| Black Blotter | |
| Cast | Transcript |
PROLOGUE[]
Walter's Lab - Message Received[]
ASTRID: Walter.
WALTER: Hello, Astrid.
ASTRID: Walter, what are you doing out here?
WALTER: Your hair... it's beautiful.
ASTRID: Thanks. Did you fix this radio? Because it's picking up a signal.
WALTER: It's beautiful.
OLIVIA: You okay?
PETER: Yeah. Yeah, I just can't sleep.
OLIVIA: How are you feeling?
PETER: I had another one of those headaches.
OLIVIA: Can I get you something?
PETER: No. I got everything I need right here.
ASTRID: There's something you both need to see. The radio's working. The pattern's repeating on a loop. It's like it's some kind of Morse Code, but it's not Morse Code, or at least it's not any Morse Code that I’ve ever heard.
OLIVIA: So do you think maybe it's Donald?
PETER: Why now? How would he even know that we're still alive?
OLIVIA: Well, he left the radio for Walter for a reason, and he left it on that frequency for a reason. Maybe he's trying to contact us.
PETER: Well, yeah, him or anybody else with a shortwave radio.
OLIVIA: The only way to know for sure is to find out what that message is. Walter. Walter? Do you recognize this?
ASTRID: It's gonna be difficult to get any information from him right now because he dropped acid.
PETER: Walter. Walter? Walter? Are you tripping?
WALTER: Most definitely.
ACT I[]
Walter's Lab - Desperate To Remember[]
PETER: Walter... I need to talk to you. Can you concentrate for a moment?
WALTER: Carla Warren is here. My old dead lab assistant is here to haunt me. The one that was burned in the fire.
PETER: The radio is picking up a transmission. We think it's from Donald. Do you recognize it?
ASTRID: Okay, I ran prelims on the transmission through my encryption program, just trying to figure out if there's some sort of pattern hidden in the beeps and tones, but I can't make heads or tails of it.
PETER: Okay, Walter, if they're right and Donald did send you a message, it makes sense that he'd expect you to know it.
WALTER: Right. Makes sense. Why send me a message I can't understand?
PETER: So can you?
WALTER: Hmm?
PETER: Understand it?
WALTER: It's in "A" minor. Peter, I'm sorry. I didn't know we were going to get a message. How could I know that? I wouldn't have taken the acid if I had known that.
PETER: What kind of acid did you take?
WALTER: Black Blotter. I found some hidden in the storeroom.
PETER: Why?
WALTER: Because it was an excellent batch.
PETER: No, why did you drop acid?
WALTER: I'm desperate to remember the plan before he completely takes over.
PETER: Who are you talking about, Walter?
WALTER: Nina and I made an arrangement.
PETER: What kind of arrangement?
WALTER: She promised that when I finished the plan to defeat the Observers, she would help me remove the pieces of brain that they put back in.
PETER: I don't think that's a good idea, Walter.
WALTER: I don't want to lose you, Peter. I don't want to lose any of you.
PETER: And you won't, Walter. I'm right here. We're alright here together.
WALTER: It's not enough. I'm afraid we're running out of time.
OLIVIA: What do you mean, Walter?
WALTER: Two nights ago, you were all asleep. I found myself at the tunnel entrance door, dressed and ready to go, to go outside. Out there. Where was I going at three in the morning, Peter? Where?
PETER: I don't know, Walter.
WALTER: And neither do I!
CARLA WARREN: But he does.
WALTER: But he does. He knows where I was going.
OLIVIA: Who knows, Walter?
PETER: The Walter that was.
WALTER: I don't even remember what I was doing. It's like the first time I went out, but I stopped myself. But what if next time I didn't stop myself, couldn't stop myself, what then? I promised you, Peter, but he made me. What he almost made me. For reasons I do not know. I need to figure out this blasted plan to defeat the Observers, and I have to do it quickly to rid myself of this devil. There must be something they left intact, something I can use. Peter. Peter. Peter, I don't think I should be discussing this in my condition. You need to allow me to do my work. I need to think, to figure out the tones.
PETER: Okay, come on.
OLIVIA: What if we don't have to crack the code?
ASTRID: What do you mean?
OLIVIA: The signal's coming from somewhere. If we track it, maybe we can figure out what it means. Peter, can we locate where this signal is being broadcast from?
PETER: Well, I'll get in contact with Anil, see if The Resistance has a receiver that can help us triangulate the signal.
