is that the effects of what either Walter has done in their respective universes has left their respective Olivia feeling alone in the world. We’ve got Walter and his cortexiphan subjects, of which Olivia is one, and Walternate and his desperate plan to get Peter back on his side and to use the doomsday device. And now we’ve got two women who are broken and depressed because of their actions.
What interests me about this relationship is how these two women, who are so similar now, will act out to those around them. How is Olivia going to deal with Peter’s feelings for Fauxlivia? How is Peter going to react to learning that Fauxlivia is pregnant? (I CALLED IT. I TOLD YOU.) Is Fauxlivia going to accept Walternate’s crrepy, objectifying offer to take care of her and his grandson, knowing that she serves a means to an end for him?
I have virtually no idea where this episode is headed.
It was nice to have Scarlie and Lincoln back, especially since they don’t seem to have any creepy, ulterior motives. Well, accept for Lincoln’s inability to keep a secret, that is. But I feel less and less antagonism towards anyone but Brandon and Walternate, who continue to work towards synthesizing Cortexiphan and working on the doomsday device. (What does that extra piece do exactly?)
Plotwise, it was hard not to think of The X-Files while watching this. Take the humor out of “War of the Coprophages†and mix it with a heavy dose of “Leonard Betts†(no, seriously, if you’ve seen that episode, this one is SO CLOSE TO THE SAME THING) and you get “Immortality.†That’s not to say it wasn’t interesting or well done. Bugs are creepy. Bugs that gestate inside your stomach and rip out of your body are horrifying. And having a scientist using human hosts to ironically create a method to cure avian flu and save millions? It’s a nice touch, as it brings up a common dilemma: Do you sacrifice a few to save millions?
We don’t necessarily find out that answer, but in the episode’s big shocker, Fauxlivia turns out not to be infested with Dr. Arman Silva’s modified skelter beetles. He actually made himself the final host and produced a pure specimen of the skelter beetle from his own neck. He whispers to Lincoln as he is dying: “Make sure they spell my name right.â€
Does he earn that immortality? Will he be lauded as a hero? Maybe we’ll find out in the future, but I found this twist to be completely disturbing and not only because of what happens inside the ambulance. Would a society accept a murderer as a savoir if his murders produced a viable, life-saving vaccine?
I have no idea. My only complaint about this story line is that I loved it, but the events in the ambulance completely upstaged it. I MEAN, THAT IS PRETTY OK, RIGHT? FAUXLIVIA IS PREGNANT. Oh god, shit is so goddamn real guys.
THOUGHTS
- Omg alternate Broyles. ::sad face::
- THE BUG GIRL. Oh my god, I don’t even remember my name, but she was fabulous.
- So. Walternate is cheating on his wife with Reiko. UGH. Is there anything about him I don’t hate?
- Wait, yes there is. He won’t experiment on children. Did not expect that, honestly.
- “I bet she drives a Beetle.†“You’re—you’re not funny.â€
- I really, really like Lincoln a lot. I have a feeling both he and Scarlie will play a larger part in the story near the end of the season with regards to our side.
- The preview for next week looks absolutely ridiculous.
Does anyone else have the urge to call Lincoln by his proper name, Lincoln Logs? Or is it just me?
Oh, and Bug Girl was on Mad Men; she was Pete's secretary at Sterling Cooper. Love the glasses!
Bug Girl was also Girl Angel Anna on Supernatural.
Yes! mmm Castiel… I bet Mark would like Castiel. 😀
Who doesn't like Castiel.
This episode was rife with casting meta.
The actress who played Reiko, Joan Chen, was femme fatale Josie Packard on Twin Peaks, so who knows what that means for Reiko.
Also, the only other acting gig I've ever seen Phillip Winchester (Frank) in was a remake of Alice in Wonderland on the Sci Fi channel in 2009. Without giving too much away about who he is in that film, suffice it to say that he a) gives a kick-ass red-haired girl a ring and b) doesn't end up with that girl.
Wait, was he Jack? Was Frank Jack in Alice?
Mind blown.
I don’t even remember my name
Oh god, Fringe blew your mind a little too much. Your name is Mark.
I don't even think that counts as a typo. what the fuck
Just wondering something…Fauxlivia and Peter are from the same universe and she is knoced up. Could Olivia get knocked up from Peter even though they are from two different universes? Would the kid “flicker” to Olivia like Peter “flickered” in the episode when she realized she could distinguish items from the other universe? Just nerding out a bit.
