Fringe (2008–2013): Season 1, Episode 8 - The Equation - full transcript
On a rainy night, Ben, a boy who became a music prodigy after coming out of a coma, is kidnapped after his father is put in a hypnogenic state using a red, blue and green lights. Walter proves this really happened when he puts Peter in the same state in the lab. The abduction is just one in a series of kidnappings of people who are geniuses in their fields. After they are brought back, the people go insane and commit terrible acts. In the lab Walter and Peter find a connection between Ben and an old colleague of Walter, at Saint Claire's, who was also kidnapped. In order to save the kid, now Walter needs to go back to Saint Claire's and speak with the old colleague.
NARRATOR:
Previously on Fringe:
Olivia Dunham, FBI.
BROYLES:
They're calling these events the Pattern.
As if someone out there
is experimenting...
...only the whole world is their lab.
BROYLES: Anybody you need you can have.
OLIVIA: His name's Walter Bishop.
- My father.
- He worked out of Harvard.
He was part of a classified U.S. Army
experimental program...
...in an area called fringe science.
You're telling me
my father was Dr. Frankenstein?
So much happened here,
and so much is about to.
STOCKTON:
Are those notes you're writing, Ben?
I thought we talked about this.
You know... About taking a break
from the music.
So you'd have time for other things.
Maybe something new.
Dad? Don't get mad at me...
...but the windshield wipers,
can you slow them down?
Slow them down?
The tempo. It's messing me up.
Sorry, Bean, I can't.
I need to be able to see.
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
WOMAN:
Stop! I need help!
BEN: What is it?
- I don't know. Let's see.
You okay?
I'm fine. I can't say
the same for my car.
It shuddered and then stopped,
and my phone's dead.
Oh, hold on. Be right back.
WOMAN: Thank you.
- Of course.
Not a night
you wanna get stuck out here.
(PHONE DIALING)
Yeah, I need a tow.
I'm on Route 12
about two miles north of Fair Oak.
Yeah. Massachusetts plate, 332 EWD.
All right, thanks.
They're busy. It's gonna be a while.
Now I'm definitely gonna be late
to that meeting. This one's important.
Listen, I know hardly a thing about cars,
but why don't you let me take a look?
- No, you've done enough. No.
- It's all right.
STOCKTON:
Transmission's dry.
Some kind of electrical short.
Hey, easy. Didn't mean to scare you.
It's okay. I didn't... I didn't hear you.
Yeah, listen, sorry it took so long.
- Hey, man, you okay?
- Where's her car?
Ben?
Ben?
Ben!
Ben!
Fringe
s1e08 The Equation
BROYLES:
The boy's name is Ben Stockton.
According to his father,
they were driving home...
...when he saw a woman
having car trouble.
Claims that while he was looking
at the car, something happened.
Said it was like time jumped...
...and his son, the woman
and her car were suddenly gone.
So he just blacked out.
In the statement he gave,
he insisted he never lost consciousness.
Any witnesses to back up the story?
No. But this is not the first time
this has happened.
These are from the files of three
missing-person cases dating back 10 years.
In each one, witnesses described
seeing the same woman.
We've tried running
facial-recognition software.
- Nothing.
- So, what happened to the other victims?
BROYLES: The first was found wandering
the I-91 near Northampton.
The second, in a supermarket
curled up in the freezer bin.
PETER: Meaning what? They were let go?
- Apparently.
But not before whatever had been done
drove them insane.
After she was found, one of the victims...
...actually tried to lobotomize herself
using a butter knife.
And all of them incapable of recalling
what happened during the abduction.
Even under hypnosis.
So they were all academics.
A probability theorist,
structural engineer...
If we're looking at a serial abduction...
...then a 10-year-old kid
doesn't fit the bill.
No. But other than that,
the details are identical to the others.
Interacting with the woman in the sketch,
then experiencing lost time.
Peculiar flashing lights.
Green, green, green, red.
Like Christmas lights.
How did you know that, Dr. Bishop?
I don't know.
- But that's what happened, isn't it?
- Yes.
Think you might be able
to jog your mind, Walter?
Could be helpful.
Christmas lights.
That's all I can recall. Sorry.
I know what it sounds like.
Like I'm crazy. I'm not.
I talked to her. I touched her car.
The police grilled my brother for hours.
Treated him like a suspect.
- I know what I saw.
- Why doesn't anybody believe him?
STOCKTON:
We're wasting time. We need to find Ben.
I believe you.
In fact, we think the same woman
may be involved in other abductions.
This has happened before?
Why would anyone wanna take my son?
I don't know. Honestly, he doesn't really
fit the profile of the other victims.
For one, they were all adults.
And another, they were all academics.
Experts in various fields.
What?
Ben is kind of an expert himself.
What do you mean?
Nine months ago,
my wife was walking Ben to school.
Some idiot late for a dentist appointment
ran a red light.
And they were hit in a crosswalk.
Abby was killed.
The doctors didn't know
if Ben was gonna make it either.
He was in a coma for six days,
and when he woke up...
It's easier if I just show you.
(PIANO PLAYING)
This is the day
I took him home from the hospital.
He hadn't spoken, said even a word
since I told him his mother died.
Then we got home, and he just sat down
at the piano and started to play.
He's very talented.
Before this,
he had never taken a single lesson.
Doctors told me there have been cases,
people with severe brain traumas...
...waking up with the ability
to do things they'd never done before.
Two weeks later,
he was composing his own music.
One piece in particular.
He stopped being interested
in everything else.
You said the other people that had been
taken were accomplished at something.
Do you think that
that's why they took Ben?
I don't know.
Thank you so much for your time.
Agent Dunham?
After Abby died, my brother...
...he barely held it together.
Without Ben, I don't think he'll make it.
I'll do everything I can.
How are you feeling, Ben?
I wanna go home.
I just wanna see my dad.
Well, I have something better for you.
There's someone else here
who would like to see you.
I don't care!
I wanna see my dad.
Oh, well, your mother
will be very disappointed to hear that.
My mom's dead.
Are you sure about that?
(WALTER SINGING " DECK THE HALLS")
Hey, Walter?
Don't you think it's early
for the yuletide cheer?
I'm reciting Christmas carols
in an attempt...
...to jar loose some details
from my subconscious...
...to remember where I heard mention
of the green and red lights.
