Mark Watches ‘Fringe’: S04E04 – Subject 9

In the fourth episode of the fourth season of Fringe, Walter and Olivia revisit the Cortexiphan trials to determine if a past patient is using their ability for astral projection to haunt Olivia. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Fringe.

LET ME COUNT THE WAYS I LOVE YOU, FRINGE. No, seriously, can I do that?

  1. I keep reading online that season four is supposed to allow new viewers to just jump into the action without being confused, and I am not sure how anyone on the planet could do that. I love that this show is so deeply serialized at this point that all of the dialogue and events that happen to the new “version” of these characters references something else from the past. Even if the writers really do want to bring new viewers in, they are certainly keeping me hooked on this. It’s like a high five from the writers every time we figure out another parallel.
  2. OH MY GOD NINA IS BACK. Oh, how I have missed your ferocity, dear. And what’s that? You grew up as Olivia’s best friend? Oh, this show is killing me.
  3. Oh, Nina and Walter constantly bicker? This is endlessly entertaining and I want nothing to change ever.
  4. Walter still can’t remember Astrid’s name? Oh god how is this show so perfect.
  5. The fantastic reference to The Matrix.
  6. The fact that this show still has a moral heart (and one that can make people quite uncomfortable) is one of the main reasons I stick with the show. While it doesn’t have quite the moral ambiguity of Battlestar Galactica, it’s clear that things are a bit muddled in this world. Since the timeline has basically been reset, half the fun of season four has been trying to catch all the ways in which the history of these characters has been altered. I was surprised that Olivia had still gone through the Cortexiphan trials, but I was a bit dissatisfied that she seemed so nonchalant about them. Season two really came into its own when it forced Walter to confront what he and Billy had done to those children. But all I had to do was wait to be introduced to Cameron James to find the show’s moral voice; and as uncomfortable as it was to watch Walter be excoriated once again, it needed to happen. It would not have been believable had the show ignored this.
  7. Hi, Cameron James. I’ll just leave my number over here. Call me sometime.
  8. Wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey plot stuff always makes me smile.
  9. Fringe has and continues to highlight stories that are more about character developments or character portraits than strict plot, and it never bores me. When you think about it, not much actually happens in “Subject 9,” yet I never found my attention drifting. The relationship between Walter and Olivia is the focus of the story, and we get to see how the two have come to respect one another over the last three years. There was no doubt in my mind that Olivia would not send Walter back to Saint Mary’s. This was more about how Walter dealt with the reality of his mental illness and how Olivia both related to and sympathized with it.
  10. THESE ACTORS. That scene in the hotel room when Walter has a phobic episode; the diner conversation; the first confrontation with Cameron; the chat outside the SUV at the end of the episode; we get to see, time and time again, that this cast is able to give us such nuanced performances that we can see the obvious differences between the variations of these characters. (Has anyone kept track of how many versions of each character we have been treated to?)
  11. “You ever had raisin toast?” I’ll let that one slide, Cameron. That shit is delicious.
  12. The perfect recipe for a root beer float. I mean, he’s totally right, isn’t he?
  13. I loved the fact that one of the electromagnetic episodes with Peter took place in public. I have a thing where I find it weird that things happen in private and are only viewed by the main characters. This wasn’t. I approve.
  14. I love that Cameron James is a small character who might not ever appear again, but the writers take the time to develop him into a whole person. Ugh, Fringe, you are everything right in the world.
  15. PETER IS BACK. PETER IS BACK. PETER IS BACK. And not only has he returned, but he was deposited into Reiden Lake WITH AN OBSERVER LOOKING ON. And contrary to my own personal theory, his reappearance DOES NOT RESET THE TIMELINE. No one knows who he is. JESUS SWEET CHRIST, HOW IS THIS POSSIBLE.

I am intrigued by this new dynamic: Peter only has knowledge of the other timeline while everyone else here is stuck in theirs. How???? HOW CAN THIS BE RECTIFIED? omg i love this show SO MUCH.

(I know this is a short review, but I have a bunch of other things I need to take care of in my personal life. Still, I wanted to get something up so we can talk about AWESOMENESS. Oh god, two week break, NOT FAIR.)

About Mark Oshiro

Perpetually unprepared since '09.
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43 Responses to Mark Watches ‘Fringe’: S04E04 – Subject 9

  1. psycicflower says:

    'Olivia. Thank god you're here.'
    'Who are you?'

    <img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/2q23jud.png&quot; border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
    <img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/2uzuv01.png&quot; border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">

    • NB2000 says:

      THIS THIS THIS! That ending right before a break? Well played show, well played.

    • ldwy says:

      THIS THIS THIS EXACTLY.
      And I LOVE Hyperbole and a Half. Excellent use of the image. So cute and dejected.

    • lastyearswishes says:

      omg 2 weeks?! I was so excited over Peter being back that I completely missed that title card. lol damn it. ;-;

    • monkeybutter says:

      A+ comment. Also, I lied to you and two weeks from now Fringe will be on at the regular time for you, three weeks from now, it'll be an hour earlier. I can do math.

