Thursday, January 6, 2011
Fun with Books!
I haven't posted here in a bit...many reasons (many still apply). But, as an aspiring writer (admittedly with little ambition at the moment) I've always enjoyed reading. Except in recent years, I've barely done any reading at all. And while this isn't a new years resolution, it's something I've consciously tried to change. In the spirit of that, I've purchased quite a few books last month (mostly cheap) and I've started going through them slowly but surely.
At this point, I've read:
Flood, by Stephen Baxter
Hull Zero Three, by Greg Bear
and Consider Phelbas, by Iain M. Banks.
I might go into a little bit more about this a little later, but man all three of these books (each Sci-Fi, but each quite different from the other) are depressing as hell.
Of the three Consider Phelbas is by far the best, and perhaps the best well known (it's the first Culture novel). It's also the most action-packed of the bunch, telling the story of a single mission by a determined and drive main character in the midst of a galaxy-spanning war. Interestingly, considering this is the first Culture novel, the main character (whom I'd say is an anti-hero) is an enemy of the Culture itself and as such much of the setting is told through his view of things. Very good book, with some admittedly stupid sections, and a devistating dark ending where it becomes clear just how hopeless the main character's mission was all along, considering just how many people he killed in the process of completing it.
Hull Zero Three is a dark sci-fi book set on a mysterious generation-ship gone wrong. It reminded me very much of the movie Pandorum in places; but this is still more of a sci-fi story with some horror elements. The story itself gets dark and twisted, as the main character, Teacher, begins to understand (but never fully) who, and what, he is and what the implications of that are. Another book with a very dark ending, one that I didn't really like honestly.
Flood is a more technical oriented sci-fi book about the end of the Earth, after cracks in the Earth's crust cause a massive subcontinental ocean to spill to the surface in an event which will eventually raise the ocean levels by kilometers--effectively plunging the entire world into the water. It is a rather cold, clinical effort, where the characters are more witnesses to the horrific events as civilization collapses over a period of 50 years, leaving very little hope for humanity's by the end of the book. The book reminds me too much of 2012...without the nice glimmer of hope at the end.
Next up for me, is Ark, the sequel to Flood, which jumps back in the story a bit to tell about a different group of 'survivors' trying to survive the flood (by a effort to colonize another planet). After Flood, I'm not entirely sure how much I want to read it...but we'll see.
Oh, and I forgot about another book, David Weber's Out of the Dark. This one is a war story told about the invasion of Earth by an alien species bent on conquering the planet as part of various manipulations of a larger alien hegemony of worlds that believe humans are too dangerous to survive. The book is very much in the style of John Ringo, telling various tales of human inguinity as they try to fight off their attackers, who just can't understand human psychology and therefore cannot predict their actions. It's actually a very good book, until the end when Dracula and his vampires show up to save humanity in the last 20 pages of the book. Dracula. Vampires. Yeah, I couldn't believe it and it's so out of tone for the rest of the book that it completely ruined the otherwise good story for me.
At this point, I've read:
Flood, by Stephen Baxter
Hull Zero Three, by Greg Bear
and Consider Phelbas, by Iain M. Banks.
I might go into a little bit more about this a little later, but man all three of these books (each Sci-Fi, but each quite different from the other) are depressing as hell.
Of the three Consider Phelbas is by far the best, and perhaps the best well known (it's the first Culture novel). It's also the most action-packed of the bunch, telling the story of a single mission by a determined and drive main character in the midst of a galaxy-spanning war. Interestingly, considering this is the first Culture novel, the main character (whom I'd say is an anti-hero) is an enemy of the Culture itself and as such much of the setting is told through his view of things. Very good book, with some admittedly stupid sections, and a devistating dark ending where it becomes clear just how hopeless the main character's mission was all along, considering just how many people he killed in the process of completing it.
Hull Zero Three is a dark sci-fi book set on a mysterious generation-ship gone wrong. It reminded me very much of the movie Pandorum in places; but this is still more of a sci-fi story with some horror elements. The story itself gets dark and twisted, as the main character, Teacher, begins to understand (but never fully) who, and what, he is and what the implications of that are. Another book with a very dark ending, one that I didn't really like honestly.
