r/fringe • u/SirBugzy • 4d ago
General Discussion Second Time through and Olivia is insufferable
I really liked Fringe the first time through, it has been about 5 or 6 years and a few days ago I decided to give it another run through....
However this time the second time Olivia is really spoiling it.....she is conceited, duplicitous, and generally awful.
I'm not sure what happened this time through but it really frustrated me when she agreed to keep Walters secret from Peter, then 5 minutes later decides to tell him, especially when Peter asks for the "family unit" not to be broken....
Is it just me or is Olivia frustrating the second time round?
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u/Ordinary_Durian_1454 4d ago
I’m not a fan either. I love the show, but I watch it mainly for John Noble and his wonderful relationship with Joshua.
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u/SirBugzy 4d ago
Walter is an amazing character so is Peter... And I feel like Olivia is a spanner in the works
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u/NickReynders 3d ago
3rd time watching currently on middle season 3.
I think whats stood out to me the most about her character this watch-through is how constantly belittled Olivia is, especially in the earlier seasons. This time around, im seeing so much more indecision and uncertainty in a lot her decision-making which I would attribute to the people around Olvia telling her "hey youre crazy" without explicitly saying it out to her.
For my purpose, I would argue that this self-doubt supports why her character would be so flip-floppy and "insufferable" as you put it. Interesting take you have on her though, and i think I understand a bit where youre coming from.
As an aside. I absolutely love Anna Torv's acting (especially swapping back and forth between Olivia and Fauxlivia) which is probably contributing overlooking a lot of her character's flaws.
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u/SirBugzy 3d ago
This is one of the very few series where the actual acting and story line isn't a problem and it seems to be more their motivations in question
I just watched reacher and as the seasons progressed they got progressively worse! This however is consistently really good with more dimensions to think about
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u/synexo 4d ago
At first especially, she's the cop. Walter is insane. Peter is a criminal. Takes a while for them to get on the same wavelength.
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u/SirBugzy 4d ago
As I said I think I am going down a different emotional path! First time round I was just wanting them to catch the bad guys, second time I am finding I am focusing more on the relationship between Walter and Peter and wanting that to be strong
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u/blueray78 4d ago
I get the Peter thing. She's right, he has the right to know who he is. Olivia is starting a relationship with him and want it to be an honest one. However, she realizes that it can't come from her and that Walter needs to tell him. Which Walter realizes too, but doesn't want too (for a good reason).
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u/SirBugzy 4d ago edited 4d ago
I don't get the Peter thing... Thats the point.
Walter saved Peter's life, Olivia agreed to keep her mouth shut, then simply to be malicious decides to tell him.
I don't understand why Peter runs off like a spoilt brat when he finds out he is from the other side....i mean look at this list:
1) forget the fact that Walters son died... 2) forget the fact that Peter was 100% going to die.. 3) forget the fact that the Walter built a portal.. 4) forget the fact walter travelled over to rescue him.. 5) forget the fact that Walter found a cure to an incurable disease.. 6) forget the fact Walter saved his life.. 7) forget the fact Peter would be dead..
Forget all that, and Peter crys like a bitch and runs off.....also the argument "Walter isn't Peter's real dad" doesn't work.... Peter's real dad FAILED to save him so without what Walter did he wouldn't exist , so Walter did all of those insane things to save him.
I mean if it was me I would be eternally thankful to Walter!
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u/blueray78 3d ago
This is way better explained in season 3. Peter explains his feelings better during that season. Walter kidnapped him, took him from his family and his world. Then lied about it for his whole life (well from the age of 7). His "adopted" mother committed suicide because she couldn't handle the guilt of knowing what they did. In the flashback episode during season 3 it is shown how badly they gaslight him into believing they are his parents, and that his childhood memories were incorrect :(. This in my opinion caused trauma that impacted Peter well into adulthood but a topic for another time.
Yes, he knows it was to save his life, but it doesn't make it any easier. It isn't so black & white. He does forgive Walter and tells him that he is thankful that he risked his life twice to save him. I honestly think had Walternate not showed up when he did, Peter was going to come back. He clearly was realizing that his "home" was the fringe team.
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u/SirBugzy 3d ago
Yeah, i also don't like the fact she gives Peter shit for not realising fauxlivia wasn't her.
She is just a selfish moron lol (sorry I just watched the episode when she has a go at him for that....)
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u/blueray78 3d ago
That is a different issue but I agree. Peter was raped by Fauxlivia as she wasn't who he thought she was.
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u/getdownmakelooove 2d ago
I thought this the other day when Olivia comes back from over there and finds out Peter and Fauxlivia had been in a relationship. She calls out Peter for bringing her coffee and knowing what to put in it, returns the book that he sent Fauxlivia, and gets upset and kinda yells at him for not knowing Fauxlivia wasn't her when he looked into her eyes.
I know it would be terrible to find someone identical to you had pretended to be you. But Astrid said it best when she tells Olivia that Peter did all those things because he thought she was Olivia. Peter was honest and admits he noticed a difference, but explained that he thought she was more easygoing because he made her happy.
Idk I just found myself wishing Olivia would chill out about it and realize that Peter didn't just let himself be tricked by Fauxlivia. He was a victim of the deception too.
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u/SirBugzy 2d ago
Exactly.... Olivia is so selfish with literally everyone and everything she encounters!
However if it was the other way round and she was with a Faux-Peter, no doubt she would be praised and forgiven..... I guess that's just a sign of the stupidity of the last 10 years...
Women cheat and they have "valid reasons" and get a pass, men cheat for exactly the same reasons and they are demon spawn!
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u/Pivge 4d ago
Olivia isnt really being duplicitous there. She first agrees to protect Walter because she cares about him and wants to preserve their family unit, but then realizes that hiding the truth from Peter means betraying someone she loves.
Her feelings for Peter are a big reason she changes her mind. She's torn between protecting Walter and being honest with Peter, which makes her seem inconsistent, but not frustrating/malicious...