This bothers me about the Walter/Olivia/Peter dynamic

[Rebe]

This really bothers me, how come Walter and Olivia get more sympathy than Peter does? Peter just found out his father lied to him, he found out he was from the alternate universe, he found out he was stolen from his real mom and dad but people are saying, "oh poor Walter and Olivia" :confused: I mean, Walter and Olivia bought this upon themselves when they kept it from him all this time. Olivia should have told Peter from the get go when she saw him glimmer. She could have told him, "Peter, I saw you glimmer". At first Peter will be in denial but will go to Walter for confirmation.

But that's only in my world since no character will be perfect.

I don't understand why peter is considered the bad guy here. I read some reviews and some of them say how selfish Peter is. For the past year, peter has always put his feelings on hold just to keep Walter and Olivia above water but does anybody care for Peter?

What about his wants? his needs? This is where the show needs some work. We need more of what peter wants in life. Peter is a wonderful character when he is with Walter and Olivia but Peter needs some space.
Why is so wrong for peter to be on his own? Why does he need Walter and Olivia's permission to go anywhere?

If Peter is upset enough to keep away from walter and olivia, then let him.
His life has revolved around them for so long, why is it wrong for Peter to be like, "you know what, I need my space, I need to clear my head".

There is more to Peter than being Walter's right hand man and Olivia's friend and confidant.

[Za Lords Lt.]

Whoa, who said Peter is being villainized? I guess what Peter did could be considered selfish, but it's also more than understandable. Actually, I'd be more worried about him if he hadn't gotten the heck outta Dodge.

Walter and Olivia are getting sympathy because they are two of the leads, and leads get sympathy.

Where are these reviews?

[Jabberwock]

I know, right? Where are these reviews, because they don't seem at all fair. I've had one friend say he's overreacting, but when I explained, she took that back.

[Za Lords Lt.]

I know, right? Where are these reviews, because they don't seem at all fair. I've had one friend say he's overreacting, but when I explained, she took that back.

o_0 Really? I was actually expecting him to seem a lot angrier/depressed than he really did. I mean I think I get why he's not, I was just expecting something else. But he's certainly not overreacting to finding out he's been lied to his whole life.

[Jabberwock]

I know, right? XD I was pretty surprised when she said that too.

[itaintrite]

You know what, after this episode, I don't believe for a second that Peter's still angry. I think he's just lost. His entire adult life has been a lie. He thought he knew who he was, what he was meant to do, but that too was a lie. When he called Broyles, he didn't sound angry at all, even when talking about Walter.

[Montecito]

This really bothers me, how come Walter and Olivia get more sympathy than Peter does?

I don't understand why peter is considered the bad guy here. I read some reviews and some of them say how selfish Peter is. For the past year, peter has always put his feelings on hold just to keep Walter and Olivia above water but does anybody care for Peter?



I don't think that the users here hate Peter.:confused: I haven't read anything like that.

Ofcourse Peter has the right to be angry. Noone said he is the bad guy.

[Mutsie]

I don't think that the users here hate Peter.:confused: I haven't read anything like that.

Ofcourse Peter has the right to be angry. Noone said he is the bad guy.

Agree with Monte! No-one is saying that Peter is a bad guy and it is normal to act the way Peter did...

:observer::tiphat:

[Michelle]

I think Peter overreacted in the respect that he didn't let Walter explain what happened. Peter had the right to be upset, but I think if he heard what happened, and how even his mother wanted him to keep him, he could be lost and confused and so on,, but he should see Walters intentions.

[Rebe]

Even if Walter did explain it to Peter, Walter will paint himself as this huge hero who saved his life. Also, if its a just of case of "I saved your life, Peter but your mother wanted to keep you", why did Walter keep it from him all these years?

It also doesn't help either that peter found out the hard way. Not to mention, his mother had commited suicide which also fueled his anger.

[ThePoleOfJustice]

Even if Walter did explain it to Peter, Walter will paint himself as this huge hero who saved his life. Also, if its a just of case of "I saved your life, Peter but your mother wanted to keep you", why did Walter keep it from him all these years?