Flood is a more technical oriented sci-fi book about the end of the Earth, after cracks in the Earth's crust cause a massive subcontinental ocean to spill to the surface in an event which will eventually raise the ocean levels by kilometers--effectively plunging the entire world into the water. It is a rather cold, clinical effort, where the characters are more witnesses to the horrific events as civilization collapses over a period of 50 years, leaving very little hope for humanity's by the end of the book. The book reminds me too much of 2012...without the nice glimmer of hope at the end.
Next up for me, is Ark, the sequel to Flood, which jumps back in the story a bit to tell about a different group of 'survivors' trying to survive the flood (by a effort to colonize another planet). After Flood, I'm not entirely sure how much I want to read it...but we'll see.
Oh, and I forgot about another book, David Weber's Out of the Dark. This one is a war story told about the invasion of Earth by an alien species bent on conquering the planet as part of various manipulations of a larger alien hegemony of worlds that believe humans are too dangerous to survive. The book is very much in the style of John Ringo, telling various tales of human inguinity as they try to fight off their attackers, who just can't understand human psychology and therefore cannot predict their actions. It's actually a very good book, until the end when Dracula and his vampires show up to save humanity in the last 20 pages of the book. Dracula. Vampires. Yeah, I couldn't believe it and it's so out of tone for the rest of the book that it completely ruined the otherwise good story for me.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Just a reminder...
Now I know people really don't read this blog. And my goal with this has never been to earn page views or get any form of recognition. That's why posting here is occasional at best, and I rarely proof reed what I post here. However, there have been a few occasions where it seems possible that people HAVE been coming to this site--rarely at best. And because of that I just wanted to put this out here.
The purpose of this blog is simple: it gives me an opportunity to practice a different form of writing style than what I'm used to. It's also intended to try to practice writing, and practice at being more accurate the first time, so I do limited proof reading. The idea being to make a serious attempt to do things right on the first draft, while still maintaining a reasonable writing speed.
For those one or two people who have read the site at one point or another...feel free to make fun of me.
The purpose of this blog is simple: it gives me an opportunity to practice a different form of writing style than what I'm used to. It's also intended to try to practice writing, and practice at being more accurate the first time, so I do limited proof reading. The idea being to make a serious attempt to do things right on the first draft, while still maintaining a reasonable writing speed.
For those one or two people who have read the site at one point or another...feel free to make fun of me.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Fringe S6E7 - The Abducted
After last weeks merely 'good' episode, Fringe returned this week with another great hour of television. I'll have to admit that my anticipation of this episode was pretty damned high, and I wasn't disappointed even if the previews lied a bit about what was going to happen. And, after last week's exposition dump, this episode features a good, creepy, investigation and some great character interaction. And, like ever good episode, it leaves you longing for the next episode...which with the Thanksgiving break we have 2 weeks to wait for. Bastards!
Interestingly, Olivia's quest to return home took a back seat to the Fringe investigation of a young man by the Candy Man...a man who would kidnap and destroy the lives of young children for some unknown purpose. It's an investigation that hits home for the Fringe Division, as Broyles son was a previous victim, leaving everyone on edge. And while Henry was back, his role was much smaller this time and didn't have as much opportunity for the character. Too bad, as his character was the highlight of the first episode of the season.
Again, avoiding spoilers it's hard to talk about specific details. But I will say that the investigation was probably one of the most logical that Fringe has done in a while...oftentimes the show relies on 'fringe' tech or science to solve cases which stretch reality. This one was all about solid detective work and following leads. It also showed an opportunity for Olivia to show her chops more than once to Fringe Division, to her partners, and to Broyles.
