Fringe TV Show - Angel of the Mourning - Fringe Photos & Videos, Fringe Reviews & Fringe Recaps | TWoP

Recapped by Daniel · Aired 02-03-2012

The Fringe team investigates one poisoning, then another, involving a toxin of compounds so unlikely to interact that the only way someone could have combined them lethally is if they had some sort of godlike powers. (It makes a little more sense when you're actually watching it.) That conclusion was reached, in part, with the help of the Farnsworthbot, who has crossed over from the other universe with the intention of meeting her counterpart in this universe. After some initial shock, Astrid is quite delighted by the meeting, as is Walter, because the Farnsworthbot is smarter and quicker than Original Recipe Astrid.

Turns out there's a guy going around, a brilliant former mathematician, who can see people's futures, and killing the people who will lead bleak existences filled with suffering. He's also drawing the attention of the Observers, thanks to the glowing blue device that he found at Reiden Lake. It seems he managed to get his hands on an Observer's device. Naturally, it's September's, who can't seem to do anything right. Oh, and December is none too pleased that September didn't follow his instructions, and that Peter's back. Now that Peter's an accepted member of the team, Walter's resenting the intrusion into his lab. But at least he's making nice with Fauxlivia. In the end, the mathematician commits suicide by Olivia, hoping to get to heaven.

Daniel is a writer in Newfoundland with a wife and a daughter. He's feeling an overwhelming urge to buy a car you plug in instead of filling up. Follow him on Twitter (@DanMacEachern) or email him at danieljdaniel@gmail.com.

We're in a doctor's office. A gloomy-looking man with a bandage on his right hand speaks one word: "Malignant?" Looks like another feel-good episode! Actually, the doctor jumps right in to say it's small, still in the early days and with radiation, this type of carcinoma is ninety-five per cent treatable. Ninety-five? That's almost ninety-six! This carcinomatous Chet Williams does not seem cheered by those odds, nor comforted by the doctors bearded sincerity, nor amused by his joke that those are better odds than you get driving up the Mass Pike.

So the doctor breaks out the big guns (speaking patient-comfortwise): He gets up from behind his desk and sits on the front of it, facing Chet. "I've known you what, twenty years? We're going to get through this." Chet still doesn't speak.

Then he has to suffer the indignity of going from a cancer diagnosis to waiting for his bus on a bench that proclaims "Life's better in the sun." He's sitting there, brooding, when a man sits down to him, holding some sort of small blue-glowing cylinder in his right hand. "Tissue connectivity. That's what goes last," says the man, who we'll find out later is Neil Chung. (No, not the same guy from Crosby, Stills, Nash and Chung.) Chet's all, wha? So Neil elaborates that the cure -- radiation -- will make him sick and weak, but it won't work, because the cancer has multiplied. Then it's chemotherapy, but the cell replication rate is too high. Neil's got Chet's attention now, as he explains about hurting, aching, burning bones and renal failure. You know, I'm not one who subscribes to the "I wish it were the good ol' days" mindset, but there was a time when it was considered rude to discuss renal failure at a bus stop. Neil checks his little blue cylinder and then puts it in his pocket. "And soon, you lose all mobility below the waist. Impotence, incontinence and, finally, full respiratory failure. All from one tiny mole."

And now Chet's a little more on board with this ninety-five percent survival rate that his doctor was talking about. "You're the other five percent," says Neil. The bus arrives, blocking our view. When it pulls away again, Neil's gone and Chet's lying motionless on the bench, streaks of blood running from his eyes. Nobody appears to have gotten off and there's no screaming, so maybe the bus is empty and no one saw what happened? As for the bus driver, well, as long as Neil had exact change, the bus driver's got no problem with him.

After the opening credits, we get the extra-special leg-cam showing us someone clad in Earth-2's Fringe Division's stylish urban-war black and grey camouflage. It's the Farnsworthbot, using the bridge to cross over to the other side. She gazes up in wonder at a Statue of Liberty not made of bronze...

... and then we're back to Earth-2 where Col. Broyles has summoned Fauxlivia and Lincoln Bee to his office to tell them that the bridge was activated an hour ago by an agent crossing over to the other side without any mission imperative. Fauxlivia's wondering if someone defected, but Col. Broyles says he can't imagine that's the case, as it was Farnsworthbot who went. Lincoln Bee wants to know who gave her clearance, and Col. Broyles points out that she's got the same security clearance as any senior Fringe agent, and is in fact responsible for processing transit papers and clearance; it just never occurred to them that she'd use it for herself.

Col. Broyles doesn't know what she's doing over there -- she went off the grid right after crossing over -- but he wants to send a team of agents to retrieve her. Fauxlivia says Farnsworthbot doesn't do anything without a reason. "After the day she's had, I got a hunch where she's headed. I'll go get her," she says, although we don't know yet what kind of day she's had.

