3x14 "6B" - Episode Discussion

Except she knew he hadn't had the same exact life.

If you're going to imagine the alt had had the same exact life, why not just imagine the real one hadn't died?

To think they would be the same completely devalues the person you loved---and the life you had with them. Makes everything you had with them replaceable, fungible, like one cup of water for another.

Luckily both Peter and Olivia want the life they have had, and can have, with each other. Not just some easy out--Olivia gave up her holding onto John, and her fear that she was too broken to be able to love, and Peter recognized the alt was not in fact the woman he loves, and was able to explain to the woman that hope for the future of a real relationship was better, more important than accepting a substitute.

Heh, the writers were amazing this episode, weren't they?

Did you notice the hearts in the iron railing?

I could see getting into a conversation about holograms would be a problem.

It's okay! I can still choose my choice and not feel like I'm devaluing anybody, even someone's who's disagreeing with me.

Okay, what about P/O? What do you think's going to happen now?

Nothing wrong with memories and longings---as long as you can still live in the real world ---photos, mementos, she had lots, she had had the real thing. But she was in danger of getting stuck in the past.

Interesting to see the parallel with the tank scenes, without the water! Maybe that was why the room was filled with crystal?

P/O--------- I have great hopes now. And not just because the two of them are probably having a nice weekend, reading the paper and eating blueberry pancakes. It will be so nice to have scenes with them at ease with each other again, it has been way too long.

I think the writers have more troubles for them ahead, but will allow them to grow as a team, to use their skills thinking and working together in new ways. The producers have said there is more to Fringe than the fakelivia story, and more to it than the machine/over there story, so.............. next year should be about something totally different! That I find quite exciting.

Peter says (I'm watching it again ),
"I've seen both of us together and it's beautiful." Hmmmm? That was with AltLiv, too. It's a Philip K Dick kind of thing. AltMr. Cathy would be an interesting person to see, they might have things in common, they might not have things in common. After hearing that "National Geographic" line, I'm betting it would be more in common than less in common.

The 'quantum entanglement' they arrived at before the big appearance by AltDerrick are causing the vortex.

We may have the cure for the rift between the universes, quantum entanglement. The power of grief coming from love.

Moving on from something like that. I imagine it would be the hardest thing in the world.

The way the woman was seeing Alt-Derek and liking that.......... we can go round and round but I'll stop. Nothing will convince me Peter likes fakey better than Olivia, nor will he end up with fakey.

I *think* it will get less soapopera-y now.
*crosses fingers*

I'm not your wife. Your wife is gone. And so's my Derrick.

I'm sure most folk caught the "Santa hat" picture in the album on the alt-side and in a frame over here.

Funny beat when Lincoln told AltLiv of Course he checked the batteries, then taps the machine with the other tool when Olivia's back is turned to Derrick.

I Do wish we had dirigibles over here, with a inflating compound that wouldn't be so combustable. Floating above the buildings must be beautiful.

Yes, it will be interesting to see where the P/O line goes now, I'm thinking to the back burner while the show gets back to more simple "Fringey" occurances. But, as the script said, we'll get to see them reading the paper in the morning, having a shot before bed when it's an eventful day.

It will be good to have the writers get the romeo/juliet stuff out of their systems, and get back to some cases! I'm also proud that of my three favorite shows, (Fringe-Castle-Bones) Fringe let their leads fall in love, figure it out, and act on it well before the other two. Bones might still allow some happiness, but I am not sure; Castle is moving in that direction, so we'll see.

Right now I'm ready for cases and *snif* would like explanations....

Oh, I'm shipping another pair now...... on "V".

Erica/Jack.

She's blonde, she's a -kick ass- FBI agent.....

And ok, Father -Jack- Landry is a priest.... but he was laicized in last week's episode, so now that the collar is out of the way...

Anyway, fine episode, there are a few things that disturbed me.
Will do a complete review later.

Sounds good!

...more, other things to come, but this I think bodes well for Olivia and Peter and the machine... she's getting stronger...

In the lab, hunting for the seismograph


then Walter suggests to Peter they put Olivia in a state of heightened fear:

(not my catch, but my caps)

And my speculation: she's going to have to see she's doing it, and learn to focus it, but........do you think she can turn the Machine off with her mind?

Maybe..... I always tought Olivia would kiss Peter before he'd use the machine.

But, yes, I believe she could turn it off.... with the help of Peter, I'm sure she could.

Was it only me who thought Walter looked not only scared but proud of Our Two as they raced INTO that building, to save everyone?

And while Walternate has military and government funding, and his own scientists to work on the breaches in the universe, he sees things through that military lens..... and he doesn't have what Walter has; Peter and Olivia working with him to find a different, better way, and his own scruples and resistance to militarizing everything. (He mentions from time to time something he quit working on when the military outcomes looked offensive, not defensive.)

