Fox’s Fringe finished its third season Friday night with a future excursion and causality loops out the yin-yang. But what do all these events mean for Fringe‘s fourth season?
WARNING: Major Fringe Spoilers Follow!
We soon discover that Peter’s actions 15 years ago resulted in the complete destruction of the alternate universe. Walter’s doppelganger crossed over before the final destruction in the hopes of making peace, and is now on the loose. Even more puzzling, Peter immediately assumes his future role (he’s aged along with everyone else) as a top Fringe Division operative and Olivia’s husband.
The deterioration of reality is being laid squarely at Walter’s feet. He’s been imprisoned again and is only released in a desperate attempt to stop a terrorist group from intentionally starting vortexes. It’s revealed that Walternate and the terrorist leader Moreau are working in concert. Walternate ambushes Olivia (Anna Torv) and murders her.
As Peter and Fringe Division deal with their grief, Walter (John Noble) comes up with a plan to retroactively save Olivia’s life. He tells Peter that he can’t travel directly to the past, but that he may be able to bring Peter’s consciousness into the future, essentially “cheating” the time-space continuum. Peter and Walter agree that there could be dire consequences.
Peter (or his mind, or something) flashes back to the present, where he’s still in the Machine. He uses it to somehow bring the residents of the alternate Liberty Island – Walternate, Fauxlivia, and Brandon Fayette (Ryan McDonald) – into the primary universe alongside their duplicates. Peter vanishes, and the Observers outside the Statue of Liberty state that the others don’t remember him, because Peter never existed.
Obviously there’s a ton of burning questions to sort through, most immediately how Fringe exists at all without Peter and the central conflict he provides. In and interview with executive producers Jeff Pinkner and J.H. Wyman, the pair revealed that both Walters and William Bell (Leonard Nimoy) still tried to cross over and succeeded, setting up the current war of the worlds.
As for Peter and star Joshua Jackson: he’ll be back. Says Wyman:
“He’s got a job. He’s still under contract. We can’t yet reveal what exactly we have in store for him, but he’s definitely not going out for other shows.”
Other questions asked of Pinkner and Wyman include: will Brad Dourif return? (No.) Will Emily Meade be back as Ella? (Maybe.) What happened in Detroit? (Not telling.) The two producers were tight-lipped when it came to plot details – but we’d expect nothing less from Abrams’ compatriots.
Obviously time travel will play a big role in Season 4. Walter stated in almost the same breath that he had sent the machine back in time and that he couldn’t simply go back himself, so expect Peter and Walter to be intimately involved with the creation of the Machine and the events of the First People.
As for the present, the recently united Fringe divisions will almost certainly be working together to somehow repair both universes. A possibility that crosses my mind is two or three-person time travelling teams, being sent back to specific points to try and “fix” reality. Expect a big episode in Detroit.
If Peter never existed, why did the Walters cross universes? Is Fauxlivia’s son still alive? How do the Observers fit into all this? How does the Machine work without Peter? Where did he go?
For the answers to these questions, you ‘ll just have to wait until Fall 2011, when Fringe returns to Fox.
Follow Michael on Twitter: @MichaelCrider
Source: TV Line
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It’s not obvious at all that time travel will play a big role in Season 4 and, as such, that there will be any time traveling teams. That is pure speculation. The only thing that is obvious is that the time travel seen in this finale will have an impact on the next season.
Thank you for saying this. It will benifit other readers. I always dislike it when writers state their opinions and speculations as fact or make erroneous analysis. I’ve called them out on it before, but its futile when some feel their above corrections.
It’s “they’re above corrections.”
Haha. Yeah, you’re right. I should have caught that.
as long as you weren’t speculating, and intending it to be taken as fact… haha
otherwise, you’d have to be bannedjoe
I sincerely hope they are not spiraling down the same path that Lost went. I felt cheated at the end of Lost when they went all hammer & tongs with the Metaphysical BS, as if sheepishly covering up as enormous gaping hole of questions. All i could gather the end of it was WTF! I hope we don’t get the same BS in this genuinely awesome sci fi series. The last thing that anyone wanna know is that the Observers are angels from heaven trying to iron out the time space continuum that went awry at their/HIS own hands. I hate to even think about it. But apprehensions apart, all kudos to the Fringe in present time
It was a cool finale.
Time travel has been in the center of Fringe since beginning due to the Observers. After the season finale, as the first time traveler is Peter; he may have a connection to the Observers in the future. Even, may be they are grandchildren of Peter?
all this time traveling and wormholes and paradoxes they better be careful or somebody is gonna wind up their own grandpa
too late didnt you see family guy sunday?
