First Impressions of Fringe Season 4

Season 3 finale recap:
Now that was something that I really did not see coming...Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson) risking his life and possibly the future of our very universe by climbing into the Machine. Then instead of choosing a single universe and causing doom to the other, creating a bridge between the two so they could sort out their differences face to face...and then disappearing from the very face of the earth altogether before he could fully explain his noble plans...

The season 3 finale ends with Observers standing outside the Liberty Tower and remarking that everyone has indeed forgotten Peter as he has been written out of all timelines, new or old.

Fringe Season 4:

Season 4 starts with all traces of Peter vanished from the minds of everyone. Apparently, both the Peters died in their childhood; as it was actually ordained to happen before Walter's gross intervention in the matters of the universe.

Changes in the prime universe:

There are many things that are different in this new timeline:

• FBI agent Astrid takes on a more active role as Olivia's partner in the field. She is no more merely Walter's caretaker as in the Peter Bishop era. She is his eyes, hands and ears on fringe crime scenes...literally! She keeps in contact with him through a spy cam and through her Bluetooth headset.

• For fans of Agent Lincoln, his doppelganger on our side of the universe has just become the newest member of the Fringe division. Astrid is quick to suggest to Olivia that he'll be a good match for Olivia, since she doesn't have a boyfriend anymore. Walter, of course, can't get his name right and calls him by the name of the wrong US President, Kennedy.

• I have watched 2 episodes yet and there is no sign of Nina Sharpe or Sam Weiss yet, in either of the universes.     

Changes in the alternate universe:
Meanwhile, in the alternate universe, things are looking different too:

• Fauxlivia is back with her old boyfriend, Frank. She does remember about impersonating Olivia in our side of the world and Olive is still pissed at her for doing so. But I guess not as pissed as she must have been when she found out that her alter ego from across the universe had slept with her boyfriend. So now that Peter has vanished, Harry (Peter's and Fauxlivia's child) should have vanished from the alt-world too? Or should he, since Peter is still haunting Walter's lab and is not quite gone for good? More on that later.

• Sad as it was to see Agent Broyles see his alternate character from the universe dead...it was happy to hear that Colonel Broyles is alive now in the alternate universe. So is there a chance that Belly could be alive too? Walter will be overjoyed!

Peter is not quite gone:
Getting back to Peter (well he is after all the prime reason I watch this show for), Walter is the only one as of yet who seems to notice the vestigial presence of Peter. What makes this fact truly sweet is now we know that Peter well and truly belongs to our Universe...the one with the mad scientist Walter in it, and not the one with evil Minister Bishop.

Walter first sees Peter's reflection staring back at him on the TV screen, and this causes him to scream out in panic. But since Walter is a former Psych Ward patient, there is a fat chance anyone is going to believe his stories. The incident in the night causes Walter to cover up all reflective objects in his lab with sheets; computers or equipment. But that won't stop Peter. He calls for Walter,

"Walter? Can you hear me? I’m right here. Walter, I’m RIGHT HERE. I’m here, Walter! Walter, I’m right here! I’m here, Walter, right here! Can you hear me? I’m right here! Help me, Walter! Please, help me!"   

Walter attempts to drown these voices in his head by listening to his favorite Vinyl records on a mountain of loud speakers, all turned up to full volume. But Peter is not going anywhere, he is determined to haunt Walter's lab. He sees Peter's reflection in the board held by his supervisor at the psych ward who has come for Walter's monthly evaluation.

Just as I was starting to wonder why can't Olivia sense that Peter is missing, the piece of the puzzle is solved. After all it was Peter's memories that rescued her from the alt-universe in season 3. She confesses to Walter that she has been having dreams about a man she has never seen before in her life. She even draws a sketch (remember she once sketched the man who was going to kill her in the episode where Peter, Walter and Bell travel inside her mind) of Peter's face to assure the audience that Peter is indeed going to come back.

That is all I have watched till now. Let's see how the creative writers manage to bring back Peter to out universe in the next few episodes of Season 4.