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Fringe season 4

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Fringe
Season 4
Region 1 DVD cover
No. of episodes22
Release
Original networkFox
Original releaseSeptember 23, 2011 (2011-09-23) –
May 11, 2012 (2012-05-11)
Season chronology
← Previous
Season 3
Next →
Season 5
List of episodes

The fourth season of the American science fiction television series Fringe premiered on Fox on September 23, 2011, and concluded on May 11, 2012, consisting of 22 episodes. The series is produced by Bad Robot Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television. The show was officially renewed for a fourth season on March 24, 2011.[1]

Season summary

Peter's use of the Wave Form Device to create a bridge between the two universes has caused him to erase himself from the timeline; a new timeline, in which young Peter was not saved by September after falling through the ice of Reiden Lake in 1985 after Walter's crossing, is set in motion. Despite the absence of Peter, the bridge has created a healing effect on the parallel universe, and both Fringe teams resolve their former differences and begin to work together.

Olivia and (now more sheltered and reclusive) Walter continue to explore Fringe events, but are aware of a memory of Peter that haunts them. Due to their actions, Peter suddenly materializes in this timeline, though his identity is not initially known nor is he trusted. However, as he spends time with the Fringe team, Olivia starts to gain memories of the original timeline, and though both are initially worried about this effect, allow it to continue on, rediscovering their romance from before. During one case, a wounded September appears to Olivia, warning her that she dies in every future that he can see, before disappearing. September later appears to Peter after he activates a strange artifact, which acted like a homing beacon to September. September explains the other Observers hid this universe from him purposely, and that this timeline is Peter's true home.

As part of the change of the original timeline, David Robert Jones remains alive and is able to cross back and forth between the two universes, using an advanced army of shapeshifters, the parallel universe's version of Nina Sharp, and the parallel Broyles, whom he has blackmailed to initiate events. He gathers a large collection of the mineral amphilicite, which enables him to build devices that can merge the two universes for disastrous results. Both Fringe teams fear that a larger plan is afoot, and later, when Jones is able to trigger microquakes across the globe in both universes simultaneously, the two sides agree that Jones must be stopped before both worlds are destroyed.

Their first action is to disable the bridge created by the Wave Form Device, believing this enables the simultaneous events, but this proves ineffective. The prime universe Fringe team continues to track Jones' actions, and discover that he is in the employ of William Bell, still alive in this timeline, who seeks to destroy both universes as to create a void for a third one to be made, with Olivia's Cortexiphan abilities enabling this event to occur. In a stalemate, Walter shoots Olivia in the head with a bullet, disrupting Bell's plan, and as Bell escapes, Walter helps to extract the bullet from Olivia, her Cortexiphan healing her body.

After Olivia's recovery, she finds herself pregnant with Peter's child. Walter is approached by September and told that "they are coming", alluding to a future in 2036 where the Observers have taken over humanity.