Walter's Lab - Inspired Vision[]
WALTER: Thank you, my Dear.
Walter's Lab - Tech Support[]
ANIL: The tech works by isolating the frequency of the radio signal you're looking for. It locates the signal by using three different vectors to triangulate the signal.
PETER: And we have to be at a certain elevation to track it?
ANIL: No, the machine does it for you, utilizing a satellite.
PETER: Hey, Walter. We're about to find the signal's origin.
WALTER: I know that.
CARLA WARREN: Do you know that there's something hidden in this lab?
PETER: Walter? Walter?
ANIL: What's wrong with him?
WALTER: When did he get here?
PETER: Half an hour ago. He brought the tech that's gonna help us track the signal's location.
ANIL: Let me set the parameters. Set those red geolocate buttons to accept.
OLIVIA: Go back. I think that was it.
ACT II[]
Willington, CT - Transmission Troubles[]
PETER: We have to go on foot from here, but the transmission's definitely coming from that direction.
OLIVIA: Well, how far out?
PETER: Uh, it's hard to say, but the signal's still strong. I'm guessing not more than a couple hundred yards.
OLIVIA: What?
PETER: You amaze me. After everything I’ve put you through, I did the very thing I promised you I wouldn't do, I left you again. I'm more than a little embarrassed, you know?
OLIVIA: Peter, you don't have to say anything.
PETER: No, I do. I don't deserve you. I'm just so lucky, so incredibly lucky to have you.
OLIVIA: Peter.
PETER: It was an Observer.
OLIVIA: Peter - there are two more over here. Another Observer and a Loyalist. Looks like they were killed during a firefight. Based on the decomp of their bodies, I'd say ten, fifteen years ago at least.
PETER: I think we just found Donald. Liv, take a look at this. It's an early prototype Observer gun. Looks like he killed the two Observers and the Loyalist, but then died of his wounds before he could drive away.
OLIVIA: Well, if Donald's been dead all these years, then where's the signal coming from?
PETER: Right over there. Olivia! This isn't the source of the transmission. It's just a relay being used to boost the signal that's being bounced in from somewhere else. What is it?
OLIVIA: The body behind the wheel, it isn't Donald. It's Sam Weiss.
Walter's Lab - Hide n' Peek[]
ASTRID: Walter.
WALTER: What is it?
ASTRID: Was there a man that was part of the plan named Sam Weiss?
WALTER: Sam Weiss. I've never heard of him.
ASTRID: He doesn't know him. Who is he?
OLIVIA: Uh, he was someone that Peter and I knew in a different time line.
ASTRID: Was?
OLIVIA: Yeah, we just found his body. Looks like he was trying to protect the signal relay from the radio transmission.
ASTRID: But, what did he have to do with Donald and the signal?
OLIVIA: We don't know, but apparently, he was helping to keep the transmission going.
ASTRID: Well, is there a possibility that Sam Weiss was Donald?
OLIVIA: I don't think so. I mean, we've seen glimpses of Donald on the video tapes, and his hair color and body type just doesn't match up. Peter's recalibrating the tracking device so that we can find the signal's origin point. We'll call you back as soon as we have something new.
ASTRID: Yeah.
CARLA WARREN: Okay, she won't see you now. You're still cold, Walter. Colder.
WALTER: This is absurd. I haven't got time for infantile games. Just tell me what it is you have me looking for.
CARLA WARREN: Your secrets.
WALTER: I have no idea what you're talking about. And I can't begin to guess.
CARLA WARREN: Can't? That word was never in the vocabulary of the Walter Bishop I knew. He once told me, There is no God in this lab but me.
WALTER: He is not me. Tell her, Nina.
NINA: He's right.
CARLA WARREN: That Walter would think nothing of going off on his own to New York right now. He'd share all his secrets with the Observers, demonstrate his unequaled brilliance. A man of your staggering intellect and vision would be recognized by the Observers, valued, revered even. Grab your coat and hat.
WALTER: Stop. I won't let you talk me into leaving the lab by myself again. I promised Peter! I will not jeopardize the plan. I won't risk the safety of everyone I care about.
ASTRID: Walter?
CARLA WARREN: Warmer. You're burning up. And I know how that feels.
WALTER: I don't understand. What is this?
NINA: No, put it back, Walter.
