“Marionette” is episode nine of season three of Fringe.
A man gets off a train as another watches. The second catches the first with the point of his umbrella. He watches as the first man staggers into his house and then collapses inside. The first man comes around, trapped down with quite a bit of blood around. The second man is calling 911 saying there is someone in need of medical attention; he’s injured very badly. He then comes and injects the first man, apologising and saying there’s no other way. The injected man spasms and goes still.
EMTs arrive at the house and see blood spattered plastic. Once calls it in as the other finds the man, removing the sheet to discover his heart has been removed. And then he comes around and speaks. The man who removed the heart has a cooler and is back at the train station.
Broyles arrives in his office to find Olivia there. She explains that she thinks Walternate was looking for a way of crossing universes safely and yes, she thinks he’s close. Walternate is driven and believes it’s his world or theirs. Broyles explains that AltLiv took a part of the machine, and tells Olivia that science division is analysing the rest. He will let her see the results. When she’s back. Olivia is on leave until further notice after what happened to her. Olivia wants to be back immediately. She made a promise to a friend to do everything she could to heal both worlds. Broyles asks about the friend; though nothing is said directly, both know they’re talking about AltBroyles who died in the previous episode, “Entrada”.
Walter and Peter are heading to the scene. Walter wants to talk to Peter about Olivia and Peter’s relationship with AltLiv. Peter doesn’t want to talk to Walter about it. Walter says that Peter knows the pain a lie can inflict. He does. Which is why Peter plans to tell her everything, even knowing it will change things.
At the scene, they meet up with Olivia and Broyles; Broyles explains what happened. The man died 3 minutes after being found. Walter is excited. Inside, they look at the body and see scar tissue near the heart. Peter goes to check the man’s medication. Walter shows Olivia and Broyles the dead man has reflexes, not rigor mortis. Walter thinks the man is more dead than not. Olivia suggests organlegging, but Peter returns and says it’s unlikely, given the amount of medication the man was on.
Olivia and Peter head to see the man’s doctor and have to wait until she’s ready. Peter starts talking and, after some time getting to the point, finally says he and AltLiv were having a relationship. And yes, everyone does know now. Olivia talks about AltLiv’s life and how no-one, including her boyfriend, knew Olivia wasn’t AltLiv. She says she understands. It’s fine; they’re good. Heading to speak to the doctor, she says that the dead man was the recipient of a new heart.
The man who took the heart is with a very dead young woman. And he tells her it will be okay.
Walter and Astrid are in the lab; she tells him that Nina Sharp can’t find the project Walter wants. Walter says that Belly and him worked on a serum in the mid-70s. They were trying to develop a method of questioning someone after death. Walter tells Astrid to tell Nina to look in pet projects; it may have been folded in. Astrid is going to head out and Peter arrives at this point. Walter wants him to smell the dead man. Who is not putrefying yet. Decomposition has slowed almost to zero.
Walter explains that there’s a serum in the blood. Probably injected to assuage the second man’s conscience. Peter questions this. Walter says the man did call 911 and if the deceased had been put in a heart and lung machine in time he might have survived. Unlikely, but it probably helps the organ thief sleep. Walter asks about Olivia and Peter says he spoke to her. She reacted surprisingly well. Walter wonders if she’s been replaced by a robot.
Olivia is at home. She has her alternate’s neck tattoo and then starts ripping clothes from their hangers and the sheets from her bed. She goes to wash them and finds Peter’s stuff in it, and breaks down. Olivia is not okay. Someone else has been living her life, using her relationships, sleeping in her bed and none of her friends noticed. She likely feels violated.
It turns out that there have been multiple organ thefts. All from organ recipients. And all from the same donor. The thief seems to want to put the young woman back together.