"You are my favorite thing. My very favorite thing."

This quote happened in the last episode of Fringe, which pretty much emotionally devastated me in all the right ways.  There were callbacks to past episodes, some old characters came back, and I really can't say anything more because I don't want to spoil it.

You just need to know that I cried.  I'm still crying.  And I'm going to watch that episode again tomorrow and cry some more.

This. All day, every day.

Yeah, one day later and I still feel like this.

Also, the Tumblr gods found this (I was too focused on Peter's name to see that last night.  I might also have been crying at that point...)

You're so welcome, Fringe.  You're so welcome.

I posted something on my Tumblr last night as a sort of last minute tribute before the finale aired.  I'm going to recycle that now because I don't want to spoil things, and I'm still a little emotionally numb, so this is about as eloquent as I'm going to be today.  So here's my ode-to-Fringe as seen on Tumblr...

I'm not really sure where this is going.

This applies to both my random stream-of-consciousness farewell to Fringe, and to the show itself.  For five seasons I've faithfully watched the little-show-that-could, and uttered that phrase so. many. times.  And, as someone who LOVES being able to predict how a movie will end (I called Salt in like the first five minutes, but I'm not sure if this is a good bragging point, because a lot of people probably did), or who can figure out plot twists before they happen, I am quite happy to report that this show has given me some pretty awesome WTF?!? moments.

For five seasons I sat by while Olivia, Peter, Walter, Astrid (Astro, Astral), Nina, Broyles, Charlie (remember Charlie?), William Bell, and Gene the cow fought to save the universes (and also fought themselves, other versions of themselves, fought each other, and fought shapeshifters, people with psychic abilities...you get the idea).  They fought.  A lot.

But our beloved characters weren't the only ones fighting.  The show fought to stay afloat, the fans fought to get it to 100 episodes (wooooo syndication!), and the cast and crew fought to give us all the show we wanted, but not the one we ever thought we'd deserve.  

They took risks, killed characters (brought some back...didn't bring others back), time-traveled, almost destroyed the world, blew things up (or set things on fire with their minds), but, most of all, they kept coming back to the dysfunctional little family at the heart of it all.

They came back to Walter, a man who had pieces of his brain removed because he was becoming too consumed with success that he was forgetting about things like empathy and love.

They came back to Peter, a character who had one hell of a back story, and who was totally fine 

with being alone...until he realized that family was something worth fighting for.  And oh, how he fought for it. 

They came back to Olivia, who was both extremely badass and still a woman.  Yeah, there was a character who loved and was loved, who could fight better than any of the men on the show, who was smart, and intuitive and compassionate and just an amazing role model for young women.  You kicked ass and took names, and Anna Torv, you just rocked that role.  

They came back to Astrid (or whatever Walter chose to call her...perhaps the best running gag of the show), a character who was always there, always constant, and always ready to help.  Her relationship with Walter was amazing, and Astrid might be the ultimate embodiment of patience.  She was also quite intelligent, and I really couldn't imagine the show without her.

There were other characters, of course, but these four were what made the show work.  And they made it work so well.  Sure, things didn't always go the way they intended (wouldn't be much of a show if they did), and along the way they've suffered some terrible loses and crushing defeats.  But for every death, for every sacrifice, there was still that glimmer of hope.

Just like the White Tulip Walter needed to give him the strength to do something he never thought he could, this show has done more for me than I can ever articulate.  And the underlying message that family and friends are worth fighting for, worth saving, and that people, feelings, love, art, everything that makes us, well, us, MATTERS is something that I'll always hold on to.

Fringe MATTERS.  Tonight might be the series finale, but it MATTERS, just like we do.  So thank you, Fringe, for helping us all matter :) For mixing the paranormal with science, for giving us off-the-wall cases and story lines, for making us care about alternate versions of characters who miiiiiiiiiiiiiight not have been introduced in the best light.

Thank you for being the little-show-that-could.  Thank you for being you.

It's almost time for the finale.  I'm not really sure where this is going.

But I'm very, very glad I was along for the ride.

That's all I've got for now.  Well, that and this:

UGLY CRYING RIGHT NOW. BE BACK LATER.

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When I do come back I'll bring a few friends with me!  I've got something very fun (and possibly a little informative) planned for the next couple of weeks!  Hope you're ready for some shenanigans :)