Spoiler Alert: Fringe S04E01

Can I just say that Fringe has gotten stronger and stronger every single season? Maybe it's easier to write now that LOST has been concluded for over a year. I don't know. It's just good. It makes me happier.

This episode, "Neither Here Nor There," mirrors the very first episode of Fringe. We have an FBI agent named Lincoln Lee who has just lost his partner to some fringe science problem that turns his skin translucent, and this is exactly what happened to Olivia Dunham in the first episode. The alternate Olivia mentions how alone our dimension's Olivia is, and in fact, most of the characters feel more alone. It is even said that Walter has never had anything to tether him to the world, and as a result we see a mad scientist who isn't even allowed to view crime scenes except remotely through Astrid. Also, before "the change" Lincoln Lee and Olivia Dunham knew each other, but during this episode they met for the first time...

It's a different world(s) with different mysteries. So, let's just jump in.

1. The Bleed / The Man in the Mirror

In the beginning of the episode, a Pattern Observer mentions that though Peter Bishop was erased from continuity traces of him continue to bleed through. From the beginning of the episode, Walter and Astrid experience problems - a squawk - with their communication via blue tooth headsets. Perhaps this is just a way to introduce the fact that Walter is not allowed to go to the crime scenes, but I'm banking on the fact that Peter Bishop's presence is blocking these signals.

Later in the episode, Walter emerges from his Altered States sensory deprivation chamber terrified and ranting about hiding from The Man in the Mirror. We can be certain, at that point, that this is Peter Bishop bleeding through. But in case any of us didn't pick up on it, the last scene explains it plain and clear. Peter Bishop appears in Walter's television screen.

And let's not pretend that this is all we saw of The Man in the Mirror. Much as Tyler Durden appeared here and there, spliced as if into a film reel, in Fight Club, so also did Peter Bishop appear in this episode. Now, all I can speak of is one time. I saw a flash of Peter in the background of the scene where Walter and Astrid are talking about whether or not Walternate is evil. My assumption, however, is that I missed more appearances. Did you see any? Here's mine.

Remember how everyone was looking for The Pattern Observer in the background during season one. Well, now we're going to be looking for Peter Bishop. Yes. You heard it here first: The Bleed is the new Pattern Observer.

2. You Did This To Me!

All of the things that have happened so far are, in some way, connected to the actions of the Rogue Pattern Observer, the one who seems connected somehow to humankind, and in particular to the Bishop family. At the beginning of the episode, this Rogue Pattern Observer was charged with erasing Peter Bishop from existence completely and finally. His "boss" explains, "They can never know the boy lived to be a man."

For a few minutes there, I thought this was going to set the Rogue Pattern Observer and the Pattern Observers in general as the overarching enemies of this episode. And this may actually prove true over time. But in the end, the Pattern Observer cannot flip the switch and erase the adult Peter Bishop.

As a result, The Man in the Mirror, Peter Bishop, appears to Walter Bishop. And according to the Prologue discussion between the Pattern Observer it is safe to assume that this is our little speck of hope that adult Peter Bishop's existence will be known. But whether or not he is known of remembered, there still remains the task of fully integrating him back into reality. And the Pattern Observers don't seem to want that to happen.

3. It's Still Quite Dead

When Walter transforms an inanimate bird body into a flying bird, he is asked if he just resurrected a bird. Walter responds, "No, no. It's still quite dead." But later he mentions, "It's a start." It appears that while he may not have restored life, he restored motor functions for a limited time to a bird that was once dead.

It seems like Walter is hell-bent on learning the art of resurrection, and for good reason: two versions of his son died from an unexplained disease when he was young. Will Walter successfully learn how to resurrect a human being? What will the repercussions of bringing someone back from the dead be? Or will The Man in the Mirror convince Walter to let go of his son?

4. Biological-Chemical Hybrids

After two of the translucent villains from this episode's plot arc were shot and killed by Olivia and Lincoln, their bodies were autopsied. Walter finds out that they are biological-chemical hybrids, created using science that isn't available in this universe but which is certainly from the alternate universe.