There is a lot to like about the third season. Everything is more 'dense', and everything has context. This really adds a lot even to the seemingly unrelated cases...but it does have a side effect in that the cases themselves become less important to the plot of the show as a whole. This was noticeably true tonight...don't get me wrong it was great...but it was also a bit more simplistic (something that has become a bit of a trend in the third season). Personally i think it's a good move; the third season shifts the focus to the characters and is better for it. Lets face it, Fringe's greatest strength is located in it's characters and anything that shows them off makes the show better.
So, at this point I'm going to get into some spoiler territory...I want to do some speculation.
OK, so Olivia escaped, but was drawn back just like the last time she tried. I was wondering if that would happen--since both other times she got pulled back quickly after transferring. I was wondering if she would get pulled back, and if not how they would explain that...but now it's obvious that this is something relating to the mechanics of traveling between universes. And this makes her return even more difficult than before.
There are a few precedents for what happened...Walter's discussion about the car on the flag pole. The building of equal mass being forced to the other side to replace one moved to 'our' universe. Even Walternate being able to return home easily after finding Peter...obviously there is something of a rubber band effect happening. And my guess is that Olivia was being forced back because their Olivia is still there. This is probably something she can learn to master, I think, but it's a process that must be overcome when transferring and that is something she hasn't figured out yet.
So, now Peter knows the truth. I was hoping that he had known, but it had become more and more obvious that he was fooled and if there was any doubt left it's gone now. And the previews suggest that events in EP8 will pick up immediately after the end of this episode; with Peter trying to find evidence of the lie that Olivia is not 'his' Olivia.
Interestingly, it suggests that the pattern of alternate-universe shifting isn't complete yet. Will Olivia make it back at the end of the next episode? I'm thinking so...but I'm also becoming more and more convinced that Alt-Olivia will HAVE to get back (or be sent back) for Olivia to even have a shot at returning. And, now that Peter knows the truth, he and Walter will have a common goal.
Past that, there is a possibility that EP 9 will be another 'over there' episode, one with a more continuous string. And there is even the possibility that another switch might occur (though I doubt it). I'm also thinking that Alt-Fringe might have something to do with Olivia's survival there...Walternate certainly has no mercy in him, but they've gone out of their way to show Charlie, Lincoln, and Broyles as good men...and I think Broyles is going to feel obligated to help her out once he figures out what they are planning on doing to Olivia. Which, I assume, will involve a horrible death and a dissection, as they try to figure out just the stuff in her brain is and what effects it had on her.
My other guess is that a large amount of the pieces of the ancient device will have already been recovered either before, or during the next episode...I don't see the show turning into a treasure hunt. But, some idea of what Walternate is planning is almost essential at this point. What his interest in Olivia is made perfect sense in the context of the show, but his plans for Peter are much more murky. It's almost a shame, really, Walternate has always been portrayed as a villain...it's almost a shame that he's not more conflicted like Broyles.
But I did watch the preview...obviously Peter is going to find something early on..and Olivia is going to catch him in the act. But after that it gets more murky. Actually, on second thought...while this is an 'over here' episode, it is clear that Walternate and Alt-Broyles are definitely in it. There seems to be a shot of Bolivia at the typewriter place (which suggests that she doesn't get caught). It almost looks like Broyles may be forced to do something much more drastic to save Olivia. And there is a shot of a character that I don't really recognize (but could be an observer? hell I don't know). And there is another shot that almost looks like Bolivia is holding Olivia at gunpoint. And another that looks like the Fringe Team might finally uncover the typewriter room.
One thing I'm kinda hoping is that Bolivia turns out to be a 'good' guy...she's done some pretty despicable things. And while it's kinda hard to tell, I never got the impression that she was so cold or callous the small times we saw her in the second season. It was nice to see her show some compassion and regret for what is happening; as she is in the best position to know that her alternates are really not 'monsters' she's been told to believe. I'm also hoping that even if Olivia gets home, we'll still continue to see a lot from the other universe...hopefully Olivia will develop the full on ability to transfer by the end of this which allows for stories to continue on both sides. It would be a shame to loose Charlie and Lincoln if nothing else.
Now, will all of this happen in the next episode? Maybe they will spread this out more, honestly I don't know...but I can't wait to find out.
