Fringe (TV Series) 6B (2011) User Reviews

Between Fringe and V, the difference is great writing

[rwk2 · 9/10 · 23 February 2011]

This episode is solid, well-written, classic sci-fi. What happens when extraordinarily impossible things happen to regular people? I love that Fringe actually incorporates real scientific theory. Here, they take a look at one of Einstein's theories revolving around interaction between objects regardless of physical state or distance. More precisely, if two people lose their spouse, each in a different universe but in the same place, is their mutual grief strong enough to unravel the fabric between realities? The clincher came near the end of the episode when the old woman reflects about her dead husband. "If the impossible can happen, then perhaps some day I'll be with him again." Great sci-fi: the story unfolds, is highly entertaining, and at the end of a well-crafted tale the audience is left with something to ponder.

Now, compare this to V and their recent schlepping into matters of the soul. No basis in established religious theories or discussions (any of which are easily available on the internet--and yet an advanced alien race is clueless about them), no interesting conclusion, no real need to keep it in the thread of the series. Pathetic, really. I hate it when action, or effects, or gore, or any other plot device meant to stroke along the story is used in lieu of good, solid, old fashioned writing.

Which is why I will continue to watch Fringe but have given up on V. These stories make sense. Even for being fantastic, they're still grounded in reality. These characters react emotionally to what they're doing. Look at Walter. He's visibly distraught over a horrendous decision. Peter and Olivia's relationship is strained and they have to deal with it like adults. Even the peeks into the Other Side and what Fringe Division does in reaction to events at the apartment were interesting.

Overall this episode was... simply... excellent.

Spooky and Romantic

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 16 March 2017]

When a group of guest falls during a party from the veranda of an apartment building in Brooklyn to sidewalk, the Fringe Division is assigned to investigate. Olivia, Peter and Walter learn that the building is considered haunted and the residents are moving away. Walter sees the position of the bodies and conclude they have felt through the balcony and concludes the place has a crack to the parallel universe. Olivia notices a glow from the apartment 6B and the widow Alice Merchant believes she can contact the ghost of her husband Derek from the beyond. But soon Walter, Olivia and Peter conclude she is contacting Derek from the parallel universe. Meanwhile Peter tries to mend Olivia's broken heart and rekindle her feelings for him.

"6B" is a spooky and also romantic episode of "Fringe'. The lead story of Alice and Derek certainly affects Olivia's feelings and she is more open with Peter. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "6B"

Not heavenly but with no doubt a bodybuilded episode from floor to roof

[igoatabase · 8/10 · 19 February 2011]

Ground zero, welcome back to the prime universe. What happen when you cross Ghostbusters and Fringe ? Well not Supernatural ! As much as Walter's behavior can be spooky at times Fringe will never trade its identity for a fan like me. It's a good thing because the story was quite original. Indeed even if past episodes thrilled my mind I was always able to relate their scripts to a well known novel or film. 6B proved that it's possible to puzzle the audience and turn the most conventional love story into a cross-universe Shakespearean piece.

Second floor, red is the new blue. And I naively thought the good old twinkling format was back ! Of course this episode was not as twisted as Entrada but the ending tasted like a cherry on a shortcake. Once again it was a simplistic way to link both worlds but nevertheless it was dazzling !

Close Encounters of the Third Floor. The guest actress did a wonderful job at portraying a mourning old lady and even made me wonder about his real life. Did she lose someone too ? It made her intense scene with Olivia and Peter even more dramatic.

The Four Floors of Einstein. My only complain is that they didn't trigger the amber when it would have definitely made a mind blowing sequence. Imagine them running for their life before it solidifies ! But apparently they have decided to save the inevitable collapse for later and in fact it's a wise decision.

The Fifth Floor, so many entertaining elements. From the glowing building to Walter alternative crisis it was one edgy installment. Until the very end I really thought they wouldn't be able to save the day. Actually wouldn't it be excellent if they failed for once ? It's not that the show has become predictable but I really encourage the writers to turn the impossible into possible ! And as they haven't disappointed us so far I expect the upcoming episodes to be even more twirling !

Sixth floor, I sense your delicate breath on my lips. Who are you rooting for ? Olivia or Fauxlivia ? Fusion ! Foolivia !? The writers apparently enjoy playing with our feelings. Indeed it seems Peter deliberately decided to invite Olivia to the place he danced with Fauxlivia. I could even hear a love song in the background for a few split seconds. And the awkward kiss they shared was definitely a reminder that Peter is not ready to forget her. I also considered their last scene as a direct reference to Fauxlivia's pregnancy. Parallelgamy ? Lucky Peter ! I don't know what they have staged for us but 6B was excellent and I'll never put a single foot on a balcony again !

A beautiful story, both standalone and well fitted into the series.

[honorhorror · 10/10 · 27 February 2011]

Actually, there are some respected reviewers around on the internet that didn't care much about this episode, and simply dismissed it as a boring, slow-pacing soap opera. It is sad, that after almost 3 full seasons, Fringe still suffers from a misplaced ID card, that loudly writes "Sci-fi horror" more than "mytery and fantasy".

