The Mad Science of Fringe: Balance is Restored to the Multiverse

We may have bid farewell to the alternating red and blue title sequences with last night's Fringe. Olivia's brief romp to her universe finally blew Bolivia's cover, the number of likable characters "over there" took a major hit, and only a few minor quibbles totally arrested disbelief. Read on for "Entrada's" mad science report!

Scenario: After Bolivia is revealed, Walter is less concerned about all that, and more concerned with how he's going to work in his new favorite portmanteau -- vagenda! (Usage: "He fell right into her vagenda." I'm so sorry.)

Plausibility: 3 of 10. Walter was certainly at his most punchline-y this week (the bit about Bolivia striking at him through his stomach, particularly), which I suppose helped lighten up all the near death and epic betrayal. I just can't help but think he'd be a little more sincere upon finding out he and Peter had been duped by Bolivia for the past eight weeks.

Scenario: Walternate intends to swap Olivia for Bolivia. Chief Lab Geek suggests -- since they don't need a live body of equivalent mass -- they use a paralytic drug on Olivia and prepare to have at her vital organs. (They draw a surgical pattern on her back, which seems much too intricate considering the first tool they use is a bone saw.)

Plausibility: 8 of 10. Man, these alt-world suits are merciless! All they need is a cold body so they're going to hack her up, barely anesthetized? And that's not to mention what happens to poor Alt-Broyles (See Scenario 4!).

Scenario: After Olivia convinces Broyles to help her cross over, they find Walternate's deprivation tank has been drained. Olivia tells Broyles not to worry: she'll just swim to Boston and break into Walternate's old Harvard lab. Broyles, of course, volunteers to drive her. Conveniently, Walternate's lab is the only unambered part of Boston.

Plausibility: 4 of 10. I'm imagining Walternate's lab is a perfectly circular enclave amid so much amber. "Well then how did they get to it," you snark. Hush. Another concern: How was Olivia able to transfer herself permanently this time when before she just fluttered briefly between universes?

Scenario: Broyles is apparently killed after Olivia crosses to her universe. Someone (I suspect Lab Geek angrily put his bone saw to work) removes a few of his limbs so he's the right mass for swapping with Bolivia. Before she departs, a shapeshifter puts resonant rods into her hands and back (remember last season's three resonant rods theory?).

Plausibility: 5 of 10. Wouldn't Alt-Broyles' body had to have been in exactly the same place for the switch? And how would Walternate and Co. have known exactly where she was since our Fringe team disturbed the plans?

And finally,

Scenario: Peter and Olivia don't ick me out as a couple anymore.

Plausibility: 5 of 10. I never thought I would say this (especially two or three months ago when they were giving off full-blast sibling vibes), Anna Torv and Joshua Jackson have some decent romantic chemistry going on these days. They're actually a little cute. I suspect it'll be more annoying than cute once Olivia puts the inevitable moratorium on romance in light of the Peter/Bolivia situation, however.