Interestingly, Olivia's quest to return home took a back seat to the Fringe investigation of a young man by the Candy Man...a man who would kidnap and destroy the lives of young children for some unknown purpose. It's an investigation that hits home for the Fringe Division, as Broyles son was a previous victim, leaving everyone on edge. And while Henry was back, his role was much smaller this time and didn't have as much opportunity for the character. Too bad, as his character was the highlight of the first episode of the season.
Again, avoiding spoilers it's hard to talk about specific details. But I will say that the investigation was probably one of the most logical that Fringe has done in a while...oftentimes the show relies on 'fringe' tech or science to solve cases which stretch reality. This one was all about solid detective work and following leads. It also showed an opportunity for Olivia to show her chops more than once to Fringe Division, to her partners, and to Broyles.
There is a lot to like about the third season. Everything is more 'dense', and everything has context. This really adds a lot even to the seemingly unrelated cases...but it does have a side effect in that the cases themselves become less important to the plot of the show as a whole. This was noticeably true tonight...don't get me wrong it was great...but it was also a bit more simplistic (something that has become a bit of a trend in the third season). Personally i think it's a good move; the third season shifts the focus to the characters and is better for it. Lets face it, Fringe's greatest strength is located in it's characters and anything that shows them off makes the show better.
So, at this point I'm going to get into some spoiler territory...I want to do some speculation.
OK, so Olivia escaped, but was drawn back just like the last time she tried. I was wondering if that would happen--since both other times she got pulled back quickly after transferring. I was wondering if she would get pulled back, and if not how they would explain that...but now it's obvious that this is something relating to the mechanics of traveling between universes. And this makes her return even more difficult than before.
There are a few precedents for what happened...Walter's discussion about the car on the flag pole. The building of equal mass being forced to the other side to replace one moved to 'our' universe. Even Walternate being able to return home easily after finding Peter...obviously there is something of a rubber band effect happening. And my guess is that Olivia was being forced back because their Olivia is still there. This is probably something she can learn to master, I think, but it's a process that must be overcome when transferring and that is something she hasn't figured out yet.
So, now Peter knows the truth. I was hoping that he had known, but it had become more and more obvious that he was fooled and if there was any doubt left it's gone now. And the previews suggest that events in EP8 will pick up immediately after the end of this episode; with Peter trying to find evidence of the lie that Olivia is not 'his' Olivia.
Interestingly, it suggests that the pattern of alternate-universe shifting isn't complete yet. Will Olivia make it back at the end of the next episode? I'm thinking so...but I'm also becoming more and more convinced that Alt-Olivia will HAVE to get back (or be sent back) for Olivia to even have a shot at returning. And, now that Peter knows the truth, he and Walter will have a common goal.
Past that, there is a possibility that EP 9 will be another 'over there' episode, one with a more continuous string. And there is even the possibility that another switch might occur (though I doubt it). I'm also thinking that Alt-Fringe might have something to do with Olivia's survival there...Walternate certainly has no mercy in him, but they've gone out of their way to show Charlie, Lincoln, and Broyles as good men...and I think Broyles is going to feel obligated to help her out once he figures out what they are planning on doing to Olivia. Which, I assume, will involve a horrible death and a dissection, as they try to figure out just the stuff in her brain is and what effects it had on her.
My other guess is that a large amount of the pieces of the ancient device will have already been recovered either before, or during the next episode...I don't see the show turning into a treasure hunt. But, some idea of what Walternate is planning is almost essential at this point. What his interest in Olivia is made perfect sense in the context of the show, but his plans for Peter are much more murky. It's almost a shame, really, Walternate has always been portrayed as a villain...it's almost a shame that he's not more conflicted like Broyles.