It also doesn't help either that peter found out the hard way. Not to mention, his mother had commited suicide which also fueled his anger.

Well, despite his flaws, Walter WAS this huge hero who saved Peter's life.

The frustrating thing about this is that it's Peter's mother that caused a lot of the heartbreak (not that she had to convince Walter at gunpoint, or anything.) Everything was...well, maybe not fine, but at least going according to a noble plan until she gave Walter that...look (assuming we believe what Walter told us about that time.)

It's shaping up to look like our Walter is the bad guy here, to the extent that there is a bad guy. Which is sad, as his destiny was in many ways shaped by other people (the observer screwing up Walternate's finding of the cure, prompting our Walter to do what he did, Peter's Mom insisting on keeping Peter, William Bell removing chunks of his brain, not to mention the horrific luck of the whole "son dying of a terminal disease" thing...and that's before we find out how his assistant really died, and whether or not he was put in the mental hospital to keep him quiet.)

Theory: William Bell's sick, right? (Didn't we see him breathing with a respirator?) Maybe the cure Walter came up with for Peter could also help William Bell, and Bell needs Peter back for whatever reason. Walternate, for all we know, is still on good terms with Bell. Hell, maybe "our" William Bell died too, and we're dealing with the "other" William Bell.

Who knows :shiny:

[Rebe]

Okay, so if I saved another child's life, that gives me the right to keep her/him instead of giving her/him to her real mom and dad?

That's the point.

[Montecito]

I think Peter overreacted in the respect that he didn't let Walter explain what happened.

If I was in Peter's position I would be curious about what happened and I would ask Walter. I don't know why Peter wasn't curious to know more but ofcourse I can't judge him about that.

[ThePoleOfJustice]

Okay, so if I saved another child's life, that gives me the right to keep her/him instead of giving her/him to her real mom and dad?

That's the point.

No, of course not. I was reacting to your mention of Walter explaining himself as a hero, which I think he was, to a degree.

Walter is the bad guy, as I alluded to. I'm just saying that it's not a 100% "Walter's all bad" situation. Wasn't arguing, just thinking out loud.

[Rebe]

If I was in Peter's position I would be curious about what happened and I would ask Walter. I don't know why Peter wasn't curious to know more but ofcourse I can't judge him about that.

Because for once Walter should deal with consequences of his actions instead of Peter saying, "oh thank you, Walter! I love you! I'm over it" and letting Walter off the hook?

That's the problem I have. People love Walter so much that nothing he does is horrible or wrong. But then if Olivia or Peter confront him about it and get upset, Walter pulls the "pity-party face" and everybody is all, "oh poor Walter! How can Peter and Olivia be so mean to him!"

Just like people were upset with Olivia when she confronted Walter with what he did to her. Walter cries and everybody was all ,"poor Walter!"

Not sure why some people do not care about the feelings of Peter and Olivia when they are the ones who were experimented on, Peter was taken from his real parents, lied to all his life, Olivia was experimented on which caused her to use fire with her mind which could have killed someone and its "poor Walter!". :confused:

I'm sure if it was the other way around, people will be mad at Peter for keeping the secret from Walter.

I hate to say this but walter is the one who is childish. He cries and feels sorry for himself but never thinks about the feelings of Peter and Olivia.

I'm sorry for the rant but this has bothered me for quite some time.

[Montecito]

Because for once Walter should deal with consequences of his actions instead of Peter saying, "oh thank you, Walter! I love you! I'm over it" and letting Walter off the hook?

That's the problem I have. People love Walter so much that nothing he does is horrible or wrong. But then if Olivia or Peter confront him about it and get upset, Walter pulls the "pity-party face" and everybody is all, "oh poor Walter! How can Peter and Olivia be so mean to him!"

Just like people were upset with Olivia when she confronted Walter with what he did to her. Walter cries and everybody was all ,"poor Walter!"

