Fringe (2008–2013): Season 5, Episode 9 - Black Blotter - full transcript

I'm going to show you the next piece
of the plan...

...to defeat the Observers.

Previously on Fringe:

Donald.
- "Donald"?

That's the name of the man
that was waiting for Walter 21 years ago.

He's gone. He was a part of the plan.

Without all of the parts, the plan is useless!

And you have no idea who Donald is?

- No.
- We have to find him.

This radio was left for us
in the pocket universe.

Look, the tuning dial's been jammed.



It's, like, stuck on one frequency.

Why? Nothing's being transmitted.

The man I was before, he was consumed by
ambition, by hubris...

...and all he cared about was
walking with the gods.

Everyone I care about will be driven away.

That's the only way to hold onto
the man I've become.

You must remove these pieces of my brain.

Walter?

Walter.

Hello, Astrid.

Walter, what are you doing out here?

Your hair...

...it's beautiful.

Thanks.



Did you fix this radio?
Because it's picking up a signal.

It's beautiful.

- You okay?
- Ugh.

Yeah. Yeah, I just can't sleep.

How are you feeling?

I had another one of those headaches.

Can I get you something?

No.

I got everything I need right here.

There's something you both need to see.
The radio's working.

The pattern's repeating on a loop.

It's like it's some kind of Morse code,
but it's not Morse code.

Or at least it's not any Morse code that
I've ever heard.

So do you think maybe it's Donald?

Why now?

How would he even know
that we're still alive?

He left the radio for Walter
for a reason...

...and he left it on that frequency for
a reason. Maybe he's trying to contact us.

Him or anybody else
with a shortwave radio.

The only way to know for sure
is to find out what that message is.

Walter.

Walter?

Do you recognize this?

It's gonna be difficult to get any information
from him right now...

...because he dropped acid.

Walter?

Walter?

Walter, are you tripping?

Most definitely.

Walter.

I need to talk to you.

Can you concentrate for a moment?

Carla Warren is here.

My old dead lab assistant
is here to haunt me.

The one that was burned in the fire.

The radio is picking up a transmission.

We think it's a message from Donald.
Do you recognize it?

Okay, uh, I ran prelims on the transmission
through my encryption program...

...trying to figure out if there's a pattern
hidden in the beeps and tones.

Can't make heads or tails of it.

Okay. Walter, if they're right and Donald did
send you a message...

...it makes sense that
he'd expect you to know it.

Right. Makes sense.

Why send me a message
I can't understand?

- So can you? Understand it?
- Hmm?

It's in A-minor.

Peter, I am sorry.

I didn't know
we were going to get a message.

How could I know that? I wouldn't
have taken the acid if I had known that.

What kind of acid did you take?

Black Blotter.

I found some hidden in the storeroom.

Why?

Because it was an excellent batch.

No. Why did you drop acid?

I'm desperate to remember the plan
before he completely takes over.

Who are you talking about, Walter?

Nina and I made an arrangement.

What kind of arrangement?

She promised...

...that when I finish the plan
to defeat the Observers...

...she would help me remove the pieces
of brain that they put back in.

I don't think that's a good idea, Walter.

I don't want to lose you, Peter.

I don't want to lose any of you.

And you won't, Walter. I'm right here.

We're all right here. Together.

It's not enough.

I'm afraid we're running out of time.

What do you mean, Walter?

Two nights ago. You were all asleep.

I found myself at the tunnel entrance door,
dressed and ready to go.

To go outside. Out there.

Where was I going at 3:00 in the morning,
Peter, where?

- I don't know, Walter.
- And neither do I.

- But he does.
- But he does.

He knows where I was going.

Who knows, Walter?

The Walter that was.

I don't even remember what I was doing.

Like the first time I went out.
But I stopped myself.

But what if next time, I didn't stop myself,
couldn't stop myself. What then?

I promised you, Peter. But he made me.
He almost made me.

For reasons I do not know.

I need to figure out this blasted plan
to defeat the Observers...