But I did watch the preview...obviously Peter is going to find something early on..and Olivia is going to catch him in the act. But after that it gets more murky. Actually, on second thought...while this is an 'over here' episode, it is clear that Walternate and Alt-Broyles are definitely in it. There seems to be a shot of Bolivia at the typewriter place (which suggests that she doesn't get caught). It almost looks like Broyles may be forced to do something much more drastic to save Olivia. And there is a shot of a character that I don't really recognize (but could be an observer? hell I don't know). And there is another shot that almost looks like Bolivia is holding Olivia at gunpoint. And another that looks like the Fringe Team might finally uncover the typewriter room.
One thing I'm kinda hoping is that Bolivia turns out to be a 'good' guy...she's done some pretty despicable things. And while it's kinda hard to tell, I never got the impression that she was so cold or callous the small times we saw her in the second season. It was nice to see her show some compassion and regret for what is happening; as she is in the best position to know that her alternates are really not 'monsters' she's been told to believe. I'm also hoping that even if Olivia gets home, we'll still continue to see a lot from the other universe...hopefully Olivia will develop the full on ability to transfer by the end of this which allows for stories to continue on both sides. It would be a shame to loose Charlie and Lincoln if nothing else.
Now, will all of this happen in the next episode? Maybe they will spread this out more, honestly I don't know...but I can't wait to find out.
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Fringe S3E6
Another week, and yet another good episode of Fringe. I would like to say 'great', or 'awesome', but unfortunately I cannot. This week's episode was probably the weakest of the entire season.
Now, don't get me wrong. Just because it wasn't great doesn't mean that it wasn't good. And it was good. There were quite a few things I liked about it, including the ever increasing sense of dread about the whole thing. But, 6955 kHz was a bit broader than many of the current episodes. And it's the first one in a while that just seemed to be talking AT the audience instead of showing us. That's a fault of the writers there, and it's what keeps 6955 from being really great.
This episode could really be described as an info dump in many regards. They talk about number stations. They talk about the First People. They talk about secret codes, etc, as if there is some huge mystery about it all. But there is no mystery. Olivia is setting them up. The signals embedded in the numbers were designed to be found by Peter and Walter, to create a 'fringe event' that would draw themselves to something the other side already knew--the location of the other hidden pieces of the 'ancient machine' built by the First People that can create or destroy universes.
In any case, the Fringe Team learn of the First People. They learn about the Numbers. And they can't figure it out. Until, that is, the script needs them too. And suddenly these numbers start leading to points on a calendar which now magically map to coordinates on Earth. And viola, they suddenly have the location for almost two dozen 'sites', the last one happens to match the site where they pulled up the box--part of the ancient device. And, Olivia again has to do something nasty to protect her cover. And that cover is starting to ever so slightly wear thin, even as she's starting to actually question what she's doing (if just a little bit).
So, who were the first people? Why would Walternate want Walter/Peter to figure it out? Why wouldn't he just use agents to collect the pieces for himself, if he already knew how to get them? Just how many bad things is Olivia really willing to do--the cracks, it seems, are finally starting to show. Just what is the end game they are setting up here?
Now, there were no real answers here, but I've been thinking about it a bit. Now, my first thought was First People = Observers. And that is actually be true, but also might also be too easy. But, why the amnesia? The 'Number Stations' are mysterious untraceable sources of random numbers, generated in random languages. I've heard of the phenomenon, actually, there are some that operated for over 20 years in Siberia, for example. But in Fringe World, the Number Stations have existed for a long time. In fact, the first radio invented picked up a number signal--suggesting their origin is a lot older than the current situation. Of course, the amnesia itself is just a red herring...Walternate didn't care if others figured it out; he just needed something to attract Fringe Division's attention.
So we know certain things. We know that Walternate is trying to build this device. That is seems to be spread between multiple worlds. And that the First People died out suddenly in some great disaster. We also know that he couldn't complete the device. And in this season, we learn that parts of the device, or perhaps another version of the device, is located on this side as well. My presumption is that Walternate discovered the truth about these stations, used them to collect the devices on his side; but could not get it to work. So, he needs his counterparts to do the same. Walternate wasn't responsible for these signals; nor was he trying to prevent this information from being found out (as is suggested in the episode)...it's clear he WANTED Fringe Division to find this. And so the amnesia thing was solely to attract Fringe Division to the case itself.
