Fringe Season 5 Episode 13

I've heard many (eligible) complaints that in a timeline where the observers never existed September would have never distracted Walternate from finding the cure and Septmber would never have saved Peter'S life.

My personal "solution" to this:

Walter would still have kidnapped Peter, just for the selfish reason to have a son back (wich would make him even more guilt-ridden).

Only this time he would wait until Walternate has cured Peter -> the lake wouldn't be frozen anymore and Walter couldn't make the stupid decision to cross over on a frozen lake. ^^

Missing Fringe series after completion of Season 5, what a terrific performance by Olivia, Peter, Walter, Astrid, Broyls. One of my favorite show never ever seen, Definitely gonna miss Anna Torv, her characterization in Fringe series, Love you so much Olivia, waiting for your another TV show.

So what was the Observers' purpose of the invasion? Why did they attack at the first place?

I love this show and couldn't stand waiting for another season to come. It's making us like drug addicts. I love all the five seasons, and especially the fourth one. I appreciated the fifth season, but it lacked so much imagination. For example, the solution proposed to end the observers' invasion was absolutely not creative and somehow far-fetched. Logically, if the observers have never existed, why would peter still be in "this side" since Walternate wouldn't have been distracted from the result when looking for a cure for the little Peter? There would not have been any alive Peter in this side.

But the last season was very enjoyable. Almost a different show.

Definitely one of my favorite shows of the past 10 years. Thinking back to the alternate universe - remember how much we complained about that?! Well looking back, it was one of the COOLEST things they've ever done on television, ever. This show defied gravity and science, and in a way, defined it too. Could it have been a better season - certainly. There were strong elements within this season (Etta, Peter becoming an observer, and the ending story-arc) but the overall execution of the season was a bit weak. Nevertheless, Fringe continued to put the characters first and with some great core values, this show has created a special place in my mind (maybe my heart too). I would love to watch the whole thing again... and maybe again and again. This specific episode was great to watch and exuded the quality Fringe fans expect. There was a ton of touching moments and other great moments too (seeing those Fringe-creations attack the Observers was a great scene).

I like so many others am going to miss Fringe. Yes there was the odd weak episode but on the whole the writing was good and the cast never gave it less than 100%. There was some talk of a film (movie) a while back, if the X-Files could do that why not Fringe? Hell even Firefly got a movie! I just hope that it will not be as long as the gap between the X-Files and Fringe until the next decent sci-fi/investigative show comes along, there's nothing else around at the moment and I fear for the future with all the talent/reality shows that are foisted on us - rubbish not entertainment. Good luck to the cast, they can be proud of their achievement and the enjoyment they have given to the fans.

soooo much better than any other Fringe season finale. too bad it's the series finale. :-(



thanks to FOX, Fringe Cast, Writers, & Crew for the best show on TV!!! What a run!!!!

A bittersweet ending but never the less, a good ending. The writers delivered exactly what it was meant to be delivered. We could start a whole discussion about time travel and changing the past, the whole "Universe must correct a paradox", etc, but at the end, the show was good. I simply cant resist to compare this ending with Lost.. The Lost ending was awful.. l mean.. 6 years dude, 6 years to see that every mystery was irrelevant and everybody went to heaven.. Yes you can still say that if you change time, the whole season was irrelevant but lol, the whole idea of time travel its to "change things".. For this 5 years show all l can say is thanks, thanks for not wasting my time.

I used to tell my English students, when you end your story with "... it was only a dream", then that is sloppy and lazy writing. It's writing without a plan, and the literary equivalent of painting yourself in a corner.



The ending of Fringe smacks of this. After all the action, the sacrifices, the hardships, the personal growth, the timeline has been reset and it all never really happened. I watched 13 episodes to find out that in the end, what I watched was irrelevant.



I felt the same annoyance at the start of season 4, when the timeline was reset with the disappearance of Peter. "So you're telling me," I complained to the world, "that a lot of what I've been watching is now irrelevant? That the alternate Olivia no longer has a kid (along with her no longer being totally badass and pretty soft in comparison to what she was), the heroic sacrifice of alternate-Broyles never happened,



Now Peter and Olivia have Etta back, but she is not the Etta that we know, that Etta is still a loss to the watcher. I would have much preferred that when Peter had the Observer chip in his head, he jumped back in time and changed history then by saving Etta.



