So the first hour, Liberty, was a great episode! We got to see Bolivia and Lincoln and were rest assured that the "other side" still exists. Our two over there Fringe agents are married and have a child of their own. As a fan of the "other side", this was something I was really hoping we would revisit before the end. We took a trip down memory lane when the team used the "window" one last time to check on what was happening in Altverse.
I need to make note that one of the best lines of the episode was when Bolivia said to Lincoln..."stop checking out my young ass"
This episode was very Oliva centric...which was amazing! Because unfortunately it seemed like for most of season 5 Olivia took a backseat. She needed to be injected once more with massive doses of Cortexiphan in order to cross over and back to save Michael. Anna Torv deserved an Emmy long ago for this show and more so after this episode. Loved seeing her kick butt and make her way through the Observer filled Statue of Liberty to rescue Michael...a nice reminder that Oliva is a bad ass...always was.
So, those are my few standouts from the first hour. Now on to "An Enemy of Fate".
I feel like I need to start by saying that I truly loved the finale for reasons you will soon find out. I do have little qualms but over all the show concluded the most important story arcs in the best way the could.
Lets start with the end....this is what I think happened.
Walter and Michael traveled through the shipping lane to the future where they will show the Oslo man that you don't need to sacrifice emotion for intelligence. By doing this...they will not be able to come back. I believe that time was reset to the 2015 when the invasion happened. I know many people were thinking that it might reset everything by not creating the observers, including me. After watching the episode, however, I realized that this paradox Walter was talking about in a way sort of already existed because Peter exists. Remember season 5 takes place in the Amber timeline, not the original Blue timeline. So when Peter popped back into existence a paradox was created because he was not supposed to be alive...but we discovered that Love transcends everything. He couldn't be erased. So everything leading up to the invasion happened because it had to. The invasion is when everything leading up to the moment of the shipping lane began. And it is at that moment that Walter and Michael no longer exist in that time. Confusing I know. It's an endless loop of contradictions...a paradox.
We saw the scene again with Olivia and Peter in the park with little Etta...only this time the all thing plays out. The invasion doesn't happen. I noticed a look on Olivia's face when she watched Etta run into Peter's arms. It was a very subtle look of uncertainty...almost like she remembered that this is the moment everything can change for the worse. When it didn't she had a small breath of relief. Then she watched with a slight smile on her face as Peter goofed around with Etta. I truly believe she remembered the events of season 5. We know this is possible because she did it once before in season 4 when Peter was erased. All of the old time line Olivia's memories came back to her and I think she knows exactly what could have happened.
Now when the family gets home Peter opens that piece of mail and I think it's safe to say that any fan of the show knew exactly what he would find in there...the White Tulip (probably one of the greatest hours of television ever written). He looked confused at first just like Walter said he would be earlier in the episode. But then he looks up into the camera and it's written all over his face. He remembers as well. At least that is what I am choosing to believe. And so ended the 5 year journey we as fans took in the Fringe world.
Now lets make our way backwards through the episode a bit. Seeing the Cortexiphan enhanced Olivia use her powers to kill Windmark was awesome! At least I think it was Olivia...don't really understand Michael putting his finger to his lip like he did earlier when she asked him what they need to do next. I'm choosing to believe it was Olivia and not Michael because it's cooler that way.
I thought one of the greatest scenes was when Olivia and Peter went through the Observer headquarters to retrieve that final piece they need for the plan. They went in with gas masks and guns ready...reminding us that Peter is just as bad ass as Olivia. Going down that hallway was like taking a walk down memory lane as the Observers and Loyalists were being attacked by various "Fringe events" we have come to know so well. Like the squid thing busting through the stomachs or the butterfly attack. How about the one that closes up all the holes on the body. (Sorry don't remember the exact terms for all these but you know what I'm talking about.) Seeing the bloody six finger hand print on the wall was a very nice touch.
The scene when Astrid showed Walter Gene the cow was so heartwarming. I love the relationship between these two just as much as I do the relationships between Peter and Olivia and Peter and Walter. Walter saying her name is beautiful was just a perfect moment.
Obviously I will be making note of the scene between Walter and Peter. "The time we had together we stole. I cheated fate to be with you. We shouldn't have had that time together, but we did". Such an amazing moment between these two characters. Their whole history was summed up right here. The meaning of their relationship was all put out there for each other to hear. This is what this show is all about!
Fringe was always at it's core a show about Family. The science fiction faded into the background. It was about a father and son, the love two people can share and the closeness of friendship. It showcases the sacrifices people make for the ones they love. Fringe did something that a science fiction show can rarely do...it created characters and stories that everyday people can relate to. It stayed true to this throughout it's entire run.
So to conclude I loved the finale...it gave closure the characters which is what the show is about. The mythology isn't important...the people are.
I need to say it...Thank you to the cast and crew of Fringe. It was an incredible experience...one that won't be forgotten. "You are my favorite thing" "My very favorite thing".
Side Notes:
So here are those few qualms I was talking about earlier that I kind of wish I knew the answers to. All of these are things that were brought up in season 5. In my opinion the mythology of the show that started back in season 1 concluded in season 4...the following is all new.
First...
Why do Olivia and Peter's memories from the day of the invasion differ slightly? When given flashbacks from each of them the clothes they are wearing may be slightly different and the blanket is a different color in each version. It's just weird. I do not think that this was a mistake while filming because any fan of the show would know that the guys making it do not make mistakes! Everything is done on purpose for a reason. The same goes for my next point...
Second...
Back in the episoded titled "the Recordist", the team is watching a tape of Walter and he gives them coordinates to a certain location. Olivia recites the coordinates back to them instead of having them rewind the tape. Only she gives them different coordinates! Olivia does not mess up numbers...we have learned that many times. So why did this happen? They ended up where they needed to be anyway. So who had it wrong? Walter maybe?
Third...
I really would have liked to know more about what happened to Etta when she first got separated from her parents during the invasion. Where was she that Olivia and Peter couldn't find her? We know someone eventually raised her because Olivia saw a picture of them in her apartment. But what was the journey to there? I know we didn't really have much time this season to explore that but I wish they did.
