Comic-Con 2012: 'Fringe' Cast Bids a Tearful Goodbye, Reflects on Five Seasons (Video)

11:01 AM PDT 7/15/2012 by Philiana Ng

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Showrunner J.H. Wyman, Anna Torv, Joshua Jackson and John Noble took to the cavernous Hall H stage for the final time Sunday morning.

Kevin Winter/Getty Images

White tulips, tears and Observer hats (and bodily fluids) took over the cavernous Hall H bright and early Sunday morning for what was Fringe's final Comic-Con panel.

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•Comic-Con 2012

"That is just awesome," Joshua Jackson said with a laugh after the cast saw the fans hold up drawings of a tulip.

Season five will take place in the future, but in the exclusive teaser shown to the Hall H crowd, there was some new footage intercut into the trailer even though production on the new episodes will begin next week.

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"Yes it's going to pick up where we left off in [season four, episode 19], the day after," showrunner Joel Wyman said.

"We had to get the actors who worked incredibly long hours to go and shoot for a season that they had no idea what it was about or [knew] would happen," he shared. "That was our sales tool to get us a season five."

For Wyman, who will take on showrunning duties himself without the help of Jeff Pinkner, he had "ideas since season one."

"Truthfully, I had two and a half versions of what we thought we should do for the end," Wyman said. "I sort of decided three months ago ... and it was very clear [how it was going to end]."

"Because it's 13 [episodes], we want to write the scripts early to make sure that everything is absolutely perfect," Wyman said. "If I'm doing that with the writers, I want to ... make sure that the actors have time to [plan]."

Jackson added: "To give us the chance to do our best job going into the final season."

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The tears started flowing when Anna Torv and Lance Reddick recalled their favorite scene, which happened to be Jasika Nicole's pivotal episode when Astrid and her doppelganger had a scene together. Perhaps it was also the moment when the show's end was starting to hit.

When asked whether Peter and Olivia would have their happy ending, the actors were coy. "I think these two will get their final chapter of their story," Jackson said. Torv continued the secrecy: "I concur."

An exclusive video for the Comic-Con crowd was screened for the fans. "It's not saying goodbye," Wyman reassured in his introduction, adding that "you have a brick in the building."

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Here are some highlights from the panel:

When asked what she's learned from Olivia, Torv said innocently, "I think it's to come," before the crowd began to laugh. (It would becoming a running joke at the panel.) Once Torv realized, Torv said embarassed, "I'm Australian and I'm so irreverent. I'm so sorry."
"I get sort of cross when anything happens to them," Noble said. "When we lose a cast member or something I get really f---ing angry, take it personal."
"What we've learned is the power of love," Noble said. "What holds Fringe together is the power of love."
It was more a disclaimer, but Jackson warned the 6,000-seat room that he did not "wet" himself even though there may be a spot on his pants that may have hinted at otherwise.
"Henry [Ian Cusick] was an astounding performer last season," Wyman said. "Let's see if he makes his way into the season this year."
"Anna and I have read some of the fan fic out there, you guys are scandalous," Nicole recalled. "Fifty Shades of Fringe?"
An Observer book will be released, where it will be from September's perspective. "It'll be through September's prism of impressions ... and what the characters mean to him," Wyman said. Fans will also have the ability to have their names included in the book as "people of interest."
The question of why there are no female Observers will be answered in season five.
Talk of a possible Fringe movie was also mentioned, though the story has continued through comic book form, with one having been written by Jackson.