The Firefly

The Glyphs

This episode's glyphs spell: U-N-I-T-E-S

The Observer

The Observer is featured in this episode.

Episode Clues

Previous Episode Clue

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

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.

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)

Item of interest: Walter's glasses — **Image 1**: Walter's glasses
Timestamp: 12:28

Fringe Division Case File

U.S. Department of Justice
Federal Bureau of Investigation

121 105th Street • Washington, DC 20735
Phone: (202) 555-2100 • Fax: (202) 555-2101
E-mail: washington.fbi@fbi.com

FRINGE DIVISION CASE FILE #310-12111

FRINGE EVENT: N/A

CLASSIFIED CASE CONNECTION(S): Observers

AGENTS ASSIGNED: Dunham

SUPERVISING AGENT: Broyles

FILE ARCHIVED BY: Andrea Bloddy, Ed Dexter

WITNESSES/CONTACTS: Roscoe Joyce, Victoria DiMiri

LOCATION: Parklane Senior Care, Boston, MA; Cambridge, MA

VICTIM(S): Bobby Joyce, Peter Bishop

CASE REPORT SUMMARY:

Dr. Walter Bishop worked with former Violet Sedan Chair keyboardist Roscoe Joyce to access memories of his long-dead son, Bobby Joyce. Using special aura-reading glasses and music, Dr. Bishop helped Joyce recollect a conversation he had had with his son that foretold Bobby meeting with "the man in the suit" who took Peter through time and saved his life.

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.

Connection: Rosemary chicken soup — Rosemary chicken soup
Timestamp: 41:17

Names for Astrid

Walter called Astrid 'Ashram'.

Notable Quotes

SEPTEMBER: "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."

Connection Chart

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

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'.

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'.

Spoilers for future episodes below!

S3E20 - 6:02 AM EST

SEPTEMBER 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.
SEPTEMBER: "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."
SEPTEMBER: "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."

S3E21 - The Last Sam Weiss

DECEMBER in 'The Firefly': "But you were right. He's changed. He was willing to let his son die."
SEPTEMBER: "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.

Connection: Peter in The Machine — Peter in The Machine
S3E21 - The Last Sam Weiss
Timestamp: 41:20

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.

Connection: Violet Sedan Chair poster — Violet Sedan Chair poster
S4E04 - Subject 9
Timestamp: 14:08

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'.

Connection: Walter hypnotizing Roscoe Joyce — Walter hypnotizing Roscoe Joyce
S3E10 - The Firefly
Timestamp: 12:34

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.