Fringe Review Season 3, Episode 14 “6B” – A Producers Perspective with Subject 13 Video Promo and Full Episode Video

Hello Fringe fans,

Synopsis: A series of Fringe events leads the team to the home of an older woman grieving over the death of her husband, while Peter and Olivia make an effort to mend the serious emotional rifts between them.

The Main Cast: Anna Torv (Olivia Dunham) Joshua Jackson (Peter Bishop) John Noble (Dr. Walter Bishop) Lance Reddick (Phillip Broyles) Blair Brown (Nina Sharp) and Jasika Nicole (Astrid Farnsworth). We include a ‘Subject 13’ video promotional trailer recently released by FOX Broadcasting.

Fringe “6B” Review and Analysis:

This episode begins at night when a young couple, Chris (Colby Johannson) and Sylvia (Monica Mustelier) walk into the Rosencrantz building in, Park Slope, Brooklyn, New York. Did we see The “Observer” appear strangely walking past them outside? This occurs as they arriving at a party before heading inside the seventh-floor apartment.

While waiting for the elevator, a woman, Mrs. Marcello, walks past them with her luggage all perturbed and tells them to have good luck using the elevator, and then they flip a weird look as the elevator door closes. Outside, she tells the Doorman Jimmy Smith, like many tenants who already left she won’t stay in that creepy building anymore, as he helps her into a cab.

At the same time, the happy young couple arrives at the party upstairs and the bouncy hostess, Kim (Erin Simms), greets them. Unexpectedly, the blender goes on and she says that it’s not the first time things have turned on by themselves. Suddenly Sylvia starts to gasp for air choking on an appetizer and they call her boyfriend Chris over to get her medication. It looks like she’s going into an Anaphylactic shock!

THEN back downstairs as Mrs. Marcello (Michelle Brezinski) gets into the cab…and now the TEASER kicks you right in the gut, when SLAMMING bodies’ rain down from a balcony above and crash to the pavement as the unsuspecting party-goers fall to their deaths and then they both look up stunned beyond!

Now it CUTS TO the next morning, Walter Bishop (John Noble) & Peter Bishop (Josh Jackson) talk about rifts between Peter and Olivia, and Walter says he misses her and Peter warns him to mind his own business, as he cooks up his infamous blueberry pancakes, like he made in 1973. Sooo what’s up with that? Then he tells a troubled Peter that he’s invited Olivia for breakfast as she walks in. Walter wants them to spend time together and makes blueberry pancakes! I truly wonder why he trying so hard to play Mr. Matchmaker?

THIS I promise has a much deeper meaning, and we’ll see just how it all plays out in the next episode. Then Walter manages to slip out the door so that they can be all alone. Peter gently tells her that they should talk about what is bothering her. The tense moments mount as Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) continues to struggle with her complicated feelings. She’s still jealous about the Fuaxlivia and argues with Peter.

He honestly admits that he still thinks about the Fuaxlivia, because he spent so long imagining what being with Olivia would be like. And it was beautiful. My heart just stopped! THUMP! Who won’t love a guy like that? Olivia says that she took that away from us, not me. And then, he asks, who’s the one stopping us? Then Broyles calls Olivia.

Later at crime scene Olivia, Agent Phillip Broyles (Lance Reddick), Walter, and Peter all look up at balcony. I liked that Walter and Peter are really re-bonding and are close now. At the same time Olivia talks to the Doorman. Broyles says that the six party guests fell to their deaths, and that the balcony appears not to have any real structural damage. An old lady, Alice Merchant watches them from her 6B apartment window. Peter and Walter go up to the balcony, ooh I like the concerned Walter, who tells Peter to be careful, as they look over the balcony and try and figure out what really happened?

They realize the people went straight through the balcony to the ground. Olivia storms over and reports that the residents told her of strange happenings of water pipes exploding and unexplained electrical issues and they believe that it’s due to ghosts and is an unexplained phenomenon. Walter ponders a beat, and then he flips a coin repeatedly and tells Peter and Olivia that it has come up heads ten times.

Walter has an ominous warning and says that the laws of physics are being messed with and theorizes that their world is starting to tear apart and it’s all starting right here at the that apartment in the Rosencrantz Building! He seems like he really knows something already. The team stares on in all shock and awe!!! A real what the frak moment….

Later on back at Lab at Harvard, Walter appears distracted and frantic! He says the earth is coming apart and might become a hole that leads to a vortex and need to track irregularities and the “glimmer” from the other side.

He sends Peter and Olivia to take seismographs to the Rosencrantz and set it all up. He asks Astrid Farnsworth (Jasika Nicole) for an old case file from a chemical attack on a commuter bus and she asks him if he’s OK. When she wonders why, he gets very snippy at her for questioning him. Astrid always has a very soothing and calming effect on Walter and she is his anchor to reality.

