• 'Fringe' says goodbye with a bittersweet finale

    By Philiana Ng, The Hollywood Reporter

    Liane Hentscher / FOX

    Peter (Josh Jackson) contemplates the plan to defeat the observers in the "Fringe" finale.

    It was the only way "Fringe" -- after five seasons, multiple universes and 100 episodes -- could end: a bittersweet footnote to a rollercoaster journey.

    For the viewers who stayed on it, through the good and the ugly, the two-hour series finale capped off in a way that the entire series was meant to, hitting an emotional chord with a sacrifice that gave arguably "Fringe's" best relationships its due.

    Photos from THR: 9 shows ending in the 2012-2013 season

    Though "Fringe" began with FBI Agent Olivia Dunham (Anna Torv) thrust into the center of what would soon become normal fringe occurrences, as it began to solidify itself as a mythology-centric show, the complex dynamic between Peter (Josh Jackson) and his mad scientist father Walter (John Noble) came to be one of the show's shining graces. There were fights and lies spanning lifetimes/alt-universes, but in the end, it came down to Walter sacrificing his life and family for the good of his son.

    It was a beautiful scene between the two men -- who often came at a situation from completely different places -- during Friday's two-parter when Peter realized that he had to lose his father in order to have a future with Olivia and daughter Etta. "I want you to give Olivia your daughter back," Walter said to his son. "I want you to give you your life back. As a father, how could I not do that for you?"

    THR video: Anna Torv on the final season of 'Fringe'

    This all came after Peter watched a VHS tape (amazing!) with Walter explaining just exactly what he had to do to have an Observer-less world (because they're threatening to take over). "I cheated fate to be with you, and we shouldn't have had that time with you but we did," Walter conceded. "I wouldn't change it for the world." Poetic, yes. Bittersweet, definitely.

    Everything culminates in one big battle during the final moments of the series, with Walter taking Observer child Michael with him as they disappeared into the future.


    There were other lovely callbacks to "Fringe's" five-season run, including the welcomed returns of characters like Fauxlivia, Lincoln Lee (Seth Gabel) and Gene the Cow, as well as the "hallway of death," reminding viewers of old, disgusting cases like the killer butterflies, bugs that grew inside humans and the exploded, bloody head.

    THR video: John Noble on 'Fringe's' season finale

    After a white flash, it's Peter and Olivia enjoying life as a happy couple in 2015 with a young Etta skipping across the park without a care in the world -- the same day the Observers were to have invaded, only this time they didn't. Later, as the family arrives home, Peter sees an envelope from "W. Bishop." Inside, a card with a white tulip on it. (The white tulip is a nod back to an early episode when Walter grappled with the consequences of his scientific discoveries.)

    As Walter said to Peter, "You are my favorite thing, my very favorite thing."

    See you on the other side.

    Tell us what you loved -- or didn't like -- about the finale on our Facebook page!

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  • 'Fringe' farewell: 10 episodes to watch before the series finale

    Kharen Hill / FOX

    The cast of "Fringe," from left, Lance Reddick, Blair Brown, Joshua Jackson, Anna Torv, John Noble and Jasika Nicole.

    By Lisa Granshaw, TODAY contributor

    It’s hard to believe the fifth and final season of Fox’s sci-fi drama, “Fringe,” is almost over. While the show’s less-than-ideal ratings resulted in this last, 13-episode season, the series has remained a cult favorite. No doubt, fans will be sad to say goodbye to the characters they’ve come to know through a roller coaster ride of alternate universes and rewritten timelines. But unfortunately, there’s no way to rewrite the future of “Fringe,” as the show is set to end with a 2-hour finale on January 18.

    Whether you are a longtime fan who wants to refresh on the show’s mythology and best moments, or a newbie who wants to just know the basics so you can watch the finale with your friends, here are 10 essential episodes to watch before the series ends.

    “The Road Not Taken” (Season 1, episode 19)
    In this episode, viewers learned the true extent of the damage done by Walter Bishop and William Bell’s experiments on children. This had a huge impact on Olivia Dunham as she struggled to deal with her new, unsettling visions and some old childhood friends who turn up.

    “There’s More Than One of Everything” (Season 1, episode 20)
    This season finale was a race against enemy David Robert Jones, who tried to open a portal to another reality. As Jones left destruction in his wake, Olivia figured out that all the Pattern events seem to radiate from a place that became all too familiar to fans over the next few seasons: Reiden Lake in upstate New York.