Not sure why some people do not care about the feelings of Peter and Olivia when they are the ones who were experimented on, Peter was taken from his real parents, lied to all his life, Olivia was experimented on which caused her to use fire with her mind which could have killed someone and its "poor Walter!". :confused:

I'm sure if it was the other way around, people will be mad at Peter for keeping the secret from Walter.

I hate to say this but walter is the one who is childish. He cries and feels sorry for himself but never thinks about the feelings of Peter and Olivia.

I'm sorry for the rant but this has bothered me for quite some time.

Hey I agree with you. I was just saying about curiosity. I think everybody would be curious to ask "wtf? how am I from another universe?".
But generally I agree with you.

[Rebe]

I agree that I would also like to know about the alternate universe and how I came over but not under the circumstances that peter went through. It would be a totally different story if Walter had sit Peter down and explained to him but that didn't happen. Not to mention, Walter had kept this from him all this life so Walter shouldn't owe Peter an explanation.

[-CatarinaBranco]

I agree that I would also like to know about the alternate universe and how I came over but not under the circumstances that peter went through. It would be a totally different story if Walter had sit Peter down and explained to him but that didn't happen. Not to mention, Walter had kept this from him all this life so Walter shouldn't owe Peter an explanation.
Exactly.
I kinda understand Peter now :what:

[Lawyerdude]

I think that Peter reacted appropriately in his character. I've been thinking about Peter's adult history and his thought process. Remember, he's spent most of his adult life drifting from place to place, doing freelance work that probably borders on the illegal. In the first episode, Olivia bluffed him into thinking the FBI had a detailed file on him, and Peter bought it. So we know that Peter has plenty of disreputable connections, he's self-reliant and good at staying unnoticed. He also probably has had difficulty forming long-term personal relationships with others. But he's also a good person who will help others in need.

So he gets pulled into weirdoland with his long-absent father and an FBI agent, investigating bizarre occurrences. He at first sees it as interesting, but secretly he's wanting to return to his life of adventure. Eventually he starts to think that he could settle down with some actual friends and family. Then right out of the blue, it turns out that the people that he's learning to trust have been either lying to him or keeping secrets from him. I can understand that could cause him to sever ties and return to his earlier lifestyle.

[tv_maniac]

If you think about it, Peter's just been told a lot more than that he's not Walter's son.
He's gonna be so broken. He just found out that his mother, the one person he trusted and relied on, killed herself because she couldn't bear to look at him.
Then there's the fact that the only two people he's let into his little world, and who he let understand him have betrayed him and lied to him.
His real parents have no idea who he is anymore and he was tricked through his entire life.
I guess you could kinda say that he found out his whole mob-history is because of this too. He moves around a lot because he can't find anywhere that feels right, and he wouldn't because this isn't his universe. The moving around is probably what led him to the mob.
Imagine finding out that if you hadn't been kidnapped, you could have your own happy family, a normal job, kids and there wouldn't be an inter-dimensional war going on that has, in effect, killed thousands of people, including some you cared about.

I'm actually struggling to sympathize with Olivia and Walter at all. I get that they feel like he left them without hearing them out, but with everything Peter's going through, I really don't blame him :what:

[-CatarinaBranco]

I'm actually struggling to sympathize with Olivia and Walter at all. I get that they feel like he left them without hearing them out, but with everything Peter's going through, I really don't blame him :what:
Exactly .
I was kind of ready for this , that's how Peter is, impulsive .
And I really don't blame him .

[Joanna]

I think people feel bad for Walter and Olivia because they are in this situation where they cannot fix what happened.It is solely up to Peter whether they will be forgiven or not and all they can do is wait and hope, which is kind of sad. Besides, it is also obvious that wrong as they were they love him very much.

Actually I haven't encountered a single review (and I've read many!) that would refer to Peter's reaction as selfish or would try to show him in bad light. So even if you found some, they can't be that common :)

The other thing that adds to the sympathy towards Walter is the fact that he is paying now for mistakes he made when he was a different man. I once read a sentence that the greatest punishment for an evil person is to turn them into a good person because then they would feel the huge burden of what they've done, which will consume and torment them for the rest of their lives. And this is in a way what is happening to Walter, which is sad and makes the viewer sympathise with the character.

