Bishop to Queen 3. Bishop takes Knight

 

Doesn't it seem as though David Robert Jones is being out maneuvered at every turn?  His apparatus is being dismantled, Red Nina has been captured and now his mole, Colonel Broyles has been discovered.  What is his game?  How can he be sustaining such losses?  Is this some sort of gambit?

Yes, it is.

What`we are watching here is a game of chess and Jones is employing one of the oldest tricks in the game of Kings.  Specifically, it is known as a sham sacrifice or a "Sacrifice to Checkmate".  Simply put, the player, Jones in this case, is willing to sacrifice some of his major playing pieces in order to lure the opposition in, entrap a major piece such as the Queen of the opposition and then force checkmate and the defeat of his opponent.

The title of this blog post refers to a chess move.  The Bishop in this case is Walter Bishop and the Knight that was captured refers to Colonel Broyles.  It was Walter that divined that the most obvious suspect was the one that should have alerted "the dog that didn't bark".  The "dog" being the alarm system that should have alerted everyone to a mole in Fringe Division but was oddly silent.  Oddly silent because the intruder, as in the Sherlock Holmes tale, Silver Blaze, was overtly known to all hence raising no suspicion.

I've often thought of the Bishop boys as chess pieces moving diagonally across a vast chess board, always countering the opposition with their deft moves.  If we look back to the Season 3 finale, "The Day We Died" we see a chess board that stood between Walternate and Peter Bishop.

Back then, Walternate was the Red King, pulling all the strings and outmaneuvering his opponents until he achieved his ultimate goal.  The removal of Black Queen.  That goal holds true now although the title of King has been usurped by Jones but his goal remains the same.  The capture of the Queen and command of the chessboard.

 

I don't think Jones intends to remove the Queen in the same fashion as Walternate did.  (And yes, Olivia is the Queen in case that wasn't obvious enough.)  Although I don't doubt that when her usefulness to him has been exhausted the end result may prove to be the same.  But I do think that our two Bishops have lost sight of the larger picture and the Black (Blue?) Queen may be vulnerable. 

 

If you are wondering how our other players fit into this chessboard, I see the two Lincoln Lee's as Rooks (Castles) one of which has now been sacrificed.  The two Broyles characters are the Knights, also one of which has been removed.  I referred to Red Nina as the Red Queen but that might be a stretch.  In fact by the end of the episode both Nina and Broyles were referred to as pawns.  This was owing to their sacrifice and their now powerless stature.  Certainly, Christopher, Colonel Broyles' son was a pawn.  A minor piece to be willingly sacrificed unless protected by something more powerful.  The real Red Queen may be Altlivia, a major piece on our board but one I think is not aware of her stature. 

So who is the Black King or should I say in this case, what?

It's my thinking that the Black King is the Machine and Jones nearly had his Knight in position to capture it.  If Jones does get his hand on the Machine it will be Checkmate and all will be lost.  However there are still several pieces in play.  Nina from the Blue Universe is back on the chessboard although her allegiance is in question.  What of Walternate? (Speaking of dogs that didn't bark) he was oddly absent from the last episode.  You'd think with Walter visiting "over there" he would make himself present.

Perhaps Walternate has been removed from our board or is waiting in strategic reserve.  In the game of chess when all seems to be lost it is a worthy strategy to keep your pawns active but safely out of reach.  If they reach the far end of the chess board they can be exchanged for a lost playing piece and this may well prove to be Walternate.

So who are our pawns?  The Observers?  Possibly.  They are always lurking about and seemingly innocuous.  Yet they can play major roles and may prove either useful or destructive as the match nears its close.  I'm hoping it is some innocent we don't fully appreciated yet (Oh no, Astrid??!!) and this pawn will play a major role in the end that may turn the tables with the ultimate sacrifice.

Oh dear, I hope I didn't just consign Astrid to her doom.  What are your thoughts dear players?  Whom do you see being maneuvered?  Will further sacrifice be needed?  Who will win this ultimate game of wits and control the chessboard that is our universe?

It's your move people.