Writing in his journal, a familiar man in the ‘Fringe’ universe sits on a plane and starts bleeding from the nose. A lil old lady offers him a bit of advice on staunching the flow before he goes to the bathroom. He takes a swab from his mouth and isn’t too happy with the results. He demands that the flight attendants  to find sedatives and bring them to him as he locks himself in the bathroom where he starts going through painful seizures. The air marshal knocks on the door and he answers, seemingly okay. On the ground he gets questioned by the TSA and things look okay until he begins having stomach pains that drive him to the bathroom where he begins the grotesque and painful change. A porcupine type creature busts out of the door with predictable, yet unseen, results.

Taking a look at Mr. Porcupine

Olivia is talking to the FBI head doctor and is less than pleased. She goes to Broyles who tells her that forty percent of the information she told the doctor was incorrect as this is a world without Peter (with most of her memories coming from the world with him). She goes home, frustrated by being put on mandatory leave, to Peter fixing dinner when he gets a call from Lincoln and has to take off. He meets up with the group at the lab where Lincoln’s active field commander in place of Olivia. He tells Peter about the case—one Peter remembers, though some of the details have changed. They view the monstrous remains of Marshall Bowman at the airport while Peter questions Bowman’s sister about her brother’s most recent activities. Peter can’t quite remember all the details though he suggests that Olivia would. After gathering the information on Bowman’s partner from Olivia, Peter and Lincoln talk with the latter all but admitting his love for Olivia.

Speaking of everyone’s favorite agent, she’s waiting for them at the house. During the search, Lincoln is attacked by another porcupine creature who ends up getting away. They get back to the lab a patch Lincoln up while examining the first creature. They continue to analyze the case more and more details that Peter and Olivia remember seem to be a bit out of whack, including a Sumerian tattoo found on Bowman’s body.  Peter has an idea of who can translate the markings—eclectic book collector Ed who doesn’t recognize Peter or Olivia and when they show him a picture of the tattoo he asks “are you one of them?”

Ed helps with the case

Back to the lab, Walter casually mentions to Lincoln he’s probably infected with whatever virus was in Bowman and the other creature. He assures Lincoln he can probably cure him, a prospect the agent isn’t all too fond of. Back at the book store, Ed tells Olivia and Peter a bit about the tattoo and its relevance regarding a rumored cult looking towards the guided evolution of man, a phrase that catches Peter’s attention.

There’s a quick segue from the investigation to a woman coming home to her apartment. She’s startled by the porcupine creature in the shadows but instead of running, she goes to it and injects it with a serum, all the while promising it they will both be special like, Adam and Eve.

Getting back to the lab the gang jokes about world ending cults though Lincoln is still a bit too freaked about his condition to partake in the fun as he waits for the test results. They catch an interesting palindrome in the file number of an online reports about the cults and it leads to Massive Dynamic. Nina looks up the file only to find it’s been erased but they find out that David Robert Jones over saw the project. At the Harvard lab Lincoln is having quite the food obsession and it turns on a light bulb in Walter’s noggin. He brings Olivia and Peter back, realizing the creatures are using lipids (human fat) to power their metamorphosis. Peter asks the question of how they are getting around without being seen; the question is answered when the woman and creature jump off a building and sprouts wings and flies.

Lincoln watches, slightly disgusted, as Walter makes a wheat grass smoothie. The drugs, Walter explains, will help manage the change. They get the information on the human fat waste thefts and when Walter’s computer model shows wings for the creature, Peter asks about any high rise clinics, of which there is only one. Olivia informs Broyles despite the trouble she’ll be in but they make their way to the high rise clinic with full reinforcements.  They aren’t quite needed as Olivia realizes the creature is much like a porcupine (nocturnal) and has Peter turn on the lights. He does just in time to save Lincoln and provides another assist when the woman from the apartment attacks. Peter wounds her, getting her off Lincoln and she looks over at the dying creature, tears streaming from her eyes.

Walter plays with some of the items he saved for Peter’s birthdays and is informed that the mystery woman is okay and treated with Walter’s cure. The end of the case only brings more questions though as she’s unable to provide information on who supplied her with the drugs. Broyles shows up and instead of reaming Olivia he tells her she’s back on the job. It appears Bowman’s sister knew more than she let on. She’s with another man and tries to convince him to take the virus so they can be “children of the new world”. She injects herself and it shows that she has the same tattoo as her brother. The final scene is of a menagerie of creatures on a cargo ship sailing for God knows where.

Another well done episode that, while self-contained, still expands upon ‘Fringe’ lore as David Robert Jones continues to do everything to make himself the uber villain. As the two worlds (one without Peter and the one with) continue to mesh, more answers are being found at the expense of more questions being generated. Now that O is in the fold of “remembering Peter” how long before the memories return for everyone else?

If you missed the previous episode be sure to read our ‘Fringe: A Short Story About Love’ recap.