Wanna get into Fringe? Here’s your guide.

 

Fringe is an amazing sci-fi television show.  Unlike Haven, which I already reviewed (check it out here), it is highly serialized.  The first two seasons were more Haven-like where there was more of an element of “monster-of-the-week” but starting with the third season, it has become almost exclusively serialized.  Of course I would recommend seeking out all the seasons and watching them in order, but I thought I would write this summary for those of you who would like to jump in now.  The summary of the first three seasons and so far in the fourth will be spoileriffic, you have been warned.

SPOILER ALERT

The story so far:

Walter Bishop is a scientist who was doing fantastical experiments in the 1970s.  This is a sci-fi show, so when I say fantastical I mean pyrokenesis, teleportation, astral projection, that sort of thing.  His partner was William Bell, another genius.  Walter and William discovered a window into a parallel universe, where everything is basically the same as “our” universe.  There is an alternate person for each person on this Earth.  Walter’s son, Peter, gets sick and dies.  In his grief, he turns his window to the home of the other Walter Bishop and sees that the other universe’s Peter is sick as well.  However, Walter has a cure for that Peter, if he can bring him to this universe.

Walter then tears a hole in the fabric of the universes so that he can step between and kidnap Peter.  Once he and the other Peter return they cannot go back; Walter says that it would be too dangerous, but of course he also has personal reasons to keep the boy.  Alternate Peter is cured, but he realizes that these people are not his real parents, no matter how much they insist that they are.  Peter’s mother becomes and alcoholic and eventually dies.  Walter is driven mad by his guilt over what he has done. 

Olivia Dunham was a child with exceptional psychic talents.  Walter and William experimented on her and many other children using a drug called Cortexiphan.  Olivia was the only one to really be successful in the trials.  Other “Cortexiphan children” turn up from time to time as the plots dictate, and some of them have limited abilities, but none of them were able to travel between the worlds like Olivia was.  She could only do it under extreme duress.  Eventually these trials were shut down.  Walter still feels a lot of residual guilt for experimenting on children.

Don't call me Pacey

As an adult, Olivia lost her memories of her childhood.  She is a member of the FBI’s Fringe division, a branch of the FBI that investigates paranormal activities.  She comes into contact with the adult Peter Bishop, a brilliant con man with ties to the underside of society.  She needs him to supervise the release of Walter from a mental institution where he has been since the 70s.  It is hoped that they can tap into his memories and genius to solve a new case.  At the end of the pilot episode, Peter has reluctantly agreed to supervise his father as he continues his experiments for Fringe division. 

 

Astrid, a young FBI agent assists Walter in the lab.  One running gag is that he can never remember her name, calling her something silly like Astro. 

All of these fringe events lead to one place, Massive Dynamics.  Massive Dynamics a huge corporation run by Walter’s former partner, William Bell.  His spokesperson is Nina Sharpe.  For most of the first season we are led to believe they are the villains, but in reality they are trying to prevent an invasion from the other universe. 

In the other universe, things have taken a drastic turn away from our reality.  When Walter kidnaps Peter, the other Walter Bishop (called Walternate) also goes crazy, but he funnels his anger into thoughts of revenge.  Instead of becoming weak and helpless like Walter, Walternate harnesses his scientific genius to become the most powerful man in the world.  There is no Massive Dynamic in this new reality, although I don’t think it has been explained what happened to the alternate William Bell.  Instead, Walter becomes the most important scientist.  There are a few distinct differences between the worlds, which the show uses to clearly define them.  The other universe has dirigibles everywhere; it has never been explained exactly why, but they are always in the sky.  The other universe has had several instances where a hole between the universes has threatened it.  Therefore, the people of that world are aware of the other universe, and see it as an attacking enemy.  Fringe Division is a huge, public entity, there is no such thing as the FBI.  While the world is, in ways, technically advanced, it is also slightly Fascist.  Everyone carries a Show-Me card, an ID that has all of their information on it.

Bubbles from The Wire helps Olivia escape.

In the end of Season 2, Olivia is captured replaced with the other universe’s Olivia.  Fauxlivia has very few troubles fitting into Olivia’s life and begins to fall in love with Peter just as Olivia has, although her loyalty is never really in question.  During Season 3, Olivia is given injections where she is supposed to take on all of Fauxlivia’s memories.  (Don’t even try to think about how ridiculous this is.  Just about every episode features multiple injections of various drugs.  You really could make a drinking game of it)  This works for a while so there are several episodes where Fauxlivia is with the regular cast and Olivia (thinking she is Fauxlivia) is with the Fringe team of the other universe.    

 After several episodes, they get switched back, but Olivia holds a lot of resentment to Fauxlivia for her invasion of her life.  Eventually a machine is built that only Peter can operate that he could use to destroy one or both of the universes.  Instead he uses it to build a permanent portal between the two worlds so characters can go back and forth.  When this happens he disappears, having apparently “fulfilled his purpose.”  Watching over all of these events are a group of bald-headed men of limitless power.  They seem to be concerned with protecting the timestream and the proper order of events, but their purpose is unclear.  They are generally neutral or benevolent, but can become hostile if their purpose is thwarted.

Season 4 opens with Peter being removed from the timestream.  Everyone believes that he fell through the ice and died when Walter tried to bring him back through the portal as a child.  However, Peter won’t go away so easy.  He appears to Olivia and Walter, but of course they don’t recognize him.  Eventually he returns to mortal flesh, despite the efforts of the bald men to stop it.  Now he is back with full memories, but Walter and Olivia still don’t know who he is.

So now you are caught up on Fringe, so set your DVRs or tune in every Friday night on Fox!