Yikes Meta! Fringe 2x20 Brown Betty
I quite enjoyed this episode. In an attempt to explain what I liked about it so much I did a character meta.
If you read it through, I'd love to have some meta/discussion *is hopeful*. Be careful though, it's a long one.
This is Walter’s brain.
This is Walter’s brain on drugs.
A character meta for ‘Brown Betty’.
First and foremost it is important to keep reminding yourself through this episode that this is Walter’s perception of people in his life. And Walter, unlike the viewer is unaware of things that he has not been told, but we have been - not to mention he has a personal interest in the events of the story. Also Walter, through drugs and instability, is likely to have a slightly skewed version of everyone.
Walter
“Walter Bishop isn’t responsible for all the good in this world, but he is responsible for so much evil.” -Peter Bishop
Oh Walter. Because these aren’t Peter’s words - they’re Walter’s. This is how he sees himself: a man who tried to do good, but did so by hurting children. Some of the most powerful images we have in this series is when Walter is forced to face up and accept what happened, and the part he played both with the kidnapping of Peter and the cortexiphan trials.
Walter is the villain in this story: he steals children’s dreams (as he stole Peter) and turns them into nightmares . And this is how he (our Walter) now sees himself - as a villain. He gives himself no credit for the fact that he is the one who saved Peter’s life: a man who loved his son so much that he was unwilling to see another version of that child die.
This is not mentioned in the episode at all. Walter sees only the destruction he has wrought.
And he sees no redemption for himself. Peter coldly leaves with a backwards glance, Walter begging pathetically behind him.
It is Ella who grants him absolution, and brings Peter back to him. She gives him half of Peter’s heart so that he can keep it with him.
Peter
Must be nice to know who you are, to know your place in the world...I thought I did. I thought I knew who I was, but I was wrong.” -Peter Bishop
The kidnapped Peter, the one who was taken from his bed to another world. Who is he now? We don’t know, but he, like the story Peter, is missing.
Walter in this paints Peter as completely innocent. He did not truly steal the heart, because it is the one he was born with. It is a special heart, made of glass, unique in the universe(s) (as there is only one Peter). Glass is also breakable (much like a dying child), and transparent (there is so much love in the way that Walter perceives Peter here - someone whose heart, whose love, is transparent, visible). More than once we see this heart outside of Peter’s chest - it is there for the world to see, and to take, to hurt, and to break.
And yet it takes all of Peter’s strength to snap the heart in two. Both it and he are stronger than on first appearance.
In the beginning, Peter is willing to give his heart to Walter because he believes that Walter is so much more deserving - much like out Peter who was learning to love and trust Walter again. Only he (story Peter, like our Peter) learns what Walter is capable of, takes back his heart and leaves.
Again, in Walter’s story Peter leaves a broken Walter behind. Yet, I don’t think we’re meant to assign any blame to Peter, even here. If our Walter thought that there was any chance of deserving forgiveness, Peter would have returned.
Olivia
“Your reputation precedes you, Miss Dunham. You are the best, but you’re selective. You only take cases where someone has lost their heart to love.” -Walter Bishop
There’s not a lot to say about Olivia, herself, in this story, as she is mostly the vehicle here - what we see is her relationship to both Peter and Walter and what part she plays in the relationship between them. Olivia is the detective and she (like our Olivia) is the one who finds the secrets and reveals them.
The fact that she is at the centre of the story reflects Walter’s views of her importance to his and Peter’s lives. She is the one who finds Peter and brings him to Walter and is present in all parts of their meetings. Interesting, in Walter’s story she sides with Peter and leaves with him - which our Walter has been given very little reason to believe, but seems to indicate that may be ultimately what happens when she (our Olivia) does find Peter.
Something to note: it is pretty clear Walter wants to see Peter and Olivia together in our world, as reflected in the story world. Yet we never really see this come to fruition in Walter’s story. We are left to assume it will. It is Ella who makes this happen with her happy ending, and while she seems to want this, too, it is part of what she is giving Walter.
One thing that is interesting to note is the fact that Olivia is wearing red in this episode, which is in direct contrast with the colours she usually wears - the colours of a soldier. What does this say about Walter’s perception of her role in what could be a coming war? Is he being wilfully ignorant? Does he truly not see her like that?
