The Firefly

The Firefly



Season 3, Episode 10
Aired: January 21st, 2011
Written By: J. H. Wyman, Jeff Pinkner
Directed By: Charles Beeson

Recaps: Fandom Wiki | Fringepedia | AV Club
Resources: IMDb | Wikipedia | Transcript
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SYNOPSIS

This episode centers on a chain of events created by Walter's crossing over into the parallel universe in 1985 that has had subtle but significant effects in the present.

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

THE GLYPHS

This episode's glyphs spell:

U-N-I-T-E-S

Glyph symbol UGlyph symbol NGlyph symbol IGlyph symbol TGlyph symbol EGlyph symbol S
Glyph symbol U
Glyph symbol N
Glyph symbol I
Glyph symbol T
Glyph symbol E
Glyph symbol S


THE OBSERVER

The Observer is featured in this episode.

Observer
Timestamp: 35:31

EPISODE CLUES

Previous Episode Clue

The name of the rail system in 'Marionette' is "Firefly Railway", foreshadowing the title and theme of 'The Firefly'.

Previous episode clue
Timestamp: 01:00
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Next Episode Clue

The album cover artwork from The Police's 1981 album Ghost in the Machine can be seen painted on a wall in 'The Firefly'. This foreshadows 'Reciprocity' where The Machine seemingly turns on for no reason.

Next episode clue
Timestamp: 36:01

ITEMS OF INTEREST

  • Walter called Astrid 'Ashram'.
  • Roscoe Joyce called Astrid 'Kelly'.
  • Christopher Lloyd being featured in an episode with time travel to/from 1985 are strong references to Back to the Future.
  • Walter saving Peter ultimately caused Roscoe Joyce to lose his son.
  • When Walter explains that his red/blue lensed glasses were created by his friend from Washington, Doctor Jacoby, he's referencing the television show 'Twin Peaks' which also had an eccentric man of science, Doctor Jacoby, who wore red/blue lensed glasses very similar to Walter's. (Image 1)
  • For more information about the band Violet Sedan Chair click here.
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Item of interest: Walter's glasses
Image 1
Walter's glasses
Timestamp: 12:28

VIDEOS

Featurettes
Commentary
  • Fringe Friday - J.H. Wyman and Jeff Pinkner talk about Fringe moving to Friday evenings.
  • The Return of September - The cast talks about The Observer's involvement in this episode and the series.

FRINGE DIVISION CASE FILE

Fringe Division case file
Fringe Division case file: The Firefly

WALTER'S FOOD

Walter had a pizza delivered at 2 in the morning, asked Astrid to get ingredients for strawberry milkshakes, and made Peter some rosemary chicken soup.
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Walter's Food: Rosemary chicken soup
Rosemary chicken soup
Timestamp: 41:17

NAMES FOR ASTRID

Walter called Astrid 'Ashram'.

NOTABLE QUOTES

Walter (to Peter):
"Every time The Observer shows up, it has something to do with you. And every time, it's something bad."
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The Observer:
"Various possible futures are happening simultaneously. I can tell you all of them, but I cannot tell you which one of them will come to pass."
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The Observer (to Walter):
"You and I have interfered with the natural course of events. We have upset the balance in ways I could not have predicted."
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The Observer:
"I must admit, I feared my experiment would fail."
December:
"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."

CONNECTION CHART

A visualization of all the ways this episode connects to other episodes. Scroll down to see the actual connections.
Connection chart: The Firefly

EPISODE CONNECTIONS

S2E10 - Grey Matters

  • Walter wanted to listen to his favorite band Violet Sedan Chair in "Grey Matters". Roscoe Joyce, their keyboard player, is the subject of "The Firefly".
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S2E22 - Over There (Part 2)

  • In a deleted scene from "Over There (Part 2)", Walternate was driving with Peter and said that Violet Sedan Chair's 3rd album was his favorite. Peter said they only had 1 album in the Blueverse. Roscoe Joyce told Walter why the band broke up prematurely in "The Firefly".
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S3E20 - 6:02 AM EST

  • The Observer (to Walter in "The Firefly"):
    "When the time comes, give him the keys and save the girl."

    The Observer was orchestrating a plan to test Walter. At the end of the episode he discussed the event with December.

    The Observer:
    "I must admit, I feared my experiment would fail."
    December:
    "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."

    In '6:02 AM EST', as Walter struggled with the idea of allowing Peter to enter The Machine, he recalled the words of the Observer.

    Walter:
    "Give him the keys and save the girl."
    Peter:
    "What?"
    Walter:
    "This is what he was doing. He was preparing me."
    Peter:
    "Who?"
    Walter:
    "The Observer. He was preparing me because he knew I would have to let you go. That I would... that I would have to sacrifice you to fix the problems I'd created."
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S3E21 - The Last Sam Weiss

  • 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. (Image 1)

Connection: Peter in The Machine
Image 1
S3E21 - The Last Sam Weiss
Peter in The Machine
Timestamp: 41:20
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S4E04 - Subject 9

  • In "The Firefly" Walter learned that his favorite band, Violet Sedan Chair, broke up after just one album because of an unlikely chain reaction of events started by Peter in 1985. In "Subject 9", which takes place in the timeline where Peter was never raised in the Blueverse, Walter has a poster for a Violet Sedan Chair project that never happened in the original timeline. (Image 1)
Connection: Violet Sedan Chair poster
Image 1
S4E04 - Subject 9
Violet Sedan Chair poster
Timestamp: 14:08
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S4E10 - Forced Perspective

  • Peter (in "Forced Perspective"):
    "Walter, I think you can hypnotize Emily to recover her vision of the event in that drawing."
    Walter:
    "What makes you think I can do that?"
    Peter:
    "Because where I'm from I've seen you do it before."

    Walter hypnotized Roscoe Joyce in "The Firefly". (Image 1)

Connection: Walter hypnotizing Roscoe Joyce
Image 1
S3E10 - The Firefly
Walter hypnotizing Roscoe Joyce
Timestamp: 12:34
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S5E11 - The Boy Must Live

  • September (in "The Firefly"):
    "It must be very difficult."
    Peter:
    "What?"
    September:
    "Being a father."

    In "The Boy Must Live" the Observer revealed that Michael was his son and that his observations of Walter and Peter affected his feelings about his own son.

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Episode Information
Episode Synopsis
The Glyphs
The Observer
Episode Clues
Items of Interest
Videos
JJ Abrams Easter Eggs
Fringe Division Case File
Glyph Sightings
The Redverse
Walter's Food
Names for Astrid
Walter's Lab Notes
Notable Quotes
Connection Chart
Episode Connections