Cast

Main article: List of Fringe characters

Main cast

Recurring cast

Episodes

See also: List of Fringe episodes
No.
overall		No. in
season		TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code		US viewers
(millions)
661"Neither Here Nor There"Joe ChappelleStory by : Jeff Pinkner & J. H. Wyman & Akiva Goldsman
Teleplay by : J. H. Wyman & Jeff Pinkner		September 23, 2011 (2011-09-23)3X70013.48[2]
672"One Night in October"Brad AndersonAlison Schapker & Monica Owusu-BreenSeptember 30, 2011 (2011-09-30)3X70023.05[3]
683"Alone in the World"Miguel SapochnikDavid FuryOctober 7, 2011 (2011-10-07)3X70033.18[4]
694"Subject 9"Joe ChappelleJeff Pinkner & J. H. Wyman & Akiva GoldsmanOctober 14, 2011 (2011-10-14)3X70043.16[5]
705"Novation"Paul HolahanJ. R. Orci & Graham RolandNovember 4, 2011 (2011-11-04)3X70053.21[6]
716"And Those We've Left Behind"Brad AndersonRobert Chiappetta & Glen WhitmanNovember 11, 2011 (2011-11-11)3X70063.03[7]
727"Wallflower"Anthony HemingwayMatthew Pitts & Justin DobleNovember 18, 2011 (2011-11-18)3X70072.88[8]
738"Back to Where You've Never Been"Jeannot SzwarcDavid Fury & Graham RolandJanuary 13, 2012 (2012-01-13)3X70082.87[9]
749"Enemy of My Enemy"Joe ChappelleMonica Owusu-Breen & Alison SchapkerJanuary 20, 2012 (2012-01-20)3X70093.19[10]
7510"Forced Perspective"David SolomonEthan GrossJanuary 27, 2012 (2012-01-27)3X70103.33[11]
7611"Making Angels"Charles BeesonAkiva Goldsman & J. H. Wyman & Jeff PinknerFebruary 3, 2012 (2012-02-03)3X70113.20[12]
7712"Welcome to Westfield"David StraitonJ. R. Orci & Graham RolandFebruary 10, 2012 (2012-02-10)3X70123.05[13]
7813"A Better Human Being"Joe ChappelleStory by : Glen Whitman & Robert Chiappetta
Teleplay by : Alison Schapker & Monica Owusu-Breen		February 17, 2012 (2012-02-17)3X70133.00[14]
7914"The End of All Things"Jeff HuntDavid FuryFebruary 24, 2012 (2012-02-24)3X70143.08[15]
8015"A Short Story About Love"J. H. WymanJ. H. Wyman & Graham RolandMarch 23, 2012 (2012-03-23)3X70152.87[16]
8116"Nothing As It Seems"Frederick E. O. ToyeJeff Pinkner & Akiva GoldsmanMarch 30, 2012 (2012-03-30)3X70163.08[17]
8217"Everything in Its Right Place"David MoxnessStory by : J. R. Orci & Matthew Pitts
Teleplay by : David Fury & J. R. Orci		April 6, 2012 (2012-04-06)3X70173.01[18]
8318"The Consultant"Jeannot SzwarcChristine LavafApril 13, 2012 (2012-04-13)3X70182.84[19]
8419"Letters of Transit"Joe ChappelleAkiva Goldsman & J. H. Wyman & Jeff PinknerApril 20, 2012 (2012-04-20)3X70193.03[20]
8520"Worlds Apart"Charles BeesonStory by : Graham Roland
Teleplay by : Matthew Pitts & Nicole Phillips		April 27, 2012 (2012-04-27)3X70203.09[21]
8621"Brave New World (Part 1)"Joe ChappelleJ. H. Wyman & Jeff Pinkner & Akiva GoldsmanMay 4, 2012 (2012-05-04)3X70212.73[22]
8722"Brave New World (Part 2)"Joe ChappelleJeff Pinkner & J. H. Wyman & Akiva GoldsmanMay 11, 2012 (2012-05-11)3X70223.11[23]

Production

Crew

In May 2011, David Fury joined the series as a writer and producer, having previously worked with co-creator J.J. Abrams on Lost.[24] His first writing credit included the season's third episode, "Alone in the World".[25]

Writing

Peter's return will "give us an engine for the greater part of the season."

— Co-showrunner Jeff Pinkner discussing the consequences of how Peter returns[26]

According to executive producers/showrunners Jeff Pinkner and J.H. Wyman, the fourth season would start with the idea that "Peter no longer exists", and also that the audience would "very much see the consequences of what happened in Seasons 1, 2 and 3".[27] These consequences included changes in the past; Pinkner and Wyman noted that though Peter was the impetus for Walter to cross over starting the chain of events, in this alternate history, Walter and William likely would have found their own way to cross, leading to the same events but with some events that "may have happened differently".[28] Specifically, they identified that instead of Walter being brought out of a mental institution by Peter, Olivia becomes the one that does this; this changes Walter's re-acclimation to the outside world, and further alters Astrid's fate, now a field agent instead of being Walter's caretaker.[29]

The producers stated they would continue to employ the use of flashbacks episodes as they "deepened the emotions of these characters", using these as well as flash-forwards "if it suits the story and the things we are trying to get across".[30] Pinkner and Wyman also stated that they viewed the premiere episode of the fourth season "like a new pilot" to draw in viewers who wanted to watch the show but did not know when to start.[31] Actor John Noble later clarified that this approach can be used "to unravel some of that mythology a bit" to explain the impact of the disappearance of Peter to new viewers.[32] Despite the apparent disappearance of his character, Joshua Jackson remains as the show's lead actor and is committed to a full fourth season.[28] Jackson stated that Peter will be back on the show, but "will be different than he was before".[33] This fact was played with at the 2011 San Diego Comic Convention where the Fringe cast appeared for a panel; a teaser video showed fake auditions for the open role of Peter, and included cameo appearances by Michael Emerson, Zachary Quinto, Greg Grunberg, Jorge Garcia, Danny Pudi, and Jeff Probst and concluded with Jackson himself dressed as an Observer.[33]

Reception

Critical reception

Fourth season promotional poster

IGN reviewer Ramsey Isler gave the fourth season a score of 7.5 out of 10, calling it "not Fringe's best." His criticisms were that he felt the first third of the season was "inconsistent", with some episodes feeling "aimless", and the absence of Joshua Jackson as Peter in the beginning of the season hurt the show. Isler was more positive of the second half of the season, labeling the episode "Enemy of My Enemy" as the turning point of the season, with the reintroduction of villain David Robert Jones (played by Jared Harris). He highlighted "The End of All Things" as the best of the season, saying it had "absolutely brilliant writing and clever plot twists". The episodes "A Short Story About Love" and "Letters of Transit" were also named standouts, with the latter episode being called "intriguing and bold". He also enjoyed the return of William Bell (Leonard Nimoy), calling it "the biggest and most welcome surprise of the season". He concluded in saying the two-part finale wrapped up "adequately", but felt the biggest strength was the setting up for the final season, with the world we saw in "Letters of Transit".[34]