Walter immediately assumes that these villains are the work of Walternate, but for some reason this screams of a Red Herring to me. I think that they are the work of someone else, perhaps a William Bell from the alternate universe who survived in a world without Peter Bishop. Perhaps someone else entirely. But then again, maybe Walternate is always a bad guy, kind of like Sloan on ALIAS.

5. References

Since this is a J.J. Abrams show, we know that there are going to be outside-references abounding, and this episode is no exception to this rule. I found five references. Maybe you found more:

(1) Walter points Lincoln Lee's attention to the ear that he is growing "under the dome," which is possibly a reference to the Stephen King novel Under the Dome where an unexplained dome appears over a city and all is turned to disorder inside.

(2) Walter later mentions that he read a book called The Spy Who Came in from the Cold while in the mental institution, a book by John le Carre that was made famous for pointing out the inconsistencies between Western espionage and Western democratic values.

(3) When the translucent villain peals his fingernail off, you can be sure that this is a reference to the 1986 Jeff Goldblum film The Fly, which details the terrible consequences of messing with advanced technology.

(4) Whenever Walter sees Peter Bishop in the corner of his eyes, he becomes frightened and begins to rant about The Man in the Mirror. This is no doubt a reference to the Michael Jackson song "Man in the Mirror," in which Michael Jackson teaches that the best way to change / save the world is to begin by looking in the mirror and changing who you are. You want a better world. Make yourself a better person.

(5) Finally, as I mentioned before, the appearances of Peter Bishop in the background mimicked the way that Tyler Durden was spliced into the film Fight Club at various points.

The Justin/Jeff Project: Jurassic Park (1993)

In the spirit of the Julie/Julia project in which writer Julie Powell chronicles cooking all of the recipes in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, 524 recipes in 365 days, I bring you the Jeff/Justin project. The Justin/Jeff project chronicles my descent into the filmography of Jeff Goldblum and will take as much time as it takes.

Jurassic Park is the reason that Jeff Goldblum is a household name, at least in my household, that is. In this film, Goldblum plays chaotician/"rockstar" Ian Malcolm. He is invited to a resort island in order to sign off on a strange and new project, an affordable vacation spot where people can enjoy dinosaurs resurrected due to the marvels of modern genetics. To paraphrase a classic quote, "Man is invited to island. Man is asked to sign off on project. Man sees living dinosaurs. Man is attacked by dinosaurs. Man decides not to sign off on project."

Sometimes Ian Malcolm sounds like the smartest of people. He does that really cool chaos test with Ellie Sattler where he drips water down her hand, and in the process charms her pretty heavily. He expresses his serious problems with the mere concept of recreating dinosaurs using borrowed technology and the lack of responsibility Hammond and his employees are showing. The guy really knows his stuff. And let's not forget, he humorously makes fun of Hammond when nothing works out. ("Ah, now eventually you do plan to have dinosaurs on your, on your dinosaur tour, right? Hello?")

Just as often, however, Ian Malcolm sounds like an idiot. Honestly, however, I don't have a lot of examples of idiot Ian Malcolm. Of course, there's only one example I need to cite. When Alan Grant lights up the emergency flair in order to divert the T. Rex from Tim and Lex, he has completely succeeded and has the predator rerouted into the jungle. Of course, this is when Ian Malcolm stupidly grabs another flair and tries to get the T. Rex to chase him. ("Ian! Freeze!") Malcolm is badly injured. The T. Rex kills the lawyer. Alan, Tim and Lex are separated from the main group, resulting in Tim throwing up and getting electrocuted, and Lex getting sneezed on. I believe this warrants a "smooth move, ex lax."

But what is the most memorable thing about Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park. It is the awkward classic Goldblum stutter. (From Answers.com: "Q: Does Jeff Goldblum have a stutter? A: No, he has a unique way of delivering his lines. It's sexy.") One might think that the best moment for this is while Goldblum sits alone in the JP jeep, ("See, here I'm now sitting by myself, uh, er, talking to myself. That's, that's chaos theory.") but one would be wrong. You see, Goldblum is talented enough to incorporate his stutter into his laugh. If his laugh could be written out, it would go something like this, "Chuckle. Ellipsis. Ellipsis. Growl. Chuckle. Ellipsis. Laugh." It is absolutely ridiculous. And absolutely sexy, right Answers.com girl?