Oh god, I was so hoping the Fauxlivia pregnancy wouldn't happen. Now we're definitely not going to have a rematch between her and Olivia by the end of the season. Yeah I still can't bring myself to like Fauxlivia.
On the other hand, for a few minutes there I ALMOST thought Walternate might be okay, refusing to experiment on children, but then the cheating on his wife and the creeeepy smile during the final scene with Fauxlivia, okay I do feel bad for her baby, there's no way that kid's going to have a nice peaceful life with Walternate as a grandad.
Scarlie and Lincoln are all kinds of fun and awesome though. I did facepalm at Lincoln immediately telling Fauxlivia about Frank's proposal though (also, Frank was sweet and fun and I'm now going to miss him a lot). Every scene with Alt!Astrid and her kick ass beret just prove that, in any universe, Astrid is BETTER THAN EVERYONE.
Slightly OT: I just spotted the note down by the Reply box at the bottom of the page, and that we now have the Report option. YAY! Maybe now people will stop being awful and spoilery in the Doctor Who posts.
Bug Girl was cute as a… um…
Scarlie could use the emotional boost, tho.
button.
I love Lincoln! He's so CUTE!!!
Scarlie just makes me miss our Charlie. I will never forget my horror when that fucking shapeshifter tossed him into the incinerator. Whatever happened to our Charlie's wife?!
I think we all knew this was when Fauxlivia would find out she was pregnant, but I don't feel sorry for her at all. I feel bad for Frank, but Fauxlivia, you are smart. Use protection. Seriously.
As far as the "needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few or the one" (I HAVE TO USE STAR TREK, IT'S AWESOME) with Silva, it's creepy the way he's done it. I mean, he couldn't have found an animal to use? Do they not have goats in the Altverse? Are goats just not similar enough to sheep?
Also, as far as our Walter being less evil than Walternate, I think the only reason he seems that way is because he was lobotomized. Walter also admitted Walternate was smarter than he was (September interrupted Walternate making the cure, not Walter) which makes me wonder if Walter found or still finds more drastic measures acceptable.
I WATCHED THE ENTIRETY OF FRINGE FOR THE FIRST TIME LAST WEEK. AND IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT, JSYK.
Basically I cannot like Fauxlivia because I adore Olivia and she made my Olivia cry. NOBODY GETS AWAY WITH THAT WHILE I'M AROUND. >:| That said, I 'm totally shipping Fauxlivia and Lincoln because I think that he's super cute and they'd be good together.
I really don't know where the whole baby thing is going to go. I mean, I think at the very least the baby was written in as a way to make it seem more plausible that Peter might choose the Other Side. But maybe there's more to it. Maybe the baby's DNA will be close enough to Peter's that it could somehow be linked to the doomsday device thing. IDK IDK.
NEW EPISODE NOW, PLZ. After blowing through the first two and a half seasons, I don't like this whole waiting between episodes thing that is going on.
RIGHT? ISN'T IT AWFUL.
I feel your pain. I recently marathoned through the series and it is killing me having to wait for episodes now.
The machine is supposed to be tapped into Peter's frequency, whatever that means, so I wonder if that's passed on to the baby or not. I just wonder if the fact that the baby was conceived in the blue universe will affect her/him at all or if both parents being from the red universe cancels that out since the universes need to be balanced.
GUYS LOOK.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yz5H_LX8sMY&fe…
I'll be back later to comment on episode…
This just made my day!
I've seen that before, but it was just as awesome the second time around! 😀
So, okay. The episode was good. I liked the storyline, it was a good storyline. I liked the reveal at the end which I didn't get until the guy said she wasn't the final stage. I was actually kind of hoping they didn't get Fauxlivia pregnant, because I was rooting for her to be happy in the alternate world and for Peter to have to actually get her attention again. And knowing Peter, he's going to have to change as a person a bit before he chooses the woman who DOESN'T have his baby.
But, I'm going to have to leave a coat of but all over this. But, I was as annoyed with the Fringey science in this episode as I was in season 1. I honestly haven't been this annoyed with Fringe science since season 1. Actually, I wonder if I knew more about physics and the theory of alternate universes if I would be more annoyed with other episodes of this season, but. BUT. Okay. BUT. SKELTER BEETLES.
