FRINGE: August

First of all, can somebody explain to me why this episode was entitled “August”? I’m guessing that the reason is either (a) completely obvious and just escaping my little brain for no apparent reason or (b) a very minor detail that I failed to catch, likely because I could barely hear the TV over the noise of my husband tearing into our latest DIY project. Help me out — PLEASE!!!

One Less Watching
This episode had not one, not two, but FOUR Observers in it! This makes it difficult for us to continue to refer to Walter’s follicallly challenged friend as “THE” Observer. From here on out, I will call him O1…not to be confused with O2, the star of the mysteriously titled “August” episode.

O2 was observing the 1989 San Francisco earthquake and witnessed a little girl lose both of her parents in the bridge collapse. Her bravery touched him and he experienced feelings, an ability which the other observers appear not to possesa. For the next 20 years, he observed her, even though to the other observers she appeared to be unimportant. On the day that she was meant to die in a plane crash, O2 kidnapped her to prevent it from happening. By doing so, he broke an important rule of observing – he altered the natural order of life.

To correct the “irregularity” caused by O2, the other observers call in an assassin to take out the girl. As the assassin searches for his mark, O2 goes to Walter for help. He thinks that Walter might be able to give him an idea of how to save her since Walter was in a similar impossible situation before and was able to find a way to solve it. Walter suggests that O2 find a way to make the girl “important”.

Taking Walter’s advice, O2 anonymously tips off Peter and Olivia as to where the girl is being held. The assassin finds it first and O2 fires his cool stops-you-but-doesn’t-kill-you-gun at him. While the assassin is down and the girl is hidden, O2 runs outside. The assassin follows and shoots O2, who does nothing to stop the bullets (even though he has the ability to do so), just as Peter and Olivia arrive. They jump out of their car and run after the assassin. Peter stops to check out O2, who hands him his weapon, which Peter uses to help Olivia take down the assassin.

O2’s plan worked. His death made the girl “important” because she is now the one who is responsible for the death of an observer. She is safe.

What Does it All Mean?
– Walter and Peter got into a car accident and landed in a frozen river. O1 was there and pulled them out. Peter didn’t survive and, at some point, Walter popped over to the other reality and pulled out Alt Peter. Why was O1 even there in the first place? Was their accident the event that he was sent to observe, or did he just happen to witness it, similar to O2 and the little girl at the bridge collapse? Was he sent to save Walter so that Walter could owe him the favor later (removing the device from the FBI’s possession)?

• Walter was worried that O2 was going to try to take Peter from him. Is that just because he knows that the observers are from the other reality where Peter belongs? Or is it because he knows more about what they are doing here than we do and some particular piece of knowledge (their purpose/their boss/etc.) gives him reason for concern?

• What are the observers looking for and for whom are they working? How are they linked to William Bell? He is obviously not their boss or Massive Dynamic wouldn’t need to be trying to interpret their code.

• Why are things “about to get a whole lot harder for her”? Presumably, this was referring to Olivia…but could it actually be Ella?

For all you code crackers – tonight’s word was BLIGHT.

How well did you “observe” last night’s episode? Share your thoughts below.

Gretchen is a stay-at-home mom of two awesome little girls who has the good fortune of being married to a husband who is completely cool with her slightly out of control television addiction. During her precious few sleeping hours, Gretchen frequently finds herself ridding the world of pesky vampires and demons, as well as taking down fake secret branches of the CIA.