Welcome to Fringe Observations: the comprehensive Clues and Eastereggs Round-up for episode 2 of season 2 – Night of Desirable Objects.
Below the jump we explore the various clues and eastereggs from the episode and try to figure out what it all means.
Blu-rays
More blue lights in this episode. Most of them, like the one’s above, could easily be unintentional.
I suspect these blue lights (above) were also unintentional but I found them interesting in light of what we know about Olivia.
Although the blue flashes in the cavern scene appeared to come from Peter’s torch, I suspect they added in some of the more conventional blue lighting, making these official ‘blue light sightings’ for those of us who are following this overarching thematic.
Green + Red
The green, green, green, red pattern was a regular occurrence throughout season 1 of Fringe, and they made a return in Night of Desirable Objects. What do they mean? My far-out theory is that they simply represent the Observer’s company brand.
The Fly
Particular focus was given to Olivia hearing a fly during her amplified hearing sequences. Considering this was an episode about genetic mutation, I’d have to guess that the focus on the fly was a hat-tip to Cronenberg’s 1986 movie, “The Fly“.
The Writing’s On The Wall..
The shapeshifter is seen by a wall of graffiti at two different locations – after getting off the phone with Olivia and in the backroom with the typewriter. This could just be a directing thing – a way of subliminally reinforcing the shapeshifter imagery, or perhaps there’s more to it?
(As an aside, the top cap looks a bit like a Vincent Van Gough portrait – if the next episode has something to do with a cut off ear or a self-inflicted gun shot wound, we’ll know that this was the 2.03 episode clue).
Observing The Observer
The Observer can be seen in the corn field just before Amy Jessup enters the Hughes household.
Keep The Faith
Amy Jessup makes a point of noticing the Christian imagery in the Hughes household. She pays particular attention to the newspaper snippet (reporting the death of Mrs Hughes and her baby) found inside the Bible. The fact that the snippet was placed inside the Bible could suggest that Mr. Hughes felt guilt over what he had done (creating a genetically mutated baby which resulted in the death of his wife and others).
Also, it’s worth relating Amy’s attraction to this religious imagery to her Bible/Pattern investigations in ‘New Day’. Although this episode doesn’t lend as much meat as to what her investigations mean, other than keeping her story bubbling along until a more mythology-heavy episode.
Hughes Timeline Is This?
Mr. Hughes said that his wife and child died 17 years ago – this is corrolated by the news report Amy found inside the Bible, which is dated 18th November September 1992. However, the gravestones of Mrs. Hughes and Baby Hughes are dated November 1991. A 1 year difference. Either this is a pretty poor continuity error, or we were looking at alternate realities without realising it.
I’d be surprised if Bad Robot made such a gaff, but would they give an alternate reality peek in such a mythos-lite episode?
Mr. Fantasy
“16 Lanes” could be a literal reference or it could hint towards a deeper meaning (the next episode clue, perhaps?). Also the song playing inside was Dear Mr. Fantasy by Traffic. The title, as a reference to Fringe, speaks for itself.
Here are some of the lyrics:
Dear Mister Fantasy play us a tuneSomething to make us all happyDo anything take us out of this gloomSing a song, play guitarMake it snappyYeah, yeahDear Mister Fantasy play us a tuneSomething to make us all happyDo anything take us out of this gloomSing a song, play guitarMake it snappyYou are the one who can make us all laughBut doing that you break out in tearsPlease don’t be sad if it was a straight mind you hadWe wouldn’t have known you all these years
I feel that this relates to Olivia’s current mood – “Mr Fantasy” could be Sam Weiss. Is he the one to take Olivia out of her gloom?
Liv’s Number
Back in season 1 episode 11 “Bound“, Ella gave Olivia a Magic Ball with the number 8 on it (inset – A). I speculated that 8 could be Olivia’s “lucky number”, and it looks like this was confirmed in “Desirable Objects” when Sam Weiss guessed (knew?) that Olivia was a size 8.
It might be worth keeping an eye out for future “8″ references.
(8 is also one of the L O S T numbers).
