Fringe 4x04 - Subject 9

[grimorie]

So Peter's back.

Why? Other than for Walter's well being I seriously don't see the point of him now. Also, riddle me this, why is a universe without Peter result in Olivia getting friendships and better relationships with other people? Look at alt!Olivia versions 1 and 2 as Exhibit-A, and look out Our!Olivia v. 2! Look at Nina and Olivia, Nina was in her life a lot earlier! Olivia and Astrid are friends! Walter and Olivia have such a gentle sort of caring relationship.

These friendships better not change just because Peter returned. 

--

I've been tracking the differences of this new timeline, so far this is what I got:

Blueverse 2.0

• Olivia killed her stepfather
• Peter died in Reiden Lake
• Olivia ran away from the program but not before setting fire to the room and before Bell and Walter could erase/program Olivia to forget so Olivia knows about the Cortexiphan trials. I'm guessing this is the reason why she is no longer mad but still cautious around Walter. She's had decades to process what happened to her.
• Her powers are still very dormant here, no one tested her yet.
• Olivia knew Nina growing up and was enough of a figure in her life she knew about Olivia's prom date.
• Olivia 2.0 wears white hair ties while Olivia 1.0 only wears black hair ties.
• Walter is far more hostile to Nina.
• Astrid does field work
• Astrid and Olivia are friends.

Redverse 2.0

• Col. Broyles is alive!
• There is no baby Henry.
• Charlie is married! Go Charlie!
• Walternate's Peter died because of Walter.

They revisited a lot of things in this episode, not just taking a new spin on the season 1 events but even revisiting locations. The apartment building, the chocolate milk shake shop where Olivia 1.0 confronted Walter 1.0 about the cortexiphan drug trials come to mind.  

And I am so glad that aside from Nick, cortexi-kids are still angry at Walter.



 But where is Lincoln tho?   I hope they are keeping this timeline and not have Peter pull out shenanigans just to get the old 'verse back.

Comments

[monanotlisa]

These friendships better not change just because Peter returned.

With you there.

I wasn't that impressed with Peter's reappearance, though I must say I love the symbolism of the scene: his rebirth, naked and wet, in the lake where the true version of him drowned two decades ago.

Love the bulletpoints! That's precisely what I need for further plotting of stories and meta. ;)

And I am so glad that aside from Nick, cortexi-kids are still angry at Walter.

Me too; as I told Chichuri: definitely a dark spin in Mark Little's story too, him being a black kid experimented on by an unfeeling system, the test subject of white scientists...

But where is Lincoln tho?

Excellent question!

I hope they are keeping this timeline and not have Peter pull out shenanigans just to get the old 'verse back.

Not enough THIS! in the world, in three worlds even, and I think there are some indicators that we may keep this 'verse at least for the time being, because why set it up so carefully and let Peter return to this world where they can't remember him? There's drama and angst and character development a-plenty to be had now. (If I hadn't such a hate-on for woobies, I'd feel sorry: guy really always ends up in the wrong place. ;) I guess they could still start working on resetting the universe, namely if Peter manages to reconnect with Walter and make him do it, with Olivia's help.

But I can't see this happening without either force or trickery. The thing is, even given a slightly broken universe of your own (and a more broken one just across an interdimensional bridge, now say that three times fast) would you willingly erase yourself? And that is already assuming that Peter can indeed forge a bond with both of them, Olivia and Walter. Outside force, e.g. from the creator of the shapeshifters, might work, and of course they could go back to said trickery: con-man Peter, trying to manipulate them all into oblivion...