And I think that the differences in our team to the folks on the other side mean that if Walternate had Peter working with him, and fakey----------------they still would not have the insights and strengths that Our Three have on this side. Fakey is not compassionate, not interested in morality, and---------if faced with Mrs. Marchant holding open a vortex on her side, Fakey would have just shot her to close it.

Their side has mechanistic, utilitarian advantages, but ours has heart and soul. I'm thinking that the end of this season will play out that that side learns from ours a bit.

Question: what explanation do you suppose Massive Dynamic gave for imprisoning people in chunks of amber? That nobody mentioned them, in the lab, was startling.

Quotes from my new favorite review of this episode (read the whole thinghere ):

Quote :

We Need To Talk – We see the
fallout from Simon’s note quite early on in this episode. We infer that
Olivia’s been distant, she’s been harbouring feelings of resentment
towards Peter for not telling her the whole truth about the feelings he
had/has for Altlivia. She calls him out on it and Peter admits that
yeah, he does still think about her alternate and no, he didn’t tell her
because he didn’t want to damage the already fractured relationship
between them. And then something happened that made me remember why
Fringe is one of the best shows on TV at the moment: THEY KEPT TALKING.


What’s
that? Two leads actually engaged in a three-minute long scene that did
not consist of pun-ny one-liners or indie-music accompanied monologues,
but an honest, mature conversation about feelings? Is this network
television? Here, Fringe succeeds where other shows have failed (I’m
lookin’ at you Lost and your godforsaken quadrangle). Instead of telling
us what characters are supposed to be feeling, we’re allowed three
minute long dialogue scenes where minimal interpretation is required.
Sure, we can debate whether Peter is looking for an idealised version of
Olivia or whether Olivia is indeed the one “stopping them” from moving
forward, but that Peter has those feelings is undeniable because he said so.
So props to the writers for going the long way and not reducing the
show to cheap slow-motion montages where emotions are manipulated, but
rather giving us these moments where these relationships are earned and
honest.

Quote :

Of course this time, she sees the glimmer coming out of 6B. In another
parallel, both episodes, find Olivia struggling with feelings of
vulnerability and ultimately allowing herself to be open to fear,
although “Jacksonville” ends with her distancing herself from Peter,
“6B” ends with her getting closer to him. And by close, I mean…

Peter and Olivia like totally did it
– In the best possible way, Fringe managed to not only redeem Peter and
Olivia’s relationship, but also give Olivia her groove back by having
her initiate the sexytiemz. It was on her terms. She takes what Peter
says to heart and makes the decision to take their relationship to that
next level. So in true Olivia style, she gets some alcohol, arrives
at his door, says some words and makes a vulnerable face. She’s
realising that she doesn’t have to be Fauxlivia to be liked/wanted by
Peter, but she does have to be Olivia - completely and fully, without
holding back. The Olivia leading Peter up that staircase is the Olivia
Dunham reclaiming what is hers. BAMF.

NICE! I haven't read many reviews yet, but I really like the "she doesn't have to be Fauxlivia to be liked/wanted by Peter, but she does have to be Olivia-completely and fully, without holding back.

I wonder why this emoticon hasn't been used much. Walter's beginning with the blueberry pancakes was sweet, in more ways than one!

It's great all the way through. I've bookmarked that guy to read more.

Some of the other reviews are either wishing it was Lost (let go, already!) or anti-P/O in what is getting to be dull reading. One forum I look at occasionally has two posters who are so anti P/O that they bait the other readers constantly... inventing reasons why something not having to do with Fauxlivia at all are Peter loving her better.... the one guy I read yesterday seemed genuinely unhappy that Olivia and Peter were happy. Bizarre.

Did you notice that the apartment over there was done in brass, not all in crystal?

I've got some caps of easter eggery, I'm uploading them now.

GGGR:


Tulips galore:
. .
. .
Hearts galore:
. .

a bell:


apt 6b
over here:

over there:


and.... what do you make of the photos in the hallways? All buildings, not bridges, except this one:

There's GGGR on the amber "bomb".

Elliot wrote:

OHH. I know what that IS. Great parallel with Peter.

Yep, uploading that too. I have one somewhere of hearts on Walter's apron too. Did you notice the tulips in the upholstery in the pillows?

I loved the heart button on that woman's coat! And that statue pic, reminds me of the Machine...

I thought I recognized it-------what is that?

Atlas. The man who carries the world on his shoulders.

And this one is Rockefeller Center's Atlas.

OK! Yes, I knew I should recognize it. And that it was classical mythology related.

Good teamwork here today!

GGGR

Great!

----->Bonus question, folks:

Did Walter and Peter etc forget about the remote-control plug-for-the-universe gizmo, or does that only work on ONE kind of hole in the universe?

--------and side note, I looked at my copy of Walter's lab notes from "The Ghost Network" and don't see anything else particularly easter-eggy......... do you?