As we stood there on the shore of San Diego Bay taking in the sights of Comic-Con, Clint looked at me and asked, “Darrell, why do you do all of this?” I took a moment and gave him an answer I wasn’t happy with then and I’m not happy with now. I told him that I enjoyed being around the celebrities and learning about all the new stuff that’s coming out on TV this season. He looked at me with a dissatisfied expression. I’ve thought a lot about it since then, and here’s the truthful answer he deserved that day. I wanted the recognition. I wanted the notoriety. I was motivated heavily by selfish ambitions.

We are joined by Erin for this episode as we discuss the episode “And Those We’ve Left Behind,” or, as Darrell calls it, “The Stephen Root Episode.” We talk about why this episode remains so memorable to Fringe fans and how the magic of Stephen Root and Rosy Rosemont being a couple in real life adds to the authenticity of their performances in this episode!

The Bible has a lot to say about God and his attributes, and it’s easy to understand how some of these passages can be interpreted to paint God into an image similar to that of Oz. But is that accurate? Just as Dorothy and her friends learned the truth about Oz when they pulled back the curtain and had a face to face conversation with him, I think if we dig in and pull back the curtain a bit today, a better understanding of God’s character will be revealed.  

What price would you pay to change your appearance, and what happens when the power to transform yourself becomes a curse? This month we look at two epsodes where identity and the consequences of changing one’s appearance take center stage. They explore themes of conformity, individuality, and the dangerous allure of being able to become someone else – whether by choice or societal pressure.

Certainly the fact that we have the capacity to think signifies our existence. However, I’ve seen too many people who think they don’t exist because no one seems to notice them or acknowledge them. Honestly, I think deep down all of us need someone to affirm us in some way in order for us to feel like we exist. Thus, “I am thought of, therefore I am.”

It’s just us this episode as we take on “Novation,” Peter’s first full episode this season. We reflect on some of the theories that we had back in the day about who was behind the Shapeshifters 2.0 (one of which was surprisingly quite… valid) and how we felt vs. now feel about Peter’s (sort of) return to this timeline.