Fringe-Fi

The season four premiere of Fox original, "Fringe," aired on Friday, Sept. 23. Like every other episode, the premiere was full of unexpected twists and cliffhangers and left viewers with several unanswered questions.

For those who haven't seen "Fringe" before or haven't watched the show regularly since the series premiered in 2008, the show is centered on FBI agent Olivia Dunham and her work in the ultra-secretive "Fringe Division." Searching for answers surrounding a pattern of strange, seemingly impossible events, Agent Dunham enlists the help of unorthodox scientist, Walter Bishop, and his estranged son, Peter.

Like everything else on the show, Walter and Peter's relationship isn't exactly what it seems–even for Peter–and the show takes a sharp turn in season three introducing viewers to an alternate universe. The alternate universe is just like ours, but slightly different, and everyone from this universe has a nearly identical counterpart in the alternate world. A deadly grudge between Walter and his other-worldly double, whom he dubs "Walternate," nearly leads to the cataclysmic destruction of both universes. Peter intervenes at the last second and mysteriously vanishes, somehow bringing both universes to face each other in the process. Peter seems to have been completely erased from existence, and no one remembers him at all.

That was the end of season three, and if "Fringe" fans were hoping for some answers in the season four premiere, they were left hanging once again. Strange events continue to occur, keeping Agent Dunham and company busy trying to figure out who is behind it all. Given the alternate universe's track record of destruction, Olivia and the "Fringe" team can't help but suspect their nemeses, the alternates. And even though Peter stopped both worlds from being destroyed, it was just a temporary fix. It looks as though both universes will have to cooperate in season four to avoid certain doom.

At the conclusion of season four's premiere, viewers were left with more questions to ponder: Can the citizens of both universes get past their conflicts and work together? How will each of the characters be different following Peter's apparent erasure from their lives? And where is Peter? He can't be gone forever–traces of him have already begun popping up in the first episode of the season. For these answers and more, viewers will just have to tune in each week to find out.

New "Fringe" episodes air Friday nights at 8 p.m. on Fox. To catch up on what happened in the first three seasons, visit www.fox.com/fringe/101.