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Considering the nature of this episode, it’s important to begin with the best news that any “Fringe” fan could have wanted to hear: despite the ratings struggle of the past two seasons, the show has been renewed for a fifth and final season. It will only be 13 episodes, but given that this was a concession between Warner Brothers and Fox over the licensing fees vs. future syndication potential, this was never a sure thing. It’s clear that the producers knew that this was the likely outcome, should renewal take place, so there’s every reason to think that they have been planning to bring the story to a close in that amount of time.
When a show relies on mysteries, its success is measured not by how good the mysteries are, but how well it pays them off. The creators of "Once Upon The Time" cut their teeth on the show that reveled in redefining those payoffs, to the joy of many (and frustration of some.) While their current show doesn't aspire to the mind-bending extremes of "Lost", "The Return" makes it clear they're not above toying with audience expectations. They seem to revel in playing puppetmaster, but more on that later.