The Firefly - Recap

Walter is working at home preparing a chemical substance in the kitchen. Peter comes down and discovers his father dropping his pants and preparing to inject his leg. Walter explains that he's preparing to repair the parts of his brain that are missing because Bell removed them at his request. Peter notes that Bell did it because Walter was afraid of what he was becoming, and says that he doesn't want to see his father hurt. Walter injects himself anyway and then runs off to get the pizza delivery at 2 a.m.

At the Parklane Senior Care facility in Boston, a man shuffles down a hallway. The staff notices him on the security cameras and realizes that he's Mr. Roscoe Joyce, a sleepwalker. A teenage boy opens the outside door and comes in. When the staff goes to find Roscoe, he tells them that he was talking to Bobby. The nurse is surprised to hear that. As they return Roscoe to his room, the nurse explains to her co-worker that Bobby died in 1985.



Outside on the lawn, Bobby meets with the Observer, September, who confirms that he gave his father Roscoe a message. September then says that he'll take the teenager back home.

Olivia receives a package containing a book, If You Meet the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him!. She checks the card and discovers that Peter sent it. Before Olivia can pursue it further, she gets a call from Broyles. She meets her superior and the Bishops, who shows her surveillance footage confirming that Bobby Joyce talked to his father, and then met with the Observer outside. The nurse takes them to see Roscoe in the rec room, and explains that Roscoe doesn't remember what his son said. When Walter sees Roscoe, he realizes that he's a keyboardist with Violet Sedan Chair, a 70s band that is Walter's favorite. Olivia introduces herself and Roscoe explains that he remembers meeting his son, but not what Bobby said. As the staff take Roscoe away for therapy, Walter deduces that the Observer brought Bobby forward from the past, before the teenager died. He asks Broyles to get permission to take Roscoe to the lab so that he can use hypnosis to recover his memories. Walter warns Peter that when the Observer appears, something bad happens to Peter.



As Peter collects Roscoe's medication, he and Olivia notice an elderly couple laughing comfortably together. Olivia shows him the book and says that she realized it was from when she was Over There. She tells Peter that it's okay, and they collect Roscoe.

Three robbers at a jewelry store are surprised when September comes in and knocks two of them out. The third man shoots but September catches the bullets and knocks the man unconscious. The Observer calls the police and then goes to the store clerk, Victoria Dimorio, who is gagged and bound. She is gasping for breath, and he removes her gag. He takes an inhaler from her purse and gives her a dose for her asthma. After studying her intently, he leaves putting the inhaler in his pocket.



Walter has a piano brought into the Harvard lab to help trigger Roscoe's memories under hypnosis. Meanwhile, Olivia gets word about the jewelry store incident and tries to find him on surveillance footage. Peter comes in and explains what Walter is up to, and then tells Olivia that Bolivia asked him what his favorite book was. He admits that he's not easy to understand, but he bought the book for the Olivia he knew for two years, not Bolivia. Olivia says that the book just reminds her of everything she missed, and the conversations they never had.



Roscoe starts to play the piano under hypnosis, and describes how he met Bobby, who took his hand to prove he was real. Before he can say more, Olivia's cell phone goes off. She apologizes and takes the call, which is a report on the Observer in Brookline. She and Peter leave to follow up on the sighting, and Roscoe tells Walter that Bobby said the musician would meet Walter Bishop, and he was supposed to help him. However, he doesn't know how, and wonders if Walter does.

In Cambridge, September meets with his fellow Observer, December. December doesn't believe that Walter will do what September has set in motion, and insists that Walter hasn't changed. A man parks his truck and leaves, and September steals it.

In the lab, Roscoe is playing piano while Walter works on his brain-enhancing serum. Walter thanks him for his efforts and asks why the band broke up. Roscoe explains that they took a break due to creative differences, but never came back together and Roscoe eventually gave up playing.

Victoria tells Peter and Olivia about how the Observer helped her. She notes that he acted like nothing affected him, but is grateful that he saved her life.

