Peter (S02E16)
Airdate: 1 April 2010
Written by: Jeff H. Wyman, Jeff Pinkner & Josh Singer Directed by: David Straiton
Running Time: 44 minutes
As Fringe drew towards the close of its second season, something rather welcome began to happen. The succession of largely forgettable mystery-of-the-week instalments that had dominated much of the series' run gradually gave way to episodes that genuinely propelled the overarching narrative forward. Among these more substantial offerings was Peter, an instalment that represented perhaps the most radical departure from the show's established formula to date—and consequently, the most atypical episode of Fringe up to that point.
The plot hinges directly upon the dramatic finale of the preceding episode, Jacksonville. That instalment had concluded with Olivia receiving a bombshell revelation: Peter Bishop was not from this world at all, but rather the alternate version of a boy who had died in our universe, abducted from the Other Side by Walter Bishop years ago. It was a cliffhanger that fundamentally altered the viewer's understanding of the central characters and their relationships.
When Peter opens, Olivia has precious little reason to think kindly of Walter. Beyond the horrific experiments he conducted upon her during her childhood—experiments that left her with abilities she never asked for—she has now discovered that he is guilty of something far worse: the actual abduction of a child from another dimension. Walter arrives at Olivia's flat late one evening, determined to explain himself. What follows is a journey into the past, as flashbacks transport us to 1985 and the events that would shape everything to come.
We are introduced to a considerably younger Walter Bishop, portrayed by John Noble beneath convincing prosthetic makeup. He presents himself before high-ranking United States military officials with a device that would not look out of place in the 2010s—a mobile telephone, though one that apparently originated from the Alternate Universe. Walter claims that this other world has advanced considerably beyond our own in technological terms. He then demonstrates the centrepiece of his own invention: a window-like apparatus capable of spying upon the Other Side. Through this portal, we catch a glimpse of an alternate New York City, where the summit of the Empire State Building still serves as a mooring station for airships, precisely as its architects originally intended in the 1930s.
This same device becomes instrumental in what proves to be a devastating personal crisis for Walter. His young son Peter (Quinn Lord), suffers from an incurable genetic disorder. Despite Walter's considerable scientific prowess and desperate efforts, the boy ultimately succumbs to the illness. The anguish of this loss is compounded immeasurably by what Walter observes through his window: the alternate Peter, still alive in the Other Universe. To twist the knife further, Walter witnesses his own alternate self—dubbed "Walternate" with characteristic wit—actually discovering the very compound that could save alternate Peter's life. Yet Walternate immediately disregards this crucial discovery, distracted at the critical moment by the sudden appearance of an Observer.
Determined not to lose Peter a second time, Walter embarks upon a desperate and drastic course of action. He plans to traverse the actual portal between worlds and retrieve the cure—and perhaps the boy himself. This scheme meets with fierce opposition from two quarters. His deeply religious laboratory assistant, Dr. Carla Warren (Jenni Blong), warns of the moral and practical consequences. Nina Sharp, meanwhile, fears catastrophic repercussions should the two universes make contact. Walter persists regardless, establishing his portal upon the frozen surface of Lake Reiden. When he crosses over, Nina attempts to intervene, with horrific results: her arm becomes caught in the portal's energy field, necessitating amputation.
Once on the Other Side, Walter's hopes are dashed when he discovers that the vial containing the developed cure has been broken. With precious little time before the portal reopens, he takes an even more desperate measure. He arrives at the alternate Bishops' home and deceives the other Elizabeth (Orla Brady) into believing he is her husband Walternate, claiming he must take the boy for a special procedure at the laboratory. Having secured alternate Peter, Walter brings him back through the portal. But tragedy nearly strikes again when the ice cracks beneath them, plunging both into freezing water. They are apparently rescued by "September," the Observer who explains his intervention with characteristic economy: the boy is "important."
The episode concludes with Olivia reaching a chilling conclusion. Walter's actions—snatching alternate Peter and subsequently raising him as his own—were not merely personal tragedies but the actual catalyst for the disturbances known as the Pattern. Worse still, she realises that more catastrophic incidents are inevitable, the consequences of that original sin rippling outward through both universes.
The script credits read like a recipe for mediocrity: J.H. Wyman, Jeff Pinkner, and Josh Singer sharing writing duties. Three authors typically signal a compromised, committee-written affair of diminished quality. Here, however, the result proves to be among the finest scripts the series has produced to date. Its primary virtue is focus. There is no disaster of the week demanding attention, no extraneous side storyline cluttering the narrative. Peter functions from beginning to end as a straightforward origin story, offering invaluable background on the central characters, the moral choices they faced, and the consequences—both intimate and cosmic—that flowed from those decisions.
Moreover, the writers deserve considerable praise for their exquisite attention to continuity. They provide not merely broad answers to lingering questions but fascinating glimpses into the characters' respective pasts. Walter is shown in bitter conflict with an assistant who may—or may not—be connected to the circumstances that led to his subsequent seventeen years in St. Claire's psychiatric hospital. Meanwhile, Nina Sharp had previously attributed her robotic arm to cancer; the truth revealed here proves far more sinister and dramatically satisfying.
Irish actress Orla Brady delivers more than solid performances in her dual role as both versions of Elizabeth Bishop, capturing subtle distinctions between two women who share the same face and tragedy but have diverged through circumstance. The episode also proves a treat for Eighties nostalgics, with director David Straiton working diligently to establish two versions of 1985 that are strikingly similar yet fundamentally different. This begins with the opening titles and music, both rendered in authentic period style, and continues through numerous visual references—including marquees in the Alternate 1985 showing Eric Stoltz starring in Back to the Future rather than Michael J. Fox.
If flaws exist, they might be found in the all-too-convenient absence of William Bell during this particular crisis—one might reasonably expect him to feature in such a pivotal moment. Additionally, the makeup employed to age Blair Brown down for the 1985 sequences proves somewhat less effective than John Noble's, occasionally straining credulity regarding Nina Sharp's apparent youth. Unless the series later retcons the character into having already been middle-aged during the Eighties, maintained only by some futuristic Massive Dynamic anti-ageing technology, this somewhat undermines the suspension of disbelief.
Nevertheless, Peter stands as a very good episode indeed, one that demonstrates the considerable potential lying within this series when it sets aside its procedural conventions and commits to genuine, consequential storytelling.
RATING: 8/10 (+++)
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