Of course, Skelter Beetles are completely made up. And yes okay, okay. I know this is science fiction, and I know this is a supposed alternate universe. I get that. But I just. I can't. Firstly, ASTRID got it right when she put them into the order Blattodea. Astrid is more intelligent than the (albeit awesome) bug girl. But then Astrid went on to say that they were beetles. And I'm just. OKAY NO. Blattodea is right– they were cockroaches. Cockroaches are not beetles. One of the easiest ways to ID a cockroach are with their legs– all those prickly bits all over? That's a cockroach leg. Coleoptera legs are not built like that. And then the antennae– super long, curly. Not to mention their faces were pretty obviously cockroach. Which is of course why everyone here on MarkWatches immediately assumed they were cockroaches.
I would have been sated if they had used any kind of actual beetle to represent their underbellies. I think one of the ONLY reasons why they didn't actual use a beetle (millions of species to choose from, guys) is because cockroaches increase the 'squick' factor for a lot of you. Which I think is sad, and cheap, and I don't think was necessary.
Because I am a bug person (not as awesome as bug lady, but close :P) I am going to share a few images of buggies that I think they used as inspiration. (I'm not a bug expert by any means and they could certainly have used an actual real cockroach I'm not familiar with, but these are close. These are also North American bugs.)
This is Aglaopteryx gemma, a type of cockroach that reminds me of the Skelter Beetle.
<img src="http://bugguide.net/images/raw/MHAH8HVHMHOHMHEZ8LYHIHGZKLCH8HAH7HGZMHTHQLVZUHUZEHLRMLZREHUZRLUZ4LHRPHFH2H9ZEH.jpg">
(It's immature, which is why the back has no wings. They grow the wings when they mature into an adult and it covers the segmented part of their back. Also. Spikey leggies.)
The bug also had a sort of extended carapace around its head.
It reminded me very much of Cassidinae (this one is Cassida piperata), or Tortoise Beetle:
<img src="http://bugguide.net/images/raw/MZWLIZCLMZNLRZWLMZKHIR9LLZULMRJZSRPLZZELKZTLQZRH0R2LRZWLMZCL0ZRHPRVLSZHHKZ1LKZ.jpg">
(Notice no spikey leggy things. Cause it is a beetle. Yay beetle! Except this beetle is approximately 5.5mm long.)
The final stage, which of course was different looking than our cockroach stage, reminded me of a Wheel Bug mixed with a grasshopper nymph mixed with I don't know what walking all backwards and crazy. And despite the fact that I can't place this guy– I liked him the best. I wish they would have used a more creative insect for the rest of the episode.
And if anyone else has ideas or suggestions for what the bug was I'm really interested in hearing them.
Conclusion: Good episode, bad monster.
Wow. How very astute.
I never bothered to think of the beetles because I always felt that the they were just the means to an end- Fauxlivia's pregnancy.
BEETLES BEETLES BEETLES BEETLES. 😉
I know it wasn't the point of the episode, but I have pet peeves and this episode smashed pretty hard on one of them. Obviously.
I would flip out even more if they had an episode about a bat. It's lucky that you all weren't around to see my tirade during season 1 about the terrible DNA monster and his "bat characteristics". I could go on and on about that one.
I guess this is akin to the cell biologists getting angry at Doctor Who's display of a 'spikey' DNA molecule as though it was something horrifying and different when of course the shape of the diagram has no relation to what's actual there, since it's only a rough representation.
And of course, after I posted this, someone went on a rant in my Facebook about Bones, and Hodgins making up 'phylogenetic mold' which is of course completely ridiculous if you know what phylogenetic means.
which is of course completely ridiculous if you know what phylogenetic means.
AHAHAHAHA. Yes, I do know what "phylogenetic" means – it's one of my distinct memories from four years of science high school. "Phylogenetic mold". Oh criminy. That's wonderful.
A friend replied to this:
"He is referring to the mold that grows on the phylogenetics. Usually when left in dark, humid places for too long."
To which another friend replied,
"You should keep your phylogenetics in the fridge."
XD
"I have seen them before in phylogenetic labs."