And lastly, outside of the story, Olivia leaves her niece in the care of Astrid, but with Walter. Which shows an interesting level of trust in the man who conducted drug trials on her as child and kidnapped his own son.
Astrid
“I have tons of experience with all kinds of people. I mean mental patients probably need tons of patience...and love too. They probably need love, right?” -Esther Figglesworth
Astrid is the only character who doesn’t keep her name in the story, much like our Walter’s constant abuse of her name. She is also being used by Olivia with very little reward. But she does love her job enough that she comes running as soon as Olivia asks.
Esther goes from being a detective’s assistant to interviewing for a job at a mental hospital, just like our Astrid goes from being a FBI to largely caring for Walter. It shows a charming level of appreciation in what Astrid does for our Walter from Walter. Esther is treated in much the same way as Astrid is, and by doing so in his story Walter shows that he is aware of that fact. I love that. I really do.
Broyles
“... pretending six years ago that I didn’t see a cop on the beat planting evidence to get a promotion...” -Olivia Dunham
The other characters in this have been portrayed by Walter as being either caricatures or slightly off-centre interpretations, Broyles is far from the agent we know.
Occasionally, we see in him the person we met at the start of season one, cold and enigmatic with possibly divided loyalties. As time has worn on we have begun to meet a man who is thorough, good at his job and cares for those he works for. We have never been given any suggestion that Broyles might do something as crass as plant evidence to get a promotion and yet this is what Walter is telling us.
Possibly we can take from this how little Walter knows Broyles, who has much contact with Olivia, Peter and probably Astrid than Walter. Also we know that Broyles has some mysterious ties with Massive Dynamic and given Walter’s assessment of them in this episode perhaps he feel the other man might have divided loyalties, or even be working at cross purposes.
Nina Sharp/William Bell/Massive Dynamic
“Massive Dynamic made its money at any cost. A vile firm that never missed an opportunity to exploit the little guy, profiteering from the creativity of others.” -Walter Bishop
And wow, he’s not bitter at all, is he? We don’t often get to see Walter react to the fact that while he was in a mental institution, his friend and lab partner was becoming rich and powerful. But there it is: Walter’s perception of Massive Dynamic and by extension William Bell and Nina Sharp.
Here to is the other villain in the story, but where we see Walter inventing “everything that is wonderful in the world”, albeit at a terrible cost, we see Massive Dynamic as being cold and merciless, wanting to use Peter’s heart (amongst other things) for its own ends.
The affair between Nina and Bell: Walter’s assumption (as we all do) or something he genuinely knows as truth? Either way it was presented as being slightly comical. Walter seems to have very little respect for Nina Sharp: both in the story and our world he perceives her as a villain, but one who is in William Bell’s thrall, unable to see beyond the spell he has woven.
And what crawled on to Blair Brown’s head and died in this episode? Whoever did her hair should be shot.
The Observers
“You bought Nina Sharp’s Watchers to your side, didn’t you?” - Olivia Dunham
Not a lot to say here, except to continue to note Walter’s belief that they are on his side. Can’t help but wonder what they think of that.
However, they did bring story Walter story Peter’s heart, as they brought our Peter to our Walter. Which, in Walter’s mind, they have always done and what he has always needed. But this is wrong because it is the wrong heart: it belongs to someone else, just as Peter belongs to someone else.
Also they were not redeemed in Ella or Walter’s storylines. They were simple henchmen who faded into the background after they did what they had come to do.
Ella
“His ending wasn’t very good. It was sad. But I fixed it for him. Didn’t I, Uncle Walter?” -Ella
There is not a lot to say here that hasn’t been said above, but just to reiterate the fact that Ella was the one who redeemed Walter and gave him back Peter. That makes three people who have tried to reassure Walter that Peter loves him and will come back. Olivia earlier on in the season, Astrid at the start of the episode and Ella here.
Walter doesn’t have their faith, but then he’s lost his son before through his own failings. First, when he couldn’t save him from the illness that killed him. Second, when he was institutionalised. He has no reason to think Peter will come back to him/forgive him.
And what does Peter think about these people’s faith in his ability to forgive? He’d probably be very surprised.
Lastly Lily Pilbald’s acting is stunning. I love watching her expressions as she deals with Walter. The look she gives when he starts singing at the start of the episode is a thing of beauty, as is the flatly delivered comments about him teaching her algebra.
