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Oct 3,

The Observer in 203 – “Fracture”

Fringe - 203 Fracture | The Observer | Theories & Speculation | Posted by Scully

By the time the episode seemed like it was wrapping up, I was thinking “I missed him, where was he?”.  Well, as it turns out, the question this week was not ‘where is he?’, it was ‘what is he up to?’.

Last year there was a lot of speculation as to the intentions of our very bald friend, but I always maintained that he is on our side.  I have to admit that this week, I am starting to doubt that theory.  They have definitely given us reason to re-think all of our previous notions about the Observer.

I think the question about why he is always carrying a briefcase has been answered.  But another, very important question has come to the surface…What is in the briefcase?

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Here is the theory in Colonel Raymond Gordon’s words…

“The enemy is among us, and nobody is doing anything about it.  We have no idea the end is coming.  THEY are here collecting data, making observations.  That’s what’s in the briefcase.  They’ve been planning for war and they’ve been passing information via courier right under our noses.”

“We don’t know who they are, but I can tell you what they want.  They want to exterminate us.  So they are studying us…our culture, our technology, our science.  And they plan to use it against us.”

“One way or another, we’ll find out who they are, but by then, I suppose, it won’t really matter because whatever is in those cases is going to destroy us all.”

It is all so very ominous.

It has been speculated before that there is more than one Observer, this seems to be confirmation.  Gordon says ‘they’ not ‘he’ when referring to the Observer.  But what do they want?  Gordon says they want to exterminate us.  I hate the idea of our Observer being the enemy, but let’s face it…anything is possible.

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Let’s say for argument’s sake that our Observer is indeed a bad guy?  What is with the obsession with Walter?  What possible purpose could Walter serve in a war against mankind?  Is he destined to be the cause of the downfall of humanity?  Does he invent something, or do something that tips the war in favor of the bad guys?  Whatever Walter’s role is, it’s important enough that the Observer has intervened, more than once, to save Walter’s life and steer him in a particular direction.  If it was just our Observer watching Walter, I would say that it is a personal obsession, but the photos of Walter came from inside the briefcase…which means someone else took those photographs.  And judging by the binocular/camera and the symbols on the briefcase…it must have been another Observer.  The image in the top left is through our Observer’s binoculars in “The Arrival” as is the notepad on the bottom.

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Now let’s flip the coin and presume that our Observer is not an enemy.  What if he is rogue?  Perhaps everything that Gordon said is true and the Observer’s people are trying to destroy us…what if our Observer is not on board with the rest of them?  Perhaps that is why he has intervened and saved Walter’s life.  Maybe something that Walter will invent or something that he will do, actually tips the war in our favor and our Observer is trying to help make sure that happens.  Maybe he has help…he might of instructed someone else to take the photos. (Although I’m not sure why he would do that…so that he can have a lunch break?)

Either way, it means that the connection between Walter and the Observer is much more important than I originally thought.

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There is also another possibility.  Colonel Gordon is just plain completely wrong about the intentions of the Observers.  I mean…who is this guy?  Who is he working for?  How are they getting this information?  And what the heck are they doing?  Gordon said they had to take matters into their own hands…that they had to send a message.  O.K. so wouldn’t their message have been better sent if they killed just the couriers?  Then they could grab the briefcases, open them and find out for sure whats going on.  Why are they killing innocent people?  Exactly what message is that sending?  If they know where the couriers are going to be at the exact time that they are going to be there, then isn’t it plausible that they would know where they came from and where they are heading to?  So grab one of them,  interrogate him or follow one of them…grab an Observer…and interrogate him…do something..anything but killing a whole building full of the very people that you claim you are trying to protect!  Hello?

And what about these couriers?  Who are they?  They don’t look like Observers…are they just patsies?  Are they from this world? Do they even know what they are delivering or who they are delivering these briefcases to?

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As usual, this episode has raised more questions than it has answered.  But it wouldn’t be the “Fringe” that I know and love if it didn’t.  I look forward to where this new discovery will lead us to in upcoming episodes.

4 Responses to “The Observer in 203 – “Fracture””

  1. Charlotte

    I love the fact that the men carrying the briefcase were MEN IN BLACK. Well black coats anyway. All I have to say now about the observers is WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY! I don’t think my little heart can take any more of this.
    Oh who am I kidding i’ll be back next week complaining about another new development.

  2. Sinoco

    I assume that not all observers look like our observer. I also assume that the Colonel was trying to… destroy the observers/cases. He was successful once, did he stop information from being transferred? What are in the other briefcases that seem to be floating around everywhere? How did the Colonel know where these possible ‘observers’ were?

  3. Jo

    Walter. Walter Bishop is the key, but which Walter is it? My mind is playing tricks on me now. I see conspiracy everywhere and two Walters one narcissistic the other clueless. Who will cause the end of the world?
    Is Walter evil?
    Is the observer evil?
    Who is the militia group that are out to get the briefcases?
    Too many questions not enough answers. My head is exploding.

  4. Vsxe

    I think the men carrying the briefcase are just couriers, they don’t know what they are delivering, like “The Transporter”, perhaps like the guy on fringe comic #2 “Strangers on a Train”.