FRINGE 5.1 FAQ
What’s It Called?
“Transilence Thought Unifier Model-11.”
Who’s responsible?
Teleplay is credited to showrunner J.H. Wyman.
What says Fox?
“The fifth and final season picks up from the ominous events of last season's ‘Letters of Transit’ episode, in which the year is 2036 and the overpowering Observers rule. The Fringe team - preserved in amber for 20 years - is now a rebel resistance team fighting for freedom. Peter, reunited with his now adult daughter, Etta, sets out to find out what happened to his wife and Etta's mom - Olivia - as they start their mission to save the world from the Observers.
What’s that title mean?
It refers to a device that could be key to the Observers’ defeat.
Is Desmond hanging about?
Henry Ian Cusack’s Simon Foster? I can only say that we meet another of Emma’s friends with a Scottish accent.
Does Olivia sit out the season premiere the way Peter did last season? That would be telling.
Are we done with Earth 2?
There’s the legacy of the amber, of course, but I don’t recall any mention of Walternate, Fauxlivia or any of our other friends from “over there.” “Letters of Transit,” it’s now clear, was what they call a backdoor pilot, and “Fringe” is now a very different series.
Are there flashbacks to the present?
Not our present exactly. Marrieds Peter and Olivia and daughter Etta are glimpsed prior to their amberization a few years hence.
What else is Fox not telling us?
Phillip Broyles and Nina Sharp are nowhere to be found this week. The blue “Community Joy Individuality Free Will” credits are back from “Letters of Transit.” For some reason this hour has two directors: Jeannot Szwarc (“Jaws 2,” “Supergirl”) and Miguel Sapochnik (“Repo Men”).
The big news?
William Bell (and Bell’s hand) are referenced this week, so I’m guessing we’ll be seeing (most of) Leonard Nimoy again before the series’ Feb. 1 finale.
What’s good?
The Observers. All the cool futuristic touches. What Central Park will come to mean for the human race. The Carbonite coffee table and its owner. Astrid’s defense of Naugahyde. The surprise appearances by Clint Eastwood and James Garner.
What’s not so good?
After tonight, only 12 of these left. Also, does Etta Bishop’s loyalty lie The Observers?
How does it end, spoiler boy?
What’s left of Walter notices a flower.
9 p.m. Friday. Fox.