Now Peter and Olivia and Etta get to spend the rest of their lives without actually being\becoming the characters we loved this season.



Which brings up the question, why was the timeline reset from when the Observers invaded (or didn't invade), and not at the point when Walter and Michael disappeared into the future? When Peter reset the timeline at the end of season 3, it was reset from that point, though all the character (except Peter) remembered a different history.



For that matter, why wasn't the timeline reset from any other point, perhaps from the very first point in Fringe's past when the original 12 Observers first made an appearance?



The point is, that the plan of ensuring that the Observers never came into existence, could have caused more than just Peter and Olivia getting Etta back, yet all the two were narrow-mindedly fixated on was that they'll get their daughter back. They are both smart people, they both remember another resetting of the timeline, and both would have been well aware that resetting this timeline could have meant anything, including that Etta may never have been born, as Peter may never have crossed worlds because the alternate Walter may have cured him.



Any interaction that the Observers had with humans, could have been reversed, so that the circumstances that lead to Etta being born were more likely not to happen than happen. Yet the tunnel-vision of both parents let them see no other outcome.



The ending left me disappointed because, as mentioned, it feels like the writers painted themselves into a corner, and contrived the plot to reflect the tunnel-vision of the characters, to end with giving Olivia and Peter a modicum of happiness, simply because they deserve it, and not because it fits.

I loved Fringe, even though it was a bit sappy at times. Thank you to the writers for giving us a great ending that was very satisfying. (Critic Tim said it and I'll say it, too -- w a y better than the LOST finale which imho i don't have much else to say except i wish they could've gone on another year or two. 5 years seems too short.

The ending was such a thrill!

Yes all the effects, the plot itself, the openings, and the ending of 5 years..

It was all for a great show that was loved worldwide and the ending episodes did pay the respect to the fans. We had the glimpse to see the other universe, we remembered the cow, the fringe events and most other things.



It wasn't a superb show or an unexpected plot change but the whole ending episode was just a tribute to the fans: because it was just cool!

Great way to end it.

Amazing job. Thanks to everyone!

it was a wonderful finale and it made me cry. Twice. I really like that we got to see the other side in the previous episode and also how the show paid homage to its gory beginnings. It was a really fun scene to watch. Peter and Olivia being kick-ass is always a joy. And Gene, we got to say good bye to her as well. It was clear at some points that they didn't have as much time as they would have liked for all the threads to finish properly but they tied the loose ends wonderfully and the ending was simple yet telling. I'm gonna miss the show but what a farewell this has been

What a fantastic ending even though it wasn't the way i had planned it would end. I am not not give a review of the episode, just to say for the last 5yrs off my life i have watched & loved this show & now its over. To the Crew who always did an amazing job every episode. To the writers who gave their all with the storylines & Finally The Cast Of Fringe, You Gave Me 5 Wonderful Years Off My Life & I Applaud You All As I Am Crying As I Am Typing This. I Will Miss All Of You So Very Much. Thank You. 11/10.

Not a very detailed review but I loved it. Just the little touches like Walter calling Astrid, Astrid and peter calling Walter dad. I loved how they used heaps of the old fringe events like the butterflies etc and seeing the cast from the alternate universe. I was hoping for a bit more of a show down with windmark but other than that the plot was amazing, the cast and writers did a great job. I'm really going to miss Fringe. They could continue with the alternate universe but it wouldn't be the same. And they couldn't keep going in this universe as it would be rubbish without Walter. Brilliant TV show xx

Fringe ended its awesome 5 year run with an episode that was true to the show, its characters and its fans. This episode really had everything a fan could want. Firstly, it had the emotion. three key scenes involving Peter and Walter, Walter and Astrid and Walter and September. My favorite was Walter and Peter. It was amazing and packed an emotional punch that was perfect. The scene with Astrid was great too and we get to see Gene amber too. The conversation with september too was great as it ties into the series' main theme of family and one of the most important relationships between a father and a son. Second, it had the action and intensity. Broyles getting found out; him being my favorite scene where Peter and Olivia go through the building to retrieve the cube tormenting the observers with some very cool past fringe cases (the slug from Bound; the head explosion virus from The Cure; the creature from Snakehead; the skin growth toxin from Ability; the skin toxin from the Pilot; and the hallucinating butterflies from Dreamscape) -- this was fantastic and to me, a wonderful nod to the fans who stuck with the show from day 1. they didn't need to do this. they could have gone and shot everyone with regular guns, but they went all out with it because they knew the fans would love it. Very much appreciated. It was also well written how Michael stepped off the train so Olivia would be forced to take cortexiphan to save him, and therefore have enough to kill Windmark (blacking out an entire city in the very cool visual). In the end, we get Walter's final step to redemption, which i think was a crucial theme in the entire show. In the end, the so-called mad scientist who broke 2 universes got to be the hero who saved his family and the world. Just perfectly executed. Fringe has been, in my opinion, the best sci-fi show on tv and I will truly miss it. But all things have to end sometime, and i think Fringe ended things in the only way they could, with a mind-bending sci-fi concept and all the characters in the right places.