But that begs a different question. Peter responds to the device, which no one else does. That's still interesting, now, isn't it? My assumption has been that Peter is 'special' because he was from the other side--a result of the first rift between worlds. And he is somewhat unique in that he has spent the longest amount of time living on the other side compared to anyone else (save the observers themselves). But, what if Peter is special for another reason? Something that was different on the other side...like Walternate had discovered the truth of these numbers (and the ancient machine) before? I don't know, but I think that's going to be important before this is all done.
And the ending was also kinda cool. So, Olivia no longer needs to show up for the tests? That's a bad sign, for her. They have what they need, and at that point they have no more use for her. In a way, I'm going to be quite happy--next week's episode looks damned awesome--but in another way I'm going to be sad. The Alt-Fringe episodes have been consistently inspired all season and it'll be sad to see her get back home. Alt-Fringe is awesome, Charlie, Lincoln, Broyles, Walternate, are all great characters (too bad alt-Astrid sucks though). It's going to suck going back to a more traditional format.
And another thing. I still have no idea where this show is really going (other than it's been a blast watching them)...By humanizing the other side, it's really going to suck if they become the 'bad guy's' in a more complete way. I would love to see them team up. But, unless some new faction is introduced I just don't see how that would be possible with the way things are going. I am, however, still lending myself to the theory that despite what the show has been showing, Walter is not actually responsible for all of the devastation on the other side. I'm truly beginning to believe that Walternate himself was responsible...that his drive to retrieve his son (which he believed had been kidnapped by his alternate with another universe) drove him to any length to retrieve him--Universe be damned.
At this point, I'm just hoping that there is not a definite 'switch' yet. If Olivia becomes capable of switching sides on a regular basis, then I think that could lead into very new territory. Especially if she can develop some other allies on the other side. And I hope they don't take the easy way out and kill alt-Olivia. It would be cool if they can keep the other side heavily involved in the proceedings; maybe even experience some more alt-fringe investigations. Maybe that will happen with Broyles? That would be the perfect person to become an ally, honestly, or Lincoln?
One other cool thing about it that I liked. I ended up watching this episode with my family last night. They haven't seen the show since the first season, and they were clearly enjoying it quite a bit. And then Olivia walked in on the bad guy, pissed that he'd blown his cover, and the realization that she was actually a bad guy hit them, and it was really fun to see their reaction. Obviously that was not intended by the writers, as by this point everyone knows what's going on, but it was fun to see them react to it, NOT knowing what had happened before. And now I'm pretty sure they are going to start watching it again regularly.
Now, don't get me wrong. Just because it wasn't great doesn't mean that it wasn't good. And it was good. There were quite a few things I liked about it, including the ever increasing sense of dread about the whole thing. But, 6955 kHz was a bit broader than many of the current episodes. And it's the first one in a while that just seemed to be talking AT the audience instead of showing us. That's a fault of the writers there, and it's what keeps 6955 from being really great.
This episode could really be described as an info dump in many regards. They talk about number stations. They talk about the First People. They talk about secret codes, etc, as if there is some huge mystery about it all. But there is no mystery. Olivia is setting them up. The signals embedded in the numbers were designed to be found by Peter and Walter, to create a 'fringe event' that would draw themselves to something the other side already knew--the location of the other hidden pieces of the 'ancient machine' built by the First People that can create or destroy universes.
In any case, the Fringe Team learn of the First People. They learn about the Numbers. And they can't figure it out. Until, that is, the script needs them too. And suddenly these numbers start leading to points on a calendar which now magically map to coordinates on Earth. And viola, they suddenly have the location for almost two dozen 'sites', the last one happens to match the site where they pulled up the box--part of the ancient device. And, Olivia again has to do something nasty to protect her cover. And that cover is starting to ever so slightly wear thin, even as she's starting to actually question what she's doing (if just a little bit).
