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Fringe Season 3 Episode 21

The Last Sam Weiss

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AIRED: Apr 29, 2011

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9.5

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EPISODE REVIEWS
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Episode Summary

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As devastation spreads on This Side, Walter, Olivia, and Sam Weiss struggle to find a way to stop the destruction and discover that one individual has the ability to allow Peter access to the Machine.

FAN RECAP

Fan Episode Reviews (12)

The Last Sam Weiss

8.5

By arkanitoo, Jul 23, 2012

It's hard to talk about "The Last Sam Weiss" without immediately jump to the end. And that end. But let's share: the penultimate episode of "Fringe" is an almost apocalyptic goodbye to the narrative that accompanied us since the beginning of the season. And for the apocalyptic and goodbye, could be much more intense.

The looming in the previous episode takes shape more real and more drastic. The end of our universe is close, very close, with Peter (Joshua Jackson) in a kind of coma, the world is filled with lightning uncontrolled. The only hope is then Olivia (Anna Torv) and her partner the day, the odd Sam Weiss (Kevin Corrigan). The two desperately a sort of key opening a sort of box, which contains a sort of lever. This then allows you to open the machine to your host can handle.

If, on the one hand, this adventure brought some good action scenes, on the other left much to be desired with regard to mythology. In an episode with his name were asked Sam Weiss opened the book even more: ok, it belongs to a lineage of scholars and patrons of this engine of destruction, but why? Who was the first Sam Weiss? Who are the first people anyway? What have they to do with the two universes? Are related to the observers? Questions and more questions that remain in the air and that could have been answered with sense in this context.

Because, basically, what happened was just the accumulation of more questions, including the fact that Olivia lever. Along with this race against time, we also had the right to a confused Peter, exchanged and azamboado. Wakes up and goes home to the Statue of Liberty, for his father the Secretary of Defense. How? Well, supposedly thought was on the other side and was supposedly good, but could not see clearly what happened there and what's the point of confusion.

It is certain that he entered. The machine closed. Excellent scene, with some past images to give the notion of decision, of choice. At this time none of us had no idea what would happen and sure none of us put on the table the option chosen: Peter wakes up 15 years in the future, a world destroyed, chaos and war. Which of the two worlds do not you know. In fact I know you do not say anything. I suspect this will be the guiding principle of next season, or time travel came the "Fringe"! What can be bad, but damn, can be very very good!

The Best: The cliffhanger ending.

Worst: We wanted more Sam Weiss.moreless
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Nicely Done

9.5

By dreamgoat, Feb 03, 2012

I like the tag team between Olivia and Peter. I knew something was about them since they were attached to each other when they were kids. Peter finally wakes up to try to get to Statue of Liberty while Olivia and Sam find the key, turns out that Olivia is the key that states that in the drawings. They work together first Olivia turns off the machine to Peter can get in, Olivia say I love you and Peters connects to the machine. We now know that Olivia was also connected to the machine fate, but still have no idea why the machine was built in the first place and why Peter and Olivia have to be the one to choose a universe still left without answers. But still have last part of the finale to see so lets hope it comes together. Great finale so far.moreless
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6.0

By thefanof, Dec 10, 2011

Fringe has been thoroughly entertaining for me as of late, but tonight's episode did not really do it for me. I am just having a difficult time buying into the "end of the world" speel that they try to keep passing onto us. More importantly I do not like this connection between Olivia and Peter that they are trying to pass onto us. How are two people from different worlds so connected? Another key part of the Fringe puzzle that you need to really believe in to have enjoyed this episode.

I am sure the season finale will be good, but this episode just was slow-moving and boring to me.moreless
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I usually sing Fringe's praise, but ...

4.5

By Lccf, Dec 10, 2011

I found this episode was a big letdown. You name an episode after Sam Weiss, and we learn almost nothing about him ? Peter was incapacitated, then amnesiac and confused ... before returning to normal, just like that? What was the point ? Was there any ? Regarding Sam and Peter's confusion, I'd like next episode(s) to prove they were relevant, which they don't seem to be right now. As for the "apocalyptic" feel, despite the storms, "6 02 AM" sounded more "end of the world" to me, with references to the blight, for instance, than this one.

There were high notes, for sure. Walter and Astrid are always a joy to watch together, Walter had a sweet heart-to-heart talk with Olivia, both little by little embracing their specialness. And, of course, Olivia said the big three words. But that isn't much in the course of 40 minutes, is it ?

Anyway, next episode should be quite a ride. I'm always a client for "Days of future past" storylines, so I'm optimistic for that one ... but really, is there any reason the closing moments of the episode didn't happen when Peter first entered the Machine, sparing us an unnecessary episode in the process ?moreless
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Plenty of action plus one spine tingling moment and a what the h ending make for an exciting penultimate episode of season 3.

9.5

By readingjuice, Aug 24, 2011

After having my hopes raised for an epic episode by last week's instalment I wasn't disappointed when watching 'The Last Sam Weiss'. Well maybe I was disappointed a little bit, I had hoped the episode would reveal a lot more about the mysterious Mr Weiss given that it was named after him but the brief explanation we got of his ancestry and their connection to the First People book didn't feel that satisfying. Even so the rest of the episode delivered and there was plenty of exciting action involving the increasing frequency of fringe events around the machine and a confused Peter waking up and going to New York in search of his father.