So back over to our universe, where Peter and Walter are working in the lab, with Walter hankering for some eggs: "I had a marvelous dream last night in which eggs played a prominent part," he says, which probably means he farted all night long too. Peter grumbles that they've only been working for three hours, and they've already taken two food breaks. "At this rate, I'll never get home," he gripes, like you'd think Peter would be used to this at this point. Walter's egg-dream-recollection-induced smile fades, and he starts petulantly saying that he likes the other boy, the one who plays chess and doesn't starve him. That would be Lincoln Lee. Peter rolls his eyes and explains, as Walter childishly scoots off to his chessboard, that Lincoln's in Hartford for his goddaughter's birthday, and Peter will be happy to play with Walter after they're finished their work. "Frankly, I don't think you'd be much of a challenge," sniffs Walter, and Peter stomps off all, "I got a challenge for ya" but says "Why don't we fix the machine?" instead of "It's in my pants."

The door opens and closes, and Walter doesn't look up from the chessboard. When Farnsworthbot says "Hello," he responds in kind and then realizes that Astrid is always willing to keep cramming food down his gullet, and he asks "Astro" if she'd like to share some delightful scrambled eggs? "It's Astrid," says Farnsworthbot. Walter's surprised to be corrected (I'm surprised that he's even aware that he would need to be corrected), and he turns around, and looks for a moment at Farnsworth, who's standing there, looking awkward and self-conscious. "You're not you, are you?" says Walter.

After the commercial break, Olivia's coming into the lab with our Astrid, who's talking about some guy who's never going to call her or some such boring nonsense. Olivia sees Farnsworthbot first and says hello, and then Astrid sees her and lets out a little scream. "I always wondered why nobody does that," says Olivia.

Since Astrid and Farnsworthbot aren't saying anything -- just standing there staring at each other -- Olivia finally asks what she's doing there. Farnsworthbot says she came here to meet her. The two of them adorably clasp each other's hands. "Olivia told me about you. But it's nice to met you personally in the flesh," says Astrid. "All personal meetings are in the flesh," says Farnsworthbot, who I may just start calling Astridperger's. Everyone smiles, as Astrid agrees that she supposes that yes, all personal meetings are in the flesh.

Farnsworthbot babbles about how she thought she would come here, because she "didn't know where to go after." Everyone looks confused while she talks about how her mother might have had traditions for "such occasions" but she doesn't know because she doesn't remember her mother, who died of cancer when Farnsworthbot was a girl. "Did yours as well?" she asks a discombobulated Astrid, who says yes. Farnsworthbot continues: "At first I thought I would walk in the park. But it was so cold. And I could not stop thinking about the words Reverend Stewart said. What a leader he was, a great man, a great friend. Reverend Stewart said he would be sorely missed." She continues to describe a funeral, getting quite sad, and how she didn't know where to go afterwards. "May I ask you a question? "Yours -- did you love him?" she asks Astrid. Tears have started to run down her cheeks.

Olivia quietly asks Astrid what's going on. In a room full of scientific brainiacs, no one has figured out the obvious. "I think my f-- I think her father is dead," says Astrid. Olivia's cellphone rings like JUST GO AHEAD AND INTERRUPT THIS EMOTIONAL SCENE, OLIVIA and while she goes to answer it, Walter seizes his chance to get people on board with chowing down on some eggs with chives. Peter scolds him over how this isn't the time, but Walter says nearly all cultures react to death with food. Never mind that, though, because Olivia's back to tell them they just caught a case. "And my double's on her way here to -- sort this out," she adds. Walter spits out, "Olivia! The viper?" earning a rebuke from Astrid. Olivia suggests that someone should wait here with Farnsworthbot, but Walter says there's no need, as he and Astrid will be fine. Our Astrid

is a little irked that Walter gets her name right, and Walter ignores that. "Astrid and I can wait here alone, can't we, dear? I'm sure she'll be great company."

So the Fringe crew takes in the bus stop crime scene, where Broyles introduces them to Chet Williams, who was diagnosed with Stage One melanoma just six hours ago. From the lab, Walter chortles, "Stage one. That has a survival rate of ninety-five percent. And that's without introducing even one frog rectally to slow cell division." Astrid's all, "What?" because seriously, what? She decides against relaying that little bit of info to the rest of the team.

Peter looks at the by now darkened streaks running down Chet's cheeks and asks if that's a bad mascara day, and everyone as usual ignores him making an ass of himself. Olivia asks Walter if someone can actually cry blood. Walter says certain viruses can cause bleeding from the tear ducts, but only after most of the organs are liquefied. To that end, he tells Astrid to check Chet's crotch, and then condescendingly tells her not to be a prude when she balks. She does so, and the lack of bleeding from the urethra AAAAAAAAHHHH STOP IT STOP IT! Anyway, Walter has decided Chet's organs haven't liquefied.