Communication Station II
The question of WHO the shapeshifter is communicating with is still an open mystery. The typewriter itself could point to either alter-Bell or alter-Walter. Alter-Jones would be a long-shot and someone we are yet to meet would seem the most likely outcome.
Other Clues:
- As mentioned in our 2.02 review, the song playing during the opening scene was Poor Little Fool by Ricky Nelson.
- Not sure if this means anything, but it caught my eye – Peter has the word (brand) “Triumph” on his “02″ patch, and the cash register has “Prosper“. These two words are quite similar and I wonder whether they were intentionally used to connect Peter to the shapeshifter’s (or foreshadowing his eventual shift in loyalties)? Unlikely, but I’ll put it out there.
- Olivia has a little scratch on her head – resembling that of The Child..her inner child.
- For some reason the paragraphs on the news clipping seems to repeat itself - a clue, or the props department slacking?
- In the sheriff’s office there’s a poster that resembles Robert Fludd’s depiction of perception. Could this relate to how Sam Weiss will coach Olivia to manage her abilities?
As always, if you have any thoughts on the above, or think we’ve overlooked a clue or easteregg, feel free to let us know in the comments.
Our 1.01 Fringe Observations can be found here.
Science Channel Confirms Fringe Hasn't Been Cancelled
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FRINGE Final Season & Complete Series DVD Release Date & First-Look
Almost Human - 4 Minute Featurette Teases Upcoming J.H. Wyman Series
Team Fringe's New Show: Almost Human - 4 Minute Trailer
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
Hello,
The date in the newspaper is september 18, 1991 not november. So there is more than a years difference between the death and the newspaper!
Thank you for posting!
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Thanks Annie – I’ve corrected the post above. Not sure how I managed to type November when my brain knew it was September!
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When Olivia is taking a bath, the camera shows a round mirror not unlike the alter-mirror and the one that was pointed out in episode 2.1
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I’ve been wondering, why won’t Nina Sharp just tell Olivia, “you went to see William Bell, what did he say?” In the season 1 finale, Mr. Bell was the most sought-after character in the world (“I will turn this world upside down to find him”), but somehow, no one has even mentioned him at all. Except, and this is a reeeaaaalllly long stretch, we’re looking at a universe different from the two we saw in season 1. Very unlikely but it makes me wonder…
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Nature is a bitch, we know already, also as Walter said crossing has his side efects, so… we have side efects in at least three lead characters, Nina “had cancer” and a six million dollars arm, Walter lost his memory, and now, Olivia with her new Vulcan hearing…
The shapeshifter is in constant pain, also Jones was… desintegrating… Makes me wonder, what are Peter´s sintoms? and the Observer´s?
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Don´t really think all these symptoms are side effects of crossing realities, Lord Tuetanus. Walter crossed dimensions (the we know), when Peter was seven, but continued on his weird experiments after that. He lost his memory because of the “treatment” he was receiving at Saint Clare (or whatever they were doing to him there). To say that Nina´s cancer is due to crossing dimensions is a long shot. You can be right, but I don´t think we have enough information. Now, Jones, he teleported himself. He desintegrated and reintegrated himself and that´s what made him start to… hm… melt? The constant pain of the shapeshifter is probably because of the crossing, that I think you got right.
But, besides that, your question is a terrific one. What were the side effects in Peter Bishop and, does these effects last forever?
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I think that Nina has crossed over. She says that Sam Weiss helped put her back together meaning that he has helped her directly. It would be easy to draw the conclusion that she herself has crossed as well then if she needed his help.
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In this episode I noticed the lack of visual clues and easter eggs most. Even the blue flashes seemed to be on a break.
It does look like the type writer’s print is computer generated and not actually typed: the letters are just a bit too crisp and too flat (no indent).
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OK Watch Peter with Olivia, I think he is noticing that she can now hear things he’s been hearing. If you watch last years eps you can notice Peter was picking up things others were not. At times looking around as if he was hearing something. Watch him in the sheriff’s office he noticed the fly before Olivia did.