Boy that episode was fricken awesome! The acting quality was out of this world. You still gotta respect a balance of characterization, action and scientific extrapolation (what really might happen, science-wise). And you DO! It sure delivered! You have a very, very good balance these three factors. Fringe is completely, awesomely, enjoyable. You are hereby obligated to deliver to us, for the next 100 years at least, the same quality sci-fi show, My hat and humble gratitude to you all. XOXOXO Claudius Gabriel

So now we live in a universe where there is no FRINGE. Or do we? It was the constant resetting of expectation that marked this brilliant series out from all its genetic forebears like X FILES and the finale managed to be both the logical culmination of Walter's need for redemption and the perfect set up for a series which must now exist on an alternative world where there is a sixth season.



Make no mistake. It was emotionally satisfying and also predictable. Did anyone REALLY think September was going to get his son into the future? We all knew it had to be Walter so September was wearing the red shirt from the moment he innoculated himself. It also blew smoke across all those mirror universes in the grand reset because no observer called September means no rescue for Walter and alt-Peter from the frozen lake which means no five seasons ie FRINGE never existed.



So Walter's sacrifice is illogical but that's the old time travel/alternate universe biz. It's like the gag that has a time-traveller leaving a message saying "I'm going back into the past. If I succeed, the Nazis lose WW2 and Wednesday will once again follow Tuesday".



Yes Walter had to atone but Peter's look says more, the beginning of a quest to retrieve Walter that mirrors Peter's return from non-existence.



This is the multiple universe of FRINGE.



It never ends...

( review for both "Liberty" and "Enemy of fate" )

Well, it's easy to pick the best thing about these episodes : Walter and Peter talking about the former's incoming sacrifice. My, both actors were SO good in that scene !!! Walter's last chat with Astrid was also a high point. The episode didn't leave me in tears as much as Lost's finale did, but, as far as emotion is concerned, it did the job. You cruel, cruel writers ! You tease us with the possibility that Walter doesn't have to be separated from Peter, and then, just like that, you kill Donald and pull the rug under us ? I should have seen it coming, but that's mean !!!

The trip to the Other Side was well done, even if a bit rushed - Olivia and Lincoln had some closure about his choice to remain behind, and we all knew he'd end up with Fauxlivia, but I'd have liked to know if the damages done by Walter's crossing healed against all odds, if there are rainbows on this side now. Anyway, the scenes where Olivia keeps popping in and out of universes were really rough for the nerves ! The attack with old Fringe cases ( ahhh, the deadly butterflies ... ) was also a good action sequence, but also quite gross ( THAT's a side of Fringe I won't really miss ... ).

Now, let's talk about the final minutes. It couldn't have ended any other way, could it ? With both flowers, the dandylion and the white tulip ( thank you, Donald, for preserving it ! ). Of course, you could point out that this ending should be impossible, because if Observers don't exist, September doesn't prevent Walternate from curing Peter, and he never meets Olivia, but there are ways around it. We don't really know how Donald's time-travel tech works, so maybe history hasn't changed until 2015 - it doesn't make a lot of sense, I know, but hey, it's time travel ( Walter did say he'd only disappear after 2015, after all ). Or, somehow, even without September's interference, Walternate didn't cure Peter ( he may have been interrupted by someone else, who knows ? ), and the 1985 events happened as we know them. Or Walternate cured Peter, but Walter stole him anyway because Elizabeth couldn't live without her son ... Since I don't wanna have a migraine, I'll assume one of these is correct ( I'll go with the last one until proven wrong ), and I'll only remember the bittersweetness of this ending. Joshua Jackson's face is the last image we'll have from Fringe, and his expression here is perfect. Puzzlement, concern, you can read it all in his eyes. Back from a perfect day with his family, Peter finds a mysterious message, and we know it means Walter's gone ...

