Fringe 4.16 ‘Nothing As It Seems’ recap & review: Giant Flying Porcupines Invasion

I am so sorry Fringies for not being able to recap and review Fringe last week. I just got a lot going on with my family right now and I couldn’t do it. But I loved it. The end killed me, like you may have assumed. But this is about 4.16, so let’s talk about it. As usual, sorry I’m late but anyway. Also, I managed to keep the review not that big this week! Yay!

Have you guys noticed a lot of this season’s episodes are similar to the ones in season 1? This is the most obvious one. It was like, with the same people and all. It started of the same way as “The Transformation” (1.13) but I wasn’t surprised when he didn’t transform and the plane didn’t crash. Something had to be different, right? The guy did transform later, though, and killed the security guys who were going through his bag.

Then we have Olivia talking to an FBI shrink. Poor Olive. I mean it. Everyone treated her like some kind of a freak the entire episode. You guys, she’s still Olivia, just has some different memories. She’s more worried with Jones, which, you know, makes sense, since he’s freaking Jones and the best villan that’s ever been on Fringe and stuff.

Remember when I said she has different memories? Yeah, something’s changed… like the fact that Rachel is still married and has another kid, Eddie, Ella’s brother. I soooo want them to come back and bring baby Eddie along! Although, if that happens, I’ll be a little sad because I really liked Rachel and Ella’s storyline, living with Liv and all. Fun times were fun. But anyway, basically, Olivia is not allowed to work because people think she’s crazy.

But then Olivia goes home and I can’t think straight anymore, as usual when it envolves Peter and Olivia. If you are starting to get annoyed by my crazy amout of fangirling, please do tell. I’ll try to reduce it. But it’s just so cute. He’s making dinner and joking. She is completely frustraded and he comforts her telling her they could travel and all of that.

But then Lincoln calls and Peter has to go. Again, poor Olivia. Quick note: how jealous was Lincoln this and last episode? Oh, God, I smiled badly at his cute jealous scenes. Ok, continuing, Peter goes to the lab and, while talking to Lincoln and Astrid (am I the only one who didn’t like her new hair?) about the freak of the week, he remembers things from the original version of the case. How do these people remember things from like three years ago? I don’t even remember what I had for breakfast.

“Happy birthday!” “Not really my b-day, daddy.” “But I bought presents for you every year to help me handle my loss.” Yeah, Walter, great way to let go of your dead son. But joking aside, it was so sweet of Walter! And Peter hugging him was so adorable. They don’t have the same relationship of the other timeline, but the new one is almost as good because we can see how a different Walter can build a father and son relationship with someone he though he had lost a long time ago.

Sadly, the great moment between the Bishop boys ends and Peter reveals the info from the other timeline such as the guy’s name, what he was trying to turn into and all of that. But he discovers not everything is as it was in the other timeline because the plane didn’t crash.

We move to Walter and Astrid taking a look at the creature. Disgusting to reagular people. Remarkable to Walter. After the producers show us how Walter is normal, they show us Peter interrogating Bowman’s (the giant porcupine) sister, but she doesn’t know anything. Also, the thing died out of nowhere and Olivia remembers the name of Bowman’s partner of three years ago in another timeline. They must take something for the brain otherwise I’m starting to get depressed about my lack of memory.

Lincoln and Peter have a heart to heart on the way to Daniel Hicks’ (the partner) house, in which Lincoln was super awesome about Olivia being Peter’s Olivia and all. And when they get there, guess who’s waiting? Olive, of course. Peter is not worried at all about the fact that she was disobeying Broyles’ orders and Lincoln is the oposite of that. But they broke into the guy’s house anyway. They always do that, so…

Poor Lincoln, Olivia doesn’t remember a thing about your nights at the dinner. Not that there’s much to remember but ok, lol. And Fringe, why do you always have to scare the crap out of me? I mean, I’m here, watching without even blinking, knowing that the giant porcupine will appear and when it does, I almost scream and I hit my hands at my desk. It hurt, Fringe. Physically hurt.

