1x20: There Is More Than One of Everything

[wendelah1]

To me, "There is more than one of everything," is the catch phrase for Fringe. It's also the high concept that hooked me on the series. For a certain type of viewer (and fanfic writer), a canon alternative universe is the Holy Grail of scifi television. The first season finale gives us our first tantalizing glimpse into Fringe's alternate universe, hints of its importance to our characters, and our first meeting with William Bell.

Truly, I love everything about this episode. I love how Olivia discovers David Robert Jones's soft spot destination by triangulating using the Fringe events (aka X-Files!) going back to the sixties. I'm gleeful as I watch Jones get sliced into two pieces as he attempts to cross over into the alternate universe. The episode is full of startling imagery and leaps of imagination: the boy on the soccer field who loses an arm, a gravestone for Peter Bishop, which means that the living, adult Peter must not be from our universe, and finally, an alternate universe so close to our own that we can catch momentary glimpses of it, a universe in which the Twin Towers are still standing.


Writer: Jeff Pinkner (teleplay),J.H. Wyman (teleplay),Akiva Goldsman (story),Bryan Burk (story)
Director: Brad Anderson
Originally aired: 12 May 2009

Synopsis: The elusive David Robert Jones is finally tracked down. He attempts to cross to an alternative universe using the technology his disciples have stolen from Walter Bishop. Fortunately, Walter is able to stop him using his universe repairing ray gun. Olivia finally gets to meet William Bell.

Most Memorable Quote:
THE OBSERVER: Do you recognize this? (hands over a vintage coin)
WALTER: How did you get that?
THE OBSERVER: This coin looks similar to the one you're thinking of. But it is from another place. There is more than one of everything.

Links:
transcript
AV Club
Alan Sepinwall's review

Fanfiction:
Post-eps for this marvelous episode should be abundant, but there are none that I could find. Let's go write some!

If you know of any, post them in the comments.

And so we come to the end of the first season of Fringe. Any thoughts about the season as a whole? How did it stand up compared to past viewings?

The date for the start for our season two rewatch is still being discussed among the mods. The schedule should be up in a few days.

Comments

[corwinofamber]

The episode that really launches the show as we later knew it, with vortices, alternates and shape shifters to come. Peter is revealed as coming from the other side. Walter mourns the son he lost, and drove himself crazy with guilt over what he'd done, and fear of the consequences coming to bite him in the ass.

I think Walter made that closing device to prevent people from the other side coming over, in his paranoid phase when he was stashing crazy tech all over the eastern seaboard. There's fanfic potential there, though I doubt anyone beside me would want to read it - or write it even.

Given what we now know, the Observer telling Walter he's not supposed to get involved is terribly amusing. Oh, you're involved Donald, you're involved.

Favorite Quotes:

OLIVIA: What are you doing here?
WALTER: We're trying to plug a hole in the universe. What are you doing here?
OLIVIA: Apparently the same thing.

And you could look at Walter's note - "I'm stepping out for a bit. Don't worry about me, son. I know where I'm going." - as foreshadowing for the end of the series itself.

[wendelah1]

I think Walter made that closing device to prevent people from the other side coming over, in his paranoid phase when he was stashing crazy tech all over the eastern seaboard. There's fanfic potential there, though I doubt anyone beside me would want to read it - or write it even.

I'd read it. Absolutely. There isn't enough backstory fic in this fandom. We had a kinkmeme. I wish there'd been a gen meme for prompts like yours.

Given what we now know, the Observer telling Walter he's not supposed to get involved is terribly amusing. Oh, you're involved Donald, you're involved.

Season five never made sense to me. It just didn't fit with what we thought knew about the Observers. I guess it was their end game but I still don't see how that could be. Maybe the rewatch will shed some light.

And you could look at Walter's note - "I'm stepping out for a bit. Don't worry about me, son. I know where I'm going." - as foreshadowing for the end of the series itself.

Yes. That's very insightful.

[corwinofamber]

I think Walter made that closing device to prevent people from the other side coming over, in his paranoid phase when he was stashing crazy tech all over the eastern seaboard. There's fanfic potential there, though I doubt anyone beside me would want to read it - or write it even.

I'd read it. Absolutely. There isn't enough backstory fic in this fandom. We had a kinkmeme. I wish there'd been a gen meme for prompts like yours.

Arrrgh. This story idea has percolated in my head for two weeks now, and it's finally reached critical mass and has to happen. Problem is, I have one neglected fic I have to finish first, and no time anymore...adding to my "write this, someday" list.