*lols forever*
I do have to wonder about altBroyles and who knows what happened to him. Fauxlivia said his was car found on edge on no go zone and that he's missing. Does she know and is just keeping it classified or is it just Walternate and co who know.
I love Scarlie and Lincoln and their friendship with Fauxlivia complete with banter, jokes at each others expense and Lincoln's adorable crush. It's nice to see an Olivia being friends with a Charlie. I miss ours.
I loved bug girl as Anna in Supernatural. I'm curious about how all the sheep died out ten years ago. How does that happen given how spread apart the world population of sheep are. It must’ve been some disease because we’ve seen countries deal with the likes of foot and mouth without too large scale of a problem.
I love how it switched around with the bugs and pregnancy at the end. It's great how Silva uses Fauxlivia assuming that she’s been given the bugs to his advantage in order to complete his experiment. It does raise interesting questions on the ethics of killing people for the greater good but it does get overshadowed by the pregnancy.
I just can't help but feel bad for Frank and Fauxlivia. They're a really cute couple and I was happy to see them engaged and Fauxlivia seemed genuinely happy too. I do have to question whether Fauxlivia actually loves Peter. All big steps in their relationship were due to mission, for example having sex because of what Newton had been saying that episode, she even had moment of deep breath, game face before doing it. Maybe she was getting feelings but they were only together for two months and for most of that it looked totally mission orientated. I can understand feelings but I’m not sure if I buy love.
I wonder if Walternate's refusal to experiment on children comes from having lost Peter. I do like that Cortexiphan is really only effective on children because that means they can't suddenly have an army of people with Cortexiphan powers, especially given how war minded the red universe is about us.
I'm interested as to who Reiko is. It's clearly not just a fling since they were talking so much about the Olivias and Peter.
Their conversation does seem to possibly answer some questions I had about the machine. Walter stated that Peter had to be in the red universe of his own free will. So maybe it is a conscious decision when it comes to the machine and he has to be in the universe of his choosing to use the machine to destroy the other?
‘There are lines I simply cannot cross’ is hard to take when not only are we seeing him in the middle of an affair but we saw what he had done and was willing to do to Olivia. Given what he said about underestimating Peter's ties to the blue universe and altBrandon's call it's fair to say he's probably going to exploit Fauxlivia and her pregnancy to get Peter to come back. If he's not above using his own son in a universe destroying machine I don't like to to think what's going to happen.
<img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/2r3fjwo.gif" border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
Yeah, I am dubious as to whether Fauxlivia is in love with Peter either. I think that the reason she was silent when Frank asked her if she loved the father was because her mission was so highly classified. I mean the only ones who know what she was up to is herself, Walternate and Brandon. I mean if she had said that she didn't love the father, Frank would still want to know who it was and Fauxlivia couldn't tell him. And then if she didn't tell him, he'd just assume that it was Lincoln or Charlie or something and it would eat away at their relationship.
She was stuck in a corner. So I agree with you. I really don't think she's ~in love~ with Peter, although there might be some feelings. Fauxlivia really did seem so mission oriented for so much of her time, that I do find it hard to believe that she really fell in love with Peter.
Loved this episode!
A detail I enjoyed was seeing Fauxlivia's apartment after Frank leaves with his stuff.. it looks just like Olivia's empty apartment, the color scheme and the boxes and the lack of decoration. Fauxlivia and Olivia are more similar than they thought…
Watched it late. Won't comment too much, since I'd rather comment closer to real time.
But I really liked it.
Yes, the science was a little iffy, but it is and I can totally suspend my disbelief. Whatevs.
I like that we don't have to hate the Alternate universe people.
I'm ambivalent about Fauxlivia, because I hate what she did, but I actually like her character. A lot. Outside of what she did to Peter and Olivia and gang. I love Scarly and Lincoln. A lot. Lincoln is so cute, and I love Scarly's banter.
But oooooh, do I hate Walternate (respect for children aside) and whoosit scientist guy. WE DO NOT USE PEOPLE AS PAWNS, ESPECIALLY UNBORN CHILDREN.
While I definitely loved this episode and think it moved the serial plot forward, is anyone else disappointed by the lack of immortality in this episode? I get that the Dr. Silva's work will "live on" but from a show that can obviously delve into incredible sci-fi pseudo-science, I read this title and was hoping for someone who had actually made themselves immortal. Still a great episode, I just think the title hinted at more than what was there.