I hope Fringe doesnt get too wrapped up in this time travel thing. I was just starting to like the fact that Olivia and Peter got together, then they threw in those weird episodes with William Bell’s consciousness being inside of Olivia and its seemed to spiral downwards since then. If it starts getting too confusing I think they will lose alot of viewers. Fringe without Olivia and Peter being together just doesnt work.
Yes by all means dumb it down so everyone can understand it without actually having to think about it.
“Yes by all means dumb it down so everyone can understand it without actually having to think about it.”
That’s simple, hilarious, and f%@king brilliant. Lmfao.
I have a felling that the William Bell mind take over thing was just to meet the seasons episode limit. Some may not agree, but I started thinking it when at the end of LSD Olivia said that (the picture of man from her mind) was the one to kill her. But then with the season finale, obviously she surives long enough to be killed by Walternate, not this man. But I have started wondering, now that Peter’s gone and the future has obviously changed with the universe merger – maybe her death by this man occurs in this timeline.
I kind of hope that season 4 will reveal more of the Observer’s involvement in all this [we've seen the blue and red universes, prime colours for prime universes, which leaves the yellow universe = (hopefully) the observer universe, as speculated by some fans on forums], but I am eager to see where they take Peter’s story from this.
I think the fact that when belly was in olivia he offered Peter “a cup of tea” when Peter came home and took a glass of milk from Walters sleeping hands is more than just filler…
As the soul magnets were in the tea before I don’t see any reason they couldn’t still be. That being said it could have very well been a misdirection or just coincidence but I tend to doubt that.
I think you mean Green universe (Red, Blue and Green) assuming with are talking about the primary colours of light. Where did you get that Blue and Red universes idea from (I must have missed that in an episode somewhere) cause I can’t remember that.
Hey….yellow and blue make green…therefore, yellow is a primary universe…geez I learned primary colors when I was like 6..
My bad I was thinking additive primary colours completely forgot about the subtractive primary colours. Still though what episode was it in?
Unless I missed something, the primary colors are blue, red and yellow. Green, a secondary color, is made from blue and yellow.
What if all the machine does is allow you to look into future possibilities under certain conditions, decisions. Why couldn’t this season’s ending be just another possibility in the less distant future than the time depicted earlier in the episode ?
Walter may have invented it to investigate possibilities to steer a better course for the future not to destroy either universe.
This is, by far, the best show on TV right now. I loved Lost and the time travel so I would not mind more time travel in this show. Time travel is one of my favorite things to see on screen and JJ Abrams is the same way. It is yet to be seen what will happen in Season 4 but to speculate there WILL BE time travel is much more likely than not given the creator and the direction the show went in the finale.
In the end they will show that The Observers are the surviving people before Dinosaurs, each from different alternate-reality who are trying to stop the re-doomsday of worlds. Peter will shave his head & become the new recruit of The Observers!
Observer 1: %#@#$, we failed again!!
Peter: Wha… where am I? What happened?
Observer 2: We were close!
Peter: Hey… what the %^$^@# is going on?
Observer 1: Now we have another one in our team!!! Sigh (Disappointed)
Observer 2: Welcome, Peter. You are the 12th now.
Peter: What? …… Okkay!! I always wanted to shave my head.
Observer 2: Restart the Game please.
I have a theory…
We know that Walter traveled through the universes to save Peter years ago – this is how the whole thing began.
And, according to the Finale, this set in line a chain of events that eventually resulted in the destruction of both universes. EXCEPT…that they created a loop, like grabbing onto a branch before finally going over the falls. By sending the machine back in time, Walter creates a loop in which the Fringe team is able to perpetually try to save their universe. But they never succeed, and the loop continues et infintatum.
Step in the Watchers. If you recall, when Walter went through and took Peter the first time, they fell through the ice. The Watchers later claimed that he was supposed to die and the Humanish Watcher interfered. So imagine that timeline, had Peter died – Walter already pierced the universes, both Peters die (one sick, one drowning) and both Walters fail, both universes started to collapse, and eventually brought Walter to the point where he could loop time with the Machine. Again, this continues forever. So, the Watchers play another card. By saving Peter, they alter the timeline – now Peter is available to be put into the Machine, his concienousness can travel through time, he can make a different choice, and he can save both universes.