Thoughts?
If you read it through, I'd love to have some meta/discussion *is hopeful*. Be careful though, it's a long one.
This is Walter’s brain.
This is Walter’s brain on drugs.
A character meta for ‘Brown Betty’.
First and foremost it is important to keep reminding yourself through this episode that this is Walter’s perception of people in his life. And Walter, unlike the viewer is unaware of things that he has not been told, but we have been - not to mention he has a personal interest in the events of the story. Also Walter, through drugs and instability, is likely to have a slightly skewed version of everyone.
Walter
“Walter Bishop isn’t responsible for all the good in this world, but he is responsible for so much evil.” -Peter Bishop
Oh Walter. Because these aren’t Peter’s words - they’re Walter’s. This is how he sees himself: a man who tried to do good, but did so by hurting children. Some of the most powerful images we have in this series is when Walter is forced to face up and accept what happened, and the part he played both with the kidnapping of Peter and the cortexiphan trials.
Walter is the villain in this story: he steals children’s dreams (as he stole Peter) and turns them into nightmares . And this is how he (our Walter) now sees himself - as a villain. He gives himself no credit for the fact that he is the one who saved Peter’s life: a man who loved his son so much that he was unwilling to see another version of that child die.
This is not mentioned in the episode at all. Walter sees only the destruction he has wrought.
And he sees no redemption for himself. Peter coldly leaves with a backwards glance, Walter begging pathetically behind him.
It is Ella who grants him absolution, and brings Peter back to him. She gives him half of Peter’s heart so that he can keep it with him.
Peter
Must be nice to know who you are, to know your place in the world...I thought I did. I thought I knew who I was, but I was wrong.” -Peter Bishop
The kidnapped Peter, the one who was taken from his bed to another world. Who is he now? We don’t know, but he, like the story Peter, is missing.
Walter in this paints Peter as completely innocent. He did not truly steal the heart, because it is the one he was born with. It is a special heart, made of glass, unique in the universe(s) (as there is only one Peter). Glass is also breakable (much like a dying child), and transparent (there is so much love in the way that Walter perceives Peter here - someone whose heart, whose love, is transparent, visible). More than once we see this heart outside of Peter’s chest - it is there for the world to see, and to take, to hurt, and to break.
And yet it takes all of Peter’s strength to snap the heart in two. Both it and he are stronger than on first appearance.
In the beginning, Peter is willing to give his heart to Walter because he believes that Walter is so much more deserving - much like out Peter who was learning to love and trust Walter again. Only he (story Peter, like our Peter) learns what Walter is capable of, takes back his heart and leaves.
Again, in Walter’s story Peter leaves a broken Walter behind. Yet, I don’t think we’re meant to assign any blame to Peter, even here. If our Walter thought that there was any chance of deserving forgiveness, Peter would have returned.
Olivia
“Your reputation precedes you, Miss Dunham. You are the best, but you’re selective. You only take cases where someone has lost their heart to love.” -Walter Bishop
There’s not a lot to say about Olivia, herself, in this story, as she is mostly the vehicle here - what we see is her relationship to both Peter and Walter and what part she plays in the relationship between them. Olivia is the detective and she (like our Olivia) is the one who finds the secrets and reveals them.
The fact that she is at the centre of the story reflects Walter’s views of her importance to his and Peter’s lives. She is the one who finds Peter and brings him to Walter and is present in all parts of their meetings. Interesting, in Walter’s story she sides with Peter and leaves with him - which our Walter has been given very little reason to believe, but seems to indicate that may be ultimately what happens when she (our Olivia) does find Peter.
Something to note: it is pretty clear Walter wants to see Peter and Olivia together in our world, as reflected in the story world. Yet we never really see this come to fruition in Walter’s story. We are left to assume it will. It is Ella who makes this happen with her happy ending, and while she seems to want this, too, it is part of what she is giving Walter.
One thing that is interesting to note is the fact that Olivia is wearing red in this episode, which is in direct contrast with the colours she usually wears - the colours of a soldier. What does this say about Walter’s perception of her role in what could be a coming war? Is he being wilfully ignorant? Does he truly not see her like that?
And lastly, outside of the story, Olivia leaves her niece in the care of Astrid, but with Walter. Which shows an interesting level of trust in the man who conducted drug trials on her as child and kidnapped his own son.