Do we know if Scarlie and Lincoln are aware of the Olivia-switcheroo? I'm getting the feeling that they were/are as completely in the dark about that as Frank. That might have some interesting implications when the truth comes out. Divided loyalties, sense of betrayal, and all that.
I'm pretty sure that Scarlie and Lincoln have no idea that the switcheroo took place. The only ones who knew about it while it was happening were Walternate, Fauxlivia, Col Broyles, and alt!Bradon.
I think that this will come back to haunt them when the two sides inevitably meet again at some point (probably in the finale).
Oh, I'm going to call it now. Has anyone called it yet? I'm calling that the unborn baby is getting experimented on before it's born. And I sort of think Walternate will because despite his supposed aversion to testing on children, I do not really take what he says at face value.
Or, who knows. It could be Walter that does experiments on Fauxlivia before he finds out she's pregnant.
So, alt!Brandon was explaining that nine other subjects had died after being injected with the cortexiphan, but the issue Walternate had was not the fact that people were dying from the tests but that children shouldn't be tested, even though the last subject survived enough for a second injection. This only solidified my disgust for Walternate, and made me want to betchslap him when I saw him with his mistress. I hate holier-than-though hypocrites.
Pingback: cheap holidays
Pingback: car shop
Pingback: Check out my FB profile
Pingback: Seo company
Pingback: Toasty Redhead
Pingback: Fathers Day Gift
Pingback: Black Friday
Pingback: Sweaters Sale
Pingback: poly mva
Pingback: Book A Trip
Pingback: corporate christmas cards
Pingback: Spine Institution
Pingback: club penguin
Pingback: microwave ovens
Pingback: natural haircolor tips
Pingback: Home Remedy for Toothache
Pingback: genital warts symptoms
Pingback: The Microwave Ovens
Pingback: Sober Living
Pingback: Frye Paige
Pingback: Syrup for Snow Cones
Pingback: The Birdhouses
Pingback: Thewaterkettle
Pingback: Vacuum cleaners info
Pingback: Acne Skin Care Product Reviews
Pingback: Christmas Gift Suggestions
Pingback: Gold Party
Pingback: Air Conditioner Filters
Pingback: Bungalows Ile Maurice
Pingback: search engine optimization agency
Pingback: Acai Berry Scam
Pingback: Location Ile Maurice
Pingback: Electronic Cigarette Review
Pingback: Buy A Printer
Pingback: search engine marketing solutions
Pingback: Location Vacances Ile Maurice
Pingback: Louer Ile Maurice
Pingback: Cheap Valentines Day Gifts
Pingback: Asthma
Pingback: Boot Camps Massachusetts
Pingback: Online Paralegal Courses
Pingback: seo consultant
Pingback: PS3 Release Dates
Pingback: solar energy
Pingback: Wooden Dog House
Pingback: Stretch Mark Cream
Pingback: ways to make money online
Pingback: hotels in benidorm
Pingback: Associate Degrees Online
Pingback: online travel discounts
Pingback: philadelphia divorce attorney
Pingback: Fathers Day Gifts
Pingback: cheap hotel deals
Pingback: roofing sacramento
Pingback: roofers los angeles
Pingback: roofer los angeles
Pingback: houston roofing contractors
Pingback: roofing san antonio
Pingback: roofing contractors houston
Pingback: Online Dating Sites
Pingback: Location Vacances Ile Maurice
Pingback: Whole Life Insurance Rates
Pingback: Villas in Mauritius
Pingback: XBox Release Dates
Pingback: marietta home painting
Pingback: Stair Lift Prices
Pingback: Cheap Car Insurance Quotes Online
Pingback: Cheap Personal Secured Loans
Pingback: hawaii bankruptcy lawyers
Pingback: Credit Card Consolidation Loans
Pingback: Lanyards
Pingback: Lethbridge Tutoring
Pingback: insurance agent
Pingback: absinthe alcohol
Pingback: boutons de manchette
Pingback: computer support
Pingback: HTC Desire Accessories
Pingback: florence hotels
Pingback: bid us
Pingback: amazon mobile
Pingback: amazon gift card
Pingback: http://maps.google.com/maps/place?hl=en&georestrict=input_srcid:e0a41d56282e7782
Pingback: Injury Lawyers Brooklyn