[HarveyMidnight]

For me, it's the pathos of Walter... I can acknowledge what he did to Peter and to Walternate was genuinely wrong... it was wrong for him to take Peter from his 'real' father.

In that sense, I agree fully with Peter's anger. I don't see his reaction as wrong, inappropriate nor unfair. He's not the villain in this. I think anybody who paints Peter as the villain, doesn't fully understand the situation. Peter was taken from his 'real' family... the fact that his father & kidnapper are some kind of dopplegangers, and he is the doppleganger of the kidnapper's dead son-- that does NOT eliminate any of the wrongness of it being a kidnapping.

But-- at least I believe-- the reason we all feel bad for Walter is the pathos of his situation. He, literally, is not the same man he was when he kidnapped Peter. At the time of the kidnapping, he was in terrible emotional pain-- and he did a terrible thing. And SINCE then, he's had mad-scientisty-syle brain surgery that has practically left him a functional child... a brilliant child, but one who has no clear grasp of his emotions & likewise no sense of boundaries-- he feels terrible guilt over what he's done--yet, due to his current emotional state he is in, he has been incapable of making it 'right'.

And we all see the pain Walter is in NOW-- not only for having lost Peter again, at JUST the time they seemed to be so close & connected... but Walter also has to struggle with the fact that it is HIS OWN fault, for the horrible thing he did.

I'd have to admit I feel a lot worse for Walter than I do for Peter... but because I suspect Walter is in a lot more pain than Peter is, over the whole thing. Yes, Walter has nobody to blame for that but himself--- but that doesn't make me sympathize with Walter any less.

[Rebe]

It now bothers me that despite Peter meeting his mother, who he was taken from, for the very first time in 20 + years, its still all about Walter and Olivia. Its not all about Peter eating bacon, its about a mother and son who hasn't seen each other in years. Peter is not doing this to hurt Walter or Olivia, but frankly, again, why does everything have to be about them? Peter is a person, too. He deserves his own happiness not just the happiness he bestows upon others.

I sometimes wish people would see Peter as a person and not just Walter's son/babysitters or Olivia's moral and scratching post.

[Quill]

This really bothers me, how come Walter and Olivia get more sympathy than Peter does? Peter just found out his father lied to him, he found out he was from the alternate universe, he found out he was stolen from his real mom and dad but people are saying, "oh poor Walter and Olivia" :confused: I mean, Walter and Olivia bought this upon themselves when they kept it from him all this time. Olivia should have told Peter from the get go when she saw him glimmer. She could have told him, "Peter, I saw you glimmer". At first Peter will be in denial but will go to Walter for confirmation.

But that's only in my world since no character will be perfect.

I don't understand why peter is considered the bad guy here. I read some reviews and some of them say how selfish Peter is. For the past year, peter has always put his feelings on hold just to keep Walter and Olivia above water but does anybody care for Peter?

What about his wants? his needs? This is where the show needs some work. We need more of what peter wants in life. Peter is a wonderful character when he is with Walter and Olivia but Peter needs some space.
Why is so wrong for peter to be on his own? Why does he need Walter and Olivia's permission to go anywhere?

If Peter is upset enough to keep away from walter and olivia, then let him.
His life has revolved around them for so long, why is it wrong for Peter to be like, "you know what, I need my space, I need to clear my head".

There is more to Peter than being Walter's right hand man and Olivia's friend and confidant.
Okay, so if I saved another child's life, that gives me the right to keep her/him instead of giving her/him to her real mom and dad?