If it weren't for Jeff Goldblum's performance as Ian Malcolm in Jurassic Park there wouldn't be a Justin/Jeff Project. No JP, no JJP. Thank you, Michael Crichton. Thank you, Steven Spielberg. And always, thank you, Jeff.

The Fly (1986)

I just looked up Brundlefly on Wikipedia. I found out that it can mean one of three things:

1. Brundlefly - the name that Seth Brundle (Jeff Goldblum) gives to himself in The Fly (1986 film)

2. Brundlefly (band) - a Canadian alternative rock band (NOTE: I cannot imagine a world in which this band was not inspired by watching the 1986 film The Fly.)

3. Brundlefly Sound System - Hip Hop band originating in Columbus, OH (NOTE: Also, undoubtedly, named after The Fly.)

Perhaps next time I'll research the influence of the term "Mogwai," which originated in the 1984 film Gremlins.

The Justin/Jeff Project: Nashville (1975)

In the spirit of the Julie/Julia project in which writer Julie Powell chronicles cooking all of the recipes in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, 524 recipes in 365 days, I bring you the Jeff/Justin project. The Justin/Jeff project chronicles my descent into the filmography of Jeff Goldblum and will take as much time as it takes.

Jeff Goldblum's appearance in Robert Altman's film California Split was a let-down. There's no way around it. If you've seen Jurassic Park you're expecting some geeky "rockstar" or something, and you get some guy popping out of an office. From everything I've read my expectation for Nashville was that it would be some big turning point, that Goldblum would get a lot of screen time and have some profound role. Roger Ebert and Leonard Maltin gave it a four star rating and declared it the best film of 1975, and it's on a lot of people's top movie lists. Let's just say I was expecting something really special.

Jeff Goldblum plays a character called Tricycle Man. He gets his name from the long, low-slung three-wheeled motorcycle that he rides. He doesn't have a single line in the movie.

Tricycle Man is a mysterious creature. He doesn't say anything, but in some ways he's the most constant thing in the entire film. It only adds to his mystique that he sits in a diner where tons of people are yapping about this and that and all the while he is doing magic tricks. Now, anybody can do magic tricks. I've lived in New York. People will do magic tricks at you all the time. A bar owner in Manhattan would pull me aside excitedly here and there to teach me a couple simple levitations. But Tricycle Man does not seem the least concerned whether or not anyone sees what he is doing. After some time, he attracts notice, and a woman begins to flirt with him, but there is no reason to believe that's what he wants.

As Tricycle Man continues to pop up, it feels almost like he's inhuman, like he's being teleported here and there, or even like he only exists in the focus of the viewer. Between Goldblum's signature locks and the nature of this character I was reminded first and foremost of the Marvel comics character The Beyonder. The Beyonder, in many ways, is not even a being. He is a reality. He is The Beyond. When he comes to earth for various reasons, but mainly for the "Secret Wars" and "Secret Wars II" stories, he merely appears in a variety of comic books doing Beyonder knows what. In another way, he's like some weird cowboy from a David Lynch film. In yet another, he seems like merely a function of the universe. He must be there. We may not know why, but it is the result of some sort of cosmic arithmetic.

Is Tricycle Man even the same guy every time? Maybe Nashville is like Jeff Goldblum's dark tower. A series of Jeff Goldblums from different ages and eras use this movie as a go-between. They traverse through this nexus at the middle of the multiverse on their various missions, and that's why Tricycle Man can be in all the right places at all the right times.

Jeff Goldblum is eternal, but you don't have to take my word for it.

The Justin/Jeff Project: California Split (1974)

In the spirit of the Julie/Julia project in which writer Julie Powell chronicles cooking all of the recipes in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, 524 recipes in 365 days, I bring you the Jeff/Justin project. The Justin/Jeff project chronicles my descent into the filmography of Jeff Goldblum and will take as much time as it takes.

While Jeff Goldblum's character in Death Wish was a terrible, horrible, no-good, very bad kid, at least he played a noticeable character, integral to the plot, and got a decent amount of screen time. In California Split, featuring George Segal and Elliott Gould, he gets only the quickest of cameos, enough time to show his dorky face and then fade away. What do I remember of Jeff Goldblum's performance as Lloyd Harris in California Split? I remember him coming out of an office, talking to one of the main characters, smiling (maybe), and then I remember waiting for him to show up again. This was especially difficult in a movie that didn't seem too concerned with plot.

