Peter

Season 2, Episode 15
Aired: April 1st, 2010
Written By: J. H. Wyman, Jeff Pinkner, Akiva Goldsman, Josh Singer
Directed By: David Straiton

Recaps: Fandom Wiki | Fringepedia | AV Club
Resources: IMDb | Wikipedia | Transcript
Listen: The Fringe Podcast
Learn: Science Olympiad Lesson Plan

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SYNOPSIS

This episode is a flashback episode, told as Walter Bishop reveals to Olivia Dunham that his son Peter is really the Peter of the parallel universe. Walter explains the events that occurred in 1985 that led to this and the impact it had on the parallel universe to be at war with the prime one.

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

THE GLYPHS

This episode's glyphs spell:

P-E-T-E-R-S

This episode is the first and only time we see two different Peters and it tells the story of Walter desperately trying to save them both.

THE OBSERVER

The Observer is featured in this episode.

Timestamp: 20:25

EPISODE CLUES

Previous Episode Clue

A police barricade in 'Jacksonville' says "DO NOT CROSS", foreshadowing the conflict between Nina, Carla, and Walter as Nina and Carla try to stop Walter from crossing universes in 'Peter'.

Timestamp: 09:40

Next Episode Clue

Two Observers in 'Peter' exit a movie theater displaying a poster for "Clue", foreshadowing the title of 'Olivia. In the Lab. With the Revolver' and the confrontation between Olivia and James Heath.

Timestamp: 19:48

ITEMS OF INTEREST

This episode takes place in 1985.
Walter, and especially Bell, copied tech from the alternate universe which was more technologically advanced. This explains the advanced tech that Massive Dynamic was founded with.
It is true that the Empire State Building's spire really was initially designed for airship docking as it was in the Redverse. (Image 1)
As the universe window started up it appeared to glow blue and red, colors that would come to be synonymous with our universe and the other universe respectively. (Image 2)
Walternate was distracted by the Observer as he was about to find the cure for Peter. (Image 3)
Back to the Future never replaced Eric Stoltz with Michael J. Fox in the Redverse. (Image 4)
Nina lost her arm in Walter's portal on Reiden Lake. (Image 5)
Peter knew almost immediately that Walter wasn't his real father.
The intro to "Worlds Away" by Strange Advance can be heard in the scene where the Observer drove Walter and Peter back to the lab after Walter stole Peter (37:34).

Image 1
Airship

Timestamp: 03:36

Item of interest: Blue and red in the universe window

Image 2
Blue and red in the universe window

Timestamp: 17:30

Item of interest: The Observer distracting Walternate

Image 3
The Observer distracting Walternate

Timestamp: 18:25

Image 4
Eric Stoltz

Timestamp: 19:41

Image 5
Nina's arm

Timestamp: 29:28

VIDEOS

Featurettes

Noble Intentions - John Noble talks about this episode.
Nina's Arm - Blair Brown talks about Nina Sharp.
The Death of Peter Bishop - The cast talks about Peter Bishop.

Humor

Walter's Phone Messages - This humorous video ends with a desperate message from Walter.
What's Adam West Watching? - Adam West discusses his alternate self.

THE REDVERSE

They had mobile phones like the Motorola Razr in 1985.

WALTER'S FOOD

Walter had a drink. And another. And another.

A drink

Timestamp: 05:37

Another drink

Timestamp: 14:03

Another drink

Timestamp: 17:45

NOTABLE QUOTES

Walter:

"Do you know how many times William has encouraged me to take this very risk? To expedite our espionage program. 'Why simply take a peek into the other universe, Walter, when you can go there?'"

CONNECTION CHART

A visualization of all the ways this episode connects to other episodes. Scroll down to see the actual connections.

EPISODE CONNECTIONS

S1E01 - Pilot

Olivia (about Walter in "Pilot"):
"He does have a son."
Broyles:
"Is he local too?"
Olivia:
"Not exactly."
A reference to the fact that Peter Bishop is not from this universe.
Walter (in "Pilot"):
"I knew someone would come. Eventually."
Because he knew the universe would start to deteriorate due to his actions in 'Peter' and it would be traced back to him.
Walter checks Peter's eyes for signs of degradation in "Pilot" to make sure Peter is still healthy after coming to this universe in "Peter".
Nina says cancer took her arm in "Pilot". In truth, it was damaged in the doorway between universes when she tried to stop Walter from crossing over in "Peter".