But sadly it hasn't yet worked.
So you thought it would be useful
to work on decorations?
Though I can't recall
where I heard of the lights...
...it did give me an idea,
a theory as to how the boy was taken.
I was hired to design a technology,
an intricate pattern of flashing lights...
...intended to create
a suggestible state of hypnosis.
Theoretically, the test subjects
would do whatever commanded.
Bark like a dog, dance a jig, wash the car.
The government
had you working on mind control?
Not the government.
It was an advertising agency.
They hoped to broadcast
the flashing lights during commercials...
...so that the viewers would have
no choice but to buy their products.
Unfortunately, it merely caused nausea...
...which was unfortunate because
apparently people don't like to shop...
...when they feel like
they're going to throw up.
Miss, where is the remote?!
Oh, hey. Walter. Walter. Walter.
Dial it down a notch, all right?
I posit that the flashing lights
witnessed by the father...
...induced a hypnagogic trance...
...during which stage
the child was abducted.
- You said the experiments were failures.
- Oh, yes.
But I focused solely on the timing
and intensity of the flashes...
...not the colors. The green and red.
Now, I suggest that those wavelengths
are the key to success.
Come. Let me demonstrate. Come.
- What do you want me to do?
- Now just stare at the lights.
(BEEPING)
(BEEPING)
(BEEPING)
(BEEPING)
Sorry, Walter, better luck next time.
Anyone ready for lunch?
What's up, Chachi?
Did you do this to me?
You did.
(PHONE RINGING)
- Dunham.
CHARLIE: It's me.
Based on the description by the father,
I ID'd your kidnapper.
Name's Joanne Ostler.
She was a neurologist studying at MIT.
She would have been 30 this March.
- What do you mean, "would have been"?
- According to DMV records...
...Joanne Ostler died 10 years ago.
Are you sure?
Looks identical to the woman
from your sketch.
She doesn't have a twin. I checked.
So, what happened to her?
Apparently her car went off the bridge
in November of '98...
...eight months before
any of the abductions.
How is that even possible?
Here's the thing. The car was recovered,
but the body was never found.
So then it's possible that she survived.
Either that,
or Broyles has you chasing a ghost.
(SINGING "JINGLE BELLS")
OLIVIA:
Hey. What the hell's he doing?
It'll help him remember
where he's heard about the lights.
- Okay.
- We've got news.
We understand how Ben was abducted.
Those flashing lights, they put
the father into a hypnagogic state.
We think we may have ID'd
the woman responsible.
WALTER:
I have it.
Christmas. Christmas.
Leading to Christmas carols,
one of which is "Jingle Bells."
Which leads naturally to
"dashing through the snow."
Which of course inevitably
leads one to "dash."
- To "dash"?
- Dashiell Kim.
The man who mentioned
the lights to me. I'm sure.
Where is he, Walter? Can we talk to him?
I guess that would depend on whether...
...he has succeeded in
killing himself or not.
What are talking about, Walter?
Who is this guy?
A fellow inmate of mine
at St. Claire's asylum.
I think we may have ID'd
another abductee. Dashiell Kim.
Headed up Astrophysics at U-Mass.
Went missing in May 2006.
Turned up a week later
at his home outside Clarksburg...
...where he had a psychotic break...
...bludgeoned his wife to death
with a tire iron.
He was committed
to St. Claire's Hospital.
He was there at the
same time as Bishop?
Walter remembers Kim
telling him a story...
...about a woman who put him to sleep
with a Christmas tree.
- And then took him away.
- Green and red lights.
And he fits the profile.
Expert in a scientific field.
I need you to get an interview request
pushed through legal...
...so that we can arrange a visitation.
Any specific things that Kim
might remember about the abduction...
- ...like where he was taken maybe.
- That might take time.
- How come?
- Says here Dashiell Kim is a 10-27.
- And what's that?
- Ten-27:
Criminally insane
with knowledge of state secrets.
Apparently Kim had a sideline
consulting on defense contracts for JPL.
You can't talk to him
without official clearance.
And how long will that take?
If we go through channels?
Six weeks minimum.
I've got a contact at Justice.
I'll tell him it's urgent.
I don't know how a guy
that can do this to his own wife...
...is gonna help you find that missing kid.
JOANNE: You've never looked at it
in that order, have you?
No.
Hi, Bean.
Mom?
Mom.
PETER:
He did this to his own wife.
Thirty-two years of marriage.
By all accounts, they seemed happy.
Until Dashiell showed up after
he was abducted and beat her to death.
Did I hear mention
of my old friend Dashiell?
Of course.
I'd recognize his handiwork anywhere.
You mean he killed others?
Well, he tried.
A patient at the institution, Jasper.
But actually,
I was referring to the equation.
Dashiell was obsessed with it.
- Obsessed in what way?
- He couldn't complete it.
I tried to help him solve it once,
and he came at me with a plastic spork.
(CHUCKLES)
What are you thinking?
Ben's father said that Ben became
obsessed with this one piece of music.
And he couldn't complete it either.
WALTER: I've been listening to it.
It's very beautiful.
He's light-years ahead
of where you were at that age.
Walter, take a look at this.
See this function?
It appears here, here.
- It just keeps repeating over and over.
- Yes, yes. A recurring expression.
Or it's a rhythm.
Well, yes, I suppose.
Are you suggesting...?
Can you convert that
into standard musical notation?
Oh, I can try.
- What's going on?
- Music is a mathematical language.
Chords have numerical values.
The notes... Quarters, 8ths, 16ths
are fractions, variables.
I took the oboe for six months
and then quit.
WALTER:
Almost there, Peter. Okay.
Just nine bars.
PETER:
Okay, listen to this.
Sound familiar?
That's Ben's song.
Yes, Ben's piece
is the musical equivalent...
...of Dashiell's mathematical formula.
How is that possible?
They'd never even met each other.
It's not so surprising, actually.
Curious minds often converge
on the same idea.
Newton and Leibnitz independently...
...without knowing each other,
invented calculus.
The relevant question is, what is it?
What is what?
What is it that both Ben and Dashiell
are trying to solve?
BEN:
How is this possible? Are we in heaven?
No, honey. We're not in heaven.
But I don't understand.
I saw you get hurt.
I don't understand either,
but I do know that I'm here...
...and that I've missed you
so much, Bean.