In all of the descriptions of Jeff Goldblum's appearance in California Split you'll read how Robert Altman really liked Jeff Goldblum. Altman found him performing in the comic review El Grande de Coca Cola and he just had to have Goldblum in his films. So, Goldblum pops out of an office and then he disappears. He is only noticeable years later when fans, like me, skim through his filmography trying to gain some kind of sacred knowledge from seeing every single Goldblum performance. This isn't even the Altman film that will help Goldblum's career. That will come in 1975 with his performance in the Academy Award nominated Robert Altman film Nashville.

What do we know of Jeff Goldblum's character Lloyd Harris in California Split? He's not really much of a character. He could be anyone. He could moonlight as Batman, or he could zip out of the office here and there as Superman. He could be the same character from Death Wish, only grown up, with a job, and a penchant for violating kind citizens. He could be the american psycho for all we know. But if we are to paint a picture more akin to the clues Robert Altman has given us, it seems pretty clear that Lloyd Harris is just a dweeby co-worker who probably doesn't have much of a life.

Thank goodness Jeff Goldblum went on to bigger and better things, because Lloyd Harris is not exactly the kind of character who sells an actor. Lloyd Harris is the kind of character you want to keep behind closed doors.

The Justin/Jeff Project: The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou (2004)

In the spirit of the Julie/Julia project in which writer Julie Powell chronicles cooking all of the recipes in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, 524 recipes in 365 days, I bring you the Jeff/Justin project. The Justin/Jeff project chronicles my descent into the filmography of Jeff Goldblum and will take as much time as it takes.

If Jeff Goldblum were to die tomorrow, and I pray to God that he does not, the film The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (as well as Goldblum himself) would be considered late-Goldblum. This means that you shouldn't expect some skinny kid who is just trying to get his name and his face out there (Annie Hall) and you shouldn't expect an unlikely blockbuster hero (Independence Day) - you should expect Jeff Goldblum to focus on interesting characters in movies that not a lot of people watch (Igby Goes Down). The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is probably one of the highest grossing films of Jeff Goldblum's later years (though I fear that gimmicky chick flick The Switch may have surpassed this number), but it still holds on to, and in many ways defines, the Independent feel and character complexity that Goldblum has chosen to pursue in these, his latter years.

In The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Jeff Goldblum plays Captain Alistair Hennessey, the nemesis of Steve Zissou (Bill Murray). Though he is described as the antagonist to the protagonist and namesake of the film, this is certainly not an evil and good, harmful and helpful, black cowboy and white cowboy sort of thing. Like the works of Dostoyevsky (The Brothers Karamazov) or Mitchell Hurwitz (Arrested Development), this is a story of a group of individuals whose faults outnumber their virtues, none of them good by any definition, but all of them struggling together through the situations in life that everyone faces, love and loss, crime and punishment, rivalry, revenge, forgiveness and hope. Alistair Hennessey may be the declared nemesis of Steve Zissou, but this is almost a throw-away description. The two men spat and battle and tussle and groan but in the end they are enveloped in a narrative that is bigger than just the two of them.

Hennessey is the former husband of Eleanor Zissou (Anjelica Huston), Steve Zissou's former wife. Early in the film he is portrayed as stylish and debonair, occasionally wooing Eleanor, but possibly only because it gets under Steve Zissou's skin. It seems very likely that Hennessey's days of chasing woman have come to an end, and this is supported by the fact that he declares himself half-gay. When this morsel of information is revealed, the viewer suddenly understands why the crew of Hennessey's ship (which, if I'm not mistaken, is called The Hennessey) is comprised of attractive, boyish men and also why Hennessey would walk around his ship in a bath robe. A man with money is likely to surround himself with the things he loves, and if this is any measure then Alistair Hennessey loves men, big ships, fancy parties, real estate, research vessels, research turtles and fancy coffee makers.

