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Fringe Season 2 Episode 19

The Man from the Other Side

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AIRED: Apr 22, 2010

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9.4

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Episode Summary

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The murder of two teenagers by shapeshifters puts the team on the trail of Newton and his people, a trail that leads to Massive Dynamic. Meanwhile, Peter tells Olivia about his family, and Walter tries to remember what memories Newton took from him.

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Fan Episode Reviews (11)

The Man from the Other Side

9.0

By arkanitoo, Jul 16, 2012

We walked to be softened and prepared. One episode after another, a will-not-going to leave us uneasy. Inevitably, you say. For it was, I say. And so fell the pump setting the stage for the long-awaited final stretch.

Peter (Joshua Jackson) discover the truth, found that does not belong here. But let's revelation to the end and start on the other hand, the bad guys. We begin the episode with the arrival of three shapeshifters in this universe. They travel differently from what we knew: a kind of embryo bursts in our world and begins to develop rapidly. Passes from the cocoon be terrifying which in turn acquires a masked form of usual Human (a poor victim). It's a portion of the life cycle of these villains that was given us to know so absolutely fantastic. The cocoons, mercury, the scene with him that we could not develop fully, it was grotesque, dirty, slimy, and forwards it to the science fiction classics as "Alien" or "Terminator." A real treat for fans of these wanderings.

The plan called for three, three spies to infiltrate at precise locations in order to create a sort of triangle that would allow the right time (when the universe were aligned) to bring someone back and forth (the man who gives his name as the episode) . The leader of the dark Newton (Sebastian Roch), but can fill this gap and bring the plan forward. The dizzying pace followed a parallel investigation of the protagonists who can reach the site at that precise moment in time to try to prevent the transition. This attempt failed and that it does finally see Peter that he came from the nearby universe, that is not his real father Walter (John Noble).

Then confronts the old scientist who finds himself without words lost in sadness. And with all this changed. We have few certainties but we know that from now on nothing will ever be. Where was Peter? What will he do? Who will he choose when the time comes to decide? Issues that are on the back burner and surely will be answered in the near future.

Finally, we come to the crux of this episode: Who is the man who came from the other side? The man to whom Newton called Mr. Secretary. My guess is that it is the Walternate, the father saw his son disappear and that because this sets a dark revenge. Do not know if he will lead all operations but will likely play an important role in the operations of the enemy. On a personal level all this orchestration seems to make good sense but the level of technology can not understand some things: in the 80's the other universe was technologically far ahead on this, as it is currently unable to build a simple portal as Walter made back then? Need elaborate schemes and terms, when 20 years ago everything seemed so easy. And if a balance has to exist (have everything that comes out) who is this man on the other side changed?

Questions that do not hurt or harm this great piece of television. A compact mythology, with pace and will, which prepares troops for the battle ahead. "Fringe" is with vigor and with determination we are. Come the next.

The Best: The shapshifters villains are a kick-ass!

The Worst: It took almost a whole season to get here.moreless
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The Truth Comes Out

9.5

By dreamgoat, Jan 30, 2012

OK??? Did anyone felt is was stupid and unrealistic that a person like the person in the beginning of the show. That broken glass got thrown on his car by a broken window would you A) Get out and checkout whats going on and walk inside a dark spooky warehouse with no type of protection or B) GET THE HECK OUT OF THEIR AND DRIVE AWAY LIKE THE FEMALE IN THE CAR TOLD YOU TO DO. And not only that he started laughing and poking with the shovel at the glob before the shapeshifter snap his neck, I smoked pot before and believe me I don't do stupid stuff like that plus pot makes you paranoid why would go in a dark warehouse LOL. Peter, Olivia and Walter try to stop the shapeshifters from sending something over from the otherside. Walter and Peter were on the bridge trying to send off a wave of vibration to disrupt the waves, it was working and Peter said there was something wrong with your software and told Walter to get off the bridge to fix it. Who was left on the bridge was another fbi agent and Peter, I think he got the machine to work but not in time he started seeing someone walk on the bridge from the other side, in that time a huge shockwave came at their way and blew the fbi to dust but not Peter. Thats when he knew something wasn't right, later he awoke in the hospital and told Olivia he would like to speak to Walter alone. As Walter came in he told him what happen on the bridge about the fbi agent and the guy from the other side walking on the bridge. Only one that died was the fbi agent and him and the guy from the other side was still alive meaning that he was also from the other side. Walter tried to explain but Peter didn't want to hear none of it told Walter to leave and told him your not my father. Next day Peter checked out of the hospital without telling anyone.moreless
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Hmm..

9.0

By jared85, Dec 04, 2011

The review before mine alludes to the fact (predictable one, mind you..) that the mysterious man is actually alter Walter.

It would be a decent hunch. The guy is furious and would want his revenge on the other Walter. I just don't think Peter recognized the guy. I believe he just put the clues together, especially the FBI dude desintegrating before his eyes, and figured it out by himself..