CARLA WARREN: It's your life's work, the work I came to burn the night that I died.
WALTER: Perhaps just a peek.
ACT III[]
Manhattan Transfer - Observer Precinct[]
WALTER: Oh. This is my matter displacement invention for removing food from cans. I was going to render the can opener obsolete.
CABBIE: Mister. I don't know if I can make change for this.
WALTER: Try. Oh. And my design for the combustible engine powered by potatoes. What's Black Umbrella? Is that in here? What is Black Umbrella? Why is it in my head? Oh.
WAITER: Would you care for a top off, sir? I have Purple Microdot, or would you like to stick with the Black Blotter?
WALTER: I don't mind if I do.
WAITER: Excellent choice, sir. Ah, when I crossed universes to save Peter, this is when I first realized how I could do it.
CARLA WARREN: And do you remember anything else? When you were going to create your own universe and start from scratch?
WALTER: I'm not who you say I am. I am not that man anymore. Where am I?
CARLA WARREN: You're in Manhattan.
WALTER: Manhattan?
CARLA WARREN: At the Observer Precinct.
WALTER: What am I doing here?
CARLA WARREN: You snuck out of the lab, you tricked Astrid.
WALTER: Why would I do that? I - I promised Peter. I promised that I wouldn't leave the lab alone again. I wouldn't make a unilateral decision like that. I wouldn't do something that could hurt the people I love.
CARLA WARREN: You're in denial. You've been him longer than you've been you. Why else do you think I'm here? I'm just like this journal. I represent all of the things that you're trying to keep buried.
WALTER: I wanted to cry for you. I'm different now.
CARLA WARREN: It was a surgical procedure that made you the Walter you're clinging to, but you can't hide from who you are.
WALTER: I've made a terrible mistake. I've risked everything. I've put everybody in jeopardy. I must find my way home.
Connecticut Coast - Boat For Hire[]
ASTRID: Come on, Walter. We're waiting for you.
WALTER: What are we doing here?
ASTRID: We're meeting Peter and Olivia. We have to rent a boat, remember?
WALTER: Boat? Ooh.
DOCKMAN: What's wrong with him?
ASTRID: He's fine.
PETER: Here you go.
DOCKMAN: It's at the end of the dock. But easy on the choke 'cause it'll flood the engine if you give it too much gas.
PETER: Alright, let's go, Walter.
WALTER: Why do we need a boat, Peter?
PETER: Because we used the tech that Anil gave us to locate the origin point of Donald's signal.
WALTER: Where's it coming from?
PETER: There. That island. That's where we're going, Walter.
WALTER: Is that where Donald is?
PETER: We're going to find out.
WALTER: Oh, my.
OLIVIA: Watch your step, Walter.
WALTER: What's wrong? What's happening?
ASTRID: Walter, it's okay. Just relax.
WALTER: No, we have to -
PETER: No. no, Walter. Just slow down. Slow down.
LOYALIST PATROLMAN: Hey, you there.
PETER: Afternoon.
LOYALIST PATROLMAN: Hold up. That your boat?
PETER: Yeah, we're just going down to visit my uncle.
LOYALIST PATROLMAN: Your uncle?
PETER: He lives out on Thimble Island.
LOYALIST PATROLMAN: I'm gonna have to do a scan.
PETER: Sure thing, no problem.
LOYALIST PATROLMAN: You have papers?
PETER: Yeah, right here.
OLIVIA: Go.
ASTRID: Come on, Walter.
WALTER: Why are these mice shooting at us?
OLIVIA: Let's go.
ACT IV[]
Thimble Island - Meeting Michael[]
PETER: Based on the strength of the signal, we gotta be getting close.
OLIVIA: Look, there's a path just over there.
PETER: How you doing, Walter?
ASTRID: He's fine.
PETER: This is where the signal originates.
RICHARD: Who are you? What do you want?
OLIVIA: We're here to meet Donald. Are you Donald?
RICHARD: There's no Donald here.
PETER: Have you ever seen this man before? You recognize him?
RICHARD: I don't know who you are, but I suggest you turn around and go back where you came from.
WALTER: Astrid. Do you see him? The child Observer.
ASTRID: Oh, my God.
OLIVIA: It's him.
CAROLYN: Richard? Who are these people?
RICHARD: I have it under control, Carolyn. Go back inside.
OLIVIA: We're here because of a man named Donald. You know him? He left a radio for us, and this morning it started transmitting a signal that led us here.