Peter wants to know what else could have caused this, and Walter starts rambling about a legendary alchemical mixture called the "tears of Ra" that Egyptians used to euthanize pets so that they could be buried with their owners who predeceased them. "But it's just a myth," he says. He tells them to bring the body back to the lab, and to bring some vanilla ice cream too. And he signs off with "Kirk out!" much to his own amusement, although it doesn't do anything for Farnsworthbot. She's too busy processing Walter speaking through Astrid. "Your Astrid, you talk through her. As if you were one person," she says. Walter agrees with that assessment, as well as her conclusion that it must be pleasant. "Yes, I suppose it is," he says.

While the police and agents mop up the scene, we see the activity reflected in the windows of a nearby building, including a silhouette of an Observer. There's a little something off about it, though; it's not quite a reflection, not quite a shadow, not quite us seeing him through the glass. But then the silhouette appears to step through the glass and out into the street -- this would be entirely in keeping with Observers' preference to stay unnoticed, of course. It's a new one. Let's call him "March," until we hear otherwise, in accordance with the glyph from last week. He takes out his little compass-cellphone-doohickey. "I think we have located it," he says into.

Back to the lab, where -- oh, gross. Peter's bloodied fingers put the man's kidney on a scale, and we find out it weighs just over a quarter of a pound, which the Farnsworthbot immediately calculates (in her head) is seventeen per cent lighter than an average human kidney. Apart from a quick glance between Astrid and Peter, the Fringe team seems to be already used to her idiosyncrasies. Olivia's reading info on Williams: 38 years old, manufactures consumer goods overseas, single, no debt, no drug issues. "His friends say that he's a nice guy," she says, which Astrid translates into, "So nobody someone would want to kill." Olivia says, "Well, everybody has somebody who wants to kill them," which I'm sure is far from true. No one wants to kill me, I don't think. I also can't think of someone I'd like to kill. Apart maybe from whoever invented Kidz Bop and is a really odd thing and Peter half-smiles, half-looks concerned.

Meanwhile, Walter thinks he's found the culprit, and says it's "odd," and Peter says it always makes him nervous when he says that. Walter explains that it's an interaction of chemical compounds he's not seen before, and tells "Aspirin" that predictive science says the compounds shouldn't interact, but they do. Olivia says, "So what, you're saying that it's magic?" like I DON'T THINK THAT'S WHAT HE'S SAYING, Olivia. I think it's like one of those "bumblebees shouldn't be able to fly" kinda things. Walter says it's just unusual science, the way six different alcohols create a flavor identical to iced tea. Peter's all "Amen to that!" like any excuse for a party for Peter. Anyway, the point is that it works, but no one could have predicted it would work. "So you're saying that he was killed by a poison that no one invented," which, again, isn't really it... except it is. And Peter jumps in with "It should go without saying, but that's impossible," and Walter snaps, out of proportion with how annoying Peter is being, "I think we're aware of that."

Then Fauxlivia shows up, putting everyone in a great mood. Peter looks less than thrilled, and Walter calls her "Mata Hari" and asks if she's deceived and betrayed anyone yet today, what with it already being almost lunchtime. Even Olivia looks a little uncomfortable.

But since Farnworthbot wouldn't notice the chill that's descended on the room, she blurts out, "Deus ex machina!" which Walter translates as "the hand of god" which is a little plan English than "god out of the machine." Farnsworthbot babbles away that the creation of the toxin would have required the assumption that the compounds could intermingle, except that they don't, except when they're all mixed together, which is unpredictable. "You're saying that a person would have to see that the chemicals had already been combined in order to know how to combine them?" asks Peter, fulfilling his usual "let me break it down for the audience" role. Somehow she's managed to calculate the chances of that happening as less than one-tenth of one percent, and says there's a root of the equation that is outside their realm of causality, ergo "dues ex machina," the hand of god. Peter: "Are you trying to tell us that God taught our perp how to mix a mythical poison?" A giddy Walter "explains" (like any of this means anything) that it's the only thing that makes sense, which is hilarious. I mean, it's not like the landscape of scientific discovery is riddled with accidental inventions, but let's go with "godlike powers" as the ONLY THING THAT MAKES SENSE. I mean, it turns out to be true here, but come ON. Anyway, Walter wants the Farnsworthbot's help to identify the origin of the component compounds. "I think I love her," he tells the rest of the group.

Fauxlivia figures out that she's not going home any time soon. "Cold Chinese in the fridge?" she asks, like make yourself at home, why don't you. Peter sighs and says he'll check while Olivia keeps making awkward faces.