Anyways, I'm just curious to see what happens next. The "monster of the week" episodes are almost like x-files and all but we got used to season story arc.

Gotta keep watching then, I guess...

Cheers!moreless
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Wow, just wow! Warning, spoilers contained below.

10

By Dark_Davis, Dec 04, 2011

Finally, an episode of Fringe that continues the main story arc!! Early on some of the stuff we see in this episode was pretty sick, but finally we see what the shape shifters actually look like. Pretty damn gross in their natural form if you ask me, probably one of the nastiest things I have seen this episode, especially the one Walter manages to revive for a short time and talk to. I don't know what is worse, Peter finding out about what Walter did and taking it really bad, or the Newton bringing someone from the other side over successfully (so it seems at least). Who is the man on the bridge?? Time will only tell.moreless
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for the first time I didn't understand something. SPOILERS

10

By protonefrid, May 30, 2011

so, why being from another dimension keeps you alive? I mean I get the man from the other side (he was actually in that other dimension) but peter was in this world and still lived. Aside from that the story was intriguing and from the moment that shape shifter said that he was sorry I started to have this nagging feeling that the man who created them, all this mayhem and who was on the bridge is actually the other Walter fighting to get his real son back. i felt sorry for Walter missing his chance to come clean to Peter, the end broke my heart, but the show is written this way so we just have to wait and see the outcome.

wait. it just occurred to me that if all these horrid events created by the other side were preparations to get Peter, than this whole war between the worlds was caused by the watchers/observers. that one guy that had to observe up close and personal and disturbed the other world Walter is responsible for all of this. Come to think of it, right now the words of the other bold guy in the flashback episode (the child has to live) get a whole new other meaning...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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Peter Bryant	Ben McCalister	Guest Star
Katie Findlay	Jill Redmond	Guest Star
Fraser Aitcheson	Cop #1	Guest Star
Sebastian Roché	Thomas Jerome Newton	Recurring Role
Ryan McDonald	Brandon	Recurring Role

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Episode Photos

Joshua Jackson, Lance Reddick, Anna Torv...

© 2010 Fox Broadcasting Company
Walter (John Noble) makes a startling di...

© 2010 Fox Broadcasting Company
Olivia (Anna Torv) investigates a murder...

© 2010 Fox Broadcasting Company
Olivia (Anna Torv) and Peter (Joshua Jac...

© 2010 Fox Broadcasting Company

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (4)
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- Trivia: Among the images seen on the alternate world's transmission are a U.S. flag with 48 stars, a White House with a glass dome, and what appears to be a scene from Lost showing Emilie de Ravin and Greg Grunberg at an airport lounge with a photo of a kangaroo.
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- While attempting to reanimate the shapechanger embryo, Peter sends 80 amps through the creature. When the attempt seemed to be unsuccessful, Walter says that they did not use enough "power". A scientist of Walter Bishop's caliber would have said that they did not use enough current, not power. Power is a function of work done by the electrical current, not the current itself.
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- Trivia: The Observer appears in the bank, his back to the camera, as Newton comes in and talks to the teller.
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- Trivia: The glyph code for this episode is BRIDGE.
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QUOTES (5)
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- Walter: A well-ordered house is--is the sign of a well-ordered mind.
  Peter: Yeah, but staying up all night to find the perfect place for your laundry hamper is the sign of something else, in my books.
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- Walter: Every living thing dies. As a scientist, that's one of the hardest things to accept, that--that we try to understand the mechanisms of life, but inevitably, we can't defeat death, no matter how much we--we may want to.
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- Olivia: (about the embryo) Walter, have you seen anything like this before?
  Walter: I think I may have. It's awfully familiar. Ah, yes. It reminds me of a beanbag chair I once owned... 1974.
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- Peter: Shapeshifter embryo. Adorable.
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- Olivia: You remember what you told Newton?
  Walter: No, but as they say in Finland...
  Walter, Peter, and Astrid: ...there's more than one way to roast a reindeer.
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NOTES (4)
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- Blair Brown is credited but doesn't appear.
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- Injoke: Expanding upon a gag from the first season, the producers slip in references to R2-D2 and C-3PO in the license plate numbers on Olivia''s and Broyles' SUVs, respectively.
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- Music: Tom Sawyer (Rush)
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- International Airdates:
  Canada: April 22, 2010 on A
  Australia: April 28, 2010 on GO!
  UK: May 4, 2010 on Sky1
  Latin America: May 11, 2010 on Warner Channel
  Sweden: July 15, 2010 on Kanal 5
  Germany: September 27, 2010 on ProSieben
  Poland: January 13, 2011 on TVN
  Finland: January 26, 2011 on MTV3
  Czech Republic: February 18, 2011 on Nova Cinema
  Israel: June 1, 2011 on HOT3
  Slovakia: December 22, 2012 on Dajto
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ALLUSIONS (0)
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