For me to stay,
you have to do what this woman says.
You have to finish the song, Bean.
You need to finish it.
It's important, Ben.
BEN:
Okay.
I love you, Mom.
ABBY:
I love you too, Bean.
OLIVIA: Dr. Sumner.
- Hello.
Thank you so much
for taking time to speak with me.
I understand you're interested in talking
to one of my patients.
Although I can't imagine what help
Dashiell Kim could be to the FBI.
We're investigating
a missing-persons case. A kidnapping.
We believe that, before coming here...
...Mr. Kim may have been the victim
of an abduction...
...possibly by the same person
that we're looking for.
I suppose you came by this information
through a former patient of mine.
A Dr. Walter Bishop?
You're the agent who took him
three months ago, aren't you?
Yes. And you should know Dr. Bishop
is doing quite well.
He's been assisting us
since he checked out.
He has no business being out
among the rest of us.
I appreciate your concern...
...but I'm not here
to talk about Dr. Bishop.
I respect your discretion,
provided you respect mine.
The mental health of my patients
is my primary concern.
And subjecting them to open-ended
interrogations by FBI agents...
...is hardly prudent therapy.
I appreciate your position.
And I'd like to help.
But I can't subject Dashiell
to new faces right now.
Dr. Sumner, I'm here because
a child's life may be in danger.
There may be a way
we can work this out.
I'm listening.
You've assured me that Walter Bishop
is doing fine.
If that's the case...
...l'll allow Walter Bishop
to talk to Mr. Kim...
...and ask your questions.
It might do Dashiell good
to see a familiar face.
PETER:
Olivia, there's nothing to discuss.
But it's the only way
we can make contact with Kim.
PETER: Absolutely not.
- Peter...
You want to send my mentally
unstable father back to the institution...
- ...that made him that way.
- We don't have a choice.
We need to speak to Dashiell.
Without Sumner's permission,
we need a subpoena...
- ...which will take time.
- Even if he speaks to him...
...what makes you think
he'll remember a word?
He can't remember
what he had for lunch.
I have noticed that you have a habit of
referring to me as if I'm not in the room.
Does anyone care what I think?
Yes, Walter. What do you want to do?
I'd rather not go.
OLIVIA: Walter...
PETER: Olivia, he said no.
That is incorrect.
I said I'd rather not go.
But I will.
Every moment that passes...
...is another moment
that little boy's life is in danger.
Isn't that correct, Agent Dunham?
- Mm-hm.
- Then we should go.
(DOOR BUZZES)
Well, are you ready?
When you get out, we'll be right here.
OLIVIA:
Good luck, Walter.
SUMNER:
Come with me.
(DOOR BUZZES)
(DOOR BUZZING)
WALTER:
I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I can't help you.
Dr. Bishop. How you been?
You know I'm not really back.
Yeah, well, it's nice to see you anyway.
You have ten minutes, Walter.
Dashiell. It's me, Walter.
Walter Bishop.
Walter?
You look different.
Oh, yeah. It's the beard.
And you look different too somehow.
That smile.
Have they altered your medication?
Wouldn't surprise me.
These medieval quacks
are more proficient at phrenology...
...than psychopharmacology.
(BOTH LAUGHING)
I miss your jokes, Walter.
And I miss your stories.
The one about the woman
who took you away...
...with the green and red lights and...
Dashiell, look at me.
This is important.
The woman.
Where exactly did she take you?
I'm sorry.
I don't know what you're referring to.
You must be mistaking me
for someone else.
Now, if you'll excuse me,
I want to sit here...
...and finish my butterscotch pudding
in peace.
Hey.
WALTER:
You were always trying to solve it.
(KIM MUMBLING)
Yes.
I don't do math anymore, Walter.
Mathematical formulations are
not conducive to my mental stability.
That's fine.
But if you recognize the equation...
...do you not remember the woman
with the red and green lights...
- ...where she took you...?
- I don't do math anymore!
(INMATES SHOUTING)
You used to tell me the story all the time.
- I don't know!
- You drove me crazy.
- I don't do math anymore.
- I don't care about math.
- Dr. Bishop, please.
- No, I need to know where she took you.
That's enough. It's time to go.
(WALTER SHOUTING)
WALTER: Where is she?
- I've got him.
WALTER:
Please, Dashiell, tell me where she is.
What do you mean, you sedated him?
Walter is legally in my custody.
You have no right to keep him here.
Not only do I have every right
to hold him...
...I have a responsibility to hold him.
He accosted Mr. Kim.
If I release him and something happens...
I can assure you
that's not going to happen.
- He's under our supervision.
- Perhaps that compounded the problem.
Meaning what?
I had some time to talk to Dr. Bishop
after he calmed down...
...about his work assisting you.
And it is clear that exposing him to the
pressures of criminal investigations...
...while indulging
his fantastical pseudoscientific notions...
...has exacerbated the worst features
of his mental illness.
- Really?
- Really.
After what I saw the last three months...
...he strikes me
as one of the sanest people I know.
- Is that so?
OLIVIA: I'm gonna make this really simple.
Walter is assisting us
in a criminal investigation...
...which you are obstructing.
So either you release him into our custody
or I will get a court order.
You go get your court order, then.
(GRUNTING)
(SINGING " ROW, ROW, ROW YOUR BOAT")
(DOOR OPENING)
(FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING)
MAN:
Welcome back, Walter.
(LAUGHING)
Where are we on that tip from Rochester?
Agents are heading to the store
where they saw the boy.
They're hoping video surveillance
can confirm it was Ben.
Okay. Well, have we set up checkpoints?
No, they're on it. So far nothing.
I have the General Counsel's office
on the phone. It's about Dr. Bishop.
This is Agent Dunham.
No, I wanted you
to work around the protocol.
Please, I need your help.
I need to get Bishop out.
Okay, 7 a.m.
- Thank you.
- What was that?
We have to wait till morning
to have Walter released.
- Then he's out?
- I promise, and I'm sorry...
...and obviously, you were right.
No, this was Walter's choice.
Okay, so if you wanna go down
to reception...
...someone can arrange a ride,
and then at least one of us...
...can get some sleep.
The woman who abducted Ben,
Joanne Ostler...
...up until now,
everybody thought she was dead, right?
She's been walking around for 10 years.
Must be using somebody's name.