Then it CUTS TO the building, where Olivia and Peter set up the seismographs and then call Walter, who urges them to stay there for the final results. As they wait, Olivia says does Walter realize how cold it is out here, and she thinks it’s the end of the world. Peter makes a joke and lightens up the mood suggesting they go to a nearby bar to get out the cold. As they head there, Alice Merchant (Phyllis Somerville) enters the building. She checks her watch and enters the elevator, and goes to her apartment. Inside we see a silver box…does it hold ashes of her dead husband Derek? Then she takes a photo album off her shelf.

Then back at the bar, Olivia asks Peter that he said being with her was beautiful. She wants to know what that feels like. She moves forward and kisses him and then pulls away. Freaked out… she rushes out all upset about Fauxlivia. She says it’s all a mistake and that Peter “glimmered”, and she’s afraid he is right and he can’t fix this… it’s just her, and it’s just who she is. Peter just looks on frustrated by it all. As they talk, Olivia looks up and sees a “glimmer” coming from outside Mrs. Merchant’s window.

Back to Mrs. Merchants apartment she flips thru a photo album, when instantly a strange glowing light appears inside and she smiles. At the same time Walter calls Peter from inside the Lab, and the equipment registers some sort of an event. Walter gets the readings. In the meantime, Peter kisses Olivia.

Then — Peter kicks the door and Peter and Olivia rush up and break in, and find Mrs. Merchant gazing at a ghostly figure of an older man. Olivia says who was he? She says it’s her husband Derek’s (Ken Pogue) ghost! Peter and Walter are in the building and Walter gets readings and says that’s there no such thing as ghosts! William called the Soul Magnets!

Back to Mrs. Merchant apartment, where she tells Olivia that she and Derek were married for 45 years and had no children. This is to become a key factor in the story arc. Alice further expresses that Derek tragically died a couple months ago, when the fuse box blew. They flipped a coin, like usual when there was a chore neither wanted to do, and Derek lost. A short in the wiring killed him instantly.

A few days after the funeral, she was really yearning for him and he showed himself to her. More parallels here again…. Walter asks how long they living there and she said 40 years. Olivia’s wonders why Walter asked that question, and he thinks he has a double on The Other Side.

He thinks Derek’s double has the same apartment on the Other Side. Alice is seeing him and mistaking him for her husband Derek. That’s why Olivia sees him too. Walter says that each incident weakens the soft spot, until ultimately it becomes a vortex, a hole sucking in everything around it. Like what happens on the Other Side. This makes total sense since Walter wanted the file on the bus attack, where they first encountered using amber. He tells a bewildered Olivia and Peter that they should respond to a vortex here just as they do Over There: With quarantine.

Back at the Lab Walter shows how the soft spot works. Astrid shows the case files to Walter, Olivia, and Peter. Broyles listens to Walter telling them to cover the building, and Olivia’s says it’s a bad last resort to use the amber like they do on the Other Side. Peter says let’s figure out how to stop it.

Back at Massive Dynamic, Brandon and team work on reproducing amber, Peter and Olivia come up with an alternative. Walter confides to Nina that he had believed Walternate was very evil, and would use any means necessary to get what he desired. But now he’s in conflict and thinks that they should do exactly what Walternate did. Nina just stares on faced with same decision and I’m going to do the same thing.

In the office Peter suggests to Olivia that maybe the Other Derek’s wife lost the coin flip, and she died instead. Olivia asks what if these two people, both grieving for a version of each other in the exact same spot, are somehow causing this.

Later on Walter arrives and checks the readings and says there’s no such thing as ghosts, and that it could be some form of emotional “quantum entanglement”, or “spooky action at a distance,” as Einstein put it. Two objects interact, even though they’re far apart. And now it’s happening again in Park Slope.

Then back at the apartment, Olivia talks to Mrs. Merchant, who says that she’s been seeing Derek’s ghost for two months. She sits with her and shows Olivia the photo album and explains that Derek was an amateur photographer, who took many photos.

Outside Broyles has Walter’s ambering device set up inside of the Rosencrantz’s lobby. Peter and Olivia explain to Broyles it   as Walter says that it may all be a “quantum entanglement”. Walter explains to Broyles that Derek’s counterpart on the Other Side most probably owns the same apartment.

This universe is breaking apart, and the apartment is the center of the rip. Walters worries that if the rip is too thin that Mrs. Merchant can see through the rip, and then things are very dangerous. Broyles tell Olivia and Peter to get out because the vortex is staring.

