User Reviews

From the very first episode I've liked Fringe. It occupies a certain realm of science fiction in today's world of entertainment that is greatly lacking. However, as with most TV series nowadays, Fringe has strayed from its creative episodes in the beginning to near rip-offs of other shows. Leaving things unexplained for some distant future episode and heavily relying on grotesque images was starting to become all too common. Luckily, when the second season arrived you could tell the producers decided to get back to the basics and start answering some of the many questions it posed in the first season.

White Tulip is a story that revolves around the concept of time travel along with the conflicts and confusion it would create. Time travel is certainly not new by television or movie standards, but the way the concept has been made to seamlessly intertwine with Walter's personal dilemma that has been causing great grief over the past episodes is a testament to John Noble's and the producer's ability to still make a good episode. Given Noble's remarkable performances and increasing camera time, I'm starting to wonder who exactly is the main character. The time traveler was wonderfully cast as well.

When the time traveler was shown to be modifying his time device (which you'll find out later what this exactly is) while listening to Are "Friends" Electric?, I felt the very peculiar feelings of concurrent revulsion and nostalgia, almost as if it was a single feeling. The revulsion was understandable, but the nostalgia very hard to place. Perhaps the song or the time travelers physically painful representation of nostalgia. Whatever the reason, the ability of the episode to provoke the strange feeling made me realize right there and then that this may very well be one of the best episodes yet, if not the best so far.

And then there was the tulip! Kudos to the writers for fitting it in the story so wonderfully. Something so simple became one of the most memorable moments of the series.

Don't miss this episode if you've ever enjoyed another!

This is my favorite episode in the series. John Noble as Walter Bishop is a tough act to follow, but Peter Weller as Alistair Peck more than holds his own here. I have never seen him in better form. He succeeds in imbuing what could have a stock villain character with great complexity.

When they meet, it is the first time that we see Walter speak with someone who can truly talk to him on his own level. Both men are brilliant scientists. Both are driven by love and guilt. Their meditations on God, science, and right and wrong is riveting. And Peck's final, anonymous act of compassion is truly touching.

Very well-written and tight episode. One of the best sci-fi episodes you'll ever see on mainstream TV. If this were a short story, it would be an award contender, IMO. One of the best time travel stories I've ever seen portrayed in a TV series.

Peter Weller guest stars in an amazing performance. One of the most interesting antagonists you'll ever enjoy. It's one of those cases where the writers just pulled everything together and just didn't mess anything up.

I don't want to spoil anything so I won't elaborate further, except to say that it's worth seeing the series up to this point just to gain the context to appreciate this episode.

Having just seen the final episode of this wonderful 5 year science fiction series I am irresistibly reminded of its arguably best episode (White Tulip).

Suffice to say, the Fringe creators beautifully pay homage to it in the final episode.

My advice to anyone interested in this series is to watch a few early episodes to get a sense of the characters and to acclimate to the Fringe alternate reality. Although interesting and well done these early "monster of the week" episodes give way to even more sophisticated and intriguing stories in subsequent seasons.

Season Two's "White Tulip" is an example of the very best of the series.

My strong recommendation: Don't sample this series without watching this episode. You will not be sorry.

This episode sets up the whole of Season 4 - Long before there was a Season 4. That just shows how well thought out the story of Fringe has been: It was mapped out to the last detail from before the Pilot Ep.

Each Season of Fringe was a step deeper into madness, and this is a dire preview of things to come.

A homeless teenager is panhandling outside of a Train station. He passes RoboCop's Peter Weller as he gets on a train car: The lights are all out, and everyone in the car is dead! He's trapped with them.

Walter in the meantime, is poring over a painful letter to Peter, he still does not know how to tell Peter he had been brought over from the other side. He is distracted by a phone call from Peter: Fringe Division is needed on a case involving Trains, and Peter knows how much Walter loves Trains.

When they get there, it is as if every person in the car, and every electronic gadget in the car, and every light and other electronic device has been drained of every micro-watt of electrical energy.

As the process continues, they identify Dr Alistair Peck (Weller) as leaving the car right after it had happened. They confront Peck, and he insists that the people are not really dead, or they will not be very soon. And he performs a magic trick where his head is tilting all over, and suddenly he's back in the train with the same people who are freshly-dead.

