(S01E20) Oh my. I wondered how they would wrap things up (or not wrap things up) in the season finale, and they definitely delivered the goods. It's no big shocker that we're dealing with an alternate reality; most of us probably saw that coming. But there was that one moment that made me gasp.
We knew Walter had done experiments on Peter when he was a kid, but it never occurred to me that Peter might have died -- or maybe it was just buried in the deep recesses of my brain. When Walter visited the graveyard, I fully expected to see his wife's name on that gravestone. Instead, we saw Peter's.
Walter said he wanted to go into the alternate reality to retrieve something that he'd lost ... something precious. Was he talking about Peter? If so, that would mean he already DID go into the alternative reality and brought back the "other" Peter. But I kept thinking he hadn't yet.Then again, Walter's memory isn't so good lately. He may have gone there at some point and forgotten about the experience.
I appreciated the rounding up of Nina Sharp, David Robert Jones, and The Observer. It was good to see them brought back into the picture with the alternate-reality thread running through all of their stories.
For some reason, it was a little disappointing that Jones was doing all of this out of revenge towards William Bell. Kind of grisly, though, when he and the kid got sliced in two from the alternate reality portal. I kept thinking that Olivia would follow Jones in there during that scene in the field. She ended up there anyway, though. That was some elevator ride.
Other stuff:
Loved the conversation about where Walter might be after he'd gone missing. Astrid: "I'm gonna check the cafeteria to see if he slept there again." Peter: "Or the marine biology lab, where he sometimes spends the night cleaning out the tanks with Mrs. Erickson."
I'd like to know where they filmed the graveyard scene. It was a beautiful little place.
John Noble deserves an Emmy for his performance in this episode. Between going crazy at the beach house and being soulful at the graveyard, it was really a brilliant performance. Just brilliant.
Broyles to Olivia when the Massive Dynamic team was working on Nina Sharp's robotic arm: "The procedure doesn't fall under any HMOs."
So ... you can communicate electronically from one reality to another? That's how Nina said Bell was communicating with her. That's some powerful wifi.
So ... that's what people see when they do LSD. An alternate universe!
Were those the Twin Towers at the end? Was Olivia inside one of them with William Bell?
The Observer to Walter on the beach: "I have said too much. I'm not supposed to get involved. I've taken you as far as I can."
Walter to Olivia, when she asks what he's doing in the field: "We're trying to plug a hole in the universe. What are you doing here?"
Walter, in his note to Peter: "I'm stepping out for a bit. Don't worry about me, son. I know where I'm going."
Overall, excellent episode, and I'm looking forward to next season already. What did you guys think of this episode?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
5-13-2009 @ 8:50AM
Paschal said...
Hi I don't know New York, but when Olivia is supposed to meet Nina at the hotel restaurant (can't remember the name) at the end of the show, she then found herself in one of the twin towers. Does it means the hotel is located on ground zero (doesn't make any sense because nothing has been rebuilt yet there)? Or in the lift not only she moves from one universe to another and in same time to another location? Doesn't make any sense too??
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5-15-2009 @ 2:02PM
Urkel said...
Yeah, it didn't make sense to go from a 25floor restaurant to the world trade center via elevator. But I guess the explanation is that this is exactly what she was supposed to do. Nina Sharp ditches her, she takes the get smart elevator and that is the dimensional transporter.
Anyway, with Olivia displaying the ability to jump between alternate timelines then I would have preferred she got to Bell's world on her own and without a mystic elevator. But whatever, it's still a good finale and I'm ready for Season 2.
5-13-2009 @ 8:57AM
hernan43 said...
I feel that the whole "twin towers still existing in an alternate reality" gag has been overused.
I thought it was kind of a groan worthy part of the end of that epi.
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5-13-2009 @ 9:05AM
ljshorts03 said...
The alternate reality theory plays into why Walter is considered "crazy" and can't remember things - the question remains is the reality that the vast majority of the show has taken place in walter's "native" reality?
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5-13-2009 @ 9:13AM
cindy_michel said...
awesome episode. I had a JAW DROPPING moment when I realized the grave was Peter!
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5-13-2009 @ 9:29AM
chris said...
this was a great episode what if the alternate reality is the show what we consider the here and now in the show is the alternate a world were all the bad things in life happen where the unexplained happen. like if Olivia got off the elevator into the here and now. mabey this explains walters memory loss he could have crossed into the alt to get peter and lost his memory and could not get back he could have taken the peter from the here and now to burry him in the alt world and take this peter back that way there would be know proof of a death in the world he came from but he could not get back.
