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9.2
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EPISODE RATING: Superb
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On the Other Side, Bolivia discovers that there are men that will stop at nothing to obtain her unborn baby, which may hold the secret to safe travel to This Side.
  • Confused

    7.5
    "Good"
    Really confused where the writers are going with this, now we got a baby in the mist from the other side with Fauxlivia and I hate to say this but the writers are making her so important that I think I should call her the real Olivia. Quite frankly the other Olivia been dormant in her role and been mainly focus on Fauxlivia, when Peter knows he has a son everything will change. I wonder what the writers will do on that situation. Yea I didn't understand the kidnapping at all, the observer was there to see the event happen, but what the heck is going on with Walternate in the kidnapping to get blood? just like JKutcher said he could have put a scheme to get what he needed and I'm sure Fauxlivia would have went with she wasn't defiant more like obedient. The action was well played out but I think there was some steps missing behind the logic of the episode. I guess ill have to keep watching to what going on.moreless
  • It makes no sense for Walternate to be behind the kidnapping. He could have just offered to help Olvia.

    6.0
    "Fair"
    Overall I really liked the episode until I starting to think about it. There are some pretty glaring plot holes. For example, why didn't Walternate just tell Olvia, "hey we have this treatment that will acceleration the gestation period but allow you both to live." I mean, even if he was lying and the treatment put her life at risk, Olvia would have agreed.

    You could argue that Walternate thought Olvia would terminate the pregnancy but that doesn't make sense either because they kidnapped her before she even found out that she had the disease. Furthermore, we don't know what she would have said if Walternate would have just offered her the acceleration treatment option.

    Walternate would have known about the tracker so obviously abducting her would lead fringe division to look for her and complicate his plans. The whole set-up just makes no sense. And why does he need that blood card? He knows its his grandson already.moreless
  • Despite having noticeable shades of the X-Files and Lost this is a very decent episode with some tense scenes which nicely sets up the remaining episodes of this series

    9.0
    "Superb"
    I sighed a little when we got the red titles and it was clear this was going to be an alternate universe episode, I was hoping for some more and better Bellivia action, but Bloodline turned out to be one of the most gripping episodes of this season so far. The action centres around Fauxlivia and her impending pregnancy. Not only does she get kidnapped by a mysterious group but she also discovers that she might have VPE which could kill her and the baby if she goes into labour. While in the care of the mysterious group her pregnancy is accelerated which causes an obvious dilemma though at the end it turns out it was all part of Walternate's plan.

    While this little twist was a teensy bit obvious it didn't affect the drama of the plot which brought back memories of Claire being abducted by the others in 'Lost'. This was perhaps to do with the sterile environment and the creepy music (one of my favourite parts of this episode) which definitely was more Lost-like than usual. While I enjoyed the scenes with Olivia strapped down in the lab it did make me wonder how many times we're going to see Olivia strapped down in a lab(and then escape with the help of a conveniently placed scalpel).

    As well as Lostness of the episode the plot brought back memories of the X-Files William storyline that didn't really go anywhere. While there's still the odd occasion where Fringe can't help but draw comparisons to the X-Files the story with Fauxlivia and the unnamed child has promise though hopefully not a happy ending (as I can't imagine anyway that wouldn't ruin or end the show). It was also good to see Lincoln Lee in charge and the return of the taxi driver, Henry, was a welcome one and important too as it alerted Lee to the fact that they had been fooled into thinking Olivia was in fact Fauxlivia when she was in the alternate universe. This raises Lincoln Lee's suspicions but eventually Walternate tells him everything anyway. It turns out it was all part of his plan but it looks like it's going to backfire on him as Lincoln and Charlie's suspicions are well and truly raised which means there will plenty of conflicts within and against each side come the finale.

    As the story unfolds and it seems increasingly unlikely that Olivia is going to survive things get more tense and during the delivery of her baby it almost looks like it's the end of Fauxlivia. Of course that would be too easy and as this season draws towards its conclusion it sets future episodes up for some heart wrenching moments.

    The tone of the episode was nicely ominous though there were some lighter moments like the appearance of Henry and the successful birth of Fauxlivia's son which lightened the mood. Bloodline wasn't the most revelatory instalment but for an episode that centred around Fauxlivia's pregnacy it kept up a good pace and left me on the edge of my seat come the end. The appearance of the observer and his single line "It is happening" suggests things are about to really kick off.moreless
  • Fauxlivia's fate

    7.0
    "Good"
    First things first: this episode was all the more enjoyable thanks to the news that "Fringe" will be returning for a full fourth season, despite being ratings-challenged. While some see this as a good sign that the networks are paying more attention to the DVR Live+7 numbers, I see it as a matter of diminished expectations for Friday nights. After all, "Dollhouse" was renewed for a second season on Friday nights, despite pulling in lower numbers than "Fringe". And "Fringe" has been more critically admired than "Dollhouse" ever was.

