Fringe (TV Series) Five-Twenty-Ten (2012) User Reviews

The Man Who Sold the World

[claudio_carvalho · 9/10 · 8 April 2017]

Peter is learning his new abilities following an Observer. Meanwhile Walter retrieves another tape and the group learns that they need to recover two cylinders that belonged to The Observers and act like beacons that are stored in a William Bell's facility. When they arrive at the place, they find that the place was bombed and the access is obstructed. They head to ask Nina for a device that turns solid into gas. Nina is worried with Walter's behavior after implanting the pieces of his brain. Olivia feels the change in Peter and leans that he has implanted the Observer's device. Meanwhile Peter calls Anil and plots an evil and mysterious scheme against a group of Observers. What will happen to Walter and Peter?

"Five-Twenty-Ten" is another engaging episode of "Fringe". The changes of the personalities of Peter after self-implanting the Observer's device and Walter after implanting the pieces removed from his brain are the great questions of this great season. My vote is nine.

Title (Brazil): "Five-Twenty-Ten"

The Hand that Wasn't There

[XweAponX · 10/10 · 27 November 2012]

Peter is watching an Observer. His new abilities are now accessible, but he is still changing. Into what? Olivia already knows he is hiding something, but Peter always has "Reasonable Explanations" for his odd comings and goings.

The Next Tape finally brings us to the reason why Walter lopped off Belly's right hand. "Fire up the Laser, Agnes, let's get that hand out of Amber!"

The Objective is a set of Observer Beacons which are in one of Belly's Secret Kelvin Genetics Labs. But the building is buried under Rubble - So they seek help: from Nina Sharp at the "Ministry of Science" - Enter Blair Brown for the first time this season unless you count S4E19.

Meanwhile, Peter seems to have a personal agenda. He had concocted a plan using Anil (Shaun Smyth), but it backfires and needs his personal attention. At first, we think the purpose is strictly revenge, but a second more useful purpose becomes evident later.

While gathering the tech Nina offers them, Nina and Walter discuss how Walter may have changed "back into the man he was" since the pieces of his brain have been put back in via Simon's "Operation" - Nina says she cannot see much difference, but then tells Walter that he would know if it has been happening. In fact, Walter blames himself for collateral damage that occurred in his "Pocket Universe" from the previous episode. In that episode, Peter had assured Walter that he would be there for him. Nina challenges this, asking, "Is it enough?" and that Walter should not depend only on Peter helping him through. But Walter has confidence in Peter. But he also tells Nina that she could not hold on to William Bell, because Bell never loved her.

But where is Peter? He is not there - He is in a "Baldy Bar" setting up his plan, which this time works. He tells Anil to be at a certain "Baldy Precinct" at a specific time and to call him when he gets there.

So Peter arrives back at the Kelvin Genetics lab just in time to get Anil's call, that indeed, something had happened. The tech gets them past the rubble, but Nina had warned them that Observers would notice and show up. Belly's Hand gets them in and Walter finds his old "Man who Sold the World" album by Bowie, cursing Belly as a thief. Peter finds a safe, and Walter suddenly can't remember the combination which William Bell had always used. Peter helps him remember, and the safe opens: Five - Twenty - Ten." The first thing Walter finds is evidence that his statement to Nina about Bell was wrong. And an Observer-Looking Gadget, which Peter is able to activate, but denies to Olivia that he knew how he did it.

When they leave the facility, the expected observers are not present. But Peter suggests they split up again, and this time, Olivia gives him a very penetrating look, a look that says how well she knows him.

Walter meets with Nina to say he was wrong about Bell and by implication, he may have also been wrong about putting his faith in only Peter: He makes a request of Nina in order to hold on to the man he is, and it is not clear if she will agree.

Olivia goes to Etta's Apartment, where Peter has set up his ObserveRevenge control center. What ensues is one of the most difficult scenes between Peter and Olivia of the whole series. He finally comes clean about the implant and she realizes he had planned the whole thing so they could get the Beacons unmolested. But she is far from happy about it, and in the act of leaving him says more than any words can say about it.

Peter in fact is starting to talk and move and act like September used to: He just goes back to what he is doing: Marking the Origin Point of his next target.

Walter and Astrid are back in the Lab, she assures him they did good. And we have a nice collection of artifacts: The Transilience-Thought Unifier, some Rocks, a Transistor radio, two Observer Beacons, and (not shown) a small Holographic projector which has the design of a machine inside. Walter takes the radio out and turns it on, leaving it up high, and then puts Bowie's "The Man who Sold the World" on the turntable, cranking it up loud.

Walter's grief is evident as he lay in the chair he has used for so many experiments. There is a clear sense of Loss.

And then there is Anil, who has been helping Fringe Division since the start of this season. It must be clear to him now that Peter has used the implant.

Fringe Five-Twenty-Ten

[dalydj-918-255175 · 18 November 2012]

Peter is in the early stages of being an observer with all the characteristics that come with it. He follows one of them who seems to be meeting with someone. Peter then calls in the help of Anil. Peter returns with four tanks of fuel. Another one of Peter's tapes and it reveals a place they must go to get more for the plan. When the gang go to the site they try to find a door while Peter starts to bleed from his ear. When Anil tells Peter the observer did not forget he has to go and do something about it. The team makes a visit with Nina who has aged while they stayed the same. Peter meets with Anil who tells him what actually happened so Peter comes up with a new plan to replace the briefcase. Anil watches as the observer goes into a building with the suitcase but it is a bomb which explodes killing the three observers in the room. The team get into the building and all seems fine with entering. The team then have to look around and Peter finds a safe. When Peter try's to put in the code he does not remember it because he is nervous. After he relaxes Walter is able to open the safe and he does not find much in the safe. When Peter messes with a device they found out from underneath the ground comes the device they were looking for. The team then has to split up and Walter goes to visit Nina one more time. When Olivia returns home she sees what Peter has written on boards and then he tells her what he planted in the back on his head. Peter's next plan is to get rid of another observer and once again it makes Olivia feel strange. Just as Peter plans out his revenge for Etta his hair starts to fall out. Good episode and the transformation for Peter is interesting how far he is becoming an observer.

EPISODE GRADE: B (MVP: Joshua Jackson)

Off the Track

[Hitchcoc · 10/10 · 18 November 2023]

Walter is having grave second doubts about a plan. He goes to Nina to see if he can have those parts of his brain that were put back removed again. He feels he is a great failure and can't bear to lose so badly. Peter is scary. He has been so obsessed with his daughter's death that he can't see the big picture anymore. His victories now will be only against those in the immediate vicinity. He forgets they are part of a colony and killing one will make no difference and leave the world even more vulnerable. The Observer was right when he told Peter he had no idea what he had done. Peter is slowly morphing into an Observer himself. It's vengeance or nothing.