Fringe TV Show - Statue of Limitations - Fringe Photos & Videos, Fringe Reviews & Fringe Recaps | TWoP

Recapped by Daniel · Aired 01-18-2013

Remember when I said Michael probably stepped off the train as part of some larger plan that he couldn't communicate to the Fringers? Yeah, never mind. It turns out he was just being a stupid kid, essentially, causing a headache for our heroes. Or maybe he did just to mess with Windmark, who gets a nosebleed and a bloody eye for his efforts to read Michael.

He's being held at Liberty Island, which they find out with the help of ol' Broyles. You know, where the Statue of Liberty used to be? So how do they get him back? Well, Walter's got some old Cortexiphan lying around, and its best-before date is years into the future, so Olivia's going to snort some and shift over to the other side, make her way to the presumably easier-to-get-to Liberty Island on the other side with the presumably still-alive Bolivia and Lincoln Lee, get to the exact corresponding spot where Michael is being held, pop back to our side, grab Michael, pop back the other side and get back to a safe spot, and come back to our side.

It takes some buildup to get to the stage, though, with Olivia having a hard time readjusting to the Cortexiphan reentering her system. But it works, naturally, finally leading to some action in what is mostly a slow first half-hour. She meets up with older Lincoln Lee (who looks exactly the same but with a little more grey, curse that handsome genetic anomaly) and Bolivia (who is obviously a total BILF), doesn't notice that Chelsea Clinton is leading the polls, and rescues Michael (in the nick of time, since Windmark's supervisor had ordered him "disassembled," ugh), and all the while Donald/September ("Septembald"? "Dontember"?) is assembling the device (I'm just going to call it a "flux capacitor") that's going to open the wormhole to send Michael and Walter to the future. This necessitates a visit to December for the final trigger. December is reluctant, but finally convinced by Dontember of the importance of what he's doing. It does not go well for him.

Yep, Peter discovers -- via one more tape found in the amber -- that the plan is for Walter to accompany Michael to the future (otherwise how will Michael find the scientist?) and what that means, because nature abhors a paradox, is Walter will disappear from 2015. Oh, you guys are aware of paradoxes? Because I don't think the internal logic of the time-travelling plan makes any sense at all, but after five years and a hundred mostly really good episodes and an ever-declining audience, I'm not sure it matters at this point. Anyway, Peter is a little bummed about saving the world and losing his dad, but Dontember steps in anyway, and says he's going to go with Michael. Walter tries to argue, but Dontember points out that when they agreed Walter would go, it was when Dontember didn't have the feelings he does now (or any feelings). Oh, and also? MICHAEL IS HIS SON, so that's a bit of a trump card.

The action and tension ramp up in the second half, as Windmark discovers who "the dove" is, ol' Broyles. (I do wonder if Lance Reddick wonders why the hell Bolivia and Lincoln Lee got to age so well while he looks like his face is going to break off in chunks.) Windmark allows Broyles to think he fooled the Observers in order to let Broyles lead them to the fugitives. Fortunately, Broyles figures that out and leads the Loyalists/Observers on a merry wild goose chase. And then he gets captured and is probably gonna die.

Finally, then, the plan they've been working towards all season is set in motion, with an assault on Observer HQ to get the trigger (and the happy byproduct of rescuing the captured Broyles), an assault that employs a greatest-hits package of weaponized evil -- sealed orifices, imaginary killer butterflies, translucent bodies and violent stomach flukes.

There's a firefight and a satisfying climactic battle with Windmark that ends with Olivia marshalling whatever's left of the Cortexiphan in her system by turning out the lights in New York and telekinetically slamming a car into him, leaving him a bloody smear on a window.

Walter winds up going through the wormhole with Michael anyway, since Dontember gets killed in the final battle. Peter mouths an "I love you, dad" at his father, and the two of them step through … and we're transported back to that day in the field (I'm sure everyone saw that coming) when the Observers arrived. Except they don't arrive, and Peter, Olivia and Etta go home, and Peter finds in the mail an envelope from his father, containing the picture of the white tulip. He looks up, startled -- and then cut to black.

