The Last Sam Weiss
Season 3, Episode 21

The Last Sam Weiss

Aired April 29th, 2011 · Written by Monica Owusu-Breen, Alison Schapker · Directed by Thomas Yatsko

SYNOPSIS

This episode follows the continuing disintegration of the prime universe as the Fringe team races to prevent the destruction of their world. FBI agent Olivia Dunham recruits Sam Weiss for help while Peter recovers from touching the doomsday machine.

Synopsis provided by the Fandom Wiki, Fringepedia, and Wikipedia.

THE GLYPHS

This episode's glyphs spell:

M-U-L-T-I

Glyph symbol M Glyph symbol U Glyph symbol L Glyph symbol T Glyph symbol I
Glyph symbol M
Glyph symbol U
Glyph symbol L
Glyph symbol T
Glyph symbol I


THE OBSERVER

The Observer can be seen in the crowd behind Peter Bishop when he looks for a pawn shop in New York City.

Observer 29:02

EPISODE CLUES

Previous Episode Clue

The lightning bolt bumper sticker on the rancher's truck in '6:02 AM EST' foreshadows the widespread lightning attacks in 'The Last Sam Weiss'.

Previous episode clue 03:35

Next Episode Clue

ITEMS OF INTEREST

  • Sam's great-great-great-great-grandfather found the manuscript. The third and fourth Sams spent their lives searching for the manuscript's missing sections. The fifth Sam wrote the First People book.
  • Item of interest: Olivia as "The Crowbar" 21:52
    Olivia is The Crowbar.
  • Touching The Machine made Peter forget about the Blueverse temporarily.

VIDEOS

Featurettes
Behind the Scenes
Commentary
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THE FUTURE - 2026

  • Redverse: Peter is a Fringe Division agent. 41:45
    Peter is a Fringe Division agent.

WALTER'S FOOD

Walter wanted to eat some tapioca pudding, got sandwiches, fruit cups, vanilla pudding, and chocolate pudding from the hospital cafeteria, had a cup of tea, and ate a cup of instant noodles.
Walter's Food: Sandwiches, fruit cups, and puddings 07:00 Sandwiches, fruit cups, and puddings
Walter's Food: Tea 26:00 Tea
Walter's Food: Instant noodles 30:42 Instant noodles

NOTABLE QUOTES

Sam Weiss:
"See, the thing is, I'm not the first Sam Weiss."
OLIVIA (tapping on a large stone sarcophagus):
"So which Sam Weiss is this?"
Sam Weiss:
"That's my great-great-great-great grandfather. He was digging for mastodon bones when he discovered an ancient manuscript instead."
OLIVIA:
"So he was the one who wrote the First People book."
Sam Weiss:
"No, that was the fifth Sam Weiss. The third and fourth Sams spent their lives searching for the manuscript's missing sections."
OLIVIA:
"You're a dedicated bunch."
Sam Weiss:
"A machine with the power to create and destroy worlds shouldn't be taken lightly."
Olivia:
"That's the crowbar? I mean, what is it?"
Sam Weiss:
"It's you."
Walter (to Olivia):
"I know what it's like to feel unequal to the task required of you. To feel incapable. I'll never be the man I was, but I've come to embrace those parts of my mind that are... peculiar and broken. I understand now that's what makes my mind special. I wish you could see yourself the way I see you. You have no idea how extraordinary you are. If you would embrace that, there's no end to what you can do."

EPISODE CONNECTIONS

S1E14 — 1 connection (callback) S1E20 — 1 connection (callback) S2E01 — 2 connections (callback) S3E08 — 1 connection (callback) S3E10 — 1 connection (callback) S3E15 — 2 connections (callback) S3E16 — 1 connection (callback) S3E22 — 1 connection (setup) S4E13 — 1 connection (setup) ◀ EARLIER · CALLBACKS SETUPS · LATER ▶
Callbacks (7 earlier episodes)

S1E14 - Ability

  • Olivia, as 'the crowbar', needed to control the Machine with her mind in "The Last Sam Weiss" like she did with the light box in "Ability".

S1E20 - There's More Than One of Everything

  • Connection: Peter in the pawn shop S3E21 30:22
    Walter (in "There's More Than One of Everything"):
    "To calm yourself, to forget what you were going through you took to collecting coins. This one was your favorite."

    When Peter was confused after getting zapped by The Machine in "The Last Sam Weiss" he went to a pawn shop and bought that same coin from a pawn shop.

S2E01 - A New Day in the Old Town

  • Olivia needed to use her mental powers to stop The Machine in "The Last Sam Weiss" and she used the quantum-entangled typewriter from "A New Day in the Old Town" to practice with.
  • Olivia's test message for the typewriter in "The Last Sam Weiss" was "Be a better man than your father," the English translation of the Greek phrase "Na einai kalytero anthropo apo ton patera tou" that she said in "A New Day in the Old Town".

S3E08 - Entrada

  • Olivia had been told the phrase "Na einai kalytero anthropo apo ton patera tou" by William Bell. She used its English translation, "Be a better man than your father", as a test message in "The Last Sam Weiss" when she tried to control the quantum-entangled typewriter with her mind. Peter said this phrase to Fauxlivia in "Entrada", who did not recognize it, which confirmed to Peter that she was an impostor.

S3E10 - The Firefly

  • Connection: Peter in The Machine S3E21 41:20
    December (in "The Firefly"):
    "But you were right. He's changed. He was willing to let his son die."
    The Observer:
    "Yes. And now we know when the time comes He will be willing to do it again."

    Walter accepted Peter's destiny in "The Last Sam Weiss" and watched as Peter stepped into The Machine and activated it.

S3E15 - Subject 13

  • Connection: Peter's note S3E15 01:38
    Connection: Peter's note S3E21 25:39
    When Peter left the hospital in "The Last Sam Weiss" he wrote "I am going home" on an envelope, the same phrase he wrote for Elizabeth in "Subject 13" when he tried to return to his home world.
  • The quantum-entangled typewriter, which Olivia tried to activate with her powers in "The Last Sam Weiss", finally started typing once Olivia saw Peter again; the combination of fear and love activated her abilities, as discovered in "Subject 13".

S3E16 - Os

  • Connection: Olivia as "The Crowbar" S3E21 21:52
    Peter (to Olivia in "Os"):
    "I know you're all trying to help but it's not your face in that drawing, it's mine."

    In "The Last Sam Weiss" a new parchment ("The Crowbar") was discovered that had Olivia's face on it.

Setups & payoffs (2 later episodes)

Spoilers for future episodes below

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S3E22 - The Day We Died

S4E13 - A Better Human Being