This episode, in my opinion, is the very episode in Season 3 that matches up to the quality of what was considered to be Fringe's "Constant"--"Peter". On an emotional level, they both showed the determination of the creators to transform it from a X-file wannabe into the cousin of "Lost", which is good because "Monster of the week" formula gets old in these days, especially if you had the familiar monsters and just gave them a slightly different but still quite over-the-head explanation(X-files would say "blame the aliens" while Fringe would say "blame the other dimension").

You don't necessarily need to be charmed by movies like Up to appreciate the subtlety of this episode. In fact, it's very fun and funny to compare it to Up for many similar qualities, like the interchange of metaphors and various paralleling themes. The relationship between the old couple living in the apartment was somewhat a mirror to Peter and Olive's twisted entanglement, be it "quantum" enough or not. "To cross the line" is like the keyword of this episode because Walter, P&O, and the old couple all have lines to cross for similar reasons. The final result? They got paid off all in satisfying ways. For Walter, it's just touching to see a crazy genius' moral struggling to match up to the coldness of his nemesis, his arch-enemy. It's also a precious reminder to me that it is those at power that needs people's care and consideration the most--before we conclude and wrap them up in monstrous coverages. For the old couple, it's even more interesting because "Crossing over" or "cross the line" to them really have more layers than those main roles. To them, the very line they would probably be crossing is a line of sanity, reason, common senses and even religious conviction or clarity. This is a highlight of "Fringe"'s struggles at heart. Though I'm not really bought into the mythology of Fringe, I'd like to appreciate their effect and artistic considerations of presenting the tongue-in-the-cheek differences/similarities between alternate dimensions and afterlife.

And, to the stars of the show, Peter and Olive, their line to cross is a both the borderline between 2 universes and the invisible line marked by Olivia's emotional scar, as she kept on resenting the fact that which would have possibly been the most important and beautiful part of her life was stolen by her arch[-enemy. Ethically speaking(gosh, if there are still anything that can be called ethical if there are really two universes at war) Peter and Olivia belonged to different worlds, and they'd better leave each other untouched to prevent further complications. Yet, as complications and conflicts both marched on regardless of their position, it's also relieving to see they have the courage to come to terms, which finished building up the story's many further possibilities.

Way to go, Fringe team! And best wishes.

Pale Blue Eyes

[XweAponX · 10/10 · 4 May 2012]

In the weeks leading up to Peter's inescapable joining with "The Vacuum" (i.e., "the machine") Walter fears that "his" universe is breaking apart and it is only a matter of time until "our side" is as bad off as "The Other Side."

And it all starts at this innocuous, innocent looking Building in New York- Where Odd Things have been happening, the residents have been moving out in droves, and at a Party on the 3rd Floor the Blender turns on all by itself, an hors d'oeuvre suddenly has peanuts in it causing a guest to go in to anaphylactic shock, and then a body falls on the street while a woman is getting into a taxi-Then another, and another. And a few more, followed by a few pieces of furniture.

Several theories get tossed out — "Flash Mob Suicide"-But Peter notices, that the bodies were too close to the side of the Building to have jumped off the balcony - The bodies were found below the balcony, ergo, the balcony must have stopped existing for a split second - Walter and Peter get off the balcony fast.

It's Walter's fear that the universes will break apart because he crossed over to get Peter, revealing the "red" and "blue" universes to each other and to the Pauli Exclusion Principal (aka, the "Heisenberg" principle) which ultimately would leave One Universe standing. And that it is finally beginning now, beginning at the innocent looking building, which has been used in a lot of movies, including "Kate and Leopold."

If this is in fact happening, then Olivia helps Nina Sharp set up Amber Protocols for this side and they build a prototype Amber Containment unit.

In the end, the vortex that appears, is not due to a "soft spot" but to a "Ghost" - Which appears to an Old Widow Alice Merchant played by Phyllis Somerville (Grandma Fuller from "Benjamin Button")-She sees her Husband Derek (Ken Pogue). On our side, she lost Derek, on his side, he lost Alice. The connection between the two is shattering the universe(s), and it takes "Grandma Fuller" letting go of Derek to break the connection.

On the other side, Alt-Astrid reports a "Class 4 Vortex." But when Alternate Lee and Fauxlivia get to Apartment 6B, there is nothing there and Derek tells them nothing about what had happened.

Ultimately this episode is about Olivia and Peter, who just like Alice and Derek, are from two sides of a Multiverse. So as strains of Velvet Underground play in the background, Peter and Olivia go "Upstairs"...

One of the greatest of the season

[residentevil182 · 10/10 · 19 February 2011]

Fans were biting their nails because of the great rating drop Fringe had been having since Reciprocity and onwards; I stood positive, but a bit nervous, about the future of the show and this week was quite a relief. The fact that the audience grew up from 3.74 million watchers to 4.10 million means that Fringe is recovering from the Super bowl, the festivities and the Supernatural competition, and it's thanks to the amazing writing, especially for this very episode that kept hook, and even drew 40.000 viewers on the second half, that I think Fringe is to be renew for a 4th season, leading the nights with what I think will be an average of 4.58 million watchers, holding to its initial 1.9 rating share. Now, let's talk about the real issue, the aspects that made this episode so great. Some details are spoiler free, I'll mention when the spoilers comes.