    • Liakela says:

      I yelled at my TiVo on Saturday, as I had things to do this Friday and expected it to 'tape' Fringe for me. When I sat in my comfy chair, snack and drink in hand, all excite-a-mated about the new episode, it went something like this:

      *blip-bloop* YES, Now playing. HURRY! (dammit, do I need to replace the batteries in this remote AGAIN?)
      *bloop-bloop* (scrolling, scrol–) WTF TiVO?! What. The. Faxmachine!? You had BETTER have a good reason for not taping Fringe. I WILL UNLEASH MY WRATH UPON THEE!
      Wait — didn't the end of the last show say 'in 2 weeks'? DAMMIT.
      Ok, TiVo.. I do not hate you. For now.

      *cries*

  2. aurelia says:

    Peter only has knowledge of the other timeline while everyone else here is stuck in theirs.

    I love that they did this! Both timelines really happened!

    I'm fascinated by the differences in this Olivia's history. She was raised by Nina after her mother died?! How did that happen? Did Nina raise Rachel, too? It's so interesting that Olivia is the primary connection to Massive Dynamic now, instead of Walter.

    • My brain took its time recognizing that HOLY SHIT NINA RAISED OLIVIA! But now that it has it's a'whirling.
      Is that why she's so freaking nonchalant about everything? Is that why she knew to get Walter when things got weird 3 years before, AND got responsibility for him? I mean she's not like Faux-livia in the realm of "meh things happen", but I kind of miss my freaking out just under the surface FBI agent.
      And who's got ownership of MD in this timeline? Nina?

      • aurelia says:

        I think Bell is still alive in this timeline, so he still owns MD. I don't know why they haven't looked for him now that the bridge is there though.

        I think the biggest change in Olivia's confidence and/or lack of fear is rooted in actually killing her stepfather. This Olivia isn't fighting a self-image of a victim. The nonchalance is probably masking whatever fucked-up-ness she does have from actually killing him.

        Growing up with Nina as an influence, though… I don't know what that would do to her. Nina's primary characteristic (to me) is her ability to never show her true motives. I'm not sure that would carry over to Olivia.

        • Huh. Walter talks about Bell like he did when he was alive so I think that's a solid argument. It was just interesting that Nina was running the meeting and dictating their lack of ethical responsibility for their inventions. It sounds like 70s and 80s Walter and Bell instead of the Bell we met in season 2. If Bell is in charge just on the other side, then it sounds like he's either not as involved in the MD, or less concerned with the ramifications of Walter and his experiments as he was in the original timeline.
          Oh yeah! I forgot that Olivia said she'd killed him! It was said and I just accepted it. I keep thinking I should go back and rewatch all the previous seasons because there are clearly things from the original timeline that I don't remember.
          Olivia seems to possess the same aloofness that Nina has.

      • SecretGirl127 says:

        How did Nina and Olivia even meet in the first place for Nina to raise her?

        • I imagine Nina was sent to bring Olivia home after she ran away and decided to keep the kid around as a contingency plan. I wonder is she gave Olivia the idea to kill her stepfather, maybe not intentionally but she just says that one thing that Olivia needed to hear to let her know she could do it and there would be someone to keep her safe afterwards.

        • aurelia says:

          Exactly!

  3. NB2000 says:

    YAY PETER IS BACK! PETER IS BACK AND HE'S WET AND NAKED…why yes I am being shallow again, I don't even care tbh.

    John Noble and Anna Torv need Emmys NOW!

    It took me most of the episode to be sure but, as weird as this will sound, I like that there was in fact a mark by Walter's eye after his attempted lobotomy last week. It might just have been the light but when he was talking to Olivia over the car door it looked a bit like that eye was slightly cloudier than the other as well.

    • psycicflower says:

      Between Helo yesterday and Peter today, it's been a good time for being shallow.

      I do love that they had the bruising around Walter's eye from the failed lobotomy. I like when shows don't magically heal people straight away. (I know one (or both) of John Noble's eyes are naturally cloudy looking in certain lights because it used to distract me when I first started watching.)

    • The of this episode w/ wet naked Peter makes me regret not buying the complete Dawson's Creek, of "Pacey's the Greatest Boyfriend EVAH" as I call it, yesterday. Now I have to wait two weeks for more sexy Josh Jackson. 🙁

      In non-shallow news; the mark from the lobotomy is one of those fantastic little things that makes this show so amazing. The fans might not have mentioned it if they hadn't thrown it in there, but the fact that they did shows how much they respect us.

    • fieldofwhitetulips says:

      Fringe has always taken its scar continuity very seriously. Broyles was shot in the arm early in season 2 and had a sling the following episode. And Olivia's many cuts and injuries after she crashed through that windshield in the season 2 premiere? The cuts on her face were consistent for at least four episodes. Hell, they made a complete story arc about her dealing with the after effects of traveling to the other universe. Fringe is a show that always plays out consequences, physical or otherwise. ILY Fringe.