My theory is that the guy in the Members Only jacket shot him, but I'm open to alternative theories.

Daniel is a writer in Newfoundland with a wife and a daughter. He supposes he's going to have to actually talk to them on Friday nights from now. Follow him on Twitter (@DanMacEachern) or email him at danieljdaniel@gmail.com.

Following Michael bafflingly stepping off the train and into the hands of Windmark, the team has retreated to Formerly Harvard University, where they make contact with Anil at the Resistance, who reports that no one has heard any chatter about a child Observer. Astrid was tracking the convoy that was transporting him, but even that dropped off the grid so they're stuck and have no idea how to get in touch with Dontember to see if he's got some freaky magic Observer way of getting in touch with him, but they'll find out when he gets back from doing whatever it is he's doing.

"Try him again," Peter urges Olivia, and she calls... ol' Broyles! You're damn right there wasn't going to be a series finale without him! He ignores the beeping phone, but stops a brusque Loyalist lieutenant in the hall and asks about the "high-value detainee" who was taken custody into custody last night; Broyles needs to know where he's being held. The lieutenant says he's under strict orders not to disclose that, and Broyles says he just got word Fringe division is supposed to provide reinforced security. He then reminds him there's supposed to be a "measure of cooperation" between their divisions, but the Loyalist says there's been a change in protocol after the security breaches from within. Broyles boldly asks if the lieutenant is suggesting Broyles is the dove. "I'm really more of a raven, don't you think?" he says. Even human turncoats in 2036 don't want to appear racist, so the lieutenant tells Broyles that the detainee is being held in Detention Camp 17, East Wing, of Liberty Island. Broyles walks away, and the lieutenant asks who the detainee is. "Hell if I know," says Broyles, not even bothering to look back. Broyles! Cooperation!

Over to Liberty Island now, which is where the Statue of Liberty used to be, but now is just home to Lady Liberty's feet and a little robe and not much else. Presumably the rest of it is washed up on a beach somewhere, waiting for Charlton Heston. Windmark and a couple of Observers enter the brightly-lit room where Michael is strapped to a chair. "I am intrigued by you, Anomaly XB-," says Windmark, who sits down across from him. I hate it when he gets all gushy like this.

Windmark tells Michael it's in his interest to communicate with him and then that light buzzing noise starts up that means he's probing the kid's mind. He asks Michael what the people he was with want with him, what his significance is to them, but all he gets back are echoes of his own questions and he starts to strain while Michael calmly stares at him. "Tell me about September. The one who hid you. Why did he hide you? To what end?" says Windmark, visibly struggling . The buzzing gets louder -- and then Windmark has a nosebleed. He looks a little astonished -- you made him bleed his own blood! -- but he wipes it away with a handkerchief and keeps trying, asking what the fugitives' plan is and how it involves Michael.

No dice -- now it's Windmark's right eye that fills up with blood. He stands up -- Michael looks not in the least concerned -- and retrieves his hat from a HenchObserver. "Run complete and thorough diagnostics. Find out what it is," he says, with the HenchObserver having already written down, "Little" and "Bald" and "Kicked Windy's ass."

And now we're into the opening credits for the last time never (Me, an hour from now: "Nope, the second last time ever.")

In a park, ol' Broyles hooks up his elaborate non-traceable phone setup so he can call Peter back and pass on the bad news that Michael is being held in a fortress on Liberty Island with towers manned 24 hours and at least five layers of security, and he doesn't have clearance to get them access. Everyone looks gloomily at the holograph schematic that Broyles uploaded to them, showing the neurological research unit where Michael is likely going to be experimented on... or worse.

Peter optimistically says no building is impenetrable, but Broyles shoots down every possible plan; a boat would be picked up by the motion sensors and there are too many alarms and redundancies built in for Astrid to be able to make a go of hacking in and disabling them.