We didn't get any hits on an alias search.
- What did you base the search on?
- On the anagrams.
Like, combinations
of different family names.
It's what most people use.
Thanks, I know that.
I've done this once or twice.
Why doesn't that surprise me?
The best lie, the one that's easiest
to remember with consistency...
...is the one that's based on the truth.
When I would do this,
I'd base it on my name, Bishop.
So, Peter King, Peter Knight.
Well, that's a great idea
if your last name is as simple as Bishop...
...but what do you do when it's Ostler?
Is there a computer around here
I could use?
This is a serial abductor, so she's smart.
She's probably switched cars since then.
I want a record of every stolen car
from the last 36 hours.
Hey, where does this print? Thanks.
Every gas station
from Middletown to Rochester...
...and pull all the credit card receipts.
Ostler: Middle English for innkeeper.
Hold on. Middle English?
The point is, innkeeper got me to hotel.
I cross-indexed last names
that match hotels with her first name.
- Joanne Ritz.
- No photo, just a PO Box in Clarksburg.
- PO Box.
- Criminals don't like people...
...knowing where they live.
Can you expand the grid search
for Ben Stockton to Clarksburg?
(PIANO PLAYING)
What is it, Ben? What's wrong?
I just... I don't see it.
It's okay, Bean.
You're doing great, honey.
(PIANO PLAYING)
I can't.
I don't know how it ends.
Mom?
No. Please, I don't wanna go away.
Well, that's up to Ben, isn't it?
Mom.
Stop! What are you doing to her?
If you lose her again,
you'll only have yourself to blame.
Mom!
I'm sorry I upset you last night.
Go away.
There's a little boy out there.
He's in trouble. We're his only hope.
I don't want to talk about math, Walter.
We don't need to talk about the equation.
I need to know about the woman,
where she took you.
You're wrong. There was no woman.
Dashiell...
...if you don't, the boy...
He'll end up like us.
Walter, please. I can't!
Yes, you can.
It was so beautiful.
She promised me things...
...what I wanted most of all...
...but when I couldn't solve
the equation...
...she took it away.
Everything she promised...
...it was all a lie.
None of it was real.
She hurt me.
She put me in a dungeon.
She filled my mind with images
of people I loved...
...and then tortured them...
...ripping them apart...
...all the while, trying to suck
the answer she wanted out of my head.
But I couldn't.
I couldn't give her what she wanted.
- Where were you, Dashiell?
- I told you, a dungeon.
No, no, no.
Not some fantasy, you nitwit.
- Where were you really?
- Dungeon. A dungeon in a red castle.
You listen. You answer me.
No, no. Don't you understand?
No, listen.
This is the only way we'll find him.
None of it happened.
It was just a dream.
Just a bad dream.
SUMNER:
You're making a terrible mistake.
Despite whatever strings
you've managed to pull...
...your father is not mentally fit
to be released from this hospital.
Thanks for the advice.
My personal assessment is that
he's safer with me than he is with you.
He may not be the picture of sanity...
...but when I saw him come through
that door, I saw him change.
- He was afraid.
- So, what are you saying?
Are you saying that I somehow managed
to intentionally harm him?
"Office of Homeland Security."
- How'd you pull this off?
- Meaning?
Meaning that since you were here last,
I learned a little bit about you.
Enrolling in MIT
based on fraudulent credentials...
...starting businesses and failing,
and then running away...
Do you have a point?
You are not a fit guardian for Walter...
...and I'm gonna petition the state
to have him removed from your custody.
Excuse me?
Whether you're willing to recognize it
or not, Walter is a danger...
...both to himself and to others.
Then I guess the apple
doesn't fall far from the tree.
You think you know
what he's capable of...
...but you have no idea
what I'm capable of.
Are you threatening me?
- I'd like to see my father now.
- Uh-huh.
(DOOR BUZZES)
(DOOR BUZZES)
PETER:
Walter?
Are you okay?
I'd like to go now.
Of course. We'll go right now.
I failed.
It was all for nothing.
Dashiell went on and on
like an incoherent loon...
...about being taken to dungeons
in red castles.
Son...
...is that what it's like to talk to me?
Walter...
Let's go home.
Excuse me, ma'am.
I'm Special Agent Francis, with the FBI.
I was wondering if you've seen this boy.
His name's Ben Stockton. He's 10 years old.
(PHONE RINGS)
No, I'm sorry. What happened to him?
- This is Dunham.
- Hey, it's me.
Just want you to know he's out.
Good. How's he doing?
Yeah, he's okay,
but I hope you got a lead there.
Because this was a total bust.
I'm sorry. So he wasn't able
to connect with Dashiell?
No. He's taking it pretty hard.
He's beating himself up.
Did he get anything?
He just said the guy was babbling on,
talking about red castles and dungeons.
You know, he did what he could.
- I'm just glad he's okay.
- Yeah, me too.
If any red castles appear,
I'll let you know.
Sure.
CHARLIE:
It's not a drawbridge, but it's close.
OLIVIA: This place looks like
it hasn't been used for a while.
CHARLIE:
It's Francis.
Need you to pull up a property search
on an address for me.
OLIVIA: Charlie?
- Yeah?
I think I found something.
CHARLIE:
Watch yourself.
Thank God.
You're gonna be okay.
Stop!
Put your hands in the air!
(BEEPING)
CHARLIE:
You okay?
She was just there.
Nice to be home, right?
This place is filthy.
Did you have a party while I was gone?
No, Walter, I did not have a party.
I don't want you to take this
the wrong way...
- ...but I need space.
- Oh?
Sorry to spring this on you so suddenly...
...but these quarters are very cramped.
I think I'm ready for my own room.
Well, that's not a problem.
I can talk to Olivia tomorrow
about getting you some on-campus housing.
That would be very beneficial.
What you did
by going back into that place...
...was very, very brave, Walter.
Thank you, son.
Got it. Now let's see
if it really does what you said it would.
Where's the equation?
Seems crazy that some numbers
can make a machine like this work.
Look around your house,
your office, your kitchen...
Numbers make everything work.
Here we go.
It worked. That's incredible.
(GUNSHOT)
It worked.
OLIVIA:
Ben, are you hungry?
There's a vending machine in the hall.
I've got a roll of quarters.
- No, I'm okay, thanks.
- Sure?
