Fringe 4x19 - "Letters of Transit" (Live Commentary, Spoilers)

[pork3]

Hyperspace05 wrote:

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Meh.... WTH was that? And no continuation next week? So what exactly was the point???

What bemuses me is that I enjoyed this episode more than a majority of the last two seasons, irrespective of how this episode fits into the grand scheme.

-Jamman

[propita]

Maybe it means that, no matter what our team does, it doesn’t matter. Olivia’s going to die. The Observers will take over.

Then the resistance starts, years after the occupation began.

[Guy Gardener]

The observers travel through time "routinely".

A resistance uses the enemies weapons because they usually don't have any of their own.

The resistance may have started late, but it's going to finish before the occupation started.

Didn't September say that in every possible timeline that Olivia always dies?

[Enterprise is Great]

On another board someone mentioned how "Letters of Transit" ties in with an episode from season 2 called "Fracture". In that episode a character named Colonel Raymond Gordon is turning people into human bombs. At the end of the episode he's caught and interrogated by Broyles. This is what happens: "In the interrogation room at the Federal Building, Broyles sits with Raymond Gordon as he narrates his bleak perspective. Gordon calmly explains that the enemy is among us, we are unaware and that nobody is doing anything about it. Gordon, and others, have taken matters into their own hands... to send a message to the enemy. Broyles wants to know what is in the briefcases of the couriers Gordon has been targeting. Gordon replies that collected data and observations are in the briefcase. Data used in planning for the war that is coming. Gordon can't tell Broyles exactly who the enemy is - but he knows that they want to terminate us... using our culture, technology, and science against us." (from wikipedia entry on this episode) And then in the final scene a courier delivers a briefcase to the Observer, September. Inside the briefcase are pictures of Walter Bishop.

[Violet.Phoenix]

Enterprise is Great wrote:

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On another board someone mentioned how "Letters of Transit" ties in with an episode from season 2 called "Fracture". In that episode a character named Colonel Raymond Gordon is turning people into human bombs. At the end of the episode he's caught and interrogated by Broyles. This is what happens: "In the interrogation room at the Federal Building, Broyles sits with Raymond Gordon as he narrates his bleak perspective. Gordon calmly explains that the enemy is among us, we are unaware and that nobody is doing anything about it. Gordon, and others, have taken matters into their own hands... to send a message to the enemy. Broyles wants to know what is in the briefcases of the couriers Gordon has been targeting. Gordon replies that collected data and observations are in the briefcase. Data used in planning for the war that is coming. Gordon can't tell Broyles exactly who the enemy is - but he knows that they want to terminate us... using our culture, technology, and science against us." (from wikipedia entry on this episode) And then in the final scene a courier delivers a briefcase to the Observer, September. Inside the briefcase are pictures of Walter Bishop.

Mind = Blown

I'd forgotten completel about that. I really need to re-watch some of the earlier episodes to watch for these little things that they come back to later on. That's what I love about Fringe is how it always goes back to so many little things; it keeps the viewer on their toes.

[Mr. Adventure]

^^ Agree on the rewatch and that is a cool detail.

[MichaelDornFan]

pork3 wrote:

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What bemuses me is that I enjoyed this episode more than a majority of the last two seasons, irrespective of how this episode fits into the grand scheme.

-Jamman

Me too. I want a fifth season just to see more of it.

[Procutus]

Mr. Adventure wrote:

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^^ Agree on the rewatch and that is a cool detail.

Count me in on the re-watch as well. I remember that, but not well. That really would be cool if that was intentional foreshadowing all along.

[Hyperspace05]

MichaelDornFan wrote:

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Me too. I want a fifth season just to see more of it.

I don't. If this what we would expect to see more of in season 5 (Observers as nazi-wannabe's), then I'd rather have them cancel the show.

[startrekwatcher]

Hyperspace05 wrote:

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Meh.... WTH was that? And no continuation next week? So what exactly was the point???

It has become the norm for these series spanning mythology shows to introduce and set up pieces for down the road and set them aside until the right moment to reintroduce them once they have set up other interrelated pieces in order not to ruin surprises to come--if you ever watched LOST they did that all the time. Sometimes it would be years before they revisited something that was brought up and then seemingly forgotten.

Frankly that kind of storytelling isn't very satisfying but thanks to LOST non linear storytelling is all the rage it would seem these days.

[auntiehill]

pork3 wrote:

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What bemuses me is that I enjoyed this episode more than a majority of the last two seasons, irrespective of how this episode fits into the grand scheme.

-Jamman

Me, too. I thought, "I wish the whole season had been like that!" I was kind of disappointed when the preview showed it going back to the previous storyline. PHOOEY!

But, one thing that keeps me coming back to Fringe is that it always keeps you guessing. Sometimes, the resolutions or reveals are great, other times, well.....not so much, but it is always at least interesting.

[DarthPipes]

Really good episode. I'm a sucker for these kind of AU's and it reminded me of the Epitahs episodes for Dollhouse. I agree though that it seems late to develop this storyline. It doesn't bother me that everything wasn't resolved at the end but it did annoy me that it won't be followed up next week. Likely.

Another stellar performance by John Noble and seeing him as the old Walter with Astrid and Peter should be interesting. The age make-up on Broyles was good and Belly's "return" was cleverly worked in.

[Samurai8472]

Hyperspace05 wrote:

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Meh.... WTH was that? And no continuation next week? So what exactly was the point???

Setup for the possible 5th season.


In season 3 we were going back and forth between alternate universes.

Now we'll probably back and forth between future and past.

[Aragorn]

Enterprise is Great wrote:

---

On another board someone mentioned how "Letters of Transit" ties in with an episode from season 2 called "Fracture". In that episode a character named Colonel Raymond Gordon is turning people into human bombs. At the end of the episode he's caught and interrogated by Broyles. This is what happens: "In the interrogation room at the Federal Building, Broyles sits with Raymond Gordon as he narrates his bleak perspective. Gordon calmly explains that the enemy is among us, we are unaware and that nobody is doing anything about it. Gordon, and others, have taken matters into their own hands... to send a message to the enemy. Broyles wants to know what is in the briefcases of the couriers Gordon has been targeting. Gordon replies that collected data and observations are in the briefcase. Data used in planning for the war that is coming. Gordon can't tell Broyles exactly who the enemy is - but he knows that they want to terminate us... using our culture, technology, and science against us." (from wikipedia entry on this episode) And then in the final scene a courier delivers a briefcase to the Observer, September. Inside the briefcase are pictures of Walter Bishop.

And here it is:

[Procutus]

startrekwatcher wrote:

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Frankly that kind of storytelling isn't very satisfying but thanks to LOST non linear storytelling is all the rage it would seem these days.

That's a very good point, and definitely a slight annoyance with LOST, though it's a bit less noticeable when you're watching several eps at a time on DVD. To be honest, I don't have a problem with non-linear storytelling, as long as it's done in moderation; I've even used it myself in the novel I'm writing. As long as the future storyline from this ep pays off before the final curtain closes on Fringe, I'll be all right with it. But I also agree that it seems awfully late in the game to start with this type of jumping ahead, especially if this is in fact, to be the real future of this new timeline.

Minor note: I see from the listing in the new TV Guide that the final is going to be a two-parter (4x21 being Part 1, on May 4).