“Did anyone report seeing the thing that got away?” Exactly my thoughts, Peter. Science time. The thing died because its organs stopped working, basically. And poor Lincoln, that cut looked bad. Olivia is also sorry for you, she didn’t forget you! She’s just more friendly and romantically which she’s not with you involved with Peter in certain ways.

There was a tatoo on the thing and they had to see someone to know what it meant. Guess who? Yay, Markham! I love him. He looks so much like a penguim I can’t even help myself but think that everytime I see him. And he’s awesome. He discovered what the tatoo meant in like a minute. The members of a group wear it. They want to create new especies with guided mutation. Ever wandered if there are as many freaks in the real world as there are in Fringe?

Also, Lincoln is infected. It was hilarious how Walted handled the situation calmy while Lincoln was like “hello, I’ll freaking die if I’m part of the 20% you can’t cure”.

Then we cut to a woman entering her house. As she walked, I was sure I’d get scared again, but it was actually something very Beauty and the Beast-ish. She was all loving towards the thing and I was completely disgusted, especially after we got a good view of its face. If you want to create a new especies, at least create something beautiful, for God’s sake.

Meanwhile, Peter, Astrid and Olivia were joking about mayan prophecies and Walter was being cute and realizing how much he wanted a family. Because they really are a little family. Only Lincoln is left out, poor Lincoln, he goes through so much this episode. And no cure for him yet. Buuut, they discover that maybe they can get the files at Massive Dynamic, of course, because where else?

Apparently there are so many hybrids projects that she has to run a search. Because that’s comforting. The files are gone! Guess who was in charge of the project? Mr. Jones because who else?

Meanwhile, Lincoln is at the lab, eating bacon like he was famished. And, with that, Walter discovers that, in order to transform, the hybrids need human fat which reminded me of a Supernatural episode and that they probably steal it from plastic surgery clinics. This scene was also hilarious basically because of everyone’s faces of horror and Walter’s naturality while talking about it.

How can nobody see these things? Oh, they can fly. That makes things a little bit more complicated. And didn’t I say Lincoln goes through a lot this episode? He has to drink the most disgusting drink ever made by Fringe except for that one Olivia had to drink with worms in it. That was horrible.

But anyway, Bowman had the fat to transform but he didn’t have the medication to control the process. That’s why he died. Also, Lincoln’s blood is creating a replica of the thing in the computer and Walter can’t tell what are the bad and what are the good news. The thing is the creatures were stealing fat but they have to steal it from another place now that the one they used is locked up. And they discover it has wings! Apparently only one plastic surgery clinic is in a high building, but whatever. Olivia is, as always, badass and, without thinking about her job, calls Broyles to order backup.

FBI at the house. I mean, at the plastic surgery clinic. And Dunham is at the lab with Walter when she has a clever idea, which is to turn on the lights because porcupines are nocturne creatures. How hadn’t anyone thought of this before? The thing is, it saved Lincoln’s life. He was chosen to almost die again, but this time Peter was there to try to shoot that woman in the leg and hit her arm instead. Well, at least it wasn’t Lincoln’s head.

Back at the lab, there are more questions, as usual. But, this time, Peter has his new toy. How adorable was him playing with it while everybody else was all serious and asking things? But then Broyles arrives and Peter hides his toy. Yes, I saw that, Peter. Broyles didn’t, though. He was there to tell Olivia she could do her job again because she’s basically a BAMF.

Remember Bowman’s sister? Turns out she knew about everything and, along with some guy, she transformed too! Well, she injected herself, so I think she transformed. Also, the scene cuts to a creepy cage with two giant flying porcupines inside and a man locking it. Then he’s walking and it’s like the creepiest place Fringe’s ever came up with. At least it’s one of them. And it’s a ship! Glyph and the end.

The glyphs formed the word future, which can mean many things, so I won’t get too involved with the meaning of it, lol. It was a great episode. There wasn’t much Polivia in it but it’s completely ok because it explored the Peter and Walter relationship and I love when they do that. See you next week, Fringies!