23 Episodes
Short on time? Here's the essentials:
The second season of Fringe plunges the Fringe Division into a deeper conflict with a parallel universe, where the lines between worlds blur and personal histories unravel. FBI Special Agent Olivia Dunham, now possessing enhanced abilities after a traumatic trip to the other side, investigates bizarre, unexplained phenomena. She works alongside Peter Bishop, her resourceful and often skeptical partner, and his brilliant but eccentric father, Dr. Walter Bishop, a scientist whose past experiments are often at the root of the "fringe" events. Walter grapples with profound guilt over his past actions, which have created a rift between the universes.
The central conflict quickly escalates with the emergence of shapeshifters from the parallel universe, led by the enigmatic Thomas Jerome Newton. These shapeshifters infiltrate the Fringe Division, even killing Agent Charlie Francis and assuming his identity to spy on the team. Their primary goal is to retrieve fragments of Walter's brain, which hold the key to opening a stable portal between the two realities. As Olivia struggles to understand her own connection to the parallel universe, she makes a shocking discovery: Peter is not from their world; Walter kidnapped him as a child from the parallel universe after his own son died. This revelation devastates Peter, who confronts Walter and disappears.
The season culminates in a desperate journey to the parallel universe as Olivia and Walter attempt to retrieve Peter, who has met his biological father, Walternate, the leader of the alternate world. Walternate is revealed to be building a "doomsday device" that could destroy their universe. To allow Olivia, Peter, and Walter to return home, William Bell sacrifices himself, powering their escape. However, the victory is short-lived as Fauxlivia, the alternate Olivia, successfully infiltrates their world, leaving the real Olivia imprisoned in the parallel universe.
Season 2 of Fringe covers episodes 1-23. Here's everything that happened:
Season 2, Episode 1: A New Day in the Old Town - Following Olivia's return from a parallel universe, her SUV is found crashed, and she is ejected through the windshield. Declared brain-dead, Olivia miraculously awakens, speaking Greek and claiming a vital mission she can't recall. Meanwhile, the Fringe Division faces shutdown, and a shapeshifter infiltrates their ranks, ultimately killing Agent Charlie Francis and assuming his identity.
Season 2, Episode 2: Night of Desirable Objects - Olivia and Peter investigate a series of disappearances in Pennsylvania, leading them to Andre Hughes, a man who lost his wife and son. They discover Hughes genetically engineered a "super-baby" using scorpion and mole-rat DNA to survive his wife's lupus. The creature is ultimately crushed and killed by a police car. Meanwhile, the shapeshifter posing as Charlie Francis is instructed to help Olivia remember her alternate universe experience, and Olivia begins experiencing enhanced hearing.
Season 2, Episode 3: Fracture - The Fringe team investigates a mysterious explosion in Philadelphia, discovering a man who crystallizes and explodes due to a secret military experiment called "Project Tin Man." Olivia and Peter travel to Iraq to uncover the truth, learning that soldiers exposed to a chemical agent were turned into human bombs. They race to prevent another agent, Diane Burgess, from detonating, and ultimately capture the rogue Colonel Gordon. The episode concludes with The Observer receiving photos of Peter and Walter, hinting at a larger, unseen threat.
Season 2, Episode 4: Momentum Deferred - Shapeshifters from a parallel universe steal cryogenically frozen heads, searching for a specific one. Olivia struggles to recall her crucial conversation with William Bell, which is revealed through a bell-induced flashback. The episode culminates in Olivia killing the shapeshifter posing as her partner, Charlie, and the discovery that the sought-after head has been reattached to a body, with its eyes opening.
Season 2, Episode 5: Dream Logic - The Fringe team investigates a series of bizarre incidents where individuals commit violent acts while seemingly dreaming, only to die of exhaustion with white hair. They discover a sleep researcher, Dr. Nayak, who implanted brain-computer interface chips to regulate sleep, but Nayak's addictive dream-stealing led to the victims' deaths. The episode concludes with Peter experiencing a disturbing childhood dream, hinting at Walter's past actions.
Season 2, Episode 6: Earthling - A mysterious entity possessing a Russian cosmonaut causes victims to disintegrate into ash. Agent Broyles, haunted by a past encounter with this entity, races to stop it. The investigation leads to the cosmonaut's brother, who is trying to contain the entity. Ultimately, Broyles is forced to shoot the cosmonaut, and a CIA agent reveals the entity has been sent back to space.
Season 2, Episode 7: Of Human Action - The Fringe team investigates a kidnapping that escalates into a hostage situation, revealing a young clone named Tyler with mind control abilities derived from Massive Dynamic experiments. Tyler attempts to reunite with his surrogate mother, leading to a confrontation where Peter is forced to shoot Agent Broyles. Ultimately, Walter incapacitates Tyler, and the episode concludes with Nina Sharp updating William Bell on the suspension of the cloning and mind control experiments due to unintended consequences.
Season 2, Episode 8: August - An Observer named August abducts Christine Hollis, an art student, to save her from a plane crash. The Fringe team discovers there's more than one Observer, and August reveals he's developed feelings for Christine. August is fatally wounded by an assassin sent to correct his interference, but his sacrifice makes Christine "important." The episode concludes with two Observers noting that Olivia's life is about to become very difficult.
Season 2, Episode 9: Snakehead - The Fringe team investigates gruesome deaths caused by parasitic worms erupting from victims' mouths. The worms are revealed to be part of a black market operation for an immunodeficiency drug. Walter Bishop is accidentally infected by a worm, experiencing a temporary boost in his health and cognitive functions. The episode concludes with Walter, seeking independence, implanting a tracking device in his neck so Peter can find him if he gets lost again.
