Questions that Beg to be Answered: Hopes for Fringe Season 4

Thanks to Kelly Kelemen from TV.COM for this guest article.

Questions that Beg to be Answered: Hopes for Fringe Season 4
by Kelly Kelemen for TV.com

Unfortunately, like JJ Abram's LOST, there are far too many unresolved questions on Fringe and too few answers. Despite this constant frustration, Fringe endures to be the best existing serial mystery on television, whether you like sci-fi or not. It also has one of the most loyal fan bases around, without which, the show would have been canned with other development dumps Arrested Development, Futurama, Sarah Connor Chronicles, and Firefly, to name a few. If it weren't for DVR figures, the plug would have been pulled possibly after its ratings dive in season 2. Now the show dwells on FOX Friday nights, also known as Where Shows Go to Die. If season four can somehow spark a ratings boost and force the network to put it back in a better timeslot while simultaneously picking up steam as far as plot development, perhaps a fifth season is in order. But for now, let's assume upcoming season four will be it.

So with Fringe's impending doom imminent, it's only fitting to take a look at some of the shows most compelling mysteries that beg to be answered. Like in LOST, we know far too many events have been set in motion to get answers for all of them. It is silly to expect a clear-cut answer for each. But I think most fans would agree as long as the big ones are answered, they'll be happy with the show as a whole when all is said and done. We can't examine and speculate on every single one, so here are my top five.

5. Is there a specific person or entity causing The Pattern of events, and if so, what is the ultimate purpose?

Ok, so this is quite a loaded question. Within it are dozens upon dozens of sub-mysteries so-to-speak. In fact, almost every episode has had a pattern-related mystery. This is perhaps the greatest question regarding the show as a whole. It is the first grand question we were ever really presented with. All of the strange events in the show seem to connect in one way or another. Agent Broyles mused, "The Pattern is as if someone out there is experimenting, only the whole world is a lab." So the question remains - why is there a pattern? Is one single person or entity behind it, and if so, what is the ultimate purpose? One could argue it is a means to set events in motion that lead to the desired and ultimately favorable outcome for those affected by it. Sort of like a Final Destination scenario - things beyond our control happening that lead people to their destinies. As far as who or what, it could be The Observers. It could be an alternate version of one of our main characters in a yet un-introduced universe. The simplest explanation is that it is all an overarching scheme to make things the way they are supposed to be between worlds. Nevertheless, there are an awful lot of subplots to look back at in Seasons 1-3 to determine what they all have to do with where we are now.

4. How powerful is Olivia and what is the drug Cortexiphan all about?

It is clear that Cortexiphan can give its lab rats - in this case Olivia Dunham - unique abilities of the mind. Olivia has diffused a bomb, broken down force fields and traveled between universes. Walter has helped her harness her powers, but it seems she has only scratched the surface. Perhaps one of these patients is responsible for The Pattern. But the bigger question is, how powerful is Olivia? How much brainpower and telekinetic ability does she possess? When will she realize the full potential that lives dormant within? It's no doubt Olivia is a special, integral individual and at the center of a lot of freaky stuff. It should be noted that William Bell first administered the drug in 1981 before "the event" of Peter's abduction in 1985. So Cortexiphan wasn't a result, but rather a preparation for things to come implemented by Bellie. I think it's pretty clear that Olivia is above and beyond the others hence her coming to the Fringe Division. I think Olivia's mind will wind up being the most powerful thing of all in the show - it will unite the world, it will bring back Peter and it will solve The Pattern. In the Season 3 finale, we got a glimpse of Olivia unable to use the powers of her mind favorably to protect her, hinting that limitation and opening up the mind will be a strong theme in Season 4.

3. What is the Boom Boom Machine and who is its creator?

Is it a result of the so-called First People? Why is Peter so in tune with it? Perhaps Peter created it with his own mind. Or perhaps it is not a machine at all, but we merely perceive it as such with our minds and it is all Peter's brainpower. This leads us to another question - who is Peter really? Could he be one of the First People somehow? An Observer in disguise? Or is it all part of William Bell's creation? It could very be that Bell created the device specifically for Peter somehow knowing that it would ultimately wind up falling into Peter's fate. So then perhaps Bell is behind more than we think. With every question comes another several questions and possibilities. Frustrating, isn't it?

2. Who are the Observers and why do they appear when they do?

They've been sighted at some of history's most significant events. They've also shown up at an awful lot of these Pattern events. So what is their ultimate purpose in this universe? In both universes? Are they from some alternate dimension sent to oversee that the blue and red universes keep from destroying each other to maintain balance in the cosmos as a whole? Or are they somehow pulling the strings to make sure everything falls apart? I think it is very well possible that the Observers are more of an enemy than a friendly overseer. It is possible they report to a greater entity. Without calling them aliens, it is very well plausible that they are from another universe secretly setting events in motion leading to the destruction of the worlds we know so theirs will reign supreme. Perhaps they were the puppet masters leading to Peter's abduction that set everything we know into motion. They don't age like us and they certainly don't like seasoning like us. So they must be from some other world, right? One thing is clear - they aren't just meaningless in this whole operation. The producers promise to reveal more about them in Season 4.

1. Where in the world is Peter Bishop?

At the end of season three, Peter vanished after the two worlds seemingly merged with no one acknowledging his existence. So did Peter never really exist? Or is he stuck somewhere between worlds? In another universe? Just how many universes exist? How many timelines? Joshua Jackson is still under contract, so we know Peter will be back, but in what capacity? I am sure Walter and Olivia will have their subconscious invaded by Peter - just unsure of who he is. There are two worlds and only one Peter so how does his effect on the device uniting the two sides affect his fate? Did he know this would happen to him? The Observers say Peter served his purpose, so what exactly was it? How can anyone serve a purpose if they never existed? This goes back to #2 - perhaps Peter is a pawn at the hands of the minions that are The Observers. Peter is definitely not a figment of imagination and he most certainly has seen the future and has some important people to warn. Peter must exist in some timeline, one that doesn't directly affect the memories of our central characters. Perhaps Peter was catapulted back in time, perhaps he exists in a separate future timeline, or maybe it is an answer we haven't even begun to conceptualize yet. I suspect some more portals are going to be opened, some in space, some in the mind, in order to bring Peter back to the "present" - whatever that means, anymore.

Feel free to give your own top 5 or speculate what might happen in Season 4. As for me, it's ibuprofen time - I have a headache.