BEN:
Mm-hm.
- Ben?
- Dad?
- Ben!
- Dad!
Release forms.
Soon as he signs, they're free to go.
Yeah... Oh, we should maybe
just let them have a minute.
I really need to call Peter and Walter.
After what Walter went through,
he'll be happy to know Ben's all right.
Good work.
Previously on Fringe:
Olivia Dunham, FBI.
BROYLES:
They're calling these events the Pattern.
As if someone out there
is experimenting...
...only the whole world is their lab.
BROYLES: Anybody you need you can have.
OLIVIA: His name's Walter Bishop.
- My father.
- He worked out of Harvard.
He was part of a classified U.S. Army
experimental program...
...in an area called fringe science.
You're telling me
my father was Dr. Frankenstein?
So much happened here,
and so much is about to.
STOCKTON:
Are those notes you're writing, Ben?
I thought we talked about this.
You know... About taking a break
from the music.
So you'd have time for other things.
Maybe something new.
Dad? Don't get mad at me...
...but the windshield wipers,
can you slow them down?
Slow them down?
The tempo. It's messing me up.
Sorry, Bean, I can't.
I need to be able to see.
(THUNDER RUMBLING)
WOMAN:
Stop! I need help!
BEN: What is it?
- I don't know. Let's see.
You okay?
I'm fine. I can't say
the same for my car.
It shuddered and then stopped,
and my phone's dead.
Oh, hold on. Be right back.
WOMAN: Thank you.
- Of course.
Not a night
you wanna get stuck out here.
(PHONE DIALING)
Yeah, I need a tow.
I'm on Route 12
about two miles north of Fair Oak.
Yeah. Massachusetts plate, 332 EWD.
All right, thanks.
They're busy. It's gonna be a while.
Now I'm definitely gonna be late
to that meeting. This one's important.
Listen, I know hardly a thing about cars,
but why don't you let me take a look?
- No, you've done enough. No.
- It's all right.
STOCKTON:
Transmission's dry.
Some kind of electrical short.
Hey, easy. Didn't mean to scare you.
It's okay. I didn't... I didn't hear you.
Yeah, listen, sorry it took so long.
- Hey, man, you okay?
- Where's her car?
Ben?
Ben?
Ben!
Ben!
Fringe
s1e08 The Equation
BROYLES:
The boy's name is Ben Stockton.
According to his father,
they were driving home...
...when he saw a woman
having car trouble.
Claims that while he was looking
at the car, something happened.
Said it was like time jumped...
...and his son, the woman
and her car were suddenly gone.
So he just blacked out.
In the statement he gave,
he insisted he never lost consciousness.
Any witnesses to back up the story?
No. But this is not the first time
this has happened.
These are from the files of three
missing-person cases dating back 10 years.
In each one, witnesses described
seeing the same woman.
We've tried running
facial-recognition software.
- Nothing.
- So, what happened to the other victims?
BROYLES: The first was found wandering
the I-91 near Northampton.
The second, in a supermarket
curled up in the freezer bin.
PETER: Meaning what? They were let go?
- Apparently.
But not before whatever had been done
drove them insane.
After she was found, one of the victims...
...actually tried to lobotomize herself
using a butter knife.
And all of them incapable of recalling
what happened during the abduction.
Even under hypnosis.
So they were all academics.
A probability theorist,
structural engineer...
If we're looking at a serial abduction...
...then a 10-year-old kid
doesn't fit the bill.
No. But other than that,
the details are identical to the others.
Interacting with the woman in the sketch,
then experiencing lost time.
Peculiar flashing lights.
Green, green, green, red.
Like Christmas lights.
How did you know that, Dr. Bishop?
I don't know.
- But that's what happened, isn't it?
- Yes.
Think you might be able
to jog your mind, Walter?
Could be helpful.
Christmas lights.
That's all I can recall. Sorry.
I know what it sounds like.
Like I'm crazy. I'm not.
I talked to her. I touched her car.
The police grilled my brother for hours.
Treated him like a suspect.
- I know what I saw.
- Why doesn't anybody believe him?
STOCKTON:
We're wasting time. We need to find Ben.
I believe you.
In fact, we think the same woman
may be involved in other abductions.
This has happened before?
Why would anyone wanna take my son?
I don't know. Honestly, he doesn't really
fit the profile of the other victims.
For one, they were all adults.
And another, they were all academics.
Experts in various fields.
What?
Ben is kind of an expert himself.
What do you mean?
Nine months ago,
my wife was walking Ben to school.
Some idiot late for a dentist appointment
ran a red light.
And they were hit in a crosswalk.
Abby was killed.
The doctors didn't know
if Ben was gonna make it either.
He was in a coma for six days,
and when he woke up...
It's easier if I just show you.
(PIANO PLAYING)
This is the day
I took him home from the hospital.
He hadn't spoken, said even a word
since I told him his mother died.
Then we got home, and he just sat down
at the piano and started to play.
He's very talented.
Before this,
he had never taken a single lesson.
Doctors told me there have been cases,
people with severe brain traumas...
...waking up with the ability
to do things they'd never done before.
Two weeks later,
he was composing his own music.
One piece in particular.
He stopped being interested
in everything else.
You said the other people that had been
taken were accomplished at something.
Do you think that
that's why they took Ben?
I don't know.
Thank you so much for your time.
Agent Dunham?
After Abby died, my brother...
...he barely held it together.
Without Ben, I don't think he'll make it.
I'll do everything I can.
How are you feeling, Ben?
I wanna go home.
I just wanna see my dad.
Well, I have something better for you.
There's someone else here
who would like to see you.
I don't care!
I wanna see my dad.
Oh, well, your mother
will be very disappointed to hear that.
My mom's dead.
Are you sure about that?
(WALTER SINGING " DECK THE HALLS")
Hey, Walter?
Don't you think it's early
for the yuletide cheer?
I'm reciting Christmas carols
in an attempt...
...to jar loose some details
from my subconscious...
...to remember where I heard mention
of the green and red lights.
But sadly it hasn't yet worked.
So you thought it would be useful
to work on decorations?
Though I can't recall
where I heard of the lights...
...it did give me an idea,
a theory as to how the boy was taken.
I was hired to design a technology,
an intricate pattern of flashing lights...
...intended to create
a suggestible state of hypnosis.