...and I have to do it quickly,
to rid myself of this devil.

There must be something they left intact.
Something I can use.

Peter. Peter.

Peter.

I don't think I should be discussing this
in my condition.

You need to allow me to do my work.
I need to think...

...to figure out the tones.

Okay. Come on.

What if we don't have to crack the code?

- What do you mean?
- The signal's coming from somewhere.

If we track it, maybe we can figure out
what it means.

Peter, can we locate where this signal
is being broadcast from?

I'll get in contact with Anil.

See if the resistance has a receiver
that can help us triangulate the signal.

Thrown like a star in my vast sleep
I open my eyes to take a peek

To find that I was by the sea
Gazing with tranquility

'Twas then when the hurdy gurdy man
Came singing songs of love

Thank you, my dear.

"Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy
Hurdy gurdy gurdy" he sang

"Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy
Hurdy gurdy gurdy" he sang

"Hurdy gurdy, hurdy gurdy
Hurdy gurdy gurdy" he sang

Histories of ages past
Hung in light and shadows cast

Down through all eternity...

The tech works by isolating the frequency
of the radio signal you're looking for.

Locates the signal by using three different
vectors to triangulate the signal.

Do we have to be at a certain elevation
to track it?

No, the machine does it for you,
utilizing a satellite.

Hey, Walter.

We're about to find the signal's origin.

I-- I know that.

Do you know that there's something
hidden in this lab?

Walter?

Walter.

What's wrong with him?

- When did he get here?
- Half an hour ago.

He brought the tech that will help us
track the signal's location.

Let me set the parameters.

Set those red geolocate buttons to "accept."

Go back. I think that was it.

We go on foot from here. The transmission's
definitely coming from that direction.

Well, how far out?

Uh, hard to say, but the signal's so strong...

...not more than
a couple hundred yards?

What?

You amaze me.

After everything I put you through...

...I did the very thing I promised you
I wouldn't do. I left you again.

I'm more than a little embarrassed,
you know.

You don't have to say anything.

No, I do.

I don't deserve you.

I'm just so lucky.

I'm so incredibly lucky to have you.

Peter.

It was an Observer.

Peter.

There are two more over here.

Another Observer and a Loyalist.

Looks like they were killed
during a firefight.

Based on the decomp of their bodies,
I'd say 10, 15 years ago, at least.

I think we just found Donald.

Liv, look at this.

It's an early prototype Observer gun.

Looks like he killed the two Observers
and the Loyalist...

...then died of his wounds before
he could drive away.

If Donald's been dead all these years,
where's the signal coming from?

Right over there.

Olivia! This isn't the source
of the transmission.

It's a relay being used to boost the signal
being bounced in from somewhere else.

What is it?

The body behind the wheel? It isn't Donald.

It's Sam Weiss.

Walter?

What is it?

Was there a man that was part of the plan
named Sam Weiss?

Sam Weiss?

I've never heard of him.

He doesn't know him.

Who is he?

Uh...

He was someone that Peter and I knew
in a different timeline.

Was?

Yeah, we just found his body.

Looks like he was trying to protect
the signal relay from the radio transmission.

What did he have to do with Donald
and the signal?

We don't know. But apparently he was
helping to keep the transmission going.

Is there a possibility that Sam Weiss
was Donald?

I don't think so. We've seen glimpses
of Donald on the videotapes...

...and his hair color and body type
doesn't match up.

Peter's recalibrating the tracking device
so we can find the signal's origin point.

We'll call you back
when we have something new.

Yeah.

Okay, she won't see you now.

You're still cold, Walter.

Colder.

This is absurd.

I don't have time for infantile games.

Just tell me what it is
you have me looking for.

Your secrets.

I have no idea what you're talking about.

And I can't begin to guess.

"Can't"? That word was never in
the vocabulary of the Walter Bishop I knew.

You once told me:

"There is no God in this lab but me."

He is not me. Tell her, Nina.

He's right.
- That Walter would think nothing...

...of going off on his own
to New York right now.