Well good bye FRINGE. It was a wonderful, one of a kind ride. We cried, we laughed, we twitched, we admired, we cared for. And even though the resolution was expected and feared of, the final FRINGE episode delivered some of the best moments of the show.

Walter/Peter, Walter/Astrid, Olivia/Windmark, Olivia/Peter/Etta, Donald/Walter, Donald/Michael - everything was there. Story and mythology wise, in my opinion, the final plan resolved in Observers still existing and everything happening, but the final Invasion did not happen because of Walter's careful doing of Observer development manipulation. After all, he was the only one capable enough to be careful how to avoid the deletion of the history we know it + even if he didn't, we were still in the "amber" Universe were Peter was never saved by September, so his direct implication was not crucial to the present state. Anyway, for all the paradoxes, there are simple "yes, but who knows what Walter did in 2136". And for me, it is more than enough and satisfying.

Perfect finale, perfect acting, perfect tributes (Fringe events all around), and all in all, amazing Fringe experience for the past 5 years.

I cried and smiled. It was one of the most well thought out shows on television, and it ended miss it, and be sad for a while, but I can't help but smile when I think of how they did it.



From Peter saying goodbye to Walter, to all the Fringe events coming back for one last gross always be a fan!!!



Well Done to all!

I wanted to see more. At least from Olivia, I wanted to see her really pissed (but she seemed to take things really calm). After all those cortexiphan shots she should've have done more that just crush Windmark. He should've felt all the anger and hate that not just Olivia but Peter, Walter and everybody else had for killing Etta. I wanted to see him really suffer and see Etta in his mind while he was ceasing to exist. He deserved nothing better but to regret all the damage that he'd done. Seeing him explode or desintegrate (slowly) would've been cool. Putting that aside, it was a good observers got what they deserved and Petter and Olivia got Etta back. It's a shame it had to end so quickly because the story had a lot more to show.

I really loved how the writers ended the show, it was particular noticeable at the beginning of the 5th season that the writers had to diminish a great part of the plot due to the shortened season, but as the season went on , the writers overcame this obstacle and it was less and less bothering due to the great ideas presented in this last season.



It was nice to see the tribute for former fringe cases in the Bio attack on the observers facilities and also the tulip reference was a nice touch.

All was really great except one thing (that's why my rating is only 9 of 10) - why the alternative world was not also invaded by the observers? Why there was no observers in occupation in the alternative world, and if from some reason they are not exist in the alternative world then why it wasn't occupied by the observer on the other side - we saw they have no trouble crossing between universes - But as I said before, other than that question I had, it was A GREAT SHOW and a GREAT ENDING!!

(Even almost made me forgive for "Brown Betty" episode ;) )



Too Bad It's Over ...

I just wanna say thank you to fringe's cast, crew, writers, directors for giving me such a great show and a great ending to was an awesome ride and totally worth it.

Hell, I even thanks Fox for not cancelling the show and giving them a chance or two and a final season, you kinda redeemed yourself fox. DO NOT SCREW IT UP.

Thank you cast, you were perfect, hope you get some love from the Emmys because you totally deserve it...

The anti-gravity gun was cool indeed, Walter (John Noble) more so! A fitting excellent ending to a, mostly, excellent series. It was a moving storyline with Walter prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice which was unexpectedly trumped by September's evolving human emotions prompting him to replace Walter as Michael's guide. But due to September's demise it had to be Walter who gave all to heal the universe his own actions put in danger. The last scene with Peter receiving the white tulip from Walter, which the viewer sensed he innately understood, couldn't have been a finer, or meaningful, ending. This show had a seriously synergistic cast that this viewer grew attached to. I look forward to seeing Joshua, Anna, and John in other productions, but less face is rare when a cast gels like this. They knocked it out of the park for this viewer, and the writers certainly were up to the task as Fringe wraps in a very satisfying way.

It was amazing, best acting skills I've seen in a long time, this show will be generally missed, I knew windmark had a thing for the humans because he was occasionally nice to some random citizens but glad he got crushed, the annoying idiot. Great end and I'm sure if fringe carried on Walter would find one super impossible way of communicating, thanks fringe, thank you for the best 5 years of my life!