The most interesting part of Alistair Hennessey's story, if I'm to be considered any sort of judge, is when The Belafonte has been attacked by pirates and Hennessey is the captain of the rescue ship. Zissou is in his moment of greatest need. The ship has taken enough damage to render it dead in the water. The crew has just been roughed up by pirates who stole much of the ship's contents and abducted the bank stooge. The damage from the pirates alone will cost more than Zissou can reasonably raise. When Hennessey encounters Zissou, he does not respond with kindness and caring. He responds coldly and calculatingly, charging Steve for every single extra cost that will come about in tugging his ship to dry land. Where one might expect compassion even from ones enemy, Hennessey pledges only to continue his rivalry with Zissou, stacking fuel on the fire of their mutual hatred.

Things are soon turned on their heads. As Zissou and crew approach the Ping Islands, they encounter The Hennessey, destroyed and almost completely submerged. Zissou wishes a great many bad things on Hennessey, but I doubt death at the hands of pirates is one of them. When Zissou and crew stumble upon these pirates, Alistair Hennessey is sitting among them, alive, but this may not last long. Hennessey is shot in the chest by a pirate and a gunfight ensues between Team Zissou and the pirates of Ping. Zissou has no time to thin about rivalries, about the price of Hennessey's rescue. There is only time to act. Zissou and crew hold off the pirates long enough for Hennessey to escape with them. (It is almost in vain, because as Team Zissou takes cover against the gunfire Hennessey stands, dumbly, in the line of fire, holding his chest wound. By the grace of cinema, however, he isn't further wounded.) Through clever use of pirate ex machina, Hennessey and Zissou dissolve their rivalry, at least temporarily. A common enemy will do that. They find common ground in the fact that they are both bad husbands (though Hennessey excuses his behavior on account of being half gay). Their bond is strong enough that Zissou includes Hennessey in the enormous crew of the tiny submarine he pilots to find his true enemy, the leopard shark, another rival that Zissou finds peace with.

Alistair Hennessey is a giant leap in acting for Jeff Goldblum from his first role as Freak #1 in Death Wish. Rather than a nameless criminal, Goldblum takes on a role that is probable best described as a kind of brother to Murray's Zissou. In East of Eden, John Steinbeck describes every set of brothers as sharing something in common with Cain and Abel. Zissou and Hennessey fit this mold perfectly. One has gained favor and the other has not, but we're given a creative solution to the murder story of Cain and Abel. We're given the possibility of redemption in human relationships. Unlike my write-up of Goldblum in Death Wish, I don't need to write some fake happy ending for Alistair Hennessey. I expect that Hennessey and Zissou bicker in some comedic fashion for the rest of their natural lives, and honestly I wouldn't want it any other way.

The Justin/Jeff Project: Death Wish (1974)

In the spirit of the Julie/Julia project in which writer Julie Powell chronicles cooking all of the recipes in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, 524 recipes in 365 days, I bring you the Jeff/Justin project. The Justin/Jeff project chronicles my descent into the filmography of Jeff Goldblum and will take as much time as it takes.

If you were born in time to experience the 1990s you are likely to adore Jeff Goldblum with a fiery passion. Few films are more quotable than his 1993 film Jurassic Park, and few actors can pull off long pauses and verbal junk ("Uhhhhh") better than Jeff Goldblum. Jeff Goldblum is to 90s cinema what the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are to 90s television. Of course, the TMNT film trilogy complicates this analogy, but that's not important right now.

What is important is Jeff Goldblum's cinematic excellence. The strongest of rivers often begins as a trickling mountain stream, and so too with Jeff Goldblum, whose first cinematic role is a character named Freak #1 in the 1974 Charles Bronson revenge flick Death Wish.

Freak #1 is one of three disturbed twenty-somethings who run around New York City looking for trouble. Viewers are lead to believe that the three freaks are capable of horrendous acts of carnage by the uncivilized manner in which they knock items off of shelves and eat snacks they haven't paid for at the super market. Shock! Menace! They are like velociraptors hunting in a pack formation.

Another similarity between the three freaks and velociraptors is that they all know how to open doors, which leads to the beginning of the movie's revenge theme. Freak #1 and his posse assault two women named Joanne Kersey and Carol Anne Toby in their own home after getting their address from a grocery store delivery slip. The whole crime is perpetrated with the use of their amazing door-opening skills.

