'Fringe' Theories - Where Do We Go From Here?

Now that we're firmly into the second half -- and heading towards the end -- of season two of 'Fringe,' let's talk about what's happened so far, and what we think might happen. Some of these speculations will mirror those I made last September, because not all of those questions have been answered yet. In fact, we may have more questions now than we did back then.

Still, with the episode titled 'Peter,' we finally started to get into the nitty-gritty about Walter stealing Peter from the alternate universe. Of course, we all knew this, but when will Peter find out, and who will tell him? That and lots of other questions spring to mind.

Will Peter learn the truth about his origins? Yes, I believe so, but the question is who will be the one to tell him? In last week's episode, 'Olivia. In the Lab. With a Revolver,' Olivia was determined to tell Peter the truth, but then decided against it after realizing that their family unit (Peter, Walter and Olivia) was more important than Peter knowing the truth. Then Walter decided that HE should be the one to tell Peter, painful as it might be. Walter knows there's a good chance that he could lose his son ... again. One other question is this: Walter visited Peter's grave in season one. If that grave is in this universe, why on earth would they use his real name on the gravestone? What if Peter stumbled across it?

Wouldn't Peter remember anything about being taken? In 'Peter,' the boy looked at the other Walter and said, "You're not my father, are you?" He seemed old enough to have some memory of all of that, and even if he didn't remember the actual "taking" of him to the other universe, it seems like he'd certainly remember meeting someone who looked like his father, but wasn't, in fact, his father. Unless Walter did something to erase his memory. Or maybe it was in Peter's subconscious all this time, and that's why he was never close to this Walter. In last week's review, commenter Alana noted that "Alternate Peter knew our Walter was not his father, which could be why grown Peter has always seemed far more emotionally attached to his mother. That's how it was from where he was from. It only follows reason that would continue in this universe, even if Peter believed he had dreamed the whole thing."

Will we see the Walternate, and what is his state of mind? Well, we saw him in the 1985 flashback, and my guess is we'll see him again. It's probably not too much of a stretch to say he's majorly ticked that his son was taken away; then again, does he even KNOW that his son was taken by the other Walter (the one we know and love)? I mean, people disappear all the time, and you wouldn't automatically think, "Oh, someone stole him and took him to an alternate universe." But then, we're talking about the Walternate, so that's probably exactly what he would think.

Is Walternate the cause of the strife in the alternate universe? The images we've seen of the other universe look bleak and desolate, but how would this be tied to Walternate trying to get his son back? If Walternate does know that Peter was taken, he would undoubtedly do everything possible to get him back. Commenter Jason speculated that "the further cause of new events and further collisions of the alt universe and the present are a result of alt-Walter looking to seek revenge on Walter for taking his son, and his quest to take him back to the alt universe." And as I understand it, any time there's a breach between the two universes, it causes both to become unstable.

Where was William Bell in 1985 when Peter was taken? D speculated that Bell wasn't in Berlin; "I, like Walter, don't just buy that he was at meetings or whatever. I suspect there's more to that." So if Bell was in the alternate universe in 1985, then possibly he knew about the taking of Peter. Who's side is he on? This Walter or the Walternate? Juan.Herrera10 feels that Bell was in the alternate universe during Peter's funeral, "which means that Walter erroneously thinks that he is guilty for first opening the first hole into the alternate universe." Interesting thought. Bell might be the cause of the initial breakdown between the two universes.

Is Nina Sharp Peter's mother? Bruce and Nattyff are among the commenters who think that Nina Sharp may be Peter's mother, and they might be on to something. She's said more than once that she and Walter were "very close" when Peter was young, and she's also said how important Peter is to her. It's not impossible to think that Peter could be Nina Sharp's son.

Is John Scott still being held in a vegetative state at Massive Dynamic? And am I misremembering, or isn't there a room full of other bodies being held there?

Who is Sam, the Bowling Alley Guy? In last week's episode, I theorized that he might be from the other universe. "I'm older than I look," he told Olivia. "I barely remember my childhood. I'm also taller than I appear." Why she didn't grab him by the scruff of his neck and demand answers is beyond me. Oh no, they just played a harmless game of 'Clue.' What a metaphor for 'Fringe.'

How do the Observers play into all this? They're still a mystery to me, including the young Observers found in this universe (remember the one they found in the building that was about to be demolished?). And as Bruce noted, I, too, found it interesting that the Observers can screw up, although as D mentioned, they signed off on the fact that Peter was here to stay, and they engineered a "fix" with the pond incident.

Leave your own theories, questions, answers and speculations in the comments below.