The Bishop Revival - Recap

In Brookline, Massachusetts, friends and family arrive for the wedding of David Staller and Shelley Milton. David, an asthmatic, is nervously having a drink with his friends in one office of the reception hall. David's mother checks on Shelley and welcomes her to the family.

In the reception hall, the elderly Nana is watching the guests gather when she notices a young blonde man near the door watching the gathering. She asks her a friend Lynn if the man is a guest, but Lynn doesn't know who he is either. Nana finally recognizes the man and points him out before everyone. She starts to choke and then collapses, and other Staller family members start to choke and collapse as well. The blonde man, satisfied, departs.

Olivia arrives and talks with the presiding detective, Burt Manning. He confirms that 14 people died so far. Walter and Peter arrive, Walter driving the car... badly. As they arrive, Walter talks about how he wants Peter to get married, and wonders when he'll propose to Olivia. Peter insists he has no intention of marrying Olivia. Walter confirms that all of the victims seemingly asphyxiated. Olivia confirms that all of the victims were Stallers, and concludes that they were somehow poisoned. When she examines Nana's arm, she discovers that the dead woman has a concentration camp tattoo number. As Olivia and Peter search the building, they go to the office where the groom and his friends had gathered. They hear a noise from the closet and discover David Staller, gasping for breath. He falls to the floor and dies, his asthma inhaler dropping from his hand.

Walter has a body taken to the lab and confirms that they all have a single descendant. Everyone who survived, including one illegitimate grandchild, were not Stallers. When he checks the victim's blood, Walter discovers that it's blue, confirming that the toxin somehow prevented them from processing oxygen. David survived a little longer because he was using the inhaler at the time.

Olivia talks to Shelley's mother, who talks about how Nana pointed to the blonde man. While Olivia has her review the wedding videos, Peter examines the candle and discovers one that smells like cinnamon when the rest smell like jasmine. They take it to the lab and Walter analyzes it while Olivia and Astrid examine the wedding video. They find the blonde man while Walter confirms that the candle contains traces of a hydrogen cyanide derivative. He speculates that during World War II, Josef Mengele experimented with a poison that could target certain individuals within a larger group, and that someone has created such a poison. They used the wedding as a field test, and they will strike again to confirm the toxin's success rate.

The blonde man goes to a café and asks the cashier for a very hot cup of tea. He then sits down at a table next to Jordan and her mother. When Jordan's mother praises the girl, the blonde man compliments her on being clever. He then takes a vial of dark liquid out of his pocket, shakes it up, and pours it into his cup of tea. It starts to bubble as the mother comments that it smells like cinnamon.

The Fringe team is called in after nine people die at the café. This time the victims aren't related, but Walter realizes that all of the victims had brown eyes. Olivia finds the cup of cinnamon-smelling tea and Broyles has it dusted for prints. Walter believes that whoever created the poison can tailor it to specific genetic traits, like family ancestry and brown eyes. As Walter and Peter go back to the lab, the blonde man watches them from across the streets. He asks an officer if Walter is "Dr. Bischoff." When he learns that Walter's name is Bishop, he notes that Walter looks just like his father.

The FBI lab is unable to pull a clear fingerprint from the glass. Walter has analyzed the residue and brings up a magnification of the key elements. He explains that someone has engineered the toxin to only attack specific genetic qualities. One of the ingredients is regulated by the government and Astrid begins a check of supply houses. As Walter examines the magnification, he spots an image of a seahorse and explains that chemists over leave a personal "signature" in their designs. He recognizes the seahorse and explains that it belonged to his father, Robert Bischoff. His father was an expert swimmer, nicknamed "The Sea Horse." He lived in Germany in 1943 and worked for the Americans as a spy against the Germans, reporting on their scientific advances. Walter goes to the boxes that contained his father's possessions and explains that his father changed his name to Bishop when he moved to the U.S. He remembers seeing some of the formula written in one of Robert's books. However, Peter tells him that he sold the books ten years ago because he needed money. Walter snaps at him and says that the killer must have acquired the formula from one of the books and that it's now Peter's fault that the killer is using Robert's formula for murder.

The blonde man goes to Peter and Walter's house, takes an apple from the refrigerator, and begins looking around.

