Fringe -- "Black Blotter" -- 12/14/12
 

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Synopsis:



Episode 9 of 13

Re: Fringe -- "Black Blotter" -- 12/14/12
 

Can someone please refresh my memory -- when did they meet the child observer and what is his story?

Re: Fringe -- "Black Blotter" -- 12/14/12
 

Not one of my favorite episodes. At some point in shows, creative types start using the show to experience/experiment with things they're interested/curious about even though they don't add anything to the show. Even though Walter was zonked, I don't watch Fringe for animated episodes. And taking time for acid in the midst of everything seemed really out of place for me. Sure Walter has odne acid before, but that doesn't mean he'd do it now (even with the disclaimer they wrote in about him not knowing he'd need to be lucid). The whole episodes just felt like treading water with a little payoff at the end. Onwards to the next episode.

Re: Fringe -- "Black Blotter" -- 12/14/12
 

People seem to be missing the point that this episode was meant to be their weird #19 one that they've done in the past seasons.

Re: Fringe -- "Black Blotter" -- 12/14/12
 

Haven't seen this episode, but a child observer was an episode plot point in season one.

Re: Fringe -- "Black Blotter" -- 12/14/12
 

I would largely agree with you on this episode. Most of the episode felt like some mad writing experiment gone wrong. It was okay when the show had 22 episodes a year, but wasting an entire episode this close to the end on Walter's delusions was a bad gamble.

Re: Fringe -- "Black Blotter" -- 12/14/12
 

Walter tripping balls was only a small part of the episode.

It also returned the Observer kid, Sam Weiss, and (possibly) evil Walter.

I also sort of liked the Monty Pythonesque animated sequence.

Re: Fringe -- "Black Blotter" -- 12/14/12
 

Loved this episode. Never thought we see the return of the lab assistant. There is only room for one god in this lab, Me.

I loved how it touched on a number of different episodes from the past. Then it suggested that the original Walter might have been worst than Bell and might have given Bell the idea to recreate the universe in his own image.

Re: Fringe -- "Black Blotter" -- 12/14/12
 

Speaking for myself, I'm not missing anything. The fact that they've done it in the past has no bearing on how I enjoyed this episode. Last week's episode was tense and gripping. We had Observer Peter hell bent on not only saving the world but getting revenge for his daughter. We had a Peter that was able to take the battle to the Observers on their own playing field. We had a Peter who finally get "us" hope of winning. Then we had a Peter ultimately deciding that losing his love (because that portion of the brain was gradually being overtaken) of Etta and Olivia wasn't worth it.

This episode we had Walter deciding that in the midst of pursuing a treasure hunt while trying to avoid and defeat an oppressive enemy, it'd be a good idea to take a leave of his senses. I don't care how cute the episode tried to be. I've seen an expression lately that seems to apply to this season. "**** just got real." That's where we've been. Red zone. Taking this detour felt like a race car driver getting out in the pit to check the paint job. You want to do that now?

Of course opinions will vary. I've already seen commentary of people liking it. That's cool. I don't begrudge their right to make it. But we did not enjoy it here. I'm thankful we got this final abbreviated season, and I have faith in the creative talent, but I'm all but shedding a tear over the loss of this show. I'd much rather see more of the battle with the Observers, but sometimes it's OK just to spend time with characters you like. But this didn't even feel like that (with minor exceptions).

You get 44 minutes of episode. If I want to see repeated Tinkerbell appearances, I'll watch Peter Pan. My wife looked at me quizzically about halfway through and knowing what she was thinking I consoled, "They're building up to an end of episode payoff and perhaps cliffhanger." But neither of us felt the journey was worth the payoff.

Anyway, back to the core story next week.

Re: Fringe -- "Black Blotter" -- 12/14/12
 

I may be a fanboy because I loved this episode and, to repeat myself this season, became an instant classic.

Sometime during the episode it occurred to me that it may be Walter who "created" the observers, just a thought. Someone may be able to say, easily, why that's not possible, of course.

And oh yeah, that scene between Peter and Olivia, they almost reached Penelope and Desmond levels for me.

Right now I'm 99% sure that the series finale will be one of the best ever.

