Black Blotter

Black Blotter



Season 5, Episode 09
Aired: December 14th, 2012
Written By: Kristin Cantrell
Directed By: Tommy Gormley

Recaps: Fandom Wiki | Fringepedia | AV Club
Resources: IMDb | Wikipedia | Transcript
Listen: The Fringe Podcast
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SYNOPSIS

In this episode, Walter takes an LSD trip and recalls vital missing pieces of the plan to defeat the Observers. Meanwhile, Peter and Olivia trace the mysterious signal from the radio they recovered in the pocket universe to a rural island where a crucial piece of the plan has been concealed.

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

THE GLYPHS

This episode's glyphs spell:

G-U-I-L-T

Walter took drugs and worked through his long-standing guilt for the death of his former lab assistant.

Glyph symbol GGlyph symbol UGlyph symbol IGlyph symbol LGlyph symbol T
Glyph symbol G
Glyph symbol U
Glyph symbol I
Glyph symbol L
Glyph symbol T


THE OBSERVER

Observers are featured in this episode.

Observer
Timestamp: 30:38

EPISODE CLUES

Previous Episode Clue

A banner behind Peter in 'The Human Kind' foreshadows the pixies Walter sees while high in 'Black Blotter'.

Previous episode clue
Timestamp: 08:26
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Next Episode Clue

Walter's journal in 'Black Blotter' contains drawings of black Labrador Retrievers, foreshadowing the use of one of Massive Dynamic's secret "black labs" in 'Anomaly XB-6783746'.

Next episode clue
Timestamp: 22:16

ITEMS OF INTEREST

  • Sam Weiss died 10-15 years earlier in a shootout with Observers trying to protect the radio signal relay used to locate Michael. (Image 1)
  • Walter had visions of Carla Warren. (Image 2)
  • The vision of Carla is trying to convince Walter to present himself to the Observers as a brilliant scientific asset, like Bell did.
  • Carla came to the lab to burn documentation on Walter's life's work, which grew into the fire that killed her. (Image 3)
  • Donald took Michael from the pocket universe and hid him with a family 8 months after the invasion. They've been broadcasting the radio signal for over 20 years.
  • Michael remembers Olivia.
  • Walter's vision is an homage to the segues seen in Monty Python's Flying Circus. (Image 4)
  • Walter relives memories as projections and experiences new conversations as if they're VHS recordings because his mind is so bent on figuring out the plan from the tapes. (Image 5)
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Item of interest: Sam Weiss
Image 1
Sam Weiss
Timestamp: 17:55
Item of interest: Carla Warren
Image 2
Carla Warren
Timestamp: 20:04
Item of interest: Walter's life's work
Image 3
Walter's life's work
Timestamp: 21:56
Item of interest: Walter's Monty Python-esque vision
Image 4
Walter's Monty Python-esque vision
Timestamp: 31:53
Item of interest: Walter's memories
Image 5
Walter's memories
Timestamp: 39:27

VIDEOS

Featurettes
Behind the Scenes
Interviews
Commentary
  • Amazing Realization - John Noble talks about the end of this episode.
  • Bad Trip - John Noble talks about Walter's delusions.
  • Two Worlds - John Noble talks about Walter going back to old habits.

GLYPH SIGHTINGS

  • A frog can be seen on the dock when Walter is high.
  • A frog can be seen in Walter's Monty Python trip.
  • A seahorse can be seen in Walter's Monty Python trip.
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Glyph Sighting: Frog
Frog
Timestamp: 25:30
Glyph Sighting: Frog
Frog
Timestamp: 32:09
Glyph Sighting: Seahorse
Seahorse
Timestamp: 32:09

WALTER'S FOOD

Walter hallucinated that he made a chocolate cake.
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Walter's Food: Cake hallucination
Cake hallucination
Timestamp: 09:04

CONNECTION CHART

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

EPISODE CONNECTIONS

S1E12 - The No-Brainer

  • Olivia (in "The Same Old Story"):
    "I think I know who that woman was... outside."
    Peter:
    "What do you think you know?"
    Olivia:
    "That she's the mother of the lab assistant that was killed in the fire here almost twenty years ago."

    In "Black Blotter" Walter is haunted by what happened to Carla Warren.

    Walter (in "Black Blotter"):
    "Carla Warren is here. My old dead lab assistant is here to haunt me. The one that was burned in the fire."
    (Image 1)
Connection: Carla Warren
Image 1
S5E09 - Black Blotter
Carla Warren
Timestamp: 41:50
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S2E15 - Peter

  • 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)
Connection: Walter's vision
Image 1
S5E09 - Black Blotter
Walter's vision
Timestamp: 11:23
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S2E19 - Brown Betty

  • Walter had his life's work in a journal in "Black Blotter" just like he did in the fairy tale he told Ella in "Brown Betty". (Image 1, 2)
Connection: Walter's journal
Image 1
S2E19 - Brown Betty
Walter's journal
Timestamp: 17:10
Connection: Walter's journal
Image 2
S5E09 - Black Blotter
Walter's journal
Timestamp: 22:02
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S5E01 - Transilience Thought Unifier Model-11

  • The neon green fairy seen in the black market in "Transilience Thought Unifier Model-11" is like the green fairy Walter hallucinated in "Black Blotter". (Image 1, 2)
Connection: Neon green fairy
Image 1
S5E01 - Transilience Thought Unifier Model-11
Neon green fairy
Timestamp: 08:32
Connection: Hallucinated green fairy
Image 2
S5E09 - Black Blotter
Hallucinated green fairy
Timestamp: 06:26
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S5E11 - The Boy Must Live

  • The password to retrieve Michael in "Black Blotter", "Black Umbrella", came from the poster for Singin' in the Rain, from which September chose his new name (Donald O'Connor) in "The Boy Must Live". (Image 1)
Connection: Black umbrella
Image 1
S5E11 - The Boy Must Live
Black umbrella
Timestamp: 15:14
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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
2036
Walter's Food
Names for Astrid
Walter's Lab Notes
Notable Quotes
Connection Chart
Episode Connections