Nina’s reflection regarding not being enough for Bell identifies pretty much what else is needed for Walter to, well, get over himself. In short, although Bell clearly loved Nina, he did not love her enough for him to be able to resist a feeling of omnipotence that satiated his ego. Nothing could have changed Bell but himself. Outer forces shape us while we are children, but usually, after adolescence, as many a worried parent can tell you, the volition to change has to come from the person themselves. Walter seems to have that volition; perhaps Nina, Olivia and Astrid can help bolster him into action without removing the much-needed pieces of his brain.
Which interestingly enough, implies that although he is still as self-consumed as before, he also has changed enough that he now just might have what it takes to not become the man he was before again. The glyphs spell T-R-U-S-T, an indication that Walter needs to trust his inner, noble self (pun oh so intended) to control his arrogant, intellectual self. Like the Cherokee story goes, a fight is going on inside Walter at the moment: “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil - he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. The other is good - he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you - and inside every other person, too. Which wolf will win? The one you feed."
Some miscellaneous thoughts on the episode: how awesome Nina looks with white hair, and how nice her earrings are. I found it amusing that the assistant she called on was named Hastings, and would like to think that it is after Hercule Poirot’s best friend. Her emotional reunion with her foster daughter was touching. It’s sad that both Blair Brown and Lance Reddick are no longer credited as being season regulars.
There were more Walter moments in this episode than there have been in the last few, including the hilarious moment in Bell’s safe room (I am tempted to call it Bell’s House of Horrors) when Walter figured out that his former colleague had pilfered his record collection. Another great Walter moment was the irony of his comment, directed at Bell: “He had a terrible memory. The LSD, I suppose.”
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Article comments
1 - Olivia
If you watch Fringe , you may have noticed that the only 2 chracters fully given a backstory are Walter and Peter, sadly so.
Olivia has so much potential, and she was being set up with a possible Chosen One role in Season 2, but after Firefly her role was reduced more and more to the woman behind Peter, especially from midseason 4.
As blonde Olivia still got to do some FBI thinking, it went unnoticed, and luckily for Anna Torv she had AltLivia(a great charater, created by Anna, not much written for her),
but this season 5 Olivia in the beginning had to be the distant mother, and then do all the grieveing agains the bombast of Peters anger, and has to worry for him. She is not even allowed to think, got 1 line when she met Nina.
I do not like at all how Olivia has been treated by the writers since midseason 3, as the Olivia and Peter stuff is all coming from Olivia (and Anna), and she has to except in S3 that she had to be a lesser version and be lied to by Peter, same in S4, she had to become the Olivia Pter wants her to be,
same can be said in S5, Peter lies, Olivia will have to forgive.
And the men are the loving fathers who do everything for their child.
From what Wyman said in a recent Fearnet interview, it is clear that writing for OLivia was not on the agenda, her storyline for S5 is her emotions, for him as for Pinkner Fringe is about Walter and Pter and Noble and Jackson.
Anna Torv is an awesome actress , she has created a great Olivia, multiple versions, I think it is a disgrace that in 5 seasons she never had a real scene talking about her mother, we do not know her fathers name, and what I find really insulting is that at the end of S4 she had to stand there and be used by Bell and hero Walter shot her through the head, as a thing.
Her being abused by Walter, could have made a great storyline, but instead she cares for him, and Walter is the poor guy we have to feel sorry for.
This season we see Peter actively giving himself powers, and he gets to use them actively for his revenge, he is smarter he can act and fight when he wants.
Olivia was being used by Bell and Walter, could only use her power to save Peter, ot when she was switched on by Bell, no control and no choice.
Sexism on Fringe? yes.