Fringe - Peterless

Aw, Fringe, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways.

This has been a difficult season for a number of Fringe fans, following the traumatic finale when the Observers decided to wipe Peter off the face of the Earth. It turns out that Peter was not supposed to survive his dumping in the lake and the Observer was supposed to ... well...observe Peter down. So, what kind of a world is it that was Peterless?

For a number of people, it's a sad one. Fringe is trying to make up for it, however, by having Peter return, in the same lake in which he died, or didn't. Peter remembers everything, but no one else does.

He tried to reconnect with Walter, but Walter would have none of it. He decided that Peter's death was a just punishment for his hubris in taking Peter from his universe. We watched Walter completely ignore Peter in And Those We've Left Behind, and he's made no effort to talk with Peter. He acknowledges that Peter is his son (genetic tests don't lie), but he's stubborn. Peter notices: He didn't even look at me.

Peter is astounded to find that Olivia has had dreams about him, but when he presses her for the emotional content, she claims she can't have an emotional response - she doesn't know him. She figures out that he had a relationship with "the other Olivia", and is kind, but she clearly lacks any regard for him. Instead, Peter observes the burgeoning relationship between Olivia and Lincoln Lee, and gives Lincoln a pair of "readers" that will make his look less bookish.

Peter also has the discomfiting position of being considered a "fringe event". He has an agent "friend" who "escorts" him everywhere, and discovers that his "friend" is under orders to limit Peter's interactions with "civilians". He clearly doesn't belong and doesn't appear to be wanted.

These events have caused Peter to believe that he is misplaced - he is from another universe (the third we know of, if he's correct). He now refers to "the other Olivia", and spent his time in Wallflower looking at the schematics to build the time machine (or whatever) that placed him in this universe.

I'm certain Peter is wrong, and that it is this universe that he belongs in. The question is, how will that resolve? Will the Observer(s) somehow intervene? Will Peter's machine "fix" everything? What?

Ryan McGee, over at Hitfix, has been very vocal about his dissatisfaction with this season. He's not alone, if his comments are any indication. I'm not so negative. The show isn't as good as last season, but I'm enjoying seeing the differences brought upon our characters by the current situation. Ryan does have a good point, however; if this is the last season of Fringe (as appears likely), do we really want to see it without the core threesome in harmony?