    “Jacksonville” (Season 2, episode 15)
    Universes began to collide with a devastating impact, making the team return to Walter’s old lab in Florida to search for answers. In this episode, viewers learned more about Olivia’s past, her potential and Walter’s experiments on children -- not to mention a shocking revelation about one of the characters that changed the team forever.

    “Peter” (Season 2, episode 16)
    Possibly the most important episode of “Fringe” to watch, fans finally got some long awaited answers about the main characters’ motivations. Walter’s past relationship with the alternate universe was explained and the reasons why he might be responsible for what’s been happening in the world were revealed.


    “Over There” (Season 2, 2-parter)
    Peter crossed over to the other universe, so Olivia and Walter traveled there to get him back. This episode is exciting because not only do fans learn more about the characters’ doubles on the other side, but Leonard Nimoy’s William Bell makes another appearance. Oh, and Olivia and Peter share a touching moment viewers had all been waiting for!

    “Entrada” (Season 3, episode 8)
    The team learned that the Olivia they’ve been working with, and Peter got closer to, is not their Olivia! The race was on to find Faux-livia and figure out how to get their Olivia back. Meanwhile on the other side, Original-Olivia struggled to get free and discover that not everyone on the other side is as bad as they seemed.

    “The End of All Things” (Season 4, episode 14)
    This season was set in a timeline that never had a Peter, and everyone was still trying to get used to his sudden appearance. Despite this confusion, the old team was working together to find Olivia, who has been taken by David Robert Jones. Since Peter never existed in this timeline before, Jones was never killed so he's back causing trouble for the world.

    “A Short Story About Love” (Season 4, episode 15)
    Peter stayed away from Olivia to search for a way to return to his own timeline. He was convinced that she wasn't his Olivia and was scared of making the same mistake he made in season three. He ended up helping the Observer September return to their universe, which was hidden from him by the other Observers, and learned from September that he was, in fact, in his original timeline already.

    “Letters of Transit” (Season 4, episode 19)
    This is a must-see episode to understand the events of season five. Jumping forward to the year 2036, the Observers have conquered the world and the original Fringe team failed to stop them. Not all hope is lost however, as two FBI agents tried to find the original team, who had trapped themselves in amber, and release them to help the growing resistance fight against Observer control.

    “Brave New World” (Season 4, 2-parter)
    In this timeline, William Bell is behind the actions of David Robert Jones, and he wanted to collapse both universes in order to create one under his control. The power source for all of his plans turned out to be a member of the team, forcing one of them to make the ultimate sacrifice to save the world. This episode wrapped up events in this new timeline and had the team finally come together again as a family, and it also set up the events of season five.

    The penultimate episode of “Fringe” airs Jan. 11 at 9 p.m. on Fox.

    What do you hope to see on “Fringe” before the series ends? Tell us on our Facebook page!

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  • Fox renews 'Fringe' for a fifth and final season

    Andrew Matusik / Fox

    The cast of "Fringe," from left to right: Jasika Nicole, Lance Reddick, John Noble, Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson, Blair Brown and Seth Gabel.

    By Anna Chan, TODAY

    "Fringe" creator J.J. Abrams is getting his wish: The show "will continue into a fifth season that will allow the series to conclude in a wild and thrilling way," he said in a statement Thursday. "All of us at (production company) Bad Robot are forever indebted to our viewers and the amazingly supportive Fox network for allowing the adventures of Fringe Division to not only continue, but to resolve in a way that perfectly fits the show.”

    Fox announced the renewal of the sci-fi drama for a final, 13-episode season on Thursday afternoon.

    The fate of the low-rated show had been in question. The network's entertainment president told reporters in January that the drama, about an FBI division that explores a parallel universe, may be in trouble because it was so expensive. "We lost a lot of money on the show," Kevin Reilly said. "We are not in the business of losing money."


    On Thursday, Reilly said in a statement: "'Fringe' is a remarkably creative series that has set the bar as one of television’s most imaginative dramas. Bringing it back for a final 13 allows us to provide the climactic conclusion that its passionate and loyal fans deserve. The amazing work the producers, writers and the incredibly talented cast and crew have delivered the last four seasons has literally been out of this world. Although the end is bittersweet, it’s going to be a very exciting final chapter.”

    Until then, check out the season five trailer:

     

    "Fringe's" season four finale will be a two-parter airing on May 4 and 11 at 9 p.m. on Fox.

    What would you like to see happen in the series finale? Tell us on our Facebook page!


     

     

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