BRUCE: ALT. MAN

The Olivia Dunham of the main Toobworld was finally returned from that alternate TV dimension "Over There" in the 'Fringe' episode "Entrada".

The big action sequence took place at the Newark train station known as Penn Station (which also exists in the Trueniverse). But "Over There", it's named "Springsteen Station".

O'Bviously it's named after Bruce Springsteen. But that's not a good thing - especially for The Boss.

They don't just go naming municipal buildings after anybody who strikes their fancy. They're named after Presidents, politicians, war heroes, cops and firemen who fall in the line of duty, and even scientists and inventors who make great advancements to enrich our lives.

They wouldn't go naming it after Bruuuuuce just because they liked "Born To Run".

And usually, the person being so honored with a building named after them is dead.

"Look on the bright side.
We'll all have high schools named after us."
Astronaut Andrea Baker
"Deep Impact"

So.

In order to get a train station named after him "Over There", Bruce Springsteen had to do something of major import for New Jersey, and somehow he then died - perhaps in connection to whatever he did. Maybe Alt-Springsteen took a page from the Schwarzenegger playbook and became governor of New Jersey. Maybe he proved so popular and effective in the position that he entertained notions of running for President.

And perhaps he was assassinated for such aspirations. It could be that The Boss was gunned down simply for being a great and inspirational singer whose music was changing the world on a scale not seen since John Lennon..... And someone couldn't allow that to happen.

But whatever happened, Springsteen must be dead "Over There".

It was my fellow Iddiot Brian Leonard's comment on Facebook that first got me thinking in this direction:

"Loved the Springsteen shoutout on Fringe tonight. Unfortunately, that probably means he's dead in the other universe. Maybe he got ambered while performing at Harvard..."

I kept it closer to home - What if he was sucked into that vortex which opened in the East River back in 1990? Alt-Broyles said that 165 people died that day. Maybe Bruce was one of them. Maybe he was performing on one of those "Blues Cruises" and the ship was pulled in. It would have been a death trap, just not a suicide rap......

(I don't know enough about that East River Vortex, but whenever I hear "vortex", I'm always thinking of it as a corridor to some other destination. 'Deep Space Nine', 'Sliders', the latest "Star Trek" movie..... Right now it's too vague and, even so, too complicated to make theories about it. It still may come into play during a future episode of 'Fringe'.)

When all is said and done with the "Over There" storylines and when 'Fringe' is no longer on the air (hopefully not for a few years yet!), there will be plenty of material about that alternate dimension to fuel the fan fiction.......

[Thanks to Brian Leonard for pointing this out....]

BCnU!