Elsewhere, someone is buying a bottle of gin in the middle of the afternoon and there is emphasis placed on the liquor store guy slipping it into a brown paper bag so we know we're dealing with a drunk here. She walks out of the store, alternating between looking hungrily at the paper bag and clutching it to her chest, but as she gets down the block, she pulls it out from the bag slightly, and then forces herself to dump it in the trash. She walks through some sort of street corridor to the block, which is where Neil Chung catches up with her, telling her that she's putting up a good fight, but she's not going to win. She's too surprised to answer, and as Neil continues, telling her that she's going to take that drink and it's all downhill from there, she turns and starts walking away from him. "But you know the saddest part? The drinking doesn't kill you. Instead, it shatters the lives of everyone around you, everyone you love," he says. She's walking slowly, listening, and then she turns around as he says that first her boyfriend will be killed in a car crash with her behind the wheel, and her brother will lose his wife and daughter, alienating them in a futile attempt to save her. "No one can see the future," she says. Neil agrees with her, saying there's no future, no past. "Everything happens right now," he says, all up in her face by this point, and he holds some little device -- different from his other thing, but it's got a blue light that goes to red as it sprays some sort of mi

st in the woman's face, and we go to black immediately.

After the commercial break, Walter is angrily bringing a bag of Fauxlivia's stuff to her, the "junk you left behind in your haste to slink away," he says, and he dumps it all over the counter instead of just giving her the bag. She's delighted that he held onto her stuff all this time, and he's taken aback, and singles out a little metal cube that he says confounded him. He assumes that's one of her "tools of spycraft," like a "sinister" communication device or a "devious" encoder.

"Wow. I really go to you, didn't I, Walter?" she says, taking the thing from him. She asks a speechless Walter if he ever considered that maybe it's because he enjoyed having her around. "Admit it. You like me, Walter."

Too stunned to answer, Walter's rescued by Farnsworthbot, who tells him that Astrid's summoning him: "The Fringe team is at the scene," she says.

Astrid and Peter are in the little corridor where Neil sprayed the vacillating drunk, where the forensic tech is explaining that the way this woman died is among the weirdest things she's ever seen. "She bleeding from her eyes?" asks Peter, and tech asks how he knew that. "There seems to be a lot of that going around lately," he says. Walter tells "Asterix" to get a DNA sample, but before she can relay that to Peter, Peter's already getting one. Walter doesn't appear to like that one bit.

As Olivia strolls up, Peter's taking a sample from her nose and discovers that there's been some hemorrhaging of the nasal passage -- maybe she inhaled the poison. That out of the way, Astrid's all, "What were you saying?" to Walter, who says it doesn't matter. He's in the middle of telling her to ask Olivia to bring the body to the lab, when Peter asks her to do exactly that. Farnsworthbot, taking everything in, asks, "Does he always do all the jobs?" An extremely grumpy Walter doesn't answer but just shuts off the television.

Later, in the lab, Walter carries a tray of instruments over to where, to his chagrin, Peter is already examining the body. He gives the tray of scalpels to Peter, saying they can use some sharpening. "And you're sharing that with me why?" asks Peter, and Walter says, "I thought you'd sharpen them for me. You said you wanted to help." Peter says he meant with the autopsy, and Walter pointedly says the screws in the rib-spreader could also use some tightening. Peter puts on a tight smile and takes the scalpels and leaves.

Walter gets to work on the body, as Farnsworthbot comes over and says he's angry with his son. Barely paying attention to her, Walter says Peter isn't his son, and Farnsworthbot says she understands that in a different timeline, he is. "Or so he says," says Walter. Farnsworthbot flat-out asks if Walter feels love for Peter, since she has found that anger inevitably seems to be conjoined with emotional investment. Walter admits that Peter is a reminder of the son he had, and wish had lived, but he is not that son. And that makes you suffer? asks Farnsworthbot. Yes, says Walter. Now you know why humans cry, Farnsworthbot. She asks if it wouldn't be preferable to choose to believe that Peter is his son. And then Walter could love him and be happy. Walter seems to consider this but doesn't answer.

In the office, Olivia and Fauxlivia are trying to find some connection between the victims, taking a time-out so Fauxlivia can talk about how cute Peter is and how he's probably all contradictory and tricky like his dad, and Olivia passive-aggressives that she imagines he's just her type, and Fauxlivia says it actually turns out she likes the nice guys. Like Peter is some kind of gangster or something.

Anyway, back to work. Victims didn't live in the same neighborhood, didn't go to the same gym, no mutual friends. Olivia says there has to be a connection, otherwise they've got a killer on the loose and no lead to find him.

But we're gong to get a glimpse of that link right now: there's Neil Chung, a TSA agent at an airport, checking people's IDs and sending them through security. We see that his little blue glow stick is on his counter. When he holds an older woman's ID over it, nothing, but when a busy douchebag-type suit passes over his ID, the glow stick glows a brighter blue. After sending him through security, Neil jots down the man's name, Jared Colin, on a little notepad, and then gets back to work.