It's Olivia who suggests doing an end run by bypassing security altogether via "the other side." And it's been so long that Astrid's reaction is, "The other side of what?" Olivia figures she can cross over to the other side, go to the corresponding spot where Michael is being held, pop back in again, grab Michael and then back through the other side and home again. Astrid points out that the Cortexiphan is burned out of her system so she can't cross over. Olivia looks with hope at Walter and says maybe there's a way she can get it back.

After a moment, Walter and says maybe she can. And it's back down to the Cabinet of Walter Bishop, where he keeps every horrible toxin and weapon and grotesquely killed corpse he can, to fetch some Cortexiphan. Peter asks how they know if it's even good anymore and Walter says it's got a shelf life of 127 years. It's in the fridge, right to the vodka!

Astrid points out -- as if we need to worry about little details when the overall time-travel plan is beyond ridiculous -- that when Olivia was given the Cortexiphan before, it was in controlled doses over a long period of time. Walter explains that it created a network of neurological pathways that may have atrophied through lack of use but may be temporarily reactivated by a large does or blah blah, whatever it's the series finale just go with it.

Peter's less concerned with the plausibility than with the danger. He doesn't think giving Olivia a massive dose can possibly be safe and Walter admits that the side effects could mean stopping Olivia's heart, phasing in and out, disappearing altogether and/or bursting into flames. Fortunately, he has the official Fringe waiver ready for her to sign. Most of it's just boilerplate, Olivia, don't sweat it.

Peter's adamant that Olivia not do it, but Olivia asks what choice they have, because they have to rescue Michael. "Etta died so that we could finish the plan," she points out. Peter asks what happens if Olivia dies. Well, then humanity is screwed, which is kinda where you are now, Peter, so this better not just be about having someone to have sex with until humanity as we know it ends. Of course, the other thing I'm not clear on is how this Norwegian scientist essentially invents the Observers when he's already living in a world of Observers, like some kind of Terminator closed-loop paradox, but I promise not to worry about this more than four or five more times through the rest of the recap. "Without him, we lose everything," she says.

After a few moments, Peter calmly starts pointing out problems with the plan, assuming she even makes it over successfully: They have no idea what or who is over there anymore, since they closed the bridge 24 years ago. For all they know, the Observers invaded over there too. "We have no way of knowing what happened," he says.

It's Astrid who points out the cracked universe window in the corner and suggests looking through it to the other side. "That's brilliant, Ashcan!" crows Walter. Peter remains skeptical.

Back over the neurological research unit of Liberty Island, an Observer scientist injects poor Michael to paralyze him for the neck down so he can't interfere in their diagnostic testing, which involves lowering a huge contraption down over his head and studying the results on a screen. Windmark stares at him. Dude, more blood from your other nostril! Michael is staring at him, looking almost challenging. If I had to guess, I'd say he's thinking, "I can keep this up all day, old man."

The Fringe team pulls their van up in Battery Park by the water. Liberty Island is in the distance and there is a so-brief-why-bother concern over a Loyalist woman walking her dog by the water, but then she just decides abruptly to turn around and walk the other way, so they're all clear. With Olivia and Peter on lookout, Astrid and Walter start hauling the gear out of the van and setting up the window. They flick it on and look through it hopefully, and behind the glass, images of people passing by flicker into view as does the full Statue of Liberty in the distance in her rightful place (not counting the mini ones in Las Vegas or Paris). "Isn't she beautiful," says Walter. Olivia seems a little less reassured than he does, but she's the one making the journey.

By Daniel

Meanwhile, Dontember has made his way back to the lab at Formerly Harvard University and sadly no one is there to greet him. Not even a note! But he gets to work assembling his device, working with the holograph schematic, which might actually make this fun like putting together Lego! He's got those crazy red rocks, which he reduces to powder using a blowtorch (?) and then mixes with water or some other clear liquid, and -- look, eventually it's some sort of yellowish gel or something in a tube. Science!

The Fringe team arrives at a Resistance safe house, where they're introduced to field surgeon Tobin, who's going to be assisting them in preparing Olivia with the Cortexiphan. Walter's a little put out that they weren't able to acquire a defibrillator in time, but Tobin at least has some adrenalin, which Walter grudgingly says is risky but will have to suffice.