S1E02 - The Same Old Story

Christopher Penrose (in "The Same Old Story"):
"Someone paid him, the man I call my father. He should've let me die. That was his mistake. But he was blinded because he loved me."
Walter made the same mistake, as shown in "Peter".
Walter (in "The Same Old Story"):
"It's one of the inherent pitfalls of being a scientist. Trying to maintain that distinction between God's domain and our own. Sometimes I forget myself, but then you already know that. If you've read my file then you know the truth about Peter's medical history."
We learn the full extent of Peter's medical history, and what Walter did to save him, in "Peter".

S1E04 - The Arrival

In "The Arrival" Walter knows the Observer and says he and Peter crashed through ice when Peter was a boy. We see this crash, and we see the Observer save them from the icy lake, in "Peter".
Walter (in "The Arrival"):
"Have you ever taken anything that didn't belong to you because you knew it was the right thing to do?"
Peter:
"This isn't about me."
Walter:
"Maybe it is, Peter."
Everything happening in Fringe can be traced back to Walter stealing Peter as seen in "Peter".

S1E06 - The Cure

Nina told Peter that she knew him as a child in "The Cure". In "Peter" she is intimately involved with (and opposed to) Walter's attempt to kidnap Peter.

S1E08 - The Equation

Walter (in "The Equation"):
"Every moment that passes is another moment that little boy's life is in danger."
Walter's often not too interested in the personal aspects of cases, but this reminds him of what happened to Peter in "Peter".

S1E10 - Safe

Peter flipped a coin through his fingers in "Safe" like both Peters did when they were near death in bed in "Peter". (Image 1, 2)
Peter (in "Safe"):
"What's with all the toys?"
Walter:
"They're your toys, son! From when you were a little boy."
Peter:
"Those aren't mine."
They belonged to the Peter that died in "Peter".
Walter (in "Safe"):
"I was under a great deal of stress at the time!"
Walter was stressed when he hid the pieces of the machine in safety deposit boxes 23 years earlier. This episode takes place in 2008, so 23 years earlier was 1985, the year Peter died in "Peter".
In "Safe" Walter said that Peter miraculously and spontaneously started to recover from his bird flu. In truth, Walter's Peter died in "Peter", and Walter stole the other Peter.

Image 1
S1E10 - Safe
Peter flipping a coin

Timestamp: 41:26

Image 2
S2E15 - Peter
Peter flipping a coin

Timestamp: 30:42

S1E15 - Inner Child

Peter (about an action figure in "Inner Child"):
"It's funny, I always remembered the scar being on the other side."
This is because the scar was on the other side in the Redverse before he was stolen in "Peter".

S1E18 - Midnight

Peter (in "Midnight"):
"Everything stolen is not necessarily lost."
Peter was stolen in "Peter" and was lost from Walternate's point of view, though we know he's alive and well.
Nicholas Boone (to Walter in "Midnight"):
"How far would you go for someone you love?"
Walter showed how far he would go, across universes, in "Peter".

S1E20 - There's More Than One of Everything

The Observer (in "There's More Than One of Everything"):
"This coin looks similar to the one you're thinking of but it is from another place. There is more than one of everything."
Both Peters have their own coin in "Peter".
Walter looked upset when he found Peter's coin in the lake house in "There's More Than One of Everything" because Peter was holding it as he died in "Peter". (Image 1)
Walter (in "There's More Than One of Everything"):
"Around this time something was lost to me, Peter. Something precious. I became convinced that if only I could cross over myself then I could take from there what I had lost here."
Walter kidnapped another Peter in "Peter".
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."
Both Peters in "Peter" had the same favorite coin.
Walter visited Peter's grave in "There's More Than One of Everything" from when Peter died in "Peter". (Image 2)
When Peter drove up to the lake house in "There's More Than One of Everything" the camera focused on his car through a red panel of stained glass, foreshadowing that Peter was taken from the Redverse in "Peter". (Image 3)

Image 1
S1E20 - There's More Than One of Everything
Walter found Peter's coin

Timestamp: 27:50

Image 2
S1E20 - There's More Than One of Everything
Walter at Peter's grave

Timestamp: 41:10

Connection: Peter's car through red glass

Image 3
S1E20 - There's More Than One of Everything
Peter's car through red glass

Timestamp: 18:12

S2E01 - A New Day in the Old Town

Peter (in "A New Day in the Old Town"):
"I don't like custard! In fact, I've never liked custard."
Walter:
"As a boy you loved it; you've just forgotten."
Walter's real son, who died in "Peter", was the one who loved custard.

