Fans of action series Fringe were left a little disappointed with many loose ends lingering after the show’s penultimate episode. Many of these unanswered questions centred around Peter and his elusive character, and on the different timelines and the existence of the Alternate Universe.
The series is so full of action that many times it’s only in hindsight one finds oneself asking questions about the narrative. Some might argue that the real question is this; should the finale have answered all our questions? Still, it doesn’t hurt to ask. Here are some of viewers’ biggest questions.
Which Timeline Will Remain?
Toying with timelines through time travel narratives presents numerous problems. By Season 3, the producers of the show orchestrated their biggest narrative gamble; this was when Peter was completely deleted from time by the Observers. This meant that Season 4 saw Peter in an unfamiliar timeline, unsure whether his original timeline still existed. Viewers will know that parts of all timelines do exist, as the Observers have alluded to multiple threads. Yet, one still has to ask, what timeline ultimately exists as the series closes?
What has become of the Alternate Universe?
The bridge to the Alternate Universe was closed in Season 4, with Lincoln and Flaxlivia joining on the other side. Still, there remains the burning question of what has happened with the Alternate Universe? While the show suggests the restoration of universes, the viewer has knowledge of ongoing terrorist plans to sabotage the timeline, and these attacks operate across timelines and universes. It’s only natural that questions about the Alternate Universe should arise.
Redemption for William Bell?
William Bell shows his true colours right at the end of the fourth season of the show, and it appears the series closes with him experiencing a change of heart. Fans will remember how he worked alongside Walter on his plan to destroy the universes to create a new one. The dark duo’s plan was foiled, and viewers heard very little about Bell until he appeared later helping to stop the Observers as part of the Fringe alliance. Questions remain whether he has had a real change of heart and what will become of him in the future? Has he really turned from his evil ways?
The Mysterious Observers
How did the Observers become who they are? The Observers appear in all of the Fringe episodes, and still, their presence is a mystery. Fans have watched these futuristic strangers intervene and invade time and space, coming from the future to influence the timeline and one has to query what their actual agenda is in all of this. It seems that through transforming the world’s atmosphere, they are sustained. The series ends with still so much to be answered about them.
The Illusive Massive Dynamic
There have been hints throughout the series that the Massive Dynamic was up to no good. Many nefarious dealings and characters have been associated with them, and Nina Sharpe has been shown to be untrustworthy. However, in drawing to a close, it would seem the Fringe series narrators have downplayed the need for explanations around the Massive Dynamic. The show’s script revealed this was shut down before 2036, but viewers are left with the feeling that the secrets of the company are due to stay secret forever. What was really the secret at the heart of the Massive Dynamic?
Peter’s Son
Time travel comes at a huge cost; for characters like Walter, Peter and Olivia, who begin the series as lost souls, this is all too much a reality. The tentative nature of time and the ability of the Observers to delete others from time, as demonstrated through Peter’s deletion by the Observers, leaves fans with many big and unsettling questions. As these lost souls wrestle with their own inner turmoil, such as Walter wrestling with past guilt, and Olivia asking questions about who she is and what she has become, viewers wonder about key elements in the narrative, such as what has become of Peter’s son.
The Case of September
September has featured from the beginning of Fringe when he saved Peter from drowning in the lake. Fans will know he is an Observer, but one has to ask why he is different from the others. Other Observers appear devoid of all emotion. However, September is in a league of his own, at one stage taking a bullet for Olivia. Not only are there questions about who the actual Observers are, but September and his character and apparent motives take this questioning a step further. His presence in the show indicates that not everything in the universes is as predictable—and as patterned—as initially believed.
The Cortexiphan Kids
The series features the drug Cortexiphan which is designed to prevent brain shrinkage and enhance greater brain functionality in adulthood if administered during the childhood years. It was believed the drug increased the Cortexiphan children’s ability to traverse universes. Olivia was a recipient in these trials, which were carried out between 1981 and 1983. However, what happened to the other Cortexiphan kids who are still at large at the end of Season 4?
Kiss and Tell
Moments which beg for greater explanation color the storyline, and, while fans might have held on through the series, expecting answers to their heart’s deepest questions over the narrative, the series closed with evident gaps in narrative explanation. One such question is over Broyles and Nina’s relationship. Fans watched them kiss, and there was a suggestion they had a past. What were they up to snogging in the Season 2 premiere? It looks like we might never know.
What about ‘2026’?
Many questions are left over ‘2026’. Fans will remember this was the year to which Peter flashed forward. It was also the year which set the stage for a war between the two Earths. However, when the show’s new time setting is set to 2036, the world has not been ravaged by cosmic decay, as one would expect it to be after the 2026 war. Was this because the Observers stopped it somehow? It would seem as the season draws to a close, the question of, ‘Why hasn’t the future of 2026 come to pass’ remains unanswered.
