The best part this season was the redverse. At the end of season two, there was a lot of talk about stories from the other side that would make us care for the alternate characters. I remember John Noble saying how important and difficult it will be to make us care for the other side and see their point. I believe this has been achieved. I think Walternate’s character has been fleshed out nicely and I find all his motivations both believable and relatable. The alt Fringe team was fun and I even found myself liking Fauxlivia more than Olivia. So in this regard, the season is a huge success… and now for the inevitable but.
What have we learned this season?
We still know next to nothing about the shapeshifters. What role has William Bell played in their making? What was on the disks Peter retrieved? Does no one care that he hunted and killed shapeshifters? And finally, will we ever find out about any of this? They brought back William Bell in a hugely convoluted way and spent three episodes with him, and yet we didn’t find out anything even remotely interesting about him, his work, his time over there, or his relationship with Mr. Jones.
I don’t usually mind time travel stories, but what they did in the finale makes no sense to me. How can Walter et al be First People? What about the number stations? Why make drawing and hide them in ancient-looking containers? The First People and their machine were the big mysteries of this season, but I don’t feel like stuff was resolved. I just feel cheated. Not to mention Sam Weiss turned out to be a regular guy.
Why wasn’t Nina in the last two episodes? She was all over the place in 6:02 AM but vanished in The Last Sam Weiss. All season long she was tragically underused and I can’t believe we didn’t get to see Altnina!
Speaking of alternate characters, what happened to Scarlie and Lincoln’s suspicions about Walternate? I hope that’s not just another dropped storyline the way they just completely forgot about AltBroyles after he disappeared.
As for apparently abandoned plotlines, we still know nothing about the beacon, the observer boy, Mr. Jones, agent Jessup, Nina’s relationship with Broyles, the mafia going after Peter, Olivia’s sister, Olivia’s stepfather, Olivia & Peter’s apparent childhood memory loss, ZFT, and the pattern.
We also don’t know anything new about the Observers. I understand they are going to be a mystery for the whole show. Like the smoke monster on Lost. I just hope the explanation behind the Observers won’t be as stupid as a cave of light.
So much is left unresolved and I fear that we will never get answers to any of this. Fringe is turning into Lost faster than you can say “the finale of Lost was emotionally satisfying but completely sucked on all other levels.”
While I understand your frustration, I must say that I do not agree with you. We know that the writers have been setting up season 4 since season 1, so we can’t expect that questions raised in season 3 will be answered in season 3. I certainly can’t say that I understand the season finale, and my brain ceased to function for a while when it ended because I couldn’t wrap my head around the Peter thing, but I love this show, and I trust that the writers will answer most questions eventually.
A few years ago I watched the entire run of X-files. I also loved that show, and one of the things I learned is that you will never be satisfied if you think that every question you have will be answered.
I accept that alot of questions will be raised, and alot of them may never be answered, or may not be answered for several years. The payoff is that much greater when we do get some questions answered. For me, the fun of Fringe is to enjoying the ride.
I agree with you, partly. I admit that some of my worries are premature and perhaps I wrote the blog when I was still in shock from the finale. However, Fringe changed its focus so much since season one that it’s essentially a completely different show and as such I do not believe there is any all-encompassing plan for the story.
As a writer of short novellas that no one else will read, perhaps I shouldn’t compare myself to Fringe’s powers that be, but I for one know that I never introduce a story element without first knowing to what end it will lead me. I suspect some of the season 1 mysteries, i.e. the beacon, will either be forgotten or forcefully tied in with other plot lines without prior intent to do so.
Have to echo Inky. This was a fantastic season through and through. While long standing questions like the Observers were not answered, big ones like the origins of the Machine and the First People were.
And what a great setup for Season 4.
I was mostly complaining about shapeshifters and William Bell. As I also mentioned, I understand the Observers won’t be explained until the very end. The machine and the first people were not explained, they were just put into a paradoxical time travel loop that makes no logical sense.
It makes no logical sense yet. Just because we don’t know how it works now, doesn’t mean it won’t be explained later, and it may end up being a much simpler explanation than we are imagining now.
Remember from “Lost” when they said, “All will be revealed.” The must have been talking about the laundry detergent “All” because we didn’t get much for answers. I’m frustrated too. I drew a blank over the weekend and then re-watched last night. There is plenty to talk about but I’m still left staring into space. Stand by your guns Geiger, I’m afraid we’re going to get a weekly Retcon show next season.
Thanks Dave. That’s exactly what I’m thinking.