S2E02 - Night of Desirable Objects

Peter (about the child in "Night of Desirable Objects"):
"And yet despite that she was somehow able to give birth to a son who from all appearances then burrowed his way out of his casket."
Walter:
"The grave of a boy who's not in his grave."
Just like Peter, who doesn't know that he took the place of the real Blueverse Peter who died in "Peter".
Olivia (in "Night of Desirable Objects"):
"Can you imagine living with a burden like that when all you wanted was a son?"
This mirrors the struggle Walter went through in "Peter".

S2E04 - Momentum Deferred

Rebecca Kibner (about Shapeshifters in "Momentum Deferred"):
"They seemed to have a certain glow about them. I realized I was recognizing people that didn't belong."
Peter has the same glow about him after was taken from the other side in "Peter", because he doesn't belong in the Blueverse.

S2E05 - Dream Logic

When Peter had his dream near the end of "Dream Logic", a Challenger Mission 11 poster on the wall showed the date June 28, 1984. The last Challenger mission was Mission 10 and launched on January 28, 1986, and ended in disaster. This dream is based on Peter's childhood memories in the alternate universe before he was kidnapped in "Peter". (Image 1)

Image 1
S2E05 - Dream Logic
Challenger poster

Timestamp: 42:24

S2E07 - Of Human Action

Walter (in "Of Human Action"):
"I can't lose him again."
This refers to Walter losing his Peter in "Peter".

S2E08 - August

August (in "August"):
"We have interfered before."
The Observer:
"Only to correct a mistake of our own making."
The mistake and interference happened in "Peter" when The Observer distracted Walternate from finding the cure for Peter and when The Observer saved Walter and Peter from the icy lake.
Walter (in "August"):
"What makes you think I can help?"
August:
"Because you have solved such a matter before. You saw beyond the limitations of your problems."
Walter:
"Not really. I just missed my son."
August is referring to when Walter crossed universes in "Peter" to save the other Peter.

S2E10 - Grey Matters

Walter thought of Peter when he saw the image of a coffin in "Grey Matters" because his Peter died in "Peter". (Image 1)
Newton (in "Grey Matters"):
"I know why you built it, the door. I know what you lost. Now, are you going to pretend that you're willing to lose him again?"
Newton was referring to the events of "Peter" where Walter's Peter died and Walter crossed universes to kidnap another Peter.

Image 1
S2E10 - Grey Matters
Coffin image

Timestamp: 28:43

S2E11 - Johari Window

Walter (in "Johari Window"):
"Remarkable, how Rose was willing to expose her secret to right a wrong. So very brave of her."
Walter was struggling with whether or not to tell Peter about his true origins from "Peter".

S2E12 - What Lies Below

Walter (in "What Lies Below"):
"When you open new doors there is a price to pay."
Walter opened a door to another universe in "Peter" and the world has been paying ever since.
Walter (in "What Lies Below"):
"I can't let Peter die again."
Walter's Peter died in "Peter".

S2E13 - The Bishop Revival

Walter (in "The Bishop Revival"):
"Family is very important to me. There's nothing I wouldn't do..."
In "Peter" he literally crossed universes for family.

S2E14 - Jacksonville

Astrid (to Walter in "Jacksonville"):
"So as far as his wife will ever know, he just disappeared? That is so sad."
This is exactly what Peter's biological parents experienced in "Peter".

Spoilers for future episodes below!

The following connections are NOT for new viewers unless you don't mind getting spoiled. Once you've finished watching each episode below, these same connections will appear unblurred on their respective episode pages.

S2E17 - White Tulip

Peter (in "White Tulip"):
"I read that deja vu is fate's way of telling you that you are exactly where you're supposed to be. That's why you feel like you've been there before. You are right in-line with your own destiny."
Olivia:
"Well, do you believe that?"
Peter:
"No, it's a bit mystical for my tastes. I never get it, myself. Maybe that's because I'm not on track with my own destiny."
Peter was right; he was stolen from his real parents in "Peter".
Walter (in "White Tulip"):
"Grief can drive people to extraordinary lengths."
Walter experienced that kind of grief in "Peter".