After viewing "Letters of Transit", the season's 19th episode, Entertainment Weekly columnist Ken Tucker stated, "I've said it before: One reason Fringe has a tough time attracting a big audience is that the mass audience that’s dropped away doesn't realize how much heart and soul, how much well-wrought romanticism, has been poured into this series, while its cult audience is regularly grumpy that Fringe declines to turn into the sci-fi epic some seem to want it to be. I know this season's timeline switcheroo has alienated some viewers, but even when the show veers off into mythology complexities that start to give me the megrims, I keep faith that Fringe is going to bring it back to the heart of what matters."[35]

Ratings

The season premiere was watched by an estimated 3.5 million viewers.[2] It scored a 1.5/5 ratings share among viewers 18-49, up 25% from the previous spring's season finale.[36] By the end of November 2011, Fringe was the network's lowest rated program.[37]

According to a report released by Nielsen Company, Fringe was the only network television series among the top ten of most time-shifted shows of 2011. The report continued that time shifting increased the series' overall audience by eighty percent.[37]

Home media release

Fringe: The Complete Fourth Season
Set details Special features
  • Beyond the Fringe comic book
  • "A World Without Peter" featurette
  • "The Observers" featurette
  • Peter Bishop audition tapes
  • Gag reel
  • Deleted scenes
  • Blu-ray exclusive featurettes: "The Scientist Roundtable" and "Fringe Decoded"
Release dates
 United States
 Canada 		 Australia
September 4, 2012 (2012-09-04)[38] October 31, 2012 (2012-10-31)[39]