After the commercial break, we're still in Boston, because Jared Colin missed his flight. He's trying to explain this to some guy named Bill with whom he was apparently supposed to meet and work out some sort of deal, and who seems to think Jared's missing his flight was some kind of ruse. As Jared makes his way to his car in the parking garage -- we see a reflection of March in a car window observing what's going on -- he says he's hanging up the phone: "Call me back when you get a personality I can deal with." See? Douchebag!

Then he spots Neil Chung, who's standing there staring at him. "Can I help you?" he says, in that tone of voice that implies he doesn't actually want to help at all. "Making your call will destroy your life," says Neil, who goes on to explain that Jared will be driving, and when a taxi cuts him off his reaction won't be quick enough because he'll only have one hand on the wheel. Jared says his life is none of this guy's business, but we know by now that Neil's about to get a lot more specific: the car will flip, shattering Jared's spinal cord, leaving him a paraplegic. Since he's got no family, he'll wind up in a group home run by a man who is "not kind," (Jared notes the glowing blue thing Neil puts back in his pocket) and no one mourns when Jared's body is discovered more than ten hours after he dies. Pulling his little toxic Binaca spray out of his other pocket, Neil says, "I'm going to spare you from all that misery. A painless exit from a living nightmare," but Jared blocks him with his briefcase and starts to run. Neil chases him -- we can March standing in the background watching everything -- but Jared is hit by a car that's going a little too fast for a parking garage. He bounces off the windshield and lies in a heap on the ground. Jesus, an Observer and a car? You'd think Neil would be a little more careful about making sure no one's around while he's killing people.

So Peter and Olivia are over at the Boston Medical Center because they've gotten wind of Jared Colin's attacker, who had some kind of atomizer. Puzzling Olivia, though, is that Jared reported never having seen the man before. I know it's not the case here, but she seems to be dismissing the common scenario of someone lying about who attacked them for fear of retribution (and in this case, Jared just doesn't remember having met Neil, but that's because he was too busy being a douchebag). Anyway, they meet with the doctor, who tells them Jared's spinal cord is severed right below T-1, so he's never going to walk again.

She takes them to meet Jared, head and neck immobilized, and he explains he wasn't supposed to be in town but in Dallas, selling his company to his "scumbag partner, who for six years has made [his] life a living hell." He was looking forward to a new beginning, but there was a water bottle in his carry-on, and by the time the "damn TSA" was done with him, he'd missed his flight. Damn, is that really how it is in the States? The last time I accidentally had liquid in a carryon bag, the agent just threw it out and I was on my way.

Olivia asks if there's anything else he can remember about the guy. "He had this weird rod. It was blue, and he'd look into it like he was some kind of fortune teller. He said I was gonna have a car accident, and I was gonna end up like this." Peter's all, so this guy predicted what was going to happen? Jared said this isn't exactly what happened, but exactly doesn't really matter. Olivia shows him pictures of the other two victims, but he doesn't recognize them. Then he starts moaning about how the guy said he wanted to put him out of his misery, like he was doing a good deed, li

ke he's some kind of saint. Jared says he wishes the guy had killed him, and it sort of gets to the point where you're wishing this guy's mouth had been paralyzed too.

Astrid and the Farnsworthbot are working to try to connect the victims, but they're coming up with nothing, and at the same time they say, "Period. Goose egg. Zilch." They both find this delightful, but to be honest I found it kind of strange, given that it's exactly what the Observers do to demonstrate the way the exist across all times.

Anyway, Astrid offers the Farnsworthbot some coffee, and she's surprised, explaining how rare and expensive coffee is where she comes from. Then, flashing a broader smile than we've ever seen from the Farnsworthbot definitely and maybe even from Astrid, Farnsworthbot says she would like coffee. Astrid calls her "sweetie" but then turns around and makes a face about how weird her doppelgänger is.

Nearby, Fauxlivia is helping herself to Walter's licorice jar, and he gives her grief for it and won't share even after she asks permission. He grumbles about her breaking his concentration, and she sarcastically asks if he was solving world hunger or "perfecting the perfect" peanut butter shake, and it seems to me that the latter goal could probably take care of the former one. Walter snaps that he was "musing on our killer," and he says the "Tears of Ra"-style killing would be consistent with Olivia's report that the killer may be attempting to put his victims out of their misery. So they may be looking for a humanitarian or compassionate killer. Fauxlivia -- gesturing so much while she speaks that she may also be playing charades -- calls killing people to prevent them from suffering is an "extremely contorted view of compassion," so maybe in her universe the concept of euthanasia doesn't exist? Walter quietly says that, "Some suffering is worse than death," managing not to point out how much it hurts to see someone go after his licorice without permission. He does glare at Fauxlivia, though, so there's that.