    • ldwy says:

      I firmly hold that there are times and places for being shallow.
      And this qualifies.

    • Hotaru_hime says:

      I was like "YAY PETER IS BACK!"
      Then I was like, "Whoa, Peter is naked!"
      Then… "…how close will you get to the waist?"

  4. kellymckelly says:

    Jasika revealed on her tumblr that "Claire" (that Walter referred to her as) is her partner's name, and it was just a fun shoutout to her. So cute!

    • Gemi says:

      OMG that is cute. <3 Oddly though at the time I actually interpreted it as Walter being so preoccupied with the possibility of being sent back to St. Claire's that he inadvertently blurted the name then…

  5. knut_knut says:

    season four is supposed to allow new viewers to just jump into the action without being confused

    AHAHAHAHA WHAT
    <img src="http://i.imgur.com/K8Olb.gif"&gt;

    No, really, what.

    I love, love, LOOOOOOOOVE that Peter's return didn't cause the timeline to revert back to the original one, even though we're probably in for a whole lot of heartbreak and tears (as if we haven't had enough of that already). BRING IT, FRINGE, I'M READY (lol no I'm not)

    • monkeybutter says:

      1) Ricky's laughter is so infectious that even gifs of him cackling make me crack up.

      2) I'm really excited for Peter to develop a new relationship with everyone in the group, though I'd kinda like them to eventually get their memories back.

  6. Whyk0 says:

    So, was it just me or when Olivia was about to be run over by that car you could hear Peter’s voice calling her name? I listened to it a few times but I’m not sure, it could have been Walter’s just as well.

  7. Kit says:

    I mentioned this on last week's ep post, but, anyone else a little weirded out by Olivia wearing Colors all of a sudden? They're not bright like Faulivia's, but she's got that green jacket now and she was wearing a blue shirt in this episode…

    Also, Cameron asked if she'd found any of the others, and she said no? No combusting twins, no empath guy, no mind reader? Aw.

    • Con9191 says:

      The good news is that the Cortexikids who died crossing over to get Peter at the end of Season 2 are probably still alive in this timeline. Most importantly: Nick Lane!

  8. aurelia says:

    I wonder if the cortexiphan trials didn't take the same path. They would have started the same way, trying to access the hidden abilities while the children were young, but in the other timeline, Bell was writing ZFT and Walter was trying to find a way to take Peter home. We know the latter didn't happen. What if the former didn't either? The whole no wearing color thing was a residual of training these kids for the coming battle, right? We don't know what the catalyst was for Bell to start the ZFT thing. If it was Olivia alerting Walternate to Peter's whereabouts, then maybe it didn't happen in the amber timeline.

    • Hotaru_hime says:

      I was wondering this stuff too- would they still be prepared for battle? Why were the Cortexiphan trials needed if not to send Peter back? Very curious stuff.

      • aurelia says:

        I'm pretty sure the Cortexiphan trials started long before Peter died/was taken. In the initial video of Olivia in the burned room wasn't she 3 years old? That's what… 4 or 5 years before Walter takes Peter? Walter just changed the focus of the trials toward that purpose when he needed to.

  9. Hotaru_hime says:

    This episode was incredibly exciting and I can't believe we have to wait TWO FUCKING WEEKS FOR THE NEXT EPISODE.
    This show y'all, what is it doing to me?

  10. SecretGirl127 says:

    I LOVE THIS SHOW….TWO WEEKS WILL KILL ME.
    Also, Lance Reddick (Broyles) was on this week's It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia as Danny Devito's competittion for a sexy gal's attention. If you want to see a different side of Lance, check it out.

  11. akacj18 says:

    when peter manifested in the lake i yelled, "And Peter is BOOOOORNNN!!!!!"

    i can't help but wonder and worry about where this story arc is going post-peter-being-erased. i mean, it would be too simple just for them to restore the old timeline and have everyone remember everybody and everything go back to the way it was and live happily ever after. what were we being set up to learn in the last 3 seasons? the observers obviously had a reason for changing the entire timeline. peter obviously went forward in time to learn that destroying the other universe was not the right choice. if this new reality is the one the observers meant to exist, then how exactly does peter's reappearance complicate their intentions? and is peter's end game really going to be the right choice? is it going to be the best thing for both universes?

  12. monkeybutter says:

    I'm really excited that Peter is back. I think they waited just the right amount of episodes to establish the changes to the characters, but not give everything away (Olivia and Nina, wtf?), before throwing Peter back in there. I love this show!

  13. Thiamalonee says:

    If they don't remember Peter, does that mean Baby Henry still doesn't exist?? I don't want Henry to just be the deus ex infanta.

    • aurelia says:

      Peter and Fauxlivia never met, therefore, no baby Henry. Unless Peter finds a way to get us back into the original timeline.

  14. Liz says:

    Did anyone else notice the weird Christian symbolism? Walter says, "Without me you can do nothing," (quoted from John 15:5) and after his rampage in the hotel room we see his pierced hands. What's the deal? It just seemed really random.

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