Then it CUTS TO outside where everyone in front of the building can see the “shimmer”. Walter warns that the vortex is starting to form and Walter tells Broyles how to activate the remote device for the amber encasement, and Broyles looks very concerned, readies the device.

The building shakes violently as Peter and Olivia make their way to the apartment. Olivia tries to get through to Alice without success. Derek appears as a ghost again. Olivia tells her she must let him go and it’s not her husband and he’s from another world and he thinks you’re his wife. All of this is happening because of you.

Back to the street where Walter tells Broyles it’s static electricity and it’s staring. Broyles begins to turn on the device. Broyles gives Olivia and Peter a direct order to evacuate the building now!

Back to the apartment where Peter walks over and gently tells her that she’s already had a wonderful lifetime with the person she loves, and most people only dream of that. She tells them to get out, but Olivia tells Alice that she has to let her husband go now before the rift opens. Olivia tries to explain the theory of parallel worlds, and how the people on the balcony died because Alice couldn’t let go of her counterpart. Then — the other Derek calls out to Alice, and he becomes more “real,” enabling Peter to see him.

Peter says how she can see thru the other side that’s why she is so unique why can see her husband double and that Alice died on other side and maybe an emotional “quantum entanglement”. When the Other Derek says that their daughters miss her, she is shocked, and then realizes he’s not her husband, since they never had children. She tells Derek I’m not your wife, you’re not my husband…he’s dead, and so is your wife. There’re both gone. Suddenly…he vanishes, and the shaking completely stops.

Back on the street, Broyles asks Peter and Olivia if all is OK. They say yes. CUT TO back to the apartment as they all look relived or at least for now. Alice doesn’t really understand what happened, but hopes she might see Derek again someday. They all smile.

Then it CUTS to Massive Dynamic, where Walter is in his office gazing out over the city, when Nina walks in. She gently tells him that he should so be proud that he saved so many lives, but Walter warns that today wasn’t a victory, what they experienced is a vision of only terrible things to come, and ultimately the cracks will open, and spread, and cover the entire world. Although he thinks the amber is the best solution, he realizes that it won’t be enough once both universes unravel. He sadly admits that he doesn’t know what to do, and Nina says that he needs to learn. She grabs his hands and shows him some real compassion.

Olivia then shows up at the Bishops’ house with liquor in her hand. Peter answers the door and smiles. They drink and Olivia says, “Disaster postponed” and Olivia tells Peter what you said to Mrs. Merchant, “I want what you want.” and Peter says, “What do you think we should do about it?” Then she leans in and kisses him and she grabs his hand and they walk slowly holding hands up the staircase. Aaah gotta love forgiveness! Now let’s get to the babies?

On the Other Side at the Rosencrantz building, “shimmers”. Lincoln Lee (Seth Gabel) and Fauxlivia are puzzled that the readings are normal even though Astrid reported a Class 4 event there and she’s never wrong. After Fauxlivia briefly questions Derek Merchant in 6B he says that he didn’t see anything strange and he lives all alone since his wife died. Lincoln then cancels the quarantine protocol…no rift and it’s closed now. Derek sits alone, looking at his own family album… he knows…

In conclusion, as a sci-fi TV/film writer and fan, I believe that this episode was highly entertaining AND well-written! Renowned TV Director, Thomas Yatsko did a solid job and he brought many cool twists and high intense action sequences that really brought the whole storyline seamlessly together.

First, who isn’t a sucker for love stories? This episode is a well balanced mix of love, paranormal, and all things Fringe science. I really liked the way the storyline guides us to draw a fine line between rifts in a relationship and what happens when real love can potential tear a rift between parallel universes? Bizarre O… huh?

Like all things Fringe — all of the fun is… you REALLY have to THINK and seek for the answers, and in this episode 6B it’s no different! Is 6Ba a code word for something? I thoroughly loved Peter and Olivia finally hooking up for real…and in both parallel universes… huh? Will Fauxlivia and Olivia both have Peter’s babies? This is a big hot mess!

Will Walter prevent future rifts, even with part of his brain missing? How will Massive Dynamics play into all this?

How will Walter finally judge the Walternate?

This episode definitely pumped up the love factor, and hopefully will heat up the ratings and lead to many unanswered questions. Hang tight for an all new thrill ride, I know I will…next up on Friday, February 25, 2011 Fringe dials back in time to Peter and Olivia’s past in an all new episode titled “Subject 13″. Be sure to tune in LIVE this Friday at 9/8c on FOX to support this outstanding series! Here is the entire episode courtesy of FOX via Hulu!

I trust you have enjoyed this review of Fringe. As always thank you for visiting WormholeRiders News Agency.

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Regards,

Patricia A. Beninati
Writer, Director, Producer & Contributing Journalist
Patti at Centerboro Productions