Once he does this, once he bridges the two universes and they begin to work together, it’s as though he never existed – BUT THIS DOESN’T CHANGE THE PREDICAMENT. Walter still pierced the universe, they are all still collapsing, etc. They skew away from the loop, but now they are connected in a way they never were before and have a shot. But since Peter was never meant to survive (note: they say he didn’t exist – no, he DID exist, but he died young, in the past, and didn’t exist in the present or future. He had to exist SOMETIME otherwise Walter wouldn’t have tried to save him and destroy everything in the process)
So I get his disappearance. I get the time travel. I get the paradox. What I can’t get is how they hope to bring him back in…and they have to, cause Joshua Jackson rocks.
Hmmm…
i dare not speculate on season 4, fall will reveal all or it wouldn’t the job of this show is to question reality , challenge our expectation our fantasies confuse our concept of life the future the pass , distract our consciousness to over explore or be terrorized depends on personality of the viewer . we simply cant predict such a random unpredictable warp diversity show like this all we can do is wait on fall suffer in expectation until fox airs again FRINGE
KC,
I am with you up till the end.
There are several paths the producers could take and I don’t expected to predict which path they will take.
You are right about “saving the Bishops from drowning” intoduced a new timeline.
In an earlier episode the Watchers explained that seemingly insignificant events can cause a ripple effect resulting in a major change. Perhaps this explains why they are in photos and paintings of significant events over the last stretch of history.
Not completely unlike the premise of “Buterfly Effect.”
Peter stated: “Now I understand” but we are left to our imagination as to what it is he understands.
I suggest Peter now understands that the ripple effect must begin before the drowning incident. He understands the authentic Peter must not die which is the event that drove Walter. To do that, Peter must not be born, in either univese.
As a result, “no one remembers Peter, he has done his task.”
The Watchers, however, are aware of all previous loops.
But Walter and Walternate must complete the task of sending the machine back in time and the conundrum continues: they must complete a task to ensure a son they never knew is never born. I think there is temptation there to sabotage the next loop so that Peter IS born and the loop continues again. ( Schodingers cat {is/ is not} alive )!
KC – Great theory and i believe you are at least mostly correct if not completely.
FYI – Perhaps in this Alternate-slipknot-Loop-back Time line they too have a hit show about strangers who crash on a mysterious Island and who are saved but go back to it at a later time. And in this LOSTernate version the finale actually answers some questions (at least more the it left arse open) and try to wrap up a few loose ends so the story can at least be carried to some form of closure in which millions aren’t griping on forums on the Alternet.
Anything is possible?
But youre wrong…? The set course of events wasn’t that they were both going to die, the point where he interfered was when he came to see Walternate succeed with his cure. But because he did Walternate couldn’t see that it was a success, and because of that the Observer had to let Walter save Peter from the other Universe, (and, again, because of that) all the dimension rifts began. It wasn’t because he saved them from the ice, he just did that so that Peter (and Walter) would survive, as they were supposed to.
…in other words, if the Observer hadn’t distracted Walternate, Walter would never have had to cross Universes and save Peter at all. Right?
I loved this series.thats the beauty of mysteries in science.some phenomenon in this world needs to explain and this series tells us.very fascinating.
remember Bobby on Dallas? It was all a dream
With all its Time line loops and loop backs, if FRINGE were to end now it would still have a more complete Last Show and series ending episode then LOST.
This will never make sense no matter how long we wait because this is a JJ Abrams joint, and he doesn’t do “answers.” Things were already a tangle going into season three, and have just become more insane. I love the show, don’t get me wrong, but if you’re looking for answers to any of this, you’re going to be disappointed. Get used to it now, and maybe the inevitable unsatisfying ending might not be quite as unsatisfying as the ends to Lost and Alias were.
from my end I know the producers will come up with a good plot for season 4 because the first 3 seasons were GREAT!!!!…everything was original and fresh…so despite the countless questions I have after the season finale (4th) I’ll just have to wait and see when Fringe starts again!!!
BEST SHOW EVER!!
Well one thing is certain. 1 year has 12 months. The Observes are appearred to be 11, unless we are missing something. 1 of the bold guys was named after the 8th month of the year (August), so why not the others have similar names as well? So yes, I’ m pretty convinded that Peter is going to be an Observer. Maybe December, who knows?
But please please please, let him keep his hair 
To be honest this thought was originally inspired by the axiomatic theory that people working on “fringe project” are very carefull with the details. All of them except one they couldn’t have noticed. The greek words that Peter’s mother told her son are not quite correct and I should know because I’ m fron Greece. The right phrase is this: “na ise kaliteros anthropos apo ton patera sou”.
Anyway, please excuse my english. I’m hoping to a successful 4th season and I’m quite sure that everyone is doing their best to make it happen.