Theoretically, the test subjects
would do whatever commanded.
Bark like a dog, dance a jig, wash the car.
The government
had you working on mind control?
Not the government.
It was an advertising agency.
They hoped to broadcast
the flashing lights during commercials...
...so that the viewers would have
no choice but to buy their products.
Unfortunately, it merely caused nausea...
...which was unfortunate because
apparently people don't like to shop...
...when they feel like
they're going to throw up.
Miss, where is the remote?!
Oh, hey. Walter. Walter. Walter.
Dial it down a notch, all right?
I posit that the flashing lights
witnessed by the father...
...induced a hypnagogic trance...
...during which stage
the child was abducted.
- You said the experiments were failures.
- Oh, yes.
But I focused solely on the timing
and intensity of the flashes...
...not the colors. The green and red.
Now, I suggest that those wavelengths
are the key to success.
Come. Let me demonstrate. Come.
- What do you want me to do?
- Now just stare at the lights.
(BEEPING)
(BEEPING)
(BEEPING)
(BEEPING)
Sorry, Walter, better luck next time.
Anyone ready for lunch?
What's up, Chachi?
Did you do this to me?
You did.
(PHONE RINGING)
- Dunham.
CHARLIE: It's me.
Based on the description by the father,
I ID'd your kidnapper.
Name's Joanne Ostler.
She was a neurologist studying at MIT.
She would have been 30 this March.
- What do you mean, "would have been"?
- According to DMV records...
...Joanne Ostler died 10 years ago.
Are you sure?
Looks identical to the woman
from your sketch.
She doesn't have a twin. I checked.
So, what happened to her?
Apparently her car went off the bridge
in November of '98...
...eight months before
any of the abductions.
How is that even possible?
Here's the thing. The car was recovered,
but the body was never found.
So then it's possible that she survived.
Either that,
or Broyles has you chasing a ghost.
(SINGING "JINGLE BELLS")
OLIVIA:
Hey. What the hell's he doing?
It'll help him remember
where he's heard about the lights.
- Okay.
- We've got news.
We understand how Ben was abducted.
Those flashing lights, they put
the father into a hypnagogic state.
We think we may have ID'd
the woman responsible.
WALTER:
I have it.
Christmas. Christmas.
Leading to Christmas carols,
one of which is "Jingle Bells."
Which leads naturally to
"dashing through the snow."
Which of course inevitably
leads one to "dash."
- To "dash"?
- Dashiell Kim.
The man who mentioned
the lights to me. I'm sure.
Where is he, Walter? Can we talk to him?
I guess that would depend on whether...
...he has succeeded in
killing himself or not.
What are talking about, Walter?
Who is this guy?
A fellow inmate of mine
at St. Claire's asylum.
I think we may have ID'd
another abductee. Dashiell Kim.
Headed up Astrophysics at U-Mass.
Went missing in May 2006.
Turned up a week later
at his home outside Clarksburg...
...where he had a psychotic break...
...bludgeoned his wife to death
with a tire iron.
He was committed
to St. Claire's Hospital.
He was there at the
same time as Bishop?
Walter remembers Kim
telling him a story...
...about a woman who put him to sleep
with a Christmas tree.
- And then took him away.
- Green and red lights.
And he fits the profile.
Expert in a scientific field.
I need you to get an interview request
pushed through legal...
...so that we can arrange a visitation.
Any specific things that Kim
might remember about the abduction...
- ...like where he was taken maybe.
- That might take time.
- How come?
- Says here Dashiell Kim is a 10-27.
- And what's that?
- Ten-27:
Criminally insane
with knowledge of state secrets.
Apparently Kim had a sideline
consulting on defense contracts for JPL.
You can't talk to him
without official clearance.
And how long will that take?
If we go through channels?
Six weeks minimum.
I've got a contact at Justice.
I'll tell him it's urgent.
I don't know how a guy
that can do this to his own wife...
...is gonna help you find that missing kid.
JOANNE: You've never looked at it
in that order, have you?
No.
Hi, Bean.
Mom?
Mom.
PETER:
He did this to his own wife.
Thirty-two years of marriage.
By all accounts, they seemed happy.
Until Dashiell showed up after
he was abducted and beat her to death.
Did I hear mention
of my old friend Dashiell?
Of course.
I'd recognize his handiwork anywhere.
You mean he killed others?
Well, he tried.
A patient at the institution, Jasper.
But actually,
I was referring to the equation.
Dashiell was obsessed with it.
- Obsessed in what way?
- He couldn't complete it.
I tried to help him solve it once,
and he came at me with a plastic spork.
(CHUCKLES)
What are you thinking?
Ben's father said that Ben became
obsessed with this one piece of music.
And he couldn't complete it either.
WALTER: I've been listening to it.
It's very beautiful.
He's light-years ahead
of where you were at that age.
Walter, take a look at this.
See this function?
It appears here, here.
- It just keeps repeating over and over.
- Yes, yes. A recurring expression.
Or it's a rhythm.
Well, yes, I suppose.
Are you suggesting...?
Can you convert that
into standard musical notation?
Oh, I can try.
- What's going on?
- Music is a mathematical language.
Chords have numerical values.
The notes... Quarters, 8ths, 16ths
are fractions, variables.
I took the oboe for six months
and then quit.
WALTER:
Almost there, Peter. Okay.
Just nine bars.
PETER:
Okay, listen to this.
Sound familiar?
That's Ben's song.
Yes, Ben's piece
is the musical equivalent...
...of Dashiell's mathematical formula.
How is that possible?
They'd never even met each other.
It's not so surprising, actually.
Curious minds often converge
on the same idea.
Newton and Leibnitz independently...
...without knowing each other,
invented calculus.
The relevant question is, what is it?
What is what?
What is it that both Ben and Dashiell
are trying to solve?
BEN:
How is this possible? Are we in heaven?
No, honey. We're not in heaven.
But I don't understand.
I saw you get hurt.
I don't understand either,
but I do know that I'm here...
...and that I've missed you
so much, Bean.
For me to stay,
you have to do what this woman says.
You have to finish the song, Bean.
You need to finish it.
It's important, Ben.
BEN:
Okay.
I love you, Mom.
ABBY:
I love you too, Bean.
OLIVIA: Dr. Sumner.
- Hello.
Thank you so much
for taking time to speak with me.
