Come on, guys. I hate to be 'that guy', but this season was a waste. Imagine if this really were the final season.
Tell me, what was the point of this entire season?
The over-arching mystery that was established at the beginning of this season was 'what's up with this new universe?" -- Why doesn't anybody remember Peter?
It felt like the entire premise was dropped about 2/3 way through when Olivia started to regain her 'other' memories. Then, nothing else happened. Also, the shapeshifter plot-line was all but dropped midway through.
Then we have David Robert Jones, the show's biggest missed opportunity. He was the big bad. We the audience were strung along this poorly paced season (the middle portion just dragged on)... and then the conclusion of his arc was just awful. It's obvious that he was just brushed aside to make room for Nimoy's return. A red-herring for a payoff that was predictable. They've already used their Bell surprise card once before. Also, his motivation for wanting to create a new universe? Weak and lacking of conviction. "I want to create a new world without the corruption of human kind!". Then, a few minutes later when Peter and Olivia show up: "Oh okay, you can be the Adam and Eve of my new world!"
Come on.
That's just one of my issues with the finale, which felt rushed and lacking of any emotional weight because of the poor decision to air that 'future' episode before the finale. Because of that, we know that Astrid survives, we know that Peter and Walter survive, and we know that Olivia will survive to have a baby (who will grow up to be Etta). So any real surprise is stripped out.
Aside from that, there were a lot of plot contrivances in the finale. All of a sudden, Olivia has healing powers? She can control people with her mind? I know Cortexiphan is powerful, but none of those abilities are even hinted at during this season. It's been established that she can start fires and overload electronics, but the Wolverine healing factor is waaaaay out there and felt like it was crammed into the finale because they thought the show was finished after this season and had to figure out a way to 'kill' Olivia without killing her. This kind of stuff needs to be built upon throughout the story, not crammed into the final two-part finale.
Also, what's with that rune-like graffiti that managed to trap September (the Observer)? I don't think that's ever been mentioned prior to this episode.
Why does William Bell have a gun in his little office? Obviously it's there so that Walter can make a choice between saving the universe and someone he loves, but it felt forced.
In the end, the rebooted universe felt like a cheap way to bring back David Robert Jones and William Bell, and the payoff was bad.
I do hope they can fix some issues in the next season. They've been given a completely blank slate. Here's hoping.