Have a nice summer!!!
Did you count the child observer they found in season 1? If not, that would technically be 12.
I kept wondering if Peter would turn out to be Over Here Peter come back to life. But he’d still be dead right?
First of all I would like to know what the device found in episode 4 season 1.
I don’t think Peter will be an observer. I don’t know where he will fit in though. I would also like to se more of the little boy that seamed to be an observer.
This is the only dvd set I purchased this year!!!! it;s fantastic great show great acting, I just love olive to pieces, she’s been through so much!!! great job fox you have a excellent show. I did,t buy true blood because it;s way out in left field. did,t follow the books!!! I will purchase game of thrones It;s the best show on paid cable tv, and follows the books to the T…I know these sales helps the shows costs, so I’am doing my part to keep them going!!!!
It’s simple. Peter sent himself back in time and created/befriended the first people. They created the machine and will some how send him back into the future at a pivotal point after he had disappeared
Using the machine didn’t erase Peter from the timeline, sending him back/snapping his conciousness forward did. This was the “consequence” future Walter/Peter were not sure of.
On top of that, the first time using the machine Peter flashed a bunch of positive thoughts about the one world, and thus it was chosen, and the other destroyed. In the future he gained a better understanding of the machine, and when he snapped back to the past, this time he knew how to use the machine to instead unite the 2 worlds. Thought it was all pretty clear.
Well I’m NOT good at waiting, Fringe is my favorite show ever I just can’t wait any longer
The best show on television right now, me and my boyfriend along with my cat Bruno lol will be waiting anxiously for this show. The actors Noble,Torv, Jackson, Reddick, and Brown did a FANTASTIC job. Thanks to Fox, the producers, creators etc for introducing this amazing show to us all. God bless.
I just wanna know one thing: When is Fringe Season 4 resuming? I read that “The Big Bang Theory” Season 5 will air this Sep. Can I use that as a clue? Thanks.
I see Fringe ending up like Lost.
I have that same fear, that Fringe is heading down the LOST path, where mysticism, ancient wisdom, future technology, religion etc are all mashed together and the final dish turns out unpalatable…. That’ll e sad for a great show.
Sometimes, the only way to solve a problem is to work your way backwards. With this show, they do a clever job not only roping you in with the science and metaphysical storylines, but actually getting somewhere when closing in on the final answers of what this was all about. It’s true, that they are ‘blowing up the balloon’ with the story, which they obviously did with LOST, but lost got a little abstract because of the writers’ strike back around season 3 or 4 I think. I liked how they ended LOST personally, and understood it’s point while many totally disagreed with it, but FRINGE doesn’t have that issue as much. It is almost connected to LOST in a lot of JJ Abhrams ways, but more believable despite the over embellished future tech, etc. And personally, I feel I may have deduced how it might end. Simply enough, like I said earlier, the characters are tracing the problem back to the source and will soon have a final solution to equate it. When that happens, it will be series finale time. And it won’t just end with Peter being the center. It will go beyond him. I have a bad feeling that the Fringe and Alternate Fringe worlds were NOT the original worlds, but extensions from the REAL prime Fringe universe, or- the ‘First’ people. Something happened there involving time travel or something, but maybe it never started with Walter kidnapping Peter from Alt Fringe and Walternate. I think all of that stemmed from a pre-Fringe world in the original Fringe world where perhaps Walter and Bell maybe screwed up something and tore some holes in the space/time continuum. Perhaps to fix it, they created alternate worlds they could divide themselves and the rest of their worlds’ consciousness into so the problem could be worked faster. Who knows with this show. I guess we will wait and see…..
As long as peter ends up with olive and there baby,who cares???? the alternet olive is a lot more sensual and sexy and peter really loves her… just finnish the show up with them toghther raising a new peter, then it can start all over again!!!!
just
What if the observers are “The First People”? What if adult Peter is Olivia’s son? What if adult Peter was a catalyst between “The First People’s” world and the two universes and he simply returned to his original world? All of this stemmed from a riff Walter created by bringing Peter from the other universe causing an imbalance. With that said, they mentioned equal mass needs to be traded between universes when something travels between them. With all the traveling between universes we’ve seen lately; wouldn’t that be more severe than just bringing a baby back? We have teams or adults, with equipment and other stuff coming and going between universes. In my opinion, this would’ve created a riff exponentially larger than bringing back a child. We are too focused in the main cast; what roles do the shapeshifters and other characters portrayed play in all this?
Love the show, but the episode where olivia channels Bell… That was just terrible…..
Excellent waiting for the 4th season