I understand you're interested in talking
to one of my patients.
Although I can't imagine what help
Dashiell Kim could be to the FBI.
We're investigating
a missing-persons case. A kidnapping.
We believe that, before coming here...
...Mr. Kim may have been the victim
of an abduction...
...possibly by the same person
that we're looking for.
I suppose you came by this information
through a former patient of mine.
A Dr. Walter Bishop?
You're the agent who took him
three months ago, aren't you?
Yes. And you should know Dr. Bishop
is doing quite well.
He's been assisting us
since he checked out.
He has no business being out
among the rest of us.
I appreciate your concern...
...but I'm not here
to talk about Dr. Bishop.
I respect your discretion,
provided you respect mine.
The mental health of my patients
is my primary concern.
And subjecting them to open-ended
interrogations by FBI agents...
...is hardly prudent therapy.
I appreciate your position.
And I'd like to help.
But I can't subject Dashiell
to new faces right now.
Dr. Sumner, I'm here because
a child's life may be in danger.
There may be a way
we can work this out.
I'm listening.
You've assured me that Walter Bishop
is doing fine.
If that's the case...
...l'll allow Walter Bishop
to talk to Mr. Kim...
...and ask your questions.
It might do Dashiell good
to see a familiar face.
PETER:
Olivia, there's nothing to discuss.
But it's the only way
we can make contact with Kim.
PETER: Absolutely not.
- Peter...
You want to send my mentally
unstable father back to the institution...
- ...that made him that way.
- We don't have a choice.
We need to speak to Dashiell.
Without Sumner's permission,
we need a subpoena...
- ...which will take time.
- Even if he speaks to him...
...what makes you think
he'll remember a word?
He can't remember
what he had for lunch.
I have noticed that you have a habit of
referring to me as if I'm not in the room.
Does anyone care what I think?
Yes, Walter. What do you want to do?
I'd rather not go.
OLIVIA: Walter...
PETER: Olivia, he said no.
That is incorrect.
I said I'd rather not go.
But I will.
Every moment that passes...
...is another moment
that little boy's life is in danger.
Isn't that correct, Agent Dunham?
- Mm-hm.
- Then we should go.
(DOOR BUZZES)
Well, are you ready?
When you get out, we'll be right here.
OLIVIA:
Good luck, Walter.
SUMNER:
Come with me.
(DOOR BUZZES)
(DOOR BUZZING)
WALTER:
I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I can't help you.
Dr. Bishop. How you been?
You know I'm not really back.
Yeah, well, it's nice to see you anyway.
You have ten minutes, Walter.
Dashiell. It's me, Walter.
Walter Bishop.
Walter?
You look different.
Oh, yeah. It's the beard.
And you look different too somehow.
That smile.
Have they altered your medication?
Wouldn't surprise me.
These medieval quacks
are more proficient at phrenology...
...than psychopharmacology.
(BOTH LAUGHING)
I miss your jokes, Walter.
And I miss your stories.
The one about the woman
who took you away...
...with the green and red lights and...
Dashiell, look at me.
This is important.
The woman.
Where exactly did she take you?
I'm sorry.
I don't know what you're referring to.
You must be mistaking me
for someone else.
Now, if you'll excuse me,
I want to sit here...
...and finish my butterscotch pudding
in peace.
Hey.
WALTER:
You were always trying to solve it.
(KIM MUMBLING)
Yes.
I don't do math anymore, Walter.
Mathematical formulations are
not conducive to my mental stability.
That's fine.
But if you recognize the equation...
...do you not remember the woman
with the red and green lights...
- ...where she took you...?
- I don't do math anymore!
(INMATES SHOUTING)
You used to tell me the story all the time.
- I don't know!
- You drove me crazy.
- I don't do math anymore.
- I don't care about math.
- Dr. Bishop, please.
- No, I need to know where she took you.
That's enough. It's time to go.
(WALTER SHOUTING)
WALTER: Where is she?
- I've got him.
WALTER:
Please, Dashiell, tell me where she is.
What do you mean, you sedated him?
Walter is legally in my custody.
You have no right to keep him here.
Not only do I have every right
to hold him...
...I have a responsibility to hold him.
He accosted Mr. Kim.
If I release him and something happens...
I can assure you
that's not going to happen.
- He's under our supervision.
- Perhaps that compounded the problem.
Meaning what?
I had some time to talk to Dr. Bishop
after he calmed down...
...about his work assisting you.
And it is clear that exposing him to the
pressures of criminal investigations...
...while indulging
his fantastical pseudoscientific notions...
...has exacerbated the worst features
of his mental illness.
- Really?
- Really.
After what I saw the last three months...
...he strikes me
as one of the sanest people I know.
- Is that so?
OLIVIA: I'm gonna make this really simple.
Walter is assisting us
in a criminal investigation...
...which you are obstructing.
So either you release him into our custody
or I will get a court order.
You go get your court order, then.
(GRUNTING)
(SINGING " ROW, ROW, ROW YOUR BOAT")
(DOOR OPENING)
(FOOTSTEPS APPROACHING)
MAN:
Welcome back, Walter.
(LAUGHING)
Where are we on that tip from Rochester?
Agents are heading to the store
where they saw the boy.
They're hoping video surveillance
can confirm it was Ben.
Okay. Well, have we set up checkpoints?
No, they're on it. So far nothing.
I have the General Counsel's office
on the phone. It's about Dr. Bishop.
This is Agent Dunham.
No, I wanted you
to work around the protocol.
Please, I need your help.
I need to get Bishop out.
Okay, 7 a.m.
- Thank you.
- What was that?
We have to wait till morning
to have Walter released.
- Then he's out?
- I promise, and I'm sorry...
...and obviously, you were right.
No, this was Walter's choice.
Okay, so if you wanna go down
to reception...
...someone can arrange a ride,
and then at least one of us...
...can get some sleep.
The woman who abducted Ben,
Joanne Ostler...
...up until now,
everybody thought she was dead, right?
She's been walking around for 10 years.
Must be using somebody's name.
We didn't get any hits on an alias search.
- What did you base the search on?
- On the anagrams.
Like, combinations
of different family names.
It's what most people use.
Thanks, I know that.
I've done this once or twice.
Why doesn't that surprise me?
The best lie, the one that's easiest
to remember with consistency...
...is the one that's based on the truth.