Olivia sits down and pulls open her shirt a little bit so Walter has access to the back of her neck -- because obviously to take effect quickly, the Cortexiphan needs to be injected directly into her brain stem. He sticks the first dose into the special pneumatic injection gun and fires it home, and we go a little Requiem for a Dream with dilated pupils and pumping heart. Olivia gasps and Astrid notes that her heart rate is elevated like YEAH I SHOULD THINK SO, and Walter gets the second dose ready and injects it. The effect is even more pronounced, and Olivia can't even focus on Peter. Tobin, who doesn't appear to be overly familiar with crazy Dr. Bishop, thinks this is all madness and says they're going to kill Olivia. Take it easy, Tobin. Dial it back a little. It's the series finale, so it's not like you're going to turn Tobin the Resistance Surgeon into a fan-favourite recurring character by dialing it up to eleven or anything. Walter grimly tells Peter to hold Olivia down, and shuts up Tobin: "I created Cortexiphan. There is no better authority."

After the commercial break, the Observer scientists are staring at Michael's brain scan in confusion, noting the uncharacteristic development in the brain's emotional centers. The abnormally enlarged limbic system has "sent tendrils" into the brain's cognitive centre and integrated intellectual and emotional activity to an extent heretofore thought impossible. While you're in there, can you see why he's not talking? One of the Observers says he'll make the report.

Back at the safehouse, Olivia rests and Peter watches her. Walter tells him "Sacrifice is hard" and then perhaps remembering that Etta RECENTLY DIED adds that Peter's no stranger to that. Neither are you, Peter reminds him. Walter, looking like he's getting emotional, says, "Peter -- " as though he's about to tell his son something, but when Peter prompts him to continue, Walter appears to think better of it and says, "You're very strong, son."

Time to wake Olivia up! She's having an Etta clip show for a dream, it appears and then when she opens her eyes, Peter and Walter flicker in and out of her vision. I don't mean her vision goes blurry, I mean they are sometimes there and sometimes there's just the wall. I wonder if our heroes ever wake up in the morning forgetting that they live in a grey world occupied by a cruel loveless future version of humanity and then have to remember it all over again?

Anyway, Walter tells her that to be safe, she's only got about three and a half hours from her last injection before the Cortexiphan wears off and he hands her a stopwatch already set with a timer, and nearly half-an-hour has already gone by while she was sleeping. Tick-tock, folks. Michael's not going to rescue himself. In fact, if the Observers didn't have him strapped down, I imagine he'd be sticking forks in electrical sockets and the like.

Anyway, if the drug burns off too fast, she might start experiencing withdrawal symptoms like hallucinations and disorientation and if she starts experience any of those, she needs to come back immediately or she risks getting stuck over there. Yeah, you wouldn't want to miss coming back to this Dystopian hellscape!

The team pulls up in an alley where apparently wasteful humans keep oil drum fires going even during the day time. Walter gives Olivia a quick check to make sure that's recovered from his injecting her with a massive dose of the drug that ruined her life. Astrid tells her they'll be waiting for her in Battery Park when she gets back and Olivia and Peer get out of the van (with Walter looking a pretty anxious about the whole thing). Peter points out that Fringe Division should be right in front of her, assuming it's in the same place it used to be. He asks if she thinks she can find her. "I think she'll probably find me," says Olivia.

By Daniel

Peter gets all gooey and tells her that she's coming back with the boy, for Etta, and also that he loves her. She responds in kind and then steps away. They stare at each other while the camera spins around and the background shimmers and darkens and eventually comes back into focus and when Olivia looks up into the sky, she sees a zeppelin floating overhead. Aw, I've missed those!

And sure enough, an alert pops up on a screen somewhere at Fringe Division, and a soldier alerts her superior to a breach. Elsewhere, Fauxlivia goes strolling by a television with a news crawl letting us know that Chelsea Clinton is leading polls in the presidential race. On another channel, Sean Hannity's son is warning of the coming socialist apocalypse if Chelsea Clinton is elected.