Astrid
“I have tons of experience with all kinds of people. I mean mental patients probably need tons of patience...and love too. They probably need love, right?” -Esther Figglesworth
Astrid is the only character who doesn’t keep her name in the story, much like our Walter’s constant abuse of her name. She is also being used by Olivia with very little reward. But she does love her job enough that she comes running as soon as Olivia asks.
Esther goes from being a detective’s assistant to interviewing for a job at a mental hospital, just like our Astrid goes from being a FBI to largely caring for Walter. It shows a charming level of appreciation in what Astrid does for our Walter from Walter. Esther is treated in much the same way as Astrid is, and by doing so in his story Walter shows that he is aware of that fact. I love that. I really do.
Broyles
“... pretending six years ago that I didn’t see a cop on the beat planting evidence to get a promotion...” -Olivia Dunham
The other characters in this have been portrayed by Walter as being either caricatures or slightly off-centre interpretations, Broyles is far from the agent we know.
Occasionally, we see in him the person we met at the start of season one, cold and enigmatic with possibly divided loyalties. As time has worn on we have begun to meet a man who is thorough, good at his job and cares for those he works for. We have never been given any suggestion that Broyles might do something as crass as plant evidence to get a promotion and yet this is what Walter is telling us.
Possibly we can take from this how little Walter knows Broyles, who has much contact with Olivia, Peter and probably Astrid than Walter. Also we know that Broyles has some mysterious ties with Massive Dynamic and given Walter’s assessment of them in this episode perhaps he feel the other man might have divided loyalties, or even be working at cross purposes.
Nina Sharp/William Bell/Massive Dynamic
“Massive Dynamic made its money at any cost. A vile firm that never missed an opportunity to exploit the little guy, profiteering from the creativity of others.” -Walter Bishop
And wow, he’s not bitter at all, is he? We don’t often get to see Walter react to the fact that while he was in a mental institution, his friend and lab partner was becoming rich and powerful. But there it is: Walter’s perception of Massive Dynamic and by extension William Bell and Nina Sharp.
Here to is the other villain in the story, but where we see Walter inventing “everything that is wonderful in the world”, albeit at a terrible cost, we see Massive Dynamic as being cold and merciless, wanting to use Peter’s heart (amongst other things) for its own ends.
The affair between Nina and Bell: Walter’s assumption (as we all do) or something he genuinely knows as truth? Either way it was presented as being slightly comical. Walter seems to have very little respect for Nina Sharp: both in the story and our world he perceives her as a villain, but one who is in William Bell’s thrall, unable to see beyond the spell he has woven.
And what crawled on to Blair Brown’s head and died in this episode? Whoever did her hair should be shot.
The Observers
“You bought Nina Sharp’s Watchers to your side, didn’t you?” - Olivia Dunham
Not a lot to say here, except to continue to note Walter’s belief that they are on his side. Can’t help but wonder what they think of that.
However, they did bring story Walter story Peter’s heart, as they brought our Peter to our Walter. Which, in Walter’s mind, they have always done and what he has always needed. But this is wrong because it is the wrong heart: it belongs to someone else, just as Peter belongs to someone else.
Also they were not redeemed in Ella or Walter’s storylines. They were simple henchmen who faded into the background after they did what they had come to do.
Ella
“His ending wasn’t very good. It was sad. But I fixed it for him. Didn’t I, Uncle Walter?” -Ella
There is not a lot to say here that hasn’t been said above, but just to reiterate the fact that Ella was the one who redeemed Walter and gave him back Peter. That makes three people who have tried to reassure Walter that Peter loves him and will come back. Olivia earlier on in the season, Astrid at the start of the episode and Ella here.
Walter doesn’t have their faith, but then he’s lost his son before through his own failings. First, when he couldn’t save him from the illness that killed him. Second, when he was institutionalised. He has no reason to think Peter will come back to him/forgive him.
And what does Peter think about these people’s faith in his ability to forgive? He’d probably be very surprised.
Lastly Lily Pilbald’s acting is stunning. I love watching her expressions as she deals with Walter. The look she gives when he starts singing at the start of the episode is a thing of beauty, as is the flatly delivered comments about him teaching her algebra.
Thoughts?