When I would do this,
I'd base it on my name, Bishop.
So, Peter King, Peter Knight.
Well, that's a great idea
if your last name is as simple as Bishop...
...but what do you do when it's Ostler?
Is there a computer around here
I could use?
This is a serial abductor, so she's smart.
She's probably switched cars since then.
I want a record of every stolen car
from the last 36 hours.
Hey, where does this print? Thanks.
Every gas station
from Middletown to Rochester...
...and pull all the credit card receipts.
Ostler: Middle English for innkeeper.
Hold on. Middle English?
The point is, innkeeper got me to hotel.
I cross-indexed last names
that match hotels with her first name.
- Joanne Ritz.
- No photo, just a PO Box in Clarksburg.
- PO Box.
- Criminals don't like people...
...knowing where they live.
Can you expand the grid search
for Ben Stockton to Clarksburg?
(PIANO PLAYING)
What is it, Ben? What's wrong?
I just... I don't see it.
It's okay, Bean.
You're doing great, honey.
(PIANO PLAYING)
I can't.
I don't know how it ends.
Mom?
No. Please, I don't wanna go away.
Well, that's up to Ben, isn't it?
Mom.
Stop! What are you doing to her?
If you lose her again,
you'll only have yourself to blame.
Mom!
I'm sorry I upset you last night.
Go away.
There's a little boy out there.
He's in trouble. We're his only hope.
I don't want to talk about math, Walter.
We don't need to talk about the equation.
I need to know about the woman,
where she took you.
You're wrong. There was no woman.
Dashiell...
...if you don't, the boy...
He'll end up like us.
Walter, please. I can't!
Yes, you can.
It was so beautiful.
She promised me things...
...what I wanted most of all...
...but when I couldn't solve
the equation...
...she took it away.
Everything she promised...
...it was all a lie.
None of it was real.
She hurt me.
She put me in a dungeon.
She filled my mind with images
of people I loved...
...and then tortured them...
...ripping them apart...
...all the while, trying to suck
the answer she wanted out of my head.
But I couldn't.
I couldn't give her what she wanted.
- Where were you, Dashiell?
- I told you, a dungeon.
No, no, no.
Not some fantasy, you nitwit.
- Where were you really?
- Dungeon. A dungeon in a red castle.
You listen. You answer me.
No, no. Don't you understand?
No, listen.
This is the only way we'll find him.
None of it happened.
It was just a dream.
Just a bad dream.
SUMNER:
You're making a terrible mistake.
Despite whatever strings
you've managed to pull...
...your father is not mentally fit
to be released from this hospital.
Thanks for the advice.
My personal assessment is that
he's safer with me than he is with you.
He may not be the picture of sanity...
...but when I saw him come through
that door, I saw him change.
- He was afraid.
- So, what are you saying?
Are you saying that I somehow managed
to intentionally harm him?
"Office of Homeland Security."
- How'd you pull this off?
- Meaning?
Meaning that since you were here last,
I learned a little bit about you.
Enrolling in MIT
based on fraudulent credentials...
...starting businesses and failing,
and then running away...
Do you have a point?
You are not a fit guardian for Walter...
...and I'm gonna petition the state
to have him removed from your custody.
Excuse me?
Whether you're willing to recognize it
or not, Walter is a danger...
...both to himself and to others.
Then I guess the apple
doesn't fall far from the tree.
You think you know
what he's capable of...
...but you have no idea
what I'm capable of.
Are you threatening me?
- I'd like to see my father now.
- Uh-huh.
(DOOR BUZZES)
(DOOR BUZZES)
PETER:
Walter?
Are you okay?
I'd like to go now.
Of course. We'll go right now.
I failed.
It was all for nothing.
Dashiell went on and on
like an incoherent loon...
...about being taken to dungeons
in red castles.
Son...
...is that what it's like to talk to me?
Walter...
Let's go home.
Excuse me, ma'am.
I'm Special Agent Francis, with the FBI.
I was wondering if you've seen this boy.
His name's Ben Stockton. He's 10 years old.
(PHONE RINGS)
No, I'm sorry. What happened to him?
- This is Dunham.
- Hey, it's me.
Just want you to know he's out.
Good. How's he doing?
Yeah, he's okay,
but I hope you got a lead there.
Because this was a total bust.
I'm sorry. So he wasn't able
to connect with Dashiell?
No. He's taking it pretty hard.
He's beating himself up.
Did he get anything?
He just said the guy was babbling on,
talking about red castles and dungeons.
You know, he did what he could.
- I'm just glad he's okay.
- Yeah, me too.
If any red castles appear,
I'll let you know.
Sure.
CHARLIE:
It's not a drawbridge, but it's close.
OLIVIA: This place looks like
it hasn't been used for a while.
CHARLIE:
It's Francis.
Need you to pull up a property search
on an address for me.
OLIVIA: Charlie?
- Yeah?
I think I found something.
CHARLIE:
Watch yourself.
Thank God.
You're gonna be okay.
Stop!
Put your hands in the air!
(BEEPING)
CHARLIE:
You okay?
She was just there.
Nice to be home, right?
This place is filthy.
Did you have a party while I was gone?
No, Walter, I did not have a party.
I don't want you to take this
the wrong way...
- ...but I need space.
- Oh?
Sorry to spring this on you so suddenly...
...but these quarters are very cramped.
I think I'm ready for my own room.
Well, that's not a problem.
I can talk to Olivia tomorrow
about getting you some on-campus housing.
That would be very beneficial.
What you did
by going back into that place...
...was very, very brave, Walter.
Thank you, son.
Got it. Now let's see
if it really does what you said it would.
Where's the equation?
Seems crazy that some numbers
can make a machine like this work.
Look around your house,
your office, your kitchen...
Numbers make everything work.
Here we go.
It worked. That's incredible.
(GUNSHOT)
It worked.
OLIVIA:
Ben, are you hungry?
There's a vending machine in the hall.
I've got a roll of quarters.
- No, I'm okay, thanks.
- Sure?
BEN:
Mm-hm.
- Ben?
- Dad?
- Ben!
- Dad!
Release forms.
Soon as he signs, they're free to go.
Yeah... Oh, we should maybe
just let them have a minute.
I really need to call Peter and Walter.
After what Walter went through,
he'll be happy to know Ben's all right.
Good work.