"Paul Levinson's It's Real Life is a page-turning exploration into that multiverse known as rock and roll. But it is much more than a marvelous adventure narrated by a master storyteller...it is also an exquisite meditation on the very nature of alternate history." -- Jack Dann, The Fiction Writer's Guide to Alternate History

Friday, March 25, 2011

Fringe 3.18: Clever Walternate

A taut, more or less standalone Fringe 3.18 tonight, all on the other side, driven by Faulivia's pregnancy and Walternate's goal to insure its successful outcome.

First, some tasty alt-differences, including sophisticated digital imagery on the wall of a doctor's office, and Francis Coppola not Martin Scorcese as the director of "Taxi Driver".   But our Eternal Bald Observer is clearly on the job on the other side.

Walternate's concern about Fauxlivia's pregnancy not resulting in her or her baby's death - the baby being Peter's and thus Walternate's grandchild - stems from Faulivia having a condition will result in either her or the baby's death if she goes to term.   Fauxlivia is soon kidnapped, and, we soon learn, given a treatment which greatly accelerates her pregnancy.

Walternate assigns Lincoln to the case with due urgency.  But it occurred to me then that Walternate might well be behind the kidnapping and the accelerated pregnancy.  If not, who would the kidnappers be?   People from our side?  Not likely, given that we were in previous episodes given no sign of that.  Maybe people from a third reality?  Always possible, but again, that would be pulling a third rabbit out a hat, at this point.  How about a group working with the Bald Observers?   Possible, but, so far, the only Bald Observers we've seen are, well, bald.

And it turns out that Waltnerate is indeed behind this.   The accelerated pregnancy will beat out the development of the virus that otherwise would have killed either Fauxlivia or the baby, or even both.   This way, Walternate can have his grandchild - which turns out to be a boy - and Fauxlivia.

But all's never quite well that ends well, when we're dealing with Fringe.  The price Waltnernate has paid for the success of his plan is making Lincoln suspicious - and, in the bargain, he's now told Fauxlivia he loves her (under the influence of thinking she might die, which we the viewers were encouraged to think, also, by the playing of that Lost-type music which usually meant death on that show).

More good ingredients for this continuing, fine story - and, hey, Fox announced today that Fringe will be back next year - after, of course, the four remaining episodes of the current season, which pick up in three weeks.



See also Fringe 3.1: The Other Olivia ... Fringe 3.2: Bad Olivia and Peter ... Fringe 3.3: Our/Their Olivia on the Other Side ... Fringe 3.5: Back from Hiatus, Back from the Amber ... Fringe 3.7: Two Universes Still Nearing Collision ... Fringe 3.8: Long Voyages Home ... Fringe 3.10: The Return of the Eternal Bald Observers ... Flowers for Fringenon in Fringe 3.11 ... Fringe 3.12: The Wrong Coffee  ... Fringe 3.13: Alternate Fringe ... Fringe 3.14: Amber Here ... Fringe 3.15: Young Peter and Olivia ... Fringe 3.16: Walter and Yoko ... Fringe 3.17: Bell, Olivia, Lee, and the Cow

See also reviews of Season 2: Top Notch Return of Fringe Second Season ... Fringe 2.2 and The Mole People ... Fringe 2.3 and the Human Body as Bomb ... Fringe 2.4 Unfolds and Takes Wing ... Fringe 2.5: Peter in Alternate Reality and Wi-Fi for the Mind ... A Different Stripe of Fringe in 2.6 ... The Kid Who Changed Minds in Fringe 2.7 ... Fringe 2.8: The Eternal Bald Observers ... Fringe 2.9: Walter's Journey ... Fringe 2.10: Walter's Brain, Harry Potter, and Flowers for Algernon ...  New Fringe on Monday Night: In Alternate Universe? ... Fringe 2.12: Classic Science Fiction Chiante ... Fringe 2.13: "I Can't Let Peter Die Again" ... Fringe 2.14: Walter's Health, Books, and Father ... Fringe 2.15: I'll Take 'Manhatan' ... Fringe 2.16: Peter's Story ... Fringe 2.17: Will Olivia Tell Peter? ... Fringe 2.18: Strangeness on a Train ... Fringe 2.19: Two Plus Infinity ... Fringe the Noir Musical ... Fringe 2.21: Bring on the Alternates ... Fringe 2.22:  Tin Soldiers and Nixon Coming ... Fringe Season 2 Finale: The Switch

See also reviews of Season One Fringe Begins ... Fringe 2 and 3: The Anthology Tightrope ... 4: The Eternal Bald Observer ... 7: A Bullet Can Scramble a Dead Brain's Transmission ... 8. Heroic Walter and Apple Through Steel ... 9. Razor-Tipped Butterflies of the Mind ... 10. Shattered Pieces Come Together Through Space and Times ... 11. A Traitor, a Crimimal, and a Lunatic ... 12, 13, 14: Fringe and Teleportation ... 15: Fringe is Back with Feral Child, Pheromones, and Bald Men ... 17. Fringe in New York, with Oliva as Her Suspect ... 18. Heroes and Villains across Fringe ... Stephen King, Arthur C. Clarke, and Star Trek in Penultimate Fringe ... Fringe Alternate Reality Finale: Science Fiction At Its Best



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"a Da Vinci-esque thriller" - New York Daily News

"Sierra Waters is sexy as hell" - curled up with a good book

3 comments:

patrick said...

Another subtle difference for the other side: look at the map in Walter's office at the DoD at around the 10 minute mark. Seems like a good chunk of the US West Coast is missing...

Paul Levinson said...

Good pick-up, Patrick!

M.P. Andonee said...

Hey Paul, I watched the ending of this episode again.

The Observer was not only seen at the beginning spying at Alt-Olivia, but he had his "man" intercept the blood sample of Olivia's baby. The immediately after that, we see Walternate's aide give Walternate another sample of Olivia's baby's blood. I know it's confusing, BUT...

I believe it was the Observers who abducted the baby and accelerated its growth. Although, there seems rampant disagreement on this point on the web (meaning it could have been Walternate or The Observers.

Still, The Observers are interested in Faux-Olivia and the baby.

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