So, who were the first people? Why would Walternate want Walter/Peter to figure it out? Why wouldn't he just use agents to collect the pieces for himself, if he already knew how to get them? Just how many bad things is Olivia really willing to do--the cracks, it seems, are finally starting to show. Just what is the end game they are setting up here?
Now, there were no real answers here, but I've been thinking about it a bit. Now, my first thought was First People = Observers. And that is actually be true, but also might also be too easy. But, why the amnesia? The 'Number Stations' are mysterious untraceable sources of random numbers, generated in random languages. I've heard of the phenomenon, actually, there are some that operated for over 20 years in Siberia, for example. But in Fringe World, the Number Stations have existed for a long time. In fact, the first radio invented picked up a number signal--suggesting their origin is a lot older than the current situation. Of course, the amnesia itself is just a red herring...Walternate didn't care if others figured it out; he just needed something to attract Fringe Division's attention.
So we know certain things. We know that Walternate is trying to build this device. That is seems to be spread between multiple worlds. And that the First People died out suddenly in some great disaster. We also know that he couldn't complete the device. And in this season, we learn that parts of the device, or perhaps another version of the device, is located on this side as well. My presumption is that Walternate discovered the truth about these stations, used them to collect the devices on his side; but could not get it to work. So, he needs his counterparts to do the same. Walternate wasn't responsible for these signals; nor was he trying to prevent this information from being found out (as is suggested in the episode)...it's clear he WANTED Fringe Division to find this. And so the amnesia thing was solely to attract Fringe Division to the case itself.
But that begs a different question. Peter responds to the device, which no one else does. That's still interesting, now, isn't it? My assumption has been that Peter is 'special' because he was from the other side--a result of the first rift between worlds. And he is somewhat unique in that he has spent the longest amount of time living on the other side compared to anyone else (save the observers themselves). But, what if Peter is special for another reason? Something that was different on the other side...like Walternate had discovered the truth of these numbers (and the ancient machine) before? I don't know, but I think that's going to be important before this is all done.
And the ending was also kinda cool. So, Olivia no longer needs to show up for the tests? That's a bad sign, for her. They have what they need, and at that point they have no more use for her. In a way, I'm going to be quite happy--next week's episode looks damned awesome--but in another way I'm going to be sad. The Alt-Fringe episodes have been consistently inspired all season and it'll be sad to see her get back home. Alt-Fringe is awesome, Charlie, Lincoln, Broyles, Walternate, are all great characters (too bad alt-Astrid sucks though). It's going to suck going back to a more traditional format.
And another thing. I still have no idea where this show is really going (other than it's been a blast watching them)...By humanizing the other side, it's really going to suck if they become the 'bad guy's' in a more complete way. I would love to see them team up. But, unless some new faction is introduced I just don't see how that would be possible with the way things are going. I am, however, still lending myself to the theory that despite what the show has been showing, Walter is not actually responsible for all of the devastation on the other side. I'm truly beginning to believe that Walternate himself was responsible...that his drive to retrieve his son (which he believed had been kidnapped by his alternate with another universe) drove him to any length to retrieve him--Universe be damned.
At this point, I'm just hoping that there is not a definite 'switch' yet. If Olivia becomes capable of switching sides on a regular basis, then I think that could lead into very new territory. Especially if she can develop some other allies on the other side. And I hope they don't take the easy way out and kill alt-Olivia. It would be cool if they can keep the other side heavily involved in the proceedings; maybe even experience some more alt-fringe investigations. Maybe that will happen with Broyles? That would be the perfect person to become an ally, honestly, or Lincoln?
One other cool thing about it that I liked. I ended up watching this episode with my family last night. They haven't seen the show since the first season, and they were clearly enjoying it quite a bit. And then Olivia walked in on the bad guy, pissed that he'd blown his cover, and the realization that she was actually a bad guy hit them, and it was really fun to see their reaction. Obviously that was not intended by the writers, as by this point everyone knows what's going on, but it was fun to see them react to it, NOT knowing what had happened before. And now I'm pretty sure they are going to start watching it again regularly.
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