Re: Fringe -- "Black Blotter" -- 12/14/12
 

This was a weird episode, but I liked it. I really liked how Walter's LSD trip affected what he was perceiving and helped him remember the password. I really liked the almost angel/devil on his shoulders with his dead lab assistant being the evil devil whispering things into his ear and Nina being the angel trying to keep him on the right path.

Does anyone know who was the green fairy? She was kind of too small for me to make out if she was another cast member we had seen before or not.

Re: Fringe -- "Black Blotter" -- 12/14/12
 

I didn't get a good look at the green fairy, but I am going to guess that was Elizabeth Bishop.

Re: Fringe -- "Black Blotter" -- 12/14/12
 

I don't have much to say about this episode other than it was really weird.

Walter's acid trips are kind of funny, but this close to the end, I could have used a more straight forward episode adding more build up.

I did think it was interesting they mentioned Sam Weiss with Oliva mentioning he was part of another timeline.

Re: Fringe -- "Black Blotter" -- 12/14/12
 

Ditto - thought it was a great episode. Best part was Walter getting stroked by, what I guess, is his ego (in the form of the assistant), and the smug look and swagger he had for a second or two before he realized what was going on. John Noble did an awesome job showing the small nuanced shifts in Walter.

Re: Fringe -- "Black Blotter" -- 12/14/12
 

I enjoyed this episode quite a bit. Walter randomly dropping acid doesn't honestly seem that out-of-character for him, he's done things like that numerous times throughout the seasons. I think it was more noticeable than usual because the bulk of the episode was dedicated to it...but in the end, it served a purpose for them to get the child observer.

Peter: Are you tripping?
Walter: Most definitely.

Re: Fringe -- "Black Blotter" -- 12/14/12
 

Loved the Monty python LSD homage....

Re: Fringe -- "Black Blotter" -- 12/14/12
 

Loved this episode! This whole season has been excellent. Way to go out with a bang and I know the final episodes will not disappoint like the final crapfest of Lost.

Re: Fringe -- "Black Blotter" -- 12/14/12
 

I liked this one less than the cartoon one, more than the musical. Way less than any ep in a while, though,

Re: Fringe -- "Black Blotter" -- 12/14/12
 

I'd have to vote with the naysayers. Too much time wasted on his trip.

Re: Fringe -- "Black Blotter" -- 12/14/12
 

Was there a continuity error here? When Peter disappeared after linking the universes wasn't his entire existence erased? Did the events Walter flashed back to still happen in this timeline?

Re: Fringe -- "Black Blotter" -- 12/14/12
 

I was iffy on this episode. I did appreciate their episode 19 was all but 2 minutes.

Not sure. That's all been murky, because Olivia still remembers so all of those still "happened". Maybe he was remembering things to a certain point? None of them featured a grown Peter.

Had me thinking yesterday though - did Peter disappearing correct both universes? He was supposed to die in both, no? Although then The daughter over the son was supposed to happen, so maybe not. :confused:

Re: Fringe -- "Black Blotter" -- 12/14/12
 

He explains his reasoning in the episode. He's was trying to jog his memory so that he could remember the entirety of the plan. It makes a sorta twisted sense that since his memory is so scrambled, something like LSD may help unscramble it. He took it at night when everyone else was asleep and he assumed nothing would be happening for a while (at least until morning).

In this timeline, All the same events happened to this Walter up until he and Peter fell through the ice after coming over from the other side. In the original timeline, September rescued both of them. In this timeline, Peter drowned, although Walter was able to save himself. Walter recounted these events the first time he sees Peter after Peter "breaks through" into this timeline.

So the events they flashed back to from "Peter" all occurred. Note that they showed a shot of young Peter sinking in the water; they don't show him being rescued.

Re: Fringe -- "Black Blotter" -- 12/14/12
 

I enjoyed it. I'm a Python fan so I really liked that homage. And FWIW the episode did advance the plot.

Re: Fringe -- "Black Blotter" -- 12/14/12
 

I loved it. The end sequence of Walter sitting on the floor of the lab, literally surrounded by his memories and haunted by the metaphorical ghosts of his past was such a great, dark, and ominous scene, that it'll probably go down as one of my favorite moments in the series. John Noble does what he does so damn well.

Re: Fringe -- "Black Blotter" -- 12/14/12
 

Thank you, I just plain couldn't remember and it was driving me nuts worrying that they might have screwed up so badly.