In the aftermath, Carol Anne is comatose. Joanne dies. The family's partriarch Paul Kersey goes on a criminal hunt. All this and the fate of Freak #1 is never revealed. I imagine that Kersey's highly publicized vigilante justice scares Freak #1 off the streets. He cleans up and goes back to school where he studies criminal justice or city-planning and goes on to make New York City a better place. Maybe there's a Mrs. Freak and some little freaky children. He does all of this in the name of the Kersey family.

Why this optimism? Because Jeff Goldblum is a better man than Freak #1. He stands up for a dinosaur's right not to be cloned (Jurassic Park). He stands up for Earth's right not to be destroyed by alien death rays (Independence Day). This is why Freak #1 becomes a pillar of his community in the off-camera future of Death Wish.

Adam Friedli's Memories That Are Totally Real*

*Full title that was too long to be a title: Memories That Are Totally Real, and Not Fake, Because Why Else Would I Call Them Memories, Memories

In this photo: Real Hair, Justin, It's All Real

So, there was this one time when Justin was like, "Amy, come out and play-ay..." It was pretty comical, because he didn't say "play" like you usually would say it.

Ha.

In this photo: Still Pretty Real, Justin

However, this didn't get the response he was looking for. "I'll need to try this from a different...'angle'..." he thought by speaking out loud at a different angle. So...then...and then Justin came up with an idea! "Hehehe, see, here I'm now by myself, uh, uhhh talking to myself..."

In this photo: Listening for The Safety Dance, but found Justin instead., Amy, A Real Light. This is how you know I am telling the truth.

"Hey! That's...that's chaos theory!!!" sprouted Amy, who also just happened to be in this frozen tundra maze. They both agreed the maze was unsafe and far too cold, and...wait...what was up with Justin's hair? And that's the story of how Justin and Amy met.

In this photo: Very Effective and Warm Coat, Justin

Do you remember that one time when I dared Justin to not sit in the snow for hours on end but he did it anyway just to demonstrate his philosophizing skills? Well, guess who's philosophizing now?! Justin, because he's still alive. This picture was caught in mid-sneeze. It's confusing that way, but that was part of his philosophizing process he told me. He said it also demonstrated his immense love for Amy the best. Ah yes, I thought, because that is the face of a man in love if I ever saw one.

In this photo: Jared, He's in the woods if you look VERY closely. Look closelier., Adam, Amy, Justin

Oh man. Road trips and airplane food, am I right? Probably. And probably this was one of the best trips ever conceived by anyone. We were heading to...NOT Medieval Times. I remember that much because Amy was saying, "Why is Adam wearing that Medicinal Times hat? Am I right?" Then Justin said, "We better watch out because I'm driving here and I forgot to bring my Marginal Times hat that helps me find proper directions. Am I left?" I just kept scrunching my face and moving my beard, because that seemed like the right thing to do. And that's the story of Amy and Justin's first date. I know, because I was there.

In this photo: The 2nd UNO Night, Interstellar Water Bottle, Amy, The Power to Destroy Heavenly Bodies, Justin, UNO Night, Maybe a Bit of a Couch

Back in the year 2000, there was this undiscovered astronomical phenomenon that defied all logic of time and space. We'll call it a "star." Jump forward to 2006. Nothing happened. Now go to 2009. Stuff happened, but not good enough. Now go to 2010. We're already there. Guess what? You just traveled through time. How? Well, you were in "now" a little while ago. But now, You're in NOW now. Where is that? It's right here. And here...here is where the story takes place. But what's a story? It's a collection of truths. Like when Justin and Amy blasted apart a star. You didn't hear? So check it out. They caused a supernova...with their love. And some Champagne. It's crazy, I know. It's crazy. But you want to know the craziest part? Get ready. UNO Night...without any UNO. What is that?! It's still an UNO Night. Exactly. Well, luckily none of this madness ever happened again, because you can only blow up a star once like that...

...or can you?

Thus concludes the first installation of Adam Friedli's Memories That Are Totally Real. I've received word that there are several more forthcoming story arcs in the series, so stay tuned to Cavemengo for more from Adam Friedli.