He'd share all his secrets
with the Observers.

Demonstrate his unequalled brilliance.

A man of your staggering intellect and vision
would be recognized by the Observers.

Valued. Revered, even.

Grab your coat and hat.

Stop. I won't let you talk me into it.
I'm not leaving...

...the lab by myself again. I promised Peter!

I will not jeopardize the plan.

I won't risk the safety
of everyone I care about.

Walter!

Warmer.

You're burning up.

And I know how that feels.

I don't understand.

What is this?

Put it back, Walter.

It's your life's work.

The work that I came to burn
the night that I died.

Perhaps just a peek.

This is my matter displacement
invention for removing food from cans.

I was going to render
the can opener obsolete.

Mister.

- I don't know if I can make change for this.
- Try.

Look.

And my design for the combustible engine
powered by potatoes.

What's "black umbrella"?
Is that in here?

What is "black umbrella"?
Why is it in my head?

Ah, would you care for a top off, sir?

I have, uh, Purple Microdot, or would you
like to stick with the Black Blotter?

I don't mind if I do.

Excellent choice, sir.

Ah. When I crossed universes to save Peter...

...this is when I first realized
how I could do it.

Do you remember anything else?

When you were going to create your own
universe and start from scratch?

I'm not who you say I am.
I am not that man anymore.

- Where am I?
- You're in Manhattan.

- Manhattan?
- At the Observer precinct.

What am I doing here?

You snuck out of the lab.
You tricked Astrid.

Why would I do that?
I-- I-- I promised Peter.

I promised that I wouldn't
leave the lab alone again.

I wouldn't make a unilateral decision. Or do
something that could hurt the people I love.

You're in denial. You've been him
longer than you've been you.

Why else do you think I'm here?

Just like this journal, I represent all of the
things that you were trying to keep buried.

I wanted to cry for you.

I'm different now.

It was a surgical procedure that made you
the Walter you're clinging to.

You can't hide from who you are.

I've made a terrible mistake.
I've risked everything.

I've put everybody in jeopardy.
I must find my way home.

Come on, Walter. We're waiting for you.

- What are we doing here?
- We're meeting Peter and Olivia.

We have to rent a boat, remember?

A boat?

Ha, ha. Whoa.

- What's wrong with him?
- He's fine.

Here you go.

It's at the end of the dock.

Easy on the choke. You'll flood the engine
if you give it too much gas.

All right. Let's go, Walter.

Why do we need a boat, Peter?

We used the tech that Anil gave us to
locate the origin point of Donald's signal.

Where's it coming from?

There. That island.
That's where we're going, Walter.

- Is that where Donald is?
- We're gonna find out.

Oh, my.

Watch your step, Walter.

What's wrong? What's happening?

Walter, it's okay. Just relax.

- No. We have to hurry.
- No--

No, Walter. Just slow down.

Slow down.

Hey. You there.

- Afternoon.
- Hold up!

That your boat?

Yeah, we're just going down
to visit my uncle.

- Your uncle?
- He lives out on Thimble Island.

I'm gonna have to do a scan.

Sure thing. No problem.

You have papers?

Yeah. Right here.

Come on, Walter!

Why are these mice shooting at us?

Let's go.

Based on the strength of the signal,
we're getting close.

Look. There's a path just over there.

How're you doing, Walter?

He's fine.

This is where the signal originates.

Who are you? What do you want?

We're here to meet Donald.

Are you Donald?

There's no Donald here.

Have you ever seen this man before?
Do you recognize him?

I don't know who you are, but turn around
and go back where you came from.

Astrid. Do you see him?
The child Observer.

Oh, my God.
- It's him.

Richard?

Who are these people?

I have it under control, Carolyn.
Go back inside.

We're here because of
a man named Donald.

You know him?

He left a radio for us and this morning,
it started transmitting a signal...

...that led us here.

Put the gun down.

Richard. We knew this day could happen.

That one day,
someone would come for him.

You said you picked up
a radio transmission.

Then you know it contained
a message with a password.