He wasn't the only one who travelled to the Big Apple as Walter twigged with the help of Astrid that that's where Walternate had built his machine. So the machine gets transported to New York and Olivia sets about finding a "crowbar" to open it with the help of Sam Weiss. This interesting little journey felt a bit rushed but it looks like there's plenty more screen time for Weiss in store in future episodes so hopefully there'll be a fuller explanation later on. It did yield some funny lines from Weiss including "Sam Weiss, patron member since '82" after Olivia flashed her badge when trying to get into the museum where the crowbar was kept and "I work in a bowling Alley" after he bowled a lump of stone down a corridor knocking over a large vase in such a way that it stopped a security door from closing. The episode's spine-tingling moment comes when Olivia opens the box that contains the crowbar and discovers a picture of herself drawn by the first people.

Elements from past episodes such as Olivia's ability to turn things off with her mind and the quantumly entangled typewriter come into play at this point giving the story the feel that it had been more or less planned since the early days of the series. There's also the sense that the characters have come to terms with all the bad stuff that's happened to them because of Walter as it was clearly their destiny to be where they are now.

We only get a brief glimpse of the alternate universe in this episode after Olivia successfully turns off the machine with her mind alerting Walternate's top lab boy Brandon that something odd is going on. It will be interesting to see how this plays out on the other side but that looks likes it will have to wait until next episode. After turning it off Peter manages to get inside and whatever was supposed to happen happens, except it cuts to the ending before we get to see what that is.

The ending is something special, it's the kind of ending that 'Lost' would have ended the series on with Peter waking up ten years into the future at the site of the rebuilt twin towers. Apart from the fact he seemed a bit confused and that the Fringe Division exists in this version of the future there's few clues as to what happened after he stepped into the machine. Next week promises to be better yet and season four even more confusing if the concept of time travel is involved. The idea of time travel in Fringe has already featured it in the episode 'White Tulip' and been hinted at with the Observers and the First People and their prophecies so it would make sense that it makes it into the story arc somewhere along the line and could really take the show in some interesting new directions if done well.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Anna Torv	Olivia Dunham
Joshua Jackson	Peter Bishop
Lance Reddick	Phillip Broyles
Jasika Nicole	Astrid Farnsworth
John Noble	Dr. Walter Bishop

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Sienna Bohn	Tech	Guest Star
Michael Challenger	Guard	Guest Star
Dean Paul Gibson	Cabbie	Guest Star
Kevin Corrigan	Sam Weiss	Recurring Role
Ryan McDonald	Alt Brandon	Recurring Role

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Episode Photos

Sam Weiss (guest star Kevin Corrigan) on...

© 2011 Fox Broadcasting Company
Olivia (Anna Torv) on Fringe from the ep...

© 2011 Fox Broadcasting Company
Olivia (Anna Torv) joins forces with the...

© 2011 Fox Broadcasting Company
Olivia (Anna Torv) joins forces with the...

© 2011 Fox Broadcasting Company

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (4)
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- The officer at the museum mispronounced the city of Quincy's name. Massachusetts residents pronounce it "Quin-zee," not "Quin-see."
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- Trivia: The police car at the museum has the number 2026 on its side. This is an early hint at the ending.
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- Trivia: The Observer can be seen in the crowd behind Peter, just before he approaches the pedestrian and asks about pawnshops.
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- Trivia: The glyph code for this episode is MULTI.
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QUOTES (7)
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- Astrid: How about we go for a walk. You know you haven't eaten in hours. The cafeteria's just downstairs. I think I saw tapioca pudding on the menu.
  Walter: I can't deny I'm hungry.
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- Walter: A long time since I've seen the classic fruit cocktail. Why do you suppose that is?
  Astrid: I suppose loading fruit with sugar, artificial flavors, and dyes has fallen out of flavor.
  Walter: That's a shame, isn't it?
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- Walter: Forgive me if I'd like to spend my remaining time with my son.
  Astrid: Well, what about Olivia? You saw how hard it was for her to leave him, but she's out there trying to find a way to end this.
  Walter: I too have tried. I went so far as to ask God for help. How did he respond? Nothing.
  Astrid: That's your excuse? Come on now. What have you done, Walter? God helps those who help themselves.
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- Sam Weiss: I'm not the first Sam Weiss.
  Olivia: So which Sam Weiss is this?
  Sam Weiss: My great-great-great-great grandfather. He was digging for mastodon bones and he discovered an ancient manuscript instead.
  Olivia: So he was the one who wrote the First People book?
  Sam Weiss: No, that was the fifth Sam Weiss. The third and fourth Sams spent their lives searching for the manuscript's missing sections.
  Olivia: You're a dedicated bunch.
  Sam Weiss: A machine with the power to create and destroy worlds shouldn't be taken lightly.
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- Walter: That's it. Come and get me! Strike me down, you sprites, you elves, you glorious blue jets!
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- Walter: I know what it's like to feel unequal to the task required of you. To feel incapable. I'll never be the man I was, but I've come to embrace those parts of my mind that are... peculiar and broken. I understand now that's what makes my mind special. I wish you could see yourself the way I see you. You have no idea how extraordinary you are. If you're going to embrace that, there's no end to what you can do.
  Olivia: I know that you want to believe in me. And I want to believe in me... but believing doesn't make it true.
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- Walter: Do you know me?
  Peter: I know you're not the Secretary of Defense. The sweater's a dead giveaway.
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NOTES (3)
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- Music: Riders on the Storm (The Doors)
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- Blair Brown is credited but doesn't appear.
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- International Airdates:
  Canada: April 29, 2011 on Citytv br />UK: June 8, 2011 on Sky1/Sky1 HD
  Sweden: September 2, 2011 on Kanal 5
  Finland: January 25, 2012 on MTV3
  Poland: June 18, 2012 on TVN
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ALLUSIONS (0)
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- ADD ALLUSIONS from this episode.