Fringe "Alone In The World" Episode Guide

If the title wasn’t enough of a giveaway, this week’s Fringe focused on Walter’s continuing hallucinations of Peter and their repercussions. He knows that something is missing, can feel it, but he’s torn between believing that he’s relapsing into crazy and that his hallucinations actually exist.

After last week’s knockout performance by Anna Torv as both Olivias, John Noble really brought the goods this week with Walter’s breakdown. “Alone in the World” had a great monster of the week, but its true strength was in the emotional beats and progression of Peter’s storyline. What exactly did we find out this week? Read on to see.

•As part of this Peter-free timeline, part of the agreement for his release from the mental facility is to meet with a psychiatrist every month. But even Broyles is concerned about him, having witnessed one of his mental panic attacks. The levels of Walter’s hallucinations are increasing, and he grows increasingly upset as his inability to distinguish reality.

•After an attack on two boys in a cave, the Fringe team is attempting to track down some form of alien fungi that causes the dead bodies to rapidly decompose and then explode in alien spores. The spores morph into Jumangi-like, fast-growing vines that suck the life from everything they encounter.

•Aaron, the third boy present in the cave at the time of the first attack, provides an interesting outlet for Walter’s thoughts as he goes through testing in the lab. Sipping strawberry milkshakes in tinfoil hats, the two talk about Walter’s son. So the Observers haven’t really erased Peter from time, they’ve just altered the timelines from the moment that Walter brought the other Peter back from the Altverse, allowing him to drown in the lake.

•In the cave where the alien fungi first started, the Fringe team start to burn the vines to get rid of the plant, but stop when Walter realizes that the Aaron is affected by it, forming some sort of psychic link between the two.

•Aaron’s connection with the alien fungi began before the most recent encounter. The plant gave him something to feel emotionally close to, and then used him to lure victims back unknowingly. Walter comforts him, growing more emotionally attached to the boy as he tries to break his psychic link with the alien plant before Broyles decides to light the whole thing on fire. Walter yells, “He’ll die! You’re going to kill Peter!”

•While attempting to buy Walter time to save Aaron, Olivia asks Broyles to hold off on killing the plant, which has now reached a subway station and is ready to infect a multitude of people. Broyles remarks, “We can’t sacrifice countless other lives to save one boy.” It’s the same issue that the Walter of seasons past has dealt with over his decision to remove the Peter from the Altverse, and another constant reminder of his absence.

•The emotional link between Aaron and the plant is the thing that’s keeping it alive, and Walter convinces Aaron to let it go so the plant can die. In a truly great moment by John Noble, Walter pleads, “You matter to me. And I don’t want to lose you.” He speaks of how it takes courage to befriend another person and have faith that they won’t leave. It works, and Aaron releases the plant in time to save the endangered Agent Lee and prevent the plant from attacking anyone else.

•The chilling last minute of the episode, Olivia walks in to the lab to find Walter poised to give himself a lobotomy, tools already in position. He’s convinced that he’s insane and admits that this is a desperate attempt to avoid the hospital again. He confesses his hallucinations to Olivia, but, lo and behold, Olivia pulls out a drawing of Peter and confirms that they’ve been thinking of the same man. Together, they figure out that Walter is indeed not crazy, or at least not in this aspect, and resolve to find Peter.

Don’t forget to watch Fringe’s “Subject 9” this Friday at 9 p.m. EST, and drop by UGO for more awesome TV Episode Guides!