The message was in code.
We couldn't crack it.

Donald said the person he left
the radio for would know the code.

If you are who you say you are,
tell me the password.

Tell me the password.

I love to go a-wandering

Along the mountain track

And as I go, I love to sing

My knapsack on my back

Val-deri
Val-dera

Val-deri
Val-dera-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha

Val-deri
Val-dera

My knapsack on my back

Hmm? Hmm.

I love to wander by the stream

That dances in the sun

So joyously it calls to me,
"Come! Join my happy song! "

Val-deri
Val-dera

Val-deri
Val-dera-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha

Val-dera

Black umbrella.

It's black umbrella.

That's the password.

Black umbrella.

I think you better come inside.

You know Donald.
So, what can you tell us about him?

When the invaders came,
and people started to fight back...

...my wife and I helped the cause
in any way we could.

We gave food, supplies,
medical attention...

...and shelter to those courageous enough
to stand up against them.

You were part of the resistance?

We didn't call ourselves that back then,
but yes.

After a while, we acquired a reputation
as people who could be trusted.

That's how we met Donald.

About eight months after the invasion,
he showed up at our doorstep.

He said the invaders were looking for him
and he had to go away...

...but he needed us to watch over the boy.

He said he was part of an important plan
to defeat the invaders.

Donald said he'd worked
with a scientist from Boston...

...but the scientist had been captured.
He wasn't sure he'd ever see him again...

- ...but that he hoped that he would.
- That's me.

- Did Donald say where he was going?
- No.

- You never saw him again after that?
- That was part of the arrangement.

He couldn't come back.
He didn't want to put us in danger.

We heard that he was dead.

Before he left, he gave us this.

We had to turn it on every five
days at the same time...

...so it could broadcast a coded message.

If you were still alive, you would get
the message and come for the boy.

That was over 20 years ago.

He doesn't speak.

He hasn't aged a day
since he came to live with us.

We call him Michael.

There were times when I thought
about not turning that signal on anymore.

Selfishly, I wanted to keep him here with us.

This is the hardest day for me.
I never doubted that Michael was important.

That he was meant for something great.

Here. Something to warm you up.

It's just hot cocoa.

I had a daughter and when she was little,
she loved hot cocoa.

She used to say that of all the hot cocoa
in the world, mine was her favorite.

Do you know me?

Do you remember me?

But he met us in a different timeline.

How could he possibly remember you?

Observers experience time differently.

Maybe he does too.

You can't hide from who you are.

Some things are not ours to tamper with.

Some things are God's.

There's only room for one god
in this land and it's not yours.

I just can't bear it when you're not here.

You know what I'm doing.
You know where I am.

Twenty-four hours a day,
seven days a week.

I won't give up, Elizabeth. I can do this.

I need you not to doubt me.

Nothing's going to happen to you, I promise

You're trying to create
a wormhole into another universe?

Yes.

- I think I just said that.
- I'm sorry, but you can't.

Yes. I think I can.

No, Walter, I won't let you do it!

Walter!

Walter.

There has to be a line somewhere.
There has to be a line we can't cross.

My son is dying, Dr. Warren.

I will not allow that to happen again.

"I am become death. Destroyer of worlds."

- Don't quote Oppenheimer.
-"Knowledge cannot be pursued...

-...without morality. "
- You sound like a pious, sanctimonious...

-...Southern preacher.
- I may go to church every Sunday, Walter...

...but I also have three degrees
in theoretical physics...

...and I am telling you, you cannot do this.

We both know the amount
of energy required to create a portal...

...will forever ruin both universes.

For the sake of one life,
you will destroy the world.

Some things are not ours to tamper with.

Some things are God's.

There's only room for one god
in this lab and it's not yours.

The journal doesn't matter.
Even if you burn it, it's too late...

...now that you remember
all the things you are capable of.

Walter, you got the boy back. You've
got to continue. You've got to keep fighting.

I think we both know
you're too tired to do that.

There's nothing to burn.

You've been him longer
than you've been you.