Contributor: John Keegan
Written by J. H. Wyman, Jeff Pinkner, and Akiva Goldsman
Directed by Joe Chappelle
As the first part of a massive season finale, it’s a bit difficult to evaluate this in isolation. There are plenty of items that will likely see resolution in the finale proper, and might even spill over into the beginning of the fifth and final season. Even so, I think it’s possible to look at this episode alone and still come away with a number of highlights.
First and foremost, I must give the producers enormous credit for keeping Leonard Nimoy’s return as William Bell a secret. In these days where it’s hard to go into any episode or film without being spoiled to the hilt by overzealous media and disrespectful fans, this was a coup. I think those grumbling that the producers “lied” to keep the secret is petty and myopic. This is what the current state of information leaks, and the demand for spoilers, has forced upon our storytellers.
While it was clear that Mr. Jones was working for someone by this point, the identity of the mastermind was not at all clear. In retrospect, it makes perfect sense for William Bell to be at the center of the storm. It pays off what the first couple seasons had been hinting by casting Bell as something of a villain. While in the original timeline, that’s not how it went, there were plenty of gray areas to exploit in the new order of things.
Like most great villains, I get the distinct impression that Bell is acting according to his belief in a greater good. It’s quite possible that he knows about the Observers and their endgame, and determined that the best way to stop them is to carry out his current plan. Bell had been a key part of the development of the manifesto that led, in the first season, to ZFT, and one can imagine that a parallel course was taken to marshal the forces necessary to counter the Observers.
It also wouldn’t surprise me to learn that this is really Alt-Bell, given Nina’s story about her memory of what happened in the Fringe Prime universe. It would explain why Alt-Nina was willing to ally with Mr. Jones, and how Jones was able to create even more advanced shapeshifters. (In the original timeline, Bell Prime helped Walternate create the shapeshifters to buy himself time and influence in Alt-Fringe.) If there is a bit of a plot hole in this episode, it’s that Walter never thought to use that possibility as a point in his argument that Bell was the one behind it all.
This revelation has vast implications. For one thing, this explains who was behind the plot to inject Olivia with more and more Cortexiphan. Certainly, the goal was to activate Olivia, which was more or less Bell’s goal in the original timeline. It would also explain why Bell would have contrived the events of the previous episode. Not only would shutting down the bridge make it harder to counter Jones’ activities, but it would keep Olivia in the Fringe Prime universe, where Bell would need to use her. After all, as “Letters of Transit” showed us, the Observers invade Fringe Prime.
It seemed inevitable that Astrid would take a bullet, given how wonderful the Astrid/Walter scenes were at the beginning of the episode. It’s a classic Whedon-esque moment, and so of course, we can expect the writers to subvert it. I’m shocked to see how many fans were so angered and upset by Astrid’s apparent death that they missed the blatant foreshadowing with the lemon cake. Cortexiphan has regenerative properties, remember? And the two men with the most knowledge of applying Cortexiphan to human subjects are right there in the final scene!
One might ask: how does the presence of William Bell increase Astrid’s odds of survival? Well, we know she lives to be ambered in 2016, and whatever the circumstances, Bell is working with the Fringe team during that time. It seems logical that Bell’s motivations will lead to an alliance of convenience, should that future remain intact. It’s quite likely that the entire point of the exercise was to push Walter and the rest of the team into the position they are now in, where Bell can make best use of them for “the greater good”.
If there is anything to fear, in terms of a classic Jossing, it’s Peter and Olivia’s future. Olivia’s abilities are manifesting in all sorts of unexpected ways, and there’s no telling where it will end. One thing seems clear: this would be the most sensible interpretation of what Bell was supposed to have done to Olivia, as per “Letters of Transit”. We also have a potential solution to Olivia’s foretold death; with so much Cortexiphan in her system, could she die, and then regenerate shortly thereafter? (I’m sure I’m not the only one having flashbacks to Jean Grey and the Phoenix, either.)
All that being said, it should be remembered that the producers were aware that this might have been the end of the series. There’s been every indication that the season finale was meant to wrap up the story and character arcs for the fourth season, leaving the door just ajar for a possible fifth season. So a lot of these major questions could be answered in the next episode. And if so, it promises to be one heck of a thrill-ride!
Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 3/4
Final Rating: 9/10