By Daniel

Fauxlivia's strolling around, wearing baggy, flowing clothes that I think are supposed to indicate a little weight gain, but she still looks amazing obviously. She canoodles a little bit with Lincoln Lee, who looks exactly the same except for a dusting of grey in his hair and apparently their current jobs at Fringe Division are to swan around the place looking hot when they're not gazing lovingly at each other. Yay, he got his Olivia after all! And after a swarm of Fringe soldiers surround Olivia on the front steps of the building, Fauxlivia gets a call on her cuff.

Olivia has been taken to Fauxlivia's office, where she looks at family pictures of Lincoln, Fauxlivia and a teenage son. Fauxlivia and Lincoln arrive, looking surprised and concerned to see her, especially looking exactly the same as the last time they saw her. Olivia says that she was in amber for 21 years, an explanation that itself raises a lot more questions, but that can wait until after Fauxlivia hugs her. Lincoln seems a lot more worried (I hope it's not that he's still not over her, because come on, guy!).

Olivia fills them on everything up until Etta freeing them all from amber, at which they're all, "Oh, you found her! That's great!" Before Olivia can bum them all out with the conclusion to that story, she starts hallucinating young Etta in the room and suddenly she's having difficulty hearing what's going on, much to the concern of Lincoln and Fauxlivia. When she comes to, she appears to have explained the time-traveling part of the plan and then moves right into the rescuing-Michael part of the plan. It's kind of amusing the way Fauxlivia and Lincoln don't question anything, but just spring into action, with Lincoln saying he'll go arrange transportation to Liberty Island.

Back over on our side, Dontember is merrily working away, having made several more canisters of that yellowish gel stuff that he is sticking into this contraption with tubes and a sphere in the middle -- the whole thing is taller than he is. Looks like the whatever-that-is is almost ready! And now for the crowning touch: This thing! That Dontember pulls out of his bag and sticks in the whatever-it-is! The gel stuff starts glowing and the display on the doohickey lights up. All the way up to twenty whatever that means! And then the lights go down and the doohickey kinda sounds like it shorts out, and that doesn't appear to be good.

She tells him that he deserves all the happiness he got and, fortunately, before he can blurt out that he's still in love with her, Fauxlivia comes back to take them to the best place for Olivia to cross over. As they walk, Fauxlivia smilingly tells Lincoln to stop checking out her young ass. In response, he pats Fauxlivia on her own still-perfect-I'm-sure ass.

They get to the room that matches up with where Michael's supposed to be on the other side and Olivia's got just under an hour left, so Fauxlivia gives her a few quick words of encouragement. Then Olivia crosses over, the effort sending her reeling into the corner of the room when she makes it. It's the right room, but the examination room is empty, Michael's brain scan is still up on the computer screen. Olivia's Cortexiphan GPS announces it is recalculating, and Olivia draws her gun.

Oh, there's Michael! He's strapped to a gurney being wheeled down the hall and into an operating room guarded by a couple of Loyalists. He's stripped to the waist and laid down, his torso bathed in a yellowish green light that appears to highlight his internal organs.

Olivia walks down the hall at the detention facility, although the way the lines are bending and people are fading in and out, she doesn't seem to be able to tell the difference between what's really in front of her and what might be an illusion. She spots an Observer and then she doesn't, and then he's back more substantially, and she plugs him and continues walking down the hall. It doesn't seem like the sound of shots being fired in a detention facility is raising any alarm or anything. I mean, there's a security guard watching a bank of cameras, but he only seems to notice Olivia when she's right outside his door and he gets shot before he has time to do anything about it. Olivia sees Michael in the operating room in one of the screens and heads back out the door, because I guess that told her all she needs to know about getting there.

In the OR, the surgeon is dramatically pulling the cloth off his array of creepy tools and spending an inordinate amount of time caressing them, so it looks like Olivia's got plenty of time to get there.

She's going to need it, too, because she's moving as if in a daze, the walls bending in on her and figures slipping in and out of her vision. She tries to focus, and then it's suddenly too late because an Observer has popped out right in front of her. He whacks her across the face, knocking her to the ground and the gun out of her hand. She can't really get to her feet, but suddenly lights are going out in showers of sparks as her Cortexiphan starts to flex its muscles a bit and the Observer is distracted long enough for Olivia to get her gun and shoot him.