Then there's a break in the case from the Farnsworthbot, who finds a connection. Whatever Logan International or the Transportation Security Administration are in the other universe, they have different names, as Farnsworthbot doesn't know what they are. But she does figure out, based on their voucher stamps, that all three were screened by the same security agent. Astrid confirms it, feeling a little bit strange about being shown up by her own self, but Farnsworthbot is just enjoying her coffee like it ain't no thang.

So it's off to Logan International to arrest TSA badge 0047, also known as Neil Chung. He sees them coming, though, and quietly walks away from his post while Olivia and Peter struggle to get through the crowd. They're stopping from getting into the boarding area anyway by another agent, who tells them they either have to have a boarding pass or supervised authorization. Seems kinda foolish that they didn't think to call ahead to maybe avoid this kind of problem. At any rate, Chung gets away.

After the commercial break, Peter and Olivia are now talking to a professor at MIT, because that's where Chung was previously employed. Peter asks the professor how an advanced mathematics professor winds up working for the TSA. "I suppose he loses his mind," says the professor, explaining that while everyone around there is driven, Chung put them all to shame: youngest tenure track professor ever, believed math was the key to unlocking the secrets of the universe. "I know how that sounds," says the professor, apologetically. "Not nearly as crazy as you might think," says Peter.

Anyway, Neil came back from his summer break at his lake house -- and given the scene from Reiden Lake in the "previously on Fringe" clips this week, you know where this is going -- and he was "changed." Neil found something, wouldn't say what it was, and became obsessed with high-level differential equations that no one could make heads or tails of. I wish that were the kind of problems we'd have at my work! Neil's theory was that if he could solve the equations, space and time could be flattened and be on a level plane: "You could in essence see past, present and future simultaneously," he says. That twigs for Peter, as the professor continues, explaining that solving the equations became more important than class, and eventually he just left and never came back.

Peter asks where the lake house was. Fortunately the professor has it right at his fingertips: Reiden Lake. A giant exclamation mark appears over Peter's head. Over Olivia's head, a question mark.

Outside, she reminds Peter that when he showed up in this timeline, it was at Reiden Lake. She asks him what's going on, and he explains that seeing past, present and future at the same time is what the Observers do, and how in his timeline, an Observer saved his life at Reiden Lake. (I'm ignoring their product-placed electric car plugged into the outlet or whatever you'd call it.) Olivia asks if he's suggesting that an Observer is behind this and is using Neil. Peter's not sure, but he thinks they should take a drive. Fortunately, They manage to not chat about how amazingly far they're going to be able to go on a single charge.

Back at the Harvard lab, Walter's got his eyes closed, he's plugging his nose and he's got headphones on. Farnsworthbot asks Astrid what he's doing, and Astrid explains that he's thinking. "You care for him," says Farnsworthbot, and Astrid has to admit that yeah, she does. And now it's time for another babblefest from the Farnsworthbot, who's worried that she couldn't give her father what he wanted because of the way she is. Astrid looks like her heart is breaking, like mine is. "That he secretly wished I could love him back in a way that he could understand." As the tears start to roll down her cheeks -- Jasika Nicole not wasting a rare showcase for herself -- she asks if Astrid thinks her father would have loved her more if she were more like Astrid, if she were normal. Astrid doesn't answer before the Farnsworthbot announces that she'd prefer her coffee with sugar. She goes to get some, while Astrid sits there, hoping Farnsworthbot cheers up again really soon.

Meanwhile, Peter and Olivia have arrived at Neil Chung's lakehouse. While Peter stares at the lake where, for all intents and purposes, he was born, and then goes to peer in the window, Olivia picks the lock, covering herself with a fake-innocent, "Who leaves their door unlocked when they're not home?"

They go inside, guns drawn, but the place is devoid of life. The walls are covered with equations, though, so they know they're in the right place. Peter, meanwhile, has found a wall with a framed newspaper story that reveals Neil was a twin. His brother and father were killed in a car accident. The wall is festooned with pictures of people like Jesus, Gandhi, Joan of Arc. "What's the connection? They're heroes?" he asks. Olivia's figured it out but instead of just saying so, she asks Peter what else they have in common, and then answers for him: "They're all saviors."

There's no sign of Neil, though, but a picture that Olivia got from the mantel may hold the answer: it's a picture of Neil with an older Asian woman. Great job! Now you know Neil has a mom!

And Neil is at his mom's house. There's a safe in which he's storing the glowing blue stick, and he pulls something out that's wrapped loosely in a cloth. It's a .45. He puts a clip in and jacks one into the chamber. Then, tucking the gun into his waistband behind his back, he strolls out into a living room where the older woman from the photo says, "Where are you going? I don't understand. What do you mean, you are here to say goodbye?"