Peter and Olivia meet with Peter's contact, Edward Markam, who deals in rare books. Peter sold the books to Markam, and Peter convinces the bookdealer to check his records. While they wait, Olivia wonders if Peter really sold the books for money as he claimed. Peter admits that he was angry at Walter at the time. Markam returns and tells them that the person who bought Robert's books from him is one Eric Franko.

The blonde man, Alfred Hoffman, is working in a secret laboratory, preparing a new dose of the toxin.

Peter and Olivia go to Franko's home and break in. They discover that he has covered the walls with images of the Nazis. When he comes in, Olivia captures him and demands an explanation. Franko explains that he's an artist and the images are collages that he's created using pages from German books. Peter convinces Franko to give the remaining books back to him.

At the lab, Walter angrily contemplates Franko's collages and ignores Peter when he tries to apologize for selling the books. Franko never displayed his work, so they conclude that the killer found the formula in some other manner. Walter analyzes the body oils from the fingerprints on the tea cup but is unable to get a DNA match on the computer. Further, Walter concludes the oils are contaminated because they appear to be from someone over a hundred years old. As they try to come up with a solution, Peter wonders if the toxin could be tailored to target combinations of genetic traits, and Walter admits that it's possible.

Hoffman goes to a shantytown where a homeless man lives with his dog. The Nazi places a sterno can in front of the man's tent, explains that he's testing his rapid dispersion system, and invites the man to watch. Hoffman ignites the contents. The gas spreads rapidly, killing the homeless man.

At the lab, Walter tires to recreate the toxin using rats as subjects. Olivia finds the names of three individuals who purchased the necessary chemicals for the toxin. Walter eliminates two of them as industries. The third lists a home address. Olivia tells a FBI assault team to meet them there.

At his home, Hoffman is clipping out photos of himself and uses one to make a fake ID. Olivia and the others break into the house. Hoffman hears them, packs away the poison sterno cans, and then turns on a stove burner. On top of it is a beaker filled with the toxin. When Olivia and the others find the hidden lab, they discover that Hoffman has a number of bottles of poison, each one marked with a different genetic trait. They also find the leftover photos, and realize that he was creating a fake ID. Peter finds Walter's sweater... just as Walter starts choking. Spotting the beaker of toxin, they quickly get Walter out and give him oxygen directly to counter the affects of the toxin before it's too late.

Hoffman goes to a conference center in Boston and waits in line to go though security.

When Walter recovers, he concludes that the killer knows that Robert Bischoff was a spy and targeted Walter for revenge. They find a discarded piece of plastic with a logo on it, and Peter realizes what organization it belongs to.

Hoffman is searched for weapons but the security guard finds nothing. He lets Hoffman through into the World Tolerance Initiative conference.

Olivia and Peter notify Broyles en route as they drive to the conference center, and warn him that they're running out of time. Walter stays behind in Hoffman's lab. He finds a particular piece of equipment and picks it up.

Once he's inside the conference center, Hoffman disguises himself as a waiter and places the toxic sterno cans beneath the serving stations.

When Astrid arrives at Hoffman's lab, she finds Walter working desperately with the toxin. He tells her that he can stop Hoffman.

The FBI searches the convention center for any candles that could be used to spread the toxin. As Peter and Olivia search, they're unaware that Walter and Astrid have arrived. Walter goes up the stairs to the balcony, insisting he needs to be on higher ground.

Peter searches the conference floor and finally realizes that the sterno cans are filled with the toxin. Just in time, he stops a caterer from lighting one. He and Olivia hear someone coughing and run to the source. It's Hoffman, who is choking to death from his own toxin. They look up and see Walter, using Hoffman's device to project the toxin down into the room. Hoffman yells at Walter that he's a traitor and then dies. Walter looks down at him for a minute and then walks away.

Broyles arrives and Walter explains that he used Hoffman's DNA to tailor the toxin to only target the killer. Walter admits that he knows what he did is wrong, but doesn't regret it. Broyles simply tells him good night and walks away. Walter tries to make Olivia understand, explaining that Hoffman corrupted Robert's work and that Walter would do anything for family. Olivia turns and leaves, and Walter considers Peter standing nearby.

That night, Peter comes home and shows Walter that he's recover all of Robert's remaining books from Franko. Walter accepts the implied apology and admits that Robert and Peter were much alike. Peter wonders how Hoffman obtained the formula but Walter admits that they may never solve that mystery. He's unaware that among his father's keepsakes is a photo... with Hoffman in the background.

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