It’s becoming increasingly rare to see a television series get to 100 episodes, and its perhaps even rarer to see a TV series have the chance to wind up its story in satisfying fashion. 13 years ago, one Sci-fi masterpiece managed to knock both out of the park at the same time, and while it wrapped things up perfectly, we have to admit we still want more from the franchise.
On January 18th, 2013, the Sci-fi thrill-ride known as Fringe brought its series to a close in the episode titled An Enemy of Fate, and it still has people dissecting 13 years later. In addition to being the series finale, it was also the show’s 100th episode, and despite the complicated nature of the story (which involved major elements of time travel), the show nailed the landing and pulled off a heart-wrenching and satisfying finale.
Even with that being the case, we’d be lying if we didn’t admit to wanting more from the beloved series. While Fringe did bring the show to a satisfying close, there are some ways you could pick things up and move the story forward. Granted, you might undo some of the tied-together threads from the finale in doing so, but if the revival is great, fans would likely still be fine with it, and even if they weren’t, there’s still the original series intact for those who would rather keep the show as it was.
The Fringe Finale Is Mind-Bending, But It’s A Perfect Ending To The Series
Season 5 of Fringe played out the final battle with the Observers, but it took place across centuries. The Observers hatch a plan to invade Earth in the year of 2015, allowing them to utilize their advanced intelligence and technology to take over the planet. Walter and September (an Observer who defected and feels human emotions) devise a plan to keep the team safe and undo everything that happened with the Observers taking over Earth, and the beginning of that plan is encasing the team in amber until the time is right to save the world.
The team is broken out of amber by Olivia and Peter’s daughter Etta in the year 2036, but while one part of the plan is done, Walter is captured and has the plans deleted from his memory. The team manages to track down the various elements of that plan though thanks to Walter leaving messages on videotapes, though part of the plan ended up including a major twist.
That twist was in the form of September’s son, who was created through the Observers’ experiments, and he was actually revealed back in the first season of the show in the episode Inner Child. His name is Michael, and he is an Observer who is more intelligent than the others but also retains all of his human emotions. The plan is to show the scientists who started the intelligence-enhancement experiments in the future that this is possible, and the objective becomes getting Michael to the future. The plan is to have September go with him, but he is shot, and Walter has to go in his place, setting up one of the most heart-wrenching moments.
If the journey forward in time succeeds, it will wipe out everything that happened after 2015 when the Observers took over, and that also means Walter if he goes with Michael into the future. They wouldn’t be able to return back to this time because that would create a paradox, and that could allow the Observers to come back into being. Walter heads into the future and restores the world to how it was before the Observers, and with those actions, disappears from existence. The true end though is when Peter and his family are in the new status quo 2015, and he receives a letter from Walter that features a white tulip. The drawing opened up multiple questions regarding when Walter sent it and if he was, in fact, back from the future in some way, and that’s also the place you can easily draw from in terms of a sequel series.
Even if Fringe just stays as its 5-season run, fans will continue to adore the show, and over the years since it ended, that appreciation has only grown by leaps and bounds. There’s also no certainty that the follow-up would be as good, but that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t love to see someone give it a try.
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