When we get back from commercial, Neil's mom asks him again, and he says he already told her. "'Where I belong' is not an answer," she says. Ah, it's the battle hymn of the Tiger Mother! She asks if he got fired again, and he says that he wasn't fired from MIT; he left.

He's staring at her intently at t

his point, enough so that she finally says, "What?" and he tells her that he heard her the night Alex died. "You said God took the wrong one. 'Why did God take my angel?' you kept saying." Yeah, it's not a fun speech. He accuses her of resenting the fact he wasn't Alex, and he was afraid that he would never be good enough. It's no coincidence that this mirrors (no pun intended) the Farnsworthbot's worry that her father would have loved her more if she were like her own other-universe twin. But guess what! God had a plan. Oh, doesn't he always? Neil says that God let him live for a reason, and gave him a way to see the future. To prove it, he does the say-everything-the-other-person-says-at-the-same-time thing, and his mom's really starting to get freaked out. She apologizes and then, almost amusingly, says that he never should have heard what he did that night, which is not exactly the same thing as admitting she never should have said it.

But Neil says he's glad he did, because every time he saw the look of disapproval in her eyes, it only drove him to work harder. And that's why God took notice, he says. Mama Chung doesn't look particularly proud. Neil looks out the window, sees an electric car pull up, and starts talking about how Jesus knew that the Romans were coming for him, and could have avoided his death easily, but he didn't because -- just like Neil -- he had faith in God's plan. None of what Neil has to say seems to be of any comfort to his mom, who keeps on sitting on the couch like she's frozen, and then we hear Olivia pounding on the door and announcing that it's the FBI.

Neil's crouching in front of his mom when they burst in, and he's quietly asking if she remembers what the priest said at Alex's funeral: "He said angels don't belong on Earth," he says, standing up, hands up, gun in his right hand, back to Olivia.

She orders him to turn around, slowly. "I'll see you in heaven," he tells his mom, before turning and firing at Olivia. He shoots wide, shattering a window, and Olivia drops him with a shot, with Mama Chung screaming and crying. This is why you can't have nice things!

Later, as Neil's body is rolled out on a stretcher, Peter asks Olivia how she's holding up, and Olivia says he wasn't trying to hit her, but he knew they were coming and he wanted her to shoot him. Peter says "I guess it makes sense" -- it's always so cute when someone says that on this show -- since the guy could see the past, present and future. So why not shoot himself, Peter wonders. For a genius, Peter is an idiot. Olivia's the one who figures it out: "Because he was religious. If he committed suicide, he wouldn't be allowed into heaven." That doesn't make sense to Peter: "What about all the people he killed?" he asks. Yeah, when have people EVER been killed in the name of religion? That never happens! Olivia says Neil thought he was saving them, that this was his way to becoming an angel. Peter shakes his head at this heretofore-unknown idea that someone with strong religious beliefs could kill someone. Naturally, it's at this moment of Peter seeming like a simpleton that Olivia chooses to tell him that it's taken her some getting used to, but as long as he's here, he makes a good partner. Peter thanks her and wisely doesn't ask when they're going to get around to the ol' rumpy-bumpy.

Over at the lab, the Farnsworthbot is stiffly telling Walter that they're leaving. She holds out her hand to shake, and Walter embraces her. It's a hug that she doesn't so much as return but endure, but neither does she look particularly repulsed.

And then Fauxlivia swings on in, telling Walter that she wants to show him her "ingenious piece of spy tech," the little metal box that was in her belongings. She pops open a lid to reveal what looks like mints. You're telling me Walter couldn't figure out how to open this thing? Pleeeeease. She says they're "bobbins" and I have no idea if that's a real candy or not. I've never heard of them before. Walter tries one, and loves it, saying they're like wintergreen only smokier. And because Walter can easily be won over by food, particularly candy, he offers her some licorice for the road, much to her delight. "You may possess positive qualities that I previously overlooked," he admits, somewhat begrudgingly. Fauxlivia asks if he's flirting with her, and Walter's all "in your dreams" (flirtatiously).

Meanwhile, Astrid's bidding farewell to the Farnsworthbot, saying it was amazing to meet her. Farnsworthbot nods and says yes, and then Astrid starts talking about how she and her father aren't very close either. As the Farnsworthbot stares at her, Astrid talks about how her dad is complex, and she knows he loves her, even though it doesn't really seem that why. "You shouldn't regret that you couldn't be more for him. It wasn't you," she concludes. The Farnsworthbot looks like she feels immeasurably better after hearing that. "Thank you, Agent Farnsworth," she says. "You're welcome, Agent Farnsworth," says Astrid. They shake hands -- Astrid not so foolish as to force the poor woman into two hugs in the span of a couple of minutes.