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5-13-2009 @ 9:43AM
Bubbameister33 said...
Are you high?
5-13-2009 @ 10:55AM
terry740 said...
Oh no!!!! I've gone crosseyed!
5-13-2009 @ 9:20AM
D said...
I think the Peter in the show is alternate reality Peter brought to replace the Peter in the grave.The story really made that the obvious message.
I agree with you about the performances.I hope this show get's the recognition it deserves.Sci-Fi is so often overlooked and this show,like Lost,is exceptionally well done on all levels and by all of it's cast.
Yeah I think that was the World Trade Center.And that newspaper that said "Obama moves into the NEW White House"...wondering if the storyline includes a plane strike there instead of the towers.At any rate what a way to send the "alternative universe"message!
Can't wait for next season!
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5-13-2009 @ 9:20AM
Jason said...
Fantastic.
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5-13-2009 @ 9:31AM
realitycheck15 said...
the best little show on tv. i too was shocked to find out that peter is from the other side. i was even more shocked with the closing scenes. the newspaper with the headline about the new whitehouse. I wonder if they will explain that next season. it would be interesting if olivia takes the newspaper back with her. And once they where doing the final shot and olivia was looking out a window i had a feeling they would throw a curve and it would be the wtc towers. overall awesome episode.
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5-13-2009 @ 9:40AM
Wip3dOut said...
If you remember back near the beginning of the show, they tell of a flashback where Peter and Walter got in a car accident. Who wants to bet that is where the other Peter died.
Anyone else getting a very strong Stephen King's The Talisman Vibe from this show now? Twinners.
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5-13-2009 @ 10:45AM
Raked said...
No, Peter was a very sickly child. Walter's mentioned it a few times, and he's asked a lot about how Peter's health is. I think Peter died when he was 7 of illness, and Walter's still afraid that this other Peter will have the same fate.
5-13-2009 @ 9:42AM
D said...
Interesting thought:If This reality's Walter took the Peter from the alternative reality then the Water and family of the alternative reality lost their son possibly mysteriously.Couldn't that make for some interesting story possibilities?
The story line also implies that there are two of every character including DRJ and even Olivia and/or you don't actually know where each character really came from like DRJ,The Observer etc.
One thing's for sure:If you can move back and forth and if there are significant differences between world's you could move technology,etc.Also it seems to be that people from one reality can safely exist in another reality,next question is what if you meet yourself?
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6-11-2009 @ 2:12AM
Sophia said...
Not only are there two of every character, but far, far more, right? Like Walter demonstrated with his branching diagram thing: every time there is a choice, it creates another alternate reality.
5-13-2009 @ 9:45AM
Elisabeth said...
Breathtaking episode. And yes, they were certainly in the World Trade Center at the end.
About Peter: it would seem that Peter is the alternate reality Peter and this reality Peter died. (I seem to remember a near-drowning accident? Is this right?). The bit about Peter not remembering the coin...it could be that the dead Peter collected coins, this Peter did not. If that's the case, then the grave is here. So...what happened in the other reality: is that Peter a "missing child"? How is his disappearance explained? And what about the pain that this would have caused the other Walter Bishop? And how do you explain a grave in this reality with Peter's name on it (presumably a death certificate, etc) while another Peter continues to wander this reality with a passport, social security #, etc? Would no one have noticed that, hey Peter, there's a grave with your name on it! I'm curious to see how they are going to work out these details...!
Can't wait for season 2...
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5-13-2009 @ 1:15PM
Cody said...
"And what about the pain that this would have caused the other Walter Bishop?"
Maybe that's the crux of the whole show. Our Walter kidnapped Other Peter, initiating a war with Other Walter. The ZFT and everything surrounding the Pattern all goes back to an ongoing war between the two Walters.
5-13-2009 @ 9:58AM
mdisloki said...
Great finale!
The show has so many directions they can take it now that we know for sure that they are dealing with the alternate realities and people. Imagine an evil Walter or a reality where John Scott never died... so many possibilities.
They also did a really good job leaving so many other questions to be answered in future seasons. For example we still have no idea what or who The Watcher is. Why Bell is trying to 'activate' the subjects and what is coming that he needs them active for.
Can't wait for next season!
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5-13-2009 @ 10:10AM
robspahr said...
Two other news items on the paper at the end: "Celtics Sweep Playoffs" with the subhead "Len Bias wins MVP" and "Former President Kennedy to Address the UN".
Creepy and cool.
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5-14-2009 @ 5:16PM
Anis said...
It also said "Stock market remains closed, 21 days and counting", maybe referring to the date of the "attack" that Olivia saw in her previous visions.