What Did You Watch? 2025-06-11 (Wednesday)

Fringe S4E21 'Brave New World: Part 1'
IMDb sez: "A mysterious Fringe event, causing people to spontaneously combust, forces Walter to revisit his painful past while the Fringe team faces off against David Robert Jones to save the world - or worlds."
The glyphs for this episode spell out: POWERS
The character Dr. Benlo is played by Samantha Noble, real-life daughter of John Noble who plays Dr. Walter Bishop.
The name of the episode comes from a quote from Shakespeare's "The Tempest". It is also the name of a novel by Aldous Huxley
The music at the beginning of this episode (when the guy is getting coffee and then going down the escalator) is the muzak version of Billy Idol's "Eyes Without a Face."
This episode features the running joke where Walter can't quite correctly recall Astrid's name. Here he calls her "Athos" as in one of the three musketeers.
Continuing the series joke, Walter (John Noble) calls Astrid (Jasika Nicole) "Alex."
Astrid Farnsworth's Agent's ID is JH112402.
Walter refers to the opposite side of the earth (the "antipode") as being India. Actually the antipode of Boston is just to the southwest of Perth, Western Australia.
Jessica Holt: What are you?
Dr. Walter Bishop: I'm human. What are you? Is this some sort of alien invasion? Are you a part of a strike...?
Jessica Holt: No, I mean, what are doing here? Are you a doctor?
Dr. Walter Bishop: The escalator is infested with nanites.
Olivia Dunham: Nanites?
Astrid Farnsworth: They are microscopic self-replicating robotics. There's a machine that's generating them.
Dr. Walter Bishop: Despite their itty-bitty size, each of them is capable of storing a tremendous amount of energy, and it would seem they can be overloaded by the bio-kinetic energy stored in the cells of anyone infected.
Peter Bishop: [bemused] You mean, these people's movement is what's activating the nanites?
Dr. Walter Bishop: [snippy] That's what I just said. And the longer they are in the bloodstream, the more sensitive they become, so that the slightest exertion can trigger the overload.
Fringe S4E22 'Brave New World: Part 2'
IMDb sez: "In the Season Four finale, the Fringe team is pushed to their breaking point as they desperately attempt to prevent a catastrophic event threatening the lives of everyone."  (Umm, DUH!)
The glyphs for this episode spell out: PURGE
This was Leonard Nimoy's final television acting role before his death on February 27, 2015 at the age of 83. Subsequently, however, he provided his voice in one animated film and in one animated video game, as well as in the major motion picture, Star Trek Into Darkness (2013).
Bell's freighter is reportedly enroute to a destination known as Talos. In The Menagerie: Part I (1966) Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and his former commander Christopher Pike head for the planet Talos IV. Talos was also the name of William Bell's cargo freighter ship.
At around 29 minutes, in the helicopter, listen to Nina's speech to Olivia, about how she is special, and has the ability to move between the two worlds. Although worded differently, it clearly has essentially the same "tone, and message" as the speech given to the Wizard of Oz's Dorothy, in her final moments before using her Ruby slippers to go home.   (Oh My God!  Abrams is ruining Oz for me!!!!)
Olivia Dunham: [to Peter] If you've lost your mind, now would be the time to tell me!
Dr. Walter Bishop: Peter, this is no time for emotions. Time is of the essence. We have to move rapidly if we're going to save her.
Peter Bishop: Save her? She's dead.
Dr. Walter Bishop: You know very well that hasn't always stopped me.
Olivia Dunham: Well, what are we going to do about Walter?  Our only lead is dead.
Peter Bishop: Doesn't mean we can't still question her.
What Did You Watch?
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I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky dirty old man.