Fringe (TV Series) The End of All Things (2012) User Reviews

Who The Observers Are

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 30 March 2017]

Olivia and Nina Sharp are prisoner in an abandoned facility by David Robert Jones. He tortures Nina to force Olivia to use her abilities to activate the lights in a box. However Olivia tells that she is tired and he leaves Nina with her. Olivia confesses to her that only Peter would be emotionally connected to her to activate her ability. However Nina is from the parallel universe and is partner of David. Meanwhile Peter is contacted by September that is wounded on the chest and almost dying. Peter decides to enter in his mind to find the location of Olivia, and he learns who The Observers are. He also tells to Peter to go home and they are coming. When Peter understand the meaning of the message, he is abducted by David's men.

"The End of All Things" is one of the most important episodes of "Fringe" since it explains who The Observers are. The episode is tense with Olivia being forced to use her ability by the despicable David Robert Jones. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "The End of All Things"

Septembris vel initio ad finem omnia?

[XweAponX · 10/10 · 25 February 2012]

Once again I had to stand up to watch an Episode of Fringe. And once again, I try to put my feelings about it in this review. It's hard. I know what I want to say, but sometimes it gets lost between my brain and my fingers. So please bear with me this week.

CSI Director Jeffery G Hunt directs this episode with CSI precision.

This "Monster of the Week" story is fully blended with the Mythos arc in this Fringe out of Time episode - Which gives us a powerful story which once again provides one answer and 100 new Questions.

I was getting used to the idea that Peter would eventually stay in this Orange Fringe 'Verse- And maybe the return of Olivia's Memory indicated that "somehow" (By magic maybe) the timeline would "Snap back" to the way it was when the series started- in the Blue Fringe 'Verse.

But that is not what is happening at all. Peter's existence here, is a Misnomer. Peter is a Man without a Home. He had MADE a Home, in the Blue 'Verse. But that was taken from him, or, he gave it up when he gave Himself up to get into the Machine.

This whole season has been a World Out Of Time. Peter is Disjointed from His Universes: All four of them.

In this Episode, Peter gets a personal view of September's Mind. But even while Peter is standing at the threshold of ultimate Knowledge, he is also being prevented from knowing any more than what September will allow him to know.

I get the impression that September himself does not know how Peter brought himself back, and also that The Observers are protecting their own interests and existence.

This is "The Butterfly Effect" (The Original one) gone Mad.

Olivia and Nina are being held by Jones. But Nina is also being held by Broyles. More than one MacGuffin is being tossed out here, following the trail is like watching Five Hitchcock Films at the same time.

And Now, David Robert Jones has ammunition to use against Peter. Will it be a race to see if Peter can get Home before Jones can use what he now knows? I just can't see how this can get any more convoluted. Which is why I eagerly will wait the Three Weeks for the final Episodes of This Season.

Perhaps Stephen McHattie was right, when his 2nd Season character "Colonel Raymond Gordon" said regarding The Observer's briefcases: "What's in These Briefcases will Destroy us All" - because it certainly seems like The Observers, with their so-called Non-Interference policies, will effect the end of their own existence and possibly Peter's and Olivia's as well.

I Eagerly await being proved wrong.

The only problem

[AvidWatcher101 · 8/10 · 12 November 2021]

Love this show, and this is a great episode. One problem. September explains to Peter how he was wiped when he went into the machine - therefore those he loves can't remember him. I thought, great, now he at least knows what's going on. But no.. he comes to the end of the episode telling Olivia that 'HIS' Olivia is out there waiting for him. WTF?

Peter Is a Pain

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 15 November 2023]

Obviously, it would be hard to criticize any of the major characters when one knows under what circumstances they live. Olivia is slowly becoming something solid, but Peter is so caught up in a world that he wants that he can't see the forest for the trees. September tells him about his son (we sort of forgot all about that part of the other universe, didn't we). So he has a romanticized of a self engendered Olivia that may be just part of his psyche. This episode is quite haunting as Jones continues to manipulate his way to some end. I agree that he and Peter are going to have to duke it out at some point. Excellent, but quite confusing offering.

Predictable story, questionable shapeshifters, surreal sequence, missing other side, some sloppiness, thrilling lightning

[igoatabase · 7/10 · 23 March 2012]

This episode convinced me that if I had to choose between the other side and the shapeshifters I would definitely pick the first. Indeed, like many viewers I suppose, I quickly understood that the real Nina Sharp had actually been framed by a shapeshifter. So her torture didn't move me because I just knew it was a fake. In fact I just can't grasp why their division and specially Walter haven't come yet with a solution to make the difference between humans and shapeshifters. Considering their special abilities, like the one revealed by David Jones at the end, and evil motives there're probably plenty of things that make them what they are. From organic patterns at the atomic level to brain configurations they should have been able to detect that the Nina they captured was a woman, without having to check out her anus of course.

The surreal sequence in September's mind was phenomenal and served by immersive visual effects. However I wish it had been more dynamic because it was obvious Joshua Jackson wasn't walking or anything probably not to mess up the lighting or something. Still even if Peter's mental dive was hastily set up it was reminiscent of fascinating productions like Contact (1997) and Cube 2 : Hypercube. As for the impact it had, beside helping Peter to make his decision regarding Olivia, well it made me miss Fauxlivia and the alt-characters even more. Would it have been too hard to enrich the latest episodes with parallel elements ? If the time of convergence has come then Peter should have tried to involve both sides. Walternate is supposed to help him but we haven't seen him for a while and all we got are freaks of the week, even if I really enjoyed them and found the writers intertwined approach interesting and well executed.

My other complain would go to the lack of attention to details. I still consider the division's security is terrible. Peter going back to his home without even a bodyguard after what happened ? Jones armed minion coming way too close beside Peter ? I know they already have a lot of things to cover in such a short time but I wish some events were more believable, specially when they're action-driven. At least Olivia's switching on the lights was thrilling and the only thing missing was an electrified haircut for Anna Torv or some sort of reference to Storm, the comics character.

Note : This review was first posted on Kritikenstein, my weblog.