This process repeats itself at least two more times: Peck is a theoretical scientist who has figured out how to travel back in Time. But the price he has to pay is that all electrical energy is drained from everything at his arrival point: this includes people. Peck wants to achieve "The Arlette Principle" - He wants to return to the day his fiancé was killed in an accident, to right a wrong he caused: The same way Walter went to get Peter. This gives Peck and Walter a lot in common.

In each iteration of events, Fringe meets with Carol Bryce (Laara Sadiq from the X-Files episode "Leonard Betts") and she gives Walter a book of Peck's work.

Walter, who is familiar with Peck's work, knows why Peck cannot travel any further back than the Train Station: He needs to take into account an equation which involves numbers one magnitude greater than Peck was accounting for.

There is a memorable Meeting between Walter and Peck, Walter shuts off the FBI audio monitor and tells Peck two things: 1) He had crossed into another universe and had taken his Son's Doppleganger, and 2) He has been praying for Forgiveness to God, and is asking for one sign: A White Tulip. Walter then tells Peck how to get to the time he wants to get to.

Peck escapes once again, not going back to the Train Station but somewhere else, the whole process repeats, but with different circumstances, but Peck is still found and the FBI once again has him trapped. But now, Peck can go all the way back to achieve "The Arlette Principle" and he succeeds: Killing only a bunch of grass and possibly himself who was in the grassy area at that exact time (this is not shown, but it is inferred by the conversation between himself and Walter - He was there in that Grassy area at that time).

He is shown getting into the car with Arlette and an oncoming truck kills them both.

One Year after the crash, Carol Bryce mails a letter Peck left for Walter.

Walter is again back in his study, writing the letter and this time finishing it. He throws the letter away - And right then, he gets his mail, included is a letter from Peck, which is a picture of a White Tulip.

I mapped out an entire spoiler here, as a deconstruction: This was one of the best Television Episodes ever written, deserving of a Hugo Award for Dramatic Presentation. God Love Walter Bishop!

Edit: I have to note, the first time Walter gets on the train, he starts checking people for "leaks", and he is challenged by an FBI agent who looks, speaks and acts remarkable like a young version of Majel Barret-Roddenberry, the exchange between that Actress and Walter is amusing.

The spoilers are the bare necessities, so don't discourage yourselves from reading.

An amazingly crafted episode that the storytellers weaved in several layers, and subjectively the best I've seen in "Fringe" so far. I certainly hope there's more like it to come as I continue with the series; newly invigorated by it.

To say it as broad as possible, this episode is so immensely good because some of the previous episodes (possibly the entire series so far) detracted from their own pace to give the characters their identity and gravitas to their involvement in the story. Everything that makes them who they are and everything in between was steadily rising to a Promethean boiling point, and at the end of season 2, at this 18th episode, it was used to perform a masterpiece.

This one stands neither in episodic nor thematic territory, or in both depending on your perspective. While if separated from either of the factors this episode would lose half its potency, I'll try my best to explain both its themes abated. Episodically it deals with the theme of time-travel and loss of a loved one. I know what you're thinking and its the very same thing I thought: ">sigh<, >sigh<, more >sigh<", possibly some yawns here and there. Yes, it is an overused theme, and it has been done so bad in some cases that it makes us readers and/or watchers figuratively puke our munch-mellows at mention, but this one is the best I've seen. I'm not saying this lightly! It keeps itself in check by adjusting the focus from the time-traveling stuff itself to the character's motivation to time travel, and alternates beautifully. Then comes the "Fringe" main plot line as the receiver, as one of the heavy hitters on the character line-up has had a heavy burden to carry and is figuring out how to disclose it to a loved one of his own.

The best thing about it: Both the character from the main story and the episodic character share the same motivation, only one has done the deed that they shouldn't and is facing the consequences, whilst the other is on a similar path, and as it seems, is oblivious to them. And lets leave it at this - both of them meet and converse the subject, easily my favorite moment of the episode. Do yourself a favor and watch this, and if you have - do it again sometime!

Peter Weller delivers a tour de force performance in this "Groundhog Day" multiple revisitation of the same day, albeit due to Weller being an MIT genius playing with the rules of time, space and relativity.

One of the most mind-blowing and incredible episodes of Fringe, and, indeed, of any TV show ever committed to episodic television.

A stunning and revelatory show with an emotional and cathartic ending--the white tulip.