S3E1 Olivia
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After a bit of a break between seasons, we are back to tackle season 3, cortexifans! We are starting, of course, with the season 3 premiere, simply titled “Olivia,” which shows us the immediate aftermath of the shocking cliffhanger at the end of season 2. With Olivia trapped in the Redverse and her team not realizing it because Fauxlivia/Altlivia/Bolivia (take your pick) is undercover pretending to be her, she runs and hides from Walternate and Fringe Division, befriending a taxi driver named Henry along the way. Join us as we discuss everything that we love about this premiere.
S2E21 Over There Part 2
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Joining us for this incredible season 2 finale from the fringe of America is Patty from Canadia, and we are so excited to be talking about this episode with her! We, of course (and by we, we mean Patty), tackle some of the science in this episode and whether or not it all makes sense. We also talk about our favorite moments from this finale and how amazing Anna is in it, and we talk about aspects of the third season that this finale potentially foreshadows.
S2E21 Over There Part 1
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We are finally nearing the end of season 2! Join us as we, along with David Wu (the mastermind behind The Fringemunks), discuss the first half of “Over There,” the incredible season 2 finale! We discuss what we love so much about this epic finale and how it is truly a huge climax for the series overall, pivoting the series in a very new direction for seasons 3 and 4. We also hear from some of our Fringetastic listeners sharing their thoughts about this episode.
S2E20 Northwest Passage
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Returning to the main Fringe canon, we find out where Peter went after disappearing at the end of “The Man from the Other Side” – none other than the literal northwest, Washington State! Here he meets Sheriff Ann Mathis (one of the show’s best episodic characters played wonderfully by The Goonies’ Martha Plimpton) as he helps her investigate a string of murders that feel uncomfortably close to Newton’s M.O. Meanwhile, Olivia and Astrid help Walter deal with the aftermath of Peter leaving. Our guest host, Rachel, helps us untangle all of the references that this episode has to the classic show Twin Peaks!
S2E19 Brown Betty
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Geoff (xforce11) joins us for this episode to discuss the first of four especially whacky Fringe episodes, Brown Betty, (of which we would get one each season from here on out). In this one, Walter, deeply troubled after the disappearance of Peter, tells Ella a story in which Olivia is a noir detective investigating the disappearance of Peter after he stole Walter’s mechanical heart, except, as Walter tells Ella more than once, things are not quite as they seem. We talk about our thoughts on the short musical numbers, the noir atmosphere, and the many anachronisms.
S2E18 The Man From the Other Side
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The Man From the Other Side is (at least in correct people’s opinions) one of the best episodes of the entire series of Fringe! Something that we had been anticipating for such a long time – the culmination of the secret that Walter has been keeping for so long and it finally being exposed to Peter. In this climactic, pivotal episode (which really, in a lot of ways, leads fairly directly into the incredible two-part season finale in a few episodes), Peter finally inadvertently discovers that he is from the Redverse, and the scene that follows is one of the best acted, most emotional scenes of the entire series, with absolutely top-notch acting from both Josh Jackson and, of course, John Noble!
S2E17 White Tulip
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Damon (not Lindelof) joins us this week to discuss this beloved fan favorite episode “White Tulip,” co-starring the talented Peter Weller as Dr. Alistair Peck! The episode follows Dr. Peck as he tries repeatedly to travel back in time to the day his fiancée was killed in a car accident so that he can be reunited with her. It’s a beautiful episode with a powerful ending that sets the stage for Peter finally learning the truth of his origin in the next episode. Listen in as we discuss the different rules of time travel depending on the story and what rules Fringe seems to be establishing, the phenomenal acting bounced off back and forth between John Noble and Peter Weller, and so much more!
S2E16 Olivia. In the Lab. With the Revolver.
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This is another great episode on this roller-coaster of Fringe episodes as we near the incredible season finale! This time, we are returning to the topic of Cortexiphan subjects as we meet a new one – James Heath, and we are joined by Marianne this week as we discuss this episode so obviously inspired by the board game and film Clue! We discuss the references to Clue as well as the amazing performances in this episode, especially from Anna Torv who we all seem to agree is the MVP of this episode. We also share our enthusiasm around Sam Weiss and how happy we are to see him again, while also lamenting that his enigmatic lines in this episode about his origins are never satisfactorily explained.
S2E15 Peter
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We are so excited to finally be talking about this phenomenal episode of Fringe – the highly anticipated episode in which we finally get the story of how and why Peter was abducted from the Redverse. When last we left our heroes, Olivia’s “glimmer” ability kicked in just before she and Peter went on their very first date, leading her to realize that Peter is originally from the Redverse. Walter pleads with Olivia to not tell him, and in this episode (which features a fun, synthy ‘80s rendition of the theme music), we are taken back to 1985 as Walter sits down with Olivia to tell her the story.
S2E14 Jacksonville
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We have finally arrived where Fringe is arguably at its absolute best, a block of episodes that even the showrunners referred to as a “rollercoaster.” Olivia’s Cortexiphan ability comes back into play in this episode when she travels to the titular Jacksonville, Florida where the Cortexiphan trials took place. She must confront fear on so many levels, ultimately temporarily saving the day but making a horrifying discovery.