This week marks the beginning of Bad Broyles, evil pops up in unexpected places, and everyone has to learn to work together. This episode delves into the story arc for this season, the translucent shape shifters. Old frenemies show up, new enemies are revealed, and an unplanned for variable may be the two universes only hope to defeat the bad guy. Jared Harris returns and I love when parts of plans are revealed but not enough to spoil or really explain where everything is headed. I’m racking my brain as to what all of this means, and I’m interested to see where the show will go from here.
Bad Broyles is checking on Fauxlivia, AltLee and Agent Lee as they pass on his monitor. He gets out some serum. Is this truth serum? Is Broyles going to use it on Agent Lee? Walternate and Peter show up at Fringe before Bad Broyles can do anything to Agent Lee. Phew. Walternate is at Fringe because the Department of Defense has been infiltrated by Shapeshifters. OMG! Is Bad Broyles a Shapeshifter? He is definitely acting shifty. AltLee and Fauxlivia follow up on the dead shapeshifter’s phone call. In an abandoned warehouse. You’d think they’d know better. They discover Jones (played by Jared Harris). Queue Evil Mad Scientist (aka Jones) with frozen Shapeshifter in a tube. Bad Broyles called Jones so he knew they were coming and he’s set up a little demonstration for them. They don’t realize this of course. To make his point that he is an Evil Mad Scientis Jones kills the shapeshifter in the tube, whom he mourns as though the shapeshifter were his child. Think what he would do to people he doesn’t care about. Point 1 to the Evil Bad Guy.
Take me to your leader, Jones demands.
Definitely Butt Men
Olivia tries to talk to Walter who is experimenting with food. She is worried that Agent Lee and Peter have not returned from the Alternate Universe (A.U.), and realizes she needs to fess up to Broyles.
Meanwhile, Bad Broyles meets up with Fauxlivia and AltLee at Jones’ lab, which has been cleaned. Obviously someone told him they were coming. Peter and Agent Lee are headed back to Our Universe (O.U.) of the alternate time line. I feel I should name it something different, but I’m not sure what. He tries to goad Peter into helping, pointing out that he has lost a partner because of the shapeshifters. Peter goes, I’ve lost a universe.
Before they can leave Jones is brought in for questioning. Peter recognizes him from the alternate time line. Agent Lee helps with the interrogation but they don’t get anywhere.The Evil Mad Scientist informs them that they need to get him a flash drive, they can copy the contents, and then they need to let him go. Peter realizes that Jones is not from this universe and he wants to talk to him. Peter talks with Jones and actually makes Jones loose his composure when Peter points out that the reason Jones has the scars is because he found a way to heal himself when he crossed out of one universe to the A.U. Peter says, I closed the portal behind you and cut you in half. Somehow Jones ended up in the alternative time line? Was that on purpose? Is Peter the accident?
The Evil Mad Scientist sets off a bomb through a contact on the outside when they don’t return with his flashdrive soon enough. Evil, Evil, Evil!
Broyles calls Olivia into his office and tells her that he has received word from his alter ego (Bad Broyles) that there is a situation in the A.U. Broyles and Olivia watch the video of the people dying in the A.U. from Jone’s biobomb in a hospital. The Evil Mad Scientist has informed them that if they don’t let him go another such bomb will be set off in 14 mintues. Walternate decides to let him go, but puts a tracker on him.
The Evil Mad Scientist realizes he is being tracked and followed so he hands out money that has trackers on it, plus he drinks something that counteracts his own tracker. Reminds me of the exact same scene on The Event. Way to be original there people. Didn’t see that one coming from a mile away or anything. Do people on Sci/Fi shows never watch Sci/Fi shows? WTF? The Evil Mad Scientist is off the grid, he gets picked up by a black limo. The only one to see him is Bad Broyles who totally just lets him drive off. Bad Broyles!! Bad Bad Broyles!!!
Jared Harris really does make a very good Bad Guy
Walternate and his wife are having dinner. He’s upset because he cannot figure out what Peter is talking about in fixing the machine to send Peter back to his own time line. Peter’s Not Mother says, It is not your fault. Walternate is still upset, the result is the same. I can’t help Peter and the other Walter refuses. Not Mother says, Maybe I can help.
Astrid is running the data but she can’t figure out what the Evil Mad Scientist’s next move is. Peter looks over the data and figures out that he is looking for a certain mineral, that while inert is harmless, but if processed could blow the entire universe apart. Jones seems to have found a quarry by the Hudson river. Fringe heads to the quarry while Peter watches from the screen. He realizes that Jones must be in the A.U. AltLee and Fauxlivia are having hushed conversations, because AltLee is wondering how the Evil Mad Scientist could have figured out what their tracking signal.
Not Mother visits Walter in his lab while he is brushing his cow. This. This is why I love this show. It is incredibly brilliant, fascinating, and quirky. Not Mother asks Walter to help Peter. Walter goes into his little rant how he can’t, how he messed up the universe before, and now God (or some deity) hates him. Not Mother says, I forgave you a long time ago. If I could forgive you, God can. What a beautiful moment between the two of them. I thought it might be weird and sexual, but it is played just right and written wonderfully. More than that, she is smart and beautiful and right. Gotta love a woman who is all three. She goes on to say that while she and Walter may never be able to watch their Peters grow up or marry and having babies, but this Peter can. He deserves this. Walter admits to being afraid. Not Mother replies, So is he. I love how she makes it all about Peter and Walter and never makes it about her. She understands the stakes.
The FBI arrives at the quarry in the O.U. Peter asks for a gun, to be safe rather than sorry. The Invisible Asian Shapeshifter is there. Looks like she is Evil Mad Scientist’s right hand man. The inevitable Fringe shoot out occurs. Peter shoots the Now Visible Asian Shapeshifter. Jones takes off for the A.U. and Olivia follows. Peter yells at her not to follow, and she listens. Which is a good thing because the front half of her vehicle is cut off. Finally, Olivia listens to Peter. Will he win her over like he did his Olivia? Or will Agent Lee capture her heart?
You had me at, "I'm from an alternative universe and time line."
Both teams sit down at a meeting. Walternate says that they all need to work together, which will be easier now that they know who their enemy is. The enemy of my enemy is my frenemy. Fauxlivia wonders why did Jone need the rock. What is he planning to blow up? Agent Lee says, Jones is holding all the cards. Peter stands up, literally and figuratively. He says, Jones is not holding all of the cards. You have me. I know him. At the very least I’m a variable he did not plan for. We need to work together. We stopped him before in another time line, we can do it again. Peter to the rescue!
Olivia tries to get more information from Peter about Jones. Peter turns to her and says, I need sleep. Olivia goes, Oh. Right. Thanks for your advice at the quarry. Peter heads home and Walter shows up. Walter says, every version of your mother is a wonderful woman. Peter guesses correctly that she came to visit Walter. Walter segues saying, I imagine you left wonderful people behind. Peter says, I did. Walter tells Peter he will help Peter. Peter says that Walternate was not the man Peter thought he was. Peter says, You are the man I thought you were. Walter asks if that is a good thing. Peter assures him that it is a very good thing.
Now for the inevitable Fringe Dun Dun Dunnnnnn
Jones types into a computer, Phase 1 is complete. Phase 2? A really old computer screen, black with green letters appears. Soon. We’ll have her ready soon, is the message. Her? Olivia? Does this have to do with the serum injections? Is that the serum that Bad Broyles was holding before? Who is Jones talking to? EVIL NINA!
Dun Dun Dunnnnn
Absurdly Nerdly 