13 Episodes
Short on time? Here's the essentials:
In a bleak 2036, the world is under the oppressive rule of emotionless Observers from the future. The Fringe team, led by Peter Bishop, a devoted father, and Olivia Dunham, a powerful agent and mother, emerges from amber to execute a desperate plan. Their goal is to defeat the Observers and restore the timeline, guided by Dr. Walter Bishop, a brilliant but eccentric scientist who holds the key to their salvation. They are also joined by Peter and Olivia's adult daughter, Etta Bishop, a fierce resistance fighter.
The team's mission begins with retrieving fragments of Walter's plan, which was brutally erased from his mind. They uncover hidden video messages and gather crucial components, facing constant threats from the Observers. A devastating blow strikes when Etta sacrifices herself to save her parents and the team, leaving Peter consumed by grief and revenge. He implants Observer technology into himself, gaining their abilities but risking his humanity, before Olivia helps him reclaim his true self. The team discovers a unique Observer child named Michael, who is central to Walter's plan. Nina Sharp, a long-time ally, sacrifices herself to protect Michael from the Observers. They learn that "Donald" is actually September, an Observer who became human and is Michael's father, and that Michael must be sent to the future to prevent the Observers' creation.
In the final confrontation, Captain Windmark, the ruthless Observer leader, is killed. Walter makes the ultimate sacrifice, traveling to the future with Michael to ensure the Observers are never created. The timeline resets, and Peter and Olivia are reunited with their daughter Etta, living a peaceful life in a restored world.
Season 5 of Fringe covers episodes 1-13. Here's everything that happened:
Season 5, Episode 1: Transilience Thought Unifier Model-11 - In the Observer-controlled future of 2036, the revived Fringe team, led by Peter and his daughter Etta, works to find Olivia, who was sold into amber. They rescue her from collector Edward Markham, but Walter is captured and his mind is brutally probed, erasing their plan to defeat the Observers. The team escapes with Olivia, and Walter is later rescued, but the memory of their plan is lost. The episode concludes with Walter finding a single dandelion, a symbol of hope amidst the desolation.
Season 5, Episode 2: In Absentia - The Fringe team infiltrates Walter's amber-encased Harvard lab to retrieve a video recording of his plan against the Observers. They capture a Loyalist guard, Gael Manfretti, who is interrogated and aged using an Observer device. Manfretti is ultimately spared and joins the resistance, inspired by Olivia's compassion. The team successfully retrieves the tape, which reveals Walter's contingency plan involving a series of hidden video messages.
Season 5, Episode 3: The Recordist - Following a fragmented video clue, the Fringe team travels to rural Pennsylvania. They discover a hidden colony of "recordists" afflicted with a strange bark-like condition. Edwin Massey, the leader, sacrifices himself in a mine to retrieve crucial red rocks for Walter's plan. His son, River, becomes the new recordist, preserving his father's memory. The team escapes with the rocks, continuing their mission against the Observers.
Season 5, Episode 4: The Bullet that Saved the World - The Fringe team retrieves crucial plans from a childhood hiding spot of Walter's in Newark Penn Station. During their mission, Peter's purchase of a necklace for Etta alerts the Observers. Etta sacrifices herself by detonating an anti-matter device to allow the team to escape, but not before she returns the symbolic bullet necklace to Olivia. The episode concludes with the team mourning Etta's death.
Season 5, Episode 5: An Origin Story - Still reeling from Etta's death, Peter interrogates a captured Observer, ultimately killing him and implanting Observer technology into his own neck to gain an advantage. Meanwhile, Olivia struggles with her grief, and the team attempts to disrupt an Observer shipment from the future. The episode concludes with Peter's irreversible transformation, leaving his humanity in question.
Season 5, Episode 6: Through the Looking Glass and What Walter Found There - Walter enters a pocket universe to retrieve a crucial piece of his plan against the Observers. He encounters Cecil, a man trapped for twenty years, who is killed by Observers. Peter's Observer-enhanced abilities manifest further, including teleportation, as he and Olivia search for Walter. The episode concludes with the team realizing the child they hid is gone, and Walter fearing his old, ruthless personality is returning.
Season 5, Episode 7: Five-Twenty-Ten - Peter, enhanced by an Observer device, uses his new precognitive abilities to orchestrate a bombing that gruesomely kills several Observers. Meanwhile, Walter and Nina retrieve crucial components for their anti-Observer plan from William Bell's vault. The episode concludes with Peter, driven by revenge for Etta's death, revealing his actions to Olivia and planning to target Captain Windmark, while Walter grapples with the fear of reverting to his former self.
Season 5, Episode 8: The Human Kind - Olivia retrieves a crucial electromagnet while Walter discovers the Observer tech is overwriting Peter's emotions with pure logic. Peter, driven by revenge for Etta's death, confronts Windmark. Ultimately, Olivia reminds Peter of their daughter's memory, leading to Peter removing the Observer tech and reclaiming his humanity.
Season 5, Episode 9: Black Blotter - Walter takes LSD to recall the plan against the Observers, experiencing vivid hallucinations of his past self and his deceased assistant, Carla Warren. Peter and Olivia discover the Observer child, Michael, and Sam Weiss's body, who was protecting a signal. Walter confronts his inner demons, realizing his darker self is inevitable, and the team secures Michael.
Season 5, Episode 10: Anomaly XB-6783746 - The Fringe team attempts to communicate with the Observer child, Michael, leading them to Nina Sharp. While trying to protect Michael, Nina Sharp sacrifices herself to prevent Windmark from extracting information. Walter experiences a flood of memories, revealing that Donald is September, the Observer who has been guiding Walter.
Season 5, Episode 11: The Boy Must Live - Walter, aided by Peter, uses a sensory deprivation tank to uncover memories of September, who is revealed to be "Donald." September explains he was made human by the Observers and hid his son, Michael, because Michael is an anomaly with emotions. Michael is captured by Captain Windmark, and the team realizes Walter's plan to prevent the Observers' existence may require his sacrifice.
Season 5, Episode 12: Liberty - Olivia, aided by her alternate-universe counterparts, infiltrates an Observer facility on Liberty Island to rescue Michael. Captain Windmark is killed during the rescue. The team then works to assemble a device to send Michael to the future, a plan that requires Walter to make a significant sacrifice. The episode concludes with the team preparing for the final confrontation.
Season 5, Episode 13: An Enemy of Fate - The Fringe team confronts the Observers, leading to Walter sacrificing himself by traveling to the future with Michael to prevent their creation. Olivia uses her powers to defeat Captain Windmark, and the timeline is reset. The episode concludes with Peter and Olivia enjoying a peaceful life with their daughter Etta, signifying the restoration of their family and the world's safety.