Season 2, Episode 10: Grey Matters - The Fringe team investigates a series of mysterious brain surgeries performed by shapeshifters, which restore sanity to mental patients by removing pieces of Walter Bishop's brain. Thomas Jerome Newton kidnaps Walter to retrieve the memories needed to open a portal between universes. William Bell is revealed to have removed Walter's brain fragments years prior. Newton escapes after obtaining the information, but Olivia saves Walter's life by trading Newton's freedom for the antidote to a neurotoxin.
Season 2, Episode 11: Unearthed - A teenage girl, Lisa, miraculously revives on the operating table just as her organs are to be harvested. She begins speaking classified naval codes and Russian, revealing she's been possessed by the consciousness of a murdered sailor, Andrew Rusk. Rusk, seeking revenge on his wife who hired his killer, takes full control of Lisa's body. Ultimately, Charlie incapacitates Rusk with a tranquilizer dart, allowing Lisa to regain control, though a final scene suggests Rusk's consciousness may have transferred to another car crash victim.
Season 2, Episode 12: Johari Window - The Fringe team investigates a town where residents are genetically deformed due to a past military experiment called "Project Elephant." These individuals are hidden by an electromagnetic pulse, appearing normal outside its range. After Peter is forced to kill one of the deformed men, Walter deactivates the EMP generator, revealing the townspeople's true forms. The sheriff and his deputy are killed by the boy's mother, and Broyles ultimately allows the town to keep its secret.
Season 2, Episode 13: What Lies Below - A mysterious, ancient virus causes victims to violently hemorrhage and compels them to spread the infection. Peter and Olivia are trapped in a quarantined building as the virus infects Peter. Walter races to find a cure, fearing he can't let Peter die again. Olivia bravely re-enters the building to disperse an anesthetic gas, saving everyone, including Peter, and a cure is synthesized.
Season 2, Episode 14: The Bishop Revival - A Nazi scientist, Alfred Hoffman, uses genetically targeted toxins to kill individuals with specific traits, first at a wedding and then at a cafe. Walter realizes the formula is linked to his father's work and, after Peter reveals he sold his father's journals, Walter creates a counter-toxin. Walter ultimately uses his own toxin to kill Hoffman, preventing further attacks. The episode concludes with the revelation that Hoffman had a connection to Walter's father from WWII.
Season 2, Episode 15: Jacksonville - Olivia revisits her traumatic childhood experiments in Jacksonville to regain her ability to see parallel universe anomalies. She successfully prevents a building from being pulled into the alternate reality but discovers Peter is from the parallel universe when she sees him "glimmer." Walter urges her to keep this secret.
Season 2, Episode 16: Peter - This flashback episode reveals Walter Bishop's desperate journey to the parallel universe in 1985 to save his dying son, Peter. Walter ultimately kidnaps the alternate Peter after his own son succumbs to illness, and in the present, Walter confesses to Olivia that his actions created the rift between universes. The episode concludes with Walter realizing he cannot return the boy, as he cannot bear to lose him again.
Season 2, Episode 17: Olivia. In the Lab. With the Revolver. - Olivia investigates James Heath, a man who can transfer cancer to others through touch, prolonging his own life. The victims are revealed to be Cortexiphan subjects. Olivia confronts Heath, ultimately subduing him. Meanwhile, Olivia grapples with the secret of Peter's origins, ultimately deciding not to tell him, while Walter believes the truth must be revealed.
Season 2, Episode 18: White Tulip - A scientist, Alistair Peck, uses his own body as a time machine to save his fiancée. Walter Bishop grapples with confessing to Peter that he was stolen from another universe. Peck's repeated time jumps cause widespread energy drain and deaths. Ultimately, Peck sacrifices himself and his fiancée to ensure Walter receives a message of forgiveness: a white tulip.
Season 2, Episode 19: The Man from the Other Side - When shapeshifters kill two teenagers, the Fringe team investigates Thomas Jerome Newton's plan to create a pathway between universes. They discover an embryonic shapeshifter and learn of a synchronization event. During the attempt to bridge the universes, an FBI agent is disintegrated, but Peter survives, leading him to realize he is from the parallel universe. He confronts Walter and then disappears.
Season 2, Episode 20: Brown Betty - While Peter is missing, a marijuana-fueled Walter tells his niece Ella a noir-style fairy tale. In the story, Olivia is a detective searching for Peter, who stole Walter's "glass heart." Rachel is murdered and her heart is taken in Walter's tale. The episode concludes with Ella insisting on a happy ending where Peter forgives Walter, and the Observer notes Peter's continued disappearance.
Season 2, Episode 21: Northwest Passage - Peter investigates a series of murders in a remote town, encountering Thomas Jerome Newton and the shape-shifters. Meanwhile, Walter experiences a breakdown. The episode culminates with Peter meeting his father, Walternate, the leader from the parallel universe, who has come to bring Peter home.
Season 2, Episode 22: Over There: Part 1 - Olivia and Walter travel to the alternate universe to retrieve Peter. They are ambushed by the alternate Fringe Division, leading to the deaths of Cortexiphan subjects Nick and Sally. Walter is shot, and Olivia encounters William Bell, who claims he did not betray them. Walternate is seen taking the final component for his doomsday device, and Olivia realizes Peter is prophesied to cause the end of the world. The episode concludes with Walter stumbling towards a hospital, wounded.
Season 2, Episode 23: Over There: Part 2 - Olivia and Peter escape to the Opera House to return home, but are intercepted by Fauxlivia and her team. William Bell sacrifices himself to power the dimensional device, allowing Olivia, Peter, and Walter to return. The episode concludes with Fauxlivia successfully infiltrating our world as the real Olivia is imprisoned by Walternate.
