For those of us hoping that Season 5 would focus on the impending future doom of Observers, the Season 5 premiere tonight was not a disappointment.

And the fact that Walter couldn’t remember anything, when push came to shove? No surprise. It wouldn’t have been Fringe if it were that easy.

But of course we got Olivia back. And Etta has her parents and we learn a lot about what happened and led to the ambering of everyone. Nicely done. And the mysterious bookstore owner having bought Olivia, cut out of amber? Why do I feel as if we haven’t seen the last of him?

So, this, the final season of Fringe, will focus on this dystopian future.

I don’t quite know how to feel about this future, as hte Observers always seemed to be looking out for our best interests. So what happened to change things? And how did good Observers not observe this?

I’m not sure, I suppose, that I really get all this. But Fringe has been so amazing for so long that I’m willing to go along. I’m almost sorta kinda glad it’s an abbreviated season, because I almost feel as if this season is being tacked on.

Is this really what everything was leading up to? Did the Observers always plan this? If so, why did they wait until they did? How did they not see Etta as the one who’d bring back Walter, Olivia and Peter? How were the Observers so … unobservant?

I will hold onto the belief that we’ll find out the answer to all that, and it will make sense.

Note: Did you notice that in the black market area, there was a nod to the original Muffit from the original Battlestar Galactica?