Visual and special effects: 10/10. Through the whole episode we get a very good use of special effects and different settings, which is different from last week's "Immortality", the Fringe team is not captive on many scenes in the lab, but they are seen on many scenes on Peter's house, Massive Dynamics, the bar, the building, etc... Which is a refreshing setting, there's more world than just the lab. The special effects were marvelous, it was like a new version of the ghost busters mixed with the X files and achieved in such an incredible degree, from simple sequences were windows explodes or the creation of the amber to the vision and cracks from the other side.

(SPOILER) Plot: Case of the week: 9.8/10. The thing is that the case is moving and it's really interesting, we get to see that our universe is suffering as "over there" and it's bending because of the grief and sorrow of two people who loved each other madly and lost each other, which is nice, we are not facing a monster of the week, we are victims of a love tragedy that occurred both over here and there, it was nicely developed, although I think it wasn't completely explained, which is why I gave it a 9.8 overall, but it was truly amazing.

Olivia's and Peter's relationship development: 10/10. It was 100% believable, the characters seem to finally leave things behind, but at the same time they are recognizing the causes of why it is so hard. And I'm not giving it a 10 because I wanted to see them kissing again (which was a plus), but because Olivia finally showed us that she is brave enough to overcome her fear, along with Peter being able to tell who he is really in love with, and making Olivia see that she was the one actually stopping them at that time. The way it was developed was cute, nice and smart.

Walter's fear: 1000/10. There's just no way to describe how amazing and Emmy worthy is John Noble. The fear and the burden of his acts are a huge weight that he carries on the back, we can see all that through Walter's eyes, through his movement, and it goes completely along with his character profile and background story. Kudos to John Noble.

(SPOILER FREE)

Overall acting from starring and guest starring: 10/10. As always, our main cast for this season is crushing it, they are doing better than ever. Through the eye contact to the way they speak we see our main cast doing as good as always and even better, mentioning John Noble who was able to pull off a terrified and sorrow Walter Bishop who fills our eyes with pity for his poor character, I bet we all wanted to hug Walter and tell him that it would be OK, which I actually wanted to see from Jasika Nicole, but that's for another episode. Our guest starring was standard good to impressive, though we might not care for those characters that only appear in one scene, they are necessary and they did their job as every week, fairly good and convincing. The old lady (excuse me, I forgot her name) showed us some experience and good acting.

Overall: 10/10. This episode is to be listed as one of Fringe's best, 43 minutes of entertaining romance, occasionally good humor and character development. It's not an episode to lose and I hope more Fringe fans tune on their TVs next Friday, my gamble is 4.26 million viewers, 1.6 rating share.

a love story for the ages

[A_Different_Drummer · 10/10 · 27 December 2015]

It is typical of this series that the writers can whip a love story out of thin air which might be one of the greatest ever.

Seriously, when I am asked (as Top Reviewer) to recommend a love story, I usually send people to HERE COMES MR JORDAN and more recently EYE ORIGINS. This episode will stick in my mind for some time to come.

As for the reviewer who felt this series had become a soap opera, the answer is that everything is a soap opera because without people there is no story that stands on its own. Even X-Files got mileage from its "anti-romance" where Mulder and Scully self-consciously avoided each other.

Great

A Look Forward

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 10 November 2023]

In this one the forces at work begin to encounter one another. A group of young people at a party fall to their deaths when a temporary hole forms under them. It then closes up. The team comes to investigate. The only explanation is that all kinds of paranormal events seem to have happened in this apartment building. At the center is 6B, the home of an elderly lady who sees an image of her dead husband. Walter believes this is evidence of a vortex between the two universes and if so, where will it be next. It seems that the old lady (a widow) and her husband (who is a widower from the other side) have an emotional connection which facilitates the danger of the vortex. Well thought out episode.

Congrats: It's a soap opera....

[lynnwengland · 3/10 · 7 September 2015]

This is one of many science fiction series I have watched via Netflix and Prime. Sadly, in the past two weeks, in a pathetic attempt to raise drooping ratings, it went from a quirky, interesting doppelganger parody to a sappy, dull and frankly stupid soap. Hello ladies, welcome! Get your tissue ready. We'll do our darn best to jerk those tears from you. Series like this that successfully strike a harmonious balance between science fiction and melodrama are renewed. Fringe does not. 6B, so cleverly hinted at by a license plate last week, tips the scales over to sap with FIVE relationships that take up most of the air time. Oh boo-hoo! I miss you-I love you-it's wonderful to have spent 45 years with the "One", ad nausea. I can only imagine what "romance" you will throw at us next week. Of course, science fiction (and also junk like this) have a limited audience. Just look at the horrible failures of Star Trek and Star Wars :-).