CAROLYN: Put the gun down. Richard, we knew this day could happen, that one day someone would come for him.
RICHARD: You said you picked up a radio transmission. Then you know it contained a message with a password.
ASTRID: But the message was in code. We couldn't crack it.
RICHARD: Donald said the person he left the radio for would know the code. If you are who you say you are, tell me the password. Tell me the password.
WALTER: Hmm. Ah! Huh? Ah. Mm. Mm-hmm. Hmm. Huh? Aah! Black Umbrella. It's Black Umbrella. That's the password. Black Umbrella.
CAROLYN: I think you better come inside.
ACT V[]
Thimble Island - Guardianship Over[]
OLIVIA: You know Donald. So what can you tell us about him?
RICHARD: When the Invaders came and people started to fight back, my wife and I helped the cause in any way we could. We gave food, supplies, medical attention, and shelter to those courageous enough to stand up against them.
PETER: You were part of The Resistance.
RICHARD: We didn't call ourselves that back then, but yes. After a while, we acquired a reputation as people who could be trusted. That's how we met Donald. About eight months after the invasion, he showed up at our doorstep. He said the Invaders were looking for him and he had to go away. But he needed us to watch over the boy. He said he was part of an important plan to defeat the Invaders. Donald said he'd worked with a scientist from Boston, but the scientist had been captured, he wasn't sure he'd ever see him again but that he hoped that he would.
WALTER: That's me. Did Donald say where he was going?
CAROLYN: No.
PETER: And you never saw him again after that?
RICHARD: That was part of the arrangement. He couldn't come back. He didn't want to put us in danger. We heard that he was dead.
CAROLYN: Well before he left, he gave us this. We had to turn it on every five days at the same time, so it could broadcast a coded message. If you were still alive, you would get the message and come for the boy.
RICHARD: That was over twenty years ago.
CAROLYN: He doesn't speak. He hasn't aged a day since he came to live with us. We call him Michael.
RICHARD: There were times when I thought about not turning that signal on anymore. Selfishly, I wanted to keep him here with us. This is the hardest day for me. I never doubted that Michael was important, that he was meant for something great.
Walter's Lab - Settling Inn[]
OLIVIA: Here. Something to warm you up. It's just hot cocoa. I had a daughter, and when she was little, she loved hot cocoa. She used to say, that of all the hot cocoa in the world, mine was her favorite. Do you know me? Do you remember me?
PETER: But he met us in a different time line. How could he possibly remember you?
OLIVIA: Observers experience time differently. Maybe he does too.
Walter's Lab - Unsettled[]
CARLA WARREN: You can't hide from who you are. Some things are not ours to tamper with. Some things are God's.
WALTER: There's only room for one God in this lab, and it's not yours.
ELIZABETH BISHOP: God, I just can't bear it when you're not here.
WALTER: You know what I'm doing, you know where I am, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. I won't give up, Elizabeth. I can do this. I need you not to doubt me. Nothing's going to happen to you. I promise.
CARLA WARREN: Walter, you're trying to create a wormhole into another universe?
WALTER: Yes. I think I just said that.
CARLA WARREN: I'm sorry, but you can't.
WALTER: Yes, I think I can.
CARLA WARREN: No, Walter, I won't let you do it.
NINA: Walter! No!
Walter, there has to be a line somewhere. There has to be a line we can't cross.
WALTER: My son is dying, Doctor Warren. I will not allow that to happen again.
CARLA WARREN: I am become death, Destroyer of Worlds.
WALTER: Don't you quote Oppenheimer.
CARLA WARREN: Knowledge cannot be pursued without morality.
WALTER: You sound like a sanctimonious southern preacher!
CARLA WARREN: I may go to church every Sunday, Walter, but I also have three degrees in theoretical physics, and I am telling you - you cannot do this! We both know the amount of energy required to create a portal will forever ruin both universes. For the sake of one life, you will destroy the world. Some things are not ours to tamper with. Some things are God's.
WALTER: There's only room for one God in this lab, and it's not yours.
CARLA WARREN: The journal doesn't matter. Even if you burn it, it's too late now that you remember all the things you're capable of.
NINA: Walter, you got the boy back. You've got to continue. You've got to keep fighting.
CARLA WARREN: I think we both know you're too tired to do that. There's nothing to burn. You've been him longer than you've been you.