‘Fringe’ Season 5 Going Back to the Future…Again

Ever since 'Fringe' took us to the year 2036 late in its fourth season, seemingly independent of their current story-lines, fans have waited with nervous curiosity to see how the thread would be re-visited for the final 13-episode season 5.  Would there be enough time to tell stories in 2012 before moving into the future, or would we pick up where "Letters of Transit" left off?  It would seem that Walter Bishop himself has devised an answer!

Speaking to TVLine at the 2nd Annual Critics' Choice TV Awards, 'Fringe' star John Noble' previewed the upcoming season of FOX's cult sci-fi hit, and dropped some heavy spoilers on the final season's setting.  When asked if the final 13 episodes would take place in the present storyline, or move into the 2036 setting first glimpsed in fourth season episode "Letters of Transit," Noble explicitly confirmed an answer.

“As far as I know, we’re just jumping ahead [to 2036]," says Noble.  Speaking on the time jump, Noble went on, “Walter, Olivia, Astrid and Peter are insurgents, so we know all the dirty tricks that have been played against us. We’ll be learning from the past.”

That isn't to say that the years between 2012 and 2036 wouldn't be revisited at all, as “there will be references” to the team’s time before encasing themselves in Amber for two decades, even using “found footage” to share the monumental moments with viewers.

Additionally, Noble was quick to point out that Anna Torv's Olivia Dunham would indeed be present in the Observer-controlled 2036 future, despite not being seen in "Letters of Transit."  The actor even alluded to a “a wonderful reunion of mother and daughter” when Olivia would meet her now-grown daughter Etta (returning Georgina Haig), that Anna Torv is eager to shoot.  So, what else did Noble have to say about how the show will conclude its five-year run?

Walter is the man who started this, so there has to be resolution. There has to be redemption.  We  also have to see the final maturing of the relationship between Peter and Olivia, because it has been so difficult for them and we want them so much to be with each other.  [And] I would love to see the Peter/Walter relationship come back to where it was.

What say you?  Are you excited to see 'Fringe' jump into the future for its final 13 episodes, or do you think more time was needed in 2012?  Tell us what you most want to see in the comments below!