Roscoe asks Walter what he's doing, and Walter explains that he's developed the serum to assist in brain-mapping. He pours it into a bottle of milk to aid the bonding and disguise the test, and Roscoe says that his only knowledge of science is how to mix a strawberry milkshake. Walter seizes on that and sends Astrid to get the ingredients for his perfect recipe. As Walter prepares to drink the milk, September enters the lab and says that they need to speak.

In the park, Walter says that they had a deal and begs September not to take Peter. He asks if the Observer can see the future, and September explains that there are many possible futures and he can't predict which one will pass. September gives an example of how since Peter survived, he captured a firefly the next summer, which meant a girl three months later didn't. She went searching for one, her father drove his truck to look for her, and accidentally hit a pedestrian in Harvard Yard. September asks Walter to help, and tells him to "give him the keys and save the girl." Walter has no idea what he means, and then gets a call from Peter. When he glances around, he discovers that September has vanished. Peter tells him that they're taking the girl, Victoria, to downtown to give a station. Walter insists that he needs to talk to Victoria, and Peter agrees to bring her to the lab when the police are done with her.



Back at the lab, Roscoe finishes a bowl of strawberry ice cream and tells Walter that he remembered Bobby calling him on the phone over 25 years ago. The teenager said that he had a dream where a bald man took him to the future to see his elderly father. Walter explains that the Observer used time travel to take Bobby to see the present-day Roscoe. Roscoe realizes that the call was his last contact with Bobby. Violet Sedan Chair was playing at Harvard Yard, and Bobby was hit by a truck as he came to see his father. When Bobby died, nothing matter to Roscoe and he broke up the band. A stricken Walter goes into the office and tells Astrid that he's realized he set both universes off-balance by saving Peter. Now the Observer is trying to reset the balance, but Walter refuses to help since it will cost him Peter.

Peter and Walter are following the police SUV carrying Victoria. Walter calls and asks Peter to determine where Victoria was 25 years ago. Before Peter can do anything, September drives the stolen car into the police vehicle. He gets out and runs away, and Olivia chases him while Peter checks on Victoria. She is having an asthma attack due to the stress, but she doesn't have her inhaler since the Observer took it earlier. Walter and Astrid arrive, and Peter prepares to go after Olivia. He asks for Walter's keys and tells him to save the girl, and Walter realize that everything the Observer has done has led to this moment, and Peter will die. Peter tells Walter to save the girl and asks for the keys, and his father reluctantly does so.



Peter spots the Observer going into a hostel. He crosses the street, narrowly avoiding the traffic.

Walter uses an empty water bottle as a pump to inflate Victoria's lungs.

Peter follows the Observer to a rooftop and demands answers. September says that it must be difficult to be a father, and then takes his air gun out and shoots Peter him, knocking him back across the roof. Olivia arrives as the Observer climbs a rooftop. By the time she catches up to him, he has moved to a building. Olivia prepares to shoot, but she hears Peter get up. By the time she turns around, the Observer has disappeared.



The EMTs take Victoria away and Walter gets a call from Olivia. When she says that "they lost him," he assumes that she means Peter. Puzzled, he wonders why the Observer did everything when Peter is still alive.

Later, Walter and Astrid take Roscoe back to the senior care facility. The musician invites Walter to visit and bring milkshakes. They hug, and Roscoe says that no one deserves a second chance like the one he was given.

Peter and Olivia return to the lab, and Peter gets some aspirin for the pain. As he takes out a bottle of water to swallow them, he notices Olivia examining his book. She asks why it's his favorite book, and Peter explains that it talks about how you can only find the answers within yourself. He swallows the pill with the milk and then collapses. Olivia calls Walter and tells him what's happening, and Walter realizes that Peter drank the milk with the serum. He directs Olivia to the magnesium sulfate that he has stored in the refrigerator next to the mayonnaise



That night, Walter is at home with Peter and thanks him for revealing that the serum was fatal. He believes that September set up the entire thing so that Peter would be hit on the head, take aspirin, and drink the serum. It would have killed the older Walter immediately.

Outside the Bishop house, September and December watch. September admits that he thought his experiment would fail, but December points out that Walter is now willing to let Peter die. Now they know that when the time comes, Walter will be willing to do it again.



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