He could hear something in the house and just went along to see what Olivia was hearing. He knew something was in “or under the house”. I still believe Peter is aware that he can sense things, that he’s a little more atuned, but keeps his mouth shut so others don’t know he can, so he can find the answers to why and how.
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Good pick up Jean, could this also explain all his special skills from his back story? Also, he brought up fishing twice, obviously, could be a hint towards the attune-ment of those skills, or just furthering the alter-Peter’s likes and dislikes discord with his father. Lastly, Sam Weiss brings up head aches, fishing is known as a meditative and relaxing activity, possible connection?
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The note from the priest to Mr Hughes that Agent Jessup found with the Bible raises questions for us to think about human agency, free will and notions of Divine Will. Also, isn’t Jessup the name of scientist in Altered States? Amazing show- and thanks for the blog. PS: I’m curious about Sam Weiss.
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Hi
I’ve found 2 more clues, look at boared behind the olivia in the S-Shot below:
http://a.imagehost.org/0111/202_clue_1.jpg
1. green and red colored line
2. if you look exactly you,ll see letters below:
E
F P
T O Z
L F E D
this board suppose to have just “E” letter, so what do you think about these letters? It contains ZFT, am I right?
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One possible difference between Olivia and Peter as far as interdimensional travel. Olivia crossed over, then crossed BACK. As far as we know, Peter has just crossed from his home dimension to “ours”. Does the number of times you cross between dimensions exacerbate the side-effects?
As for the Observer’s symptoms — a curious question. We already know that he is a very unique individual. Perhaps it is his genetic make-up that makes him uniquely qualified to be an “Observer” because it makes him more resiliant to the dimensional travel side effects?
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“One possible difference between Olivia and Peter as far as interdimensional travel. Olivia crossed over, then crossed BACK. As far as we know, Peter has just crossed from his home dimension to “ours”.”
Very good point, Jayce! I could see them going that route and saying that the side effects might only show up after you have returned to your original reality. It makes sense (in a Fringe sort of way).
Another thing I’d thought of was that Peter crossed when he was a child. When you’re a child, you’re still developing and can adapt to change easier because pretty much everything you experience is something new. If he had side effects (such as hearing, headaches, etc.) he likely grew accustomed to it just as a young child does with any other new thing they discover. Such side effects may not be as apparent or traumatic to a child as they are to an adult, and if they are permanent, it’s probably just natural and second nature to him now.
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I saw a fronzen ear in the episode 3 teaser, so, the van gogh clue can be the one for the next episode.
The soldier/shapeshifter is giving me the creeps in episode 2, and making my head spin. If he is a soldier in the interdimensional war, is he a cortexifan child? Was Peter a cortexifan child? Will this jeopardize his loyalty in the future? Will he get weird like the shapeshifter?
So many questions…
Great review by the way
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Just a small addendum this week. In Mr. Hughes’ lab, when Olivia is investigating the strange noises, we see a periodic table with Hg (Mercury) highlighted in blue. Perhaps this is our illusive next episode clue?
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After Peter and Olivia pull down the brick wall to look into where the MoleMan lair. When Olivia is shining her flash light in and the camera is facing her, at the edge of light from her flash light you can see the green, green, red pattern.
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Eight was the glyph code of Midnight.
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its a scarecrow as you see it later on a closer shot when the sherrif is taping off the house. The observer is driving a digger when exhuming the graves
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The passcode that Jessup used to access Fringe files – 112885627 – how about
11/28/85 – Thanksgiving 1985 ring any “bells”? Or Flight 627??
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Nice observation TracyW! Did you guys notice that when Walter was trying to explain to Olivia the concept of there being other universes, he said ” in each of them, there is a version of us. You, me, agent Farnsworth….” Odd that he didn’t mention Peter. Now whether that is due to the fact that Peter was not in the room or that he is purposely skipping him because of his little secret, I don’t know. I know that Walter wasn’t talking about any particular universe in general, so technically he could have added Peter to the list without really being wrong, but it’s just something I noticed. :B
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