Fringe: The Arrival

"It has arrived." - Bald guy wearing shades

This episode definitely got me intrigued about fringe science. It's a combination of things, and of course, Walter's scattered ramblings about whatever strikes him at any particular moment.

The funniest line was at the beginning, when a frustrated Peter sat up in bed and said, "What formula are you rattling off at 3 o'clock in the morning?" Walter replied, "The formula for root beer. I thought I might make some in the lab tomorrow."

But what about the mysterious bald guy wearing shades and carrying a brief case? The guy who seemed to be keeping track of the glowing cylinder, and whom Agent Broyles called "The Observer." I wonder what his story is? The fact that he was present years ago at the precise time Walter needed him to save his and Peter's lives makes me wonder if he's not some sort of other-worldly entity. As Walter told Peter, "It was as if he knew my thoughts before I did. He made it clear that he would need me one day to return the favor, and this was it." Walter is talking about how he hid the cylinder for Bald Guy. So it makes me wonder what else Walter knows about the goings-on of all the experiments he's conducted over the years. What else is he hiding?

I loved the scene at the end, where, for the first time, Peter had an inkling of what Walter was going through, because HE had that same experience with Bald Guy reading his thoughts. At first I thought Bald Guy had installed some sort of device into Peter's brain, so he could hear his thoughts (and I think that was true initially), but when Peter saw him in the woods that night, and he was mimicking Peter's words, I theorized that Bald Guy was indeed reading Peter's thoughts. Or ...is there a device in Peter's brain now?

Theory on the cylinders? Let's see ... they explode into the ground and then disappear. So perhaps they're carrying intel to beings inside the core of the planet. Or something. And didn't they say the cylinder arrived from under the ground?

And what about John Scott showing up at the end?!