Jasika Nicole: spoilers for finale and next season

New York Post

Quote :: "Fringe" set the bar pretty damn high with their season one finale -- revelations that Peter Bishop was dead (kinda) and an alternate universe where The Twin Towers still stood existed ensured my brain didn't take a summer vacation. But according to Jasika Nicole those two cliffhangers will pale in comparison to what "Fringe" has in store for us this year.

Not only will the two-night event (kicking off tonight and concluding next Thursday) fully explore the alternate universe introduced in last year's finale, but it will end on a moment so shocking, "Fringe" fans will spend this summer trying to decipher it.

In anticipation of part one, I rang up Jasika Nicole -- who plays lab savior Astrid -- to find out what shape her alternate universe doppelganger takes, what the big cliffhanger deals with and how it factors in to season three! Warning: spoilers ahoy!

PopWrap: Season one had an incredible finale, how does this year's stack up?
Jasika Nicole: The season two finale is the most shocking script we’ve had since the pilot! The season one finale was so good I assumed there was no way they’d be able to top that, and this year’s finale is so freakin’ good. We finally get to go to the alternate universe and meet everyone in their altered state. But that’s not even what I’m talking about -- the very end of it, what’s going to keep audiences on the edge of their seats is in the last minute.

PW: Season one had both a character (Peter's grave) and a story cliffhanger (World Trade Center), which category does next week's fall into?
Jasika: It has to do with the reason why these two worlds are colliding. It’s kind of like, one of the universe is trying to take the others place. There are also some big character development for Astrid, she is the most different in the alternate universe. She’s very special and you get to see another complete Astrid.

PW: What ... is her alternate a man?
Jasika: Oh my god, I wish. That would be so awesome. But no. it’s not that.

PW: Can you give us a hint as to why she's so different?
Jasika: The thing is, there’s no lab in the alternate universe, but the writers wanted her to be a part of that world also, so they came up with this really brilliant idea. Think in terms of what Walter was doing with the Cortexiphan and Olivia. It’s sort of a thing where the other Astrid has been raised in a group of people for a special talent that she has.

PW: We learned last week that Walter-nate is some sort of government agent, is Al-strid still his right-hand man?
Jasika: She doesn’t have a relationship with him. That’s what’s so cool and effed up about the alternate universe. It’s so different in so many ways – not only are the circumstances different and the jobs they have are different, but the people are inherently different. And Astrid really is.

PW: Is her name still Astrid?
Jasika: Yes, her name is Astrid, but the writers are calling her Al-stred right now, because in the script, they have to differentiate between all the characters. So Olivia is Bolivia, Walter is Walter-nate – it’s so funny.

PW: Do you think we might learn that Astrid shares some of Al-stred's inherent abilities?
Jasika: Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. And I definitely see how Al-stred could be very integral to what is happening with respect to people traveling across these worlds. I can see how it would happen, but it's hard to say right now. The writers don't really keep us in the loop.

PW: In that case, do you have any inkling as to whether they're planning to wrap up the series with the third season?
Jasika: I don't know. But I have the feeling that because we get our scripts so close to when we start shooting that the writers are literally waiting to see what happened with last weeks episode. What people are saying, what the general consensus is about moving forward. For example, with the stand alone Peter episode and the musical episode it felt like we were not moving forward very much. Thankfully the season two finale opens the door into a huge new area that is going to be brand new and really involved in season three. There is so much at stake.

PW: So will some of season three take place in the alternate universe?
Jasika: The first three or four episodes will take place solely in the alternate universe, so it’s becoming really important to what we’ve already established.

Astrid !!!! Jasika Nicole: spoilers for finale and next season 109485

I wasn't sure you'd read this... as it is so spoilery. I'm looking forward to their version of cortexifan (and how our side thinks about the whole process on both sides)...
I know it will be all fabulous to be over there for so long, but really, I want everyone to come home to this Boston....*snif*

I just read the questions, and the answers to two of them. The rest I didn't read.

These two :

Quote :: PW: Season one had both a character (Peter's grave) and a story cliffhanger (World Trade Center), which category does next week's fall into?
Jasika: It has to do with the reason why these two worlds are colliding. It’s kind of like, one of the universe is trying to take the others place. There are also some big character development for Astrid, she is the most different in the alternate universe. She’s very special and you get to see another complete Astrid.

Quote :: PW: Can you give us a hint as to why she's so different?
Jasika: The thing is, there’s no lab in the alternate universe, but the writers wanted her to be a part of that world also, so they came up with this really brilliant idea. Think in terms of what Walter was doing with the Cortexiphan and Olivia. It’s sort of a thing where the other Astrid has been raised in a group of people for a special talent that she has.

And I like that. Astrid being totally different.

And it would have been cool if Alt-strid were a guy...but too confusing I suppose.

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