Spoilers Anonymous In-Depth: 'Fringe'

This is Spoilers Anonymous In-Depth, a weekly column here at TV Squad where we discuss and give our two cents about recently released spoilers and how they may affect the storylines, shows and fans.

This in-depth version of the column goes hand in hand with our weekly spoilers column, in which we supply you with the dirt on some of the more popular shows on the air.

This week, we discuss spoilers recently released for the upcoming season of 'Fringe.'

- Amy Madigan has been cast as Olivia's mother.

The lovely Amy Madigan, who recently guest starred on multiple episodes of 'Grey's Anatomy' as Dr. Wyatt, will appear in at least four episodes of 'Fringe' this fall as the "lovely, together, and devoted" mother of Faux Olivia. The twist will be that we will discover Madigan's character through the eyes of "Over Here" Olivia, who didn't have the same relationship with her mother as Faux Olivia did with hers.

Even though Olivia will try to find ways to escape "Over There" to get back "Over Here" will she delay her travels so to stay as long as possible with the mother she would have liked to have even if said mother is technically not really hers? Will Faux Mother be able to see through Olivia and discover that she isn't her real daughter? Will she play along to help Olivia get back where she needs to be? And what secrets will Faux Mother reveal? It's a given she'll have secrets, all 'Fringe' characters do... yes, maybe even Astrid!

- Episodes will alternate between "Over Here" and "Over There" at least for the first half of the season.

Changing the format of a show can make or break a series. The 'Fringe' Powers That Be are taking a huge risk by having episodes alternate between the two realities. Will fans dig this new format or will they flip channels, especially since it means cutie Joshua Jackson will not appear in half of the episodes this fall? (The actor confirmed in an interview that he will not appear in the premiere nor the odd-numbered episodes.)

After reading a good number of fan comments these past few weeks, it seems like most 'Fringe' fans are looking forward to this format change but don't want it to last forever. Some commenters mention the fact that the show took time to set up an intriguing "Over There" this past season where the world seems to be darker and where events didn't all occur as they did in our well therefore we want to see more of it. It's like watching TV series 'Sliders' where Jerry O'Connell and company went from alternate realities to alternate realities where a few things differed from the world we know. It was compelling to see the sliders discover the reality they landed on as well as whom they were/are in each reality and see them try to survive until the next slide.

That's what Olivia will have to do. She will have to discover "Over There" and try to blend in as much as she can in order to survive until she can come back to her own reality. That's also what Faux Olivia will have to do "Over Here" but we all know Faux Olivia has an ulterior motive for having jumped to the other side, which will bring an extra layer to her storyline.

What may also help viewers stay tuned is that 'Lost' introduced us to various episode format (flashbacks, flashforwards, flash-sideways, etc.) meaning that fans are more opened to their series not always following the typical "present day" format with the occasional flashback or "what if" sequences.

Let's hope the 'Fringe' writers know what they are doing and that they'll make this "Over There"/"Over There" format compelling.

Can you find any clues to the upcoming season in the season 3 poster above? There's a zeppelin, the Twin Towers, and the Observer seems to be standing behind Peter. What else can you see?

'Fringe' returns with new episodes on September 23rd on Fox. The premiere is simply titled 'Olivia,' while the second episode is titled 'The Box.'

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