That's the point.
If you think about it, Peter's just been told a lot more than that he's not Walter's son.
He's gonna be so broken. He just found out that his mother, the one person he trusted and relied on, killed herself because she couldn't bear to look at him.
Then there's the fact that the only two people he's let into his little world, and who he let understand him have betrayed him and lied to him.
His real parents have no idea who he is anymore and he was tricked through his entire life.
I guess you could kinda say that he found out his whole mob-history is because of this too. He moves around a lot because he can't find anywhere that feels right, and he wouldn't because this isn't his universe. The moving around is probably what led him to the mob.
Imagine finding out that if you hadn't been kidnapped, you could have your own happy family, a normal job, kids and there wouldn't be an inter-dimensional war going on that has, in effect, killed thousands of people, including some you cared about.

I'm actually struggling to sympathize with Olivia and Walter at all. I get that they feel like he left them without hearing them out, but with everything Peter's going through, I really don't blame him :what:
I agree. It's been seriously annoying reading all the Walter lovefest and "Peter's such a butt to his dad" that's been popping up everywhere. As much as people may love Walter, the cold hard fact is that he IS the bad guy in this plot point, and Peter has every right to not want to talk to Daddy right now. It also seems people have forgotten that Walter experimented on Peter (hooking him up to batteries), and his actions caused Peter to live through the trauma of watching his father hauled away for manslaughter and insanity, as well as a later suicide by his mother. Poor boy has a LOT on his plate, and it's ALL due to Walter.


I sometimes wish people would see Peter as a person and not just Walter's son/babysitters or Olivia's moral and scratching post.
Heh. Again, total WORD. That the writers keep shoving Peter to the background - including in his very own storyline - is beyond frustrating. So much for all the hype at the beginning of the season that Peter would be taking a more active role in the series. And to be honest, I'm really started to get sick of all the Walter, Walter, Walter the show has been doing lately.

[tv_maniac]

I agree. It's been seriously annoying reading all the Walter lovefest and "Peter's such a butt to his dad" that's been popping up everywhere.

What infuriates me immediately is when I hear people calling Peter a wimp and saying he should 'man-up'. What, somehow it's childish to be angry, betrayed and confused??? No person should ever have to go through what he did, and then there's people saying 'well a real man would stay and listen to the story and sort it out'. No one has any idea what they would do, it's difficult to empathize with something that big. You can't predict how you would react and you can't say how people should and shouldn't handle their own lives and emotions :( :what:

[FieryJack]

It's been seriously annoying reading all the Walter lovefest and "Peter's such a butt to his dad" that's been popping up everywhere. As much as people may love Walter, the cold hard fact is that he IS the bad guy
Correct and I hope this is dealt with appropriately by the writers. Walter was a veritable Dr. Mengele according to what we've been told, but since coming out of St. Claire's he's realized how wrong it all was. So what now? Do we punish old Nazi's in the real world or give them a second chance? Problem is, all that business with the blight and the alter-war may be Walter's fault, so how can he ever be portrayed as a good guy? I can't see it I'm afraid - best case for Walter is that he remains partially mad and childlike.

.

[Rebe]

I know everyone loves P/O but folks, his mother is just as important as Olivia is. Not sure why Peter seeing his mother is not a big deal. His mother gave birth to him, she had her son taken away from her, she hadn't seen her son in 25 years, she only spent what? 7 years with him? Peter found out his mother had killed herself due to the lie and then being taken to the alternate universe seeing practically a "ghost" of the woman who killed herself.

So, please, its not fair to just undermine Peter and his mother as merely, Peter eating bacon with his mum while olivia is risking her life to save him.

Its really disappointing how people act like peter's mom is not as important as Olivia, who he has known only for 2 years.

Yeah, this coming from a mommy's girl :haha:

[jophan]

Peter had already heard one explanation from Walter, he just didn't know it was about him. Walter's first explanation, in "There's More than One...", was (this is from memory, so don't kvetch) "Something precious was lost to me, and I was convinced that, if I could reach the other side, I could take it."

That's a lot more self-centered and brutal than the story he told Olivia, but that's the phrase Peter heard, and could take into account once he figured things out. I expect that Olivia gave him a precis of the story Walter gave her, perhaps in the car en route to the opera house, since his statement "I'm trying to see this your way" implies that he knows what "your way" is.