    With the future now relatively secure, there's less tension over the concern that the producers will assume renewal, set the pace accordingly, and leave the audience hanging. The question now is whether or not the pacing and natural evolution of the plot will allow enough time to give the necessary exposition, which was a big part of the criticism of the previous episode.

    This installment seems to find the right balance, because while the mystery is maintained throughout, it all comes together in the end. Focusing on Fauxlivia's pregnancy and another quirk of the Alt-Fringe status quo, it's as much a character-centric piece as a vital step towards the third season endgame.

    I'm always concerned when character pregnancy enters the picture, because all too often, that short-term increase in drama comes with a long-term series albatross. Either characters get roped into annoying "baby plots", or the babies are shoved off-screen to be trotted out when convenient. Regardless, in genre, these plots tend to fall into all-too-predictable categories.

    This episode is no different. Much of the drama surrounds the likelihood that Fauxlivia will die if she carries the baby to term, and the accelerated gestation (itself a tired old trope) only heightens the anxiety. It's all very well done, but it's also too easy to see where it's going. It's more interesting to see how this crisis forces information to come out, like Lincoln's confession to Fauxlivia and Lincoln and Charlie bonding over their shared anger. (And good on Charlie for getting it on with Bug Girl! She was hot!)

    I also wasn't particularly shocked by the revelation that Walternate was the one behind the abduction and accelerated pregnancy. He's really the only one with the means and opportunity to do such a thing, and as far as motive goes, this is a man willing to sacrifice his own son to destroy another universe. I fully expect him to accelerate the development of his grandson to serve in Peter's place, since the genetics would presumably be compatible.

    As setup for the big season finale event, which is now poised to take many plot threads and slam them together in one massive conflagration, this episode works well enough. On its own, though, it is a bit predictable. If it wasn't for the fact that Anna Torv brings it each and every week, and the Alt-Fringe universe has established itself as equally interesting as the Fringe Prime universe, this would have been a slight letdown. As it is, this is a good place to have a short hiatus before driving towards the finale.moreless
  • The shape of things to come ...

    6.0
    "Fair"
    First, I'll say this : I wasn't really invested in Fauxlivia's kidnapping because ... well, Fringe started as a cure to X-Files withdrawal, and hello ? Mysterious people interested in an unusual baby for purposes unknown, making experiments on him and the mother ? Been there, done that with Scully. OK, the fast-forward aging was a nice storytelling idea to advance the plot and a disturbing sight, but that's not much. I thought that Fauxlivia had really died at the end : now, I understand they need to keep her around, in many ways what's next is more interesting if she's still alive, but if she had died in childbirth, at least we'd have had a serious twist instead of watching the writers tick the boxes of the "sci-fi pregnancy storyline". So this was mostly setup : hell, we don't even know the boy's name, which is hugely frustrating ( maybe he can hang out with Lost's monster and begin a Club for the Nameless ??? ) ... I hope that, when it will be revealed, it will be significant ( like, say, when Fauxlivia introduces Peter to his son ) , otherwise I don't see why they didn't tell us. End of rant, because there were things that DID work. Like the fact that the script brings Fauxlivia closer to Olivia by showing her softer side through her mother and her kid. Like the way Walternate almost fooled me with his grandfatherly concern even if my guts told me he was behind the kidnapping ( I'll never stop saying how brilliant John Noble is ! ). Like the way he puzzles me by refusing to experiment on children but submits his OWN GRANDSON to THAT ( yes, I know he was saving the kid's life, but ... ). Like the way the episode references many things that have happened over there ( Olivia's meeting with Higgins, Broyles' death, Rachel and Ella's death in childbirth, the "bug girl" ... ) Especially, I'm more than happy to have finally Linc and Charlie investigate Broyles' death. Anyway, let's hope the last episodes of the season will be better.moreless
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  • TRIVIA (3)

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    • Trivia: As Bolivia escapes from the scientists, she passes a sign with a red cartoon bird on it. This is a clue toward the next episode, "Lysergic Acid Diethylamide," when a stoned Broyles sees the same bird on Walter's shoulder.

    • Alternate Earth general differences: - In the Bloom County comic strip, Opus is a peahen rather than a penguin, and the strip is still being published as of 2011. - Francis Ford Coppola directed Taxi Driver instead of Martin Scorsese. - The metric system is used in the USA. Astrid says "They are going 50 km/h."

    • Trivia: The glyph code for this episode is FATED.

  • QUOTES (3)

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    • Marilyn: I just want you to have the support that you need. Bolivia: And I do. You and Lincoln should get together and commiserate. He's not happy about this either.

    • Charlie: Freeze, Fringe Division! Hands on the wheel! Lincoln: Get out of the car! Henry: Which one is it? Lincoln: Out of the car!

    • Lincoln: I wonder what she's going to end up naming him. Charlie:She didn't tell you? Lincoln: No. Charlie: I'll give you a hint. It's not Lincoln. Lincoln: You don't know anything, do you? Charlie: No, I don't, but I had you going.

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