Should Olivia tell Peter the Truth?

[-CatarinaBranco]

Ofcourse it is. Walter stole a little kid from his father. If that isn't kidnapping then what it is???

Agreed

[Jabberwock]

Ofcourse it is. Walter stole a little kid from his father. If that isn't kidnapping then what it is???

You know what I love? How you ignored all my explanation. That's really great, Monty. Thanks.

I said that this isn't a clean-cut kidnapping, mainly due to the complex layers of bonds and trust. Of course, you would know this if you'd read my post past the first line.

[Montecito]

You know what I love? How you ignored all my explanation. That's really great, Monty. Thanks.

I said that this isn't a clean-cut kidnapping, mainly due to the complex layers of bonds and trust. Of course, you would know this if you'd read my post past the first line.

I read it and I disagree 100%.

Peter thinks that this is his real father. That's why there is a bond.
He doesn't know that this man is just a kidnapper.

So for you a kidnapping is ok as long as the victim doesn't know that he is kidnapped?

[Jabberwock]

No. But this isn't a clean-cut kidnapping.

Regardless of how that bond is there, the bond remains the same. And the relationship remains the same. For all intents and purposes, Walter is Peter's father. A pretty bad one, but still his father.

I repeat. I don't care if Olivia forces Walter to do it. But Walter should be the one to tell Peter. He deserves that much. This is not the kind of thing you should hear from someone else.

[Montecito]

For all intents and purposes, Walter is Peter's father. A pretty bad one, but still his father.

No he is not. He is Peter's kidnapper. The only reason Peter thinks that Walter is his father is because he doesn't know he is kidnapped.

[Mutsie]

Hi everyone.

I believe it is Walter who needs to tell Peter he is from the alternate universe. Mainly because he needs to face his responsibility as a father first, abuctor second.

Peter needs to understand why he was taken, what drove Walter to go to the lengths he did, and why he would hide it from Peter all these years. These are skeletons Walter has in his own closet and unfortunately he's put them in Peter's as well. It is only Walter who is capable of driving these demons away. He must face the risk of driving Peter away with them if he has any sense of integrity... and love.

If Walter does not find the courage to be responsible he will forever condemn himself to being a weak and feeble-minded persona who ultimately has no-one's interests at heart but his own.

Life as a father has its risks, and if you have to hide something important like this from someone you love - in this case your own son, then in a way Walter has already condemned himself to his own little 'secret' prison. Always hiding, always running, always fearful.

But the secret is out now. Olivia knows. She needs to be there to reassure Walter that it's ok to 'man up' and tell Peter the truth in its entirety. Hopefully she won't break the news to Peter before giving Walter the opportunity to do so himself and support him with such an important decision. Who knows how Peter may react once he understands why Walter did what he did? We still don't really know what caused 'our' Peter's death in the first place. If Peter died because of something or someone on the other side then I could very much understand Walter's motive.

It's not Olivia's place to be the one to tell Peter he's from the other side - unless Walter takes the easy way out and runs from his patriarchal duty - in which case she would have to tell him so he can reconstruct his life the best he can. Peter would more than likely think very little of Walter if things turned out this way.

I like Broyles' quote 'sometimes the only decisions you have left are bad ones.' So true.

Either way Peter's going to find out soon enough and whether or not Walter has the backbone to 'own up' or 'man up' remains to be seen. He needs to be strong. Who knows, the outcome may be more positive than we imagine.


.

WEll you say it the way I think about it so I have nothing further to say about it!

[Jabberwock]

No he is not. He is Peter's kidnapper. The only reason Peter thinks that Walter is his father is because he doesn't know he is kidnapped.

I suppose you'd think that, if you ignore the complex relationship that the good writing has given us.

[Meegs82]

Wow, this is getting heated. The way Alter-Walter would see it would be as a kidnapping. Clearly and without question. But I have to agree with Jabber on this...the relationship is far too complex to just call our Walter a kidnapper. He HAS been a father to Peter, even as messed up as it was. To him, it was better than Peter being dead...INCREDIBLY selfish of him, of course. But to blatantly call Walter a kidnapper is just not fair, especially given everything we know and the great writing Jabber mentioned.

[Rekka]

You know, I thought of a really stupid analogy.

So if someone (A) walks out of the bathroom with toilet paper stuck to their pants or shoes or something else embarrassing, the first person who sees them (B) decides not to say anything because it would be embarrassing. Then a 2nd person (C) notices the toilet paper and is going to tell (A) about it but (B) tells them not to say anything.

Is it okay for (C) to remain quiet?
What if (C) ignores (B) and tells (A) the truth?
What would happen if (A) were to find out the truth on his own?
I think both (B) and (C) have a moral obligation to tell (A) the truth. Either way, I think (A) is going to be rather angry. lol

[MrSuperCzar]

Gotta say, I'm totally 100% with Jabberwock on this. Walter needs to be the one to tell Peter the truth. In my opinion, Olivia will end up forcing Walter but he is still the one that needs to do it.