Then we immediately head home with Astrid, where we meet her dad and realize she was lying to the Farnsworthbot. Her dad is there, a jolly man who's thrilled to see his "baby girl." He's cooking supper for her, wearing a classic funny-dad apron ("Shiitake happens," it says, and I immediately want one) and he wraps her up in a big hug when he hears she's had a lousy day and they tell each other, "I love you." So basically if my relationship with my daughter is anywhere NEAR this good when she's Astrid's age, I'll be the happiest man on Earth. Good god, I'm misting up. They KILLED a daughter last week and that didn't get to me at all!

Back over to Neil's house, where his mom is ... still sitting in the living room? She wants to keep hanging out in the room where her son was shot to death in front of her? I'm starting to assume that the actress has real-life mobility issues. At any rate, she's moved from the couch to a chair, and she appears to be asleep. Which is good, because the two Observers strolling through the house would really freak her out.

They go to the bedroom, to the safe, which one of them opens by merely putting his finger on the keypad. His finger glows, and the safe opens. I gotta get me one of those! He pulls out the glow stick. It's March, the new guy. "Here it is," he says, handing it over to the other Observer, December. "You're right. It's September's." I know these guys show barely any emotion, but it still feels that the way December said, "It's September's" had a little bit of disgusted annoyance, the way you'd talk about a co-worker whose screw-ups always create extra work for you. March says he must have lost it in 1985, the night he didn't save the boy. Hmmm. As in he tried to but didn't? Also interesting: March says September will be interested to know what happened to it. Given that when we last saw September, he seemed to be dying of a gunshot wound, that seems significant.

December turns to go, but March isn't done: "It appears that September did not obey your instructions. The boy is back. Peter Bishop has returned." December stares, impossible to read. Yeah, but you guys see all scenarios throughout all time, right, so didn't you know that? Well, it's not the first time I've been confused. You know what? If Fringe isn't going to survive, maybe we could try a spinoff? How about Farnsworth and Farnsworth?

By Daniel

Too stunned to answer, Walter's rescued by Farnsworthbot, who tells him that Astrid's summoning him: "The Fringe team is at the scene," she says.

By Daniel

Nearby, Fauxlivia is helping herself to Walter's licorice jar, and he gives her grief for it and won't share even after she asks permission. He grumbles about her breaking his concentration, and she sarcastically asks if he was solving world hunger or "perfecting the perfect" peanut butter sandwich, and it seems to me that the latter goal could probably take care of the former one. Walter snaps that he was "musing on our killer," and he says the "Tears of Ra"-style killing would be consistent with Olivia's report that the killer may be attempting to put his victims out of their misery. So they may be looking for a humanitarian or compassionate killer. Fauxlivia -- gesturing so much while she speaks that she may also be playing charades -- calls killing people to prevent them from suffering is an "extremely contorted view of compassion," so maybe in her universe the concept of euthanasia doesn't exist? Walter quietly says that, "Some suffering is worse than death," managing not to point out how much it hurts to see someone go after his licorice without permission. He does glare at Fauxlivia, though, so there's that.

By Daniel

Peter asks where the lake house was. Fortunately the professor has it right at his fingertips: Reiden Lake. A giant exclamation mark appears over Peter's head. Over Olivia's head, a question mark.

By Daniel

There's no sign of Neil, though, but a picture that Olivia got from the mantel may hold the answer: it's a picture of Neil with an older Asian woman. Great job! Now you know Neil has a mom!

He's staring at her intently at this point, enough so that she finally says, "What?" and he tells her that he heard her the night Alex died. "You said God took the wrong one. 'Why did God take my angel?' you kept saying." Yeah, it's not a fun speech. He accuses her of resenting the fact he wasn't Alex, and he was afraid that he would never be good enough. It's no coincidence that this mirrors (no pun intended) the Farnsworthbot's worry that her father would have loved her more if she were like her own other-universe twin. But guess what! God had a plan. Oh, doesn't he always? Neil says that God let him live for a reason, and gave him a way to see the future. To prove it, he does the say-everything-the-other-person-says-at-the-same-time thing, and his mom's really starting to get freaked out. She apologizes and then, almost amusingly, says that he never should have heard what he did that night, which is not exactly the same thing as admitting she never should have said it.

By Daniel

Daniel is a writer in Newfoundland with a wife and a daughter. He would watch the shit out of Farnsworth and Farnsworth. Follow him on Twitter (@DanMacEachern) or email him at danieljdaniel[at]gmail.com.

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Fringe TV Show - Angel of the Mourning - Fringe Photos &amp; Videos, Fringe Reviews &amp; Fringe Recaps | TWoP

Fringe TV Show - Angel of the Mourning - Fringe Photos & Videos, Fringe Reviews & Fringe Recaps | TWoP