“The Boy Must Live” is episode eleven of season five of Fringe.
Peter is cutting a tape out of the amber at night when Walter startles him. Walter has had an idea as to how to find September – Donald – thanks to the memories Michael showed him in the previous episode, “Anomaly XB-6783746”. Using the tank to access his subconscious.
Walter is in the tank and he sees September. Who he comments has hair. Walter looks about the window and sees a city. New York. He can see the Empire State Building and a bridge. Astrid finds the approximate location in Brooklyn. Walter is certain September is still alive. Whether or not he’s at the apartment, they will find out.
Windmark is listening to the recording of Nina when another Observer tells Windmark someone is ready to see him. Windmark leaves. And arrives in Manhattan, 2609.
They have arrived outside the apartment and Peter is concerned that Walter is too good. Walter says it’s no longer necessary to remove pieces of his brain. When Michael touched him, he gained his memories of the other timeline. He has no idea what the plan is, though.
Windmark heads to see the Commander. He tells the Commander that the anomaly – Michale – has been discovered in the past. Whoever hid him, did it for a reason. The anomaly should not exist, but someone ensured he would survive, because he’s important.
Walter knocks on the apartment door and September answers. He never thought he’d see Walter again. They explain how they found September. September says he was apprehended before the invasion for his continued interference in the timeline and his interaction with all of them. The others removed September’s tech and he can no longer do what he could. He also was made no different to the rest of them as a punishment. September doesn’t think it was one. And he chose his name from Singing in the Rain, the first film he and Walter saw together.
Donald explains Michael was born in the future, in a lab like all of them. In 2167, a scientist discovered he could boost intelligence by removing jealousy. The beginnings of the Observers. More emotions were removed to heighten intelligence, and they lost perspective on the use of positive emotions. Michael developed differently. He was an anomaly. A defect. September hid him in the past to be safe.
In the future, Windmark is finding information on Michael and whose genetic material was used. September’s.
The Commander refuses to give Windmark the go-ahead to go after the fugitives any way he wishes. There was a 99.999% probability they would succeed in the past at the time they chose. Windmark points out there was only a 0.0001% chance the boy would live. Things are getting personal for Windmark.
Michael is a hybrid. He has more intelligence than the Observers, but still has emotions. September wants to change the future to change the past.