FRINGE Recap: ‘Back to Where You’ve Never Been’

“Not everything is as it seems.”

Well, if there was any line that summed up “Back to Where You’ve Never Been,” it certainly was that. We got double-crossing, dreams and much, much more.

Given how many questions I had after watching the episode, instead of doing a traditional recap, we’re going to do things a little bit differently tonight. I’m going to highlight a few memorable moments/quotes from the episode and then I’m going to delve a little deeper into them. It may get nerdy, I may throw out crazy theories, and maybe you’ll share some of your own thoughts in the comments, because surely I can’t be the only one thinking these things…

Are Peter’s dreams just him simply missing home? Or is there something more that’s being hinted at?

There is something so aching bittersweet about Peter’s dream at the beginning of the episode. Not only is a glimpse of “our” characters who have largely been MIA, but it’s also the happiest we’ve seen Peter in a long while. But is his dream just a way to lead him to Walter for help to get home? A way to be comforted in his sleep of the life he left behind? Given the fact that this is the second time we’ve seen his dreams of Olivia (and the new Olivia having dreams of him before he reappeared), I feel like there is some sort of link we’re (or maybe just I am) missing here.

“My actions caused the death of my wife, unspeakable damage to two universes, I lost my career and my sanity. All because I tried to help another Peter. I may be the only man who can help you, but I’m also the only man who cannot help you.”

Is this new Walter…”better”? Please don’t get me wrong Peter fans, because while I love having him around, too, it almost seems like Peter’s continued existence may have made our Walter more vulnerable in many ways. We’re used to Walter being the “broken” man, having given up everything to keep his son safe, but the difference between these two versions is that despite the new Walter being confined to the lab, he seems to be relatively at peace with his Peter’s fate. He knows there are some lines he shouldn’t cross to save a version of his beloved son. Our Walter will choose to save “his” son, consequences be damned, every single time. Sure, he may go along with Peter sacrificing himself, but if he had his way, Peter would be his number one priority.

Olivia now knows she has powers — what will it mean for her now that she knows what she can do?

It may have been relatively glossed over in the episode, but Peter casually dropping the bombshell that Olivia could easily travel between universes came as a shock to the new Olivia. Even if Peter leaves in a couple of episodes, I wonder if this new Olivia will find herself wanting to test her limits. Or, perhaps will Olivia find a handy dandy (accidental?) use for them if Peter and Lincoln are in serious danger in the next episode?

Elizabeth recognized Peter.

See? This is a good mother! It’s utterly fascinating to me that the only person in either universe who has recognized him is his mother, but what a lovely reunion that was. (Does this mean she’s doomed to die?)

Can we really trust Walternate?

I have two dueling thoughts on this. 1) The terrible, terrible man (I took out the profanity in case there are some children lurking around here) we know from our world killed Olivia. Clearly he must be evil. Plus, he did admit to monitoring intelligence feeds from the other side. 2) But…I want to believe he’s good. Maybe it’s because John Noble (Walter/Walternate) is so fantastic at playing the ambiguity, but it would be nice to think that this Walternate is what our Walternate would have become had he not known Peter had been stolen from him. It would make sense that Walter — who is a sweet man, even if his intelligence can cause massive destruction — would have alt-versions who were mostly good at heart. The one who had seen the deepest betrayal would be the one most likely to turn to that dark place.

“Peter said at the end of the day, you’re a good person.”

I’m going to need to you elaborate on that statement, Lincoln Lee. Does that mean Peter thinks all of the Olivias are good people? Or are we just talking about the Fauxlivias? Because if it’s the Fauxlivias…just wait until he finds out the one he knew kept his kid a secret from him. (Sure, they never had face-to-face time after Fauxlivia traveled back home, but do you really think there would have been no way for her to get a message across if she really wanted to?)

What the heck is alt-Broyles up to?!

Alt-Broyles, the man who gave his life to save our Olivia in season 3, is a dirty mole. Unless the recently returned David Robert Jones is really doing good in his not-very-secret location, it certainly appeared that as soon as this version of Fauxlivia and Linc got a solid clue about who had called to try and get Peter and Lincoln Lee killed once they crossed over to the alt-universe, alt-Broyles gave him a heads up they were coming for him. Does this mean alt-Broyles is destined for death over in this timeline, too? (Also, +10 nerd points if you can name the movie those pods by David Robert Jones reminded me of.)

And that perfectly leads us into this final bit of a head-scratcher…

“I have looked at every possible future, and in every one, the result is the same — you have to die.”

The Observers have said many profound things over the seasons, but I honestly can’t recall anything they have said that is blatantly untrue. They subtly hinted Peter would become a father. They stalked Olivia and her niece and noted that things were about to get difficult for her. Heck, they were the ones who told us that Peter had never existed at the end of last season. So this bit of news? Entirely plausible. Especially when you add in that little dangling thread from last season, when Olivia drew a picture of a man and casually told Peter, “I think that he’s the man who’s going to kill me.”

When I talked with FRINGE executive producers Jeff Pinkner and J.H. Wyman late last year, we got to talking about fate versus free will in the context of the series. Pinkner said, “Sometimes even though you take a different step on the path, you end up in the same place, inevitably.” Now, I can’t help but wonder if this will be true for FRINGE. Everything we’ve seen so far seems to indicate Olivia is doomed. In our timeline, this man was potentially going to kill her. In the future, Walternate did. And now, the Observer tells her she has to die. Does she?

Perhaps our Olivia is the one version who will be able to cheat that. After all, as far as we know, our Peter is the only one who managed to cheat his fate, too. Maybe, there’s something special about our side…something that allows the impossible to happen.

Or perhaps I’m just in denial about Olivia possibly dying.

Laugh out loud line of the night: “So clearly on the other universe, I’m a nut-job,” alt-Lincoln tells new timeline Lincoln.

Favorite exchange of the night:

Peter: “I was wrong about you — you’re not the man I thought you were.”

Walternate: “You are exactly the man I thought you would be.”

 

So, let’s hear it FRINGE fans! What did you think of “Back to Where You’ve Never Been”?

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