And now the alarms start to go off, just as, in the OR, the surgeon is about to start cutting Michael with a laser scalpel. An Observer pops in to tell him there's been a breach in security and he's to remain there until it's resolved. The Observer pops out, and seconds later someone is banging on the OR's doors. The surgeon looks at it, but doesn't do anything and a moment later the door is shot open and Olivia's kicking her way in, shooting the surgeon in the heart and ordering the terrified Loyalist nurse not to move.

The corners of Michael's mouth curl up in the biggest smile possible for this kid. Olivia gathers him up in her arms and phases out just as an Observer comes into the OR. He cocks his head and then pops out himself...

...and as Olivia returns to the other side, he does too, shoving her against the wall. He goes after Michael, but is dropped by the tag team of Lincoln Lee and Fauxlivia, who feel a little bit too cocky and pleased with themselves, such that they're not paying attention and Olivia has to yell "BEHIND YOU!" as another Observer pops in.

He's quickly dispatched and Fauxlivia hustles Olivia and Michael out of there while Lincoln Lee hangs around in case any more come through. Although theoretically they can pop in wherever they want, right? Incidentally, the close-up shots really show off the nice job they did aging Fauxlivia and even baby-faced Lincoln (I was exaggerating about them looking exactly the same).

The women and Michael disembark at a pier in Battery Park, apparently without further incident and Olivia thanks Fauxlivia (who is, it only just occurred to me, dressed much the way Nina Sharp dresses, which would fit with the age Fauxlivia is now). They do a little mother-bonding over Fauxlivia's beautiful family and Olivia's efforts to get hers back, and then Olivia hugs Michael and crosses back over...

...where everyone is hanging out by the van in Battery Park and they've managed to not get arrested despite being the most wanted fugitives in the world and loitering in the park for the past couple of hours. It's a happy reunion, but Olivia warns them that the Observers know they crossed over and she's not sure how much time they have. But they get in the van and there's always enough time for cuddling with Peter, it seems.

Over at HQ, Windmark is scribbling away in his dream journal or whatever when two HenchObservers escort in the Loyalist lieutenant ol' Broyles was talking to earlier, apparently at Windmark's request. Windmark makes him stew for a moment before finally looking up and telling him he was one of three officers who knew the high-value detainee's location. The Loyalist suddenly looks very ill. "If you imparted this information to anyone else, I need to know," says Windmark. After a moment, the Loyalist says, "He told me that you authorized it, sir." "Who?" asks Windmark, and the Loyalist gives up Agent Broyles. Windmark closes his eyes for a moment and then opens them up again, which is for him the equivalent of a temper tantrum.

By Daniel

Elsewhere, sad-looking Dontember walks down a hallway, sighs a little and knocks on a door. Opening it is good ol' December, who says -- disappointedly or happily, you choose -- "I never thought I'd see you again." Dontember says Walter Bishop is back, they have the boy and there's something they need December to do. Man, Dontember, it's called small talk! It's what humans do. At least ask him how he's been! December stares at him impassively and Dontember finally says, "You owe me." December turns around and Dontember follows him back inside, closing the door behind him (No. 513, for what it's worth).

Daniel is a writer in Newfoundland with a wife and a daughter. Seriously: Lincoln Lee? Congratulations. Follow him on Twitter (@DanMacEachern) or email him at danieljdaniel@gmail.com.

Click here to read Part 2 of the Fringe series finale

Think you've got game? Prove it! Check out Games Without Pity, our new area featuring trivia, puzzle, card, strategy, action and word games -- all free to play and guaranteed to help pass the time until your show starts.

Fringe TV Show - Statue of Limitations - Fringe Photos &amp; Videos, Fringe Reviews &amp; Fringe Recaps | TWoP

Fringe TV Show - Statue of Limitations - Fringe Photos & Videos, Fringe Reviews & Fringe Recaps | TWoP