S2E19 - Brown Betty

Nina communicated with William Bell through the universe window from "Peter" in "Brown Betty". (Image 1)

Image 1
S2E19 - Brown Betty
Universe window

Timestamp: 25:47

S3E19 - Lysergic Acid Diethylamide

In "Lysergic Acid Diethylamide" Walter fell into a representation of a frozen Reiden Lake just like he really did in "Peter". (Image 1)

Connection: Walter falling to Reiden Lake

Image 1
S3E19 - Lysergic Acid Diethylamide
Walter falling to Reiden Lake

Timestamp: 28:02

S3E20 - 6:02 AM EST

Walternate (in "6:02 AM EST"):
"Oppenheimer saved us too. But at what cost? He couldn't bear the nightmares... the screams of all the innocents he had killed. 'Now, I am become Death, the destroyer of Worlds.' Only in our case, that really is true. We destroyed their world to save ours. May God have mercy on us."
Walter got angry in "Peter" when Carla Warren spoke that same Oppenheimer line at him.

S4E05 - Novation

Carla Warren (to Walter in "Peter"):
"Some things are not ours to tamper with. Some things are God's."
Later, in the timeline without Peter:
Dr. Malcolm Truss (in "Novation"):
"Bell shut down the project. And all he could say was, 'Some things are not ours to tamper with. Some things are God's."
Walter looked at Peter's coin in "Novation" from the night Peter died in "Peter". (Image 1)

Image 1
S4E05 - Novation
Peter's coin

Timestamp: 19:14

S4E08 - Back to Where You've Never Been

Alt Elizabeth (to Peter in "Back to Where You've Never Been"):
"That's what got me through it, you know. I told myself that if another universe exists, and there's got to be more, then somewhere you would grow up, and be happy, and fall in love. Somewhere you would have a life. Just... not here."
She was right, and those events began in "Peter". This mirrors what Walter said in "Peter".
Walter (to Elizabeth in "Peter"):
"Elizabeth, I am telling you this because I want you to know that somewhere Peter will grow up, somewhere he will lead a proper life, somewhere he will be happy, but just not here. And we must take comfort in this."

S4E11 - Making Angels

December (about the time-viewing device in "Making Angels"):
"You're right. It's September's."
March:
"He must have lost it in 1985 the night he didn't save the boy."
In the season 4 timeline, Walter tried to save/kidnap Peter just like he did in "Peter", but September never saved them from the icy lake.

S4E14 - The End of All Things

In "The End of All Things" September said that he made a mistake when he distracted Walternate in his lab in "Peter" and saving Walter and Peter from the icy lake was an attempt to rectify that mistake. (Image 1)

Connection: September and Peter inside September's mind

Image 1
S4E14 - The End of All Things
September and Peter inside September's mind

Timestamp: 28:23

S4E22 - Brave New World (Part 2)

William Bell (in "Brave New World (Part 2)"):
"God made us in his image. If that is so, if we are capable of being gods, then it is our destiny to do so."
Walter made a similar comment in "Peter".
Walter (in "Peter"):
"There's only room for one God in this lab, and it's not yours."

S5E01 - Transilience Thought Unifier Model-11

Walter (in "Peter"):
"You can't imagine what it's like to lose a child."
Peter had flashbacks of literally losing Etta in "Transilience Thought Unifier Model-11".

S5E04 - The Bullet that Saved the World

The universe window from "Peter" was seen in Walter's storage vault in "The Bullet that Saved the World". (Image 1)
Walter (in "Peter"):
"You can't imagine what it's like to lose a child."
Etta died in "The Bullet that Saved the World".

Image 1
S5E04 - The Bullet That Saved the World
Universe window

Timestamp: 14:44

S5E09 - Black Blotter

In "Black Blotter" Walter had a vision of his scuffle with Nina at Reiden Lake from "Peter" and later recalled other memories from that day. (Image 1)

Image 1
S5E09 - Black Blotter
Walter's vision

Timestamp: 11:23

S5E10 - Anomaly XB-6783746

Walter (in "Peter"):
"Why did you save us?"
September:
"The boy is important. He has to live."
In "Anomaly XB-6783746" Michael gave Walter back memories of the original timeline and showed him that September's words about "the boy" also referred to Michael. (Image 1)

Image 1
S5E10 - Anomaly XB-6783746
Walter and Michael

Timestamp: 42:44

S5E12 - Liberty

In "Liberty" the Fringe team used the universe window from "Peter" to help them rescue Michael. (Image 1)

Image 1
S5E12 - Liberty
Universe window

Timestamp: 13:04

S5E13 - An Enemy of Fate

The entire story of Fringe started in "Peter" when Walter crossed worlds with a boy that wasn't his because he couldn't stand to let Peter die, and the entire story concluded in "An Enemy of Fate" when Walter crossed worlds with a boy that wasn't his knowing he would never see Peter again. (Image 1)

Image 1
S5E13 - An Enemy of Fate
Walter and Michael

Timestamp: 41:07