References

  1. ^ Rice, Lynette (March 24, 2011). "'Fringe' renewed for a fourth season". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 24, 2011.
  2. ^ a b Gorman, Bill (September 26, 2011). "Friday Final Broadcast TV Ratings: No Adults 18-49 Adjustments, Plus 'Fringe' & 'A Gifted Man' 15 min. Ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
  3. ^ Seidman, Robert (October 3, 2011). "Friday Final Broadcast TV Ratings: 'CSI: NY,' 'Kitchen Nightmares' Adjusted Up; Sorry 'Fringe' Fans, No Adjustment for You". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved October 3, 2011.
  4. ^ Gorman, Bill (October 10, 2011). "Friday Final Broadcast TV Ratings: 'Kitchen Nightmares' Adjusted Up; No Adjustments To 'Fringe,' 'Nikita,' 'A Gifted Man' Or Any Other Originals". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 11, 2011. Retrieved October 10, 2011.
  5. ^ Seidman, Robert (October 17, 2011). "Friday Final Broadcast TV Ratings: 'Blue Bloods,' 'Supernatural' Adjusted Up; 'Nikita,' 'A Gifted Man' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 19, 2011. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  6. ^ Seidman, Robert (November 7, 2011). "Friday Final TV Ratings: 'Chuck,' 'Supernatural' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 9, 2011. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
  7. ^ Gorman, Bill (November 14, 2011). "Friday Final TV Ratings: 'Grimm' Adjusted Up; 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 17, 2011. Retrieved November 15, 2011.
  8. ^ Gorman, Bill (November 21, 2011). "Friday Final TV Ratings: 'CSI:NY,' 'Dateline: NBC' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 23, 2011. Retrieved November 21, 2011.
  9. ^ Gorman, Bill (January 17, 2012). "Friday Final TV Ratings: 'Supernatural' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 19, 2012. Retrieved January 18, 2012.
  10. ^ Seidman, Robert (January 23, 2012). "Friday Final TV Ratings: 'Kitchen Nightmares,' 'Supernatural' Repeat Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 25, 2012. Retrieved January 23, 2012.
  11. ^ Gorman, Bill (January 30, 2012). "Friday Final TV Ratings: 'Dateline' Adjusted Up; 'Shark Tank' Adjusted Down; No Adjustments For 'Chuck' Finale Or 'Fringe'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 31, 2012. Retrieved January 31, 2012.
  12. ^ Seidman, Robert (February 6, 2012). "Friday Final TV Ratings: 'Fringe,' 'Supernatural,' 'A Gifted Man,' 'Who Do You Think You Are?' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 20, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
  13. ^ Gorman, Bill (February 13, 2012). "Friday Final TV Ratings: 'Supernatural,' 'A Gifted Man' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 15, 2012. Retrieved February 13, 2012.
  14. ^ Seidman, Robert (February 21, 2012). "Friday Final TV Ratings: 'Nikita' Adjusted Down, 'Supernatural' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 25, 2012. Retrieved February 21, 2012.
  15. ^ Gorman, Bill (February 27, 2012). "Friday Final TV Ratings: No Adjustments To 'Fringe,' 'Grimm' Or Any Other Original Episodes". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on February 29, 2012. Retrieved February 27, 2012.
  16. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (March 26, 2012). "Friday Final TV Ratings: Final NCAA Game Ratings; No Adjustments for 'Fringe', 'Nikita' or 'Supernatural'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on March 29, 2012. Retrieved March 27, 2012.
  17. ^ Bibel, Sara (April 2, 2012). "Friday Final TV Ratings: No Adjustments for 'Fringe,' 'Grimm,' 'Nikita' or 'Supernatural'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved April 3, 2012.
  18. ^ Bibel, Sara (April 9, 2012). "Friday Final TV Ratings: 'CSI:NY' Adjusted Up, 'Dateline' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 11, 2012. Retrieved April 9, 2012.
  19. ^ Bibel, Sara (April 16, 2012). "Friday Final TV Ratings: No Adjustments for 'Fringe,' 'Grimm' or 'The Finder'". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 19, 2012. Retrieved April 16, 2012.
  20. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (April 23, 2012). "Friday Final TV Ratings: 'Grimm', 'Supernatural' Adjusted Up; '20/20' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved April 23, 2012.
  21. ^ Bibel, Sara (April 30, 2012). "Friday Final TV Ratings: 'Supernatural', 'CSI:NY', 'Blue Bloods' Adjusted Up; 'Fringe' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 1, 2012. Retrieved April 30, 2012.
  22. ^ Kondolojy, Amanda (May 7, 2012). "Friday Final TV Ratings: 'Shark Tank', 'Undercover Boss', 'Grimm', and 'CSI:NY' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 10, 2012. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  23. ^ Bibel, Sara (May 14, 2012). "Friday Final TV Ratings: 'Shark Tank', 'CSI:NY', 'Who Do You Think You Are' Adjusted Up; 'Primetime: What Would You Do?' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 16, 2012. Retrieved May 14, 2012.
  24. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (May 19, 2011). "David Fury Joins 'Fringe' as Writer-Producer". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  25. ^ Miguel Sapochnik (director), David Fury (writer) (October 7, 2011). "Alone in the World". Fringe. Season 4. Episode 3. Fox.
  26. ^ Gonzalez, Sandra (September 21, 2011). "'Fringe' bosses tease Peter's return, the merging of worlds, and upcoming cases!". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved October 16, 2011.
  27. ^ "EMMYS: 'Fringe's Jeff Pinkner & Joel Wyman". Deadline Hollywood. June 23, 2011. Retrieved June 19, 2011.
  28. ^ a b Mitovich, Matt Webb (May 6, 2011). "Fringe Finale Exclusive: WTF Just Happened?! Producers Answer (Some) Burning Questions". TVLine. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  29. ^ Anders, Charlie Jane (August 11, 2011). "What to Expect From Fringe Season 4: "The show has a meaning that we haven't shared yet"". io9. Retrieved August 11, 2011.
  30. ^ Rice, Lynette (July 24, 2011). "'Fringe' at Comic-Con: Is Jeff Probst or Zach Quinto replacing Josh Jackson? -- VIDEO". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
  31. ^ Clark, Krystal (June 22, 2011). "Confused by Fringe? Don't be. Season 4 will be 'like a new pilot'". Blastr. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  32. ^ Kyne, Don (June 28, 2011). "Fringe's John Noble clears up all that talk about a 'new pilot'". Blastr. Retrieved July 19, 2011.
  33. ^ a b Keveney, Bill (July 24, 2011). "'Fringe's' Jackson makes surprise appearance". USA Today. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
  34. ^ Isler, Ramsey (May 19, 2012). "Fringe: Season 4 Review". IGN. Retrieved October 23, 2012.
  35. ^ Tucker, Ken (April 20, 2012). "'Fringe' review: 'Letters of Transit,' agents of change". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 21, 2012.
  36. ^ Seidman, Robert (September 24, 2011). "TV Ratings Friday: 'Fringe' Premieres Down; Modest Start for 'A Gifted Man'; A (S)Low Start for 'Nikita' + 'Blue Bloods' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on September 26, 2011. Retrieved September 25, 2011.
  37. ^ a b Hinman, Michael (December 23, 2011). "DVR Viewing Could Save 'Fringe'". Airlock Alpha. Retrieved May 10, 2012.
  38. ^ Lambert, David (June 6, 2012). "Fringe - 'The Complete 4th Season' on DVD and Blu: Release Date, Packaging". TV Shows on DVD. Archived from the original on June 8, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
  39. ^ "Fringe - The Complete 4th Season". Ezy DVD. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2012.
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